Above the Fold

Confined behind a secretarial desk at her father’s struggling newspaper, Elissa Tillman longs for her father and the world to take her seriously—not just as a suffragette, but also as a full-fledged journalist.
Cole Parker regrets the day he’d abandoned Pittsburgh to chase a high-profile journalism job in New York, but now he’s returned to the steel city to amend his mistakes and win back the woman he once spurned.
The murder of a millionaire offers the perfect chance for Elissa to nab the headline and prove her skills. But there’s a catch. To get her story above the fold, she must compete for it. Her rival is none other than Cole Parker, the very man who shattered her heart.

My thoughts: Excellent debut novel! I enjoyed the setting and the characters, especially the setting, since I use to dream of being a journalist when I was in high school. Elissa steals the show with her unconventional dreams of working as more than a secretary in the newspaper business, I really enjoyed reading how her character blossoms through the course of the story. I loved the sparks and snappy dialog that fly between her and Cole. I can't wait to see what Rachel writes next!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

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About the Author:

Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids. Rachel can be found online at www.RachelScottMcDaniel.com and on all social media platforms.

More from Rachel
What does the classic movie His Girl Friday, famous mystery writer Agatha Christie, and my husband’s grandfather all have in common? They were all used as inspiration for my debut novel Above the Fold.
His Girl Friday is one of my favorite stories. This movie captures the thrill of the newspaper world—that drive within the reporter’s heart to get the scoop, that hum of activity from the newsroom to the firing of the presses, and that inescapable pursuit to beat out the opposing paper. But what I loved most about this movie was the chemistry between the two main characters. They share a romantic history. In turn, there is major tension, but man oh man is there spark! So this triggered my creative mind. What would happen if I switched the roles and had the heroine be the one that gets jilted? What if I set this story in the 1920s when the profession of journalism was male-dominated? What if I add some more mystery? Cue Agatha Christie.
My husband and I love Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series. Did you know that she wrote over 74 books? That’s staggering to me. My mind reels at how intricate and varied all her plots are. My husband and I would try to guess who the murderer was at the beginning of a story and more often than not, we were wrong! On one particular night we were watching a PBS version of Miss Marple and an idea struck me. What if I changed my story to go this route? What if I made this person the villain instead of that one? The idea that came to me had nothing to do with the story we’d been watching, but one thing that’d been said flickered a light in me. I love it when that happens! And I also love it when I can incorporate pieces of my personal life into the book. This brings me to the biggest inspiration of the story—my husband’s grandpa.
Grandpa Jay Lewis had two loves in his life—his wife and the newspaper press. He’d started working for the local newspaper during his early teens and made his way up the ranks until he became the press foreman. Here’s a picture of Jay when he was in his early 20s. The hat shown was made of folded newsprint paper and worn to keep the ink from dripping on his head. But the expression in this picture says it all—the press was his happy place. He’d worked with the presses for over five decades, until he no longer had the strength. In 2004, he passed away, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of many. So in tribute to Jay and his great passion for the newspaper world, I included him in the cast of characters. I only hope I was able to capture his zeal.
So there you have it. Inspiration came to me in a myriad of ways, but they all worked together to bring you a story that I pray delights your heart.

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!

To celebrate her giveaway, Rachel is giving away the grand prize package of an Autographed Paperback copy of Above the Fold, A Custom Newspaper-Themed Book Cozy, An Above the Fold vintage-style bookmark!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link here to enter.


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Your Highest Calling

God has a glorious purpose for His people. And those who understand this will rule and reign with Jesus for eternity.

God, in the eternal past, planned for mankind to live on the earth and fulfill a great purpose in the eternal future. Bishop Hamon, a pioneer of restoration in the Church, stands firmly on biblical truth as he explores that great purpose: being conformed to the likeness of Jesus. By tracking the eight major reasons God created human beings, Dr. Hamon tackles the hard issues believers face as the highest race in the universe--including the problem of pain. It is only as we understand the process through which God conforms us to the likeness of His Son that we accomplish our highest calling.

My thoughts: I haven't read any of Dr. Hamon's other books, but I still enjoyed this book and the testimonies that he had in it from a life lived serving the Lord. I especially enjoyed the stories he told about marrying his wife and what seemed like a beautiful example of marriage. Having a family history of pregnancy induced hypertension and preeclampsia, I really marveled at the testimony of their moving and discovering his wife had preeclampsia with their third child. It's an amazing testimony of how God works miracles!
I received this book from Chosen publishers. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

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In Want and Plenty

Although our circumstances vary, we all ache with a longing for something more. We are born with dreams, and some of us even have detailed plans about how to make them happen. Yet we all come to a point in life when we realize that we are not in control. A loved one gets sick, a tragedy occurs, our plans backfire. What we may not realize is that even if we can't depend on our circumstances or even ourselves, there is One who will always provide what we need, just when we need it.

With compassion and enthusiasm, Meredith McDaniel invites you to walk alongside God's people in Exodus as they wake up each morning to manna, God's provision for them in desert places. As she unfolds their story of complete dependence on their Creator, you'll discover through guided journaling how God is providing for you right now, where you are in your own unique story. Along the way, you will develop a comforting awareness that you are seen, guided, protected, and filled by a good God in the person of Jesus.

My thoughts: I really appreciated this book! I like how Meredith's thoughts run parallel with the story of Moses. I appreciated the stories that she shared from her years of counseling, as well as her own personal stories. This book deals with a lot of relevant issues like finding your group (I kind of love the idea of going out with a group of moms and having the kids sit at a separate table! lol. I'm not sure that my kids are quite there though) and dealing with self image. I highly recommend this book!
I received this book from Revell. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

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When Your Voice Became Mine

For all those who have lost hope and purpose, and for all those who hurt deep inside from loss, author Celeste Bowers wishes she could spare you from pain, just as she hoped she could shield her own ten-year-old daughter, Christina, from the storms.
Although she can’t protect you from life’s tragedies, Celeste can tell you this—and she is proof of this—no matter how hard you fall or how much you ache, God will lift you up with new purpose. He will carry you out of the weeping waves and safely to shore.
Celeste has been sending “packages” to heaven since her daughter passed away on May 29, 2005. What she never fathomed were the gifts sent back to deeply define her.
In a moment, Christina’s voice became hers. In that same moment, she knew “there is a mailbox in heaven.”

My thoughts: In When Your Voice Became Mine, wife and mother Celeste Bowers shares what her family went through with her daughter's short battle with cancer. I thought that this book was excellent and heartfelt, and really appreciated how she shared both her own journey as well as several friends she has met along the way who have lost a loved one to cancer. My family can relate to some of the message shared in this book, since we lost my sister in law to a relatively short battle with cancer. It was our hope of things to come that got us through that difficult time, which is what Celeste shares as well. I was struck by how mature Christina was. This is an excellent book to pick up!
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 here:

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About the author:
Celeste Bowers has been blessed with gifts of writing, teaching, coaching, making people laugh, and being a mom. These gifts held crucial roles when her daughter, Christina, was diagnosed with cancer. Every gift Celeste received from God is tied together in her words. Packages bundled in love and filled with life lessons are sent to heaven in her first book, If There’s a Mailbox in Heaven. Christina’s testimony and Celeste’s newfound purpose are now joined together in When Your Voice Became Mine.

More from Celeste
Time is such a fragile commodity. When someone we love passes away,
we want the whole world to stop moving and acknowledge what truly
matters at that moment—but we also want time to fly so we don’t have
to endure another day without our loved ones. What helped me move
gently through time was nothing that came about by my own means. Instead, I have trusted God wholeheartedly to navigate my path.

Time does not exist in heaven. Since heaven is our real home, I
will not allow time to consume me here on earth; instead, I choose
to use my precious time wisely. I have been sending “packages” to heaven—letters that I write
to my ten-year-old daughter Christina—since she passed away on May 29, 2005. Each one is
tied with my hopes, wishes, and newfound purpose. What I never
fathomed were the gifts from above that would be sent back to me.
In a moment, Christina’s voice became mine. In that same moment,
I knew there is a mailbox in heaven.

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!

Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Celeste is giving away the grand prize package of a signed copy of each of her books, along with a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link here to enter.

A Promise Child

She can’t survive the ‘30s alone…
Sibyl Trimble does everything she can to keep her family together. Before falling in love with a handsome, penniless hobo, she lived a life of new cars, speakeasies dances, and fancy cloche hats.
Then the Great Depression hits Oklahoma. The wind blows topsoil away, hundreds of jobless men hang around town, and the economy falls apart. Even Fremont, her strong, stable husband, grows discouraged and considers leaving as they struggle to put food on the table.
When disaster strikes again, will Sibyl and Fremont move on to California or try to survive in Oklahoma? Neither option sounds promising.

My thoughts: Kathryn continues the story of her grandmother, Sibyl Trimble Pope from A Promise to Break in A Promise Child. After settling down with Fremont, the two struggle through the Depression with their young children. A lot of difficult decisions come their way, and they experience a heartbreaking disaster. I appreciated that Kathryn writes about their struggles with life and faith. While they didn't live through an easy time, their faith is beautiful. This is an interesting novel based on true events.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Purchase a copy here:



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About the Author:
Kathryn Spurgeon, an award-winning author and recipient of a 2018 Illumination Book Award, has published over a hundred stories, articles, and poems. She grew up on an Oklahoma farm before moving to South Korea, where she adopted two children. She and her husband, Bill, hold weekly studies in their home for international college students. They have six children and twelve grandchildren.

More from Kathryn
Researching and writing about the 1930s has been a blast, and although it was the economically worst decade of the last century, faith, love, and life went on. It has been fun to glimpse into that historical time and find amazing and uplifting stories.
Sibyl Trimble, my grandmother and the ever up-and-down, emotional but brilliant lady, did her best to create a great family environment. Seeking God, she also studied, taught, and shared about Christ in the midst of heartaches. Based on a true story, I hope this tale will inspire, uplift, and bring a touch of nostalgia to your day.
The strength and courage Sibyl revealed can encourage us all and I am honored to share her tale with you.

For a complete list of blog stops, go here.

The Duke's Refuge

When love comes in a tempest, who knew it would wear pink?
Georgia Lennox has traded in her boyish ways for pink gowns and a coy smile to capture the eye of the Earl of Claremont. However, on the day she’s convinced the earl will propose, Georgia is shipped off to the Leeward Islands to care for her ailing father. But when she arrives on Nevis, the last thing she expects is to learn that her abrupt departure was not at her father’s bidding but that of the infuriating, yet captivating, island schoolmaster. And now her plans may well be shipwrecked.
Harrison Wells is haunted by the memories of his deceased wife and hunted by the subsequent women who aspire to be the next Duchess of Linton. Desiring anonymity, he finds sanctuary in the Leeward island of Nevis. He’s willing to sacrifice his ducal title for a schoolmaster’s life and the solace the island provides. That is until unrest finds its way to Nevis in a storm of pink chiffon—Miss Georgia Lennox.
As Georgia and Harrison’s aspirations break apart like a ship cast upon the rocks, a new love surfaces, but secrets and circumstances drag them into rough waters. Can they surrender their hearts to a love that defies their expectations?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book and the glimpse of history that it provides the reader with! It was fascinating to go on a voyage across the ocean with Georgia as she trades in England for the Leeward Islands. I cheered for Georgia as her search for her father turned into a search to find the girl who had become a bit lost under the pink gowns and proper ways. This is an enjoyable story about growing up and finding forgiveness.
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 here:

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About the Author:
Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. Find her online at www.lorridudley.com.

More from Lorri
After being buried under the largest snowfall in Massachusetts history, I wrote The Duke’s Refuge as an escape to warmer tropical climates, and what better respite than a romantic Caribbean isle with a mysteriously missing Duke? In the process I fell in love with the beauty of Nevis, it’s rich culture, and history.
My heroine Georgia lured me in the moment I realized she only wore pink. My psychology background had me digging deeper. I needed to know why. Why the obsession? What was the root behind the hurt? Why pink? How did she go from being a Tomboy to a dignified, Regency socialite? And how did she wind up in the Leeward Islands? Enter her beloved, sick father who always saw Georgia’s potential even when it was hidden under boy’s clothing and often smelled of marsh. Although, he held the best of intentions, his relocating to Nevis left Georgia with deep abandonment issues.
Harrison was a completely different beast. After reading about Mudlarks who trolled the Thames River searching for treasure and even picking the pockets of dead people washed up on the shores, I knew Harrison’s would wind up caked in the Thames’s thick mud and devastated at the loss of his wife. The Leeward island became not only a reprieve from his grief but also from the women who snuck into his carriage or cornered him at parties clamoring to become the next Duchess.
Oddly enough, part of the story formed when a friend of mine spoke of their family trip to visit his mother. She happened to own a parrot, and after a week of the kids yelling each other’s names, the parrot imitated their shrieking. Even long after they returned to the U.S. the bird still screeched out their names. I couldn’t resist adding a mimicking parrot to add a comical element and harass my main characters.
The Duke’s Refuge is meant to be a fish-out-of-water, case-of-mistaken-identity, love triangle romance with a happily-ever-after. It demonstrates how God’s love fervently pursues us, no matter how far we run, and that sometimes, something we would never have chosen can bless us in a way we would never have expected.
To learn more, check out my website at lorridudley.com or click here to watch The Duke’s Refuge’s book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D65yeAhswnI&feature=emb_logo

For a complete list of blog stops, go here!

Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Lorri is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link here to enter.

Murder in the Courthouse

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Murder at the Courthouse by Meghan Carver, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Murder at the Courthouse

Series: Grace Pointe Cozy Mystery #1

Author: Meghan Carver

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Release Date: October 28, 2019



The first book in the Grace Pointe Cozy Mystery Series!



“Fiction is a waste of time.”



The heated comment made by a church library ministry team member shocks MacKenzie Baker, but it quickly becomes the least of her worries. 




MacKenzie Baker is an impetuous, eavesdropping small-town librarian who lives in the apartment above the parsonage garage and refuses to be defined as the pastor’s single sister. She thought she was happy for years re-shelving books and helping patrons find their next great read, but as she turns forty, she suddenly struggles to figure out what more to do with her life. Solving murders in her small town of Grace Pointe wasn’t a part of her plan...until she and her brother find a local judge who had come to Pastor Baker for counseling murdered in his chambers, hit over the head with a massive volume of the Indiana Code.



Now, to clear the name of a family friend, she begins to work with the handsome criminal justice professor Ian Canter. Even though the detective with the chocolate brown eyes tells her to stick with making casseroles for the church pitch-in, she soon discovers the Judge’s scheming wife, his rebellious teen daughter, a network of lawyers in Grace Point who were disgruntled with the Judge, and even secrets that lurk among the library ministry team. But with the help of her new kitten Mr. Darcy, her best friend Callie, and her always-pastoring brother, MacKenzie debates the pros and cons of attending law school mid-life while she searches out a killer.



Welcome to Grace Pointe… where most of the people are friendly, the church is to die for, and the sleuthing is as strong as the coffee.



PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon

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My thoughts: I enjoyed getting to know MacKenzie and the characters in this story and look forward to seeing where the series goes! I hope her best friend will get her own book soon.
The mystery is a cozy style one. I enjoyed it, but would of liked for more of it be fleshed out, since I felt like it wrapped up quickly. I also would of liked to see more character development with MacKenzie's relationships. I did think that her character was well developed, as she faces some tough questions and turns to God about where she should be at that stage in her life. I look forward to returning to Grace Point again!
I received this book from Just Read. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By sixth grade, Meghan Carver knew she wanted to write. After earning a degree in English from Millikin University, she detoured to law school, earning a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University. She then worked in immigration law and taught Comp 101 at the local college. Now, she homeschools her six children with her college professor husband, writing her stories of cozy mystery and romantic suspense in the nooks and crannies of her time. Her debut novel hit the Publisher's Weekly Bestseller list. When she isn't writing, homeschooling, or planning the family's next travel adventure, she is active in her church, sews for her kidlets, and reads.



CONNECT WITH MEGHAN: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a Cozy Mystery Prize Pack including a “I’d rather be reading a cozy mystery” tee-shirt – size and color to be determined by winner, a signed paperback of Murder at the Courthouse, and $10 Amazon gift card!

(Tee Sizes: small – xxx-large, colors: white, red, gray, pink, or green)

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 14, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on January 21, 2020. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

 

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

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