UNTITLED by Jesseca Wheaton | review + release

Hello, lovelies! My bestie is releasing her heartbreakingly beautiful WWII novella today and I'm sharing my review as a stop on the blog tour. And, ya know, it is Veterans Day, so like... how fitting. Utterly perfect. Stinkin' love it. 

About the Book

Okinawa, 1945

Two brothers. Two Separate Paths.

A Navy corpsman assigned to the Marines, Jess Walker’s world is shaken as he struggles to aid the men around him. But the battlefield isn’t his hardest challenge. The nagging memory of how he lost his brother weighs on him, serving as a constant reminder of his failure. War has no mercy for anyone and Jess isn’t sure he can survive the war inside. As his world comes crashing down around him, he struggles to believe there is a future beyond the pain. 

Clay Walker has moved on from the life he once lived. A successful Marine pilot, he wants nothing to do with his family and the God he left behind. Japan is on the brink of surrender when his unit is shipped off to Okinawa, and it’s there that Clay is forced to realize his past is not as deeply buried as he thought. Faced with heavy losses and questions without answers, Clay has a choice to make. Is he willing to step back and let God take the controls? Or is it too late for a second chance? 

As WWII rages, the two brothers must face their demons — or be lost to the burning world around them.

Releasing today, November 11th!

GOODREADS + AMAZON

oh, my heart... 

Review

~ five shimmering stars ~ 

So, I knew going in that this book was totally going to wreck me. And it did. Repeatedly. I finished it late one night, my eyes all puffy and swollen, my heart heavy and aching. 

It's not an easy story. It's not pretty and gentle. It's raw and real. It's painful and heavy. It's war without blinders or filtering. It's loving and caring even when it hurts, it's brotherhood no matter what. 

I loved all the fellows so much. I loved Jess for his heart to heal, his willingness to serve, and his longing for restoration with his brother. I loved Clay for his cockiness—because under it all, he cared just as much, only struggled to show it. I loved Ivan for his convictions, his easygoing-ness. I loved Rhett for his faithfulness to friendship, his care and compassion. 

The PTSD rep is on track and incredibly—stinkin' incredibly—done. Not all scars are visible. But in any war, there are no unwounded soldiers. </3  And can we just talk about how the homosexuality aspect was written from a Christian perspective and handled SO well? 

Reasons you shouldn't read this book? Um, there...isn't any... If war violence bothers you, you might want to steer clear. Otherwise, read it. We don't have nearly enough WWII books about the war in the Pacific, much less one of this magnitude. 

So do yourself a favor and read it. Let the charming fellows draw you in and the painful story seep into your heart. And remember what Veterans Day is really all about. 

Remember the untitled ones. <3

About the Author

Jesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. When she’s not busy at her full time job as a first responder, her days are spent reading, spending time with siblings, watching movies that make her cry, and playing piano. Oh, and writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

Blog + Goodreads

My sweet friend Angela is hosting the blog tour and you can find her posts here and Jesseca's post here!

have YOU read Untitled?! 

Hope & Peace for Election Day.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

// john 14:27 kjv

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: And he changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings; He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.

// daniel 2:20-21 kjv

Regardless of the outcome of today's elections... 

... spreading the Gospel and loving people like Jesus does is still our greatest tasks on this earth. 

... God is still on the throne

... the tomb is still empty 

... He is still in control of every.single.thing. 

... Place your trust in the One who sees and knows all. 

Will thou not revive us again? that thy people may rejoice in Thee? 

Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.  

I will hear what God the Lord will speak; for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints.  

Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him; that glory may dwell in our land.  

Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;  

Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of His steps. 

// psalm 85

big hugs <3

We'll Keep On...

 

 

We'll keep on reading our Bibles, even when we feel dead to God's Word.  

 

We'll keep on crying out to God, even when He feels deaf to us. 

We'll keep on gathering with God's people, even when they don't understand what we're going through. 

We'll keep on serving others, even while we carry our sorrow wherever we go. 

And we'll keep on sowing the seeds of truth and grace into our barren souls, waiting for the day when God takes us home. 

- Scott Hubbard 

We'll keep on... even when... 

Fill those spaces with whatever you're struggling with this week. And keep on, even when it hurts. Love when you don't receive anything in return. Trust that something bigger than any of us is at work here. Live and worship like there is no tomorrow. 

I usually have a song to connect to something that's been heavy on my heart as this has, but I didn't have anything when I started working on this post the other day. Then I heard this song on my drive to school... and it fit. Heavy, so heavy, but hopeful even still. 

keep on fighting the good fight, lovelies <3

Nineteen Years • 9/11 Tribute

Nineteen years ago yesterday morning, a hijacked plane crashed into each of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. 

Thirty-five minutes later, a third plane struck the Pentagon. Passengers aboard the fourth hijacked aircraft overpowered their hijackers, resulting in the plane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania. 

Nearly three thousand people lost their lives. 

September 11, 2001 was ruled the date of the deadliest terrorist attack in World History. 

The peace America had known was shattered, and a heartbroken nation swore they would never forget the tragic day. 

In preparation of writing this, I dug into the events of 9/11 in a way I hadn't before. I googled newspaper headlines from that day and the day after. I listened to recordings of phone calls made that day, many of which were goodbye calls victims made to family members. I read quotes from survivors and witnesses, one of which described the scene at ground zero as "complete chaos and utter hell." And I shed more than a few tears. 

One thing that struck me deeply was the similarities between so many messages sent or relayed to family members during a victims last moments. There was no arguments or strife or meaningless comments.

It was "I love you" and "I'm so sorry" and "kiss the kids for me" and "I'll see you on the other side" and "don't grieve too much for me, but live a full life." 

Because those are the words that really matter. 

Instead of looking so much at the events, the evil behind it, and the aftermath, I looked at the people. And I saw Americans. 

We are Americans. 

before we're left or right

before we're right or wrong

before we're republican or democrat

before we're black or white

before we're northern or southern

We are Americans.

Americans take care of their neighbors and stand up for their country. 

Americans stand for the flag with their hand over their heart. 

We are Americans.

And it's time we started acting like it. 

"9/11 showed us what human beings are capable of. The evil, yeah, sure. But it also brought out the goodness we forgot could exist. People taking care of each other for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. It's important for us to talk about that good, to remember. 'Cause I saw all of it that day."

My challenge to you and to myself? 

Live like every day is 9/12. 

Be so stinkin' proud of your country that it swells up instead you until you can hardly breathe. 

God hasn't given up on America. And we can't either. 

These other lovely ladies are sharing tribute posts as well! 

(Yes, this post is late. Apparently that's what happens when you combine homework overload + several long work days in a row + internet outages. Who knew? xD 

do you remember 9/11? also if you've seen World Trade Center, please come talk to me 

</3

Stop the Rain by Kassie Angle || spotlight

The first installment in our almost-every-Thursday indie book spotlights has arrived! <3 

My pal Kassie revealed the cover for her next release, Stop the Rain, while I was MIA. It's a lovely one. I absolutely adored her last book, Tattered Wings, even though it ripped my heart out and trampled all over it. 

But this one? A PTSD awareness novel? No one fights alone... never leave a fallen comrade... and all that... I'm already bracing myself to be lowkey crushed. 

(Lowkey? Who am I kidding? I'll be a dang mess.) 

|| Synopsis 

He left his entire world in Iraq. So why did the war follow him home?



Harley Keane and his best friend Nigel were just kids when 9/11 rocked their world and changed their lives forever. When they’re finally old enough to join the Army, all their childhood dreams seem about to come true. But war wasn’t supposed to be like this. A kid’s dream isn’t supposed to become a living nightmare. Fellow soldiers aren’t supposed to bleed out in front of your eyes.



Back home, safe and unwounded, Harley feels anything but. Why would God spare him when so many others were taken? Why won’t the nightmares stop, even when he’s awake? And how long can he hide the truth that threatens everything he has left? When Harley’s invisible scars refuse to stay hidden, will he let anyone close enough to help? 

And how do you go on with life when “okay” isn’t okay at all?

Coming November 11, 2020

|| Author Bio

Kassie Angle is a teenaged Christian author, cowgirl, therapy dog trainer, stereotypical INFJ, and Army girl to the core. Her first love, i.e. debut novel, O to be Like Thee, swept her unexpectedly into the world of indie authors. She tries to use her stories to fill the silences in literature, helping more people understand the world of the Army and showing how God heals the broken-hearted. 

You can find her and more of her writing at SoldierGirlStories.com and her Instagram (@saving_grace_and_a_blue_sky). 

have you read anything by Kassie? if not, you're totally missing out. <3 

What a Year.

Hey there, lovelies <3 

I wanted to hop on tonight to share a few things with y'all + find out how everyone is doing. It's been a hot minute, eh? What a wacky summer—and year—this turned out to be....

*hums a George Strait song* 

(If ya know, ya know.)

• My summer has been super busy. With, uh, work work and yeah, that's about it. :P  But hey, that's okay. It's been good, too. I recently switched from 40-45 hours a week to a much calmer 20-25 hours, because... announcement forthcoming... 

• I started college this month. WHAT THE WHAT. I feel so weird and grown-up-ish making such a proclamation. But yeah, it's true. It's actually happening. Full time student, even attending on campus. (Please stay away, Covid.)  Pretty crazy, man. 

• The week before school started, I went to the beach with some sweet friends. (See lovely shot above <3) And it was...amazing. Don't even have words to describe how fantastic and muchly needed those four days were. As I told a coworker when they asked how my trip was, "So good that I didn't want to come home." Total truth, homies. 

• Many indie authors have released books over the summer or will be releasing soon. Because life has been slightly (bahaha) crazy, I've neglected to participate in their launches and/or didn't do as much as I would've liked. So, over the coming weeks and months, I'll be doing bookish posts on Thursdays. Indie releases, reviews, spotlights, etc. Every Thursday? Ehh, probably not. We'll see how much I have time for. ;) 

• Not sure how I feel about the new Blogger layout? I think I like it, but I keep having to re-find things. xD  Speaking of Blogger, I've turned on comment moderation after receiving lots of ugly comments lately. I've never used that feature before, but it's making things easier right now. 

• I haven't been writing much lately...which is kinda sad. Because, honestly, I would love to be writing. But I don't have much time or energy for it. If I'm not working, attending classes, or doing homework, I'm spending time with family, catching up with friends, or occasionally reading a book. So yeah, any tips for better organizing my life to find more time in the day (or just, ya know, surviving on like 2 hours sleep per night) would be greatly appreciated. 

how's the year going for you? 

any new students, new releases, or new life changes? 

LETS TALK, DUDES

Untitled by Jesseca Wheaton | Cover Reveal

Yes, the title is Untitled. How cool is that? *heart eyes*

Y’all... my bestie is releasing a new book. And I am HYPED. *more heart eyes* I'm reading it now (bestie/critique partner perks) and it's such a gem. 

And today, the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, the cover is being revealed. And it’s...uh...phenomenal... 

*happily sighs and stares* 

|| About the Book 

Okinawa, 1945

Two brothers. Two Separate Paths.

A Navy corpsman assigned to the Marines, Jess Walker’s world is shaken as he struggles to aid the men around him. But the battlefield isn’t his hardest challenge. The nagging memory of how he lost his brother weighs on him, serving as a constant reminder of his failure. War has no mercy for anyone and Jess isn’t sure he can survive the war inside. As his world comes crashing down around him, he struggles to believe there is a future beyond the pain. 

Clay Walker has moved on from the life he once lived. A successful Marine pilot, he wants nothing to do with his family and the God he left behind. Japan is on the brink of surrender when his unit is shipped off to Okinawa, and it’s there that Clay is forced to realize his past is not as deeply buried as he thought. Faced with heavy losses and questions without answers, Clay has a choice to make. Is he willing to step back and let God take the controls? Or is it too late for a second chance? 

As WWII rages, the two brothers must face their demons — or be lost to the burning world around them.

• Coming November 11th •

She also put together a lovely aesthetic for the novella, which you can find here.

|| About the Author 

Jesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. When she’s not busy at her full time job as a first responder, her days are spent reading, spending time with siblings, watching movies that make her cry, and playing piano. Oh, and writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

okay, so... I’m going to get a life update posted in the next few days. But in the meantime... who's anxiously awaiting November 11th?!