Book Review–What’s the Story, Morning Glory?

Welcome to the Blog Tour for What’s the Story, Morning Glory? by Julie Lessman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: What’s the Story, Morning Glory?
Author: Julie Lessman
Publisher: Julie Lessman LLC
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Genre: Memoir Devotional (half fiction/half nonfiction)

“DEAR LORD, JULIE … OUR WHOLE LIFE IS IN THIS BOOK!”

My heart went out to my sweet husband as he walked into our kitchen one day with a noticeable gulp, ashen-faced after reading my latest novel.“Yes, I know, babe,” I said with a repentant smile and a conciliatory hug, “but nobody really knows that.”
Ahem. Until now …

Trust me, “What’s the Story, Morning Glory? A Memoir Devotional with a ‘Novel’ Approach to Practical Christianity ” is not a book I wanted to write. As a novelist, I have never been partial to nonfiction, either reading it or writing it, but I had little choice when God convinced me otherwise through a number of point-blank arm-twistings I couldn’t deny and not-so-gentle proddings from family and friends.

Despite all the encouragement, I wasn’t really sure where to begin. “It will be fiction and nonfiction combined,” the Holy Spirit whispered within, and just like that, the idea for this book took flight. First, I would tell my “real” and very personal story behind the life-lesson stories in my novels, then I would follow it up with the excerpt from my books where I teach that same life lesson to my characters, finally culminating in corresponding Scriptures, a bulleted “Takeaway” list, and a related prayer.

Thus, What’s the Story, Morning Glory: A Memoir Devotional with a “Novel” Approach to Practical Christianity was born. A memoir devotional that when combined with scenes from my novels, becomes a “novotional” where I relate the life lessons God personally taught me through His Word. I am simply a child of God who applied these lessons and Biblical precepts to every situation in my life and consequently, saw nonstop answers to prayer and blessings galore. It is my profound hope and prayer that through my own very simple and personal stories and examples, I can do the same for others. Therefore, the format for each chapter of this book will be as

1. The Real Story (How I learned and applied the spiritual lesson in my own life)
2. The Novel Story (The scene where I teach the spiritual lesson to my characters)
3. The Scripture Story (Scriptures applicable to the spiritual lesson)
4. The Takeaway Story (Bulletized points for spiritual lesson in easy-to-read/apply format)
5. The Prayer Story (Specific prayer related to the spiritual lesson)

I pray this bottom-line, albeit somewhat quirky, 1-2-3 devotional blesses you as much as God’s spiritual life lessons have blessed me!

Hugs,
Julie Lessman

MY THOUGHTS

What a novel idea—a devotional that combines real life stories, scenes from novels, and Scripture. I was immediately intrigued. On the other hand, devotionals can be difficult to read in time for a review. I decided to give What’s the Story, Morning Glory? a try anyway. 

I really appreciated Julie Lessman’s honesty as she shared real stories from her life. She shares not only victories but also mistakes she has made, and how God taught her about Himself and what He wants to do in everyone. The novel story section of each topic proved to be helpful, too, in seeing another perspective of these lessons lived out. One problem I ran into with the novel story sections, though, is that now I want to read Julie’s books! I had never even heard of her before signing up for What’s the Story, Morning Glory?, but now I’m interested in finding and reading them. 

A lot of things really stood out to me as I read this book. One of the first things that stood out was the prayer Julie prayed to become saved. It was not the normal type of prayer—but it reminded me of my mother’s salvation testimony! I also very much appreciated her straightforwardness about sexual purity. In one chapter, she mentioned her son telling someone he didn’t really love his girlfriend and that was why he slept with her. This type of scene is repeated a number of times—a message that really needs to be talked about in today’s culture. 

Another rather unpopular topic that is discussed is child training. I was thankful to come across an author that actually believes what the Bible has to say about it, and that spanking, if done properly, is right and good for the child. The chapter about training children and disciplining them seemed very balanced to me. 

The chapter that spoke to me the most was the one about marriage. This was the longest chapter in the book, with ten different Real Stories and Novel Stories, on various aspects of marriage. A couple of them were rather convicting to me, and I hope I remember what I learned here. Also, all through this book, Julie Lessman has given encouragement to pray—but the warning is repeatedly given that “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” I greatly appreciated this encouragement and warning.

If you are looking for a unique devotional in which real life lessons are shared, you might enjoy What’s the Story, Morning Glory? Nearly every aspect of the Christian life is touched on in some way here. I’ve never read a book like this before, but I enjoyed the opportunity to check it out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Chapter 2: What the heck. Chapter 3: So darn long. Chapter 8: Sure in the heck. Chapter 9: Oh. My. Gosh, pretty darn close. Chapter 11: That’s darn sure. Chapter 16: Heck. Chapter 17: Dang, you’re ugly. Chapter 18: Gee, thanks. Throughout: occasional references to marital intimacy or extra-marital promiscuity, though not graphic.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, Isle of Hope, Silver Lining Ranch, and The Cousins O’Connor series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 21 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2014, Best of 2015, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017-20, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. Her independent novel A Light in the Window was an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers’ Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner.

Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets.

Connect with Julie by visiting julielessman.com to follow her on social media, read both romantic and spiritual excerpts from her books, or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card, a character named after you in Julie’s next book & a signed paperback copy of that book, plus a signed paperback copy of What’s the Story, Morning Glory!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 24, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 1, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print copies. Gift card open to all locales. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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