Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Heart Pressed Celebration Tour

About the Book

Book: Heart Pressed

Author: Melissa Wardwell

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: February 23, 2021

Crushes are great for grapes, wine, and romance—not so great for hearts.

The Sweetheart Festival, an Elnora Island institution, has sparked more than a few romances over the years, but who would have thought it would light a fire in two hearts from two of the island’s oldest families. When Amara Martin and Dante Greco meet, sparks fly that may ignite more than romance.

Two wineries, old feuds, generations of traditions.

Seeing the attraction at Amara and Dante’s chance meeting, Beth Stevens and Scott Anderson join forces to do a little matchmaking, not realizing the pressure it would bring to both households and their own hearts. The new couple must decide if they will adhere to tradition or break free from expectations and choose love. Pressure on every side threatens a love that hasn’t yet had a chance to ripen—for both Amara and Dante as well as for Beth and Scott.

In this “forbidden love” novel, Heart Pressed continues the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

My Thoughts: This is a wonderful addition to the Island Series, but do not worry this novel can be read without the rest. But in my opinion, go and read them.

This is a story of love and acceptance. there are four main characters in this story and they all have to deal with issues that could pull them apart. Wonderfully written and a fast read this is one for those that just like a fun romance type read. I hope we get to read more about Beth, Scott, Amara, and Dante. Can a family feud come between Dante and Amara? There is so much love in this story, it is well worth the read.

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Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Melissa Wardwell resides in Owosso, Michigan with her husband Jonathan, three children, a cat, and two pitbulls. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, having coffee with friends, and spending quality time with her husband kayaking and fishing. Melissa likes to joke about the voices in her head, but it is those voices have inspired her to write several romance novels such as “I Know the Plans” (a story based in her hometown of Owosso) and “Finding Hope in Savannah”. When she is not penning works of fiction, she is busy reviewing books on her blog, Back Porch Reads. To see more from Melissa Wardwell, visit www.melissawardwell.com

More from Melissa

“Life never goes as planned.”
That is the understatement of the century. 2020 has been the perfect example of it. Around the world, plans were made on January 1st to do this or that. Plans to use the year as a spring board for something new, better, or just a change.

Then that virus dashed all those plans. We were shut out from the world with only our books, our televisions, and our families. Some battled the shut down alone, while others had a house full (one friend of mine had eleven people in her house and only one was not her child). I know a couple of single friends who decided to stay at one house for the few weeks that Michigan was closed. Others, like myself, may not have done as well as everyone thought they were. Brave face and all. But we survived. We persevered. We adapted.

“Heart Pressed” is my covid story. It is about the unexpected way life change while you are in the middle of making plans for the future. How some changes are wonderful and rewarding, while others will bring you to the ground, begging for mercy.

Take Amara, for instance. She had a plan and put things into motion to make that plan come to fruition, but God (don’t you love those two words?) had a different plan and took hold of her heart. He softened it, molded it, made it a place where He could reside. Then life came knocking. The one person she thought would be there, couldn’t be, but God (there it is again) gave her someone to count on, hold her hand, and help her through the storms. He showed her that she wasn’t alone in this world by surrounding her with new people who loved her and cared for her.

(Disclaimer – I know God didn’t do anything, but we all have those stories in our own lives where God intervened on our behalf.)

Did you find a way to survive the storm? Did God bring people into your life, even at a distance, that made things better? Did your faith strengthen to new levels? I hope so because life never goes as we plan, but it sure is nice to have someone to hold your hand.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 19

lakesidelivingsite, March 19

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 20

A Novel Pursuit, March 20

She Lives To Read, March 21

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 22

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 22

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 23

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, March 23

Aryn the Libraryan, March 24

deb’s Book Review, March 24

Artistic Nobody, March 25 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Blossoms and Blessings, March 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 26

Batya’s Bits, March 26

For Him and My Family, March 27

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 27 (Author Interview)

Inklings and notions, March 28

Cultivating us, March 28

Texas Book-aholic, March 29

Blogging With Carol, March 29

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 30

Connect in Fiction, March 30

Simple Harvest Reads, March 31 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, March 31

Splashes of Joy, April 1

Godly Book Reviews, April 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Melissa is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card

and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!

Click Here to Enter!

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.”

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

The Purple Nightgown Celebration Tour!

About the Book

Book: The Purple Nightgown

Author: A.D. Lawrence

Genre: Christian Historical Suspense

Release date: March, 2021

Marvel at true but forgotten history when patients check into Linda Hazzard’s Washington state spa in 1912 and soon become victim of her twisted greed.
Book 10 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Heiress Stella Burke is plagued by insincere suitors and nonstop headaches. Exhausting all other medical aides for her migraines, Stella reads Fasting for the Cure of Disease by Linda Hazzard and determines to go to the spa the author runs. Stella’s chauffer and long-time friend, Henry Clayton, is reluctant to leave her at the spa. Something doesn’t feel right to him, still Stella submits herself into Linda Hazzard’s care. Stella soon learns the spa has a dark side and Linda a mean streak. But when Stella has had enough, all ways to leave are suddenly blocked. Will Stella become a walking skeleton like many of the other patients or succumb to a worse fate?

My Thoughts: This is such a wonderful read. It is full of suspense, it is full of love. This is a story that will grip the readers' hearts. Can a rich heiress fall in love with her best friend from childhood? Will she ever find relief from the pain? Stella is just an average girl who suffers from migraines. Anyone who has suffered through one can understand her plight. Henry only cares for Stella and would do anything to see her better. This is a story of learning to lean on God no matter what. We should follow God and lean on Him. The fact that this is a true-crime mystery, will keep the reader thinking, could this really happen? The answer is yes.

This is a must-read for those who love a good mystery. Well written and hard to put down, this is one you will not want to pass up.

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Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

A.D. Lawrence makes her home in Northeastern Nebraska. She has been passionate about writing and true crime for years, and her two obsessions melded into the goal of authorship. She is an active member of the ACFW, writes a true crime blog, won the 2019 Crown Award and was a 2019 First Impressions finalist.

More from A.D. Lawrence

Times have changed. And like so many things, health retreats have experienced their own metamorphosis. Sure, they’ve always catered to people with both spare money and time, but aside from similar clientele, the face of the health spa is nothing like its early 20th century sister.

If you could afford a getaway to a modern-day health spa like The Golden Door, you’d be treated to the luxury of rest. Yoga on the beach. Deep tissue massages. A much-needed break from technology and life’s constant pressures. Mental well-being is valued almost as highly as physical health, and the two are thought to be connected. After days or weeks of pampering, you would return home relaxed, recharged, and ready to dip back into the hustle of the real world.

In 1911, during the time of The Purple Nightgown, the medical community took a diametrically different approach to health. Weight equaled health.The prevailing assumption was that any ailments were directly connected to weight. Thus, ‘fat camps’ grew in popularity. Men and women checked into sanatoriums where the aides put them through grueling exercise regimes and provided them with just enough food to sustain life. No coddling. Not many of us would subject ourselves to the treatments early health spas required.

In this era of already extreme health measures, Linda Hazzard made her mark in Washington State. Obsessed with fasting, she ran her patients through an unfathomable course of ‘diet and exercise’ that proved the undoing of many. She did give massages though, which you’ll learn more about when you read The Purple Nightgown.

Although it’s fun to long for a simpler time while reading historical books and watching shows like Little House on the Prairie, there are some modern ways of thinking and advances in human comfort I’d rather not give up. One of those is the vastly superior spa experience we have today. Somehow, a facial with soothing background music sounds much more appealing than running mile after mile every day with nothing to look forward to but a glass of orange juice or a bowl of canned tomato broth.

Hot stone massage anyone?

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 23

lakesidelivingsite, March 23

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, March 23

For Him and My Family, March 24

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, March 24

Godly Book Reviews, March 24

Through the Fire Blogs, March 25

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 25

For the Love of Literature, March 26

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 26

Mary Hake, March 26

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 27

deb’s Book Review, March 27

Pause for Tales, March 28

Remembrancy, March 28

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 28

Connie’s History Classroom, March 29

Genesis 5020, March 29

Melissa Wardwell’s Back Porch Reads, March 29

Babbling Becky L’sBook Impressions, March 30

Texas Book-aholic, March 30

Inklings and notions, March 31

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 31 (Author Interview)

Cathe Swanson, March 31

Older & Smarter?, April 1

Betti Mace, April 1

Rebecca Tews, April 1

Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 2

Vicky Sluiter, April 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 3

Amanda Tero, blog, April 3

Blossoms and Blessings, April 3

Christian Bookaholic, April 4

Blogging With Carol, April 4

Spoken from the Heart, April 4

Splashes of Joy, April 5

Artistic Nobody, April 5 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Southern Gal Loves to Read, April 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, A.D. is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card

and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!

Click Here to Enter!

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Broken to Beautiful Celebration Tour!

About the Book

Book: Broken to Beautiful

Author: Jeannine Bennett

Genre: Christian Nonfiction

Release date: July 29, 2019

What do you do when life is unfair, all hope is lost and God seems absent?

Life does not always turn out the way we hope. It is often unfair, filled with hurt and rocked by disappointment. Even as Christians we find ourselves wondering if God is really there.

Jeannine Bennett is no exception; she understands all too well the struggles of life that hit so hard they take your breath away and leave you broken. But she’s also discovered that our greatest trials in life are always used by God for good, nothing we experience is ever wasted. In Broken to Beautiful, Jeannine invites us into her journey of how God captured her heart. With vulnerability, tenacity and humor, she helps us to recognize that brokenness is not the end of our story. God has a plan for each of us and it is beautiful. No matter how great your struggle, your loss, or your disappointment, God is still in control and his promises are real. She helps us understand that it’s not just our story its God’s story too.

My Thoughts: This was a book that I could not put down. The reader is drawn into the testimony of Jeannine Bennett and the struggles she went through in life. This book is such an encouragement to her readers. It is so wonderful to see what comes from brokenness and heartache. God loves us and wants nothing more than to restore us to fellowship with Him. This is a good testimony that good does come out of bad and that we should stand firm and endure our trials while looking toward Him. Philippians 4:13 comes to mind here, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. This book also has questions for the reader to ponder after reading each chapter and verses to meditate on. This was a wonderful, encouraging read.

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Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jeannine Bennett is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She is also the founder and CEO of Vision to Purpose, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business for Liberty University Online, and an executive coach for The Honor Foundation.

To those who know Jeannine, she is simply a woman who loves Jesus, is devoted to her family, and struggles with life’s challenges like the rest of us. She is not immune to bad hair days, shrinking clothes (weight gain), or sleepless nights. She loves learning and sharing the knowledge acquired to help others learn too. Her favorite ice cream is a toss-up between butter pecan and mint chocolate chip. And, although she has lived in Virginia for more than 30 years, she still calls a water fountain a bubbler. A term she grew up saying in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.

More from Jeannine

”To Be a Light for Others”

People often ask why I chose to share such personal details of my life. Truth be told, to be a light for others. For years I wanted to write a book. It took me a long time to grow the courage necessary to begin the journey. Since I was sharing my testimony, I had to be okay with being vulnerable. I needed to be strong enough to reveal those intimate life details with others. The process became easier once I realized my story was God’s story, too!

Everyone goes through struggles in life, but those trials do not have to leave us broken. We can find hope, peace, and restoration with God, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Nothing we experience is ever wasted. God uses everything.

In Broken to Beautiful, you will find a series of events that read like a tragedy, comedy, drama, and horror show. It is full of hurt, deceit, grief, heartache, and devastation. However, thanks to God, it is also full of great joy, many blessings, countless rewards, lots of love, and a whole bunch of never-ending hope.

It is my sincerest desire that this book serves as a blessing to those who read it.

In Christ,

Jeannine

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 11

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 13

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 14

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 15

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 15

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 16

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 18

Texas Book-aholic, March 19

Mary Hake, March 19

Rebecca Tews, March 20

Inklings and notions, March 21

For Him and My Family, March 22

Godly Book Reviews, March 22

deb’s Book Review, March 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jeannine is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!

Click Here to Enter!

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Heaven and the Afterlife Celebration Tour

About the Book

Book: Heaven and the Afterlife

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction

Release date: October 25, 2020

What lies on the other side?

In this relevant and life changing story, Kathy Carmichael details her experiences so that you may share, learn and receive comfort from them.

Imagine being given the opportunity to meet with Angels, Saints and Jesus Christ face-to-face. Imagine watching the recently-passed step through the Pearly Gates. Imagine knowing that if you ask, God and Jesus can be an intimate part of your life. This isn’t your typical self-help book, yet reading about these events may change you and your life forever.

Journey to heaven in this firsthand account of the Glory of God and the afterlife.

Wires and tubes were connected to almost every available space on Kathy’s body as she lay in her hospital bed awaiting surgery. In the days leading up to her illness and then later post-surgery, Kathy experienced incredible supernatural events. She has been tasked with sharing what happened to her with you, bringing you evidence of the afterlife.

In this inspiring spiritual flight to Heaven and back, you will learn more about prayer, blessings, miracles and the generous love and understanding available to each of us. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” ~ Psalm 46:1

*Have you had a near-death experience also known as an NDE?
*Has an angel ever brought you a message, protected you from harm, or visited you?
*Has your soul ever been transported to Heaven?
This book explores events such as these, and you will learn you are not alone. You may come to a deeper and abiding love for God and humanity. It’s likely you will no longer have as much fear relating to death or dying. Heaven, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are real.

This volume also includes bonus material such as:
*Thinking About Heaven: Reader Questions
*Map of Near-Heaven and parts of Heaven
*Meaningful Scripture and Quotes
*Photos relating to Kathy’s life and hospital stay
*Foreword by John Carmichael

My Thoughts: This is an interesting book about Kathy Carmichael's story. It's easy for me to understand what her family went through since I had been declared brain dead once, but with prayer, God brought me back. This story has concepts I am unable to grasp. I am a believer, I know there is a heaven, but I hope this book does not lead others to think that they will have the same experience. On the bright side, it is wonderful to know what awaits us when we do get to heaven. Heaven is only for those who profess a faith in Christ Jesus and accept what He has done for us on the cross. The concept of a "near-heaven" is hard for me to grasp. Nowhere in my studies in Theology have I seen this, and it says in the Bible in II Corinthians 5: 6-8:" So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Jesus sits on the right hand of God in heaven, so in my mind, and with what I have been taught there is only one heaven, the one where God and Jesus are. I just could not wrap my mind around this book.

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Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

With a deep and abiding love of our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who came into this world to save us, Kathy Carmichael is compelled to share her astounding spiritual experiences with others. She believes part of her mission on this Earth is to help people feel better, whether it’s through her writing or her (at times, sophomoric) sense of humor.

A USA Today bestseller and award-winning author, she lives on a canal along Florida’s west coast with her Scottish husband of over 40 years, one son, two cats, a part-time grand-dog, and a bevy of dust bunnies and seagulls.

Kathy has written primarily comedic clean/sweet romance, cozy mysteries, and non-fiction articles and workshops. She has been recognized by the American Library Association’s Booklist magazine with starred reviews in both the Mystery and Romance genres. Kathy is well-known for her fiction-writing seminars, including her short synopsis workshop.

Kathy loves hearing from readers.

More from Kathy

Many times as I sat down at my keyboard to work on this book, I have been encouraged by Holy Spirit to count my blessings.

Has anyone reminded you to count your blessings? If so, when you examine the numerous ways you’ve been blessed and begin to list the numerous blessings in your life, do you feel eternally grateful?

It’s part of our humanity that we tend to lose sight of those blessings while dealing with our day-to-day cares. Yet when we stop to think about how many good things are steadfast in our life, outside of the setbacks, gratitude washes over us.

I believe I was encouraged to look at my blessings as a means for me to overcome my obstacles. Healing from my physical ailments has been time-consuming and difficult.

Yet, when I look at my blessings…

Like you, I have been blessed in a multitude of ways. Recently I have been blessed even more so. A large part of that blessing was my being allowed to remain alive and still walking God’s green Earth. An even bigger blessing was the amount of time I was granted to spend in Near-Heaven, which is a setting running immediately beside Heaven, and the glimpses I was permitted of Heaven itself.

Not everyone has such amazing opportunities, and even fewer have the chance to tell about it afterward.  Please allow me to share my story with you.