Like A Lily Among the Thorns by Karen S Bell | $25 Giveaway, Review, & Excerpt
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
Like a Lily Among the Thorns by Karen S. Bell Published by KSB Press on 03/08/2022
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Metaphysical, Myths & Legends
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 222
Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.There are those who are born into loving families and then there are the less fortunate who must forge their own families through strong friendships. At a local small library in New York City, one such family was born. And just like so many capricious happenstances in life, this family unit embraced newcomers and grew exponentially. But this clan was also charged with far more than spreading love and joy and a sense of belonging. This clan was formed by divine Providence to help save the planet.
Gabrielle Bernstein, the MC of Like a Lily Among the Thorns, is a woman in her twenties and has started her career as a librarian at a NYC public library. Abandoned by her father as a young girl and now orphaned by her deranged mother, Gabby longs for a family connection.
Coincidentally, she finds this connection at the same time she inherits a B&B in Vermont from her estranged and now deceased father. This enchanted inn is under the watchful eye of goddesses of myth and legend who have been tasked to save mankind from destroying itself and this planet. These goddesses will use their powers to try and stall the onslaught of the effects of droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. But as a safety net, they have collected human saviors all over the planet to erect safe havens at high altitudes away from flood waters and blistering temperatures.
This one group of saviors are ordinary people who have some extraordinary abilities and enjoy a higher consciousness. They are brought together to join forces in Vermont to create one such refuge. Along the way, there is romance, misunderstandings, conflict, and internal growth.
Locations are Manhattan, London, Brooklyn, and Rutland, Vermont. Woven through this tale is Gabrielle’s inherent understanding that she must be grateful, mindful, and present in this journey called “life.”
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Excerpt from Like A Lily Among the Thorns
Sometimes a major change in one’s life comes on the heels of ordinary events. A dinner invitation and cab ride can be more than transportation from here to there for food. The Countess would become a very important addition in Gabby’s life but as of right now, none of them knew that, particularly, the Countess.
Frozen in place while staring at the luxury townhouse, Gabby was caught up short. Reality had suddenly become fluid, become a changeling, a stranger in the night. The hours she had spent imagining the Countess’s life as a Hollywood starlet or Gatsby character now converged with the truth of her circumstances. It was hard to digest this shift in perspective when everyone at the library remained unenlightened and still believed the Countess was a brave woman struggling to make ends meet just to get by.
The bombardment of the truth was too much to absorb right now, especially when her own life was in such flux. She also did not want to think of how this information revealed the Countess’s damning deception, her disingenuousness to everyone. It was a mind-numbing disappointment, a gut punch that made her feel off balance.
Everything was suddenly out of step and off-kilter. Too much random noise was being thrown at her by the cosmos, a shock to the senses. In just one day, today, to be exact, she had been notified that her apartment building was being demolished, her friends at the coffee shop, albeit not close, would be summarily swallowed up by the cavernous city as they dispersed, and now this…this unexpected truth of the Countess’s financial situation.
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this book review.
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Purchase Links for Like A Lily Among the Thorns
Amazon – OneLink for every country
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My thoughts on Like A Lily Among the Thorns
Like a Lily Among the Thorns by Karen S Bell is a difficult book for me to categorize. Is it climate fiction? Yes. Is it romance? Yes. Is it a myths and legends story? Yes. Is it a fascinating read from a new-to-me author? Absolutely!
This story blends many genres and storylines into an entertaining tale told by a young woman with an agonizing past. Despite all the trauma Gabby has survived, she pushes herself to see the bright side of life. Things could always be worse is her motto.
When fortune smiles on her, she takes her merry band of “found-family” along for the ride. Inheriting a magical B&B in Vermont is the answer to her prayers after losing her apartment lease, as well as her boyfriend.
Life gets mystical in Vermont. The weather is changing radically due to human interference so the mythical Goddesses intervene by gathering Gabby & friends to teach us all that little changes add up to bigger results. They are to create a refuge from the impending disasters due to pollution and human indifference and it may be needed sooner than expected. Gabby soon realizes she needs more than a cheery outlook to prevail when things truly do get worse.
My biggest takeaway from this story is complacency. Even the most informed and intelligent souls become complacent in expecting our lives to go on unchanged. Climate-fiction books like this one serve to remind us all that we must be better caretakers of our planet.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!
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About Karen S. Bell
Karen S. Bell:
All my work is inspired by social issues to which we all can relate. Work/ life stresses, the loss of a spouse and how marriage can sometimes swallow a woman’s identity, and the prevalence of greed in modern society.
Walking with Elephants is my first novel, although I am not new to writing. I was a theater critic and celebrity interviewer for a weekly tabloid in Jacksonville, Fl and I earned a Master’s in Mass Communication from Oklahoma State University. For 15 years I worked in Corporate America as a technical editor/editor/writer. I experienced firsthand the politics and intrigue that goes with that territory and the balancing act that comes with being a working mother. I salute all those mothers who are the glue that holds their families together while pursuing the nine to five brass ring and were the inspiration for this work. The audible book is available and narrated by me.
With my second novel, Sunspots, I continue to be in awe of the magical and wondrous phenomenon called life. As an observer and obvious participant in feminine values and approach to our human challenges, I bring this perspective to my work. Fascinated by the mysteries of the unseen forces that perhaps play a role in guiding our choices, I search for answers in the mundane as well as in the cosmic forces that surround us.
Alexa’s pact with the Devil in When a Stranger Comes…is an allegory for the evil lurking in our midst. The social decay of modern society with its excessive greed, the ignorance of our political leaders, and our indifference toward the survival of all species from the effects of climate change, among other environmental pressures, are perhaps brought forth by the darkest forces of human nature. The audible book narrated by me is in production.
The genre of magical realism appeals to me and all my work has elements woven in. My current project is focused on a Bed and Breakfast that becomes a safe haven from the effects of climate change while celebrating the Feminine Divine and is set squarely in that realm.
I am working on my next novel in Ponte Vedra, Fl. where I live with my husband and our two furry kids. Our human kids have flown the nest and are scattered far and wide, alas.
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Purchase Like A Lily Among the Thorns online from a local bookstore.
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Easy Amazon Links
Like a Lily Among the Thorn...Shop on Amazon 
Like a Lily Among the Thorn...Shop on Amazon
Amazon – OneLink for every country
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Giveaway!
Karen S. Bell will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Full Tour Schedule:
May 25: The Avid Reader
May 25: Gimme The Scoop Reviews
June 1: Kit ‘N Kabookle
June 1: Fabulous and Brunette
June 8: Sandra’s Book Club
June 8: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
June 15: Gina Rae Mitchell
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Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour Host
Sounds like a great book!
Sounds like a great book and I love the cover.
I like the excerpt.
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for sharing your lovely review of Like a Lily Among the Thorns, this sounds like an excellent story and I am looking forward to reading it myself