of blades and thorns

the official blog of author grace a. johnson

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 28, 2021
5 min

Review: Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund

*Warnings* #1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You’ll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which may mean some spoilers, so watch out. Stars: 3.5 Synopsis: When Ellen Creighton witnesses—and experiences—the supernatural healing power of the ancient water, she finds herself in the realm of business espionage and intrigue...and in the 14th century. Will she be able to re

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Grace A. Johnson

Dec 27, 2021
8 min

Review: Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund

*Warnings* #1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You’ll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which may mean some spoilers, so watch out. Stars: 4 Synopsis: Marian Creighton was unprepared for her father’s death...and even more unprepared to travel back in time to the Middle Ages in search of a fantastic cure for all diseases. Will she be able to survive in the 14th centu

48 views6 comments

Blog Tour: The Toymaker's Doll by E. G. Bella (Interview + Review)

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 23, 2021
11 min

Blog Tour: The Toymaker's Doll by E. G. Bella (Interview + Review)

Wow, have I got a jam-packed post for y'all today! In honor of the upcoming release of E. G. Bella's debut story, The Toymaker's Doll, I have not only a book spotlight but also a review of the story AND an interview with the author! This short story is SO SWEET and I know you're not gonna wanna miss the chance to read it, so without further ado... About the Book A limp. A scuff. A cowardly heart. Jane is a doll struggling with all these things. She and her friend Isabel, a bl

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Grace A. Johnson

Dec 22, 2021
6 min

Author Interview with Maya Joelle

I am so excited to have the author of the lovely poetry collection Cathedral on the blog today...none other than Maya Joelle! She is such an inspiration and so creative - I have loved following her blog these last several months! You can learn about her and where to follow her here...or, y'know, keep reading for our interview below!! What first inspired you to write? My first-ever story was a Narnia fanfiction, which I wrote at age six out of frustration at C.S. Lewis for not

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Review: After She Falls by Carmen Schober

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 21, 2021
7 min

Review: After She Falls by Carmen Schober

*Warnings* #1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You’ll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which may mean some spoilers, so watch out. Stars: 2.5 Synopsis: In a frantic escape from an abusive marriage, Adri Rivera stumbles, daughter in tow, back into her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. Will she be able to bypass the aching memories—particularly those of her childho

47 views8 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 20, 2021
6 min

Review: As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin

*Warnings* #1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You’ll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which may mean some spoilers, so watch out. Stars: 4 Synopsis: During the Great War, a young munitions worker arrives in Gretna, Scotland, bearing the name of Tilly Lockheart. What the family who take in Tilly, including their auldest son, a discharged RAF captain, don’t know is

26 views2 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 18, 2021
5 min

Review: Cathedral by Maya Joelle

If I wasn’t into poetry before, I am now. I’ve read a few of Maya’s poems on her blog—“Borrowed Grief” is the one I remember the most—so I knew even before I began this anthology that she had talent. What I wasn’t prepared for was the depth of it. These poems...the prose...the emotions behind it all literally made my heart ache. I didn’t want to put it down for even a second (even though I did, because my sister wet the bed while I was reading last night); it just drew me in

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Series Review: The Moretti Trilogy by Kristina Hall (Blog Tour)

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 17, 2021
11 min

Series Review: The Moretti Trilogy by Kristina Hall (Blog Tour)

Yep, I am reviewing three books in one post. Since that is a lot of reviews, on top of introducing y’all to each book, listing the rest of the posts in this tour, and telling y’all about an awesome giveaway, I’ll try and keep things short. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ve got too much excitement to just “keep things short”! Yes, my lovelies, today I am taking part in Kristina Hall’s blog tour for her latest series The Moretti Trilogy (and, before you ask, yes, this is her third com

58 views13 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 15, 2021
7 min

Know the Novel Part 3: Words Written

Wow. November has come and went, and now we're only days away from Christmas! I don't know about y'all, but I'm kinda sad to see November - and Know the Novel - go! Today is the final post in the three-month-long linkup hosted by Christine Smith (click the graphic below to check out her post), all about the words written in my WIP! If you missed the last two posts, you can find them here and here! Just make sure y'all stick around 'til this end of this one, because I'm got a

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Coming Soon: Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 13, 2021
2 min

Coming Soon: Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund

Here it is! The third January 4th release! Never Leave Me is the second book in the Waters of Time series, which is Jody Hedlund's first time-travel series and fourth medieval series. I've yet to write my review of the first book, Come Back to Me, but suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and am super excited to start reading Never Leave Me! I absolutely loved the way Hedlund chose to depict time travel and the method she used to do it. It was the perfect blend of fa

31 views4 comments

Coming Soon: Her Darling Mr. Day by Grace Hitchcock

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 9, 2021
2 min

Coming Soon: Her Darling Mr. Day by Grace Hitchcock

January 4th is the day of sequels, my friends, because not only is To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna M. White (the sequel to The Nature of a Lady) releasing then, but so is the sequel to My Dear Miss Dupre by Grace Hitchcock! (And there's another book releasing on the 4th too, but we'll get to that in a bit, shall we?) Y'all remember My Dear Miss Dupre, don't ya? It's the book that somehow managed to develop and pull off a love-square/marriage contest without driving me abso

30 views6 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 8, 2021
4 min

Single Line Story Challenge Tag

When I first read Bella's post, I thought to myself "Dude, that looks cool. I wanna do that. But I stink at one-sentence anythings." So imagine my surprise when I realized I'd been tagged! This was actually way easier and funner (that is too a word...don't give me that red line!) than I'd expected, and I would so do it again! I probably will, actually, so y'all let me know which genre of story y'all like the best and which line was your favorite! Lucky for me, I've written in

121 views23 comments

Coming Soon: To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna M. White

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 7, 2021
3 min

Coming Soon: To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna M. White

If this month's Christmas theme has cramped my style, it was with this post, because, y'all, red and white doesn't jive with the beautiful blues and greens in this cover! Yep, my favorite read from last month is making her way into this world, coming to Amazon, B&N, Christianbook, and more on January 4th, 2022! I know that seems like quite a wait (well, not according to how fast this year has gone by, but still), but never fear! You, my friend, have the chance to receive a fr

30 views4 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 6, 2021
5 min

Indie Author Tag

I really wish I could've gotten to this sooner...like right after Indie Author Day...however, November was so busy and I thought I'd save all my tags for December...so here we are! #3! National Indie Author Day was November 12-13 last month (I know, I know, two days), and not only did I do a week-long posting celebration, but my fellow author and good friend R. M. Archer created this tag in honor of IAD and entirely for indie authors! It was so much fun answering these questi

53 views6 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 4, 2021
5 min

Welcome to December!

Someone help me. I think I've lost, like, six months of my life. There is absolutely no way that it could possibly be December already. Y'all, Christmas is in twenty days. TWENTY DAYS! Inconceivable. But somehow true, which means it's time for me to wrap-up last month and list my goals for this one! I'll try and keep this post short, since I'm sure we all have some shopping or wrapping to do (lucky me, I've gotten both done!), so without further ado (you'll find I love saying

72 views19 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Dec 3, 2021
5 min

Editing Adventures Tag

Well, hullo there, all! Today I've got for you my first of THREE blog tags this month - the Editing Adventures Tag, created by my lovely friend Kristina Hall! Now, if y'all've been following me for long...or read Held Captive...then you know that I don't do a lot of editing. I mean, I've edited other people's works and I do edit my short stories - but I also edit as I write, per se, and spend three hours perfecting a single sentence before I move on to the next one. So I don'

108 views8 comments

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