Mistletoe Village

 

Two broken women, two defeated children. Can Grace offer what they’re looking for? When the big city holds nothing but painful memories for sisters Rence and Sandy, they pack it up and head out for Grace and the promises it holds.

Promises of a new start. A new job at Grace General for Rence and a place to begin healing. But most of all, a promise to each of the sisters’ hurting children that a real Christmas awaits them in Grace, complete with snow on giant evergreens and lots of Mistletoe Magic.

But despite its Christmas card atmosphere, Grace, Oregon seems to hold a lot of secrets. Who is that giant of a man they encounter in the woods? Why won’t anyone talk about him? What is the hold the past seems to have over the town? Will they be able to break it before history tragically repeats itself? And will Grace be the place where love and forgiveness finally meet?

 My thoughts: I love reading Christmas based stories in the middle of the summer, since it just seems to make the warm days not seem quite so hot. I enjoyed this sweet story of two sisters starting over in a small town with their children. This is a wonderful, small town story filled with secrets, Christmas magic, and healing. The characters are well written and I enjoyed getting to know the town. This is a fun, Christmas themed story to pick up and enjoy!

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

Click here to get your copy! This post contains affiliate links.

 

About the Author

Kathleen J. Robison is an Okinawan-American, born in Okinawa, and raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels and her family are the sources of her inspiration for her books. Kathleen and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with eighteen grandchildren and counting. Her ethnically diverse background extends to her family of currently thirty-five personalities which provide many opportunities to share God’s amazing love amidst the challenges of real life.

 

More from Kathleen

I love Christmas stories, and since becoming an author, I’ve wanted to write one. Mistletoe Village started out as Mistletoe Hermit, but then it wasn’t going in quite the happy direction that I wanted. So Mistletoe Village was born. I wrote this sweet, cozy, slightly suspenseful romance with all the elements that make Christmas … Christmas! But most importantly, it’s always about the faith element, Christ.

The main character Rence Paladin is dear to my heart. She was created with someone extraordinary in mind, and I had that person read the book to see what she thought. When she finished, she turned bright red and answered, even if you hadn’t told me … I knew it was me! However, it’s not her story, but it encompasses her delightful personality, some of her sweet memories of a single-mom, and how she strives to keep her focus on Christ while always serving others.

So let’s go. Let me take you to Mistletoe Village. You’ll find a little of everything that oozes Christmas in the tiny town of Grace. Holiday spirit, decorations, a children’s church pageant, and a Christmas festival. Oh, and I’ll introduce you to little Gus, the feisty family cock-a-poo. But most of all, I hope you, like Rence and Carl, rediscover the joy of Christmas at Mistletoe Village.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 19

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 19

Texas Book-aholic, July 20

Genesis 5020, July 21

By the Book, July 22

For Him and My Family, July 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 24

lakesidelivingsite, July 25

Inklings and notions, July 26

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 27

deb’s Book Review, July 28

Splashes of Joy, July 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 29

An Author’s Take, July 30

Bizwings Blog, July 30

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 31

Miriam Jacob, August 1

Spoken from the Heart, August 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and paperback 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/1f7f5/mistletoe-village-celebration-tour-giveaway

Overtaken by Grace

 

Are you weary, wounded, or worried? Does grief weigh heavy? Do burdens feel too great to bear? Then you are perfectly positioned for a miraculous move of God. Overtaken by Grace is a transparent read, grounded in scripture and alive with hope. It depicts how God epically shows up and shows off and gives you the tools to experience His hope, healing, and miracles. Join Author Debbie Milam as she guides you on an adventure, diving deep into the bible to see what it says about:

• God’s Presence in Our Lives
• God’s Love in Our Relationships
• God’s Peace in Our Emotions
• God’s Power in His Word
• God’s Joy in Our Gratitude
• God’s Hand in the Miraculous

Haven’t you struggled long enough. God is waiting with open arms for you to let go and be overtaken by His grace. He is inviting you on the undertaking of a lifetime.

 My thoughts: I needed this book! The message of everyday miracles was one that I needed to be reminded of, since my family recently went through a rough time. It's been so easy for me to wallow in my grief, but this book reminded me to look at the miracles that surround me every day. I thought that the author did a wonderful job with the message of this book. I look forward to going through it again!

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

Click here to get your copy! This post contains affiliate links.

 

About the Author

Debbie Milam is an award-winning occupational therapist, author and past syndicated columnist for United Press International’s Religion and Spirituality Division.

She is the author of Miracles in the Middle, Overtaken by Grace, And God Said and Lord Show Me You Are Here.

Debbie’s ground-breaking work has been featured in First for Women, the Miami Herald, Elle, and Ladies Home Journal, and on the Hallmark Channel, PBS, and WebMD.

Through her 501(c)3 Grace Love Well Foundation, her mission is to inspire people to the beauty, love, power, and presence of God. As an organization we have donated thousands of books to churches, missions work, prisons, pastoral counselors and prayer teams.

For more resources to deepen your intimacy with God and find peace in His presence, visit us online at gracelovewell.org or YouTube/Debbie Milam

 

More from Debbie

Through the profound joy and sorrow life brings and by His grace I have seen signs and wonders, experienced miraculous healings and came to know how alive the Lord is. Our gracious God supernaturally healed me from a 10 year life altering brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder, comforted me from the deep grief after the loss of more loved ones than I can count, and blessed me in more ways than I can imagine.  The same God who did this for me is right there for you too.  The full story of these miracles is detailed in my book Overtaken by Grace. I would love to share the hope of Christ with your readers.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 22

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 23

Texas Book-aholic, July 24

Inklings and notions, July 25

For Him and My Family, July 26

deb’s Book Review, July 27

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 28

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 29

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 31

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 1

Beauty in the Binding, August 2 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, August 2

Cats in the Cradle Blog, August 3

Splashes of Joy, August 4 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, August 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Debbie 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 below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1f7f9/overtaken-by-grace-celebration-tour-giveaway

Byway to Danger

 

Everyone in Richmond has secrets. Especially the spies.

Meg Brooks, widow, didn’t stop spying for the Union when her job at the Pinkerton National Detective Agency ended, especially now that she lives in the Confederate capital. Her job at the Yancey bakery provides many opportunities to discover vital information about the Confederacy to pass on to her Union contact. She prefers to work alone, yet the strong, silent baker earns her respect and tugs at her heart.

Cade Yancey knows the beautiful widow is a spy when he hires her only because his fellow Unionist spies know of her activities. Meg sure didn’t tell him. He’s glad she knows how to keep her mouth shut, for he has hidden his dangerous activities from even his closest friends. The more his feelings for the courageous woman grow, the greater his determination to protect her by guarding his secrets. Her own investigations place her in enough peril.

As danger escalates, Meg realizes her choice to work alone isn’t a wise one. Can she trust Cade with details from her past not even her family knows?

 My thoughts: I have enjoyed this series and the different historical aspects it brings up with the Civil War. Byway to Danger is a well written story about two people thrown together during the war, who come to entrust the other with their secrets about the role in the war. I thought that the author did a wonderful job of keeping the story fast paced, as well as full of little historical tidbits. This is a wonderful book and an excellent series to pick up and enjoy!

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

Click here to get your copy! This post contains affiliate links.

 

About the Author

Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher. Connect with Sandra on her blog, https://sandramervillehart.wordpress.com/.

 

More from Sandra

In Byway to Danger, Book 3 of my “Spies of the Civil War” series, both Cade and Meg—our hero and heroine—are Union spies living in Richmond, the Confederate capital in 1862. As if this isn’t dangerous enough, Meg is also a former Pinkerton spy. One Pinkerton spy was hanged in the spring and three others now sit in Richmond jails.

 

Meg works as an assistant in Cade’s bakery. The strong, quiet man keeps a secret from Meg to protect her, for he’s a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He provides food, clothing, and a safe place to stay until he’s able to take them on to the next stop several miles outside the city. Cade has done this for years before the Civil War and continues as the war rages, a perilous mission.

Historically, early in the war on May 23, 1861, three men escaped slavery and fled to Fort Monroe. Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory, and James Townsend had worked on Confederate fortifications before escaping on a rowboat. They sought the safety of Union soldiers at the fort. The men informed Union Major General Benjamin F. Butler that they escaped from Confederate Colonel Charles K. Mallory of the 115th Virginia Militia.

 

The next day, Confederate Major John B. Cary arrived at Fort Monroe under a flag of truce. Cary met with Butler and requested he return the enslaved men to Mallory as required by the Fugitive Slave Act.

 

Butler did some fast thinking. Since the three men had been building fortifications for war, they could be seized as “contraband of war” and didn’t have to be returned. His refusal to return the men was a pivotal decision and sparked a future law that protected fugitives who sought the protection of Union camps.

Dozens of fugitive men, women, and children had joined Baker, Mallory, and Townsend at Fort Monroe within three days. Many others fled to the fort in the following months. “Grand Contraband Camp” was established about three miles from Fort Monroe on the charred remains of Hampton to accommodate the hundreds of fugitives.  It was the nation’s first self-contained black community. By 1865, thousands lived in this camp.

 

Part of my research for this novel involved a trip to Virginia’s Fort Monroe. (If you love history and have never visited Fort Monroe, I recommend it!) Though I wasn’t certain of my story at the time of my visit, I was so inspired by the fort’s history that I knew it had to be part of my story. And it is!

 

Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1, is set in the Union capital of Washington City (Washington DC) in 1861, where a surprising number of Confederate sympathizers and spies lived. Boulevard of Confusion and Byway to Danger are set in Richmond, the Confederate capital in 1862. Actual historical spies touch the lives of our fictional family.

 

Through both real and fictional characters, this series highlights activities spies were involved in and some of the motives behind their decisions.

 

I invite you to read the whole “Spies of the Civil War” series beginning with Book 1 Avenue of Betrayal, Book 2 Boulevard of Confusion, and Book 3 Byway to Danger!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, July 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 22

Spoken from the Heart, July 22

Bizwings Blog, July 23

Inklings and notions, July 24

Betti Mace, July 25

Book Looks by Lisa, July 25

Texas Book-aholic, July 26

For Him and My Family, July 27

Connie’s History Classroom, July 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 29

deb’s Book Review, July 30

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 31

Vicarious Living, July 31

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 2

Blossoms and Blessings, August 3

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sandra 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 below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1f7f8/byway-to-danger-celebration-tour-giveaway

Hope Beyond the Waves

 

From award-winning author Heidi Chiavaroli comes a sweeping dual timeline story that explores hope and enduring love in the midst of the impossible.

Massachusetts, 1993

After making a grievous mistake that will change her life forever, Emily Robertson is sent away to live with her grandmother on Cape Cod. When Emily finds a timeworn photograph buried in a drawer, she realizes her grandmother has concealed a secret even bigger than her own. Will convincing Gram to reveal their family history help Emily make the most important decision of her life or will it prove her parents right—that family scandal is better off buried and forgotten?

Massachusetts, 1916

Atta Schaeffer plans to marry the man of her dreams and whisk her little sister away from their abusive father. But when she is diagnosed with a dreaded malady, Atta is forced into a life of exile, leaving her sister in harm’s way.

On Penikese Island, Atta’s best hope lies with Harry Mayhew, a doctor who seeks a cure for his patients at any cost. But when experiments fail, Atta runs from Harry—and from God. Can she return to her sister before it’s too late? Or will her illness consume both her body and soul?

A testament to faith and love, Hope Beyond the Waves is the raw account of the journey of two generations of women running from desperate situations toward irresistible hope.

My thoughts: This wound up being the perfect book for me to read right now, since my family has just gone through a heartbreaking loss and I needed the message of hope that this story offered. I love how the two stories fit together, the one of a young pregnant teenager and the other of a young woman whose life is uprooted when she finds out she has a debilitating disease. I loved the historical details in this story and learning more about Penikese Island. I also wish that there was more focus on Emily's story, since I loved what developed there. This story does a wonderful job of delivering a message of hope among the pain and how good can come out of terrible situations. I highly recommend picking this story up! 

I received this book from Just Read tours. This is my honest review.

Want to read it for yourself? Go here to purchase a copy! This post contains affiliate links.

Finding Harmony

 

Can two people-pleasing musicians win the grand prize, or will they be forced to give up music for good?

Newly hired worship leader Elijah Peterson can’t seem to catch a break with his church’s congregation. With conflicting demands from congregants, he struggles to find a way to make everyone happy, especially Don, a man who’s rumored to have driven out the last worship leader.

Music teacher Olivia “Liv” Wilson says yes to everything—piano lessons, church volunteering, extra shifts—all while struggling to help pay her dad’s medical bills. As jobs fall through, she’s hit with even worse news—with bills piling up, they could lose her childhood home.

When their meddling roommates force Elijah and Liv into a cooking class together, the two come up with a plan. They’ll enter an indie songwriting competition—with a cash prize that could be enough to save Liv’s house. And maybe if Elijah can win, his musical family and congregation will finally take him seriously.

But winning the competition might mean losing themselves in the process. Can they find a way to strike harmony between writing songs they love and songs the audience wants to hear?

 My thoughts: I loved this story of two unique, people pleasing, musicians who are trying to figure out how to glorify God with their talents while also pleasing everyone. I could relate to their being people pleasers, since I'm a recovering one. I love how Liv works through the burden of saying yes to everything. This is a wonderful story with an excellent message! The fact that both of the main characters are musicians was an added bonus for me, since my husband and I are both musicians as well. This is a wonderful story to pick up and enjoy!

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

Click here to get your copy! This post contains affiliate links.

 

About the Authors

Hope Bolinger and Alyssa Roat are the authors of nearly twenty books both independently and co-authored. They have worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as agents, editors, writers, journalists, and publicists. When not writing, Hope is a theater nerd who loves to hike, and Alyssa is a history nerd and game enthusiast. Both are proud cat moms. You can learn more about them on social media @hopekbolinger and @alyssawrote.

 

More from Alyssa

In college, Hope and I (Alyssa) didn’t know the word “no.” After all, our professors, advisors, and chapel speakers all told us, “Say yes to every opportunity. Volunteer for everything. If you don’t do it now, it will be too late. Your career will fail. You won’t please God. Etc. Etc.”

So we followed that advice, and we well-nigh burned ourselves out. Faced with a litany of health issues caused by overworking, we realized after college that maybe we had taken things too far. So we began to work on unlearning this mindset.

To this day, we have to call each other and ask, “Is it okay if I turn down this unpaid opportunity? If I don’t have time for this volunteer work? Will people be mad at me?”

We channeled a lot of this people-pleasing into Finding Harmony. As we recovered from overworking ourselves, our characters Elijah and Liv learned that they didn’t need to do everything. As we fell back in love with writing for the sake of the art, not for the A+, our characters discovered how to remain true to their music.

We hope you enjoy reading Finding Harmony as much as we enjoyed writing it—and we encourage you to follow God’s call on your life, regardless of expectations.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 20

Spoken from the Heart, July 21 (Author Interview)

The Sacred Line, July 21

Texas Book-aholic, July 22

Inklings and notions, July 23

For Him and My Family, July 24

For the Love of Literature, July 25 (Author Interview)

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, July 25

deb’s Book Review, July 26

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 27

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 28

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 30

Splashes of Joy, July 31 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 1

Blogging With Carol, August 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Hope and Alyssa are giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and Picture Imperfect and Finding Harmony, in preferred format (paperback U.S. only)!!

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/1f7f6/finding-harmony-celebration-tour-giveaway