Friday, July 31, 2015

Lorie's Heart by Amy Lillard

Welcome back to Wells Landing, Oklahoma, the tranquil Amish community where still waters run deep and a brave young woman sets out to discover her faith, her family, and herself…
 
Lorie Kauffman is grief-stricken when her father passes away unexpectedly. But her heartache quickly turns to bewilderment when she discovers he’d been leading two lives—one of simplicity and hard work in Wells Landing, and one fraught with painful ordeals in Tulsa. As she starts digging into her family’s past, Lorie finds herself torn between the Amish world and the Englisch world—and she’s no longer certain where she belongs…

Lorie knows that if she leaves Wells Landing, she may never be able to return. But what if her destiny lies in the outside world—the world her father knew so well? Change is never easy, but with a bit of courage and the help of a handsome and kind-hearted Englischer, she just may find the peace, acceptance, and love she’s been longing for...


About The Author



Amy Lillard is a wife, mother, and bona fide Southern belle. Published author, expert corn bread maker, and Squirrel Princess.
I live in Tulsa, though I was born in Mississippi. I moved to the Sooner State when I was seventeen and met my soul mate and best friend not long after. I’ve retained a little of my Mississippi accent though most people think I’m from Texas. (?)  Rob and I have been married for over twenty years and have a son–a mom proclaimed prodigy, of course!
I love homemade tacos, shoes, and romance novels–not necessarily in that order. I’m a big fan of country music, a staunch proponent of saving the Oxford comma, and I’m shamefully obsessed with all things Harry Potter.
I  believe that God is love. I guess that’s why I adore romances.
I have always been intrigued with the Amish culture, their gentle ways and slower-paced lifestyle. (And I love, love, love the fact that they stay married for their lifetime.) But until recently I never thought to blend this interest with my penchant for romance. Okay, okay, I’m a bit old-fashioned and even enjoy the gender roles that are present in this culture.  I love to cook and take care of my family. Yes, that’s me June Cleaver with a laptop.
I dislike people trying to convince me to read the Twlight series (I’ll get to it or I won’t, either way I’m good with it), gratuitous violence, and strawberry ice cream. (I know I’m alone on this last one, and again, I’m good with it.)
Favorite movies–(besides HP) French Kiss, Maid of Honor, A Lot Like Love, Just Married, and Sweet Home Alabama. Oh, and Miss Congeniality, Sabrina (both versions) and a 1940′s movie called Dear Ruth. If you haven’t seen it, you should! A-dorable. Anything with Doris Day and most all of Marilyn’s and Audrey’s.

Amy's Blog Spot


My Review 




When Lorie’s father dies suddenly her world is turned upside down, he had been living a double life. Did the Dad she knew even exist? How could her father have done this, and why? Was her father even Amish, the only faith she has ever known? She then discovers a family she never even knew existed, and once she opens the box her life is changed forever. Where will she go from here? She loves her family, but she also wants to be part of her father’s past life.
I wondered how her father was able to pass as an Amish man? You would think the secret would have been out a long time ago, how could his new wife not know? There are answers here, and you will not know how this book finishes until the very end, found myself rooting for one way and then changed my mind.
A really thoughtful read, and one that makes you think, and I loved the characters, from her Amish family to her English relatives, especially Betty and the seniors. It was a very fast read, and left me wanting more!
I received this book through Net Galley and Kensington Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
 



 

WNL Virtual Book Tour One Delicate Night by Joy Avery Book Blast & Goodie Bag Giveaway







Can one night lead to forever?
Kassidy Monroe has spent far too many nights alone. But could she actually go through with a one-night stand? No! At least, that’s her answer until her eyes settle on him—tall, dark, and ultra-mysterious behind a black and platinum mask that makes him even more appealing. It’s lust at first sight, but how far is she willing to go with a man she’s just met?
Jaxon Prescott has always gone after what he wants. And he wants her—the sexy vixen in the feather mask. Something about her calls to him, and he’s all too willing to answer. An invitation to his hotel suite was supposed to be for a night she wouldn’t soon forget, but somehow the tables turn. He never imagines he’d be the one constantly reliving their time together.
One need. One night. One unforeseen outcome.

Book Title: One Delicate Night
Publication Date: 7-11-2015
Genre: Contemporary romance
Author: Joy Avery


About The Author






Joy Avery is a contemporary romance author who loves watching her imaginary friends fall in love. When not crafting her next love story, she enjoys reading, spending time with the family, playing with her two dogs, and cake decorating.
She’s the author of the novels Smoke in the Citi, His Until Sunrise (book 1 in the Indigo Falls series), Cupid’s Error-a Valentine’s novella, and His Ultimate Desire (book 2 in the Indigo Falls series).

Purchase Link
Amazon: http://bit.ly/onedelicatenight
Social Media Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjoyavery
Website: http://Www.joyavery.com
Tour hosted by WNL Write Now Literary www.wnlbooktours.com


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Pump Up Your Book Presents Angels, Angels, Everywhere Virtual Book Publicity Tour & Review






This spiritual yet non-denominational book is written in rhythm and rhyme and reflects diversity by illustrating children and angels of different races. The themes of the book are constant support and unconditional love.

Title: Angels, Angels, Everywhere
Author: Michelle Beber
Publisher: Balboa Press
Pages: 30
Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Children’s Picture Book
Format: Paperback/Kindle/Nook



About The Author 

Michelle Beber has certifications as an Angel Intuitive and Angel Oracle Card Reader from renowned “angel lady,” Doreen Virtue, as well as certifications as a Spiritual Teacher and Archangel Life Coach from Doreen’s son, Charles Virtue.
In 2008, Michelle’s life changed when she attended a spiritual retreat and learned about angels and how they communicate through repetitive number sequences known as “angel numbers.” Little did she know that this insight would lead her on an amazing spiritual journey that would directly connect her with angels and result in the discovery of her life purpose.
Always grateful for the spiritual guidance she has received, Michelle looks forward to sharing the knowledge she has gained to inspire others, especially children. Michelle is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
Her latest book is the juvenile fiction/children’s picture book, Angels, Angels, Everywhere.
For More Information

 My Review



A sweet easy read for 7 and 8 year old children, and one that will bring them joy. We all know about Angles, this book brings them up close, and makes our young ones think about the ones that are near them.
The book rhymes and there us a short sentence on each page, along with a colorful drawing depicting the picture. Our boys loved turning the pages on this quick read.
I received this book through Pump Up Your Book Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Heart's Promise by Colleen Coble

heartspromise-400

One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A copy of A Heart’s Promise
  • A Lands’ End beach tote
  • A copy of A Heart’s Betrayal
  • A copy of A Heart’s Disguise
  • A copy of A Heart’s Obsession
  • A copy of A Heart’s Danger
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 31st. Winner will be announced August 3rd on Colleen’s website.




A Heart's Promise 5


A Heart’s Promise (Thomas Nelson, July 2015)
Emmie makes a promise to her friend that, if fulfilled, could mean the end to her dreams of a future with Isaac.
Emmie Croftner let Isaac Liddle go to avoid telling him about her past. But Isaac remains determined to win Emmie’s heart and hand. Though Emmie resolves to keep her heart in check, it hurts when she sees that another woman has set her bonnet for Isaac.
Then Emmie’s dear friend extracts a costly promise: if anything happens to her in childbirth, Emmie will marry her widower and raise the baby herself. And it seems Emmie may have to fulfill that promise. But can she live happily without Isaac?
Learn more and purchase a copy.


Colleen Coble
 

About The Author

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including “Tidewater Inn,” “Rosemary Cottage,” and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.
Find out more about Colleen at http://www.colleencoble.com/.






My Review 



Emmie Croftner has had a very hard life, as we’ve read up to now. Her plight continues in this story as she agrees to marry her friend’s husband in the event of her friend’s death in childbirth.
Isaac Liddle has turned his attentions toward Emmie, but can she ever trust another man? Now the nemesis from a previous book, one who had Sarah kidnapped, Jessica. How she gets away with her crimes is beyond me, but now she is after Emmie.
Come and see how Emmie is weathering the storms all around her, and is now expecting a baby. Will Isaac still want her?
I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Rescued: Keepers of the Promise, Book Two (Keepers of the Promise #2)






As an Amish wife and mother struggles to hold her family together, a story from the past teaches her how to face her daily challenges with strength and love . . .

In modern day central Pennsylvania, Judith Wegler tries to heal the growing rift between her husband, Isaac, and his teenage brother Joseph—whom Judith and Isaac have raised as their own ever since both brothers lost their parents and siblings in a horrific fire. Meanwhile, Isaac’s hurtful silence about this tragic past has robbed Judith of any certainty of her husband’s love.

But when Judith’s grandmother gifts her with an antique study table, she discovers a hidden packet of letters that changes her life . . .

In 1953, widow Mattie Lapp fights against the county’s attempts to force Amish children to attend a consolidated public school, even if it means arrest and imprisonment. Mattie knows she can’t face this challenge alone, and turns to her late husband’s cousin Adam for help, but she’s terrified at the prospect of relying on someone else.

Now, as the two women’s stories converge, both must learn to stand up for their beliefs and to love again, even when it means risking their hearts .



About The Author

Marta Perry realized she wanted to be a writer at age eight, when she read her first Nancy Drew novel. Most girls reached the end of that book wanting to be Nancy. Marta wanted to be the person who created the story.

Marta PerryThe dream lay hidden for years while she pursued other career goals, but eventually it re-surfaced, and she began to write, beginning with short children’s stories for Sunday school take-home papers. After seeing hundreds of her short stories published in a variety of magazines, Marta finally started work on the novel she’d always wanted to write. Fifty-some published novels later, she still feels the same excitement when she begins a new book.

A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania and her own Pennsylvania Dutch roots led Marta to the books she writes now about the Amish. The Pleasant Valley Amish series from Berkley Books are longer, more complex emotional stories with Amish main characters, while the Amish Suspense series from HQN Books are more adventure-filled books set in Pennsylvania Amish country. She also continues to write for Love Inspired Books.

Marta lives with her husband in a century-old farmhouse in the Pennsylvania countryside, but spends winters at their vacation home in South Carolina. When she’s not writing, she’s active in the life of her church and enjoys traveling and spending time with her three children and six beautiful grandchildren.


http://www.martaperry.com/


My Review

This is the second book in the Keepers of the Promise series, and yes I loved the first book, but you can read this one by itself. We span decades while read this story, Amish in present day Lancaster Pennsylvania and the same place in 1953.
Life as usual does not run smoothly, but change is in the air in both time frames, and problems abound. The 1950’s were a time before Amish had their own schools, and are being threated when they have their children leave school after the eighth grade. We have people being put in jail for their beliefs; you get the feeling that it becomes a war of wills. Both stories deal with family life, and after tragedy moving on with their lives.
We see people holding on to forgiving themselves; we find melding of the past lives with the present in the form of letters found in a much loved and used table.
We find our present day family trying to find peace between two brothers and the rest of the family, mostly the wife/mother of the older one. Struggles to bend the will of the other and find peace in decisions made on the spur of the moment.
I loved the comparisons of the lives, so different and yet so similar, I got lost in this book, and when it ended I wanted to keep on reading.
I received this book from the Author and was not required to give a positive review.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

A Wish on Gardenia Street (An Amish Brides of Pinecraft) by Shelley Shepard Gray







Bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray continues her Amish Brides of Pinecraft series with a special addition—a tale of wishing and wanting...and what the heart really needs
Good things may come to those who wait, but Mattie Miller is confident that great things come to those who go after what they want…and Mattie wants Danny Brenneman. Danny is the reason she's returned to the sunny Amish community of Pinecraft, Florida—well, that and to see her best friend Leona get married.
Mattie's met Danny only once before but she knows the spark between them is sure to lead to something special. Despite a missing cat, wedding day chaos, and Danny himself, she's confident this vacation can only end one way: in an engagement of her very own!




About The Author 

 
Shelley Shepard Gray

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
Find out more about Shelley at http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com.


My Review
 
A Wish on Gardenia Street is a novella set in Pinecraft Florida and Amish Mennonite Community, and our main character Mattie has just arrived as the book opened.

Mattie arrives to be in her friends wedding and to help her get things ready, but she has her own plans, and in her mind she has her life all planned out. Reality is different and she may just find out that what she wants is not what God has planned for her.
Come and enjoy another stay in this Plain Community, my mind keeps painting pictures of living here. We walk the streets and go to the shops, and we have a sewing frolic to make the necessary things for the wedding. Will Mattie get all that she wants, or will she end up going home?
I loved this quick read, only 112 pages, and being able to read in one sitting.
I received this book through Edelweiss and the Avon Inspire Impulse, and was not required to give a positive review.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon






Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans.
When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own.


About The Author 





Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than forty-five novels, including That Certain Summer, One Perfect Spring, and the Heroes of Quantico, Guardians of Justice, and Private Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, three HOLT Medallions, a Daphne du Maurier Award, two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine, a Retailers' Choice Award, a Booksellers' Best Award, and a National Readers' Choice Award. In addition, she is a two-time Christy Award finalist, and Booklist included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011. She lives in Missouri.
 Learn more at www.irenehannon.com


My Review 

Hope Harbor and the name of this town imply much, as we journey with its year round residents and a new visitor. This is a story of hope, and letting go of old hurts, and most of all forgiveness, whether for ones self or towards others.
There is so much going on here, and yet there is peace and tranquility, walking the beach, and of course, Charley’s, offering fish taco’s to die for. Charley seems to have a great gift, and a heart for God; he is at the right place at the right time.
We have two hurting people who have lost their spouses, and both having so many regrets, they need to forgive themselves, but easy to say and hard to do. We also have a town recluse who has not seen her son for almost twenty years, so long to hold on to hurts, and a long time waiting for forgiveness on both sides.
Come along and watch Charley work his magic with his can’t be beat taco’s, sure made me hungry for some, and how life is about to change in this quiet small town. I for one was ready to pack up and move, bet you will be too.


I received this book through Revell Reads blogger program, and was not required to give a positive review

Pump Up Your Book Presents The Color of Our Sky Virtual Book Publicity Tour & Review










A sweeping, emotional journey of two childhood friends—one struggling to survive the human slave trade and the other on a mission to save her—two girls whose lives converge only to change one fateful night in 1993.

India, 1986: Mukta, a ten-year-old girl from the lower caste Yellamma cult of temple prostitutes has come of age to fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute. In an attempt to escape this legacy that binds her, Mukta is transported to a foster family in Bombay. There she discovers a friend in the high spirited eight-year-old Tara, the tomboyish daughter of the family, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past. Tara introduces Mukta to a different world—ice cream and sweets, poems and stories, and a friendship the likes of which she has never experienced before.As time goes by, their bond grows to be as strong as that between sisters. In 1993, Mukta is kidnapped from Tara’s room.

Eleven years later, Tara who blames herself for what happened, embarks on an emotional journey to search for the kidnapped Mukta only to uncover long buried secrets in her own family.
Moving from a remote village in India to the bustling metropolis of Bombay, to Los Angeles and back again, amidst the brutal world of human trafficking, this is a heartbreaking and beautiful portrait of an unlikely friendship—a story of love, betrayal, and redemption—which ultimately withstands the true test of time.



Title: The Color of Our Sky
Author: Amita Trasi
Publisher: Bloomhill Books
Pages: 304
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Suspense
Format: Paperback/Kindle

About The Author 






Amita Trasi was born and raised in Mumbai, India. She has an MBA in Human Resource Management and has worked with various International corporations for seven years. She currently lives in Houston with her husband and two cats. The Color of Our Sky is her first novel.  
For More Information




My Review 



After I turned the last page of the Color of Our Sky, I knew this book was not over for me. It will be with me for a very long time, the painted images and the characters became very real, and not easy to forget.
We meet head on the caste system that is prevalent in India to this day, and once born your assignment does not change. Thinking of my relationship with my sister’s and how easy my life has been in contrast to what this story portrays and the utter disappointment with your lot.
I had a chance a few years ago to ask my husbands Doctor, who was from India, how he felt about the caste system. He was very pro it, and I reflected that for him an upper class why wouldn’t he, I’ll bet his outlook would be very different if he was a Dalit’s, untouchable.
We get a look at an upper class family, their children able to go to school, and enjoy their life. Then we get a look at the children born to prostitutes with their future assigned at birth, the worse being born a girl. We put faces to these people as we delve into this story, and everything becomes so real. We deal with the guilt the thought of being responsible for putting someone in a brothel, and the ways that the guilt is dealt with is sad. This part of the story sure had a lot of twists and surprises that I never saw coming.
You will quickly be absorbed in Tara’s and Mutka’s story, and you won’t want this book to end.

I received this book from the Author through Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.


Excerpt:


The memory of that moment hit me like a surging ocean wave—drawing me into it—the sour smell of darkness, those sobs erupting like an echo from a bottomless pit. I had tried to break away from it for so long I had forgotten that places can have memories too. I stood in the dimly lit corridor outside my childhood home and tried to unlock the door. The keys rattled in my hand and fell to the floor. This was proving to be more difficult than I had thought. One deep breath and you will find the courage Papa used to tell me when I was a child. Now, in my mid-twenties, here I was, standing outside this locked door, feeling like a child once again.
I picked up the keys and tried again. The doors creaked as I managed to push them open. The apartment was dark. Outside, the sky thundered and rain rammed the rooftops. A stray slant of sunlight fell on furniture that had gathered dust over the years, and I stood in that unlit room looking at the old cobwebs crowding the corners of what had once been my home. I switched on the lights and wiped the dust off my writing desk with a smooth stroke of my hand. It is just an apartment, I told myself. But there were so many things from my childhood here—my writing desk where Papa had sat down next to me, teaching me how to write, and the couch where we had watched television together as a family.
In my bedroom, my bed stood neatly covered, just the way I had left it.  I could hear the sound of our laughter, smell my childhood—the food Aai used to cook and lovingly feed me—that wafting floral smell of saffron in the pulao, turmeric perfumed dal, the sweet rasgullas. There wasn’t any such smell of course, not anymore. All that was left was just a musty odor from closed doors, from buried secrets.
A cloud of dust erupted as I parted the curtains. Outside, the rain was falling softly, leaves cradling the raindrops. The scene was still the same as when Papa and I had moved away to Los Angeles eleven years ago: the zooming in and out of traffic, the honking of rickshaws and cars, the distant barking of stray dogs, the sprawled slums in the distance. Standing here, my suitcases lonely in the doorway, I understood why Papa had never tried to sell or rent this apartment. After making a home in America for eleven years, he had hoped to return one day to search for Mukta. After all, this was where she was kidnapped.
It is said that time heals everything. I don’t think that’s true. As the years have gone by, I’ve found it odd how simple things can still remind you of those terrible times or how the moment you try so hard to forget becomes your sharpest memory.
I stepped out of my apartment that day determined to find answers. The taxi drivers stood in a queue, waiting, hoping, begging you to take a ride from them. There was something about this city that I would never forget. I could see it everywhere, smell it, hear it—the dreams that lingered on people’s faces, the smell of sweat and grime, the sound of distant chaos in the air. This was where it had happened—where walls had blown apart, vehicles had blown away, simple shards of glass had splintered lives, and our loved ones had become memories. Standing here, an image of Aai floated before my eyes, waiting for me somewhere, her kohl-lined eyes tearing up as she took me in her arms. It was different before the blasts had come and taken her away.
 “Madam, I taking you anywhere you wanting to go,” a taxi driver called out.
“No here, here . . .” another taxi driver waved.
I nodded to one of them and he hurriedly got behind the wheel. It began drizzling as I stepped inside. The rain fell softly around us.
“Take me to the police station in Dadar,” I told him.
“Madam, you coming from foreign, no? I understanding from the way you speaking. I taking you to the bestest hotels in Mumbai. You will—”
“Take me to the police station,” I repeated, sternly.
 The driver was quiet the rest of the way, humming quietly to the tune of Bollywood music roaring through the speakers in his taxi. Outside, the slum dwellers and street children picking through garbage rolled past us. Heat hovered over the city despite the drizzle, and the wind smelled of smoke, curry, and drains. People still walked dangerously close to the speeding traffic, rickshaws sputtered alongside, and beggars knocked on my taxi window asking for money. The footpaths still housed many of the poor who lived in makeshift tents, women haggled with hawkers in the bazaars, and men loitered in corners giving vacant stares. Behind them, Bollywood movie posters on walls announced the latest movies.
When I was a child, Papa had taken me for a walk on these very streets. Once I had accompanied Aai to the bazaars and haggled with shopkeepers alongside her. And there was a time I had sat in the backseat of a taxi with Mukta next to me while Papa had taken us to the Asiatic library. How excitedly I had shown her the sea, the garden, and introduced her to my world. How many times had she walked with me to my school, carrying my schoolbag, or sat with me on the park bench slurping iced golas? Now, sitting in the backseat of this taxi, my stomach churned. These moments seemed to paralyze me; I was unable to breathe, as if the crime I had committed was slowly strangling me. I pressed my face closer to the open window and forced myself to breathe.
“Here madam, that’s the police station,” the driver announced as he pulled over.
It was raining very hard when the taxi came to a stop, the wipers whipping wildly against the windshield. I stepped into ankle-deep water as I got down, the rain beating against my umbrella. I paid the taxi driver. In the distance, near the garbage cans, children in raincoats splashed water on each other, their giggles coming in waves.
At the station, I found a place on the bench in the corner and dropped my purse in my lap. Eleven years ago Papa and I had sat on one such bench in this police station, waiting for hours, to understand what had happened to us, trying to make sense of it all. Now, as I sat straight, sandwiched between strangers waiting their turn, I wished Papa were sitting beside me. In a way, I still carried him with me—his remains—his ashes, capped tightly in a bottle in my purse. I had brought them here to disperse in the river, something I needed to do, something that was in accordance with his last wishes.
 A constable sat at a table nearby, his head behind a mountain of files; another sat behind him at another table, listening to complaints and noting them in a register, while yet another sat on a chair not far away, his head buried in a newspaper. A chaiwala rushed past us carrying chai, placing the glasses of brown liquid on every table. Outside, police sirens pierced the air, and the policemen dragged two handcuffed men inside.
The woman before me sobbed and urged the constable to find her missing son. He yawned, scribbled something in the register, and then shooed her away. When it was my turn, I sat in front of him. He rubbed his eyes. “What is your complaint now?” he asked, sounding bored.
“I want to speak to your senior inspector.”
He looked up from his register and narrowed his eyes, “About what, madam?”
The wooden board behind him had a chart of the number of murders and kidnappings this year and the cases they had solved.
“It is about a kidnapping that happened eleven years ago. A girl was kidnapped. My father filed a report then.”
“Eleven years?” The constable raised his eyebrows. “And you want to search for her now?”
I nodded.
He looked at me curiously and sighed. “Okay, you wait,” he said, then walked to a closed room and knocked on the door. An inspector opened the door; the constable pointed to me and whispered something. The inspector gave me a glance and then walked toward me.
“Inspector Pravin Godbole,” he said, shaking my hand and introducing himself as the senior inspector of the station.
“I have . . . I am . . . looking for a girl who was kidnapped. Please, you have to help me. I-I just arrived after a long flight from America.”
 “Give me a few minutes please; I have someone in my office. I can review your case after that.”
The constable escorted me to his office after some time. Inspector Godbole had sharp, intelligent eyes that I hoped would be able to see what others had been unable to see. He asked me to take a seat. His hat with the emblem Satyamev Jayate—truth alone triumphs—sat on the desk.
“What can I do for you?”
I sat down, opened my wallet, and teased out the photograph. How young we looked then—Mukta and I—standing outside the Asiatic library. He took it from my hand and looked at the photograph.
“I am looking for her, for the girl in the photograph,” I said.
“Which one?” he asked, squinting at the photograph.
“The one on the right, that’s me. The other one—she was kidnapped eleven years ago.”
His eyebrows angled upward. “Eleven years ago?”
“Uh . . . yes. She was kidnapped from our home just after the 1993 bomb blasts. I was in the room with her when it happened.”
“So you saw the kidnapper?”
I paused.
“No . . . not really,” I lied.
The inspector nodded.
 “Her name was . . . is Mukta. She was a girl . . . an orphan my parents fostered.” I explained, “My Papa was a kind man. He used to work with many NGOs and orphanages in his spare time to find a home for abandoned children. Sometimes he brought them back to our apartment. He rescued street children or poor kids from villages—one or two at a time—and let them stay in our home. They slept in the kitchen, ate food Aai made, and then in a few days Papa found them a place at one orphanage or another. Papa did good any opportunity he got. With Mukta . . . he tried so hard. Something happened to her back in her village. She just didn’t speak for a long time. She—”
“I see, I see,” he interrupted. “We’ll try to find her.”
I wanted to tell him that, unlike the other kids who had lived with us for barely a week or two, Mukta had been with us for five years. And that she was a good friend. I wanted to tell him how she liked reading poems and was afraid of the rain . . . and that we had wanted to grow up together.
“Ms. Tara?”
“My . . . my father had filed an FIR back then . . . of . . . of the kidnapping.”
The inspector took a deep breath, scratched the stubble on his chin, and brought the photograph close to his face, staring at the picture. The photograph was worn out and wrinkled by age like a precious memory frozen in time, both of us smiling at the camera.
“Ms. Tara, this was such a long time ago. She will be . . . older now. And we don’t have a recent picture. It will be very difficult to search for someone without a recent picture. But let me have a look at her file. I will have to contact the missing person’s bureau. Why look for a poor village child after all these years? Has she stolen something precious from your home? Like an heirloom or something?”
“No. No . . . it’s just . . . Papa worked so hard to give the other children a home. I suppose Papa thought Mukta was the only one who slipped through the cracks . . . someone he couldn’t protect. He never forgave himself for that. At the time the police told us they had searched for her. Papa told me she was dead. Maybe a police inspector told him that. I don’t know. Papa took me to America after that. I . . . I didn’t know she was alive. I found some documents in his drawer after his death. He had been searching for her. And all this time he had been looking for her, I thought she was dead.”
“Nobody looks for such children who have disappeared madam. Look at all the children living in the slums—there is no one to take proper care of them, let alone worry how they are doing if they disappear.”
 I looked at him, not saying anything. There hasn’t been a moment in the last eleven years that I haven’t wanted to wander back to that summer night, to that split second when I could have done something to stop it. I knew who the kidnapper was; I had always known. I had planned it after all. But I didn’t tell the inspector this, I couldn’t. There would be way more things I would have to reveal than just that.
He flicked the photograph in his hand and sighed loudly. “Give me a few days. I will look through the files. We are backlogged with many cases now. You can give the constable all the details.” He signaled to him and asked him to escort me outside.
“Thank you very much,” I said, standing up.
At the door I turned to him again. “It would be great if you can help me find her.” He lifted his head momentarily and gave me a slight nod before going back to his work. It took the constable a few minutes to take down the details.
I left the station and stood on the porch watching the police jeeps parked outside, constables carrying files, people waiting impatiently, and suddenly it seemed futile to have come to this place, to have asked for their help. They hadn’t even asked the right questions: Did I remember the day when it happened? What were the sounds I heard before I knew what was happening? The exact time on the bedroom clock? Why did the kidnapper not kidnap me instead? Why did I not scream? Why did I not wake up Papa who was sleeping in the next room? If they had asked me those questions, I was afraid the truth would come spilling out of me.

 

    

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Freddy the Frogcaster and the Huge Hurricane by Janice Dean






Freddy the Frogcaster is tracking the weather at Frog News Network when he realizes a huge hurricane is coming! Can the town of Lilypad prepare for the storm in time? Can Freddy report the weather on TV and make sure his family and friends are safe? Fox News Meteorologist Janice Dean “The Weather Machine” continues her beloved Freddy the Frogcaster series in this whirlwind adventure that will leave readers with lasting real-life advice on how to prepare for hurricane season!


Hardcover  •  2015  •  $16.99
ISBN: 978-1-62157-260-2  


About The Author 

Known as “Janice Dean the Weather Machine,” Janice Dean has been predicting the weather on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network since 2004. She is a trained meteorologist and she loves to share her scientific knowledge, and the inspiration that led to her passion for weather, with kids and adults alike. Before Fox, she had a long career working at various radio and TV stations as a DJ, anchor, and host. 

Amazon 

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My Review

My boys are huge fans of Freddy and were delighted when I showed them I had a new book. My youngest just finished second grade and couldn’t wait to put his hands on this book, and the oldest just finished fourth grade, he loves frogs and the cover looked like it had been made just for him.
Freddy is now on summer vacation and now has more time to spend at the Frog News Network, and watch as Hurricane Andrea heads toward the Lilypad. We meet Mr. Flyswatter, he owns the local hardware store, and he reports that he is out of plywood and flashlights. We have Polly Woggins reporting on the scene, and we buckle down as the hurricane heads toward them.
What a great storyteller Janice Dean is, her use of comical names for the characters kept the kids reading and giggling. Besides treating them with the giggles she also taught them about hurricanes in a way they could understand.
Thanks Ms. Dean, please keep these books coming, we love them!
I received this book through the publisher Regnery Kids, and was not required to give a positive review. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Balm of Gilead (Healing Grace, #3) by Adina Senft






The third installment in the Healing Grace series finds young Amish widow Sarah Yoder facing her greatest challenge--herself. Sarah hasn't seen Henry Byler since he became engaged to an Englisch woman, which is best for her peace of mind. She's busy with her family: welcoming her son back from the ranch in Colorado, finding a husband for her sister-in-law, and making the teas and tinctures that heal the members of her church. Then Henry seeks her out, desperate for a balm for his hands before his success as a potter is jeopardized, and Sarah has to call on every ounce of strength to deny the cry of her heart. Yet there is someone who just might have a special cure in mind--a healing balm with the power to change everything. But with Henry's wedding only days away, is it already too late?

About The Author 







Adina Senft grew up in a plain house church, where she was often asked by outsiders if she was Amish (the answer was no), she made her own clothes, and she perfected the art of the French braid. She holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty.
Writing as Shelley Bates, she was the winner of RWA’s RITA Award for Best Inspirational Novel in 2005, a finalist for that award in 2006, and, writing as Shelley Adina, was a Christy Award finalist in 2009. Three of her books have shortlisted for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award for book of the year. Of her fiction, publisher and industry blogger W. Terry Whalin has said, “Readers will be lost in the vivid world that [she] paints with incredible detail and masterful storytelling.”
A transplanted Canadian, Adina returns there annually to have her accent calibrated. Between books, she enjoys traveling with her husband, playing the piano and Celtic harp, and spoiling her flock of rescued chickens. These days, she makes period costumes and only puts up her hair for historical events and fun.

http://adinasenft.com/ 

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My Review

As this third book opens the boys are on the road returning home from the Colorado ranch where they have spent the summer. Caleb is still limping but well on the way to recovery, thanks in part to Joe and his mom Sarah. Henry is engaged to Ginny, and still working on this pottery, but he is about to be tested on how much he is willing to do to sell his art.
The title refers to the Balm of Gilead, which is a healing balm, and is used in more than one way to help heal these people. I enjoyed reading about these characters, and they have become so real to me, I feel like part of their family.
This book is Sarah’s story and her use of God’s gifts of healing, and her using them for the good of others, including herself. I personally have read all three books, and they are equally good, and recommend you pick them up also you won’t be disappointed.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher FaithWords, and was not required to give a positive review.

 

Thursday, July 16, 2015



Numbers

Pick numbers beetween and . Distinct:
Sequence=2

Draw stat: sum=108, avg=108.00
Draw date: 2015-07-25 13:00:23
108
Need a proof? Take a ticket.



No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop
July 17th to the 22nd
Thanks for following my blog, I'm offering a $10 Amazon Gift Card, and all you have to do is leave a comment of how I can reach the lucky winner.

GOOD LUCK!!




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Letters from My Father's Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness by Laurie A. Coombs





When her father was murdered, Laurie Coombs sought justice and found it.
His murderer now serves two life sentences with no possibility of parole. Yet, despite the swift punishment of the killer, Laurie found herself increasingly full of pain, bitterness, and anger she couldn’t control. After coming to faith, she realized she was being called to seek something infinitely more difficult than justice: forgiveness.
This is an extraordinary true story of grace, mercy, and the redemptive power of God to change lives. The reader is swept along with Laurie as she undergoes the life-changing transformation of becoming a Christian. As she studies Scripture, seeing God redeeming losses and healing deep wounds time and time again, she starts to understand that her own healing would require her to love her enemy in a real, practical way.
Using her incredible correspondence with the man who killed her father, Laurie reveals a compelling journey of transformation, not only in her life, but in the lives of those whom many would call irredeemable.
Letters from My Father’s Murderer is for any audience Christian or secular who
—Craves freedom from the inability to forgive those who’ve caused them harm
—Wants to hear testimony of God’s power in our obedience
—Has experienced pain through other’s sin against them
—Needs to know healing is always possible
The real story here is not primarily about murder and its fallout, but rather about redemption and how far it can reach.

Learn more and purchase a copy at Laurie’s website.

About The Author  

Laurie CoombsLaurie A. Coombs is a passionate writer and speaker on the issues of forgiveness, redemption, and the hope that is found in Jesus. Her story was featured in Billy Graham's new film, "Heaven." She is a featured writer and blogger for iBelieve and Crosswalk. Laurie and her husband, Travis, make their home in Nevada along with their two daughters.













My Review 






As I read this book, I kept asking myself how I would react, and I would sin. The book opens and we glimpse a family that was broken and trying to put parts back together. The main focus of the book is about a man, called Anthony, and his jealousy that ends in murder, and steals this man from his family.
We walk with Laurie and her journey to forgiveness, but a strong emphasis is on her walk of faith. I could see God working in her life and struggles, and watched her grow in her Spiritual life as this journey of the letters progressed. As we read the letters we see how Anthony tries to rationalize his actions, and how Laurie deals with this.
A very sad story, and yet God’s hand is here, and through the letters we travel to the experience of true forgiveness.
I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Present: Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate: A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery (Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries) by Elaine Faber

  Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate: A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery (Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries) by ...