Writing for this book is coming along pretty well at this point. So well in fact, that I thought I might introduce you to our two main characters.
Nick
Nick is the owner of a small construction company in Hartwell Grove. His father started the business, and now he does his best to run the company well. He gives off golden retriever vibes, but there are also plenty of moments that he wishes he could take back and never talk about again. When it comes to Bex, he lets her take the lead if she wants to, but isn’t afraid to step in where required. He has a (sometimes frustrating) desire to save Bex, but she makes it pretty clear that she doesn’t need to be saved. Trusting, loyal and kind hearted, Nick is going to get swept up when Bex comes into town and helps him discover a few things.
Bex
Bex is starting her life over, and is living back at home with her parents in her 30’s while she gets qualified in what she really wants to do with her life. With a bad break up behind her, and a new life that doesn’t include dating her co-workers, Bex just wants to start her life and do what makes her happy. A little fiery, a lot headstrong, and ready to prove that she can rescue herself and make her own choices, Bex is going to discover that sometimes it’s nice when someone cares enough about you to keep trying. Soon to be interior designer, and current administrator working for Nick, the two will delve into a mystery and try to save the day.
I am having so much fun with Nick and Bex, two people who are determined to pretend they aren’t attracted to each other, and don’t want to be together. Will it work out for them?
I had another goal today of hitting 10,000 words written. Did we make it?
I am so excited for the next day or two of writing, where I can hopefully make a really solid dent in this book and get it finished, because next… it’s time to edit!
Well, we’re around halfway through the challenge (practically), and I am INSANELY behind on the writing. Having said that, it’s been a pretty good day overall in the writing process.
As I get closer to the deadline for this book, I thought it might be time to share something fun with you about the book itself. This is a small town romance book, and the name of that town is…. Hartwell Grove.
I’m really hoping that tomorrow gets another amazing word count, but until then, we’ll just have to keep going and hope we hit the deadline.
Politics, second chance romance, and some pretty hurt feelings and small town feels.. this was a big one and we get to see some of our favs sneaking in here and there along the way from Adelaide Springs.
Wes left Addie at the altar two decades ago . . . and that was supposed to be the end of the story. When her life crashes and burns in a flurry of secrets and redacted information, Addie Atwater-Elwyn hightails it home to the tiny mountain town of Adelaide Springs, Colorado–back to living with her dad, back to working a low-paying job, back to a life of disappointments. Growing up, nobody expected their local girl to become a high-ranking CIA analyst, married to a gorgeous CIA operative. But that was Addie’s life until she lost . . . well, everything.
Now she’s trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life with a little help from old friends. But there’s one old friend she knows her life is better without–Wesley Hobbes, her childhood sweetheart who left her standing at the altar when they were eighteen years old. Truth be told, Addie would be perfectly content never seeing Wes’s stupid face ever again–which makes it very inconvenient that he’s now a beloved senator and presidential frontrunner, his face everywhere she looks. But that has nothing to do with Addie personally. He might make history, but in her book, he is history.
So, when the unwelcome Wes appears back in their hometown, no one rolls out the red carpet–not Addie and not an entire town that was forced to pick sides (and unanimously chose Addie) decades ago. Senator Hobbes certainly won’t win the popular vote in Adelaide Springs.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Abandonment Moderate: Death, Addiction, Outing Minor: Death of a Parent
My Review
There was a lot to like in this book, and I found the character of Wes to be really fun to read. There was a lot of elements going on, like the CIA, presidential candidate, being left at the altar, second chance romance, death of a spouse, alcoholism, fake marriage, and so much more. It was a lot packed into one story. There was also a small town romance, And links to the characters we saw in the first few books of this town. I didn’t love these characters as much as the previous, however Wes really was a great character. He was interesting, a little bit sloppy and crazy, but we love him for it. Addie was an interesting one for me, I am not 100% sure on how I feel about her. I understood her motivations, she was pretty well written, but as a character I didn’t really engage with her. I bought their story, I bought what happened in the plot when we came into it, but I really came to the story for Wes. While this was printed under a predominantly Christian publisher, I wouldn’t call this book a Christian book. A lot of Bethany‘s earlier books would have an easier time being labelled as that, but a lot of her later books are not. There was one very small reference and in passing to Jesus in here, but if you are looking for what made her earlier books so great in the Christian space, you won’t get it here. In fact you won’t get it in this entire entire series. Not that I mind necessarily, I did feel like this book had a little bit of a sellout vibe to it though. I understand it’s a story that Bethany wanted to write for a very long time, so I understand if she had to do what she had to do to get this written, or she could’ve wanted the story to look like this the whole time. It doesn’t really matter, it was still a good book. I liked the idea of the presidential campaign in the background, but it really wasn’t the focus of the book. There was even death of a parent to focus on, and a lot to try and pin down. I think perhaps that’s why some of this fell a little less than I was hoping for, because it was just so much jam packed into one story.
Would I Recommend This Book?
Yes, so long as politics doesn’t mess you up from enjoying something (just pretend they’re in your political party and you’ll be fine).
Similar Books You Might Like
If you are thinking what kind of books would have similar feel, themes or content, here is a list that you can consider:
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other (Bethany Turner)
Well, I’m not going to lie, it’s been a bit of a slower start than I imagined. I have managed to get the book cover design started, and I wrote a grand total of 2,470 words on the first day. For those of you who are even a little bit good at maths, you’ll realise this was nowhere even close to enough words to make the deadline I currently have going.
To make things more complicated, I woke up on day 2 feeling unwell, so I already have lost any sort of momentum that I might have had from yesterday. While two thousand is quite a ways off 10,000 that I really need to aim towards each day, I will say that any progress is progress (of a sort).
Today, I managed to feel better in the afternoon, so we got a chunk of writing done then. Grand total of words written now is…
I am truly hoping that tomorrow I wake up feeling energized and ready to go, because I have hours of writing ahead of me if I want to get even a little bit close to my goal of getting this book done in a week.
In the meantime, here are some hints at what the story is going to be:
The ‘friend zone’ is something that is often seen as less than ideal, especially when you might have broken up due to a misunderstanding, like being on a break…
Just Friends is a second chance romance and childhood friends to lovers story, which looks at two young adults who had been together in school, and are reconnecting when the FMC (Female Main Character) returns to the small town full of rich people, including her ill great aunt.
This book has the added challenge of being written by someone quite well known in the online book space, Haley Pham. This meant that she was going to be facing extra support, but also extra scrutiny from the bookish community. Boy, did she ever.
Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up—best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence.
Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race.
As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past?
Told in dual timelines that unravel the magic and pain of first love, Just Friends is a moving, romantic story about second chances, the weight of dreams, and finding your way back to the people who feel like home.
There is a heavy dose of grief and death in this one. Quite a substantial death for one of our characters occurs. There is also discussions of a traumatic car accident discussed.
My Review
Aside from a few words or sentences that felt unusual or out of place, I thought this book was well written and pretty good. There wasn’t anything that felt particularly original, but it was still an enjoyable read overall. The characters were pretty Meh, but I understood their motives and decisions for the most part. I liked the ending as well.
Would I Recommend This Book?
While this book was readable, it was also pretty bland. If you’re looking for something interesting, with a high engagement and depth in plot… this isn’t it.
BUT, if you want something that is easy to read (but pay attention to the content warnings if things like grief trigger you), was perfectly acceptable as a story.. this would be it.
So, would I recommend it? Sure. Depending on your expectations and desires.
Similar Books You Might Like
If you are thinking what kind of books would have similar feel, themes or content, here is a list that you can consider:
I have read some of the books that seem slapped together in a weekend and thrown up onto Amazon KDP and thought, “I could do that”. So, I’m testing that theory. I have prepped up a book, outlined and ready to write, and I’m going to try and get that puppy written, edited and ‘published’ to Amazon as an eBook in just 7 days.
I have given myself around 4 days to write, 2 days to edit, and one day to publish. This challenge is a hard one, but I’m hoping the extensive outline will help me to fast track things as much as possible and get down to business! I just need to hit around 12-15 thousand words a day… haha! Yep, it’s a cinch, right?
I’m writing a small town romance that will be a clean/closed door slow burn that involves a bit of crime and mystery as well, so I’m pretty excited!
I’ll keep you updated all week this week to check in, keep myself accountable and basically just document the process.
I am really curious to see what happens if I succeed in this challenge. Will the book be read? Can I actually get enough traction to write a few more in a series and hope that somebody reads any of them? Only time will tell, but first, we have to actually write this thing and get it up live.
We are back with part 2 of the Old Testament – it’s such a big portion of reading, that I have the second section of it here, and a final part for the New Testament coming soon (don’t think I didn’t forget!). The interest in the letters 6/7 is unusual for some of us, so I thought I could interject some Biblical 6/7 into the conversation!
Enjoy the Chapter 6 verse 7 of the second part of the Old Testament, along with below where each 6:7 verse is placed into a paragraph where the verses flow into the other, and the ultimate story of scripture. As before, the individual verses will be below with a little bit of context of what was happening in each section.
Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site. “and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honour, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.
I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler. Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied.Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
As a well pours out its water, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; her sickness and wounds are ever before me. Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the LORD.The royal administrators and satraps, advisors and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who praise to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lion’s den. As at Adam, they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me there. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.
Estimated Reading Time of this Section: 9min
The Temple and the Kings
Ezra 6:7
Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
Even though God’s people had been taken captive, God still made a way for His temple – the place where His presence would dwell in the Old Testament – to be built. A way for His people to atone for their sins, and worship Him the way He called them to do. The King of their enemies was the one to make this decree.
Nehemiah 6:7
“and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”
This is an interesting one. Nehemiah was determined to rebuild the city of Jerusalem for God’s people to return to it after being help in captivity. There were people around the area who did NOT want this to happen, and this sentence was part of a message they were sending Nehemiah to get him to abandon his cause and make trouble for him so he could not continue. Fortunately, he saw right through their tricks and kept on building.
Esther 6:7
So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honour, have them bring a royal robe the king has wornand a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.
The king in the story of Esther was a bit fickle. He banished his queen when she didn’t do what he wanted at a party, ‘auditioned’ all the virgins in the land to be his new queen, and clearly had a temper because if you came to him unannounced, you might be killed just for that alone. Yet, in this moment, we see him planning on how to honor a man who saved his life (much to that mans dismay). What we see here, is what God does for His children. He shares the royal family with us, as we are co-heirs in His kingdom with Jesus. We get His royal robe and crest (family identification) when we follow Him.
Wisdom for Life
Job 6:7
I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill.
Ah, Job. This poor guy had his life thrown upside down. This verse talks to all of us who lose our hunger in the face of difficult times (not me, but I know you exist out there). Through many troubles, Job remains faithful, but a small verse like this shows us just how difficult it was for him in all the things that he faced.
Psalms 6:7
My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.
Keeping with the theme of struggles, we see in this song/poem of David how much his sorrow grips him, and how much he is struggling with. He is not struggling alone though, for his cries of anguish and pain are sent to God, whom he knows it is safe to lament to.
Proverbs 6:7
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler
Alright, what the heck is happening here? If you back up just a few verses, we can see this verse in proverbs (a book of wise sayings and things to keep in mind for your life) is talking about if you’ve been led astray. It talks about leaving that place and that person, making sure to store up things that matter (like an ant stores up food for the winter). We are called to store up treasures in heaven, not on this earth, and if we’re being led in the wrong directions by people (well meaning or not), we need to run from them, and back to the One who knows the good ways from the bad.
Ecclesiastes 6:7
Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied.
We’ve gotten quite a few disheartening sounding verses in this portion of Scripture, but let’s have a closer look at this one. Solomon is again giving us some wisdom, even if it’s in the form of difficult things, and this one is focussing on how the things of this world, that we can eat or say with our mouths, will never satisfy us in the long run. We may want to ingest foods, or illicit substances to try and gain pleasure or wisdom, or even relief from stress, but it will never truly satisfy. We are looking to things that will not give us rest, fulfilment, or security. You can do all the work you want to to make sure you are fed and provided for, but that will never last – and you will keep searching if that’s where you’re putting your hope in your security.
Song of Songs 6:7
Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranatebehind your veil
Okay, I hear what you’re thinking – the Song of Songs part was destined to be juicy verse, right? Sadly, it wasn’t, but hear me out. This is part of just one section where the groom (represented by Jesus) is talking to his bride (represented by the church) about how beautiful He finds us. He notices small things about you, things that others may not see because they are on the inside. He sees the outside as beautiful too – every part, not just the ‘obvious’ ones that humans look at and notice. God sees you – fully, with no veil/covering to hide – and He finds you beautiful.. how amazing is that!
The Voice of the Prophets
Isaiah 6:7
With it he touched my mouth and said, “See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
This verse is an AMAZING one in the light of salvation. In the Old Testament, all we saw was how many (many many many) things could make you ‘unclean’ and unable to be in the presence not only of God, but the people around you because being unclean was catchy. In this prophetic vision, Isaiah gets to see the messiah (Jesus) before He walked the earth, and instead of becoming unclean when he touched the sinful Isaiah, his cleanness rubbed off on Isaiah instead, making him clean! It was scandalous and unheard of – and only possible through Jesus.
Jeremiah 6:7
As a well pours out its water, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
Let’s start out with saying, this verse is not talking about a literal woman. Okay, now that’s out of the way, Jeremiah was a prophet who the people did NOT want to listen to. He was the ‘doom and gloom’ guy, when all they wanted was a pick me up happy message. Here, Jeremiah was relaying a message warning God’s people that they were become like the people around them – turning to false gods and allowing wickedness to enter into their lives and hearts. This defeated the purpose of being set apart by God as His people.. how can the world around you see that you loved by a special God that is above all other (fake) ones, if you act like they do?
Ezekiel 6:7
Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the LORD.
Oof, this one is a hard one. Here, we see God warning the Israelites that because of their idolatry in following other gods and allowing evil to infiltrate their lives and hearts, He is going to destroy a lot of them. Only the ones who remember God will be left. There are consequences to the actions we take, and these ones were swift and hard to swallow.
Daniel 6:7
The royal administrators and satraps, advisors and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who praise to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lion’s den.
What a trap to lay for Daniel. These guys (the politicians of the day) were so threatened by Daniel, and they couldn’t get any real ‘dirt’ on the guy, because he was a good man following the rules and God’s laws. Instead of living with it, or moving on, they trapped him because they knew that Daniel was a praying man. Every day for several hours. There was no way that Daniel was going to stop praying just because of this, and ultimately it did lead to him being thrown into a den of lions… but it didn’t work out the way the politicians had hoped because God is good!
Hosea 6:7
As at Adam, they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me there.
Sadly, we see many times that God’s people – the ones he chose to be a representation of Him to the other people around them, turned to other idols and little g fake “gods”. They relied on themselves, listened to the influence of people who believed in the false gods, and turned their backs on God so many times. This entire book of prophecy is a sad warning of when they blew the many chances that God gave them.
Amos 6:7
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
The people were almost mocking God at this point, thinking that there would be no consequences for their actions (or inactions). Feasting and lounging? In the face of utter disobedience? Those were the people who were told to expect the swiftest punishment. God gives us chances, but He also will not be mocked.
Micah 6:7
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
The time for offering animals for atonement was coming to an end. It was not ever supposed to be a long term solution, but a temporary one until the time was right for Jesus to come and be the once and for all sacrifice. There is nothing we can offer that even comes close, so praise God that he made a way for us to still be in relationship with Him.
Zechariah 6:7
When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.
The chariots of God’s army are ‘straining’ or waiting eagerly to go out when He calls them to make the ends of the earth face who God is, and what they’ve done with His earth, His calling, and His people. Almost as if they are holding their breath in anticipation of His glorious return.
To all the books that don’t have a chapter 6 verse 7, here is your shout out: Ruth, Lamentations, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi,
I am so excited to see what the New Testament has in store in the final part of this series!
What happens when you’re just friends but you end up in New York, and one of you might be leaving…. what would you do, and how would you spend your time? Would you take a chance at being more and change your life?
Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends their entire lives. Cole is the only person (apart from blood relatives) who’s seen Laila in her oversized, pink, plastic, Sophia Loren glasses. Laila is always the first person to taste test any new dish Cole creates in his family’s restaurant . . . even though she has the refined palate of a kindergartener. Most importantly, Cole and Laila are always talking. About everything.
When Cole discovers a betrayal from his recently deceased grandfather that shatters his world, staying in Adelaide Springs, Colorado, is suddenly unfathomable. But Laila loves her life in their small mountain town and can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. She loves serving customers who tip her with a dozen fresh eggs. She loves living within walking distance of all her favorite people. And she’s very much not okay with the idea of not being able to walk to her very favorite person.
Still, when Cole toys with moving across the country to New York City, she decides to support her best friend–even as she secretly hopes she can convince him to stay home. And not just for his killer chocolate chip pancakes. Because she loves him. As a friend. Just as a friend. Right?
Graphic: Death, Grief Moderate: Abandonment, Terminal Illness, Death of a Parent Minor: Sexual Content
My Review
Hilarious as always. Relatable quirky MC, but this time I honestly saw myself in the character of Laila in so many ways 😂 Best friends who are remarkably close, and a potential move separating them was an interesting conflict. Their relationship was super open – especially for a friend relationship between a guy and girl – but it was actually nice to see a somewhat healthy friendship/relationship for a change! I loved the tv and movie references thrown out in the NY setting. It was like being in on the joke. Several moments of laughing so hard I almost fell onto the floor, so you know it was a good one for me.
Would I Recommend This Book?
Yes! Bethany Turner books are always fun to read, and this was witty, heartfelt and a great time.
Similar Books You Might Like
If you are thinking what kind of books would have similar feel, themes or content, here is a list that you can consider:
Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other (Bethany Turner)
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