A Girl's Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate

 I was thrilled to read new to me author Jessica Kate’s recent release A Girl's Guide To The Outback.   The intriguing title and cover of A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Jessica Kate drew me in. The story follows American, Kimberly Foster, and Australian, Samuel Payton, on a dairy farm in the Australian Outback.  It was such a unique setting that I felt more informed about the world after reading this story. I love thinking I may have picked up some great Aussie slang along the way.  

I am a big fan of romantic comedies, and I was hoping that I would be laughing and sighing as I read A Girl’s Guide to the Outback.  The good news for me is that I was able to do both. I laughed out loud and there were many sigh worthy scenes throughout the book. 

I feel like author Jessica Kate is an author to watch. She is witty, her characters are interesting, and her story was fun to read.    I highly recommend A Girl’s Guide to the Outback.  Release date: January 28, 2020

I was given a copy through NetGalley and not required to write a review

A Girl's Guide to the Outback 

Jessica Kate

When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and heads home to Australia to help his sister, Jules, save her struggling farm. As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. Together they strike up a deal: If Kimberly comes to work on Jules’s dairy farm and lends her business brains to their endeavor, then maybe—just maybe—Sam will reconsider his future with the church.

Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds—or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly.

About the Author

Australian author Jessica Kate writes inspirational romances with wit, sass, and grit. Jessica is a screenwriting groupie, cohost of the StoryNerds vlog and podcasts, and her favorite place to be—apart from Mum and Dad’s back deck—is a theme park. She has traveled North America and Australia, and samples her favorite pasta wherever she goes—but the best (so far) is still the place around the corner from her corporate day job as a training developer. 

A Promise to Keep by Melony Teague

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Promise To Keep by Melony Teague.  The story begins at the class reunion of Savannah Sandersson and Micheal McCann.  They have not seen each other in 15 years and they meet again at their high school reunion and then decide to make some new memories.  Savannah and Micheal are wonderful characters you want to connect with. The story follows their adventures and shows us how they make peace with their past, and create a new future.    I was very drawn into the story and cheered for them both.  

 Melony Teague has the  gift of painting pictures with her words and helping you to easily visualize the story.  Her descriptions kept me engaged and enjoying the story. Her secondary characters were interesting and well developed.  I was sad when the story ended.  

I truly enjoyed each minute I spent reading A Promise To Keep.  It is a great contemporary read and one that appeals to a wide audience.  The story is one of grace, love, and holding on to the moments you have. I highly recommend A Promise To Keep.  

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and not required to write a review.

Praise for A Promise to Keep

“A delightful romance sure to please anyone looking for a story about second chances, grace, and hope. This one has all the right ingredients!”
—Catherine West, award-winning author of Where Hope Begins

“With beautiful tenderness, Melony Teague has given us a window into the joy, sorrow, humor, and soaring love of characters that come alive. Be ready to have your heart stolen in this must-read fiction debut.”
—Mikal Dawn, author of the EMERALD CITY ROMANCE series

“A Promise to Keep by Melony Teague is a welcome addition to the contemporary romance genre. Layers of laughter, chemistry, and unexpected intensity make Michael and Savannah’s story a wonderful surprise! A Promise to Keep shows the skill of a talented author who can sensitively tackle subjects like cancer and grief while still producing a laugh-out-loud story! I can’t wait to read whatever Melony Teague writes next!
—V. Joy Palmer, Author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations

“With charm, wit, and romance, Teague’s debut novel takes readers on a journey of second chances, grace… and a trusty fern. Hope and humor blend throughout the story, balancing deep emotions with lighter moments and a sweet romance besides. A bright new voice in Christian fiction!”
—Carrie Schmidt, ReadingIsMySuperPower.org

Melony Teague is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell. As co-author of As the Ink Flows, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words. With foamy lattes in-hand, she writes Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor. Though she has no hobbies outside of reading, writing, and eating chocolate, she is a member of ACFW and teaches seniors in her community to write their memoirs. She confesses with no shame that she has a strong belief that pumpkin pie is an acceptable breakfast food since it’s mostly vegetables. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in the melting pot that is Toronto with her husband, their two teenagers, and two cats who think they’re humans.

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Q & A with Author Melony Teague

Today on Becky's Bookshelves we have a Q & A with author Melony Teague.  I met Melony at CFFR over two years ago.  She is a delight, and I have enjoyed keeping up with her through the years.  Melony has a brand new book coming out January 21 called A Promise to Keep.  It is fabulous!  Today she answers some of my questions on the story.  (no spoilers!)  Thanks for stopping by, Melony!    

Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

Your story involves a class reunion.   Have you ever attended yours?  Why did you choose a class reunion for part of the setting in A Promise to Keep?  

I’ve never attended my class reunion because I went to high school in Estcourt, South Africa and it is a little bit far from Toronto to go for a reunion. If I could, I would. For the most part, my high school years were good and I’d love to catch up with friends. I chose the class reunion to kick off A Promiseto Keep because I wondered what it would be like for someone to attend that never really felt like they fitted in. What would they feel? How would they react to reuniting with high school crushes, and how would they have moved on in life since graduation. The whole concept of whether young dreams come true or not was a fascinating subject to ponder. Savannah’s life didn’t turn out the way she thought it would.

I loved your descriptions of places your characters visited. You do a great job helping your readers visualize the scenes in your book. Do you have a favorite place from the story? 

Thank you Becky. To be honest, I’ve only been to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, so those are a favorite. My daughter and I went to the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory and spent hours, taking photos and enjoying seeing the butterflies flit around in the humid air. The town of Point is totally fictional, but I hope that it seemed real to readers.  

What do you hope your readers walk away with from your story? 

I hope that readers would appreciate the every moment in life and see life as a gift. It’s easy to take the people we love for granted. A Promise to Keep is about love, loss, healing and grace, and most of all, it’s about living without regrets.

I loved your characters, Savannah and Michael.  Do you have a picture of them in your mind, or who do they look like that we know?  Michael’s physical appearance was modeled after Henry Cavill, but with longer hair and blue eyes. Savannah has caramel colored hair and blue eyes and I didn’t model her on anyone really. So if an actress were to be cast in a movie adaption, then it would be interesting to see who they’d pick.  (One can dream, right?)

I loved reading about the main characters Savannah and Michael, but I was intrigued by a couple of the secondary characters, Donavan, Gillian and Johnnie.  Do you have any plans for them in their own books?  

I’m so glad you asked this. My first thought was to write Donavan’s story, but my editor is more interested in Gillian and Johnnie’s story. So I’ve started brainstorming and researching possible story lines for them. I’m excited to dive in and find out where that will lead me. Stay tuned. I do, however, have a soft spot for dear Donavan.

Thank you for stopping by Becky's Bookshelves today Melony!  I can not wait for more readers to read your new book A Promise Keep  I will post more information below.  Next week my review will be up on the blog.  

ABOUT THE BOOK  A Promise Book

She never imagined that keeping her promise would change everything.

Research librarian Savannah Sanderson wants nothing more than to escape into her happily-ever-after novels with their larger-than-life fictional heroes. But a promise to her late husband has her attending her dreaded twenty-year high school reunion, drinking ghastly punch, and taking desperate measures just to keep her vow, even if she has to hide behind the décor to do it.

Once a reckless troublemaker, Michael McCann fled town after graduation. Now a professional technical rescuer, he’s back for the reunion, but on his trip down memory lane, he soon comes face to face with unresolved issues, namely Savannah.

Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melony Teague is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell.  As co-author of As the Ink Flows, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words. She writes Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor. Teague is a member of ACFW. She has never met a Starbucks she didn’t love and has been known to eat vegetables for breakfast—well, pumpkin pie—same thing. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in Toronto with her husband, their two teenagers, and two cats.

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