“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Friday, June 26, 2026

A Wonderful Devotional Companion!--"GraceLaced Seasons" by Ruth Chou Simons--Review

 


My Review: 

“GraceLaced Seasons: A Guided Companion” by Ruth Chou Simons is a gorgeous devotional companion and journal, meant to accompany her popular “GraceLaced: Discovering Timeless Truths Through Seasons of the Heart.” I loved “GraceLaced” when it first came out and cherish my beautiful copy. I have thoroughly enjoyed going back through it along with “GraceLaced Seasons.”  The guided companion can be used alone or with the original “GraceLaced” book. This journal has Ruth’s gorgeous signature watercolor artwork of flowers and nature throughout, which really enhances the reading experience and draws your mind to the beauty of God’s creation. There are Scripture and questions on each spread, which correspond with the “GraceLaced” book. The questions are thought-provoking and there is a lot of room on each page to journal your answers, thoughts, or prayers. I really appreciated the questions, because I do not always know what to write in a journal and it deepened the devotional and reading experience. Writing out my answers really helped to cement the truths in my heart and to be available to reflect, pause and slow down. I love that it is focused on God’s faithful promises. It really encouraged me and brought me closer to the Lord! I highly recommend this book and the original! It would be a great gift as well!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.


Friday, June 19, 2026

A Sweet Historical Romance with "Persuasion" Vibes--"A Love Once Lost" by Jennie Goutet—Review


 

My Review:

"A Love Once Lost" by Jennie Goutet is the first book in “The Bridwells’ Grand Tour” series. This is such a sweet historical romance with "Persuasion" vibes. This delightful second-chance romance features older and more mature main characters, wonderful writing, and unique historical details. I love that the heroine and her family are going on their own Grand Tour, and their first stop (and the location of this book) is the resort town of Spa, Belgium. It was neat to learn more about the resort town of Spa and the Georgian era. I love that the author writes about a unique period and location that you do not often see in historical fiction (18th century European life). There were also some nods to Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.”  It was fascinating to read about the history of Spa, especially the rituals surrounding bathing and drinking of mineral waters. The love story was so precious and filled with yearning. The characters are good and noble. This is such a wonderful and clean historical romance. I am so excited to read the next book in this series that I highly recommend!

Content: I give this a low PG rating and would consider this a clean read. Some examples of the content: mention of gambling; mention of infidelity.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.