Saturday, July 31, 2021

About the Book

Book: Over Her Head: In the Shadow

Author: JL Crosswhite

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: June 21, 2021

She’s working on a new start…

…He’s trying a new work venture.

Can they build a relationship that fits their new life?

Fresh out of cosmetology school Jessica and whiz software engineer Austin have been thrown together by mutual friends. They even escaped a wildfire together.

But do they have something more than friendship?

Maybe a singles’ camping trip will make their future clear.

But when they encounter someone who needs their help, the relaxing weekend away becomes anything but. As the danger mounts and the challenges reveal who they truly are, will it pull them together or push them apart… for good?

You will get lost in Over Her Head because the biggest adventure is falling in love.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jennifer’s favorite thing is discovering how much there is to love about America the Beautiful and the great outdoors. She’s a mom to two navigating the young adult years while battling her daughter’s juvenile arthritis, exploring the delights of her son’s autism, and keeping gluten free. A California native who’s spent significant time in the Midwest, she’s thrilled to be back in the Golden State. Follow her on social media to see all her adventures and how she gets inspired for her books!

More from Jennifer

MacGyver might have come from my family tree. I grew up hearing stories of how my grandpa turned a horse trailer into a travel trailer for camping and how he finagled something out of what he had if he didn’t have the actual thing he needed. I grew up seeing my dad do this. And I’ve been known to do it a time or two myself.

My grandpa grew up during the Great Depression, so I could see how making do with what he had came to him naturally. The rest of us saw the usefulness of it and continued the tradition. Even though there are times I’ve stopped and said, “I should just go by the thing I need instead of trying to make do.” Maybe it would have saved me some time and frustration.

But there is something satisfying about seeing a problem and creating the solution yourself. It’s like solving a puzzle. And for me, writing a book is a lot like that. I start out with various pieces and no idea how they are going to fit together.

When I began Over Her Head, it was the third book of my In the Shadow series. This series explores the idea of what it’s like to grow up in the shadow of a hero. Jessica’s brother, Scott, is a Navy pilot. Their oldest brother died before Jessica was born, so she’s always felt like she’s been in the shadow of her older brothers. How would she become her own person and find the purpose that God has for her?

That was one piece. A big one. But I still needed to find a love interest, a plot, and a supporting cast. I started sorting through what I had, looking for pieces that could fit, could be molded into something new and different. A trip to the hair salon provided a fun conversation with my hair stylist about what a newly graduated cosmetology student might be doing and the politics of working in a salon.

The pieces were coming together. Finally, I decided to set the story around one of my favorite activities: camping. Okay, maybe it’s more like glamping. I like a real bed.  But it is a great way to force a group of people to be close together for a period of time. There’s an element of stress, and even danger, since nature isn’t predictable.

Hopefully the end product looks smoothly finished and not MacGyvered together. But I don’t ever let the rough beginning or different looking pieces discourage me from pressing on with the story. And I think that’s a good lesson for life. What rough spots need a little creativity to bring them to life and smooth them out? Spend some time letting your inner MacGyver play.

MY REVIEW

This has been a wonderful series with each one delivering an edge of your seat adventure. Who knew that going on a camping trip would find our characters in the middle of mud slides, human trafficking and relationships on the cusp of developing. It was easy to get into the book because the author writes stories that come to life. I became very invested in Jessica and wanted to see where her faith would take her. Yes the faith element is good in the story and emphasizes how important it is to follow God’s direction.

Now I could go into detail about the story but for this review I want to focus on two things. The first one is how Jessica seems to have this need to prove herself to others. She isn’t quite confident in herself yet she does something that others would not risk. Jessica has this heart for helping others and when she sees a young girl needing rescuing she doesn’t hesitate to step up and help. I loved how she shared Jesus with Mia and continued to reassure her that she would be safe. She shared how God loved her and no matter what she had done, she was forgiven. Jessica stepped out, trusted God and in doing so helped her to see her calling in life.

The other point I want to cover is Austin. This character is a typical nerd as some would call him. He is very intelligent but shy. He lacks confidence in himself and tries so hard to show others he can be a leader. When he and Jessica start seeing each other, I think this was a great way for them to help each other with their insecurities. The adventure they have while camping really shows how strong these two are. They are grounded in the Word and begin to trust each other. They do have a few stumbling blocks but it shows how depending on God can help you in any situation. There is danger, secrets and a mystery that really heightens the story. I loved the message of trusting God and helping others.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.