A Simply Enchanted Life

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



“I’d grown quite fond of the wind since Miss Cleta had taught me the secrets of it. “It’s the breath of God, Jessilyn,” she’d say, lifting her face to greet it. “Just listen to it talkin’ to your soul.”
― Jennifer Erin Valent, Catching Moondrops

With wonderful quotes like that it isn’t hard to see why I loved this series so much. The characters are also likeable and they make you want to read about them. You'll want a peaceful resolution but I don't think I can put into words the powerful event that brought that peace. Two words: Beautiful and Soul-stirring!

I grew up in the South and this series just felt so authentic. There is a lazy little feel to it with the sleepiness of southern living thrown in. While the south is known for hospitality though—we can also be pretty doggone stubborn.

Stubbornness and hatred led to sad times and such a sad history being explored and I wish I could say that racism has been completely abolished but sadly it does still linger. Luckily it isn’t as prevalent as it once was but books like this help us remember so that we do not repeat history. I guess like the book points out, it isn’t a racism problem; it is a heart problem and folks need good solid reminders of the pain and horror that hatred brings.

This author captures all of that and she does so beautifully that this series is definitely in my top-ten for 2013.

Jessi has grown up and at 19; Luke is finally looking at her as a woman. It is all she has ever dreamed of but when her best friend also finds love—Jessi’s world once again is turned upside down.

The white folk in the town haven’t really forgotten that the Lassiter family took in a, “colored girl” and to add insult to injury there’s a new doctor in town; one who offends people because of his color. Top that off with a few young boys who are bent on stirring up trouble with the white folk in the name of social equality—their reasoning was correct but their method was all wrong as is often the case with issues like this. You can’t really go about acting silly and stirring up trouble when you want to mend broken fences.

The Klan is no longer concerned about lying low and when a young boy is killed—Jessi’s heart is hardened even more against God and everyone else. She’s just angry! She’s angry at the Klan, maybe even angry at God because how could he let stuff like this continue to happen?

I don’t want to go much further than this because the book is so good I want you to read it for yourself to see the resolution but let’s just say between Gemma, Mr. Lassiter, Luke and Ms. Cleeta, there is a lot of wisdom that you can take away from this series.

I challenge you to pick this series up if you’re into Christian Historical Fiction. You will not be disappointed! I definitely will be reading again in the future and I will also be eagerly awaiting future works by the author.
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Jennifer Erin Valent is the 2007 winner of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest and 2010 Christy Award winner for Fireflies in December. She lives in central Virginia, where she has worked as a nanny for over fifteen years. A lifelong resident of the South, her surroundings help to color the scenes and characters she writes.
www.jennifervalent.com.

Cottonwood Whispers by Jennifer Erin Valent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I was so excited to pick up this book. It is book two in the Jessilyn Lassiter series by Jennifer Erin Valent and picks up several years after the events in the first book, Fireflies in December. I can’t brag on this series or on this author enough. She’s one of the authors that connects with her fans on social media and is so open and inviting that it really makes you want to read her books—and if you haven’t? You really should! These books capture the heart of the Deep South in a time when prejudice ran deep and weaves a tale of hope and faith in times of adversity.

The year is 1936 and Jessilyn Lassiter is turning seventeen years old. Her best friend is a black girl which is highly unusual for the time period. Of course there is a back story to this friendship and it all began with deep prejudice, threats and fear as the family lived under the watchful eyes of local Klan members. Things have greatly improved but change is slow in coming and things are still difficult at times for the Lassiter Family.

When Gemma starts working for the Hadley family she takes a brief interest in Joel Hadley. Jessi knows from the get-go that something isn’t right about this situation. Gemma becomes distant and withdrawn which brings further worry to Jessi.

When tragedy strikes the town and an innocent man is accused of committing a terrible crime—Jessi turns her suspicions to Joel Hadley and she is determined to find out the truth behind Gemma’s secrecy so that she can save the accused, Mr. Poe. Now, Mr. Poe isn’t like everyone else—they say he’s “special” and it doesn’t take much variation from the normal for people to become suspicious.

This book was so heart wrenching and the characters were incredibly well written and loveable. I especially loved the simple wisdom in Mr. Poe and the trust in the Lord that Miss Cleta possesses. I think the best quote in the entire book was said by Miss Cleta and it was a calm reminder for me to put my worries in the Lord.

“Hear that breeze?” She closed her eyes and a sweet smile spread out across her face. “It’s like the breath of God washin’ over me, stealin’ away all my worries, whisperin’ precious words.”

This book was absolutely fantastic. I can’t brag enough on it or on the words of wisdom within the pages. Oh, and before I forget to mention it—there’s also a budding romance in this story that is absolutely sweet and realistic. I can’t wait to pick up book three of this series!
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Jennifer Erin Valent is the 2007 winner of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest and 2010 Christy Award winner for Fireflies in December. She lives in central Virginia, where she has worked as a nanny for over fifteen years. A lifelong resident of the South, her surroundings help to color the scenes and characters she writes.
www.jennifervalent.com.

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I wasn’t sure what I would think about this book. Seeing as it was set in the 30’s in the Deep South—I was honestly worried about the southern speech. Though I have lived in the South my entire life—I cannot stand to see books with a lot of stereotypical southern speech. This book did have a lot of southern slang and speech patterns but it was more in a speaking style rather than misspelling words to point out the southern accent. Therefore, I actually did enjoy reading this book. In this story we are taken back to a time of deep prejudice—a time when the Klan was in full power. I didn’t particularly enjoy some of the racial slurs used in the story because those slurs hurt me so deeply to read. I know it was necessary for the type of story but it still hurt me to feel such hatred based solely on skin color. This was a reality and I think books like this are important to remind us of the dark places we have been to in our history.

Jessilyn is a young girl that has just turned thirteen. Jessi and her parents have hired help that they treat more like family and when tragedy strikes—the Lassiter family is determined to do the right thing by offering a home to young Gemma. This strikes fury in the hearts of the local Klan members who start to harass young Jessi and her family. From burning crosses in their yard to killing their pets and making very serious threats—this family is in turmoil but refuses to back down to the racism that is prevalent in their home town. When young Jessilyn laments that she has no idea what God expects her to do, her father catches a firefly and teaches her a beautiful lesson from which the title of the book is taken.

"That light is bright enough to light up a little speck of the night sky so a man can see it a ways away. That’s what God expects us to do. We’re to be lights in the dark, cold days that are this world. Like fireflies in December.”

This is part one in a three-part story so while the story is concluded somewhat—we do not see the full set of trials that Jessi and her parents face while providing a home to a young “colored” girl. What we do see though is a final showing of love from both the white and black community as they pull together to support a man and his family that are determined to stand for what is right in a time when it could have cost him his life.

Fireflies in December is a powerful story of acceptance and love that is told from the eyes of a thirteen year old girl who is coming to age in this very trying situation. I do wish that I could have seen more of the bond between Gemma and Jessi but that is a sacrifice you pay when you’re reading in first person. Otherwise I thought that while this book had some racial slurs (again, to show the situation of the day) and some violent themes—it was beautifully written and could be used as a way to talk to your young teen about racism and the hurt that it causes.
View all my reviews|Read an Excerpt

Amazon|CBD|Barnes&Noble

Jennifer Erin Valent is the 2007 winner of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest and 2010 Christy Award winner for Fireflies in December. She lives in central Virginia, where she has worked as a nanny for over fifteen years. A lifelong resident of the South, her surroundings help to color the scenes and characters she writes.
www.jennifervalent.com.
I received this book free from a fantastic program called Tyndale Rewards. I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions I have expressed are my own.