Preacher on the Run Book Review // Giveaway Announcement!

    Happy Monday, everyone!! Yes, I'm back already... Earlier this month, I had the privilege to read a free copy of the book Preacher on the Run by Jayna Baas and agreed to write a review on it to help announce her Independence Day giveaway! That being said, let's begin!! (And don't worry, this review will be spoiler free!)

    TITLE: Preacher on the Run

    SERIES: For Liberty & Conscience #1

    GENRE: Christian historical fiction

    BLURB

    STANDING FOR TRUTH COULD COST HIM HIS FREEDOM.

    FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM COULD COST HIM HIS LIFE.

    It’s 1771, and North Carolina is at war. On one side stands established religion and the power of the Crown. On the other side stands a dangerous freedom of conscience.

    Robert Boothe has spent the last four years leading the tyrant-hating Regulators against North Carolina’s corrupt British government. All he wants is a safe place for his little Baptist church to live and worship God.

    But choosing sides has made Robert a target. The Church of England wants him to shut up. The governor wants him dead.

    POSITIVE ELEMENTS

    WOWZERS, y'all!!! I'm just gonna say this book was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. There was excitement, action, humor, and heart-felt moments to go around! The plot, the characters, the settings, and the descriptions were all so compelling and beautifully crafted! I felt like not one scene was put in there "just because". Every moment seemed created for a reason that kept the plot going. 

    The characters also had their own unique backstories and Jayna did a fantastic job giving each person a specific character voice and attitude. For example, I could tell that some of the characters such as Colonel Drake were more educated and privileged from the way they spoke, compared to the mountain man, Hank, who was plentiful with his "ain'ts" and southern country speakin'. XD Overall, the different speech styles were so realistic and I practically felt as if I was standing next to the characters and actually "hearing" them! 

    The settings were also written very well (didn't have too much trouble at all imagining what places or scenes looked like) and the beautiful descriptions Jayna used made people, places, and things feel so much more alive!

    Lastly, the most positive elements in the book were all of the inspiring and encouraging themes and biblical truths! The messages this novel portrayed were actually reminders that I, and everyone else, really need. 

    SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS

    Seeing how this is a Christian novel, there were definitely a lot of bold, un-sugar-coated Christian messages given throughout the book, and I'm not complaining one bit! To be honest, these days I'm somewhat wary of reading Christian books by new authors I find, just because Christianity in general has gotten so twisted with lies, hypocrisy, and soft fluff over the past several years. I never want to read a book that gives the wrong messages about God, shies away from the hard truth, or is a disadvantage to my faith rather than an encouragement. 

    HOWEVER, Preacher on the Run is quite the opposite! I definitely had much more hope for this book from the start since many of my like-minded friends loved it, so I was interested to see how Jayna Baas would portray Christianity. And to my undying satisfaction, she absolutely NAILED it. With every page and spiritual message that was displayed I found myself nodding and shouting "AMEN, SISTER" in my head! XD This story packs SO MUCH TRUTH in its 326 pages and I was so so so pleased to see that all of it lined up with the scriptural authority of the Bible. It was really refreshing and I know I'm gonna be rereading this book just for that!

    I was also happy to see that the themes and messages in this book never really got...preachy. Yes, the main character and some of the other characters are pastors and yes, they give sermons and talk about God, but I personally feel like it was never "shoved" in your face all at once. There were never any long pages that went on and on sermonizing about certain topics, and it was balanced very well without going overboard or becoming overwhelming.

    As for specific spiritual details, there were (obviously) several pastors in the book (two of whom were prominent characters), there's talk of the Gospel (yay!!), learning to trust God (double yay!!), finding true freedom when becoming a Christian (triple yay!!) and many other powerful topics! The Church of England, specifically the Anglican church, is mentioned as the head vestryman for the local parish and the Baptist church butt heads a few times.

    ROMANTIC ELEMENTS

    The main character, Robert Boothe, is married and has a daughter. There are a couple brief kisses but nothing is described, only mentioned. Two side characters are...I guess courting? But not really courting? I don't know what to call it, but basically a young lady and one of the Regulators plan to get married eventually, but they're not really "dating" or anything. It's just...common knowledge to everyone. XD (I will say, the young man actually has a very inspiring talk with the girl's father at one point which I found very satisfying for some reason...*shrugs*)

    VIOLENT CONTENT 

    Well...this is war time so I'd be lying if I said there wasn't violence. XD There are shootings, fist fights, broken bones, stabbings, explosions, fires, a battle, death threats, and actual deaths but nothing gets graphic. I absolutely LOVED one certain action packed fight that happened and WHOO-BOY!!! It sure brought me to the edge of my seat!

    CRUDE/PROFANE LANGUAGE

    A few times some of the characters were said to have "cursed" but there no words were actually said/written out. (Some of the moments are quite funny too.) XD

    DRUG/ALCOHOL CONTENT

   

    Whisky is swallowed to ease pain and one character is said to have been drunk. An alcoholic beverage is cleverly used in an escape plan.

    OTHER CONTENT

    Some characters lie or keep information from each other, but the truth comes out in the end and apologies are made. Per usual back in the day, a black man is obviously a slave to one character but is treated as family rather than property (and eventually this is fixed for the better to some degree).

    FINAL THOUGHTS

    I'm tellin' ya, if you haven't read this book yet, YOU NEED TO. Everything about it was so amazing and, if anything, read it for Robert Boothe. Seriously, even though he's a fictional character, that man is on fire for the Lord! 😉 From now on, whenever I'm asked the question: Which three fictional characters would you want to invite to dinner? he'd definitely be on the list! I'd absolutely love to have a conversation with that guy. *sighs* Plus, he kinda reminds me of my own pastor in a way...which sounds weird..but it's true. XD To wrap up this review, let's see how many stars I would rate this baby! (It really shouldn't surprise y'all, just sayin'.) 😜

And it

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will

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beeeee....

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5 STARS!!!

    Thank you so much, Jayna, for giving me the opportunity to read Preacher on the Run and mark it off my TBR and I would HIGHLY recommend this novel to anyone and everyone!! (Especially since the Fourth of July is approaching—for Americans at least!) XD

    BUT WAIT. THE POST ISN'T OVER YET. Because if you do have an interest in reading Preacher on the Run, YOU, my dear friend, have the chance to win a FREE copy!!! *everybody cheers because we all love free books* As I said before, Jayna is hosting an Independence Day Giveway this week, so read on to get all the juicy details!

    Giveaway Info (Giveaway is run via Rafflecopter)

    Time: 12:00 AM EST June 27–12:00 AM EST July 4 (winner announced on July 4)

    Prize: One winner will receive a signed copy of Preacher on the Run and one 12-ounce bag of

American Patriot Coffee Co. Independence Medium Roast. All entrants will receive a promo code for

use on www.booksbyjayna.com. Open to US residents 18 and up or with parental consent. No

purchase necessary.

    Rafflecopter link: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/25c877fd5/?

    If you want to enter, you better hurry, because last time I checked there were already 182 entries for the giveaway...XD BUT, even if you don't win, you can always purchase Preacher on the Run with the links provided below!

    Purchase Links

    Paperback (direct from author)

    Kindle eBook

    Other Book Links

    Website book page 

    Goodreads book page

    BookBub book page

    Amazon book page

    Author Links

    Author website

    Goodreads author page

    BookBub author page

    Amazon author page

    Newsletter signup

   

 

Jayna Baas, pronounced as in “baa, baa, black sheep,” is the author of Preacher on the Run and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. She lives in northern Michigan with a great family of real people and the family of pretend people who live in her head. (Yes, she does know her characters are not real. No, she does not want you to tell them she said so.) Although she enjoys multiple genres, her favorite story is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Learn more and sign up for an exclusive short story at www.booksbyjayna.com.

    Aaaaand that's it folks! I hope you enjoyed the book review and are now convinced to read it! XD (And if you aren't, then your loss. Won't mince words there.) So what are you waiting for? Go enter that giveaway!!! *shoves link to you* *uses your mouse to click it* *helps your fingers type "yes" in the little box because that's literally all you have to do to enter* It's that easy. 

Tally-Ho!

    Have you read Preacher on the Run before? If you haven't, do you want to read it now? Did you know that there's a neat book trailer for Preacher on the Run on the "Website Book Page"? (It's under Book Links if you wanna check it out.) Did you enter the giveaway? What are your Fourth of July plans (if you have any)? And finally, what is your opinion on fireworks? XD