Monday, November 9, 2020

All that Glitters

 


Like Christmas ornaments, good-looking men are all glitter and no substance. Right?

Julia Metcalf tries to be content with her life in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, despite secretly yearning for more. Raising her son as a single mom might be tough sometimes, but with friends, family, and a job she enjoys, Julia has a rich life. Risking her heart again—not a good idea. Especially with a guy like Marty.

The guy is too handsome and funny for his—or her—own good.

But when Julia’s ex-husband disappears and puts her and her son in danger, Marty steps in to help.

Sometimes what glitters truly is gold.

My thoughts: Marriage and divorce has left Julia leery of trusting men, which is easy to see why as you read this story! When Marty enters the picture, he challenges Julia to re-evaluate how she has lumped all men into the same category as her ex.
I liked how this story deals with some difficult issues. It's a delightful blend of mystery, romance, and holiday cheer. An excellent book to pick up this time of year!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Purchase a copy here! This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

Jennifer Sienes holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education, but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance and writing—and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. Her daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide inspired two of her three novels. Although fiction writing is her real love, she’s had several non-fiction pieces published in anthologies including several in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.

 

More from Jennifer

As a fiction author, the characters I create become as close as friends by the time my novels are complete. Maybe it’s because I spend weeks delving into their personality traits, emotional wounds, and spiritual needs. My husband recently asked me if I ever get them confused with each other. A good question, since the list grows with every story I write, but the answer was a definitive no. There is no one, except my husband, I interact with more while I’m writing a novel than my characters.

 

Have you ever noticed some friends are with you for only a season or two? This could be unique to me, but those I’m closest to are those who are connected by mutual experiences. When my children were young, I was the community 4-H leader, so I was surrounded by other parents with small children. Later, when I completed my degree and started teaching, it was other teachers I hung out with. Now, it’s church family or fellow writers. As we move through our lives, some of those friends dissipate as if from a long-ago dream forgotten in the light of day. The same is true for my characters.

 

When my publisher asked me to write a Christmas novella, I jumped at the chance to revisit my old friends Julia and Marty from Surrendered, Book 1 in my Apple Hill Series. Although they didn’t take center stage in the novel, they played a significant role in the lives of main characters Tess and Jake. I purposely left their stories unfinished and let my readers draw their own conclusions. But it appears Julia and Marty weren’t satisfied with that ending. Another example of my characters taking on a life of their own.

 

All That Glitters was a pleasure to write, although visions of all things Christmas were a challenge in the heat of summer. It was like hanging out with old friends for a short time. I hope you enjoy your visit with Julia and Marty, whether it’s your first introduction to them or you previously met them in Surrendered.

Blog Stops

Inklings and notions, November 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 11

Reviewingbooksplusmore, November 11

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 12

deb’s Book Review, November 13

Remembrancy, November 14

Batya’s Bits, November 15

For Him and My Family, November 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 17

Texas Book-aholic, November 18

Artistic Nobody, November 19 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Vicky Sluiter, November 20

Ashley’s Bookshelf, November 20

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 21

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 22

Sara Jane Jacobs, November 23

Captive Dreams Window, November 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away  the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card & a copy of the book!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/1035a/all-that-glitters-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tour Reminders

2 comments:

  1. Your book sounds like a great read and thank you for sharing it with us, I enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like an excellent read.

    ReplyDelete