Tuesday, June 23, 2026

My Thoughts on Storm at Nottingham Castle by Ann Elizabeth Fryer

About:

Three sisters are thrust into an uncertain future when their wealthy stepfather dies, leaving them with a small annuity to live upon. They find refuge with an aged uncle who convinces them to live in the apartments at Nottingham Castle, whose halls are shrouded in history and secrets, and whose residents watch the sisters with unsettling interest. Chief among them is the handsome property manager, Charles Rushforth, whose quiet authority conceals more than estate affairs and a brooding lodgekeeper who seems to know every hidden passage and whispered rumor…

Charlotte Fieldstone received a parting gift from her late stepfather—a set of valuable pilgrimage badges meant to safeguard them from want. But hidden hands seek the relics, and in the caves beneath the castle, a restless hunger stirs among those who trade in sacred things. At the center stands her uncle, whose charm deceives, and a Duchess, whose influence can tip scales on a whim.

As Charlotte’s uncle is swept into a dangerous quest, tensions rise. Charlotte must depend upon a stranger to shield her from a society whose motives aren’t as they appear. Will Charlotte be able to keep her sisters together as the tempest threatens to tear them apart?

Surrounded by deceit and danger, Charlotte must cling to faith and to one whose protection feels perilously like love...

My Thoughts:

So, this was a fun and unexpected read with a touch of gothic mystery and Robin Hood vibes. Three sisters, who share the same mother, have just lost their remaining parent, their beloved stepfather. I found their stepbrother's actions towards them most abominable. I often wondered why inheritances could not have been different in that time, especially for the protection of females. However, the author did explain that the stepfather was bound by the law in what he could give them. Basically, they were left to the mercy of the brother, who had none.

However, they are given a second chance at Nottingham Castle, which is now owned by Charlotte's estranged uncle's estate. Where apparently there is much more than history haunting those halls.

Charles Rushforth is the estate manager and doing a bit of sleuthing about the caves underneath the castle. Are there wrongdoings going on? Pirates and smugglers? What Charles did not expect was to fall in love basically at first and second sight of Charlotte.

This is just the beginning for these sisters. We still have Faith and Moira's stories yet to come and more secrets. I enjoyed the whole ambience of this story and the author's spin on all the historical places.

I was provided a copy of this novel by the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Monday, June 22, 2026

My Thoughts and More on The Stained Glass Window by Crystal Walton

About:

She’s fighting to heal him. He’s risking everything to protect her. In the line of fire, they’ll need a miracle to survive.

After seven years of chasing her goals, Shelly Peters is finally one interview away from becoming a flight nurse—until a malpractice investigation and a promise cornering her into caring for a headstrong veteran put her entire future in jeopardy. Now, to keep her calling alive, she’ll have to break her own rules or risk watching the man she’s falling for succumb to a fate he might not survive.

Former soldier Clayton Briggs doesn’t just need medical care. He needs a reason to live. Disillusioned by the IED that ended his career, Briggs will do anything to fulfil his vow to keep his best friend’s hometown safe. But when a new injury leaves him at the mercy of a home nurse who sees past his scars, the battle becomes personal. To protect Shelly and his friends, he must embark on a treacherous rescue mission and confront the one enemy he fears the most.

As the local cartel’s reach tightens and medical stakes surge, a dangerous storm puts Shelly and Briggs in the crosshairs of a choice they can’t outrun: cling to the safety of their shattered plans, or trust God to lead them through the wreckage.

My Thoughts:

I cannot believe this, but this is my first author Walton story I have read. This is also the fifth in a series, and that old saying, don't judge a book by its cover, well that suits this story well. As you can see, the cover looks peaceful, but this story had a lot more danger and adventure than what I was expecting. From the very first chapter our couple who have just met in an exceptional way, not meet cute mind you, but memorable, nonetheless.

Shelly Peters is a nurse, but her dream job is to be a flight nurse. She is almost there. That is until some unsettling news surfaces and she comes across a very injured former soldier now acting bodyguard for one of her friends. That man is Clayton Briggs. Briggs, as he likes to be called is suffering from some serious PTSD among other things. He is sidelined by another serious injury while he is trying to protect his best buddy's girlfriend from some very dangerous men out for revenge. He hires Peters, what he likes to call Shelly, as his personal nurse. Their snark and banter were quite amusing and the romantic tension between these two was palpable. It really helped lighten the mood as some serious danger played out.

I really enjoyed this story and need to backtrack and read the rest of the series. I look forward to more of this author's stories.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

My Thoughts and More on Jane's Secret by Jennifer D. Tirrell

About the Book

Book: Jane’s Secret

Author: Jennifer E. Tirrell

Genre: Split-Time

Release Date: June 2, 2026

At the heart of Jane’s Secret lies an heirloom – a mysterious key passed down through generations. Jane Ingleton, a young English woman from the medieval era, uncovers a secret. Bound by blood but

separated by centuries, the two women unravel a hidden family secret in a thrilling quest of truth that could change everything.

Jennifer E. Tirrell’s richly layered suspense story weaves between the Tudor period and present day and pulls readers into a world of hidden truths, historical intrigue and modern-day discovery. Her storytelling is both immersive an elegant, offering a gripping journey that fans of mystery, history and strong female leads will savor.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

This is a dual time-line story that spans 500 years. Present day Kaitlyn who lives in the United States and her ancestor, Jane who lived in England. At the center of this mystery is a key and what it unlocks many in both timelines and throughout the years have been searching for its secrets.

There is danger to both women. Even to Kaitlyn who is hundreds of years removed from Jane and her time. But what the mystery of this key unlocks is just too great for any generations to give up on.

I did enjoy going back in time to the manor house of Jane. I really felt for her and the loss of her beloved father, the secrets she was trying to unravel, and the absolute cruel stepfather she had now. Her story was harrowing and her life's journey was interesting to watch unfold.

Kaitlyn too is thrust in danger. This key and what it unlocks causes her to leave the USA and step back on the land of her ancestors. Little does she know the danger and the love that awaits her. Her adventure is just getting started.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Jennifer E. Tirrell was orphaned by the age of three and kinship-adopted. Her writingoften includes the natural beauty around her. She uses creation, and the Word of God, topoint both adults and children to the Creator. Her stories are shaped by faith, confirmedby history and centered on Truth.

When Jennifer is not writing, there is a good chance she is taking a walk or baking cookies.She is thrilled to have received her crown of white hair and six dear grandchildren–so far!–to go

with it. Jennifer and her husband, Bobby, live life to the fullest in the Coastal Carolinas.

More from Jennifer

Have you ever wondered if your ancestors prayed for the generations who would come after them—prayed for you? During the Tudor period, life was lived much closer to death than it is today. Illness, hardship and uncertainty were constant companions. Because tomorrow could never be assumed, eternity felt very near. Faith was not merely tradition; it was something tested daily. I have often thought that whatever survives testing is usually the thing most worth keeping. I felt that sense of history in a very personal way when my daughter and I visited the small chapel just outside London where my ninth great-grandmother is buried. On her stone memorial she is carved wearing a garment with a book hanging from it—The Book of Common Prayer. Seeing that image made me pause and wonder what prayers she might have spoken for the generations that followed.

Just across from the chapel stands Thornton Hall, where she once lived. When my daughter and I were welcomed inside as ninth and tenth generation Tirrell descendants and ushered into the drawing room for tea, the weight of that history felt suddenly real. Standing in that house, I couldn’t help but imagine the lives that had unfolded there centuries before. Inside the chapel, a memorial window for Jane Ingleton shows a woman wearing a mantle bearing the arms of the Tyrell family—our name later spelled with an “i”—and holding both a red and a white rose. That image captured my imagination. Jane’s Secret is a completely fictional story inspired by those moments. The historical record left only fragments, but sometimes fragments are enough to spark a story. From them grew a fast- paced suspense novel that weaves together history, faith, and the enduring power of prayer—and the possibility that blessings offered long ago may echo farther than we realize.

Blog Stops

Devoted Steps, June 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 5

Devoted To Hope, June 6

The Lofty Pages, June 7

Texas Book-aholic, June 8

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 9

For Him and My Family, June 10

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy , June 10

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 11

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 12

Holly’s Book Corner, June 13

Cover Lover Book Review, June 14

Lily’s Corner, June 15

Pause for Tales, June 16

Vicky Sluiter, June 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer if giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/vvJon/janes-secret-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

My Thoughts on The Brunswick by Callie Murray

About:

When Cora provides a safe haven for Jewish refugee children, she discovers that opening her doors means risking everything, including her heart.

In 1939 Georgia, far removed from the war brewing overseas, Cora Cain's world feels small--and shrinking. There, she runs The Brunswick, her family's once-grand hotel, which is now struggling as the town's general store. When Thomas Watkins arrives seeking work and solace after his mother's death, a connection sparks between them. Through Thomas, Cora glimpses a life beyond obligation and her war hero father's unpredictable moods.

But everything changes when Cora is asked to turn The Brunswick into a sanctuary for Jewish children fleeing persecution in Germany. As Cora and Thomas prepare for the children's arrival, they struggle to confront their pasts--and the prejudice of their neighbors--as their fragile hope is put to the test.

Meanwhile, in Vienna, ten-year-old Charlotte is offered refuge in America. But even with the horrors she sees around her, she wonders how her parents could possibly send her away. As war's shadow begins to reach small-town Georgia, each person must face what love demands and decide what to hold on to and what to let go.

My Thoughts:

This story takes place during World War 2 and is unique because we get a lot of the story told at a hotel in Georgia, of all places. We also get a little girl's viewpoint of the war on the other side of the world. Charlotte is a Jewish little girl living in Vienna when the hatred and war strip her family of the life they once knew.

In Georgia, Cora Cain is trying to pay down her father's debts after their once upon a time grand hotel started to fail after the Great Depression. She now runs a grocery store out of it by herself, until Thomas Watkins steps into her life.

This was an interesting story as Cora will be receiving about fifty Jewish children to keep safe in Georgia at her hotel. This is based on true events and some I had never heard of, but I am glad to learn of them. There is a lot of other things going on too as just because the war started, finances, health, and family issues continue. Cora has her hands full as she begins to develop some rather scary health issues. Issues that Thomas is too familiar with. Not only that, but the prejudice against American Germans is strong and affects this little makeshift family.

This story shows us that we are all affected by other people's decisions the world over, eventually.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

My Thoughts and More on Mesmerize by Darlene Corbett

About the Book

Book: Mesmerize

Author: Darlene Corbett

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 18, 2026

Set against the backdrop of Las Vegas, Boston, and Dubai, a dazzling romance comes to life.

Can a storyteller win back the love of her life through tales sprinkled with faith and love.

Boston-based Delphina Tulasi, a therapeutic storyteller, has shunned men.

A year after a major betrayal, she accompanies her mother Lucia, a matchmaker, to Las Vegas to help her run an exclusive speed-dating event.

Alexander O’Hara, a CFO with secrets of his own, accepts Lucia’s invitation to attend. He meets Delphina and becomes mesmerized. They go out on a date in Las Vegas and return to Boston, where their love blossoms.

All goes well until Alex goes on a long business trip to Dubai. A visit from someone in her past confuses Delphina and lures her back to a previous relationship, prompting her to break up with Alex.

After a few dates with her ex, Delphina recognizes the mistake she’s made and becomes determined to win Alex back. She uses her creativity, spins stories based on truth, and sends them in videos across the internet.

Will it work?

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

I did not know what to expect from this novel. However, it was a very interesting romance of two people who have both been deeply hurt in the past falling for their soul mates at first glance. It was just going to take a bit for both be on the same page. Many hurts and lies need to be untangled in this unconventional love story.

I really appreciated seeing hints of Greek mythology sprinkled throughout, even a bit of a Joseph story. This is the story of Delphina, a storyteller, and the man, Alex, whom she falls in love with and eventually ends up running away from. This is a story of making colossal mistakes and the forgiveness that can cover a multitude of sins.

Even though Delphina did hurt Alex, I really enjoyed her way of trying to win him back, it was through storytelling, like the legend of Scheherazade one of the most famous storytellers. If you enjoy ancient stories brought to life in a contemporary romance, this is a unique one. Very different than anything I have read before.

I was provided a copy of this novel by the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Darlene Corbett has been serving others as a licensed psychotherapist for over thirty years.

With her wealth of experience in human behavior, she decided to write down her thoughts to inspire a larger audience. This set the stage for her book, Stop Depriving The World of You, published by Sound Wisdom in 2018.

She continued writing nonfiction until she heard God whisper again. And his call prompted her to take a risk and dip her toes into fiction. Visible, a women’s fiction about second chances, was published by WordCrafts Press in the spring of 2024, and in August, she won the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards for Christian Fiction in the Contemporary category.

And right now?

Her contemporary romance, Mesmerize, will be published in February of 2026 which has themes of a modern-day, Christian Scheherazade story.

Her writing continues with two romantic suspense novels. Enthralled, which takes place in Mykenos, has been completed but needs editing. A Midnight Call, located in a small fictional town in central Massachusetts, has almost reached the finishing line.

When not writing or seeing clients, Darlene immerses herself in a variety of novels and tries to support other authors of faith.

In addition, she loves animals with dogs being number one. Taking care of her beloved Shih Tzu, Stevie, puts a smile on her face.

Being a life-long learner, she’s attempting a second language and remains a nerd at heart. Staying fit, traveling, and connecting with her inner circle also take priority.

Darlene belongs to many organizations, including the ACFW, FHL-CW, and WFWA.

She lives in Central Massachusetts with Stevie, and remains excited about the next chapter of her life.

More from Darlene

For all my life, I’ve been in love with the oral and written word.

And I imagine the same for you.

How many people do not enjoy reading or hearing a good tale?

And doesn’t it make sense?

Each of us has a story, our own book of life. How it unfold lays between God and us.

Although every novel involves a story, I decided to highlight a therapeutic storyteller.

Why therapeutic?

Because I’m a therapist and have listened to stories throughout my life. Also, I remember the story of Scheherazade, and with faith and modernity, I wove it into my novel. The protagonist spins tales to… Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

I hope you become mesmerized by Mesmerize.

Blog Stops

Cover Lover Book Review, May 30

Simple Harvest Reads, May 31 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, June 1 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 1

Guild Master, June 2 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 3

Fiction Book Lover, June 4 (Author Interview)

History, Hope & Happily Ever After, June 5 (Author Interview)

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, June 6 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, June 7

For the Love of Literature, June 8 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 9 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, June 9

Blossoms and Blessings, June 10 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, June 11

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, June 12 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Darlene is giving away the grand prize of a $75 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/Ap5Fn/mesmerize-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, June 5, 2026

My Thoughts and More on Sunflowers in Paris by Ashley Rescot

Sunflowers in Paris JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Sunflowers in Paris by Ashley Rescot, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Sunflowers in Paris
Series: The Strings of Sisterhood #2
Author: Ashley Rescot
Publisher: Rescot Creative
Release Date: April 7, 2026
Genre: Clean Contemporary Split-time Romance

After a career-altering injury, violist Adrienne Pearson digs deep into her French roots. As the second of five sisters, she seeks individuality. But when several of her family members and friends decide to join her on a French excursion, she must navigate old and new relationships while finding her place in a foreign land. Will she rediscover her voice in the home of her ancestors?

Jean-David Béranger, a brooding, reclusive French journalist, finds his life upturned when his eccentric godmother invites an entourage of American students to live with them while studying music at the local conservatoire. Can Adrienne, a beautiful American sunflower girl, dismantle the fortress surrounding his heart and convince him to turn toward the light?

Sunflowers in Paris takes the reader on a journey through the Loire Valley, Versailles, and Paris, the City of Light, weaving elements of historical and contemporary French life with a centuries-old cold case about a real, 18th-century composer.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

About the Author

Ashley Rescot is a professional violinist, educator, writer, and Fulbright Scholar. An aficionado of music, pedagogy, family, faith, and language, she writes about her life as a musician. With degrees in both violin performance and French literature, she hopes her stories will inspire the next generation of musicians, encourage music professionals, and educate others about the exciting world of music.

Connect with Ashley by visiting rescotcreative.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.

My Thoughts:

I have not had a chance to visit Paris yet, but this novel was a great at putting the reader right there. Adrienne Pearson is going to France, to dive into her French history. She is also nursing a broken heart and broken dreams since an accident has deprived her of playing her beloved viola. Here she meets Jean-David a journalist who quite likes his privacy. We get a front seat view of their developing relationship and the growth and hope that both need to move on with their lives.

This is a dual timeline, and we get a bit of a mystery playing out in the past that involves a real composer, Jean-Marie. Reading Jean Marie's journal entries gives us a peak into the past along with the characters to unravel what actually happened. Very intriguing and somewhat sad.

I also want to mention the cover. It is just so happy and bright that makes it so eye-catching. I know you can't judge a book by its cover; I just really liked the creativeness with it that does do justice to the story. Overall, this is a new to me author that took me into the musical world which I don't know much about in a foreign setting that makes me want to hop on a plane. Add a bit of mystery and a romance and I am all set.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive French chocolates and a copy of A Change in Tune and Sunflowers in Paris!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 1, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 8, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

My Thoughts and More on Anchoring You by Robin Patchen

About the Book

Book: Anchoring You

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian romantic suspense

Release Date: May 12, 2026

On the glittering waters of the Caribbean, a yacht captain’s fight for survival forces her to rely on a man she swore she’d never trust.

A fiercely independent yacht captain, Kenzie Wright has spent her life disregarding her family’s expectations. She thrives on freedom, charting her own course, and never staying in one place—or with one person—for long. But when a routine voyage thrusts her into the crosshairs of a deadly drug cartel, her carefully crafted agenda is blown apart. Her last hope to save herself and her crew is the partying playboy, Jaz.

DEA informant Jasper Aylett has spent years hunting the cartel leader known only as “the Phantom.” The mission has cost him everything—his family, his reputation, and his chance at redemption. When a beautiful yacht captain gets caught in the Phantom’s web, Jaz risks his life to rescue her. It’s his last chance to secure the information he needs to take his enemy down—and get his life back.

Kenzie is forced into hiding with Jaz, and now two cartels want her dead. With their lives on the line, Kenzie and Jaz must work together to unravel the Phantom’s network before it’s too late. But the closer they get to the truth—and to each other—the more their past wounds and buried fears threaten to tear them apart, leaving them vulnerable to an enemy who won’t stop until they’re both destroyed.

From a USA Today bestselling author… Don’t miss this heart-pounding suspense and swoon-worthy romance as Kenzie and Jasper discover their fight for survival—and for love—can only be won together.

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts:

I have really been looking forward to Kenzie Wright's story as she tries to break away some from her family and experience life on her own. Except life is not like that, and even though she has found a job she absolutely enjoys, she still needs help. From her family and from a man she really distrusts.

I found Kenzie's job fascinating. I am always up for a high sea adventure and this one taking place in modern times and the dangers of pirates/drug cartels. The modern times can sometimes get help quicker, but the seas are the same as times before.

Our hero, Jasper Aylett, or Jaz, has quite a bit of past baggage himself. He has hurt a lot of people and made some erroneous decisions that now sees him as a DEA informant. He just wants forgiveness and he is not sure he deserves it.

So, Jaz and Kenzie have some life-threatening adventures to get through all the while learning that their faith will grow stronger and they are loved fiercely.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

More from Robin

Too Far Gone? Writing a Prodigal Hero

When I started writing Anchoring You, I knew the hero was going to be a challenge.

On the surface, Jaz is everything my heroine Kenzie despises: a charming playboy who flits around the Caribbean with a different woman on his arm every week and a drink perpetually in his hand. When he tries to get to know her, she wants nothing to do with him. She’s heard the rumors. She knows exactly what kind of man he is.

Except she doesn’t know the real Jaz. Nobody does.

Underneath the polished persona, Jaz is drowning. A gambling addiction led to crushing debt, which led to a desperate deal with a dangerous man, which led to five years of living undercover as a DEA informant. He’s lost everything that matters—his money, his reputation, his relationship with his brother, Noah, and most painfully, his daughter Charlotte, whom he left with Noah to keep her safe from the criminals who control his life.

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Jaz also lost his faith.

The Prodigal Who Doesn’t Come Home

We all know the parable of the prodigal son. He squanders his inheritance, hits rock bottom, and returns to his father’s open arms.

But what happens when the prodigal believes he’s wandered too far, done too much, burned too many bridges to ever find his way back?

That’s Jaz’s life when we first meet him. He tells Kenzie at one point, “I’m not sure if I left Him or if He left me, but God and I haven’t had a relationship since I was a teenager.”

Jaz isn’t angry at God. He’s not wrestling with doubt. He’s just disconnected. Numb. He made choices that spiraled out of control. People got hurt, and somewhere along the way, he decided that men like him shouldn’t expect grace.

I think a lot of people can identify with Jaz, even if their circumstances aren’t as dramatic as his. It’s not always a crisis of faith that pulls us away from God. Sometimes it’s shame, the quiet belief that we’ve disqualified ourselves. We believe grace is real, just not for us.

A Faith That Doesn’t Preach

Kenzie could have lectured him or quoted Scripture at him. But Kenzie, a strong believer, doesn’t preach. Instead, she lives her faith, acting on what she believes. In one quiet conversation, when Jaz confesses how far he’s fallen, she offers him truth without judgment:

”There’s no such thing as too far, Jasper. Not with God.”

Kenzie’s relationship with God is evident in how she treats people, how she handles fear, how she extends grace to a man the world has written off. Kenzie’s witness begins to crack Jaz’s defenses.

Writing Broken Heroes

I’m drawn to characters who carry weight—who’ve made real mistakes with real consequences, not just minor flaws designed to make them “relatable.” Jaz gambled away half his family’s estate. He slept around. He abandoned his daughter—even if it was to protect her. He spent five years lying to everyone he met.

These aren’t small things. I didn’t want to minimize them or sweep them under the rug in the rush to make him likable.

I believe in redemption. I believe people can change—not by willpower but by the power of God.

Jaz doesn’t have a dramatic conversion moment in the middle of the action. His journey back to faith starts with prayer, the gentle testing of God in moments of crisis.

And God answered, protecting and guiding him through the most difficult time of his life. When it was over, Jaz realized God had been there all along.

That’s the heart of the prodigal story, isn’t it? The father doesn’t chase the son down the road. He doesn’t force him to come home. But when the son finally turns around, the father is already running to meet him.

Jaz spent years believing he’d gone too far. Kenzie helped him see that there is no “too far” for God.

Because if grace only works for people who haven’t messed up too badly, it’s not really grace at all.