Sunday, July 29, 2018

Revealed



Title: Revealed

Author: Elaine Manders
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: December 27, 2018



Nothing can be hidden that won’t be revealed.
When her father dies, Katherine Levinson discovers her parents have kept secrets that render her happy childhood a farce. She and her gravely ill mother face eviction, and she has no choice but to appeal to the brother she’s never seen, the famous cattle baron, Rhyan Cason. Over her gravely ill mother’s objections, they move to Nebraska and the sprawling cattle ranch, Sollano.
Instead of the warm welcome, Katherine expects, she and her mother are met with whispers and scorn in the little prairie town near Sollano. Gradually, the sins of her parents’ past surface
and Katherine begins to doubt her very identity. With her brother busy with cattle rustlers and her mother too ill to be bothered, Katherine turns to Colt Holliman, a soft-spoken neighboring rancher, for comfort.
Tired of waiting for the right woman to come along, Colt has promised to wait for Charley Ryder, an acclaimed female sharpshooter and equestrian acrobat with the Wild West Show, but it’s becoming clear Charley loves the show more than him. As his attraction to Katherine grows, he finds himself spiritually conflicted. How can he break from past commitments and follow his heart?
Then unexpected danger strikes, testing Katherine’s and Colt’s faith in God—and each other.
My Thoughts: This was a delightful novel to read,  the storyline is based in Nebraska.  Nebraska is known for their corn, beef , horses ,rodeos and sugar beets!  I lived in Nebraska and this brought back some great memories for me.  The author has done a phenomenal job of bringing the reader into the ranching life.   I love that she brings in the Wild West shows as well, there is so much history from the west that people don't have any idea that living in the west is truly like and the author has given the reader a great glimpse of the history.

 Katherine is such a loveable character, the reader feels her plight, her father has passed away, her mother is ill, there are bills to pay.  What is she to do?  

Katherine sends a letter to a brother she hasn't met which changes her life forever.   

 Katherine has many things to deal with, the lies that her parents told her, gossip, and of course love.  How must it feel to fall in love with someone promised to another?  will she repeat her mother's past? 

 It's not hard to fall in love with Colt.   He is every woman's dream, including  Katherine's but Colt is promised to Charley; who it seems cares more about herself than anyone else.

 This is a novel full of love, mystery, and suspense.   It also shows us what happens when the love of money and pride come into our lives.  It also teaches us that we must lean on God for everything and to turn to him when times get troubled.  

 I enjoyed the author's writing and will certainly be looking forward to reading more from Elaine Manders.

About the Author  

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

Guest Post from Elaine Manders

My Backstory
Intrigue under Western Skies Series, Book 3
Revealed

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

Blog Stops

Carpe Diem, July 17
The Avid Reader, July 18
Remembrancy, July 19
Mary Hake, July 20
cherylbbookblog, July 27
Pause for Tales, July 27
Henry Happens, July 29
Bigreadersite, July 29

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Elaine is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cee6/revealed-celebration-tour-giveaway

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”




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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Cowboy Bodyguard Review and Giveaway


About the Book



Title: Cowboy Bodyguard
Author: Dana Mentink
Genre: Western, Mystery
Release Date: July 3, 2018

In this Gold Country Cowboys novel, Jack Thorn gets a surprise call from the woman he married in secret years ago. Shannon Livingston needs his protection for herself and the baby she’s hiding from a biker gang targeting the mother. Now Jack must help Shannon, even if shielding her means pretending to be a true husband to the only woman he’s ever loved.

My Thoughts:  It's difficult enough being an ER doctor, but when your patient happens to be part of the most notorious biker gangs, you have to have nerves of steel.   That's what Shannon Livingston was made of.  That's how her past shaped her... to be the best no matter what or at what cost.

This novel will take you on a roller coaster ride, it's full of suspense, mystery and with cowboys, lots of shooting!  The plot of this story is fantastic.  Who would have thought cowboys and biker gangs?  It works so well and keeps the reader guessing with all the turns and twists in the plot.   

The reader will fall in love with the Thorn family, not to mention the Thorn brothers, but then who can resist a cowboy?  

As I was reading, I was getting annoyed with Shannon,  when she was putting her career ahead of her marriage and denying her feelings for her husband.  Who doesn't want to be loved by someone like Jake Thorn?  Why does she keep holding back?  Why couldn't she compromise? 
The author is an excellent writer and she brings you into the story; the reader truly feels like they are a part of the Thorn family.  The reader can feel the suspense and action that is happening.

What I took away from this novel is the theme of God's love;  His love for us, and how we should love others.  It's about putting our full faith in Him and letting Him direct our paths.  Not taking each hurt we have, holding on to it, but giving everything to God and letting go.  That means letting the past be in the past and moving on to the future.  It means forgiving.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading more from Dana Mentink.


Click here to purchase your copy!

Guest Post from Dana Mentink

I’ve spent a bit of time in emergency rooms lately. Not to complain, mind you. The asthma-related treatments worked like a charm and we were blessed by good care, so I am not grateful. There’s a bonus, too. The emergency room is a great place for people watching! Hour upon hour I spent surveying patients, relatives, nurses, and doctors. I came away pondering what it must be like to work in the strange bustle that is an emergency room. That’s where character Shannon Livingston was born. The E.R doc and nurses must be brilliant problem solvers with nerves of steel because they never know what will roll through their doors. Since they are not responsible for follow up care, they have only a short-term relationship with their patients. But what would happen, my fictional mind wanted to know, if one emergency room treatment ensnared Shannon in a “run for your life” scenario? And what if her incredible life-saving skills weren’t nearly enough to save her own life or the baby she’s suddenly become responsible for? Ah me! The perfect scenario for a suspense novel, no? I hope you enjoy Cowboy Bodyguard. I can promise it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

About the Author


 
Dana’s Bio: 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 thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming 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, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)

Blog Stops

Power of Words, July 15
Genesis 5020, July 16
Remebrancy, July 17
Carpe Diem, July 19
Pause for Tales, July 20
Book by Book, July 21
Bigreadersite, July 24

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away a Mentink Bundle that includes a horse tote book bag, a three-book collection, and a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/ced1/cowboy-bodyguard-celebration-tour-giveaway
 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Misstep - Promo blast

rangest Town on Earth
Pastor Hugh Foster: His heart was in the right place, even
if, in hindsight, it appeared he
’
d clearly taken leave of his
senses.
It
’
s December in Road
’
s
End, Virginia, a tiny town long forgotten by
anyone but its residents, where Colonel Hugh Foster and his wife,
Melanie, have chosen to live
—
for better or worse. The jury
’
s still out
on that one!
Road
’
s End is comprised entirely of senior citizens whose kids have
grown and left for greener pastures. Hugh, Melanie, and Bristol (one of
the few sane people in town) are faced with a crumbling church in
desperate need of repair and renovation, a dwindling congregation of
opinionated, ornery senior citizens, and a camel
—
yes, a camel. And if
that's not enough, the trio and the rest of the Road's End residents are
soon mired in danger and intrigue when a group of gun-toting drug
dealers arrive in town, bent on killing the church handyman, and
conspiring to ruin the doggonedest record-breaking blizzard the town
has ever seen.
Poor drug dealers.

About the Book:    Strangest Town on Earth  Pastor  Hugh  Foster: His heart was in the right place, even if, in hindsight, it appeared he ’d clearly taken leave of his senses.  It’s December in Road’s  End,  Virginia,  a tiny town long forgotten by anyone but its residents,  where  Colonel  Hugh Foster and his wife,  Melanie, have chosen to live— for better or worse.  The jury’s still out on that one!  Road’s End is comprised entirely of senior citizens whose kids have grown and left for greener pastures.  Hugh,  Melanie,  and  Bristol  (one of the few sane people in town) are faced with a crumbling church in desperate need of repair and renovation,  a dwindling congregation of opinionated, ornery senior citizens, and a camel—yes,  a  camel.  And if that's not enough, the trio and the rest of the  Road's End residents are soon mired in danger and intrigue when a group of gun-toting drug dealers arrive in town, bent on killing the church handyman, and conspiring to ruin the doggonedest record-breaking blizzard the town has ever seen.  Poor drug dealers.  
My Thoughts:  What happens when a retired army chaplain and his wife move into a small dead-end town?  Lots!  

 This is a humorous mystery and will have you in stitches.  The characters are comical and interesting but come across very natural in their behavior.

  The author certainly has a sense of humor.  She makes the characters fun and witty.   You can picture the characters as you read along, getting to know them well.  The readers can certainly identify with the characters.   

 The gospel is woven into this story and the importance of not only forgiving others but forgiving ourselves.  I enjoyed learning about Emma and getting to know her and her story.  
Little country churches seem to be smaller and have older congregations today.  Misstep points that out, even the lack of funding for repairs for the old church.  

I will certainly be looking forward to seeing more from  Roads End .
This book is an enjoyable novel that everyone will enjoy, young or old.  I highly recommend this book.

 Get your copy here:



About the Author:  Deborah  Dee Harper writes from  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee, and specializes in humorous,  inspirational Christian books for both children and adults.  Her novel,  Misstep, is the first book in her  Road’s End series for adults (although children are welcome to read them as well).  She ’s also written  a children ’s adventure series, Laramie on the  Lam, that is inspirational,  humorous, and full of fun.  (Many of Laramie’s fans are adults!)  Her website is at www.deborahdeeharper.com.  

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



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Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Minding the Light

About the Book


Book Title: Minding the Light  
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher  
Genre: Historical Romance  
Release date: July 3, 2018

Six long years ago, Captain Reynolds Macy sailed away from his bride, looking forward to the day when he would return to Nantucket Island with a ship’s hold full of whale oil. But when that momentous day finally arrives, Ren soon discovers that everything has changed in his absence. Everything. “Is nothing on this island as it appears to be?” he whispers in despair. Unlike most islanders, bold and spirited Daphne Coffin doesn’t defer to Ren as an authoritative whalemaster, but sees through his aloofness to the aching heart beneath. She encourages him to return to his Quaker roots and “mind the Light,” finding solace in God and community. As Ren becomes the man she believes him to be–honorable, wise, faithful–she finds herself falling in love with him. But how can she, when her heart is spoken for? Tristram Macy is Ren’s business partner, cousin, and best friend–and Daphne’s fiancé. Love always comes at a cost, but when is the price too high? Suzanne Woods Fisher welcomes readers back to the Quaker community on Nantucket Island for this riveting love story, full of unexpected moments.

My  Thoughts:    This is the sequel to Phoebe's Light, we are introduced to her great grandaughter's Jane and Daphne.   We are taken back to the Island of Nantucket where whaling is the mainstay of life.   That means years, yes years that wives are away from their husbands, and life continues on without them.  This novel is full of history, and Suzanne Woods Fisher has done an excellent job of research on the Quaker's and the Nantucket way of life. 

 In this novel, we are introduced to the Quaker religion and the ways of the people or "friends".   It is a wonderful read, full of mystery, love, heartbreak, and turns of events.  Suzanne Woods Fisher brings up themes of slavery, hypocrisy, and forgiveness.   

 The characters are entertaining, easy to love (or hate), she draws the reader in and writes an enjoyable storyline that keeps the reader on their toes.  Full of history, the reader learns as they read along.   I did enjoy reading  Great Mary's journals and learning about the past history of the family and the island of Nantucket.   In the end, we are left to ponder what "Minding the Light" means to us. 

 The reader will learn much from this book, and think about the issues that were covered in this story.   This book comes highly recommended.
  

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author


Carol-award winner Suzanne Woods Fisher writes untold stories about inspiring people. With over one million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction, ranging from Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World to the historical novel Anna’s Crossing.

Guest Post from Suzanne

8 Curious Facts you Probably Didn’t Know about Nantucket Island

This beautiful island, thirty miles off Cape Cod, is steeped in history. Here are just a few interesting reasons to add a visit to Nantucket to your bucket list. 1) During the first half of the nineteenth century, Nantucket was considered to be the wealthiest port in the world…all because of whale oil. 2) Petticoat Row is a 19th century nickname for a portion of Centre Street between Main Street and Broad Street. Many shops on Nantucket were run by women while the men were off to sea in whaling ships for years at a time. Quakerism, with its emphasis on equality, provided working women with community respect, value and esteem. The next time you’re visiting Nantucket, be sure to stop by the Petticoat Row Bakery for a morning glory muffin. 3) The use of laudanum (opium) was described by a visiting French as prevalent among the women of Nantucket. Loyal Nantucketers vehemently denied his claim. However, in the 1980s, construction workers digging to Nantucket’s sewer lines found heaps of opium bottles buried in the ground. For centuries, laudanum was considered to be not only harmless but beneficial. Its very name in Latin is landare, which means to praise. Other names for it: Mother’s Helper (to sedate children), Sea Calm (for seasickness). It was used for all kinds of ailments, from sleeplessness to menstrual cramps to treatment of chronic pain, and available without prescription up until the twentieth century, when it was found to be highly addictive. 4) Nantucket Cent Schools were a carryover from England and the cost was exactly what the name implied. In New England they were kept by refined, thrifty women who often taught their own or their neighbors’ children until they were old enough to enter schools of a higher grade. I came across a story of a boy whose mother stuck a penny in his mouth each day so that he would remember to pay the teacher. 5) Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville in 1851, was based on a true-life event that occurred in 1820 to the Nantucket whaleship Essex and her crew. You can find out more about this ill-fated voyage if you visit Nantucket’s awesome whaling museum. 6) Speaking of…the whaling museum on Nantucket Island is called the Peter Foulger Whaling Museum. Peter Foulger was one of the early settlers to the island, and could be considered a Renaissance Man: inventor, surveyor, teacher, missionary to the Wampanoag Indians. And his grandson was none other than Benjamin Franklin. 7) Nantucketers were, for the most part, related to each other in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The prosperous island was settled by a small group of families, with less than a dozen surnames: Coffin, Macy, Starbuck, Bunker, Hussey, Gardner, Mayhew, Swain, Barnard, Coleman, Worth, Mitchell. Those names are still common on the island. 8) There’s a good reason those surnames sound familiar to you—many of those early settlers had descendants who started business empires. Recognize these? Macy (retailer) and Folger (coffee).

Blog Stops


Carpe Diem, July 3

Livin Lit, July 3


Mary Hake, July 7
Simple Harvest Reads, July 8 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
Book by Book, July 9
Splashes of Joy, July 10
Vicky Sluiter, July 11
Among the Reads, July 12
Bigreadersite, July 15
Pause for Tales, July 16

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card to five winners!!
Be sure to leave a comment on one of the blog stops for 9 extra entries into the giveaway. Click link below to enter.
  https://promosimple.com/ps/d1c4/minding-the-light-celebration-tour-giveaway


 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


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