Tuesday, December 1, 2020
The Dress Shop on King Street (Heirloom Secrets, #1) by Ashley Clark
Harper Albright has
pinned all her hopes on a future in fashion design. But when it comes
crashing down around her, she returns home to Fairhope, Alabama, and to
Millie, the woman who first taught her to sew. As she rethinks her own
future, secrets long hidden about Millie's past are brought to light.
In
1946, Millie Middleton boarded a train and left Charleston to keep half
of her heritage hidden. She carried with her two heirloom buttons and
the dream of owning a dress store. She never expected to meet a charming
train jumper who changed her life forever . . . and led her yet again
to a heartbreaking choice about which heritage would define her future.
Now,
together, Harper and Millie return to Charleston and the man who may
hold the answers they seek . . . and a chance at the dress shop they've
both dreamed of. But it's not until all appears lost that they see the
unexpected ways to mend what frayed between the seams.
About The Author
Romantic women’s fiction set in the South, and The Dress Shop on King Street is my debut novel. I have a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and enjoy teaching literature and writing courses as an adjunct. I've been an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers for almost decade! When I'm not writing, I'm re-watching You've Got Mail, dreaming of Charleston, and drinking all the English Breakfast tea I can get my hands on.
My Review
From beginning to end this book is a page-turner, and you will not be disappointed.
Millie is a spunky young woman when this story begins and we follow her into her 90's, and what a life she has had. Not many could have withstood the heart aches, but she has hung in there, and we journey with her in deep south Alabama. Hate and prejudice abounds here, but how she deals with it, such grace and a few chuckles.
Millie's heart desire is to open a dress shop and she has a kindred spirit in Harper, a young woman she has know from Harper's childhood on.
There are surprises here, and how the facts unfold, we don't get to see the justice that should have happened, but we get to know Millie.
This is an eye opening, heart wrenching read, that you don't want to miss.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.
The Coffee Corner (Amish Marketplace #3) by Amy Clipston
In this third
installment of Amy Clipston’s Amish Marketplace series, an acquaintance
grows into love over a few well-timed cups of coffee.
Alongside
her cousins who have booths of their own, Bethany Gingerich runs a busy
and successful coffee and donut stand at the Amish market. Since she
has café-style tables and chairs, her regular customers enjoy purchasing
a morning treat so they can sit and talk to their friends.
Micah
Zook and his grandfather, Enos, visit Bethany every Saturday morning to
purchase coffee and donuts before going to work at Enos’s custom
outdoor furniture shop. Bethany enjoys talking to Micah and Enos, and
she’s always thought Micah was handsome—but she doesn’t think her crush
will ever result in anything more.
When Micah and his grandfather
don’t come to see her one Saturday morning, Bethany begins to worry.
And when she learns that tragedy has struck, she wonders how to help
Micah in his time of need. Turns out he needs a friend now more than
ever, and Bethany may be just the kind of friend that God has provided
for him.
About The Author
Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing “career” began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series and Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series with HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Amy works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC, and lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats.
My Review
This is the third time I have visited with this group of cousins, and this time it is cousin Bethany who is the focus. The others are back and we are updated on their lives and exciting events.
If you have read the previous books, Bethany has the delicious coffee, flavors that sound like scrumptious desserts.
Enter Micah and his grandfather Enos, who show up every Saturday for coffee and a donut, and it soon becomes apparent that Michal likes more than the coffee.
Problems come, and it seems that these two will never be able to make a match. Will Micah leave the community? Sad happenings, but the love in this community will warm your heart.
You don't want to miss this new installment in this delightful series!
I received this book through Net Galley and Zondervan Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.
Wrong Train to Paris (Romance on the Orient Express) by Jennifer Moore
At nineteen years of age,
Julia Weston fancies herself a capable woman, far too old to require a
traveling companion. But at the insistence of her overprotective father,
Julia finds herself aboard the Orient Express in the care of an
approved escort. In an ill-advised demonstration of independence, Julia
leaves the train on a quick errand and then re-boards and sleeps away
her exhaustion. Upon awakening, however, she realizes her plan went
terribly awry: she boarded the wrong train and is now stranded alone in
the French countryside of Provence.
Now she must rely on the
help of Luc Paquet, a young French farmer who offers her accommodations
with his aunt while Julia awaits the next train to Paris in five days’
time. As she settles into the rhythms of the household alongside Luc and
his aunt, Julia learns more than she ever dreamed she would about
France, farm life, and her handsome rescuer. There is more to Luc than
meets the eye, and their chemistry is undeniable. But Julia and Luc are
from different worlds, and all too soon, the train will bear Julia back
to a life that suddenly feels incomplete.
About The Author
Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world, which includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that are anything but romantic. Jennifer has a BA in linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family.
My Review
The author gives us a young nineteen year old woman who wants to try her own wings, yes, most girls that age get ready to fly, and Julia is no exception.
I loved the descriptions of traveling on the Orient Express, and our Julia has a traveling companion, much to her chagrin. Well, she does have spunk, and we see what happens when she makes her move, and ends back on the wrong train!
The time period is the early 1900's and we get to spend time in Provence, ah, so different from today, you talk about rural, it turns out you can go miles without seeing a house, trains run once a week, a days journey to send a telegram.
Now get ready for an enjoyable stay, with a girl with a big heart, and sometimes no common cents, but willing to go the extra mile. Be prepared for chuckles, smiles, and some sweet romance, along with meeting some very caring people!
I received this book through Net Galley and Covenant Communications, and was not required to give a positive review.
Celebrate Lit Presents: Succession by Brett Armstrong

About the Book
Book: Succession
Author: Brett Armstrong
Genre: Christian Epic Fantasy
Release Date: October 6, 2020

Son of the Northern Realm’s Defender, raised among dwarfs of Ordumair, Meredoch was anticipated to succeed his father. Some whispered he would bring the longed-for peace between Ordumair and their ancient foe, Ecthelowall. All of that changes when Ordumair’s Thane is killed and Meredoch and his family are exiled. From prestige to poverty, the young boy must chart a new course.
As the years pass and the idol that was his father’s legacy tarnishes, Meredoch’s past resurfaces. An artifact of immeasurable worth to Ordumair is found. If recovered by the wrong hands, disaster would befall those Meredoch serves and cares about. Battling creatures believed only myths and racing against evil toward the prize, Meredoch must face the truth of his place in the world and claim his right of succession.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author

From an early age, Brett Armstrong had a love for literature and history. At age nine, he combined the two for his first time in a short story set in the last days of the Aztec Empire. After that, writing’s role in his life waxed and waned periodically, always a dream on the horizon, till he reached college. At West Virginia University, he entered the Computer Engineering program and spent two years pursuing that degree before an opportunity to take a creative writing class, for fun, came along. It was so enjoyable, he took another and in that course he discovered two things. The first was the plot for a short story called Destitutio Quod Remissio, which the others students really seemed to love. The second, he realized he absolutely loved writing. For him, it was like the proverbial light bulb coming on. In the years since, describing that epiphany has been difficult for him, but he found the words of 1924 Olympian Eric Liddell are the most eloquent expression for it: “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” God gave Brett a passion for writing, and so feels His pleasure when writing.
Brett lives in Saint Albans, West Virginia, with his beautiful wife, Shelly. In the summer the pair gardens together, and each day Brett continues writing his next novel.
More from Brett
The Lowlands are on the edge of dramatic changes. In every era, warriors for the High King must rise to keep the light burning and hold back the beasts of the darkness that most believe only myth. But those creatures of lore wait for the nightfall that will allow them to roam free and relish that complacency.
None of the protagonists in the Quest of Fire saga—Anargen, Jason, and, in Succession, Meredoch—realize how great a change is coming. Anargen is from a quiet, little town that has stood unchanged and insular for centuries. Jason has been running from a darkness in his past so long he only looks to his next step, never what’s coming ahead. Meredoch grew up with high hopes for his future, proud of his family’s legacy. In the course of the saga, each faces a moment when what they’d clung to and trusted in fails them. For Anargen it’s his quaint life, Jason self-absorption, and Meredoch his family pride. In losing those things, however, each gains something. The chance to join the ancient Quest of Fire on behalf of the High King of All Realms. There’s a passage in The Gathering Dark that sums it up nicely. “Life is filled with losses full of greater gains.”
What excites me to write and share the Quest of Fire saga is showing through sweeping epic fantasy the way these characters stand firm. Though not the only spiritual theme woven into the stories, both The Gathering Dark and Succession invite readers to journey with these characters to the brink, risking their lives, and find there the greatest gain.
But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace. —Acts 20:24
Blog Stops
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 1
Inklings and notions, December 2
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, December 3
Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 4 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, December 5
Sara Jane Jacobs, December 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 7
By The Book, December 8 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 8
Texas Book-aholic, December 9
Artistic Nobody, December 10 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Stories By Gina, December 11
deb’s Book Review, December 11
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 12
Guild Master, December 13
Ashley’s Bookshelf, December 14
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Brett is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card, bookmarks, and a magnet themed around Brett’s books!!
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/10452/succession-celebration-tour-giveaway
An Amish Holiday Courtship (Love Inspired) by Emma Miller
She thought she knew what she wanted…
Her heart is searching for
the perfect husband this Christmas.
Ginger
Stutzman has her sights set on the new Amish bachelor in town, but
becoming a nanny for widower Eli Kutz’s children puts her romance plans
on hold. Though it’s not the Christmas connection she expected, Ginger
can’t deny the pull she feels toward Eli. But is it only the shine of
the holiday season—or is a family with Eli a gift built to last?
About The Author
mma Miller is a wife, mother and a grandmother who lives a quiet life in Delaware. She's the author of the Hannah's Daughter's series and is at work on her next Amish romance novel.
My Review
I loved this story, and it kept my attention right to the end, so much like real life, and we all make assumptions!
Yes, assumptions, not always right, first impressions, that really are not correct. We meet a "pretty boy". or a rather handsome Amish man, and the girls are lining up for his attention, and he, or it looks like, likes Ginger.
Listen to your parents! Not always right, but they do have life experience, will Ginger heed their advice?
Enter a widower, older, with young children, and you will love these little ones, and we wonder if he will have a chance with the prettiest girl around?
Will Eli come to his senses? Will Joe wake up and see the treasure of Ginger?
You will have to read this book to see how it all works out!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.
The Gold Digger by Liz Tolsma
Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History
True,
riveting stories of American criminal activity are explored through a
unique stories of historical romantic suspense. Collect them all and be
inspired by the hope that always finds its way even in the darkest of
times.
In 1907, shy but loyal Ingrid Storset travels from
Norway to support her grieving sister, Belle Gunness, who owns a farm in
LaPorte, Indiana. Well-to-do widow Belle, who has lost two husbands and
several children, provides Ingrid with enough money to start a small
business. But Ingrid is confused by the string of men Belle claims to be
interviewing for her next husband. When Nils Lindherud comes to town
looking for his missing brother, who said he was going to marry Belle,
Ingrid has a sinking feeling her sister is up to no good.
About The Author
iz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to a farm field with her husband, their son, and their two daughters. All of their children have been adopted internationally and one has special needs. Her novella, Under His Wings, appeared in the New York Times bestselling collection, A Log Cabin Christmas. Her debut novel, Snow on the Tulips, released in August of 2013. Daisies Are Forever released in May 2014. When not busy putting words to paper, she enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping with her family. Please visit her blog at www.liztolsma.blogspot.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@LizTolsma). She is also a regular contributor to the Barn Door blog.
My Review
Family, that is part of this story. One a young woman who has come from Norway to be with her widowed sister and her family, the other is a man who comes searching for his missing brother. The story is how tragically it all meshes together.
Be sure to read the author's notes at the end of this book, and yes, this is a fictional story, but based on facts. This crime really happened. So very sad.
Why, I guess greed, and because they can?
You don't want to miss these True Crime series, they are riveting and page turning, but most of all or sadly they are true. yes, they really happened.
I received this book through NetGalley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.
Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy
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