I’m perpetually desperate for a good read and ridiculously horrible at finding new books. My typical system? Filter through Amazon.com’s free Kindle offerings, choose the prettiest covers, download to my tablet, read as little or as much as my attention span will allow, ultimately devouring (up to) a book an evening.
My pickiness in five steps: I want clean entertainment, a biblical perspective, an engaging and entertaining storyline without a predictable plot, some thought-provoking dialogue, and at least a little romance somewhere in the mix. (I’m a love-loving girl, after all!)
Rachelle Rea’s Steadfast Love series is basically my ideal series, consisting of two (so far) of my new favorite books. The Sound of Diamonds and The Sound of Silver (plus the upcoming The Sound of Emeralds) make up the perfect trifecta of reading entertainment. Especially because I married into a Dutch family and love the Dutch-British historical context and conversations. (And trying to build my Dutch vocabulary means I love learning some phrases while reading the bilingual conversations!)
Dirk and Gwyn lead surprisingly adventurous lives (the year 1566 doesn’t mean needlework and tea parties for Gwyn, despite her privileged upbringing) and Rachelle Rea showcases the tension between that privilege and that adventure by telling the story in first-person from both of the main characters. Although a little confusing at first to track with the multiple perspectives, once I learned the flow I fell in love with hearing the story from both Gwyn and Dirk.
If clean entertainment, Biblical perspective, non-predictable storyline, and thought-provoking dialogue wasn’t enough to keep me engaged with the Steadfast Love series, you know what else does? Knowing the author! Rachelle Rea has been a member of the Kindred Grace writing team for four years and The Sound of Diamonds marked her debut into the world of published authorhood–she’s living as the heroine of her own story and is making her way in the world of publishers and editors and deadlines. I would celebrate her success no matter what the book, but I rejoice in her gifting as a writer because I love her work.
Basically? You need to live in excited anticipation of April 15, 2016, when The Sound of Emeralds hits bookshelves online and near you. I have loved the Steadfast Love series and its ongoing tale of Gwyn, Dirk, and their friends.
Photography: Farmgirl in Flipflops
Jenni Marie
@thejennimarie
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Rachelle says . . .
March 16, 2016 at 7:27 amJenni, I love this. Thank you for taking the time to read Dirk and Gwyn’s story and loving them so much. I’m beyond thrilled that you enjoyed my first two books, and I can’t wait to share with you the third! Blessings, friend!
Rachelle