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For This Very Purpose by EJ Ashmore Review and Giveaway

July 7, 2026 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE

Author: EJ Ashmore

Genre: Biblical Fiction/young adult

Release Date: October 15, 2025

Sixteen-year-old Eliza has accepted life as a Hebrew slave in Egypt, never to be seen, heard, or loved. After all, she has it good, working alongside her sister for the wealthy Ameneten family. Though unworthy of love, she is free to love others, and she loves her master’s oldest son, Seti (unbeknownst to him).

Only when Moses returns to the land of Egypt to free his people is she emboldened to pray to the ancient God her mother used to speak of, and she prays for the love of Seti, but only if he first rejects his gods and falls for the Hebrew God.

As the God of gods hardens Pharaoh’s heart, He softens Seti’s and pursues him with a love Seti has never known, while also shining His face on Eliza who learns she is indeed worthy of love.

This is the Exodus as told from both Eliza and Seti as a love story between God and His people, God and Seti, and Seti and Eliza.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

EJ Ashmore, a mother, wife, and a nurse, only wrote for fun as a teenager. Once babies and college got in the way, she stopped, but she also no longer wanted to write unless it was for God. When her son was 15 and trying to grapple with why God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, then punish him, she took to writing again. Best to show him rather than explain it. But then Joel Richardson’s SINAI TO ZION came out, and she fell in love with how the whole exodus and wilderness scenario was God’s love story- from pursuit, winning the love of the people, to betrothal, complete with a wedding supper which has yet to happen. It’s a literal play-by-play of the ancient Jewish wedding customs, but so is Christianity. Not only that, but human marriage was designed to reflect God’s desired relationship with His people.

This became EJ’s passion: to demonstrate this in a story for young people, as is to reach the average teenager who feels unworthy of God’s (or anybody’s) love.

FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE comes from Exodus 9:16 and is EJ’s debut novel.

More from EJ

When Lisa Phillip’s son was 15 and trying to grapple with why God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, then punish him for it, she took to writing. Best to show him rather than explain it. But then Joel Richardson’s SINAI TO ZION came out, and she fell in love with how the whole exodus and wilderness scenario was God’s love story—from pursuit, winning the love of the people, to betrothal, complete with a wedding supper which has yet to happen. It’s a literal play-by-play of the ancient Jewish wedding customs, but so is Christianity. Not only that, but human marriage was designed to reflect God’s desired relationship with His people.

This became Lisa’s passion: to demonstrate this in a story for young people, as is to reach the average teenager who feels unworthy of God’s (or anybody’s) love.

FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE comes from Exodus 9:16 and is Lisa’s debut novel. Since there is already a well-known author by the name of Lisa Phillips, a pen name was chosen.

My Impressions

“Who was she to talk to this ancient God? She had nothing with which to sacrifice or gain His favor. Nothing but herself.”

For This Very Purpose, (a story of the Exodus) by EJ Ashmore, is so engrossing and suspenseful, I had to give it five stars! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started Ashmore’s debut novel. I was sure happy to find a list of characters at the front ( that always makes me happy). I take a picture of those lists and put them in my notes to refer back to as I read, if necessary. The book is what it purports to be: a love story between God and His people, God and Seti, and Seti (an Egyptian priest-in-training) and Eliza (one of his family’s slaves.)

Eliza is a young 16-yr-old slave who develops a crush on the master’s slightly older son. A forbidden relationship if ever there was one. Seti is arrogant, selfish, and cruel, finding ways to humiliate the young slave in front of his friends. But when Eliza becomes fed up with the Egyptian family’s cruelty, her actions that bring calamity may create room for something new. I was amused to realize that both Seti and Eliza tend to jump into things and think about consequences later, but these tendencies make for a very tense novel!

Seti has an enormous growth arc throughout the story. He starts out cruel, except to his closest friends and family, and arrogant (names places after himself- “My Mesa,” “the S-Curve”). Seti doesn’t believe slaves can have thoughts worthy of sharing, and even when with Sabu, his best friend, he doesn’t realize a relationship is a two-way street, with both parties being equal.

But I loved seeing his growth from worshipping the gods of Egypt, which is truly his heritage as a priest, to considering the claims of the God of the Hebrews. As each plague strikes Egypt, Seti puzzles and agonizes over why the particular god of Egypt doesn’t respond to save the Egyptian people. In one desperate appeal to a god, Seti, in his brash, entitled way, breaks a law that threatens to unravel his whole life. Which gods or God will look upon him with favor? The ones he’s dedicated his life to, or the Hebrew God who Eliza claims keeps promises to His people, who uses difficulties to turn them back to him?

“The Hebrew God cares for his people. He fights for them and loves them. Our gods don’t love.”

Wow! The plagues themselves are so well described. I would have hated to be in total darkness. And with the darkness threatening the sanity of creatures? Oy! I could smell the stench of the dead fish of the Nile, the dead frogs (after the 3 days of frogs everywhere!), the deafening roar of the locusts. The horrors felt very real, and go on and on.

I felt the book does a good job of explaining the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. I would not recommend this book for “young adults” on the lower end of the age range due to subject matter including the detail and discussion of the priestessess’ duties and circumcision. Still, in the mature reader’s hands, a very impactful book.

I received a copy of the book from CelebrateLit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“His God proclaimed He raised up Pharaoh for this purpose, and that He will display His power over him. That’s why Pharaoh won’t listen. The Hebrew God isn’t finished displaying His power yet. Pharaoh is a son of the gods, right? The spirits of Isis and Osiris are in him. This is a war between gods, and the Hebrew God wants us to witness it.”– Seti

“…nothing would return to normal. The damage had been done, and the end result would be either a heart of stone or of flesh.” – [the chills of this statement, applicable to so many in the story!]

“You want to guard your heart from ungodly things as well as ungodly patterns of behavior, speech, and thoughts. They become who you are otherwise. It’s kind of like hardening your heart toward those ungodly things. But hardening your heart can manifest as stubbornness, an unwillingness to let God change you for the better and protect your soul.” – Aharon

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! I felt like I was there, as both an Egyptian and a Hebrew, to see the plagues take place! I had to feel like I would have certainly been convinced to follow the God of the Hebrews-if I had been an Egyptian!!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, July 8

Simple Harvest Reads, July 9 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, July 10

Artistic Nobody, July 11 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 12

Guild Master, July 13 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, July 14

Fiction Book Lover, July 15 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 16

The Bookish Ledger, July 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, July 17

The Bookish Pilgrim, July 18

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 19 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, July 20

Books Less Travelled, July 21 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, EJ is giving away the grand prize of a $75 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/tMHcl/for-this-very-purpose-celebration-tour-giveaway

ARC, BLOG, Favorite, Kindle, NetGalley, PB, Purchase, Revell

A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz Review

January 7, 2022 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: A Heart Adrift

Author: Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell

Released: January 2022

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction

It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmee Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she’s never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life.

Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmee. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.

Will a war and a cache of regrets keep them apart, or can their shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past? Bestselling and award-winning author Laura Frantz whisks you away to a time fraught with peril–on the sea and in the heart–in this redemptive, romantic story.

My Impressions

After reading A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz, how can I be so disloyal to Esmée and Henri as to start another book? I read this novel as slowly as I could, savoring every poetic turn of phrase and lyrical word picture! A Heart Adrift has left my heart undone!! Replete with romance, intrigue, faith, and history, Laura Frantz has created another enduring masterpiece. The evils of slavery, both for those captured and those who fought it are presented. Trust in God and constant reliance on His Word and communion with Him permeate the lives of both Esmée and Henri, even through harrowing times. Set against the capriciousness of the sea and early colonial politics (1745-1755) mixed with the delicious smells of a chocolatier’s shop and difficult family dynamics, this is one historical romance that will bring the early colonial struggles to vivid life.

I received a copy of the book from the author and Revell through NetGalley. I also bought myself and a loved one a paperback copy to treasure.
Notable Quotables:
“He chose the sea—his captaincy and ship—over me.” “And I could not conscience being left behind onshore.”

“And then, much like a courtship, as wooing as a siren’s song, the sea had finally won him over.”

Her fervent prayers went the way of her hopes and became floating wreckage.

“How can you possibly provide all these items, Miss Shaw?” “I shan’t provide them,” Esmée said with a confident smile, pocketing the paper. “The Almighty shall.”

“…the island suddenly felt a tad hollow, as did his cottage. To say nothing of his heart.”

“ ‘Tis never amiss to hope . . . dream.”

“I don’t believe in accidents, nor coincidences, but rather divine instances,”… “Especially in matters of the heart.”

“As for myself, I am in the prime of senility.”

“The only certainty about life was its uncertainty. Only God stayed steadfast. Only the Almighty could walk her through life’s many changes. And when she felt overwhelmed, like now, she simply had to look back to see how faithful God had been, did she not? The heartaches and closed doors of the past had made the present more beloved.”

“Those for whom God has mercy in store He first brings into a wilderness.”

My Rating

Magnificent!! I just don’t want to leave these wonderful characters!! A sea privateer who has to decide who his real love will be, the steadfast heart of a woman lightkeeper, and the colonies as they prepare for war and struggle with the slavery issue. Please don’t make me leave!!

About the Author

Laura Frantz is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Frantz lives and writes in a log cabin in the heart of Kentucky. According to Publishers Weekly, “Frantz has done her historical homework.” With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, she is represented by Janet Kobobel Grant, Literary Agent & Founder, Books & Such Literary Agency of Santa Rosa, California. Readers can find Laura Frantz at www.laurafrantz.net.

Laura has written so many great historical novels. I personally have my sister to thank for telling me about Laura Frantz. Now I am buying and sending Laura’s books to her!

Just some of the books not to miss:

A Moonbow Night

The Mistress of Tall Acres

The Courtship of Morrow Little

The Colonel’s Lady

The Frontiersman’s Daughter

An Uncommon Heart

Tidewater Bride

and The Lacemaker

Look up Laura online for a more complete list!

ARC, BLOG, Favorite, NetGalley, Waterbrook-Multnomah

Freedom’s Song by Kim Vogel Sawyer

October 23, 2021 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: Freedom’s Song

Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer

Publisher: Waterbrook-Multnomah

Released: October 2021

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Her voice made her a riverboat’s darling–and its prisoner. Now she’s singing her way to freedom in this powerful novel from the bestselling author of The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.

“[An] enjoyable faith-filled adventure . . . Sawyer’s episodic narrative and rich assortment of characters fighting for freedom provide the story with many twists and unexpected side-plots.”–Publishers Weekly

Indentured servant Fanny Beck has been forced to sing for riverboat passengers since she was a girl. All she wants is to live a quiet, humble life with her family as soon as her seven-year contract is over. However, when she discovers that the captain has no intention of releasing her, she seizes a sudden opportunity to escape–an impulse that leads Fanny to a group of enslaved people who are on their own dangerous quest for liberty. . . .

Widower Walter Kuhn is overwhelmed by his responsibilities to his farm and young daughter, and now his mail-order bride hasn’t arrived. Could a beautiful stranger seeking work be the answer to his prayers? . . .

After the star performer of the River Peacock is presumed drowned, Sloan Kirkpatrick, the riverboat’s captain, sets off to find her replacement. However, his journey will bring him face to face with his own past–and a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be free. . . .

Uplifting, inspiring, and grounded in biblical truth, Freedom’s Song is a story for every reader who has longed for physical, emotional, or spiritual delivery.

My Impressions

“Just ’cause somethin’ is legal don’t make it right.” Truer words were never spoken. In her new book, Freedom’s Song, Kim Vogel Sawyer has many such pearls of wisdom. This multiplies a book’s value to me.

Travel back to 1860 and land on a riverboat on the Mississippi River. Fanny Beck is a popular concert attraction on the River Peacock. Held against her will, she longs for freedom from Sloane, her unscrupulous manager.

I loved the plot and characters of this book. The novel flows smoothly, albeit with suspense and I found myself often holding my breath. The characters are very relatable, except for maybe Sloane. However, Sawyer paints even her antagonist as multi-dimensional, and I enjoyed seeing the fight between good and evil within a person.

It’s amazing to see how well some people can care for their own needs while callously ignoring those of others. This was true of people back then, and is, unfortunately, still true of people today.

I was disappointed to have to leave some of our new friends before we got a chance to know them well. Sawyer created them so well, I wanted them to remain throughout the novel. However, their leaving enables the next scenario, with more people that I began to love because of their great personalities. I fell in love with toddler Annaliese. And Walter is so much more valuable than he gives himself credit for.

If you like themes of redemption, finding true freedom, and friendship; set against a mid-1800’s America, you will love this novel of faith and suspense.

A Reader’s Guide is included at the conclusion. This follows an epilogue, one of those oh-so-satisfying ending touches.

A copy of this book was provided by Waterbrook-Multnomah. No positive review was required. All opinions are my own.

My Rating

Magnificent!

Kim Vogel Sawyer has a gentle style that reminds me of Janette Oke.

About the Author

Award-winning, bestselling author Kim Vogel Sawyer told her kindergarten teacher that someday people would check out her book in the library. The little-girl dream came true in 2006 with the release of Waiting for Summer’s Return. Kim’s titles now exceed 1.5 million copies and are available in six different languages. A former elementary school teacher, she now enjoys a full-time writing and speaking ministry. Kim’s passion lies in writing stories that point the reader to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. When Kim isn’t writing, you’ll find her traveling with her retired military hubby, spoiling her granddarlings, petting the cats, quilting, or–as time allows–participating in community theater. You can learn more about Kim’s writing and speaking ministries at her website, KimVogelSawyer.com.

Kim Vogel Sawyer > Series

Kim Vogel Sawyer
33,052 ratings (average 4.09)
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BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, LPC

The Shopkeeper’s Widow by Izzy James Celebrate Lit Tour with Giveaway

September 5, 2020September 4, 2020 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: The Shopkeeper’s Widow

Author: Izzy James

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: August 21, 2020

Delany Fleet, a widowed former indentured servant living in the colonial port of Norfolk, Virginia, dreams of having an estate of her own where she will never have to compromise her freedom.

When the only man she ever loved shows up with a load of smuggled firearms, Delany is forced to leave her home and her livelihood to protect her family and property from Lord Dunmore’s raids and the conniving plots of a man who claims to be her friend.

Now, with her destiny forever altered, Delany must find a new way to happiness. Can reconnecting with her husband’s family and a former love be the path that God has for her?

Click here to get your copy!

My Impressions

Historical romance. Colonial Virginia, 1775. A young girl falls into an unlikely crush with a rich landowner’s son, only to meet him years later under different circumstances.
My reading juices are salivating over such a description of The Shopkeeper’s Widow by Izzy James. This book’s rating was a conundrum for me, as I sorted out what I liked (a lot) and what I think would like to see different (sometime it would be fun to have an author write a story and have different people finish it, just to see the different opinions.) I would like to highlight that these wishes, especially for a different take, are MY OPINION.
Delaney Button Fleet, widowed owner of a toy shop in Norfolk, becomes an outspoken advocate of abolition, though it may not have been referred to as such in 1775.
Delaney chooses to align with the colonists when the British loot a local print shop.
First wish: I wished the book would have ended without the epilogue. I expected some rewarding tidbit to be uncovered but felt it was too abrupt.
Secondly, when I finished the book, I was left with a few loose ends, which I didn’t know how to secure.

For happy points, I did like that we were shown how much Delany enjoyed her nieces and nephews. A book always gains my interest when children are involved in a loving, wholesome way. I did appreciate how Ms. James shows that brothers can be very different and have very disparate values. Tom Fleet is the antithesis of his brother, Sam. Also, George and Freewill were opposites. One can only assume that children raised in the same home by the same parents still can make very different life-defining choices.
The novel is a little preachy in spots. I would prefer a more naturally flowing message, but I do agree it is life’s most important message.
I like romance but got a little impatient with Delany in her unwillingness to give Field Archer room to grow. However, Ms. James was on it. I loved that Sarah reminded Delany, “you have to allow for growth to happen at its own pace.” So, the heroine is flawed. Well and good, because so was the hero.

Now, with the list of pros and cons presented against each other, I gladly rate this historical novel a solid four stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher through Celebrate Lit. All opinions are solely my own and no positive review was required.

My Rating

Great!

About the Author

Izzy James grew up surrounded by history and story in coastal Virginia. She still lives there with her fabulous husband in a house brimming with books.

More from Izzy

Hello! My name is Izzy James. My new book is The Shopkeeper’s Widow. It’s about freedom and second chances. I learned quite a bit of history while researching and writing this book. Did you know that the first showers began to appear in the early 1760’s? I gave Delany one of them in Shopkeeper’s just for fun. It is not likely she would have had a shower at that time, but it is fiction and as such I thought it would be a fun detail to add. We do know that some people did rig up for themselves a semblance of a daily shower by using a bucket full of water suspended above them.