Kingdom of Ruins Review and Giveaway!

In the Lands Within, history does not rest. Each archaeological layer communicates with the living generation, choosing its friends and enemies—and its kings. But an alliance has been struck no one could have anticipated, and an ancient evil is soaking into the soil. History is being erased, purchased and re-written at a terrible price. And a kingdom that shouldn’t have been forgotten is fading from memory.
In the Lands Without, archaeologist Lori Brickland has found a pottery shard with a heartbeat. The pulse might be a trick of the mind, or it might be the first sign of life in a world of ruin. An exiled traveler will say she shouldn’t search for the truth, a calculating ruler will say she’s the one he’s looking for. And the kingdom? The kingdom will need her before the end. It’s time to accept what she’s always known…
This isn’t archaeology.
This is war.

My review: This story drew me in from the very beginning, with it's interesting heroine and then her journey through a wormhole to the Lands Within. The author does a fabulous job of bringing the characters to life in a highly imaginative fantasy world. I enjoyed this book tremendously and look forward to reading more by D.C.! The story hints to more coming, so I look forward to reading the next book that comes out.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and was in no way swayed by receiving a complimentary copy.

Purchase a copy here:

This post contains affiliate links.


About the author:
D.C. Marino is a dedicated reader of history books and fantasy novels, both of which occupy an equal amount of space on her bookshelves. But it wasn’t until she realized how one breathed life into the other that she became addicted to finding the intersections of the real world and the fairy story. Still more: what those intersections about us as a creative, curious people. Kingdom of Ruins is her debut novel.

Guest post from D.C.
Hi everyone!
I’m so excited to share Kingdom of Ruins with you! This story has been on my heart and mind for over ten years now, so this feels a bit surreal. I’d love to tell you a bit about why I wrote this book. But in order to do that, I need to tell you why I almost didn’t.
Fantasy. It isn’t real. Why should I spend time writing a story that doesn’t grapple with the actual issues of the day? Why not speak plainly, instead of inventing another world to explore the real one? These were the questions I asked myself every night before I fell asleep. I adored fiction that transported me to factual events, or introduced me to historical figures, but every time I picked up a pen, the fantastical wiggled out of it.
I was afraid I was writing the wrong story.
This story oddly (or not so oddly) enough began with Lori, an atephobic archaeologist. Meaning she had a passion for archaeology, but a phobic fear of ruins. Why would she shrink back from the work she loved? Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make whole the broken. Life ends in dust, and that’s all there is to it. I felt the same way. Not only was I writing something I wasn’t sure would be relevant, but could it mend anything? Make a difference? Or was it futile, like trying to resurrect the past?
What I found was exactly what Lori begins to find in Kingdom of Ruins. That even though things seem unfixable, it isn’t the end. The world Lori enters is full of darkness and peril, but it also holds a chance for her to heal from more than just her fear. While I wrote, and especially as I neared the last chapter, I realized she and I had both overcome a great challenge. I won’t tell you her conclusion, but I will tell you mine:
I wrote the right story.
I hope you enjoy every bit of the journey as I did, dear reader.
D.C. Marino

Blog Stops list

Giveaway!
Up for grabs is a $50 gift card to Amazon! Be sure to leave a comment to grab extra entries. You have to go to the giveaway here to enter.

This Freedom Journey

A Christian Historical Romance Novel. Adrien Lockman is through with the political unrest and bloodshed in his home country of France, so he sets off to the Canadian territory's mountain frontier, in search of a place where a man can live his own life in peace. The last thing he expects to find is a woman, half-starved and half-frozen in a shack nestled among the towering peaks of the great Rocky Mountains. Mary Standish thought she'd finally found a place where she was accepted, trapping with her husband for the Hudson Bay Company. But when he dies after a gruesome grizzly fight, she determines to carry on their work. After all, life in these remote mountains is better than enduring the scorn and snubs of "civilized" folk. When she's forced to face a winter harder than any she's endured yet, her stubbornness may just be the death of her. Until a stranger appears at her ramshackle door. Adrien had planned to explore the mountain country all winter before he settles down to build a farm in the spring, but he can't leave this woman to die in the elements. Even though she seems desperate for him to go. As Mary regains strength, she's torn between wanting to save her dignity, and craving the respect of this man who's slipped past her defenses. As the winter worsens, the truth becomes all too real-the only way they'll survive is together.

My thoughts
I haven't read the previous books in the series, which wound up working out, since this one actually takes place before the other two, so I didn't miss out on a lot of the back story. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the strong message of the gospel was wonderful. Misty does a fantastic job of bringing the story to life! I look forward to reading more by her.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. All thoughts are my honest opinion and were in no way influenced.

Go here to purchase a copy

This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

Misty M. Beller writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.
God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Guest Post from the Author
A Inside Look at the Cover for This Freedom Journey
My book covers are one of my favorite parts of the creative process! With most of my books, I have the cover done early, usually as I’m first brainstorming the story. I love to have the heroine on my cover, and I work hard to make sure the woman on the front matches the heroine I’m envisioning for the story. That way I can describe her in the novel the way she looks on the cover. Sometimes I even work in the outfit she’s wearing on the cover!
This Freedom Journey is a novella in my Heart of the Mountains series, so I wanted the cover to be similar in layout and style to the other books in that series. The setting is winter in the Canadian Rockies, so I knew Mary (the heroine) had to be bundled warmly! Funny story: Mary is mentioned in the other two books, although they’re set later in her life. When I first described her in the other books, I imagined her with amber brown eyes. When I chose the final cover for This Freedom Journey, I had to go back and change the amber brown eyes in those other manuscripts to the riveting blue on the cover.

A complete list of the Blog Stops is here


Giveaway!
Misty is giving away a Grand Prize! The winner will get a $50 gift card to Amazon.
Go here to enter

Revealed review and giveaway!

When her father dies, Katherine Levinson discovers her parents have kept secrets that render her happy childhood a farce. She and her gravely ill mother face eviction, and she has no choice but to appeal to the brother she’s never seen, the famous cattle baron, Rhyan Cason. Over her gravely ill mother’s objections, they move to Nebraska and the sprawling cattle ranch, Sollano.

Instead of the warm welcome Katherine expects, she and her mother are met with whispers and scorn in the little prairie town near Sollano. Gradually, the sins of her parents’ past surface, and Katherine begins to doubt her very identify. With her brother busy with cattle rustlers and her mother too ill to be bothered, Katherine turns to Colt Holliman, a soft-spoken neighboring rancher, for comfort.

Tired of waiting for the right woman to come along, Colt has promised to wait for Charley Ryder, an acclaimed female sharp shooter and equestrian acrobat with the Wild West Show, but it’s becoming clear Charley loves the show more than him. As his attraction to Katherine grows, he finds himself spiritually conflicted. How can he break from past commitments and follow his heart?

Then unexpected danger strikes, testing Katherine’s and Colt’s faith in God—and each other.

My thoughts: I very much enjoyed this book, perhaps even more so than the previous ones in the series, since not only did it introduce some lovely new characters to the story, it also catches the reader up on what has happened since the previous books played out. I thought that Elaine did a wonderful job with some difficult subjects and bringing some thought provoking things up. I'm trying not to give away much of the story, since I hope you will read it for yourself! While I have enjoyed reading the previous books, readers can pick this one up by itself and still enjoy the story.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit in exchange for my honest review.

Purchase a copy

This post contains affiliate links.

About the author
Elaine Manders writes wholesome Christian romance and suspense about the bold, capable women of history and the strong, dependable men who love them. Her stories twist, turn, and surprise, told by characters who aren’t afraid to show their love for God and each other. She grew up a small town country girl and now lives in Central Georgia with her fur baby. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, sewing, crafts, and spending time with her family.

Guest Post from the Author
My Backstory
Intrigue under Western Skies Series, Book 3
Revealed

Back when I watched television, drama series were my favorite—Little House of the Prairie, the Waltons, the Virginian. I was caught up in the lives of these characters and looked forward to seeing what they were up to each week. For much the same reason, I enjoy writing episodic series.
Intrigue under Western Skies, a blended genre, historical romantic suspense series falls in this category. Some of the characters show up in every book, with new ones added along the way. But the books can be read out of sequence since each one has a different premise and plot.
In Revealed, Book 3 of Intrigue under Western Skies, I wanted to give Colt Holliman, previously introduced as a secondary character, his own HEA. Also, it seemed the time to reveal what happened to Rhyan Cason’s mother, the woman who’d caused so much angst in the first two books. More importantly, it gave me the opportunity to introduce Katherine, the sister he never knew existed.
Unexpectedly, my research led me to the history of show business, and how it developed through the Wild West shows of the nineteenth century. From that, a mystery evolved.
The spiritual thread running through Revealed explores the emotions of a young woman who discovers blood relatives have been hidden from her. Can she accept and love her new family and forgive the sins of her parents?
Maybe the greatest insight I gained from writing Revealed is that one can never trust his own heart without first trusting God.

For a list of the Blog Stops, visit Celebrate Lit

Giveaway!
Elaine is graciously giving away a giftcard to Amazon! Be sure to go here to enter!

Auschwitz Lullaby

Auschwitz Lullaby brings to life the story of Helene Hannemann—a woman who sacrificed everything for family and fought furiously for the children she hoped to save.
On an otherwise ordinary morning in 1943, Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for the day when the German police arrive at her home. Helene’s worst fears come true when the police, under strict orders from the SS, demand that her children and husband, all of Romani heritage, be taken into custody. Though Helene is German and safe from the forces invading her home, she refuses to leave her family—sealing her fate in a way she never could have imagined.
After a terrifying trek across the continent, Helene and her family arrive at Auschwitz and are thrown into the chaos of the camp. Her husband, Johann, is separated from them, but Helene remains fiercely protective of her children and those around her. When the powers-that-be discover that Helene is not only a German but also a trained nurse, she is forced into service at the camp hospital, which is overseen by the notorious Dr. Mengele himself.
Helene is under no illusions in terms of Dr. Mengele’s intentions, but she agrees to cooperate when he asks her to organize a day care and school for the Romani children in the camp. Though physically and emotionally brutalized by the conditions at Auschwitz, Helene musters the strength to protect the children in her care at any cost. Through sheer force of will, Helene provides a haven for the children of Auschwitz—an act of kindness and selflessness so great that it illuminates the darkest night of human history.
Based on a true story, Mario Escobar’s Auschwitz Lullaby demonstrates the power of sacrifice and the strength of human dignity—even when all hope seems lost.

My thoughts: Mario does an incredible job of bringing this true story to life through a fictional journal of Helene's time in Auschwitz. This book touched my mothering heart with the hard decisions it posed. The translation was well done, since I could hardly tell that it wasn't originally written in my native tongue (something that can bother me about translated books, some of them are poorly done). This book is a hard one to read, since it is about a difficult time in history, but it is also well done and beautifully written.
I received this book from Booklook. My review is my honest opinion of the book.

Purchase a copy:
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One December

 

Welcome to the blog tour & giveaway for One December by Kyle Hunter, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: One December
 

Author: Kyle Hunter

Publisher: Monceau Publishing
 

Release Date: February 10, 2018
 

Genre: Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance



Nikki has loved Mike for as long as she can remember (as early as age seven!) Mike has his own past
hurts to resolve, having lost both parents in an accident when he was four
teen. He’s tried to escape
those painful memories by leaving New York and starting a new life on the West Coast. New facts
indicate, years later, that his parents’
deaths might not have been an accident.







At Christmas Mike comes back to New York for the first time in three years. He and Nikki rekindle the
friendship they had as children and share their newfound faith. Under a Christmas
moon romantic
sparks fly . . . but their mutual attraction takes an unexpected detour.



Nikki is devastated, believing her one chance for a relationship with Mike
is over. She impulsively takes a
one-year teaching opportunity in Paris, so that she can face her own fears and
get over Mike.



If Mike and Nikki run away, how can they find each other again?
 



Purchase Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My Review: I enjoyed Nikki and Mike's story tremendously! It explored some fun things, like a childhood crush that lasted through the years and living abroad. While I have always thought that living abroad would be a lot of fun, it was interesting to read about Nikki's move to France and put things in a slightly different perspective.
This is an enjoyable book to pick up, I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more by Kyle!
I received this book through Just Reads in exchange for my honest review.

I love to read and write stories about strong women who
still have flaws,
but are ready to pursue their dreams, even if it takes them out of their comfort zone . . . or their
country.



I write inspirational romance novels and women's fiction with a twist: My
characters sometimes go
places. This led me to create the Love on the Move collection of novels. Readers can take a trip with
them and experience their journeys. They can see how the characters' lives unfold as they make




decisions to trust God (or not) in their next steps, learning about themselves and their faith, and finding
love along the way!



I currently live in North Carolina but spent over a decade in France
(where some of my books take
place.) I also write non-fiction and teach French. In my free time, I
enjoy doing pottery and salsa
dancing.
 



CONNECT WITH KYLE: website | Facebook | Twitter

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

Kyle Hunter is giving away:

• 1 ebook of One December
• $25 Amazon gift card

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midn
ight July 16, 2018 and
last through 11:59pm July 23, 2018. Open internationally, ex
cept where prohibited by law. Winners




must be able to accept ebook and gift card from US Amazon. Winners will be
notified within a week of
close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be
chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

 

Follow along at JustRead for the full schedule & more
chances to win!

Take ten: Popular books that lived up to the hype

Here is my list of top ten books that lived up to the hype, in my opinion. Some of these are books that my friends raved about, so they won't all be on the best seller list.;) As always, if you are interesting in learning more about a book, click the image to go to Amazon. This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my book addiction!;)

1. Harry Potter


I didn't get into this series until I was an adult, when my husband had me watch one of the movies with him. I was hooked from there (of course, I had to go back and read the series that went along with the movie;)).

2. The Hunger Games

When the local librarian mentioned that this series was all the rage with high schoolers, I thought it had something to do with eating disorders... I know, showing my ignorance here!

3. Love and Honor

I kept hearing how good Jody's medieval series was, but it took me a while to pick it up.

4. Dear Mr. Knightley

This one is one of my favorites now!

5. An Inconvenient Beauty


6. Fawkes


7. The Bronte Plot


8. I'll Be Yours


9. Sarah Sundin's books

Several of my friends had told me how much they enjoyed Sarah's books, but it took me years to get around to reading them! They are every bit as enjoyable as I was told.

10. True to You

It took me a while to get around to picking this one up, which was kind of nice, since then I was able to read the first and second book back to back.;)

What books are on your lists this week? What books should I have added to my list?

Darkwater Secrets

The Darkwater Inn stands tall and proud in the French Quarter, the hub of New
Orleans. Bourbon Street
is bustling, and General Manager Adelaide Fountaine has her hands full with a
hotel at capacity. She,
along with everyone else, is shocked when a body is found: a hotel guest st
abbed with a kitchen
knife.



Detective Beau Savoie, Adelaide’s childhood friend, is on the case. As Beau digs into the victim’s past, he
unearths a shocking connection between Adelaide and the murdered guest. Beau is
hurt that his
friend
—
the woman
he’s quietly loved for years
—
kept the truth from him. To make matters worse, the
stress of the investigation has sent Adelaide right into the comforting arms of her coworker Dimitri. But
Beau can’t press Adelaide too hard . . . he’s keeping secrets of his own.



Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the
loose?



PURCHASE: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

͞
I love boxing. I love Hallmark movies.
I love fishing. I love scrapbooking. Nope, I've never fit into th
e boxes people have wanted to put me in.
͟
~Robin Caroll is definitely a contradiction, but one that beckons you to get to know her better.

Born and raised
in Louisiana, Robin is a
southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others.

When she isn’t writing, Robin spends
time with her husband of twenty-five-plus years, her three beautiful daughters and two handsome
grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home
—
in the South, where else?

She serves the wri
ting community as
Executive Director/Conference Director for ACFW. Her twenty-five books have fin
aled/placed in such
contests as the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, RT Reviewer's C
hoice Award,
Bookseller's Best, and Book of the Year.

CONNECT WITH ROBIN: website| Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

Robin Caroll is giving away:

• print copy of Darkwater Secrets
• your own key to the Darkwater Inn
• The Darkwater Inn Recipe Book
• an Uptown Stroll candle

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midni
ght July 21, 2018 and
last through 11:59pm July 28, 2018. US only. Winners will
be notified within a week of close of
the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Follow along with the tour at JustRead for the full
schedule!

“
Just these kids. The closer it gets to Twelfth Night, the
more they act out. Wearing those
silly masks and vandalizing cemeteries and certain areas in
the Quarter. Congo Square was
desecrated twice last week. Part of Armstrong Park was vandalized earlier this week. Some of us
have been keeping our eyes open and working with local security.”
Tracey shook her head.
“Kids messing around in something they know nothing about.
”Addy turned onto St. Ann Street.
“Speaking of kids, what do you know about kids putting
snakes in mailboxes?”
“Snakes in mailboxes?”
Addy eased into Tracey’s driveway and turned off the headlights.
“Yeah, Dimitri found a
small boa constrictor in his mailbox. Thinks some kids did it as a prank.”
She shivered in the
darkness.
“That’s not a prank, Addy.”
Even by the dashboard light, Addy could see Tracey’s face had paled.
“Then what would
you call it?”
But before Tracey answered, the hairs on the back of Addy’s neck rose to attention.
“Someone’s practicing voodoo on him.”

The Edge of Over There

Before the Tree of Life, everything in Abra Miller's life had been predictable. But after the Tree and the lightning and the angels, everything felt tenuous, like holding a soap bubble in the palm of her hand. She spent years looking for signs of that other world, waiting for it to break through. When it didn't, her friendship with Sam Chambers grew cold and distant, and they both wondered how any of it could actually have happened.

Four years later, 16-year-old Abra's long-delayed quest to find the next manifestation of the Tree of Life is renewed when she sees a woman walking up the road--a woman who looks exactly like Sam's dead mother. The woman directs her to New Orleans where she will find the grave of Marie Laveau, one of seven gateways between this world and Over There. As Abra enters The Edge of Over There and begins her pursuit of the Tree once more, she doesn't know whom to fear or whom to trust. But she's starting to think that some doorways should never be opened.

My thoughts: The writing on this story is solid and I found that there is a lot going on with it, but I had didn't care for some of the theology in the story line. Some of the elements of the story were almost to out there for me. I know that fans of Madeline L'Engle will appreciate this story though, since it is reminiscent of some of her books.
I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.


This post contains affiliate links.

Loving Grace review and Giveaway!

Welcome to the Loving Grace by April Smith blog & rev
iew tour plus giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Loving Grace
 

Author: April Smith
 

Publisher: Ambassador International
 



Release Date: March 20, 2018
 

Genre: Christian Fiction, Young Adult Romance



Grace Summer lands herself in a melon load of trouble when she becomes torn between the boy of her
dreams and the boy almost next door.



As the newly crowned Watermelon Queen, she is thrust into the spotlight, meets the dreamy Warren
Hartley, and continues trying to get over an accident that rocked her
world. Mix in working with Beau
Baron who Grace happens to fight with just about as much as breathing and
the metaphorical sparks
fly.



Like most things in life, Grace must learn to take the good with the bad. While the good is the handsome
and fun Warren Hartley, the bad is Beau Baron
—
or at least being around his annoying and rude self way
more than she would like. For Beau, Grace is nothing more than aggravating and an
irritating reminder
from the night of the accident.



Tensions soar as Grace and Beau fight to love themselves and maybe, just maybe, each ot
her.
 



PURCHASE A COPY: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | CBD

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My review: I thoroughly enjoyed this adorable story about Grace! She is a sweet character to get to know, and I thought it was fun to learn more about the watermelon industry and also some of the work that goes into being a watermelon queen and promoting the industry. This is the perfect summer story to pick up, with it's sweet romance. I highly recommend this one!
I received this book from Just Read tours in exchange for my honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

April Smith grew up spending summers working on her best friend
’
s family watermelon farm and she
was one of those watermelon queens she writes about. She has her undergraduate degree in
Elementary Education and a Master
’
s Degree in the Art of Teaching.
 



CONNECT WITH APRIL: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

---

TOUR GIVEAWAY

Ambassador International is giving away:



(1) JustRead Summer Fun Book Box, which features Loving Grace as well as at least
4 quality
items which complement the story. Find out more here.



Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midni
ght July 16, 2018 and
last through 11:59pm July 23, 2018. US only. Winners will be
notified within a week of close of the
giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---

Check out the tour landing page at
JustRead for the
full schedule!

The Crescent Stone

A girl with a deadly lung disease . . .
A boy with a tragic past . . .
A land where the sun never sets but darkness still creeps in . . .
A bargain that brings life, but may cost more than anyone can imagine . . .

Madeline Oliver has never wanted for anything, but now she would give anything just to breathe. Jason Wu skates through life on jokes, but when a tragedy leaves him guilt-stricken, he promises to tell only the truth, no matter the price. When a mysterious stranger name Hanali appears to Madeline and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and Jason are swept into a strange land where they don’t know the rules and where their decisions carry consequences that reach farther than they could ever guess.

My thoughts: This is the first book that I have read by Mikalatos, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters are well written and come to live with their wit and struggles. I felt the pain that drove both characters to embark on their adventures. I felt like the underlying messages were encouraging and thought provoking, leaving the reader to think on the story after the final page is read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series! I only wish it were already out, so I could continue the story.
I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.

This post contains affiliate links.

Big Trucks: Getting the Job Done Together

Join the big trucks on the construction site!
Little ones will love to explore these tactile pages—from rubbery tires to gritty dirt—and learn from the trucks how much fun it can be to work together. With touch-and-feel elements to increase sensory development and simple rhymes to boost vocabulary, Big Trucks will help your child discover something new with every read!

My thoughts: This is a cute, colorful touch and feel book that both my kids are enjoying! The love the bright colors and the short descriptions of what each of the jobs is that needs to be done. They enjoy discovering the touch and feel parts of each picture as well. This is a fun book to read before bed for young children.
I received this book from Booklook in exchange for my honest review.



This post contains affiliate links.