In the past, I have read all of Rachel's books. She is one of my favorite authors and one of those whom I look for their latest books. This was no exception. Rachel did not disappoint. It did take me a while to get into this story as I felt the first few chapters were a bit slow and disjointed. However, I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. The way the stories of Birdie and Tensley were woven together were incredible and there was something fun about an author writing stories of authors. That was a neat twist. The two stories being over 100 years apart was also fun for me. I love to read stories from the early 20th century but I also enjoy newer stories as well so this was the best of both worlds. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy Christian fiction!

As I mentioned, Rachel’s style is unique and enjoyable.

First off, the modern-day story line follows a writer. That’s a fun perspective! (As a writer, I love reading about other writers, even fictional ones.) Because I’m friends with Rachel, it’s always fun for me to search her novels for folks I know. She’s included people from her worship team, etc. This time, though she changed his name, she included her literary agent, Chip MacGregor as Charlie McGuire. It was fun to see her fictionalize his role in her writing career, in meetings, etc. I found it to be a respectful and interesting hat tip.

Like her more recent books, she takes readers back and forth in time, developing two stories simultaneously. And she does a fantastic job. I loved watching both romances play out.

Our heroine is a mess. She doubts her competence. She’s finding that lightning may not strike twice. Through her first book went to the NYT best-seller list (was that a fluke, given her family line?) doesn’t mean she can whip up another best seller just because she’s on deadline. Because she has so many doubts, she goes into sort of a hibernation mode, dressing in a bathrobe and even going out in public dressed like that. For several chapters I wondered if she’d ever change, or even shower. The perfect symbolism, and an unusual quirk that kept me reading.

One of the themes with all the lovable characters was identity. The story centers around a desk, which is a tie between the past and present and contains its own symbolism for our present-day heroine.

As a writer, I loved that the present-day characters’ nicknames for each other were the why-nots of the story, at least in part. Brava, Rachel!

In my opinion, this is Rachel’s strongest book to date. I loved it, and I highly recommend it!

The Writing Desk novel is set in present day and also in the early 1900s during the Gilded Age.  In the historical side of the story, we follow Birdie (an heiress), Eli (a marquis), and Alphonse (an heir).  Their stories are intertwined during and after WWI.  In the modern day story, we follow Tenley Roth (great granddaughter and daughter of prolific authors), Jonas, and Holt Armstrong.
Birdie has been commanded by her mother to enter a loveless marriage with Alphonse.  Tenley has partially accepted a proposal from Holt, with time to think it over during an extended trip to Florida to care for her estranged mother.
The publishing world of New York is exploring during two different eras.  The idea of long-ago, arranged, loveless marriages and modern, “I guess so” marriages are explored. Birdie is so restricted and Tenley, though she has choices, feels equally boxed in with her writing career.

The Writing Desk is officially my new favorite Rachel Hauck book. The characters are so incredibly well developed and REAL. I loved Tenley Roth! She’s witty, lovable and the kind of heroine that comes alive off the page from the start. She embodies the fears that writers possess in such an honest and believable way. I am really, really, hoping she makes a comeback in another book because she’s the kind of character that you need to know more about. Likewise, Jonas Sullivan is amazing and kind, a man who knows the meaning of love and doesn’t take it for granted.
Tenley battles with family hurts that force her into a place of taking forgiveness to the next level as she helps her mother walk through cancer treatment. Their relationship is difficult and touches the areas of huge let downs and the messiness aftermath of restoration.
Birdie and her mother’s relationship is crazy! I wanted poor Birdie to fly the nest and be free. Her integrity and intelligence is unmatched. Elijah is the wounded hero that shows there is great reward in waiting for the best things in life.
The two stories are woven from an intricate past into an intriguing present, colliding into a beautiful romance that no one can do like Rachel Hauck. Taking the reader into both worlds with equal depth and providing a full scope view of the two stories, she is a master storyteller.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Writing Desk and give it five out of five stars. I received The Writing Desk from Netgalley and the Fiction Guild. The opinions expressed are purely my own and were not required.

When you pick up a Rachel Hauck book you can count on being wowed by the sentiments, romance, and genuinely honest character portrayals. You can also expect a story that doesn't rely on crude/graphic scenes or language to get the author's point across. Nope, Hauck's stories will engage your head and your heart every time.

The Writing Desk is a story told from several perspectives across the span of 100+ years. The storylines of the characters in the past overlap those of the modern day characters, and together they form a complete picture and tale that left without the other would simply be unfinished. Despite the constant jumps in point of view, it is easy to follow each individual story as it ties into the whole. All together this is a book of dreams, redemptions, and soul searing introspectives. It is as charming as any other romance title I've read recently and more so than many.

As I said, this is not an author who tosses expletives and bedroom scenes into her stories simply because they'll sell. This is a romance novel you can feel confident handing off to your teen daughter or white haired great grandmother. There is a positive religious tone to the book too. In fact, she, or her characters rather, speak freely of God and the Bible. If these are things you would feel detracts from a book or is something you would be offended by then perhaps The Writing Desk is not the book for you. However, I hope you will give it a shot either way. And if you enjoy a solid story written around characters that could so easily be your friends, family, or neighbors in real life then know this is exactly the book you could be looking for.

5 stars and a hearty thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me this early review opportunity. It's been an absolute delight!

One of the best I have read by Rachel Hauck. Tenley is a new author with a novel that she wrote in the midst of her pain over her father’s death. She needs a new novel and is experiencing writer’s block. She is on the outs with her mother (who deserted her when she was a child). There is a dual timeline with the story of Birdie, a Gilded Age heiress with a controlling mother, who wants to be a writer. I think you’ll be rooting for all of them by the end of the story. Satisfying conclusion bringing the two timelines together.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! I loved this book! I think this might be Rachel Hauck's best book yet!

I will admit that at first I wasn't a fan of the two parallel stories in the beginning. By the third chapter I was eager to find out what was happening in both Birdie and Tenley's lives and how the desk was going to connect them. Rachel Hauck has created not one but two characters I fell in love with.

Birdie is an heiress who lives in the early 1900's. Her mother has very definite plans for Birdie's future. Marry a well bred man from a good family and have several children. One day she will replace her mother as the matriarch of New York society. Birdie has very different plans for her future. She will only marry someone she loves, and her only aspiration is to write a novel and have it published. Unfortunately she finds the social prejudices of the time make that an impossibility. Women do write novels.

Tenley comes from a family of writers. She has followed in her father's footsteps and written a bestselling novel. She is under contract to write another novel and her deadline is quickly approaching. She is paralyzed with fear that she won't be able to write this second book. She has no clue what to write. Her estranged mother calls from Florida and asks Tenley to come help her while she undergoes treatments for cancer. Tenley leaves New York and travels to Florida, hoping the change of scenery will get her creative juices flowing again. Tenley gets more than she bargained for in Florida.

I loved the characters in this novel!

I ended up loving the way the story was told in two different time periods.

I loved Tenley's spiritual journey. What a beautiful testament of God's love.

If you like a good love story you'll be thrilled with this book, it has not one but two love stories. I hope you choose to pick up a copy of this book when it becomes available July 11. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. Trust me, you don't want to miss out on reading this book. It is that good.

Enjoy!

I found myself much more interested in Birdie's story than Tenley's story and that unbalanced the book for me. I enjoyed the writing; the story flowed well. I was very disappointed that the spiritual aspect to the story was so weak, therefore - only three stars.

I love Rachel Hauck and was excited to receive her eBook, The Writing Desk. I was instantly drawn into the story. The author is very talented at setting the stage and I feel as if I am really there. It was slightly confusing in the first two or three chapters to keep track of the characters. But, one of Rachel Hauck's trademarks is to flip flop between two or more different characters and time periods. I knew to keep reading and it all eventually connects.

This story is half about Tenley; a celebrated writer now stuck with writer's block. She is afraid of being a one-hit wonder, and struggles with a famous family tree and neglectful mother. The other half of the story is about Birdie, a young socialite who is resisting the traditions and duties of the rich. These two women are interconnected in a lovely story I couldn't put down.
Highly recommend!

The story starts out in one way, but then it goes off in a surprising direction!
This book actually has 2 main characters, Tenley and Birdie.
Tenley is an award-winning author, who is a descendant of Gordon Phipps Roth, a famous author of the early 1920's.
Birdie is a 22 year old wannabe writer, who lives in 1903, and she does not want to be married off to a man she does not love.
Tenley volunteers to take care of her estranged mother, Blanche, who lives in an old house in Florida and she is dying of cancer.
Tenley is engaged to Holt Armstrong, who is not happy that Tenley has gone off to Florida instead of going to Paris with Him.
Birdie finally is obedient to her parents wishes, but God has a surprise for her that changes her life!
Tenley uses an old desk to write her future novel, this desk holds a secret that changes her life and reveals a secret that changes her life and reveals what happened to Birdie and her husband.

This is a book that once I really got started, I couldn’t stop. And that includes, finding breaks during work to finish it. Lunch time rolled around and I forfeited lunch, just to finish the book.

I have enjoyed previous books by Rachel Hauck, so I had grand expectations. But the start of the story just threw me off. I was off-kilter and confused and not at all understanding what was going on. From the beginning, I was thrust into an event for the main character, Tenley, and her honor in the publishing world. And then, I’m thrust back in time to Birdie, and young woman, an heiress who is destined to marry for money and not love. Then you had Jonas and Elijah and so many other characters.

And yet, despite the awkward start of this book, I loved it. I’m not really sure what prompted me to pick up the book and then to finish it, but I am so glad I did. It inspired me.

The book is about Tenley Roth, and now that she has a bestseller on her hands, her next book is due in three months. The problem, she has writers block. Intertwined with Tenley’s story, is Birdie Sheshorn, the daughter of old money. Her path is decided for her, included who she is to marry. But all she wants to do is write and somehow make the world a better place. The two women live in separate time periods, and yet they are bound together.

Would I recommend this book? Most definitely.

Rachel's books have a way of calming the soul. Bringing things into perspective if you will. And this one is no different in that regard.

Tenley comes from a line of successful writers, or so she believes. Was her first book just dumb luck or because of her last name? Or is she a one hit wonder?

Told from two different time periods, now and the Gilded Age, we follow along with both of them until in the end so many people and things had to come together just so to end with a very satisfying AH!

This may be under Christian Fiction, but that part of the story was not overwhelming or shoved in your face. The book is chock full of really interesting characters that I really hope will spin-off!

I love Rachel Hauck and this novel is one of her best, definitely 4 stars!

The Writing Desk is a dual-timeline story alternating between today and the gilded age. I was enthralled in both stories that were written beautifully!

Although I found Tenley to be a harder character to like I was intrigued by her story and the transformation her character was on. Birdie was tenacious and fiesta but I was also intrigued on how things would play out and it was hard to put the book down. Definitely recommend!

This book is written in dual time line. Splitting from modern to the 1900. Well written and kept you interested from page one to the end. Birdie is a young women whom desires to be a writer. Her Mother wants her to enter into a loveless marriage. Tenley wrote one best seller and is struggling to write another. She is asked to come to Florida to take care of her estranged mother who is getting treatments. It is a beautiful story of both women wanting to be accepted and loved. Great book..

When Tenley accepts an invitation from her estranged mother, Blanche, to become Blanche's caregiver during her fight with cancer, she has no idea what she's getting into. An antique desk with a mysteriously stuck drawer and story of its own ties together this multigenerational saga of family, awakened faith, and learning to do what's right even when it means losing everything we hold dear.

On the one hand, I like how the main character isn’t a Christian and has doubts and a lifestyle that contrasts greatly with the Christian man she’s attracted to. On the other hand, her casual attitude about living with someone she’s not married to makes me uncomfortable.

Two parallel stories of young women generations apart.

Tenley Roth is the great-great-granddaughter of Gordon Phipps Roth, and she received the prestigious Roth award for her first book, and she's under a lot of pressure to finish her second book, but she's plagued by severe writer's block. When her estranged mother contacts her, Tenley decides to go to Florida to support her mother, Blanche,as she goes through chemotherapy, instead of going to Paris with her live-in boyfriend.

Jonas Sullivan comes to Grove Manor to pick up an old desk, but Tenley begs him to leave it because she is convinced that it will help with her writing. And as she writes she finds her story and wonders if the handsome carpenter will become a part of it.

In the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn, dreams of being a writer, but she is born to a life of wealth and privilege. She wants to pursue a career in writing but her parents are arranging a marriage for her instead. They have arranged for her to marry Alphonse, who is a notorious playboy flirt. But when she sees the man that she based her story on from a summer in England, her hopes soar until she learns that Elijah is engaged to another as well. Will Birdie find the freedom to follow her heart?

I like that both Jonas and Elijah are men of integrity and faith, which is why they can only offer friendship. Elijah is honor bound to marry for money to save his family estate, while Jonas holds back because he knows that Tenley is engaged even though she doesn't wear the ring and hasn't said yes.

I think Birdie is my favorite character because she holds onto her faith and stands up for herself when everything seems to be against her, refusing to accept her mother's manipulation and accepting that Elijah must keep his word. Her wedding is filled with many surprises and I like how the book shows snaps of her life afterwards as well.

Tenley begins her journey of faith, and Jonas encourages her to read the Bible she found in the stuck drawer of the desk. She has to face up to choices she made in the past and move forward. And I loved Jonas he is an absolute gentleman.

I really liked Birdie's story, Tenley's was a bit slower to start, but picked up quickly once she got to Florida. A great read that entwines two stories generations apart, and the choices that change two young women's lives forever.


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What an amazing story! I loved it!! The timelines weaved together so seamlessly and I was swept away into Tenley and Birdie's worlds. This is a story that will stick with me for some time. Highly recommended.

Rachel Hauck goes from the past (The Gilded Age) to the present with the writing desk that ties two female authors together. Birdie lives in a time when it is fashionable for women to be authors and Tenley lives in the present as an author of a runaway bestseller who now has writer's block and an impending deadline. The two are tied together with Tenley's great-great grandpa, a famous author during Birdie's time. Both women hear God's song through "Do not be dismayed, do not worry". It's an extraordinary story of finding true love, forgiveness, healing and redemption. I would recommend any of Rachel's books

Rachel Hauck does it again. She writes another outstanding book. The Writing Desk is a dual-timeline story. One story takes place in the gilded age. Birdie, a young woman of marriageable age desires to become a writer but it was very difficult from women during that time to be taken seriously. Her overbearing mother wanted her to enter into a loveless marriage that would benefit both families. She was very hateful to Birdie and nothing Birdie could say could convince her mother. Her mother was more concerned about her own selfish wishes than the happiness of her only living child. Birdie tried to stand up to her mother and I wanted to keep reading to find out if Birdie was able to overcome what her mother wished. There were twist and turns in this story that kept me engaged.

The modern timeline involved Tenley Roth who has written one best seller and is struggling to write another novel. She lives in New York with her boyfriend. At the request of her estranged mother she goes to Florida to take care of her mother while the mother undergoes treatment. At first I did not like Tenley. I thought she was self-centered and a little too quirky but as the story progressed I began to like her a lot better.

Thanks to Netgalley and Zondervan for providing me a digital copy of this book to read and review. The Writing Desk is due to be published on July 10, 2017.

I really like books and movies that float back and forth between different eras. The Writing Desk did not disappoint. I was especially drawn to Birdie’s story. Birdie Shehorn lived a life of privilege during the Gilded Age, a position that usually included arranged marriages that were advantageous to the families of the American elite. Young women were raised to meet society’s standards; Birdie on the other hand had been allowed to attend and graduate from college. She had plans to pursue a writing career, to marry for love, and did not see that either of those excluded the other. Her strong-minded mother had different plans for Birdie. Birdie’s strength of character vs her mother’s strength of will, which woule prevail?
Tensley’s story takes place during modern times. Her story is initially less compelling, but becomes more so as tension mounts. I wondered if the author selected Tensley’s name because of it’s similarities of the word tension. That word described her relationships to the mother who abandoned her, to her past, to her own writing, to her fiancé, and to the man she met in Cocoa Beach while caring for her mother who was undergoing chemo therapy. Tensley retreated from the world wrapped in an old robe until she exchanged the robe for the security of the God who sent her a special song, the same song He had sent to Birdie. Do not be dismayed. Do not worry or be afraid.
The element that tied Birdie’s story to Tensley’s was a writing desk. The desk originally belonged to Birdie who loved it, and found inspiration to write many successful novels while seated at the desk. Tensley fell in love with the antique desk the moment she saw it in her mother’s home, and was certain it contained the secret to abolishing her writer’s block. The desk indeed held secrets, but not the type Tensley expected or longed for, rather secrets that led to a healing of a different sort.
Fans of Christian romantic fiction and fans of the old Hallmark movie The Love Letter will likely love The Writing Desk. I would like to thank Zondervan and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation.

(I will post on Twitter, Facebook. Goodreads, Library Thing, my blog and numerous book seller sites the week of June 11th in order to stay within the 30 day guideline.)