When I think about Whispering the Word to others, one of the best ways to impact others, is by sharing the mindset of a believer who walks by faith, trusting in the Lord God throughout their regular daily lives. And that is my absolute favorite part of this new novel, Across the Blue, a Historical Fiction (1909 in England/France) tale of the birth of flight and aviators attempting to cross the English Channel for the first time, releasing from Waterbrook/Multnomah February 20th, 2018.
You can enter here for a chance to win a whole set of new books from the publisher.
The two main characters that shared their intimate faith by the prayers they silently prayed as life happened are: Belle a debutante, daughter of a wealthy self made man who owns several newspapers, and James, an illegitimate child who knows very little of his parents, whose life has not reflected that struggle, as a Professor of aviation took him in, after his Mother dies tragically, and then the Professors sister, passes when he is 6, and raised him as his own son with a solid education, and as business partners in aviation, and in the attempt to cross the English Channel in their self made airplane, funded by the generosity of others.
Do you want to check it out for yourself? You can read a sneak peak here. It hooked me!
The plot is driven by Belle, a young woman who is entering her third season, seeking a spouse that she finds true love with, something her parents are not nearly as concerned about, as they want her to marry another well to do family of equal stature. Her family has just moved into a large estate called the Broadlands, and meets James and the Professor on the first day, when his plan crashes on their land. She also desires to follow in her father's footsteps as a journalist, something her parents consider a stumbling block in courting her well to do suitors, but they agree she may write with a pseudonym, if she agrees to accept a proposal by the end of the year.
The author, Carrie Turanksy, does a lovely job developing the plot while sharing knowledge of how challenging learning to fly, creating your own plan, and preparing to cross the English Channel would have been, and her details were fascinating and helped pull you into the lives of the characters. Belle ends up being courted by more than one aviator, and that creates some awkward, yet believable situations. There are vivid images of the homes, gardens, and various locations in London and near the channel, making the reader compelled to continue reading.
I found the book to be a great page turner, and I read on several times, when I had planned to stop to see how all the different avenues created in the characters' lives would turn out. There is of course romance, history and a feel of the setting in this modern new world at the turn of the century in Europe, but also the characters have their own problems, struggles, and secrets.
The Word of God is whispered on occasion with a comment about the message shared at the church, but is not overly done or preachy, just threaded in on occasion as it fit with the lives of the characters. As both James and Bella mature, their from their head silent prayers are short, sweet, yet honest and reflect their spiritual and young adult maturity develop, but also model for the reader a life lead by someone trusting God in the big and little things of life. I really enjoyed this element and the way it was so naturally woven into the book. I don't believe a person who is not faith oriented would be offended by any of it, but would recognize and respect the way God influenced the lives of these young people.
I was blessed to be given an ARC by the publisher to review, all opinions are my own, and I was asked to share an honest review of my reading, and I've happily done that.
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