The Secrets of Paper and Ink by Lindsay Harrel

Sophia, still reeling from the death of her fiancee, not so much because he died, but because he had strangled a part of her and she kept hearing his voice in her head, she kept beating herself up for the decisions she had made. Ginny, also stuck in a rut when her husband takes off to go find himself and she stays home to try to survive and make his dream continue to thrive. Emily, from the 1800s, forced to become a governess after her father dies, forced to give up her only true love, yet she chooses to surrender to God and let Him work in her life. What do these three ladies have in common?

They "meet" in England when Sophia discovers a notebook journal and goes on a quest to find out more and that is where I need to stop because I don't want to give away spoilers, but Sophia and Ginny become good friends, each battling their own wars, each trying to do it on their own. Of course, William, Ginny's brother-in-law is happy to help Sophia, you knew there was gonna be romance right? I could appreciate that one, not so much the hinted at romance that was going to happen to Ginny.

Anyway, the thing that really caught me in this book was the victim mentality and how these ladies rose above it. It wasn't easy, but once they were willing to recognize their part in their own story, it made so much difference in their quality of life. They were no longer surviving, they were thriving. There were actually a few quotes from this book that stuck out to me, but I want to share just one or two.

"Perhaps you're focused on the wrong thing. Life is more than a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's about the countless moments woven in between the lines, the growth, the pruning. Take these flowers, for example, I can't just sit around waiting for them to decide if they want to bloom or die. Growth won't happen without a little intervention. They were designed to bloom, yes, but circumstances and a harsh environment sometimes make it impossible for them to flower on their own. They can't prune themselves. And you can't prune yourself, dear."

"We must embrace that story and remember that who we are is not defined by the ups and downs of our lives - the failure OR the successes. Nay, we are instead defined by Whose we are."

These two quotes are so applicable to each of our lives. Sitting around waiting to change, waiting to bloom isn't going to have any effect. There must be pruning, there must be an intervention. We must recognize Whose we are and until we do that, life will not be able to be lived to the fullest.

I really enjoyed this book, it was my first book by Lindsay Harrel and she definitely makes it onto the list of authors I would read more of.

I received this book from Book Look Bloggers and was not required to write a positive review.