Julie Presley

I’ll start by saying that I don’t usually read books that have no fantasy or sci-fi elements to them, but I picked this one up because I used to know the author years ago when we were teenagers, and it’s her first novel, and I believe in supporting new authors.

There is a lot to like in this book. I really wanted to love it; I really wish I could rave about it. Unfortunately, it falls prey to first novel syndrome. A good editor could make this book shine, but right now it’s a bit of a mess.

Allaya (or Ally) is trying to recover after the death of her sister, who was also her best friend. As my sister is also my best friend, I found this hard to read, but very real. I can only imagine what it would be like to lose her, but it might be a lot like when Ally says it was “torture trying to function like a normal person.”

Finnegan (or Finn) is running from God. This bothers me. I dated a guy who was running from God, and it was awful. He said I was his “angel” and I felt like I was the only reason he wanted to have anything to do with God. It was not a healthy relationship. The Bible says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV) and I learned first-hand what this means: if a team of two are yoked—or harnessed—together, but pulling in opposing directions, nothing gets done and everybody is frustrated and exhausted.

You may have heard the maxim, “Show; don’t tell.” It’s oft misunderstood and there is much argument over it. Many a new writer either doesn’t know how to show, or simply gives up. However, the point is to pull the reader in, and telling feels distant. Showing makes the reader feel. I didn’t feel much in [b:Stones of Remembrance|16056002|Stones of Remembrance|Julie Presley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349120722s/16056002.jpg|21841720]. [a:Julie Presley|6544078|Julie Presley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1349120159p2/6544078.jpg] tells us what her characters are feeling rather than showing it through actions and body language. After reading “Ally was sad” a few times, I don’t care anymore. I want to feel her grief.

Omniscience is great—if you’re a god. Harder to pull off in a novel. Experienced authors get around this by writing each chapter from a different character’s point of view. This works well for a really long story where not everything can be shown from one character’s POV. Even though Stones of Remembrance isn’t epic-length, if Julie Presley wrote each chapter from either Ally’s or Finn’s POV, this would have worked quite well. She didn’t. The POV switches within a chapter—often, within a scene—sometimes, within a sentence. This doesn’t work. At all. It’s called head-jumping, and it’s very confusing for the reader. Who’s doing what now?

Awkward wording is hard to put a finger on, but there’s a flow to well-written prose that I just didn’t feel here. Also, consistency is key. When Ally makes coffee for Finn, he shouldn’t be sipping decaf, then taking a drink of tea minutes later. Where did he get the tea? She made coffee. Proofreading is important, kids.

Let’s talk dialogue tags for a minute. Some people like the tried and true “said.” Some people think that’s boring, and opt for the more colourful “yelled,” “screeched,” “murmured,” etc. Whatever floats your boat, but please don’t use words that aren’t dialogue tags in place of dialogue tags. Ally and Finn “resign” and “blush” their lines of dialogue. How on earth do you “blush” a sentence? You can’t. Not in English. This could easily be fixed by making it into two separate sentences: “Hi,” she blushed becomes “Hi.” She blushed. Remember, dialogue tags are not always needed.

And the voice of God? While I do believe that He can communicate in many ways, and a voice in my head—or even an audible voice—is definitely within His abilities, I don’t think He does that very often. In this novel, He does it all the time, and I don’t see that as very realistic, especially since Finn doesn’t want to hear Him. God doesn’t force people to hear His voice.

The ending feels rushed and way too easy to me. It’s not exactly a spoiler to tell you that they get married, right? It is a romance novel, after all. While their wedding vows made me smile, the wedding itself came way too quickly for my tastes. Maybe it’s just me. After all, I knew my husband for a few years before we even started dating, and then we were engaged for a year and a half before we got married. Ally and Finn may have been childhood friends, but they haven’t seen each other for years at the beginning of this novel, and they’ve changed a lot in that time. They need more time to get to know each other again, and they don’t get that time. I don’t see this as a very good basis for a relationship.

I really wish I could recommend this book, but I just can’t. Unless you really don’t care about anything I just laid out, and you just want a feel-good read, this is not the book for you. It is a feel-good read, though; no doubt about that. I just wanted more.… (mehr)

I'm just going to be honest - Christian romance as a genre is not my jam. The storylines are so predictable - the main characters so sweet and pure I need a trip to the dentist - and the romance? Well, let's just say it's generally as sterile as a bottle of hand sanitizer. Like I said.....not my jam.

So imagine how thrilled I am to discover an author who write romance novels with real romance - like, the kind the gives a girl more than a few butterflies in her stomach - with characters I actually LIKE, stories that surprise me as I turn the pages - and in the Christian genre??? It's almost unbelievable - and yet, it's completely real.

Nor Forsake is the second novel I've read by Julie Presley, and with it she has cemented her spot as my favorite Christian fiction writer. Libby is an absolute delight of a character - warm, funny, smart, but with just enough insecurity and sass to make her feel real and authentic. I am already a sucker for a good novel set in the literary/publishing world, and Nor Forsake adds the romance of New York City as a backdrop for Libby's story. And the romance - yep, it has heat, which is sadly missing in so many Christian romance novels, but it's still a book you don't have to feel bad about recommending to your mom, or your 16-year-old daughter.

I'm such a fan of this author. Her books feel like a breath of fresh air, a cozy blanket on a chilly evening, a good conversation with a trusted friend. I cannot recommend her work enough.

(I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.)… (mehr)

After several years of book blogging, I found two general rules that most of the bloggers *I* knew held two - don't read self-published work, and don't read Christian romance. So when I was given the chance to read this novel, I honestly thought about it for a bit first - and then something told me to give it a try. Sure glad I did.

Stones of Remembrance is a lovely novel. It has engaging, sympathetic main characters, and a plot that feels like it might actually be true. It avoids many of the problems I generally have with Christian fiction by portraying it's heroine neither as excessively pure nor perfectly holy. Allaya speaks and acts like a real person, in a real situation, and that was refreshing. I appreciated that the romance between Allaya and Finn made logical sense in its progression - it didn't feel rushed or orchestrated solely for the purposes of the story. It was emotionally compelling, and I have to admit to spilling a few tears during the reading of the book.

While not perfect - there are a few spots that felt like additional editing might have improved on the story; and in several sections the main characters talk directly to God, which I know will make some readers uncomfortable - this was an excellent example of the Christian romance genre. If more authors could write stories like this, I would happily read them. I will absolutely read more by this author. If this is a genre you enjoy, I highly recommend this novel!… (mehr)