Showing posts with label Above the Fold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Above the Fold. Show all posts

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Book Review & Giveaway: Above the Fold by Rachel Scott McDaniel












About the Book

Book:  Above the Fold
Author: Rachel Scott McDaniel
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: December 3, 2019

Confined behind a secretarial desk at her father’s struggling newspaper, Elissa Tillman longs for her father and the world to take her seriously—not just as a suffragette, but also as a full-fledged journalist.

Cole Parker regrets the day he’d abandoned Pittsburgh to chase a high-profile journalism job in New York, but now he’s returned to the steel city to amend his mistakes and win back the woman he once spurned.

The murder of a millionaire offers the perfect chance for Elissa to nab the headline and prove her skills. But there’s a catch. To get her story above the fold, she must compete for it. Her rival is none other than Cole Parker, the very man who shattered her heart.

Click here to get your copy.

My Thoughts


In Above the Fold, Rachel Scott McDaniel offers readers a complex historical romance novel. At first, the setting and romantic tension between Elissa and Cole were the elements that captivated my interest. But as the story progressed, more layers added on to the story create an intricate blend of mystery, character development, and relational conflicts.

I especially enjoyed Elissa’s character growth in Above the Fold. This novel explores perfectionism versus resting in God’s love and acceptance. Elissa traveled a rough road as she learned that perfectionism is not a healing balm for wounds of the past, nor is success the measure of one’s value. The ending paragraph in which Elissa reflects on being defined by God’s love was absolutely beautiful. One of the loveliest endings I’ve read recently.

Above the Fold is Rachel Scott McDaniel’s debut novel and I’ll give it a solid four stars. I’ll be on the lookout to read more books by this upcoming author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. All opinions in this review are my own.

About the Author



Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids. Rachel can be found online at www.RachelScottMcDaniel.com and on all social media platforms.  


More from Rachel

What does the classic movie His Girl Friday, famous mystery writer Agatha Christie, and my husband’s grandfather all have in common? They were all used as inspiration for my debut novel Above the Fold.

His Girl Friday is one of my favorite stories. This movie captures the thrill of the newspaper world—that drive within the reporter’s heart to get the scoop, that hum of activity from the newsroom to the firing of the presses, and that inescapable pursuit to beat out the opposing paper. But what I loved most about this movie was the chemistry between the two main characters. They share a romantic history. In turn, there is major tension, but man oh man is there spark! So this triggered my creative mind. What would happen if I switched the roles and had the heroine be the one that gets jilted? What if I set this story in the 1920s when the profession of journalism was male-dominated? What if I add some more mystery? Cue Agatha Christie.

My husband and I love Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series. Did you know that she wrote over 74 books? That’s staggering to me. My mind reels at how intricate and varied all her plots are. My husband and I would try to guess who the murderer was at the beginning of a story and more often than not, we were wrong! On one particular night we were watching a PBS version of Miss Marple and an idea struck me. What if I changed my story to go this route? What if I made this person the villain instead of that one? The idea that came to me had nothing to do with the story we’d been watching, but one thing that’d been said flickered a light in me. I love it when that happens! And I also love it when I can incorporate pieces of my personal life into the book. This brings me to the biggest inspiration of the story—my husband’s grandpa.

 Grandpa Jay Lewis had two loves in his life—his wife and the newspaper press. He’d started working for the local newspaper during his early teens and made his way up the ranks until he became the press foreman. Here’s a picture of Jay when he was in his early 20s. The hat shown was made of folded newsprint paper and worn to keep the ink from dripping on his head. But the expression in this picture says it all—the press was his happy place. He’d worked with the presses for over five decades, until he no longer had the strength. In 2004, he passed away, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of many. So in tribute to Jay and his great passion for the newspaper world, I included him in the cast of characters. I only hope I was able to capture his zeal. So there you have it. Inspiration came to me in a myriad of ways, but they all worked together to bring you a story that I pray delights your heart.

Blog Stops

April Hayman, Author , January 14
Robin’s Nest, January 14
Godly Book Reviews, January 15
Where Faith and Books Meet, January 15
Just the Write Escape, January 16
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections, January 16
Through the Fire Blogs, January 17
mypreciousbitsandmusings, January 17
Betti Mace, January 18
All-of-a-kind Mom, January 18
Texas Book-aholic, January 19
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 19
janicesbookreviews, January 20
Emily Yager, January 20
She Lives to Read, January 21
For the Love of Literature, January 21
Inklings and notions, January 22
Life of Literature, January 22
Daysong Reflections, January 23
For Him and My Family, January 23
Stories By Gina, January 24
Jacquelyn Lynn, January 24
Hallie Reads, January 25
Beauty in the Binding, January 25
Back Porch Reads, January 26
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 26
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 27
Batya’s Bits, January 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her giveaway, Rachel is giving away the grand prize package of an Autographed Paperback copy of Above the Fold, A Custom Newspaper-Themed Book Cozy, An Above the Fold vintage-style bookmark!!

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

Above the Fold Giveaway

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

December Recap & January Reading

My December 2019 Reads: 

With December being a naturally busy month, I'm surprised and pleased that I read as many books as I did.

In December, I finished:
  1. Love You, Truly by Susan L. Tuttle. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  2. Praying With Jane by Rachel Dodge - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  3. Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  4. The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  5. Above the Fold by Rachel Scott McDaniel - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon.

  6. The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren - ⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon.
My favorite book this month was.... Love You, Truly by Susan L. Tuttle. Honestly, I wasn't sure I even wanted to read this book, but I gave it a chance and I'm so glad I did! 

Expected January 2020 Reads:

In January, I expect to read:
  1. On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White - I'm already hearing good buzz about this book so I'm looking forward to it!

  2. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - Still in progress! It's not a review book and has slid to the bottom of my stack.

  3. The Spice King by Elizabeth Camden - My local book club's January selection!

  4. Isaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews - Both my husband and I will read this one. He loves Mesu Andrews' books!

  5. Booked by Karen Swallow Prior - I'm currently reading this memoir and it's amazing.

  6. Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery - I may or may not read this one. I haven' t read the prior books in the series, but the online book group I joined is reading it.



 What will you read this month?

Sunday, December 1, 2019

November Recap & Expected December Reads

My November 2019 Reads:

November was a crazy reading month for me. It took me two weeks to finish one book! Then, I started The Memory House later than expected and ended up going to book club not having finished it. Thankfully, I remembered the general plot from my first reading of it back in March.

In November, I finished:
  1. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  2. The Memory House by Rachel Hauck - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my original review. I'm happy to say I enjoyed it just as much the second time around!

  3. God's Hostage by Andrew Brunson. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon.

  4. Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  5. Stories Behind the Songs and Hymns About Heaven by Ace Collins. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  6. 100 Extraordinary Stories of Prayer for Courageous Girls by Jean Fischer ⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.

  7. The Rebel Bride by Shannon McNear. - ⭐⭐⭐ - Review coming soon.

  8. The Piper's Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson - ⭐⭐⭐ - Review available 12/02/19.

Expected December 2019 Reads:

In December, I expect to read:
  1. Above the Fold by Rachel McDaniel - I've been looking forward to this book for months!

  2. The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson - I love the cover of this book and I'm looking forward to reading it.

  3. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - Still in progress! It's not a review book and has slid to the bottom of my stack.

  4. Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander - My local book club's December selection!

  5. Isaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews - Both my husband and I will read this one. He loves Mesu Andrews' books!

  6. Praying With Jane by Rachel Dodge - Currently reading. I read Pride & Prejudice back in October, so it's been fun to see the author tie together the novels and the devotional thoughts.



 What will you read this month?