Friday, May 24, 2024

About the Book

Book: Mayhem and Moonlight

Author: Jennifer Sienes

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction, and Southern Fiction

Release date: April 16, 2024

Left at the altar holding the bill, a boatload of college debt, and piddly librarian salary has her praying for a miracle.

Lillian Murphy takes her life verse from a book title—A Series of Unfortunate Events. Could be it was on account of her jumping into things without first dipping a toe in to test the waters that landed her in such a position. A cozy, cardboard box would suit her just fine if she could find a way to heat it, but she’s hoping the good Lord will do some better. She’s done dreaming of happily-ever-after – She’d settle for just debt- and drama-free.

Luca Giordano knows the minute he lands in Shelbyville, Tennessee with his three young boys that he’s in over his head. Leaving the pain of his past behind, he’d also left his parents—and they’d done the heavy lifting. All his charts, graphs, and scheduling expertise isn’t enough. What kind of a productivity expert is he if he can’t be…productive? What he needs is a part-time Mary Poppins to swoop in and fill in for his gargantuan gaps—and Librarian Lillian seems the perfect solution.

But when Luca’s past converges with the present—and Lillian’s the catalyst—everything he loves most is at risk. How will a free spirit and fusspot find a way to happy ending?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Award-winning author Jennifer Sienes holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance, and writing—and puts it altogether in inspirational women’s fiction. Two of the three novels in her Apple Hill Series (set in Northern California) were inspired by actual events. Her Southern fiction Bedford County Series is set in Tennessee where she now resides with her real-life hero (and husband).

More from Jennifer

I’m often asked where I draw inspiration for my stories. It was easy when I was writing the Apple Hill Series, because the Lord took me through a long season of loss ripe with emotional angst and faith building. So, two of the three novels in that series were inspired by actual events I lived through—my daughter’s traumatic brain injury and my brother’s suicide. Not exactly the stuff of happily-ever-afters. But being a romantic, I’m a sucker for a happy ending. It took quite a bit of spiritual growth and creative ingenuity (she says tongue-in-cheek) to be able to move past the pain and find the blessings for my characters. Proof that God uses every tear for our good and His glory.

The story behind Mayhem and Moonlight came from a friend of mine. Annie. Not long after I met her (at my release party for Night Songs) she told me about how she and her husband Peter came to be together. Annie was a school psychologist who had been left at the alter years before. Peter was a single father of three boys whose wife passed away from cancer. Annie loved children but was past her child-bearing years, so she was as enamored with Peter’s three boys as she was by the man himself. Inept in the kitchen, she shared many hysterical culinary malfunctions with me, including how she almost burned the house down on more than one occasion.

Main character Lillian was also inspired by an actual person—my daughter Nikki. Yes, this is the same daughter who suffered a near fatal car accident and went through months of rehab for traumatic brain injury. What a sweet thing to be inspired by her when she was dealing with a disability and again years later with master’s degree for library and information science—just like main character Lillian. That’s how our good God works, though, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

But of course, a romance needs a protagonist, and Lillian’s is Luca Giordano—single father to three young boys (just like Annie’s Peter) and a productivity expert in serious need of help. It wasn’t until after I started fleshing out ideas for this book that I’d even heard of a productivity expert. It was through one phone conversation with old friends who told me their son had written a book titled Winning the Week: How to Plan a Successful Week, Every Week. I could’ve never imagined purchasing this book to show support to my friends would lead to the inspiration I needed for Luca’s career.

And guess what? Using the techniques laid out by authors Demir and Carey Bentley helped me become a more productive writer, too! It was a win-win.

Once I got to know the characters, I let them loose in my imagination and had to race to keep up with them. That’s when I know my writing is in conjunction with the Lord. I literally cannot make this stuff up. I pray you will enjoy reading Mayhem and Moonlight as much as I did writing it.

MY REVIEW

I am not surprised at how quickly I became connected to the characters. The author has this ability to make her characters so realistic that readers come to think of them as friends. I love how this story is filled with struggles where our two main characters turn to God for help. Sometimes we think we can fix things on our own, but without God’s guidance we can make a mess of things.

Lillian has been so hurt by her ex fiancé that she isn’t sure she could ever open her heart again. She is left with massive bills from the wedding that never took place. I could feel Lillian become discouraged as she tried to support herself on her salary. Being a librarian certainly doesn’t pay well in some places and Lillian needs to find a place to live soon.

Luca has stepped up to take care of his three boys since his ex-wife abandoned them several years ago. He is becoming overwhelmed with scheduling work and making sure his boys are never alone at home. I loved how the author created a scenario where Lillian is the one who applies for the job as a live in nanny. At first there are a few adjustments like Lillian not knowing how to cook. That part was funny because I don’t cook either. Poor thing almost caught the house on fire once, just like I almost did.

The story moves at a good pace but Lillian and Luca don’t quite communicate well about some topics. I felt like they walked on egg shells at times just so they wouldn’t have to share their feelings. When gossip at church starts about them living together this causes Lillian to rethink her future. She has grown very close to the boys and doesn’t want to leave them. What will her next step be? And we can’t forget about Luca and his struggle to tell Lillian how he feels.

With a surprise appearance of someone from the past their life’s start to become fractured. Oh how the past starts to affect everyone as Lillian makes a hard decision. The tension in the book is thick at times as these two are stubborn and allow a little pride to slip in. I loved reading how they both went to friends for advice and both were told to pray and trust God. If you want to know if Lillian and Luca can repair their relationship you need to grab a copy for yourself.

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