I stink at posting consistently, especially on Instagram. So when I put together an Instagram tag/posting challenge for Kellyn Roth's latest release, Like a Ship on the Sea, you better believe I wasn't about to post every other weekday on Instagram. (Hypocritical, maybe?) BUT I had so much fun putting this together that I knew I HAD to share something. So I took a cue from Saraina Whitney and decided to share this as a blog tag (which you can do too!)
So join me as I share all about some of my favorite books, inspired by different elements of the phenomenal historical romance, Like a Ship on the Sea!
~ the rules ~
There are prompts for every other weekday in September, but you’re welcome to share whenever you can and catch up at any time.
Feel free to use any social media, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, your blog, and YouTube.
Share about books that fit into the categories, and have fun!
Don’t forget to use the hashtag #likeashipontheseatag and tag @kellynrothauthor!
~ the prompts ~
Sept. 4 // a book set in your dream destination
I have so many dream destinations, y’all. My current top two are Italy and Scotland…and a portion of Like a Ship on the Sea is set in Italy, so naturally I gotta give a shout-out to it! A book set in Scotland—that I absolutely adored—is The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz!
Sept. 6 // your favorite swoon-worthy romance
Um…how am I supposed to pick JUST ONE? (I came up with the most difficult prompts, didn’t I? *shakes head*) Two of my favorite seven billion swoon-worthy romances are easily the romance between Roxanna and Cassius in The Colonel’s Lady (also by Laura Frantz) and Charity and Mitch in A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman.
Sept. 8 // a book with themes that inspire you
I feel like it would be cheating to use one of my books here, so I won’t talk about how the themes of Bound and Determined have been so powerful in my life recently.
I will, however, talk about the themes in Like a Ship on the Sea! The message of seeking God’s will and trusting Him and taking a leap of faith were so inspiring!
Sept. 11 // a most remarkable heroine
Naturally, the woman this prompt was designed for: Cassie. She is truly remarkable and so wonderful and I just love her.
Sept. 13 // a beloved mentor character
Oh, shoot. This is a tough one. Probably Nettie from The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy by Kellyn Roth. Naturally. 😉 She's a doll, that one.
Sept. 15 // a hero with an inspiring arc
Can I pick two again? Because Camden from On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White and Lukio from Between the Wild Branches by Connilyn Cossette both had such great arcs! And Moretti from Mercy Undeserved by Kristina Hall. BUT WAIT.
There’s also Abram from The Light of Eidon, and I’m sorry, but he really takes the cake. His arc was phenomenal and so well-written and inspiring.
Sept. 18 // your favorite fictional sibling dynamic
The O’Connor siblings!! (From Julie Lessman’s series, The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, and The Cousins O’Connor.) They are so hilarious and sweet, and I just adore them.
Sept. 20 // a ship that took you by surprise
Okay, okay, okay. This is a tough one, since most of what I read is romance, where you already know exactly who’s getting together in the end, and there’s not a lot of room for surprise. BUT A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano is the one exception. I was completely sold on one ship, when another love interest came into play, and I fell head over heels for him, and after that, I couldn’t look back. The ship had set sail, and oh, my gosh, it was so good. 😭
Sept. 22 // a theme that touched your heart
(Did I really do two theme prompts? Shoot. [Okay, so the difference between this prompt and the previous one is that a theme that inspire you would be a theme that literally spoke to you in your season in life, but a theme that touched your heart is just a good theme.])
The theme of Unfailing Love by Julie Lessman made me cry before I even got into the story. The thread of forgiveness and restoration was just so beautiful, and knowing it came from the author’s own experiences made it so heartfelt.
Sept. 25 // a series spinoff you loved
Once again, The Hilton Legacy. 😅 But also the two spinoff series Julie Lessman wrote to follow the O’Connor family!
Sept. 27 // a topic you love to read about
Uh…anything history and pirates and espionage and religious conflict and political intrigue. No, I’m totally not describing my books. And lighthouses. Again, that’s definitely not one of my WIPs. And purity, biblical womanhood/femininity, marriage/parenthood, foraging and herbalism. Whether nonfiction or woven into a fiction book, I love reading about these topics!
Sept. 29 // your favorite historical time period
ALL OF THEM. Specifically, Ancient/Biblical time, the medieval era, the Renaissance, the Golden Age of Piracy, the Jacobean era, the Georgian era, the Regency era, the Gilded Age/Victorian era/Wild West, the Edwardian era/WWI, the Roaring Twenties, the 1930s and ’40s and ’50s and ’60s and ’70s and ’80s and ’90s and early 2000s. (Although, if the early 2000s count as historical, I must be older than I thought…)
So, yeah, literally all of them. I go through historical moods, so my favorites fluctuate.
~ the book ~
If God asks you to confront a storm, how dare you stay in the harbor?
Lady Mary Cassidy O’Connell has a dream that can be summed up in three connecting ideas: a loving husband, adorable children, and a home of her own. Her mother’s lack of care makes life difficult for Cassie, and an escape is necessary. The plan? Marry Aubrey Montgomery, the man her parents have chosen for her, and find the peace she craves.
Unfortunately, Cassie is uneasy about marrying Aubrey. Her apprehension grows as she witnesses her dearest friend’s loving marriage take place. At this wedding, she catches the eye of Patrick Hilton, son of a wealthy American. Like Cassie, he’s also set to marry a woman chosen by his parents—only, Patrick claims, he is content with this choice.
Torn between her desire for happiness and the knowledge that God is leading her in a different direction, Cassie confronts the impossible decision. Is a loveless marriage of obligation better than being alone, or will she set sail on a voyage without a safe harbor?
Like a Ship on the Sea is the first novel in The Hilton Legacy, a stand-alone trilogy featuring characters from the author’s first series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.
~ the author ~
Kellyn Roth is a historical romance & women’s fiction author who writes stories to share hope in life’s storms. Her novels include the inspirational Victorian family saga, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, and the Kees & Colliers series, which follows a broken family in the tumultuous years of the first half of the 20th century.
Kellyn is a student of the Author Conservatory and a writing coach. When not building her author career or her indie-author-helping business, Wild Blue Wonder Press, she is likely getting lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, watching period dramas and facetious comedies, or spending time with her husband.
Find out more on her website, https://kellynrothauthor.com/
It's your turn! Post about these prompts on your blog or social media! I'd love to know about your favorite spinoff series, heroines, hero arcs, and more!
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