BOOK REVIEW: The Marquess's Masked Archer by Abbey Downey

 NOTE: I will post the Celebrate Lit information next week about this book, October 1. This is my review for now. 

The Marquess's Masked Archer by Abbey Downey, is the first book in the Headliners and Heartstrings series. And it's simply an adorable story and one you don't want to miss because it has all the ingredients to make a story stand out and allow the characters to live in your memory after their story ends!   

Set in 1907 at Put-In-Bay, Ohio, along the shoreline of Lake Erie, the story happens during the summer months at the popular Cedar Point where the wealthy and high society owned summer cottages and took vacations there. Trey gathered at the resort to attend social events lake activities, and boating excursions.

The story is about Sylvie Bryce, the daughter of wealthy parents and an acid archery lover and Miles Wentworth, the Marquess of Rockingham, who is working at the Cedar Point laboratory for the summer. 

At the age to twenty-two, Sylvie is in danger of becoming a spinster and therefore her mother has plans for her to mingle with the eligible bachelors and find one to marry. While there, Sylvie disguises herself as the Lady Robin archer and on Mondays and Thursday she performs tick shot exhibitions and archery shows in the evening's to crowds. 

Miles is running from his shadowed past and has come to America to live and study entomology at teh Ohio State University's research facility. He intends to keep a low profile and study insects in a quiet manner. He is staying with Alexander and Grace Loftin at their cottage for the summer season.

A notable quote from the story after Miles meets Sylvie: For a moment, Miles concluded that it wouldn't be so terrible to drown in blue eyes like hers, with as much as hidden depth as the waves he'd crossed traveling from England. She had charmed him without trying. 

As the story progresses, Sylvie and Miles deny their feelings for each other while a jealous nemesis sets out to blackmail Sylvie with her secret disguise. Bachelors and debutantes are expected to follow the social rules and at times the story is quite humorous as they attend the high society balls, the outings along the seashore, and all kinds of lunches and activities. 

Abbey Downey has written another winning story with a strong-spirited heroine and the handsome hero who falls in love with her adventurous ways. I enjoyed reading this Gilded Age romance where high society was expected to follow their own rules and flashy materialism ruled the day. 

I learned a little history of the Ohio area, too, which I appreciate. And you won't want to miss the epilogue....it will put a big smile on your face and a sign on your lips. 

I was provided a copy of this book by Celebrate Lit for an honest review. This is my own opinion. 

The grass withers and the flowers fade......

 

BOOK REVIEW Coming Soon: THE SECRET SAUCE by Fay A. Klinger

 

Some days you just want "to be"

 

Some days you are tired, you just don't feel like embracing the day like a tornado....some days you feel quiet in your soul and you want to have a restful day. That is okay! For example, if you read a Bible verse during your daily routine (such as during the morning) and you don't feel like doing a study, digging deeper, spending a lot of time with it...that is okay! Pray, read, and go on with your day. Some days you just want "to be." 

The BLOOM Bible Study Method Gardening Framework

 

With the BLOOM method there are 

the GARDEN ELEMENT

the BLOOM PHASE 

the SPIRITUAL GROWTH ACTION. 

B: The GARDEN ELEMENT is the SEED = B - Breathe and Prayer: Quiet your mind and plant the Word of God into your heart with an open, receptive spirit. Scripture: "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."  - Job 33:4. The GARDEN CONNECTION: This is the seed, just like a tiny seed resting quietly in the soil waiting for the breath of spring, this step is about slowing down, inhaling God's peace, and inviting the Holy Spirit to bring the text to life. 

L: The GARDEN ELEMENT is DIRT = L - Listen and Learn: Dig into the context, history, and track keywords to establish fertile ground for understanding. Scripture: "It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." -Proverbs 25:2. The GARDEN CONNECTION: This is your dirt or soil phase. Like searching for a wild root or preparing a fertile seedbed, you are digging deep beneath the surface level of the text to find the rich, historical, and cultural treasures tucked into the soil of scripture. 

O: The GARDEN ELEMENT is WATER = O - Observe the text: Washing over scripture to soften your soul, making your spirit pliable and receptive. Scripture: "And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." -Ezekiel 36:26. The GARDEN CONNECTION: This represents the life-giving water. Hard, compacted soil cannot absorb the seed, but water softens the earth. Opening your heart allows the living water of the Word to soften your soul, making it tender pliable, and ready to absorb the truth.

O: The GARDEN ELEMENT is SUNLIGHT = O - the Outpour and Thanksgiving: Letting in the Light of Christ for growing your faith, and lifting your spirit upward to live out the lessons learned. Scripture: "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." -Psalm 107:8-9. The GARDEN CONNECTION: This is the warm sunlight. When a flower receives sunlight, it opens wide and grows upward. Bursting with praise and thanksgiving lifts your eyes toward Jesus, filling your soul with life, causing your faith to visibly bloom like a vibrant wildflower. 

M: The GARDEN ELEMENT is TENDING = M -Meditate and Apply: Prune your thoughts, pull the weeds of distraction and stay rooted in the Word as you go about your day. Scripture: "He is like a tree planted by streams of living water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." -Psalm 1:3. The GARDEN CONNECTION: This is the continuous act of tending the garden. By thinking of God's goodness and carrying these truths with you through the day, you keep your roots tucked deep near the stream. It keeps your spiritual leaves green and protects your heart from weeds of daily worry. This is an important step. 

How the BLOOM Method Cultivates Growth: 

Begin with the Seed - Breathe and Prayer. Before you can grow, you must sit still. By taking a moment to breathe and pray, you clear away the noise of life. This creates the quiet, sacred space needed to plant the seed of God's Word into your heart. Every study starts with a single seed: the Word of God. By starting with prayer, you are choosing to plant the seed intentionally asking God to open your eyes to what He wants to grow in you today. 

Listen and Learn - Dirt or soil. Look and Listen for words and cultural context. To grow deep roots, a seed needs rich soil. When you look for key words and cultural context, you are digging beneath the surface. Understanding the environment of the text keeps your faith grounded so it won't easily wither. The dirt or soil provides the environment for the seed to take root. Without doing this, your understanding may remain shallow. 

Observe the Text - The Water. Open your heart to soften your soul. Water activates the seed and helps it break through the dry ground. By observing the text and intentionally opening your heart, you let the Word act like water, softening your soul with the truth. It breaks down barriers, melts away hardness, and prepares you to absorb God's truths. 

Outpour with Thanksgiving and Praise - The Sunlight. Be thankful for what you are learning. Sunlight is what causes a plant to reach upward and become visible to the world. Plants naturally lean toward the light to live. When you apply the Bible to your daily life, you are letting your light shine before others. Your growth becomes a visible testimony of God's work. Give God the praise of thanksgiving. 

Meditate and Maintain -The Tending. Meditate on the Truth of the Word as you go. A garden needs constant care throughout the day, or it will not survive. Meditation and maintenance mean you don't just walk away and forget what you read. You protect your heart from the weeds of daily distractions, doubts, fears, etc. By meditating on the truths as you go about your day, you are tending your spiritual garden and nurturing your faith. 

I hope this BLOOM method of reading and learning God's Words helps you in your daily life. Use as little or as much as you have time for. All of this was given to me by the Lord a few mornings ago as I did my daily reading. After all, God created me to enjoy the flora and fauna of the natural world and He planted in me the desire to read, learn, and write about it. 

I am recovering from Profound Grief Disorder because of the loss of my beloved daughter. I've been in a very deep, dark place, but God is healing me one day at a time. It wasn't until I SURRENDERED all of my self to Jesus that He lifted the spirit of grief off of me and I am learning that we are to lean on Him through all the seasons of our life. And when we experience God's Goodness, we are to go tell others about what He has done for us. 

Bless you and BLOOM where you are planted! Karen 

THE BLOOM Bible Study method Introduction

GROWING DEEP: Introducing the BLOOM Bible Study Method

 Find your quiet, personal space and let’s sit together for a spell. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much our faith is like a garden. Some seasons we feel like we are bursting with life, and other seasons feel a bit like winter—chilly, quiet, and waiting. But no matter what the weather looks like outside, God is always working beneath the soil of our hearts. If you’ve been looking for a fun, beautiful way to dig into your alone time with the Lord, I am so excited to share something close to my heart. It’s my simple, down-home way to study scripture that I call the BLOOM Method. Just like a delicate blossom opening up to the morning sun, this five-step guide helps us slow down and savor the sweet aroma of God’s Word. 

Here is the guide: The BLOOM Method Breakdown: 

B – Breathe in the Spirit. Before you even turn a page, pause. Start with a humble prayer, inviting God to open your eyes to the beauty of His truth.

L – Look for the hidden gems. Examine the verses closely. Search for deep roots, cultural context, and key words that jump out at you.

O – Open your heart completely. Let the living Word soften your soul. Let it break up any hard soil in your heart so you can receive His grace.

O – Overflow with thanksgiving. Savor the sweet promises you just read. Take a moment to praise Him for how He is growing your faith today.

M – Meditate on His goodness. Don't just close your Bible and forget it. Turn those truths over in your mind throughout the day, letting them change how you live and love.

Tending to Your Heart's Garden: Try printing this little guide out to keep in your Bible, your journal or somewhere close. Remember, growing your beautiful faith takes time, digging in the seeds of God's Word, a little daily watering, and a lot of grace. You don't have to rush through words, verses, or chapters of the Bible to check a box. Just sit, study, and bloom right where God has planted you. I'm a wildflowers, blooming gardens, houseplants lady with a green thumb. 

My garden is not just a hobby, it is a living, breathing sanctuary where my love for God's creation and my spiritual growth intertwine perfectly. I think of my heart as the garden where I remember and nurture all the things God graciously gives me. I read/study/learn about our Creator and I tend to my loving flowers - a visual reminder that the Lord is alive. 

Tomorrow I'll post the BLOOM Bible Study Method Gardening Framework with scriptures. Have a blooming day, Karen