Title: The Dressmaker’s Secret
Author: Kellyn Roth
Release Date: January 10th, 2020 (originally published January 2016)
Christian | Fiction | Historical | Women’s
Purchase Link: Amazon
Blurb: If they knew who she was, they’d never accept what she’s become.
Claire will stop at nothing to provide for her daughters. An unwed mother, she does everything possible to raise them whilst avoiding her scandalous past. Some secrets are best kept, even between mother and daughter.
Alice longs for a father, especially if that means her mother will be happy. She takes matters into her own hands—but she never expected what she finds.
Despite her efforts to shelter her daughters, Claire’s ghosts rise up to haunt her, and any semblance of control over her life vanishes. If her secrets are uncovered, what will become of her family?
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Thoughts
Kellyn Roth knows how to write. She knows how to write a mind-boggling plot twist. She knows how to write fun, lovable characters. She knows how to make you chuckle, weep, and ponder life’s greatest questions. But more so, she knows how to pour biblical truths, answers to life’s hardest questions, and glorious light into a dark façade.
Roth’s authorly performance in The Dressmaker’s Secret was exquisite. Her plotting prowess is apparent by her careful maneuvering and twisting of all the many elements of said dressmaker’s secret, but what struck me whilst reading this novel—and later whilst reading the rest of this series—is how Roth doesn’t shy away from tricky topics—not just those in the secular world but also those within the church and Christian theology. She has such wisdom and authority, a deep understanding of things that she expertly weaves into her novels fearlessly. I adore her boldness and her assurance, and I hope to see more of that in upcoming Christian writers!
A Word from the Author
Hello everyone! Grace has allowed me to pop onto her blog and say a few words about my novel, The Dressmaker's Secret. Which I'm excited about, because this is my first novel, and I like talking about it. When I started writing this novel, I was only fourteen, and since then, it's gone through dozens of rewrites, editors, beta readers, and proofreaders so it could be published. Originally, this story was a spin-off from a series I planned featuring the children of my main characters, but it soon grew into a novel I couldn't see as anything but my debut.
The Dressmaker's Secret is a story that, at first, was an outpouring of a lot of teenage angst. However, after I'd written a few drafts, God asked me if I'd let Him have it. I did, and it led to a great many more revisions. I added a number of themes and spent drafts and drafts organizing them. Particularly, I wanted to show a salvation story in a non-cheesy way that didn't have that "preaching to the choir" problem that a lot of Christian fiction stories seem to run into. I also didn't want to write a typical romance, and I wanted to include my love of children, which of course led to an unusual child narrator.
This story is full of lies and half-truths - but there are consequences for those lies. This story is full of drama - but for a reason. This story has a lot of random thoughts of mine ... and mostly they're for a reason. If you ever decide to try my story, I appreciate it ... even as I acknowledge it's not for everyone. Hate it if you like - at least it gave you a different experience, I guess!
Meet the Author
Kellyn Roth is a historical romance & women’s fiction author who writes about the empty places where hope has the most room to grow. Her novels include the inspirational Victorian family saga, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, and the Kees & Colliers series, which follows a broken family in the tumultuous years of the first half of the 20th century.
Kellyn is a student of the Author Conservatory and a writing coach. When not building her author career, she is likely getting lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, watching period dramas and facetious comedies, or spending time with her husband.
How do you react to stories that accurately portray reality? Do they teach you and inspire you? Do you have the desire to write the same? What kind of stumbling blocks have you encountered - or observed - that inhibit authors from being truthful and bold?
With love and blessings always,
Grace
Romans 1:16
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