Across the Blue Review and Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in Historical / 5 Comments

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Hello reader friends! I am thrilled to welcome Carrie Turansky to the blog today. Her recent release Across the Blue is a wonderful read. Carrie is here today to talk about following your dreams, which is a fitting topic for this book since the main characters are chasing their dreams. I hope you will share some of your dreams with us in the comments!

About the Book

Acrosstheblue

Title: Across the Blue

Author: Carrie Turansky

Genre: Historical romance

Release Date: February 20, 2018

Love soars to new heights in this Edwardian romance filled with adventure, faith, and inspiration, but how much will it cost Bella and James to follow their dreams?

Isabella Grayson, the eldest daughter of a wealthy, English newspaper magnate, longs to become a journalist, but her parents don’t approve. They want her to marry well and help them gain a higher standing in society. After she writes an anonymous letter to the editor that impresses her father, her parents reluctantly agree she can write a series of articles about aviation and the race to be the first to fly across the English Channel, but only if she promises to accept a marriage proposal within the year. When James Drake, an aspiring aviator, crashes his flying machine at the Grayson’s new estate, Bella is intrigued. James is determined to win that race across the Channel and gain the prize Mr. Grayson’s newspaper is offering. He hopes it will help him secure a government contract to build airplanes and redeem a terrible family secret. James wants to win Bella’s heart, but his background and lack of social standing make it unlikely her parents would approve. If he fails to achieve his dream, how will he win the love and respect he is seeking? Will Bella’s faith and support help him find the strength and courage he needs when unexpected events turn their world upside down?

 

Click here to purchase your copy!

 

My Perspective

You do not need to be a fan of aviation to love this book. But let me say this, by the end, you will become a fan. You can’t help becoming a cheerleader for James Drake and his mission to fly across the English Channel. Every time James goes up in the air, you hold your breathe, heart pounding, until you see if he lands safely or not. From the very beginning you are sucked into the story line, getting to know the characters, and feeling like you are right there with them.

Carrie Turansky is a beautiful story teller. She easily intertwined multiple storylines into one fascinating story. I’m not even sure I pick a favorite because they were all wonderful and exciting. But perhaps I could easily identify with Isabella being a woman trying to make her mark in the world, I found this storyline the most exhilarating. How could the daughter of a newspaper owner not want to go into journalism? Isabella was a remarkable character, and followed her heart. I admired her tenacity in waiting for love, and not marrying for money or social standing. And yet, she was always happy to help her sister during her first year. She did not pass judgement on her sister’s excitement, and instead joined in the fun and offered sound advice and great support.

As much as I loved the main characters of this book, the secondary characters were just as wonderful. I longed to try Martha’s chicken noodle soup, or share a cup of tea while listening to her stories. I imagines the professor smiling coyly at Martha, and chuckling to myself because I wanted to just scream at them for denying their attraction to one another. I could see the landscape described by James when he was in flight. I only needed to close my eyes. The sign of a good author is their ability to capture each moment, and allow the reader to easily picture it in their minds. Carrie Turansky has done just that.

I highly recommend this book, not just to historic readers, but all readers. There is a little something for everyone. And this will be a novel that I will gladly reread over and over again. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

About the Author

Carrie

Carrie Turansky has loved reading since she first visited the library as a young child and checked out a tall stack of picture books. Her love for writing began when she penned her first novel at age twelve. She is now the award-winning author of nineteen inspirational romance novels and novellas. Carrie and her husband, Scott, who is a pastor, author, and speaker, have been married for more than thirty years and make their home in New Jersey. They often travel together on ministry trips and to visit their five adult children and five grandchildren. Carrie leads women’s ministry at her church, and when she is not writing she enjoys spending time working in her flower gardens and cooking healthy meals for friends and family. She loves to connect with reading friends through her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

 

Guest Post from Carrie Turansky

Following your Dreams

By Carrie Turansky

BellaIn Across the Blue, Bella Grayson and James Drake both go to great lengths to pursue their dreams. Bella longs to become a journalist and write for one of her father’s newspapers, but in 1909 England, aristocratic young women did not work as journalists. A young woman’s path was set by the unwritten rules of society. At eighteen she was presented at court, and then she took part in the London social season and hoped for a marriage proposal from a young man from a wealthy family, with an estate and title. Marriage, having children, and taking part in social and charitable events was the prescribed course for their lives.

But Bella has a different future in mind. She wants to marry for love, and she won’t settle for anything less. She also wants to write articles about the important events of the day that will inform and inspire people. She wants to be a world changer, and that is a very unique role for a woman in England in the Edwardian Era. At that time women didn’t have the right to vote yet and very few pursued any kind of career.

JamesAirplaneJames is an aviation pioneer, and his dream is to build an airplane that will allow him to be the first to fly across the English Channel. This is no easy accomplishment, and he faces many challenges as he pursues his dream. Aviation is brand new. Wilbur Wright demonstrated his airplane in France the year before and stunned Europeans with his skill. With the help of his mentor, Professor Steed, James conducts experiments, refines his design, and makes countless test flights. It takes great courage and determination to overcome setbacks and make it through near fatal crash landings, but James has his heart and mind set on perfecting his airplane and reaching his goal.

74fdde720c5ae29bd4c7672fe3b6f205What about you? What hopes and dreams do you have for your future? What goals would you like to accomplish? As you think about your dreams and future plans I hope you’ll gain some insight from James and Bella’s experiences in Across the Blue. When they considered the cost of pursuing their dreams they realized their plans and choices impacted others as well as themselves. James and Bella believed striving for their dreams is important, but they learned it must be balanced with commitments to family and friends, and most of all a commitment to following the Lord on the path He has for them.

AcrossSpineFollowing our dreams and working toward accomplishing our goals, especially those the Lord puts on our heart, is important. However, sometimes we may have to put our dreams on hold and wait for the right time and season. We don’t need to be discouraged when this happens. As we listen to the Lord and ask Him to guide and direct us He will show us the right path at the right time to follow it.

Just like James and Bella I hope you’ll pursue your dreams but also hold them with an open hand, allowing the Lord to guide and direct you each step of the way. When you do I’m confident you’ll be headed toward seeing your dreams become reality in His time and in His way. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

With that wonderful promise in mind, I hope you’ll enjoy reading Across the Blue and joining Bella and James as they pursue their dreams. You’re in for high-flying adventure, romance, and inspiration, and I can’t wait to share this new story with you. Happy reading to you!

Blog Stops

Bookworm Mama, February 22

Carpe Diem, February 22

Blogging With Carol, February 22

Reflections From My Bookshelves, February 23

Reading Is My SuperPower, February 23

Karen Sue Hadley, February 23

Christian Bookaholic, February 24

Mary Hake, February 24

Among the Reads, February 24

The Power of Words, February 25

History, Mystery & Faith, February 25

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, February 25

Maureen’s Musings, February 26

Rachel’s Back Talk, February 26

Smiling Book Reviews, February 26

Radiant Light, February 27

Faithfully Bookish, February 27

The Fizzy Pop Collection, February 27

Bibliophile Reviews, February 28

Remembrancy, February 28

Two Points of Interest, February 28

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 1

Book by Book, March 1

Bigreadersite, March 1

proud to be an autism mom, March 1

Pause for Tales, March 2

Have A Wonderful Day, March 2

margaret kazmierczak, March 2 (Interview)

Pursuing Stacie, March 3

Neverending Stories, March 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 3

Texas Book-aholic, March 4

Janices book reviews, March 4

Jeanette’s Thoughts, March 4

Simple Harvest Reads, March 4 (Guest post from Mindy)

Moments Dipped in Ink, March 5

My Writer’s Life, March 5

Baker Kella, March 5

Kat’s Corner Books, March 6

A Greater Yes, March 6

A Baker’s Perspective, March 6

Romances of the Cross, March 7

Henry Happens, March 7

For The Love of Books, March 7

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carrie is giving away a grand prize of an autographed copy of Shine Like the Dawn and $30 gift card to Christianbooks.com!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c987

5 responses to “Across the Blue Review and Giveaway!

  1. Kay Garrett

    Thank you for your review on “Across the Blue” by Carrie Turansky and for being part of the book tour!

    This book is definitely on my TBR list and I’d love the chance to read it.

  2. Carrie Turansky

    I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed James and Bella’s story! Thank you for sharing your review and my guest post! I am grateful for the Celebrate Lit team and this opportunity to connect with new reading friends! Blessings to you!

  3. Trixi

    Thank you for the review on Across the Blue, it’s definitely on my must-read list! 🙂