Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Courting Country

One Secret Love + One Misdirection and Multiple Situationships = Courting Country

Taggart Bauman has secretly loved Kylie Gordon since they were young, but she married his best friend. When Kylie is widowed, Taggert promises to take care of her. And even though he could be free to profess his love, he chooses to keep his feelings a secret. If Kylie knew that he’d failed to save her husband, she’d never forgive him. He knows, because he can’t forgive himself.

After being alone for so long, Kylie believes an online dating service is her last chance at finding love. But she continually finds herself in “situationships” that require Taggert to rescue her. When at last she reconnects with Eldon Wenz, an old friend from their college years, she thinks perhaps this is finally her second chance at love…but just in case, she asks Taggert to accompany her when she travels to Eldon’s ranch.

But sometimes things are not what they seem, and when one more situationships crops up, Taggart vents his resentment and tells Kylie she needs to work out the choices she’s making.

Will Taggart lose Kylie forever, friendship and all, or will Kylie realize that what she’s been searching for has been right in front of her the whole time?

My thoughts: I enjoy stories that are about couples that start out as friends, so I was excited to read this story! I felt bad for Taggart and the guilt he carries around from not being able to save his friend, leaving Kylie a widow. I also felt bad for him as he put his friendship first and bailed Kylie after situationship after situationship. Reading the story play out was quite a ride! This is a sweet romance to pick up and enjoy.

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! This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, are available on Amazon. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author.

More from LoRee

Whenever I’m asked to write about myself, I groan silently. I love reading and gaining insight into other authors, but always wonder what’s interesting about me. Just now, I glanced down at the few left-handed fingertips I’m using on my keyboard.

I am right-handed, but at this moment in mid-October, 2020 and for four more weeks, my right arm is in an immobilizer. I have strict orders not to use the arm at all. Here’s what happened…

Pain struck on Mother’s Day. I’d applied eye makeup for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown began in March. I lowered my arm and the stab took me to my knees. I’m used to something always hurting due to fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, and I have a high pain tolerance. If I’m nauseated I know the pain is high, and that sudden ice pick that didn’t abate was eight on the pain chart, which caused me to be sick to my stomach all day.

Good comes out of tribulation. I spent hours in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. One of those early mornings, probably between two and three, I picked up a yellow legal pad and praised the Lord through what I later called LoRee’s psalms. Many could be considered lamentations, but if I began downhearted, I ended noting how good my heavenly Father is to me.

I have no room for complaints. I’ve never asked “Why?” Patience grew in that waiting room of my heart. I learned I could write, rather print, with my left hand. I set aside my fictional story to honor my Savior. And I became humble, since I needed my husband to be my right hand.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 4

Britt Reads Fiction, February 4

Godly Book Reviews, February 5

Sara Jane Jacobs, February 6

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 8

Simple Harvest Reads, February 9 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 9

deb’s Book Review, February 10

Inklings and notions, February 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 12

For Him and My Family, February 13

Artistic Nobody, February 14 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Labor Not in Vain, February 15

Texas Book-aholic, February 16

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, LoRee is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of Hiding from Christmas, a bluebird charm, a cardinal figure, and book bling!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1070e/courting-country-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

A Worthy Heart

Joel Bennett has always known Serena Hayes as his sister’s gregarious best friend. In the three years since Lacey began college, Serena became a regular houseguest, but lately, she’s absent more than not. When Joel discovers she’s in an abusive relationship, protectiveness from within roars to life.

With only a part-time job to support her and nowhere to go, Serena fears leaving her current relationship would jeopardize her chances of graduating college. After a brutal attack leaves her no choice, she courageously moves out. On her journey toward regaining confidence, self-worth, and independence, Joel falls in beside her, encouraging her. The way he emulates Godly love and compassion draws her close–not just to him, but to the God who can satisfy her longing for love better than any man,

Attraction sizzles between them, but events from their pasts cast shadows of doubt. When the unthinkable happens, can Serena open her heart to a second chance at love, or is she destined to be alone?

My thoughts: I thought that the author did an excellent job of tackling some difficult subjects, the big one being the abusive relationship that Serena is in at the start of the story. I would warn that there are some situations with that relationship that might be a trigger for those who have been in a similar situation.

I thought that this story was well written and loved getting to know the characters, as they grew in their relationship, both with Christ and each other. There is a bit of suspense to the story, but the relationship part is the best part of the book. This is a wonderful, contemporary Christian fiction story 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! This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

Sara Beth Williams is a wife, mother of two daughters, and temporary caretaker of a lovable old lady and a spunky Pomeranian-Shih Tzu mix. She lives in Northern California. When she’s not held hostage by the keyboard, she enjoys music, teaching, reading and spending time with her family. She is all about connecting with readers! Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Bookbub and AllAuthor.

More from Sara Beth

Can I tell you a secret? When writing a new manuscript, book titles for me either come immediately, or they take years – literally – to develop into something catchy and strong. A Worthy Heart came to me almost immediately. I had no hesitation, because I knew what I wanted the story’s message to be.

Whereas the titles for my first and third book took over a year of going back and forth, with much indecision, A Worthy Heart resonated perfection.

What do you think makes a strong, unique title? I love titles with double meanings. I felt like A Worthy Heart truly captured both the romantic feel of the storyline, and the spiritual message of the storyline simultaneously. And I absolutely love when that happens!

I truly hope you enjoy Joel and Serena’s story, and I hope you can decipher both meanings in the title. More than that, I hope you take those three words to heart, because those three words are exactly what God believes about every single one of you.

Happy reading,

Sara Beth Williams

Blog Stops

A Baker’s Perspective, February 4 (Author Interview)

Rebecca Tews, February 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 5

Texas Book-aholic, February 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 7

For Him and My Family, February 8

deb’s Book Review, February 9

Inklings and notions, February 10

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 11

Artistic Nobody, February 12 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 13

By The Book, February 14 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 14

Sara Jane Jacobs, February 15

Happily Managing a House of Boys, February 16

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sara is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of A Worthy Heart!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1071f/a-worthy-heart-celebration-tour-giveaway

Gen SeXYZ

“Corrupt the young. Get them away from religion. Encourage their interest in sex.…”—Vladimir Lenin, 1921, How to Destroy the West

Going through each of the prophetic statements made by Lenin in 1921 shows why America is where it is today. Only 4 percent of Gen Z think about life through a biblical lens. To them, sexuality is more important than friends, family, or their faith.

Jeff Grenell’s goal in Gen SeXYZ: Love, Sexuality & Youth is to reach youth, youth leaders, and the church with a message that kicks the devil to the curb and restores sexuality to its God-given origins.

When the church failed to respond to the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the present one of the 21st century, its role in society crumbled. The media stopped censoring, the government redefined marriage, schools taught progressive sex education, and the list of genders grew. We’ve experienced generational loss because we’ve gotten further away from the source of our original knowledge of sexuality: the Bible.

Jeff points out that our understanding of sexuality must be anchored to the fact that God is love and the devil stole sex. He provides direct quotations from teenagers and leaders, practical knowledge, and tools to launch a spiritual revolution of love and truth that will grow the church to reach younger generations and combat the loveless, godless sexuality ethic in our culture that’s misleading them.

My thoughts: This book does a great job of tackling hard issues for teens, parents, and those in the ministry, especially those who work with the youth. Times have changed so much, even since I was a kid, and the youth of today are facing an increasingly changing world. This book is a great reference book to have on hand to help open up the lines of communication in a loving way on difficult subjects. This is a wonderful book to pick up for the teens in your life!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Purchase a copy here! This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

Jeff Grenell is a nationally recognized youth ministry veteran who inspires youth leaders across denominations.

After four decades in youth leadership, Jeff and his late wife, Jane, founded ythology to both reach and teach youth and train youth leaders to prepare the next generations to lead in the church and the world.
He served as a youth pastor at churches in Michigan and Ohio, taught at North Central University’s Church Leadership School, and has traveled around the world to teach youth ministry and development at large churches, conventions, universities, and leadership training conferences.

Jeff attended Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, where he received his B.A. in Communications and Theology and his M.A. in Organizational Leadership.
He is the older brother of Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany. The father of three adult children, Jeff makes his home in Minneapolis.

More from Jeff

Corrupt the young. Check. Gen Z has a 4 percent biblical worldview. Get them away from religion. Check. Only 25 percent of Gen Z sees attending church as “very important.” Encourage their interest in sex. Check. Cause the breakdown of the old moral virtues like honesty, sobriety, and self-restraint. Check.

We could go on through each of these prophetic statements from Lenin in 1921 and see why America is where it is today.

XYZ

Just look at the title of the book. This project is a compilation of the sexuality handoff from Generation X (the adult parents of young people today), to Generation Y (the Millennials), and finally to Generation Z (teenagers and early twenty-somethings). We can learn a lot from this generational handoff—mostly that it has failed to pass the Christian faith along to the following generation.

The narrative throughout this book is a clear picture of how we have gotten here as a nation: by abandoning God as the center of our lives in the past few generations. And while we will do some commentary about Generation X and their influence upon our society, most of this study is about the Generation Y/Millennial and the Generation Z young people in America.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 6

Fiction Book Lover, February 7 (Spotlight)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 7

Texas Book-aholic, February 8

Booksy, February 9 (Spotlight)

Inklings and notions, February 10

For the Love of Literature, February 11 (Spotlight)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 12

Through the Fire Blogs, February 13 (Spotlight)

For Him and My Family, February 14

Blossoms and Blessings, February 15 (Spotlight)

Artistic Nobody, February 15 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 16

Splashes of Joy, February 17 (Spotlight)

deb’s Book Review, February 18

Simple Harvest Reads, February 19 (Spotlight)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Jeff is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10710/gen-sexyz-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, February 8, 2021

Read the Bible with Adventures in Odessey!

Celebrate public reading of the Bible with a brand new 30-day Bible reading plan, read to you by some of your favorite Adventures in Odyssey characters! Listen along as Whit, Connie, and Jason read to you from God’s Word. Each reading is the perfect length to listen to during a family meal, car ride, or anytime! Be encouraged by God’s word and grow in your faith in 2021. Available now. https://bit.ly/3iUfweZ

My children love Adventures in Odessey, so we are enjoying this new feature!

The Least of These

Journalist Scott Harrington sets out to write a documentary on the lives of three homeless men. He hopes to win a prestigious award and his father’s respect. In the process, he uncovers stories of heartbreak, trauma, and rejection, causing him to revisit his own tragic past and the guilty secret that he holds.

Claire Bassett has been searching for her husband who went missing a year ago. The attentions of another man cause her to question if she should continue to search or move on with her life. As Scott and Claire’s stories overlap, will there be restoration or rejection?

My thoughts: Kathleen Neely does a wonderful job of using this book to remind us that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, that we are called to serve "the least of these". I loved how she did that with this fiction story that will get you thinking. The characters that Scott uncovers as he pursues writing a documentary are a delight to get to know. This is a wonderful, unique story to pick up and enjoy!

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! This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

Kathleen Neely is the author of The Street Singer, Beauty for Ashes, and The Least of These. Her fourth novel, True North, will be released in July, 2021. She is a former elementary teacher. Following her years in the classroom, she moved into administration, serving as an elementary principal at Eden Christian Academy in Pittsburgh, PA and at Shannon Forest Christian School in Greenville, SC. Kathleen is an alumnus of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and Regent University in Virginia.

Among her writing accomplishments, Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions. She continues to speak to students about writing. Kathleen is a member of Association of Christian Fiction Writers.

She resides in Greenville, SC with her husband, two cats, and one dog. She enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.

More from Kathleen

I’ve always been an avid reader, but began writing at a period in my life when I didn’t have time to commit. While raising three sons, I also worked full time as a teacher, then later as an elementary principal. That left little time for writing. I’d plug away at my manuscript then neglect it for months. Those months became years. Every now and then, I would pull it out, re-read it, then add a little to it.

When nearing retirement, a local ministry hosted Michael Yankoski as a keynote speaker. It prompted me to read his true story titled Under the Overpass, an account of his intentional decision to live among the homeless to share their story. This so closely mirrored my fictional account of journalist Scott Harrington. I found myself inspired to pull out the abandoned manuscript and get serious. I joined a writing group, attended conferences, and met with two other writers weekly to critique and be critiqued. That manuscript, The Least of These, went on to win first place in the fiction category of a contest titled Fresh Voices.

Scott, the protagonist in The Least of These, has a complex personality. He has defied the path that his father planned for him, yet remains burdened by his father’s disappointment. He lives in the shadow of his deceased brother and carries a secret that weighs heavily on his conscience. If he could win a Pulitzer or another top journalism award, perhaps he’d earn his father’s respect. But his altruistic nature sidelines his goal. The homeless men he intends to write about become real people with real needs. Little did he know that their circumstances would brush up against his own guilt.

Here’s a brief excerpt of a scene between Scott and Stella:

“Scott. Look at me.” She touched my hands to move them from my face. “Look at me. You were fifteen years old. You were a child—a child placed in a terrible situation. You’d lost the intimacy with your brother, the only person you’d ever had a relationship with. You had a domineering father and an absent mother. Don’t carry this burden of guilt. It’s not yours. Put it where it belongs. Your brother made bad choices. Your parents didn’t parent well. A fifteen-year-old kid can’t be expected to handle the gravity of that situation.”

That’s a smidgeon of what’s ahead in the pages of The Least of These. I invite you to join me in the journey. Meet Claire, a wife whose husband has gone missing. Tyler, whose mother abandoned him; and Stella, a successful bistro owner whose unrequited love begins losing hope.

Happy reading!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 2

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 3

Artistic Nobody, February 4 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Texas Book-aholic, February 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 8

Inklings and notions, February 9

SusanK. Beatty, Author, February 10 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 10

For Him and My Family, February 11

deb’s Book Review, February 12

Rebecca Tews, February 13

Sara Jane Jacobs, February 13

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 14

CarpeDiem, February 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize of a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10690/the-least-of-these-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, February 7, 2021

I Never Knew You

Is the God you serve the true God of the Bible? If you profess faith in Christ, this book will challenge you mightily from beginning to end, GUARANTEED!

Charmaine DeShields thought she had it all. A promising career. Good health. A beautiful house. A promising relationship. Most importantly, she was a proud member of the largest and most popular megachurch in all of Seattle—the Blessed and Highly Favored Full Gospel Church.

Everything started changing in her seemingly perfect life after a pastor visiting from China created such an uproar at her church, with messages most members found both mean spirited and judgmentally offensive, that Mark Lau was asked to leave and told never to come back.

It took traveling all the way to Shanghai, China, with her best friend, Meredith Geiger, for Charmaine to discover the many differences between her church, which was opulent in every sense of the word, and Pastor Lau’s church, which was located beneath a dry cleaners, of all places.

Even more telling were the messages both pastors preached. Despite that they taught from the very same Book, their messages couldn’t have been anymore polarizing. While Charmaine was instantly intrigued by the whole “underground” experience, Meredith was so traumatized that she cut short what had been the best vacation of her life, to go back to the States.

But not before alarming Charmaine’s boyfriend of the grave danger they faced. Rodney Williams then told lead pastors, Julian and Imogen Martín, who flew 5,700 miles from Seattle to China, to rescue her from the so-called pastor who’d already caused some to leave their megachurch.

Upon arriving, they learned their suspicions were quickly confirmed. Mark Lau had used his subterranean gathering place to radically change Charmaine’s way of thinking. Despite her strongest protests, they flat-out refused to believe that God had used him to transform her life and deepen her faith, to the extent that she finally had eternal assurance.

Tragically for the Martíns, by the time they discovered the prosperity Gospel they’d been preaching was a false one, it would be too late…

My thoughts: This is one of those books that you pick up and read through that then leaves you pondering on the message long after finishing the last page. Overall, I thought that the message was a good one, with the reminder to have a personal relationship with God and not just go along with what you were raised with or what the pastor tells you. This book will get you thinking about your own life and the different ways this story plays out.

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! This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author

47124526_1951330421616062_4256512413689446400_n (2) Patrick Higgins is an Amazon bestseller and award-winning author of the end times prophetic series, Chaos In The Blink Of An Eye. The “CHAOS” in our present world is well documented in this series, which won the Radiqx Press Spirit-Filled Fiction Award of Excellence, soon after the first installment was published. Download now and see for yourself why JUST UNDER 3000 POSITIVE RATINGS – REVIEWS have been posted on Amazon and Goodreads, on the first 6 installments…and counting!

Once completed, there will be 12 installments…

Higgins also wrote “I Never Knew You”, “The Pelican Trees”, “Coffee In Manila”, and “The Unannounced Christmas Visitor”, which won the 2018 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Award in Christian fiction.

More from Patrick

Is the God you serve the true God of the Bible? Charmaine DeShields always thought so. How could she not after practically going from rags to riches in the seven years she spent as a full-fledged member of the most influential church in all of Seattle—the Blessed and Highly Favored Full Gospel Church? From a financial and materialistic standpoint, she felt incredibly blessed by her Maker.

It took traveling all the way to Shanghai, China, and spending a few days in an underground church—with persecuted believers who’d lost everything for their faith in Christ—for Charmaine to discover that the relationship she had with Jesus wasn’t nearly as secure as she had always thought it was.

In fact, the biblically-sound preaching she was exposed to in Pastor Mark Lau’s subterranean house of worship was so profound, it forced her to question whether or not she was even saved at all…

Based on Matthew 7:21-23, if you profess faith in Christ, this story will challenge you from start to finish—GUARANTEED! Since its release in September 2020, the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads have been nothing short of stellar. Many are calling it Patrick Higgins’ best book to date and predict it will become an award-winner like his other books.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).