Apr 13

Overflow with Hope Giveaway & Review

About the Book

Book: Overflow With Hope

Author: E. C. Jackson

Genre: Inspirational Romance

Release Date: November 9, 2023

Two men. One wrong choice.

Tempia Wade’s life had jumped the rails.

One fateful night, she believed a stranger’s lie rather than the assurance of a trusted friend. For her lapse in judgment, she paid an agonizing price.

Her now-bankrupt life featured shattered dreams, ruined friendships, and the loss of a promising relationship. Now, two years later, the twenty-three-year-old prayed for a second chance with the man she had fallen for at first sight.

Would Cory Sanders finally overlook her egregious mistake in accepting a next-day date and liaison with another man? Or would she have to truly accept life without him?

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

3 Stars

E.C. Jackson writes a sweet love story with a fair amount of interpersonal drama.

While the romance between Tempia and Cory was clean, this book had a few flaws that made it difficult to keep my interest. The first was the repetitive telling of the same information over and over. (Example: Cory has a conversation with his friends. Then he relays the conversation to Tempia at the same level of detail, not adding to what the reader has already learned.) Also, a lot of the information was relayed after the fact. I think it would have been a much more gripping story had the author chosen to give us the first encounter, Tempia’s first marriage, and subsequent divorce in real time instead of telling us about it a year later.

I found both characters hard to relate to. Cory was very judgemental. About a third of the way through the book, I was rooting for Tempia to walk away. And Cory was supposed to be the “godly” example.

I do think fans of sweet, clean romance with lots of interpersonal drama will enjoy the book. It just wasn’t the kind of situations I enjoy reading.

Disclaimer: I requested and received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of the publisher through Celebrate Lit Tours. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

E.C. Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. Thirty-one years later, she adapted the play into Pajama Party: The Story, a companion book to the second book in the five-book stand-alone Hope series.

Jackson’s favorite pastime is reading fiction. She enjoys taking the journey along with the characters in the books. That also led to her unorthodox approach to story writing. Her vision for each book she writes is to immerse readers into the storyline so they become connected with each character.

“The Write Way: A Real Slice of Life” is the slogan on her Facebook author page. She feels that if every person reading her books feels connected to the characters, her job is done.

More from E.C.

Fulfill the Dream to Write Today

Although I have always been an avid reader, the writing bug hit me in ninth grade after I received an A on a short story that I had enjoyed writing. The original payoff had been the comment the teacher wrote under the grade: “I doubt the originality of this story;” and then I received the ultimate compliment: My best friend received an A on her story and the teacher had added the same comment on her paper. My friend had copied the story from a book she liked. But my story began and ended with me.

I was ecstatic that my writing could be taken as a professional’s and envisioned a full-time writing career until life took me on an alternative pathway. During my teen and young adult years, the vision of writing dimmed, but my dream remained intact. The desire to create stories ran throughout my bloodstream. Yet, it took me fourteen years to venture into the writing life. In my late twenties, I wrote a four-act play after two months of self-discipline and pounding the keys on my typewriter. In high gear from that success, I held auditions, rented a full-stage theater, and debuted Pajama Party in front of family and friends.

All systems were go for a full-time writing career until life happened to me once again, and then my newfound discipline and resolve disappeared. Some thirty years later, after five years of my nephew encouraging me to write on a regular basis, I bit the bullet and wrote daily. A Gateway to Hope became a reality one year later.

So, for everyone who longs to create stories for young and old, my best advice is to just do it. For most people, the only way to have enough time is to take it where you can—even if you’re recording scenes on your phone while shopping at the grocery store. Every little bit helps to build your characters and storyline.

Never feel that you don’t have anything significant to write about. Your first book may be one conversation or observation away.