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Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Libby's Cuppa Joe Review and Giveaway!


Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Libby's Cuppa Joe by Rebecca Waters with JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Libby's Cuppa Joe
 

Author: Rebecca Waters

Publisher: Ambassador International
 

Release Date: March 8, 2018
 

Genre: Women’s Fiction



Can grace and love be found amongst coffee grounds?



Sonja Parker is about to find out.



Excited to leave her stale life in the big city behind, Sonja takes the money her grandmother left her and purchases Libby's Cuppa Joe, a thriving coffee shop in a small community in Wisconsin's Door County. Sonja may have business sense, but is she ready to face the world on her own?



Sonja soon discovers owning a business requires more than offering a good cup of coffee. She must make major repairs to the building as well as major
repairs to her heart. Do the former owners, Libby and Joe hold the answer? As Sonja seeks to make Libby's Cuppa Joe a viable business, can she also find herself and the God she has abandoned?



Libby's Cuppa Joe is a riveting tale of second chances, forgiveness, and not living on borrowed faith.



My thoughts: I enjoyed being a part of Sonja's journey as a business owner! Having owned businesses of my own, I could relate to her ideals, struggles, and the growth that she went through as a person and a business owner through the course of the story. The pace of this story is well done. I thought that this was the perfect summer read!
I received this book through JustRead tours. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 


Rebecca Waters has been a writer most of her life. Her first published work was a story in the school newspaper she wrote in second grade. For many years Rebecca used her stories as illustrations in church settings and to entertain her own three daughters. Her professional writing included educational articles and research.

Following her retirement as a professor of education from Cincinnati Christian University, Rebecca turned her pen to the world of fiction. She has also published several articles in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Lookout Magazine, and Home Health Aide Digest. Her first novel, Breathing on Her Own, was released in 2014.

 



CONNECT WITH REBECCA: Website | Facebook | Twitter




TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Libby's Cuppa Joe and (1) winner will receive an ebook copy.



Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight May 28, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm June 4, 2019. US only. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks 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.




Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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Remi Review and Giveaway!


It isn’t within man to guide his own steps—or a woman.

Caught between a wagon train and the deep blue sea, Agnes Remington Dalrumple--Remi for short--chooses the overland journey west over crossing the Atlantic with her mother and step-father. Though she’s never been on her own, she decides to go to California and try to find the father she’s never known. Thwarted at every turn, almost every effort is dashed until a widower’s thirteen-year-old daughter intervenes on her behalf. How can the headstrong woman place herself under the responsibility of the young girl’s father, a perfect stranger? But if she doesn’t, her journey ends right there in Saint Joseph, Missouri. On the Oregon/California Trail, will her pride and independence deter her from the destiny God has prepared?
Asher Adams, a widower with two daughters and a desire to start anew has sold everything he owns and is headed to California with his recently wed sister and her husband. She and his girls conspire every step of the way, hoping he will find someone to be a companion and friend. Remi fits the bill as far as all the women in his life are concerned, but is it too soon?

My thoughts: This story really brings to life what it might of been like to travel on the Oregon Trail and the hardships that were encountered along the way. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, from Remi-a young woman seeking for answers about her birth father, to the two girls of a widower who help make Remi's trip on the Oregon Trail possible. The girls are delightful, and it was easy to see why Remi falls in love with Sam and Patty early on. This is a great story to pick up if you are interesting in the Pioneer journey out West!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

About the Author:
For research in December, Caryl McAdoo hit the trail—literally, the Oregon / California Trail—beginning in St. Jo, Missouri with the Napa Valley being her destiny. No wonder readers enjoy her novels so well! She prays her story brings God glory, and He blesses the award-winning, best-selling novels with a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings! With forty-three titles (thirty-three in the last four-and-a-half years), it’s obvious she loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs the Lord gives her. (Listen to a few at YouTube.) Celebrating fifty years being married to Ron, her high school sweetheart, she counts their four children and eighteen grandsugars life’s best blessings. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl
Remi, my May ‘Prairie Roses Collection’ story, picks up where Uniquely Common, my April ‘Lockets and Lace Collection’ story ends! Well, actually it backs up a bit to Remi’s decision to go west! In Uniquely Common, you meet her after she’s already in Saint Jo, trying to join the wagon train.
I fell in love with this semi-introvert, lover of literature, highly intelligent young lady, and felt the cover captured her exactly! (Thank you, Chautona Having, my new amazing cover designer! I am so blessed!)
Remi, short for Remington—her middle name as she hates her first name Agnus—is an only child reared by a single mother. Her father left years ago; she’s never met him and decides to go to California where his last letter was postmarked to do just that. It’s a long way from New York City, but better than sailing across the Atlantic.
And she can’t stay there with nowhere to live since her newest stepfather is whisking her mother overseas to his villa in Southern France. They invite her of course, but she hates boats and gets frightfully seasick! It seems the perfect time to go west and meet her Daddy. Riding in a prairie schooner would be a lark!
Researching for the covered wagons heading west led my dear husband to ask if I wanted to drive the Oregon / California Trail. Yes, yes, yes, I assured him! What could be better than seeing the rivers my wagon train had to cross, the amazing sights my characters would experience, and the terrain they navigated for ourselves?
What an opportunity God put before me!
Two weeks and forty-three hundred-plus miles later, we got back home to Clarksville, enthralled with our journey. That trip has made this story so much better for me! I hope it will make it all the better for you, too! I praise and give glory to the Lord for His many blessings and high favor.
I’m so grateful for the stories He gives us, His divine appointments—like with Sandy Barela, the founder of Celebrate Lit, all her amazing bloggers and reviewers—the doors He opens, my new cover designer Chautona Havig and all the fictional characters He introduces me to and allows me to share with you!
♫♪*`•. I’m just so excited.•*♪¨*about what the Lord is doing!•♪♫*`•. I’m just so excited Lord!! ♪♫•*¨♪ for what I know♪♫¸¸.•*♪ He will do!!*•.¸ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ¸♫♪*`•. I’m just so excited!!•.¸.• ✿And He is delighted ღ(̆̃̃ڿڰۣ✿♫♪*with my anticipation ♪♫•* ♫♪ of what I know He will do. •*♪♫•!♪♫¸•*♪ And I get to be a part ♫♪*`of what the Lord is doing!•♪♫*`•. I get to be a part! ♫•*♪¨♥ •♪♫ of what I know♪♫¸.•*♪ He will do!!*•.♫♪ I get to be a part ♫♪*♫•*♥ and He has a good plan!♪*•.✿♫♪*`•. He’s called me for His purpose!.•*♪¨ ✿♫♪*`• I have a role to play! ♪♫•*¨♪ (hear this new song on YouTube! )

For a complete list of the blog stops, go here!


Giveaway! To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away
Grand Prize – $50 Gift Amazon Card
1st Prize – Signed, Paperback copy of CHOICE of all my books
2nd Prize – Signed copy of Remi
3rd Prize – eBook copy of Remi
4th Prize – eBook copy of CHOICE of all my books!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link here to enter!

Golden Gown Review and Giveaway!


Elyse has lost everything; her parents, her family home, and the town where she is loved and respected. When she arrives in a new community, she must prove her skills as a seamstress by creating an elaborate gown overnight. In the moment when she doubts her ability to complete the task, a mysterious stranger with a talent for tailoring and a penchant for damsels in distress appears. Elyse could never imagine that accepting his assistance would send her on a journey that would end in the arms of a prince. Golden Gown is a blending of the classic fairy tales Rumpelstiltskin, and The Shoemaker and The Elves that will touch the hearts of all of its readers.

My thoughts: I love this book! I've enjoyed Sarah's previous two stories, since she has a unique way of retelling fairy tales and bringing them to life in a way that makes the magic real and believable. I also like how he puts her own twist on the stories.
Golden Gown is now my new favorite fairy tale retelling! I loved getting to know the characters, and could totally see putting myself in the predicament that Elyse does. I highly recommend picking up this delightful retelling! It's such a fun read.
I received a copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Character Feature:
Meet Gilberto de la Vega (aka Rumpelstiltskin):

Inspired by the portrayal of Rumpelstiltskin in the television series Once Upon a Time, I wanted to spin my own tale with Rumple as the hero. My longtime book boyfriend Gilbert Blythe (from Anne of Green Gables) crept in and made Gilberto the perfect blend of rake and best friend/boyfriend. As a tribute to the Latino people I have always loved, Rumple became a Spaniard

Voila! Gilberto De La Vega was born.

Gil is the type of man who would climb your balcony in the dead of night to bring you flowers. (Or scare you to half to death, he’s not picky.) He has a fairly well-developed hero complex and loves swooping in at the last minute to save fair maidens from certain disaster. He’s adept at flirting and teasing and he adores women, but nothing he does is quite conventional. If he took you out on a date, it would definitely involve something slightly shady and probably illegal.

No matter what, time with Gil is always an adventure! Enjoy Elyse Morley’s first run in with the delightful scamp:

The twilight breeze drifting through the neighborhood reached me on the porch. It did nothing to calm my nerves. I jabbed the needle through the skirt with more force than necessary.
“What has the fabric done to deserve such treatment, mi querida?”
I jumped at the voice, jabbing the needle straight into my finger. I promptly popped my finger in my mouth to keep the blood from dropping onto the gown. With my heart thumping, I turned to face the speaker. A dark haired man of medium build perched on the edge of the porch, his shoulders thrown back and a grin tugging at his lips.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, cariño.” A slight Spanish accent flavored the words. “Allow me to introduce myself. Gilberto de la Vega at your service.” He bowed.
I remembered that my finger was still in my mouth. I took it out and wrapped it with a scrap of fabric. “How did you get in here?” I glanced around the backyard, which was enclosed by a tall fence.
“Do you believe in magic, mi amor?” Dark eyes set in a finely-boned face watched me closely.
“No, I do not. And you might like to know that my aunt is just inside. She will come if I call out.”
“In her whole life, Lady Lydia has never been a danger to anyone. Besides, her bedroom light has been out for hours, querida.”
I glared up at him. “Someone will come if I call out.”
He tapped his lips with a forefinger. “That too is true. But what will you tell them? I have done you no harm, mi amor, and I can escape as easily as I arrived.”
My teeth ground together. “Stop calling me that, whatever it means.”
“If you insist, bonita.” His lips curved up into a wide grin. “It would be easier to call you by your name. Miss . . .?”
My lips pressed into a line.
He shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I can see we are getting nowhere.”

Act of Valor Review and Giveaway!

She saw something she shouldn’t have…

A True Blue K-9 Unit story

When airline employee Violet Griffin encounters several suspicious passengers, she’s thrust into the crosshairs of a drug smuggling operation. NYPD officer Zach Jameson and his drug detection beagle, Eddie, can tell this is no small-time threat. Someone’s gunning for Violet, and after recently losing his brother, Zach refuses to lose her, too…especially now that she’s gone from friend to the woman he’s falling for.

My thoughts: Another wonderful story by Dana! I loved getting to know Zach, the likeable officer with his drug detective beagle, Eddie. Then there is Violet, who is forced into needing protection from her friend when her job puts her in the crosshairs of a drug smuggling gang. This is such a fun, action packed story filled with suspense and a dash of romance. I highly recommend picking it up for a summer read!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

About the Author:

Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over forty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Barbour, and Harvest House. Dana was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, and a chubby box turtle. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

More from Dana:
Cops and killers and beagles, oh my! It was a ton of fun writing the second book in the new True Blue K-9 Continuity series. First of all, I had the honor of working with some AMAZING authors. (It’s challenging creating a world together and keeping all those details straight!) I had the privilege of following the amazing Lynette Eason, so that’s always a plus! Second, I learned all about the astonishing world of beagles! Those critters are just amazing. For instance, the original beagles were tiny, only 8 inches tall and could be carried in a pocket, which is why they called them Pocket Beagles. I need one of those! The name beagle comes from the French, which is translated “wide throat” or “loudmouth.” This is well earned by Eddie in my story, who will occasionally let loose with the trademark baying. The beagles small size, general friendliness, and ferocious scent drive, make it the perfect dog to sniff around airports and get into compact spaces. Eddie enjoys doing just that with Zach, his handler and best friend. He earns those gourmet treats that Zach bakes up for him. Best of all, Eddie was rescued from death before he became a canine cop star! It’s just awesome when you can twine fact with fiction to come up with a tail wagging suspense story! I hope you enjoy the second installment in the series!

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!

Giveaway! Grand prize giveaway of a print copy of the book, a beagle coloring book and an Amazon gift card. Go here to enter!

Saturday, May 25, 2019

The Printed Letter Bookshop Review and Giveaway!


Amid literature and lattes, three women come together and find that sharing one’s journey with best friends makes life richer.
When attorney Madeline Carter inherits her aunt’s bookstore in a small town north of Chicago, she plans to sell it and add the proceeds to her nonexistent “investment portfolio.” But plans change when Madeline discovers the store isn’t making money and she gets passed over for promotion at her firm. She quits in protest, takes the train north, and decides to work at the store to prep it for sale. Madeline soon finds herself at odds with employees Janet and Claire; when she also finds herself attracted to an affianced man, it only confuses the entire situation.
After blowing up her marriage two years earlier, Janet has found solace working at the bookstore and a kindred spirit within its owner, Maddie Cullen. But when Maddie dies and her niece, Madeline, barges in like a bulldozer, Janet pushes at the new owner in every way-until she trips over common ground. Soon the women are delving into online dating and fashion makeovers, and Janet feels the pull to rediscover her art, a love she thought long behind her.
After a night of bad decisions leaves the store in peril, Claire arrives and tries to save the day. While she, too, found sanctuary in the little bookstore, she knows it’s under-insured, in the red, and will never survive. When she discovers her teenage daughter has played a part in vandalizing the store, Claire taps into strength she didn’t know existed-or had long forgotten. The quietest of the three, she steps up and finds a way to save her family, the store, and the precious friendships that have grown within it.
The Printed Letter Bookshop is the story of friends who find each other-and themselves-in a place none of them ever expected.

My thoughts: I really wish that this bookshop was in my hometown! I fell in love with the cozy, struggle haven that drew people together through a love of good books. This book is an excellent one for women in all walks of life, since you have Madeline-the young woman trying to make a name for herself in her chosen profession and has no time to turn around a small business, Claire-the mother of teenagers who is trying to discover her place in the world when it feels like her family no longer needs her, and Janet-the divorcee who keeps everyone at arms length to cover her regrets. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

About Katherine:
Katherine Reay is the national bestselling and award-winning author of Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy and Jane, The Brontë Plot, A Portrait of Emily Price, The Austen Escape, and The Printed Letter Bookshop. All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flair. Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and isa wife, mother, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL. You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com; Facebook: KatherineReayBooks; Twitter: @katherine_reay; or Instagram: @katherinereay.

More from Katherine
Don’t you love bookshops?
Every time I walk into a bookstore, it feels like a rainbow cracked open and rained a kaleidoscope of light, life and possibilities before me. I find worlds within the world and a call to adventure.
Each bookshop tells a different story. It tells of its loyal beloved customer base. It reflects the personality of its owner and staff. It carries the aura of the stories it offers to us.
And it was the perfect place to dig into lives, hearts and book loves of Janet, Claire and Madeline. These three women, at different stages in life, meet at the Printed Letter Bookshop, with all the romance and wonder it holds, and learn to work through their challenges together. They become the friends that each didn’t know she was missing.
There is also a fourth woman I loved spending time with in the Printed Letter Bookshop — its original owner, Maddie Carter. Maddie doesn’t step onto the stage even once, but her presence, her love and her guiding hand are apparent from page one as Janet, Claire, and Madeline grow in friendship and in faith.
The Printed Letter Bookshop is a love letter to books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship. I hope you savor your time with these three women — And, book lovers rejoice, there is a list of all the books they allude to in the back of the book!

Blog Stops
For more information, go here!

Giveaway:
Grand prize is a copy of The Printed Letter Bookshop! Be sure to go here to enter.

Friday, May 24, 2019

The Inn at Hidden Run Review and Giveaway!

A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Present to Past on Family Trees

Meri’s family has been producing doctors for so many generations that no one remembers why, so when she flunks out of medical school, she runs as far from her parents as she can get. In the small mountain town of Canyon Mines, Colorado, she takes a job at the Inn at Hidden Run B&B. And waits. It’s only a matter of time.

What she doesn’t count on is genealogist Jillian Parisi-Duffy and her father, Nolan, having her back when it takes everything she has not to bolt again but to stay and face the truth that only unfolding her family’s history will reveal. While Nolan works on keeping Meri calm—and in town—Jillian pulls out of her gems of information she doesn’t know she has and arranges the puzzle pieces.

But none of that changes the fact that Meri’s family is closing in to haul her back to her “real” life. When their arrival inflames tensions and Meri finally does bolt, Nolan and Jillian may be out of time.

The Inn at Hidden Run is the first book in the Tree of Life series. Readers will come back to backdrop of a lovely mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that inspire them to connect with their own family histories and unique faith journeys.

My thoughts: This is such a fun concept! I love that it's about a father-daughter team that work together to help uncover family secrets and genealogy. After reading this book, I kind of want Jillian's job, since it would be so much fun to dive into history and figure out some of it's mysteries. (and yes, I know it is not like this story in a lot of respects) I enjoyed seeing how the past and present melded together with this story, giving Meri a better picture of why her family is the way they are and how she can make her own way in the world. I felt bad for her, when Nolan hounds her in his attempts to help her, but overall, I enjoyed the story and the town it is set it. It will be interesting to see where the next book goes!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

About the author:
Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.

More from Olivia:
Of Family Lines and Family Lore
I suppose it all started in a cemetery.
Once, while a group of relatives were visiting a cemetery, one of my cousins and I wandered off and looked at all sorts of graves, speculating about the names we read and the lives they represented. We were duly scolded both for separating from our families, which caused some consternation, and for being disrespectful—though I think the second accusation was a false one!
Just because we were young children didn’t mean we were disrespecting the dead. Quite the opposite. We were respecting lives long forgotten with our curiosity about who they were and what legacies they left.
These days a lot of people are interested in genealogy. Entire TV series spin around the theme, and DNA kits show up in Christmas stockings. Lost branches of family trees find the main trunk—sometimes with big surprises.
My new Tree of Life series is set in the backdrop of a lovely Colorado mountain town I hope you’ll want to visit often, where a father-daughter genealogy team link present to past on family trees and characters learn about who they are, where they come from, and their unique faith journeys as they discover their own Tree of Life.
It all starts with The Inn at Hidden Run. When Meri arrives in Canyon Mines because she wants to run away from her family, true answers come from understanding the past that generations have forgotten—the accounts from another time and place no longer handed down but that still form the backbone of the family’s story.
What’s the backbone of your family’s history? How is it shaping your own future?

For a complete list of the blog stops, go here.

Giveaway! Grand prize of a $25 Amazon card and a copy of The Inn at Hidden Run. Go here to enter.

More to Love Review and Giveaway!


“She is tolerable, I suppose, but there is rather too much of her to tempt me.”

Overhearing Mr. Darcy’s rude dismissal of her shocks and mortifies Elizabeth Bennet to the core.

She is living her worst fear, and it galvanizes her into action.

Soon, the gentleman cannot keep his eyes from her, but can she forgive his thoughtless judgment of her appearance and character?

Especially since he faces a worthy competitor for her attention?

Who will win the lady's hand, along with the right to love her through thick or thin?

My thoughts: This is an interesting twist to the original story of Lizzy and Darcy in that instead of her beauty being tolerable, it is her weight that he is opposed to. This makes for a unique story that quickly changes the original. I liked a lot of the plot twists, though part of the ending was over the top. I still enjoyed this unique telling of Pride and Prejudice!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Purchase a copy:

This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author:
Robin Helm’s books reflect her love of music, as well as her fascination with the paranormal and science fiction. Previously published works include The Guardian Trilogy: Guardian, SoulFire, and Legacy (Christian paranormal romance); the Yours by Design series: Accidentally Yours, Sincerely Yours, and Forever Yours ( ChristianTime Swap romance), and Understanding Elizabeth (Christian Regency romance). She contributed to A Very Austen Christmas: Austen Anthologies, Book 1, an anthology featuring like-minded authors, in 2017, and A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2, in 2018. New releases for 2019 include More to Love, a stand-alone Christian historical sweet romance dealing with body image; Lawfully Innocent, a Christian historical U.S. Marshal romance book in the Lawkeepers series; Maestro, a Christian historical sweet romance featuring a brilliant musician and his student; and A Very Austen Romance: Austen Anthologies, Book 3. She lives in sunny South Carolina where she teaches piano and adores her one husband, two married daughters, and three grandchildren.

More from Robin:
Have you ever been judged on the basis of your appearance – what you weigh, how you dress, how you wear your hair or do your makeup? I am a professional dieter, and I have been on all of them. I lose, and I gain it back. I know the lengths a woman will go to after she overhears remarks about how she looks, so I relate to Elizabeth in More to Love in a way that’s a bit beyond my comfort zone.
Another aspect of this book which is personal is that I chose to base a supporting character on a wonderful, Christian lady at my church (with her permission). Mrs. Donna Bailey has been a constant encouragement to me in regards to my writing. She often gives me beautiful sugar cookies she painstakingly decorates with holiday themes. Mrs. Bailey is the housekeeper and dessert cook at Longbourn, and she helps Elizabeth through thick and thin, so to speak.

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!


Giveaway! Grand Prize: a $25 Amazon gift card
1st Place: An autographed paperback of A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2
2nd Place: An autographed paperback of More to Love
3rd Place: A set of three eBooks - Reader's Choice of any three of my books. Go here to enter!

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Ornamental Graces


After his duplicitous girlfriend left, Dan Malone spent six months in a tailspin of despair and destruction: emotional, physical, and spiritual. Just when his life seems to be back on track, he meets Emily Kowalski, younger sister of his new best friend.

Emily’s the kind of girl he’d always dreamed of—sweet, smart, and sincere. But he’s made a mess of his life and ruined his chances for earning the love and trust of a woman like her.

Could Dan be the man Emily’s been waiting for? How could he be when every time they get close he pulls away? And will he ever be free from his shady past and the ex-girlfriend who refuses to stay there?

My thoughts: While I enjoyed the characters and getting to know them, I really didn't click with this story. Dan has a boatload of hurts from his ex-girlfriend that keeps him from moving forward when he meets Emily, causing their friendship to be confusing for both of them. I was a bit surprised at the language in this story, as well as how casually alcohol and other things along those lines are mentioned.
While this book wasn't my cup of tea, I did like Emily's character and the influence of her sister in law. I also loved her nieces and nephews!
I received a copy of this book from JustRead tours. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Strike the Match Review and Giveaway!


Prayers that strike the mark are specific prayers authorized by the Holy Spirit and endowed with divine power to accomplish the will of God in your life and for the needs of the world. On the cross, Jesus fulfilled the ultimate answer to all of our prayers, but He awaits our invitation to come into our situations and circumstances. When people of prayer intercede, they create a meeting place between the heavenly Father and His children. God comes upon the person who is praying and moves them from the natural to the supernatural. Empowered by God, the intercessor has the authority to cut down enemy forces and pick out "targets" for God’s lightning bolts of glory, bringing victory and breakthrough.

Intercession could be called "extreme prayer” because it links extreme needs with the extraordinary power of God. Inserting ourselves into the gap between God and a need, we call upon the Holy Spirit, our Helper, who is ready to move us from finite ability to infinite ability, take hold of difficult situations, and help accomplish the will of God. We have the great honor of being called to “paint targets” on cities, churches, ministries, family members, contemporary "Sauls" (those who persecute or cause difficulty), and even ourselves. Our believing, persistent prayers will Strike the Mark!

“He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark” (Job 36:32 NASB).

My thoughts: I'm torn on what to say about this book, since it wound up not being a great one for me. I appreciate when James talks about the obstacles that can be in our prayer life, those sins that we need to work towards getting rid of in our lives. But, I didn't care for some of his methods when it comes to how to pray, especially when he seemed to be advocating for us to pray telling God what needs to happen. I know we all are guilty of focusing on our wills when we pray, but I like the quote "Prayer does not change God, but changes him who prays." since I think that is so true. I have looked back in my life and been thankful for the times when God has chosen not to answer my prayers in the ways I had hoped. So, if you pick up with book, then please do so with some caution.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

About the Author:
JAMES W. GOLL is the president of God Encounters Ministries and has traveled around the world sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding study guides and is the author of more than forty books, including The Seer, The Discerner, Releasing Spiritual Gifts Today, Passionate Pursuit, The Lost Art of Intercession, and The Lifestyle of a Prophet. James is the father of four wonderful children with a growing number of grandchildren, and makes his home in Franklin, TN.

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!

Giveaway!
The grand prize is a $20 gift card to Starbucks. Be sure to go here to enter!

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea.  

My thoughts: This was such a beautiful, heartbreaking story of loss and love! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories. One set in WWII, the other set in the early 2000's, this is a lovely story about sacrifice and grief, and how we deal with those emotions. I highly recommend this story!
I received this book from Bethany House. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Sweet on You


Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknown to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long.

Independent and adventurous Britt channels her talent into creating chocolates at her hometown shop. Zander is a bestselling author who's spent the past 18 months traveling the world. He's achieved a great deal but still lacks the only thing that ever truly mattered to him--Britt's heart.

When Zander's uncle dies of mysterious causes, he returns to Merryweather, Washington, to investigate, and Britt is immediately there to help. Although this throws them into close proximity, both understand that an attempt at romance could jeopardize their once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But while Britt is determined to resist any change in their relationship, Zander finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings hidden.

As they work together to uncover his uncle's tangled past, will the truth of what lies between them also, finally, come to light?

My thoughts: I really wanted to like this book, I really did. I loved the first two stories in this series, about Britt's older sisters. Honestly though, I just felt bad for Zander and how clueless Britt is to his adoration, and yet how she kind of sabotages his dating chances. I liked the mystery that was attached to the story and I liked Zander.
I recommend reading this series in order, since this one gives away spoilers from the previous two stories.
I received this book from Bethany House. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Truth Plus Love

Imagine what our world might look like if Christians became known for remarkable love, as well as life-giving truth.
The stakes are high and the need is great for Christians to represent Jesus to a watching world. And today, we have more influence than ever before--for better and for worse. We are among the first generations to have access to a global megaphone through social media. But it's not enough to speak truth louder to a noisy culture. To counter the reputation Christians have earned, our love must be just as loud.
Ask evangelist Matt Brown, and he will tell you Christians today are facing a crisis of influence. In our rush to speak truth to today's tensions, cultural issues, and trending controversies, it becomes all too easy to focus on proving our points rather than extending God's grace. Conversely, when we seek only to love yet never proclaim a better way, we short-circuit God's plan.
Truth Plus Love invites you to rediscover the biblical framework for engaging culture as ambassadors of Christ. Through biblical insight, cultural analysis, and practical principles, Matt Brown outlines how to champion truth without compromise, how to love unconditionally, and ultimately, how to step into this great adventure of representing God to the world. It's hard, it's messy, and it's the unfinished project of a lifetime, yet here we find our great adventure: representing God to a watching world

My thoughts: This book is excellent! I thought that Matt's thoughts were extremely relevant and I appreciated how he presented his thoughts on the important discussion of how to show love as Christians while sticking to the truth and Christ's teachings. This is a great book for people in all stages of life to pick up. I highly recommend picking this book up!
I received this book from Booklook bloggers. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Dear Daughters


With Dear Daughters, Susie Davis creates a bridge between two groups of women–dear daughters and spiritual mamas. Dear daughters are young women in search of spiritual guidance and spiritual mamas are women just a little further down the road with age-old wisdom to share. Each group has valuable insight for the other and the hope is that the reader will invite someone to come alongside them, pore over the included letters together, and pass along wisdom and advice that will make both lives more beautiful, wherever they are in their God story.

This book, ideal for a gift, is a casebound hardcover with ribbon.

My thoughts: This book is wonderful! I love that Susie has written it in such a way that you feel like you are sitting down with a mentor who encourages younger women in all walks of life. I really enjoyed her thoughts on traditions and how they should be contributing to the health of a family and not causing stress, since I feel like I am one to hold to traditions. So, that is some advise that I will be storing away for future reference. I loved this book and found it so encouraging!
I received this book through the publisher. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Heart and Home Review and Giveaway!


Our home and its design can encourage spiritual growth in our hearts.

Heart and Home is a short devotional book with daily devotions for 90 days. The devotionals seek to draw clear connection between the basics of interior design and scripture that encourages spiritual growth within our hearts. The devotionals inspire women to have a captivating heart and home. Included in each devotional is an applicable design tip and photographs. Example devotional topics include unity and harmony, negative space, flow, focal point, and balance.

This devotional includes four-color photographs of home interiors throughout the book.


For more information about the series and for links to purchase, visit https://www.abingdonpress.com/victoriaduerstock.

My thoughts: I wouldn't say I am very good at putting my home together in a truly beautiful way, so I was thrilled to receive this book! I love how it is broken up into different thoughts on how to make your home the best version of itself, all the while encouraging the reader to be the best version of themselves. I love how this book is set up! The devotions are just the right length, making them easy for busy women to add to their days. This is an excellent devotional to pick up!
I received this book from the publisher. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.


As a writer, teacher, and speaker with a busy work and family life, Victoria Duerstock understands that all the tasks of the holiday season can make it easy to forget the true joy that Christmas can bring. In Heart & Home for Christmas, Duerstock brings her mission to inspire hope for God's purpose, and her 20 years of experience in the furniture and design industry together, connecting Scripture with design elements and easy decorating tips in a way that reflects the true spirit of Christmas. The devotions and holiday decorating tips will encourage spiritual growth and inspiration to have both a captivating heart and home at Christmas.

Click here to view a sample of the book.

Releases September 17, 2019

About the Author:

Victoria Duerstock is a writer, blogger, teacher, and speaker. Her mission is to inspire hope and ignite bigger dreams for God’s purpose in each of our stories. She has a master’s degree in music, but ended up working in the furniture industry for more than twenty years and loves to make connections between our home environments and our spiritual lives. Victoria writes at Encouraging Women Today, Everything’s Gravy, Creative Corner, and Serious Writer Academy and also has contributed to devotionals for Worthy. She lives in Nesbit, Mississippi, with her husband, and they have three children.

Learn more about Victoria at:
www.victoriaduerstock.com



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Moments We Forget Review and Giveaway!

Jillian Thatcher has spent most of her life playing the family peacemaker, caught in the middle between her driven, talented older sister and her younger, spotlight-stealing twin sisters. Then on the night of her engagement party, a cancer diagnosis threatens to once again steal her chance to shine.

Now, Jillian’s on the road to recovery after finally finishing chemo and radiation, but residual effects of the treatment keep her from reclaiming her life as she’d hoped. And just when her dreams might be falling into place, a life-altering revelation from her husband sends her reeling again.

Will Jillian ever achieve her own dreams, or will she always be “just Jillian,” the less-than Thatcher sister? Can she count on her sisters as she tries to step into a stronger place, or are they stuck in their childhood roles forever?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book immensely! Getting to know Jillian better after her appearance and unexpected marriage in Things I Never Told You (which was more about her sister, Payton) was very enjoyable. I think that this is a wonderful story for people to read who has a loved one going through the aftermath of cancer, since I know that it opened up my eyes more to what my sister in law went through with her battle with cancer. I also like that it continues Payton's story, and gives readers a chance to get to know Johanna a bit, the perfect sister who was hard to relate to in the first story. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. Thus is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.


About the Author:
Beth K. Vogt is a nonfiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A women’s fiction novelist, Beth’s first novel for Tyndale House Publishers, Things I Never Told You, released May 2018.
Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publishers Weekly‘s Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding series by Zondervan. Having authored nine contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us.
An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Rocket and also enjoys speaking to writers’ groups and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people, and their youngest daughter, Christa, who loves to play volleyball and enjoys writing her own stories. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.

More from Beth:
A sister is like yourself in a different movie, a movie that stars you in a different life.”
Deborah Tannen (1945-), sociologist
I’m launching Moments We Forget, book two in the Thatcher Sisters series, and I’ve just turned in the final book in the series. I’d love to share book three’s title with you, but I don’t know what it is. (Of course, book three might have a final title by the time you read this—that’s part of the fun of prerelease deadlines.)
One thing I do know: the theme of “Little Women gone wrong” is woven through all of the books . . . thanks to the Thatcher sisters: Payton, Pepper, Jillian, and Johanna.
Sisters, be they real or imaginary, can be complicated.
Of course, there are sisters who have close relationships. They “get” each other and love doing life together.
But then there are the sister relationships that are like mismatched socks. Or those expensive jeans you loved in the store, but when you bring them home, they never quite live up to those moments in the dressing room.
Such are the Thatcher sisters. Johanna, Jillian, Payton, and Pepper grew up in the same family. They’re all tall. They love Broncos football and board games. But in so many ways their lives are like different movies because they each made different choices. Choices that changed and separated them. Moments We Forget continues to explore whether the Thatcher sisters can find a way to understand each other enough to bridge the distance between them.


Blog stops:
For a list of the blog stops, go here.

Giveaway! Grand prize winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card plus a softcover copy of Moments We Forget. Go here to enter.

Past Forward Review and Giveaway!

Alone without friends or family to comfort her after the death of her mother, Willow Finley’s idyllic life is over—and just beginning.
The Finley women’s lives, while rich and full, aren’t easy. rejecting electricity and many other modern conveniences, they live purposefully and intentionally–alone and isolated from the world around them.
When Willow Finley awakes on a hot summer morning, she is unprepared for the grief that awaits her. Jerked from a life of isolation with her mother, Willow learns what alone really means when she finds her mother dead.
From the moment Willow arrives in the police station with her startling announcement, Chad Tesdall fights the friendship he knows he can’t avoid.
The Past Forward series opens with Willow’s life-changing discovery and gently guides the reader through aspects of her life–the past weaving through the present and into the future. Experience her first morning in church, her first movie, and the culture shock of her first trips to the city. A birthday party and a street faire add welcome diversion from butchering, canning, and the beating of area rugs. Disaster strikes. Will she choose to continue her simple life, or will an offer in the city change it all? Find out in this first volume.

My thoughts: Another wonderful book/series from Chautona! I enjoyed getting to know Willow as her life changed drastically. I can only imagine going through the shock of seeing how different the world is compared to the one that you are had been raised in! She is a delightful character who comes alive through her story! I look forward to finishing this series and seeing where her story goes.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

About the Author:
Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona:
How Did My Weird High School Years Inspire This Book?
December 1985. The time had finally come. After two months of living in a run-down motel in Rosamond, California, we were finally moving to our own place. Seventeen miles away.
Just off Highway 58, outside Mojave, California (about the place that Alton Gansky’s, Distant Memory opens), a huge billboard loomed. For the curious, it’s still there today. Aqueduct City.
For the record, there was no city. There still isn’t. Just a dirt road or three. Oh, and the aqueduct. In fact, that’s eventually how we got our water—stole it from the California aqueduct.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
At the edge of all those parcels lay our new land. Twenty-two acres of desert sand, creosote, sage, and a tiny, baby Joshua tree at the end of our long, U-shaped dirt driveway.
I took out that sucker with my first attempt at backing down the drive. It looked like a snake had slithered back and forth across the sandy strip of cleared dirt, and somehow I managed to run over the foot-high tree. It wasn’t often I managed to shock my mother speechless. That was one time. I now have mad back-upping skills. Thought you oughtta know.
On that land, my parents put an 18’ travel trailer.
We hauled in water in 55-gallon drum barrels—first from a friend’s house and later from that aqueduct. It was several miles closer. One of those barrels ended up on top of the trailer for showers. The water pressure depended on how full that sucker was. Navy showers? Ever had one? It goes like so:
Turn on water.
Make one slow turn under the water to get all wet.
Turn it off.
Lather up.
Shampoo hair.
Turn on water.

Turn off.
Work conditioner into hair.
Turn on water.

Turn off.
Get out.
Try to stop your teeth from chattering.
For the record, that chattering is no joke. When it’s twenty degrees out there, water gets cold. And we had no way to heat it.
Our plumbing also included a shovel. For… um… other plumbing needs. Winter was the worst and the best time for the call of nature. Worst because, well, 40 mph winds and twenty-degree weather. Best, because no snakes.
We used Coleman propane lanterns, a propane refrigerator (that sat outside our door), and eventually, a gas-powered generator. Once a week, Dad would fire that thing up so I could iron my church clothes. #darkages
For the curious, summer was blistering hot.
No fans (except for stiff cardboard we used arm-power to operate). No air conditioner. Not even a swamp cooler. Mom and I would go into town and read at the library when we just couldn’t take another minute in 112-degree desert heat. She’d drive me to Lancaster so I could go sit in an air-conditioned movie theater and watch another movie. If it came out in 1986 or 1987 and wasn’t pure smut, I probably saw it. Out of self-preservation.
Before long, I’d been relegated to the “porch.” That consisted of a redwood lattice “patio” enclosure in front of the trailer door. (For those who haven’t figured it out yet, I was the dictionary definition of “trailer trash” in some people’s books.) That space was eight feet wide and sixteen feet long.
I had a twin bed out there. When winter came, dad made sleeping out there more bearable by heating huge rocks in one of those 55-gallon drum barrels and wrapping them in old quilts. That went at the foot of my bed to keep my feet warm.
If only the wind hadn’t blown sand into my hair every night…
What does all of this have to do with Past Forward?
Just this. People have often asked why Willow would choose to live without electricity. Some have said you couldn’t live only five miles outside of town and be so isolated and reclusive.
I disagree.
We did it. By choice. Because it’s who my father is. And of all of my characters, Kari Finley, Willow’s mother, is the most like my father. The way Kari taught Willow? That’s exactly how Dad used to teach me—by making it a natural part of life.
I didn’t know it when I wrote the series, but Past Forward really does show exactly what kind of life my father would have chosen to live if he’d ever really considered it. The self-sustaining work, the emphasis on beauty, the isolation—all of it shows the kind of man I call Dad.
If you’d asked me as a kid what I thought of living out there in Mojave, I would have said I hated it. Not only that, I would have believed myself. But if you’d talked to me for a while, you would have figured out that I said that because I was expected to. No one thinks you’ll like living with almost nothing, in the middle of nowhere, especially as a teenager.
Looking back, though, I actually I liked it. Dad. Mom. Me. And Boozer, our dog. I’d tell you about her, but that’s a story for another day. Yeah, I liked my life there “out on the property,” as we called it.
Except for the Mojave green rattlesnakes. Not a fan of those. Not then or today.
Just sayin’.

Blog stops:
Go here for a complete list of blog stops!

Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away a grand prize that includes a complete paperback set of Past Forward & a custom Past Forward Lavender Lemonade candle!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter!

Surrendered Review and Giveaway!

Her father’s will is clear; do what he demands, or lose everything, including guardianship of her younger sister. But there’s a force at work–an evil set on destroying her and her sister. If only she knew whether the enigmatic man helping them is friend–or deadly foe…

After the reading of her father’s will, Tess O’Shay’s panic attacks return. In death, Sean O’Shay is attempting to accomplish what he couldn’t do in life—force Tess to finish her education, a dream she abandoned after being raped on campus. Unless she complies with her father’s wishes, she will lose all claim to the only home she’s ever known as well as to the family business. Worse, she’ll have to give up guardianship of her younger sister to Jake Holland, a secretive man fleeing from his past. Fine! She’ll show Jake and her father. She’ll muster whatever meager energy and strength she has, get her degree, and keep what matters most to her.

No matter what.

Then the man who assaulted her reappears, shattering what little strength she has left. Now she must dig deep to find the remnants of her mustard-seed faith…because that’s the only way she can face the past and right a wrong in order to secure the future.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this story, with it's secrets and surprises! A little bit hard to follow at times, with being in first person and going back and forth between the characters, I still enjoyed how Tess must go back to school in order to fulfill her father's will. It was an unusual story, and her father put Jake in a tough spot, putting him in charge of things until Tess finishes! This is an enjoyable story to pick up, well worth reading.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

About the Author:
Jennifer Sienes holds a degree in both psychology and education but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, writing and romance and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.

More from Jennifer:
Since I was twelve years old, I’ve been writing stories. I even wrote fan-fiction before it was a thing—a Happy Days episode, which I’m sure dates me. I took every creative writing class I could, starting in high school, and even declared journalism as my college major until I realized I like fiction a whole lot more than truth, because I can create the characters any way I like.
Tess O’Shay, the main character in Surrendered, came by way of accident. She was a minor character in my first novel (which will be the last published in the series) and my critique group loved her. They wanted to know if she would have more scenes. She did not. In fact, she was deleted with the rewrites. But I couldn’t get her out of my mind—it was like she’d become a real person and refused to be ignored. I loved writing Surrendered because Tess O’Shay and Jake Holland ran away with the story and it was everything I could do to keep up.
The first two novels I wrote were inspired by actual events—my brother’s suicide in the first and my daughter’s near-fatal car accident in the second. These are dark themes, yet I wanted to present them with humor and hope—both of which have gotten me through some tough circumstances. I strive to create characters my readers can connect with—three-dimensional and human—but also fall in love with. I think the best books are those that leave us wanting more.

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!

Giveaway!
Up for grabs is a $25 gift card to Amazon! Go here to enter.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Tongues of Fire Devotional Review and Giveaway!

A fifty-day devotional for Pentecost featuring the words and teachings of writings of faithful men and women of God, both classic and contemporary authors, regarding the miraculous power available through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. Includes excerpts from Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, William Seymour, Aimee Semple McPhearson, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Andrew Murray, E. W. Kenyon, R. A. Torrey, John Wesley, Mary K. Baxter, Guillermo Maldonado, James Goll, Bill Johnson, and many more. Let this collection of charismatic classics help you to celebrate the wild tongues of fire that signified the coming of Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and be filled anew with the powerful presence of God.

My thoughts: I didn't realize when I first received this book that it was geared towards Pentecostal members. That said, I still got a lot out of this devotional! I enjoyed the melding of modern and historical devotions and thoughts. I feel like, a lot of times, we over look the Holy Spirit and the amazing ministry that it can have in our lives. While I didn't agree with some of this devotional, I still enjoyed it and appreciated the way it made me think more outside the box.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Purchase a book here.
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For a complete list of the blog stops, go here!

Giveaway!
One $20 giftcard to Starbucks in up for grabs! Go here to enter.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Shine the Light Review and Giveaway!

Shannon is out to save the world one caring act at a time. She's stood by her best friend, Amber, through their whole lives especially when Amber lost her sight. She has an active outreach ministry to the homeless and disenfranchised. And she's even let down her guard long enough to let a boyfriend, Justin, into her life.

Her life has settled into a pleasing routine of teaching, freelance photography work, quiet dinners with Justin, and taking Amber on treks to find new subjects for her visionary paintings.

But when a man from her past shows up, her secure world crumbles into triggered PTSD episodes that threaten everything she relies on. Will she be able to overcome these old memories, or will her past crush any hopes she had for a future?

My thoughts: I love that this story is about Shannon, who appeared in the first book about her friend Amber. April does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and dealing with shining the light through difficult situations. Shannon's story is an inspiring one that I enjoyed whole heartedly! I can now highly recommend both this one and Hold the Light.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.


About the Author:
April McGowan loves to read and write inspirational fiction. She and her husband, two children, and her ‘mews’ (three cats!), live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. April is a member of Oregon Christian Writers, the Christian Author’s Network, and American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not writing, homeschooling her son, or playing board games, you might find her at her drum kit, imagining she’s on a world tour. Hey, it could happen.

More from April:

Writing About Tough Subjects—with Hope
I began writing over twenty years ago. And technically I wrote long before that as well. But those pieces were ‘just for fun.’ However, as I look back on my short stories, blog posts, and now my published work, there’s a definite theme: overcoming. Overcoming childhood abuse, overcoming an abusive marriage, overcoming loss—physical and emotional. And those overcoming stories were not about overcoming through our own strength, which is so often flawed and lacking, but by relying on the One who can heal us from every wrong, every hurt, and every loss.
After my first novel, Jasmine, I asked my readers what they’d like me to focus on in my next books—what subjects were overlooked in fiction today? The overwhelming consensus was adoption, loss, and mental illness.
As a contemporary fiction author, I stay current on social issues, so that wasn’t a huge jump for me. My readers saw a gap, and I did, too.
Not that it’s wrong to simply read for entertainment—shoot, I do! But I’ve always loved gripping stories with people I could identify with who were overcoming obstacles I’d faced, or watched a loved one face—stories that offer real hope in the face of tragedy.
So began my journey. In book one of this series, Hold the Light, I wrote about sight loss and adoption. I wrote about best friends who were solidly there for each other in the face of great hardship and pain. And in book two, Shine the Light, I’m doing the same—with a twist.
There’s a lack of representation and writing concerning mental illness and how it affects the sufferer and those around them. There is a stigma that is significantly changing, but it’s something we’re still hesitant to discuss. Myself and many I know are deeply touched by this issue, and I think we’re long past due letting those that suffer from mental illness and their families know that they are not alone. Or if they are, that they don’t have to be.
Book two, Shine the Light, is about Shannon’s life. Her love for the downtrodden, the lost, and the injured. Her passion for the underdog. How she became the stalwart friend she is to Amber in Hold the Light, the obstacles she’s overcome, and those she has to continue to grapple through with God’s help.
As with all of my books, I’ve vetted this story with people who have faced these situations and am very careful to respect their stories as well as staying true to my characters. I hope you’ll dive in and find Shannon to be a deep and real and identifiable character. I hope you’ll discover in her a friend.
I know you’ll grow to love her as I do.
The giveaway: Many of my books are set in Portland, Oregon, and as a celebration of that, I’m offering a giveaway celebrating two of my favorite things about the city: Powell’s books and super good coffee! Also cats…but I can’t give one of those away in a contest! Well…I could try, but I’d probably fall in love with it and never send it to you…so for now, books and coffee!

For a complete list of the blog stops, go here!

Giveaway!
Grand prize giveaway of $20 Powells Gift card, Powells Coffee Mug, and Stumptown Coffee. Go here to enter!

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Gone Too Soon Review and Giveaway!


An icy road. A car crash.
A family changed forever.

Hannah Josephson had always been the “perfect” daughter. Kiera couldn’t live up to her before, and she certainly can’t now that her older sister has died in a car accident. But the image she carried resentfully of Hannah is challenged when she finds her dead sister’s diary and begins to read. Apparently Hannah’s final year wasn’t as perfect as everyone thought.

Caught in a pattern of blaming each other, the Josephson family is falling apart. Their father has left, their mother is mixing opiates and alcohol, little sister Maddie has been shipped off to spend the whole summer with their grandmother, and Kiera feels utterly alone with her grief and anger. A summer job helping at a park in a poor section of town provides a friend and a purpose.

But it’s Hannah’s diary that fills her thoughts. For the first time in years, she feels close to the sister she’s lost. But can the knowledge she gleans about her possibly help her patch back together the family that seems determined to implode?

My thoughts: From a mother's point of view, this was a hard story to read, since I can only imagine how hard it would be to recover from the death of a child! The story is wonderfully written, about a young woman's struggle to come to grips with her sister's untimely death and the different ways her family has handled the loss. When she finds Hannah's diary, she begins to feel closer to her sister than she has in a long time. As she discovers what really happened the last year of her sister's life, she begins to discover herself.
This was a well written story with memorable characters!
I received this book from the publisher. This is my honest review.

Purchase a copy:

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About Melody:
Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, True Colors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody:
I think I’ve written about a hundred or more teen novels, but Gone Too Soon, a rather serious story, is a bit different. There’s no denying I’ve covered a bunch of gritty issues—everything from self-harm to suicide to murder—but I’ve never written a novel quite like this one. For starters, I wrote it from two viewpoints. Both the teenage daughter and her mother express themselves in this story. And because the premise involves an untimely death, the family is torn apart. As a result, there’s a lot of guilt and blame and confusion going around. They’re all in pain.
I’ve been asked several times what “inspired” this story. And I’m sad to say that it’s simply a case of “art imitating life.” I live in a small community where too many young people have died “too soon.” These untimely deaths—for a variety of random and unexplainable reasons—are devastating. I know more than a dozen families (some very close friends) who have tragically lost a child. So I’ve seen up close how it can tear a family apart. It’s truly heartbreaking, often leaving friends and family without words of comfort or explanation.
But that’s not the only reason I wrote this story. My hope is that teens (who often feel invincible) will be reminded that they are mortal and that this earthly life is temporary. Hard as it sounds, death is inevitable. And it’s not that I want everyone to be obsessed about dying, but we do live in a culture that practices denial about the end of a life. No one really wants to talk about it. My hope is that readers will take a hard, honest look, peel back some layers, and face death for what it is—a part of earthly life. And I hope readers will close the book with a little more understanding . . . and hope.

Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Melody is giving away a grand prize of paperback copy of Gone Too Soon and a matching journal!! Go here to enter.

Uniquely Common


Steel sharpens steel, but will its sparks ignite unfailing love?
Instead of living a pampered life on the civilized east coast with a new husband, rejection compels Christina Adams westward with her widowed brother and his two daughters. Harboring ulterior motives, Ethan Cord, the man her brother hires to accompany the family, is more a match for her, and he appears almost perfect, but how could she possibly trust her instincts about him when she’d been so wrong about her previous fiancé? Will her past ruin her future?

My thoughts: Caryl writes another enjoyable, historical read with Uniquely Common! I love how Christina winds up leaving the safety of the East Coast to travel to California with her family. I enjoyed her story, as she got to know Ethan, and then the additional stories of her niece and widowed brother. This is a wonderful book to pick up and enjoy!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.
Click here to purchase your copy.


This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author:
Award-winning author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and her best-selling novels—over forty published—delight Christian readers around the world. The prolific writer also enjoys singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube. Sharing four children and eighteen grandsugars with Ron, her high-school-sweetheart-husband of fifty years, she lives in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas. The McAdoos wait expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl:
I’m so excited about this year’s Lockets and Lace story! I’ve fallen in love with its characters. Asher and his sister Christina, his girls Samantha and Patricia, and his friend, Ethan Cord is certainly a man’s man though he has a checkered past to overcome.
His wife dies in childbirth, leaving him with two little girls, then when his parents pass, too, what’s to tie Asher Adams to New York?
His younger sister Christina is about to be settled into her new life, married and well cared for, so there’s nothing holding the wine merchant back from his dreams of owning a vineyard in the Napa Valley. He decides a new life in the west is the best thing for him and his daughters.
Then at the last minute, the family is turned upside down when the rogue engaged to Christina dumps her and calls the wedding off. Asher’s already sold the brownstone. She suddenly has nowhere to go and no one to watch over her if he leaves.
She never wanted to, but he insists her only choice is to go with them, accompany him and her nieces and make her new life in California . . . and he knows the perfect man for her, too!
One thing I love about this book is that as it draws to its end in Saint Joseph, Missouri, a new young woman is introduced, Remi, and her book—my May ‘Prairie Roses Collection’ story REMI—continues with the Adams family and segues into a new romance!
I hope readers will love that as well, praying my story gives God glory!

Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away
Grand Prize $50 Amazon Gift Card
1st Place – Print copy of UNIQUELY COMMON
2nd place – eBook copy of UNIQUELY COMMON
3rd place – Choice eBook of Caryl’s FORTY+ titles!!
Go here to enter!

Issac's Ice Cream Tree


Isaac loves the sugar maple in his yard, and he can't help but feel bad for it when its branches are winter-bare. He decides to give it a gift...and is surprised when the tree returns the favor in the new morning snow, presenting him with balls of...ice cream!

But how long can the magic last with spring on the horizon?

This magical exploration through the colors of the rainbow, the days of the week, and some of our favorite fruits is sure to delight readers of all ages!

My thoughts: My kids and I love this book! It is such a fun story about a young boy who figures out that his tree can make ice cream on it's own, which livens up the winter and makes him want the cold weather to last! This is such a fun, imaginative story for young readers. My kids enjoyed this story and wish that they had a tree just like it.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.



God doesn't have a favorite color...
God made fish, bugs, birds, and kids in many different shades. All colors of kids are wonderful, and you are one of His fantastic colorful children! In the picture book When God Made Color, the wonders of Creation are spread out before you in all the glories of the rainbow: the deep purples and blues of night, the bright yellows of day, and the pinks and oranges of flowers. And of course, the colors of all the creatures...including us! The brilliantly-colored illustrations will inspire parent and child alike as together they explore the wonders of God's incredible universe. The paintings and text interact visually, creating a heartwarming Listen-Look-Locate experience.

My thoughts: This is a delightful book on creation and when God made colors. My children enjoyed this storybook, though we were surprised at how many words there are for such a short book. If you have real young children, it may take them a while to grow into this story. That said, we enjoyed it tremendously and can use it when working on colors.
I received this book through Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Purchase a copy:

This post contains affiliate links.

About the Authors:
Angela Henderson resides in Dallas, Texas, where she teaches middle school English Language Arts & Reading and is a mother of three. Exploring children’s books for twelve years with her own children during numerous “story times” at the local library and reading hundreds of books to her children, her passion for quality children’s literature led her to write her own work. After creating her blog and Facebook page, Kidsbook Friends, and her Instagram, Instabooks, she’s been able to share her love of literature with over a thousand followers by featuring authors and books. She’s thrilled to introduce her own creative story where magical moments lead to positive perspectives.



Sheri Carmon seeks to incorporate the beauty of the Lord’s heart, His ways and His love in her writing for children. As an author, her goal is to shine His light through stories. In the past she has published poetry and inspirational compositions with both Blue Mountain Arts and The Group Publishing. Sheri has always cared for the individual needs of families and spent fifteen marvelous, fast-paced years in real estate, specializing in family friendly homes. She and her husband have helped facilitate whole church Bible-reading programs in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. They make their home in Colorado, on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, where they’re surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation every day.


More from Angela:Why children’s books? After all, I teach young teens. Well, my reasons:
I love art, and reading children’s books is like looking at an artist’s showcase of creativity!
* Shout out to my amazing illustrator, Rachael Koppendrayer!
I love to dream up the impossible, and you can make anything happen in a children’s book!
I love togetherness and nothing brings a family together like a good book.
As I read picture books with my kiddos, the teacher in me wanted to instruct too. I created a blog (www.kidsbookfriends.com) so teachers, librarians and parents could have little lessons to help them “make friends” with the characters in the stories I featured. Surrounded by such inspiration from these books and my kiddos, I started writing my own manuscripts when my kids were all under age five, mainly sketches of thoughts until I had segments of time where I could construct stories.
After several years of attending SCBWI conferences; connecting with writers; creating manuscripts & editing and revising, editing and revising (you see a pattern?!); and submitting them to publishers, Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree was accepted for publication and was released January 15, 2019, by Whitefire Publishing! (It’s a process!!!)
The message embedded in this colorful, magical story expresses a very real part of my heart as it’s our family motto: “Always remember to look for the rainbow.” My kids and I both literally and figuratively practice this principle, rushing out after every rain to see if the sky is painted with a bow as well as trying to find the good that comes through the storms of life.
Through my journey, I’ve experienced much loss through moving many times, caring for my mother during her dying days, and losing my husband through divorce. Yet in it all, God redeems and uses each pain and joy like brush strokes on a canvass, reminding us of His unfailing promises while creating a masterpiece.
Creativity, imagination, inspiration . . . make magical moments.
Gather together. Dream the impossible. Embrace the colors. . . as I introduce you to a new friend, Isaac! Excited to share this story with you. . . and my next one . . . and the one after that. . . until we have many new kindred spirits . . .together.
Click here for a fee printable coloring page.
Click here to learn the story behind the story.
More from Sheri
A child asks, “Who am I?”
Creation Vs. Evolution – The big battle. Many public schools are presenting Evolution as fact and not theory. They leave no room for the concept of Creation. Our little ones are not creatures descended from animals, they are Children of God, created in His image. This is our identity and our children’s Identity and it makes all the difference in how we see ourselves, how we see others and how we engage in the world. Our identity is made clear in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 NIV. As Christian parents and grandparents, we are charged with teaching, encouraging and bringing forth our family line for the LORD. The new picture book When God Made Color, with its awe inspiring illustrations, is about our true identity and about the joyful, loving God who created us and the whole universe – a universe that is still expanding – Isn’t He just amazing?
Click here to view a special video.

Giveaway!
To celebrate their tour, Angela and Sheri is giving away a grand prize of The Great Color Giveaway Package that includes a$25 gift card from Amazon, Rainbow ice-cream cups with colored spoons, a paperback copy of Issacs’s Ice Cream Tree, a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble,
Crayola Washable Kids’ Paint – 12 count original and glitter paint (see attached image), and a paperback copy of When God Made Color!! Click here to enter.