Thursday, June 30, 2016

Just Couldn't Put It Down July ~ $10 Amazon Gift Card

We all have those books that linger with us, those that we can't wait to get to the end, and once there we want more. I have read several of them so far this year, and I'll bet you have too, but if there is one you are hoping for I am giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to help you! Just fill out the attached rafflecopter! Good luck!

These are a few of mine...and I highly recommend them!











a Rafflecopter giveaway Visit the blogs and there giveaways . http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=266471

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

How Secrets Die by Marta Perry






As Laurel Ridge embraces a stranger hungry for answers, a sinister truth is awakened.

A hard-hitting reporter, Kate Beaumont unearths the deepest lies and brings harsh truths to light, but the story that lures her to the gentle town of Laurel Ridge, Pennsylvania, is closer to her heart than anyone knows. The details of her half brother's sudden death have never made sense. She owes him justice, yet the one man who can help her is the stubborn sheriff she can't stand.

Protecting his town is Mac Whiting's top priority. Everything else, including pacifying a beautiful crusader on a mission best left resting in peace, is secondary. But as Kate's search embeds her in his world and attracts a skilled criminal, she needs Mac's protection. Drawn together by deadly secrets, they must find a way to trust each other before a killer silences them both.


Amazon



About The Author


Marta Perry is a Pennsylvania-based author of over 35 novels, many of them inspirational romances. She uses her rural Pennsylvania life and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in writing her books, especially in her Pleasant Valley Amish series for Berkley Books and her new Amish-set suspense series for HQN Books.
Marta and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a quiet central Pennsylvania valley. They have three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren, and when she's not busy writing her next book, she's usually trying to keep up with her gardening, baking for church events, or visiting those beautiful grandkids.



My Review





Kate Beaumont does not believe her beloved brother committed suicide and has gone to Laurel Ridge, Pennsylvania, where his heart last beat, and try to put some meaning to his sudden death. This is the third book in the Laurel Ridge series, and it definitely can be read alone, but we are reunited with many of the characters that we grew to know from the previous books.
This story also focuses on Nat’s brother Mac the Chief of Police, and we find out just how much he loves his hometown, maybe more than his growing feeling for Kate? Things rather go South for Kat, when she becomes a target, and it seems that someone wants her to leave town, or maybe more sinister, they want to kill her.
She is digging up secrets that some people in this town want left buried, and will do everything they can to make it so. Whom can Kate trust? It seems every time she goes someone or to meet someone something happens.
If you enjoy a good suspenseful mystery this one is right up your alley, a great summer read.
I received this book from the Publisher HQN books, and was not required to give a positive review.



The Courtship Basket (Amish Heirloom #2) by Amy Clipston






Years ago, a picnic basket brought two hearts together. For Rachel and Mike, history may be about to repeat itself.


Rachel Fisher is devastated when the young man she’s loved for years leaves her to date her best friend. Her heart is broken, and she has all but given up on love. Determined to keep her mind off the pain, she starts teaching at an Amish school for children with learning disabilities.


Since his father became ill, Mike Lantz has been overwhelmed with the responsibility of providing for his family and caring for his six-year-old brother, John. When John joins Rachel’s class and she learns that his mother is deceased and his father sick, she desperately wants to help the family, even with something as simple as a meal.


With her parents’ old picnic basket, Rachel begins sending food to the Lantz family. As the weeks go by, John’s grades start to improve, and the attraction grows between Rachel and Mike. They can’t deny that their friendship is growing toward something more, but both of them are hesitant to risk a more serious relationship.


The last thing Rachel wants is another heartbreak, and Mike is worried about providing for his loved ones. Will the two be able to reconcile their past hurts with new hope for the future?


Amazon



About The Author

Amy Clipston is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She holds a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time as a public information specialist for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two sons.



My Review 




Can you imagine dating someone for four years, being at your sister’s wedding, and over hearing him talking to your best friend about their relationship. How do you get through the rest of the day, never mind the rest of your life, such a betrayal, and talk about getting stabbed in the back, this happened to Rachael Fisher.
Then we have Mike Lantz, a man devoted to his family, which consists of his Dad and six year old brother. Life has been hard on this family, Mike lost his mother when he was ten, his dad finally found another woman who loved mike, but they lost her when she gave birth to his brother John. Now life is handing them another blow, as his dad’s kidneys are failing and his dad has really lost the will to live.
On top of all of this poor John is acting up in school, and Mike moves him to a special Amish school. So our main characters meet, Mike has the world on his shoulders and Rachael has given up on love. They both have strong family ties, and are there for parents and siblings, but boy do they clash, or I should say that Rachael clashes with Mike.
This is a sweet story that is told from the heart by the author, and has shared some of her own personal experience in the mode of the story. Come and see if these two can get beyond their own heartache and problems and forge some kind of relationship between them, and include little John.
I found this one hard to put down once I turned the first page!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.



Sweet as Honey (The Honeybee Sisters #1) by Jennifer Beckstrand







Smart, kind, and good-hearted, the three Christner girls are affectionately known as The Honeybee Sisters in the beloved Wisconsin Amish community where, under the care of their aunt, they've grown into skilled beekeepers--and lovely, sought-after young women. . .

Though she has blossomed into a beauty, Lily Christner doesn't really believe it. Deep down, she still feels like a lonely, gawky teenager. Maybe that's why she's all but promised herself to Paul Glick, the one boy who never teased her in her awkward girlhood--unlike Dan Kanagy, whose creative name-calling left her in tears many a time. Now he's back in town after two years away--and being surprisingly sweet, suspiciously attentive--and making Lily unsettlingly yet deliciously nervous. It seems Dan wants Lily's forgiveness--and her heart. But can he convince her--not to mention her protective schwesters and aendi--that despite the past, her future lies with him?


Amazon




About The Author






grew up with a steady diet of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. After all that literary immersion, I naturally decided to get a degree in mathematics, which came in handy when one of my six children needed help with homework. After my fourth daughter was born, I started writing. By juggling diaper changes, soccer games, music lessons, laundry, and two more children, I finished my first manuscript—a Western—in just under fourteen years.

I have always been fascinated by the Amish way of life and now write Inspirational Amish Romance. I am drawn to the strong faith of the Plain people and admire the importance they put on enduring family ties. I have visited and studied Amish communities in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where I met with a bishop and a minister as well as several Amish mamms, dats, and children. It has always impressed me at what salt-of-the-earth people they are. My interactions with these kind people have been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have a dear Amish friend with whom I correspond in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She helps me keep my facts straight and gives me inspiration for my stories.

My goal is to write uplifting, inspiring stories with happy endings and hopeful messages. If my books make readers want to give themselves a big hug or jump up and down for joy, I’ve done my job. I am a member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers and am represented by Mary Sue Seymour of The Seymour Agency.

There are three Amish romances in the Forever After in Apple Lake Series (Summerside/Guideposts). Kate’s Song, Rebecca’s Rose, and Miriam’s Quilt are all now available.

I have six Amish Roamish buggymances in the works with Kensington Books. The first and second books, Huckleberry Hill and Huckleberry Summer, are now available in stores and online. The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill is set in northern Wisconsin Amish country.

The series, The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill, is about an elderly Amish couple who try to find suitable mates for their grandchildren. What could be more fun than throwing two young people together to see if sparks ignite? No one would ever suspect two octogenarian Amish folks of mischief.

Romantic Times gave Huckleberry Hill 4 1/2 stars and chose Huckleberry Summer as a TOP PICK.

I have four daughters, two sons, three sons-in-law, and two adorable grandsons. I live in the foothills of the Wasatch Front with my husband and one son still left at home.



Links
Goodreads  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5362202.Jennifer_Beckstrand


My Review




This is the first of three books about the Christner girls, and their delightful Aunt Bitsy, and their means of support raising Bees. When we first meet them, Dan Kanagy dares to walk on the dandelions, oh no, a terrible infraction.
Dan is not very well liked, by the Christner family, but especially Lily, as he had teased and insulted her all through her school years. Lily, has very low esteem, but a heart of gold, she took it upon herself to go and read to Dan’s Grandmother, when her health was failing.
Lily found comfort in Paul Glick, a chunky self-important, young man, who constantly reminds her what a horrible person Dan is and what he has said about her.
You will want to go and help Lily as you see her verbally abused time and time again, and it is not what you think.
This is a sweet Amish story with a very untraditional Aunt, wearing earrings? Did I see a tattoo? You are going to be quickly absorbed in this read, and hope that our girl makes the right decision, and is not led down the wrong path!
I received this book through Zebra Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.




Monday, June 27, 2016

The Heart Answers (Wyoming #3) by Colleen Coble






Jessica Dubois knows all about men. After all, her entire life men have been flocking around her, irresistably attracted to her beautiful face and glorious red hair. Jessica never met a single one she couldn't wrap around her little finger. When she first meets Clay Cole, Jessica assumes he will fall in line with the other adoring men around her. To her amazement, however, Clay seems immune to her charms. In fact, he sees straight through them, and Jessica is furious. But when Jessica and Clay both want to adopt an orphaned child, Jessica assumes the obvious solution is for them to marry. Clay, however, makes it clear that he would never dream of marrying someone as selfish as Jessica. In fact, he's not sure Jessica is even a good influence for a young child. To Jessica's surprise, she finds that she is suddenly willing to change...if only God can forgive her for all she's done. Now if only God can change Clay's heart.


About The Author







 Bestselling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over two million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Amazon

My Review



The Heart Answers is the third book in this series, and this is Jessica DuBois’s story, and if you have read the other books, your opinion of her may not be very nice. She was always the thorn in everybody’s side, and if there was trouble, it was usually her fault.
After her father died Jessica and her mother decide to move to Fort Bridger, Wyoming, and her mother has decided to marry her deceased husband’s brother. What a change for Jessica, but God does seem to have his reasons for what happens and we find Jessica making a real friend for a change.
The Reverend Clay Cole is related to this new friend, a cousin really, who is recently widowed, and has a precocious three-year-old daughter. Surprisingly, Jessica seems to afford an attachment for this child, really out of character for her. Rev Clay is attracted to Jessica, but as we have seen in the past she is a bit flighty and conniving, can she every change.
This was a very quick read, and one that I didn’t want to end, I kept hoping things would work out for all, but you will have to read the book and judge for yourself!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Jilted (Mended Hearts #3) by Varina Denman








Lynda Turner has struggled with depression since her husband abandoned her and their young daughter fifteen years ago. Yet unexpected hope awakens when a local ex-convict shows interest. As long-hidden secrets resurface, Lynda must fight for her emotional stability and for a life where the shadow of shame is replaced by the light of love.

Jilted tells of a woman who has lost the joy of living, a man determined to draw her back toward happiness, and a town that must—once and for all—leave the past where it belongs. It is a gentle reminder that all things can work together for good.



Celebrate the release of Varina's Jilted by entering to win a $50 gift card.




jilted-400 



One grand prize winner will receive:


  • A copy of Jilted to kick off a summer of reading
  • A $50 Kohl's gift card to make your summertime sweet

The giveaway ends on July 1st. The winner will be announced July 5th on Varina's website.


About The Author


Varina Denman
Varina Denman is author of the Mended Hearts series and a native Texan. She spent her high school years in a rural town and now writes stories about the struggles women face in similar small town settings. She and her husband live near Fort Worth, where they enjoy spending time with their five mostly grown children.



My Review




Jilted is the third book in the Mended Hearts series, and I need to let you know that I have not yet read the other two, but I sure will. The author does a wonderful job of bringing us up to date and I was able to follow the story and once you start you won’t want to put it down.
I can’t even imagine my husband leaving me after an argument, and then disappearing from our lives forever. This is what happened to Lynda Trapp and her young daughter. Of course, by the time this book is written Ruthie is now grown and happily married, and also living in Trapp Texas.
We are reunited with Clyde, a man who has moved on with his life, and shown great forgiveness, and he loves Lynda. Can these two hurt individuals make a life together, or will their past always stand in their way?
This story is going answer a lot of questions, you may or may not be surprised, but there are a lot of facts that are going to come alive. You don’t want to miss this page-turning summer read, I’m glad I picked it up, and will be reading the others in this series.
I received this book through Litfuse Book Bloggers, and was not required to give a positive review.

Where Once There Were Thorns: A Memoir by Jeanne Wilhite Dunn



This powerful memoir, Where Once There Were Thorns, describes the struggles of a strong-willed 17 year old girl and her controlling mother. When she falls in love with a boy who her mother despises, her life is suddenly filled with pain, confusion and despair. Along the journey to adulthood, she finds God and finally, in desperation, surrenders her problems to Him. God orchestrates an unbelievable turn of events that restores the relationship between mother and daughter.



Jeanne Wilhite Dunn is married to her high school sweetheart and together they enjoy life on their hobby farm with lots of much loved animals. A retired registered nurse, Jeanne worked in healthcare for 34 years. Now she owns and operates her own pet-sitting business and is a dog obedience instructor. Her hobbies include writing, gardening, travel, crafting and raising animals. Her deep faith in God has sustained her through the years. Jeanne has been published in Angels on Earth magazine and in Everyday Heroes, an anthology of stories written by healthcare providers. Her favorite pastime remains spending time with her beloved children and grandchildren. 


My Review




I sat down and read this book in one afternoon, a compelling page-turner, filled with love and God’s faithfulness, and dealing with marriage and parents.
I should state that I live in the area of the author and the places she speaks of are well known to me, and made this story much more personal. The book shows us her parent’s relationship, where they met and married, and even back to they’re beginning, a not to happy time.
Her Mom was especially controlling, and I had a hard time understanding why she was so against the boy/man that became her daughter’s husband. Something very deep in her personality must have been the reason, from what the author told her parents seemed to love one another, but was she trying to keep her daughter from making the same mistake, or was she a possessive mom that didn’t want her daughter to move one?
I loved how Jeanne Wilhite Dunn lived her faith, and was full of forgiveness, she was tested to forgive a number of times, and through it all she loved her parents, and did wear her faith on her sleeve.
A powerful book about family life and living ones faith. 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Deep Shadows by Vannetta Chapman






All It Takes Is One Night
to Plunge the World into Darkness


Life in Abney, Texas, is predictable and safe—until the night a massive solar flare wipes out all modern technology.

Shelby Sparks, novelist and single mom, had one goal: to provide for her diabetic son. In the wake of this global disaster, her mission hasn't changed. Only now, medication is a priceless commodity and the future resembles an apocalyptic nightmare.

Max Berkman and Shelby were once sweethearts, but he lost his chance at claiming her love years ago. When the abrupt loss of power ushers him into a leadership role, he rises to the occasion. But his highest priority—to keep Shelby and her son safe—could prove to be the biggest challenge of all.

As the brilliant northern lights give way to deep shadows, Max and Shelby's faith will be tested like never before. Only one rule remains: Find a way to survive.

* * *

In this first book in an eerily plausible dystopian series, a memorable cast of characters must navigate a familiar world thrown into chaos.


Amazon

About The Author



Vannetta Chapman holds a BA and MA degree in English and has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. She published a novel with Abingdon Press called A Simple Amish Christmasin October of 2010. Her first Quilt Shop Murder Mystery, Falling to Pieces (Zondervan) was released in September of 2011 and received the 2012 Carol Award for best mystery. She currently lives in the Texas hill country.
If you’d like to contact Vannetta about speaking at your library or scheduling an interview, please email her assistant, Kristy Kreymer. She can be reached at: kristykreymer (at) gmail (dot) com.
You may also contact Vannetta through:

My Review
Deep Shadows is a book that is going to make you think, you will become the mother of a boy with an illness that requires constant medication to keep him alive. Is this Armageddon, or pretty close to it, but life as everyone has always known it will cease to exist.
What has happened is a solar flare has wiped out all of modern technology, even the Northern Lights appear as far south as Texas. Shelby Sparks has been raising her son on her own, since her husband died, and earned a living writing romance novels, and had researched this very happening. She is with her lifelong friend Max when they see the Northern Lights, and of course Max looks out for her, and they head home, yes his truck works, it is an older non-computerized model.
We get to witness what life will probably be like if such a catastrophe were to happen, martial law happens, and it seems no one is like they used to be. There are fires, and explosions, needless death, and everyday fights for survival, and should they stay in their town, or leave and go to where they might survive. Shelby wants to stay, and so does her son, he has a new love interest, but life isn’t fair and decisions are made for them.
This is a book you won’t be able to put down, and after the last page is turned, you won’t soon forget. There are more answers to come and more to this story, but we have to wait a bit for more.
I received this book through Harvest House and the Author, and was not required to give a positive review.


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Hooray for Liberty, Charlie Brown! by Charles M. Schulz (Creator), Tom Brannon (Illustrations)






The Peanuts gang has built a wonderful new tree house! Everyone wants to share it—everyone except Lucy, who takes over the tree house and says everyone has to obey her. But Charlie Brown and the others don’t want to be ruled by Lucy! Luckily, Linus remembers how the American colonists stood up to the British King a long time ago with the Declaration of Independence. Can the Peanuts gang learn from the colonists and stand up to Lucy?





https://www.amazon.com/Westward-Charlie-Peanuts-American-Adventure/dp/1621573443/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=5ZC9KTSJJBCZAXB1RZYR









About the Author

Charles Schulz was 27 years old when he published the first-ever Peanuts strip on October 2, 1950. Since then, more than 335 million people in 75 countries around the word have enjoyed reading comic strips about Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and their lovable friends. Schulz created 17,897 comic strips before passing away on February 12, 2000, just hours before his last original strip appeared in Sunday newspapers.
 
 
Writer Tracy Stratford played the voice of "Lucy" in the beloved 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Tracy is a school librarian in Washington State and has created a K-12 drama program producing four shows a year for the past seventeen years. Her books Hooray for Liberty, Charlie Brown!, It's a New World, Charlie Brown!, and Westward Ho, Charlie Brown! make American history fun.

My Review





When you receive a gift of something that you know you will never get again, the impossible, and yet, here it is, and it just warms your heart.
The story is like so many other Peanuts books, and our little Lucy does not disappoint, you can just picture her as the self-appointed supervisor of the new club house, or queen as she is soon dubbed. There is also a message here, and oh how I love how it is presented! The lesson here is about colonial American and the taxes that went back to the English King, or as this story goes Liberty from Lucy!
There are answers in the back of the book that will help you answer your children’s questions after they have read the book. Why did American need a Declaration of Independence? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? What did the Declaration of Independence say?
Don’t miss sweet addition to your library, and a great gift for someone special!
I received this book through Regnery Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

 




Monday, June 20, 2016

My Father's House: a novel by Rose Chandler Johnson







Growing up, life is idyllic for Lily Rose Cates due to one constant – her father’s love.
But in her sixteenth summer, all that changes without warning. There begins Lily’s struggle to find herself and the life she’s lost. . . . Marriage promises fulfillment, but her happily-ever-after barely survives the honeymoon. Her husband’s sophisticated façade hides a brooding man with even darker secrets.
When all illusions shatter, Lily must make hard choices – abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

About The Author



Rose Chandler Johnson is the author of the award winning devotional “God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments.” “My Father’s House” is her first novel. She happily makes her home near Augusta, Georgia.
Find out more about Rose Chandler at http://www.writemomentswithgod.blogspot.com.


My Review



My Father’s House was a story I didn’t want to end, the author drew me in and I never wanted to leave!
This is a family story, finding love, and not knowing the person before you commit, and finding out to late, but would you have done things differently? Lilly Rose is enchanted with Manny, and he sweeps her off her feet, but there is hidden danger here, and we hope for the best, but root for her to leave him.
We follow Lilly Rose from Detroit to finally ending up in Georgia, and from the descriptions in the book, this Northern girl is ready to move to this sweet town. I could picture the beautiful homes, and the gorgeous gardens, and these loving people on their rockers on the front porch.
Will Lilly ever be free of Manny? The violence seems to follow her, and you keep wondering the out come right to the end. Will there be a chance of happiness for this sweet girl? I was page turning and as I said I never wanted this book to end.
I received this book through Litfuse, and was not required to give a positive review.



 

A Haven on Orchard Lane by Lawana Blackwell

Much-Loved Lawana Blackwell Delivers Another Charming Victorian-Era Tale

In difficult circumstances, Charlotte Ward, once a famed stage actress, tries to restart her career--only to experience disaster. Against her better judgment, her estranged daughter, Rosalind, comes to her mother's rescue and moves her to a quiet English coastal village.
Charlotte is grateful to get to know Rosalind after years apart. As one who has regrets about her own romantic past, it's a joy for Charlotte to see love blossom for her daughter. For Rosalind, however, it's time away from teaching--and now she must care for the mother who wasn't there for her. And what could be more complicated than romance?
Together, mother and daughter discover that healing is best accomplished when they focus less on themselves and more on the needs of others.


About The Author

Lawana Blackwell 


Lawana Blackwell has thirteen published novels to her credit, many of them set in the English countryside of the 19th century. She and her husband live in Frisco, Texas.


My Review
 
I picked up this book not really knowing what to expect, and was soon engulfed into the lives of Charlotte Ward and her daughter Rosalind. As I read on the blurb on the back of the book about Charlotte, a renowned actress, but failure as a mother, or was she?
I found Charlotte as a very caring woman, she seemed to be there for others whom were less fortunate, or to help them onto the right path, but some of her life decisions were pretty bad. For one thing she really had bad choices of men, including the current husband, who now was accusing her of outrageous sins. Now the time of this story is the 1880’s in England, and woman are really second-class citizens, without many rights.
Rosalind is an accomplished teacher, and does come to her mother’s aid even though she has many issues with her, and I could really understand where she was coming from. She takes her mother to a quaint coastal town, which made me want to live there. So many hurtful things to get revealed, and we can understand what the causes of some of the problems were.
Of course life cannot be all sunshine and roses, and our ladies have a few trials and are taken by people who mean harm, and are out for their own gain. I recommend this book, what a great summer read, and you won’t want to put it down!
I received this book from the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.


Friday, June 17, 2016

Medical Judgment by Richard L. Mabry & Giveaway






Someone is after Dr. Sarah Gordon. They've stalked her and set a fire at her home. Trying to recover from the traumatic deaths of her husband and infant daughter is tough enough, but she has no idea what will come next. Her late husband's best friend and a recovering alcoholic detective are trying to solve the mystery before it's too late, but both appear to be vying for her affection as well. Sarah finds herself in constant fear as the process plays out.
As the threats on her life continue to escalate, so do the questions: Who is doing this? Why are they after her? And with her only help being unreliable suitors in competition with each other, whom can she really trust?



Join Richard in celebrating the release of Medical Judgment by entering to win an e-reader!
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One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A copy of Medical Judgment
  • A Kindle Fire HD 6
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on June 21st. The winner will be announced June 22nd on the Litfuse blog.
medical judgment - enterbanner



Purchase


About The Author




Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice-President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and the author of five published novels of medical suspense. His books have been finalists in competitions including ACFW’s Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year, and have won the Selah Award from the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. His forthcoming medical thriller, Fatal Trauma, is coming in May, 2019. He also has a novella, Rx Murder, available on Amazon.

Richard’s non-fiction book, The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse (Kregel Publishers), has ministered to multiple thousands of grieving individuals. His meditations and short pieces have appeared in The Upper Room, In Touch, and several other periodicals.

When Richard is not writing, he spends his time reading, working fruitlessly to improve his golf game, and defending his title as the world’s best Granddad. He and his wife live in north Texas and are active members of Stonebriar Community Church, pastored by Dr. Chuck Swindoll.



My Review



Dr. Mabry has done it again, and I had to page turn just to keep up with all that is going on. The story has a really sad happening with the deaths of Dr. Sarah Gordon’s husband and two year old daughter.
We find a woman angry with God, and trying to move on, but also trying to hang on to the past. While doing this something or someone so evil is stalking this poor woman, will anyone be able to help her before it is to late?
As this story goes one, I found myself not wanting to trust anyone, even her pastor; everyone is suspect to doing these horrible things to her. We have fires, gunshots, leaving the form of a body in her bed, a doll just like her daughters on her doorstep, on and on. Are they trying to drive her mad, or are they looking to kill her.
There are also men who you suspect to being the perpetrator, that seem to want to have a relationship with her, almost to a possessive nature. All I found myself wanting was peace for her, and a new life, but is that even going to be possible?
If you like to read books that keep you stomach in your throat, don’t miss this one!
I received this book through Litfuse, and the Publisher Abingdon, and was not required to give a positive review. 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Saddle Maker's Son by Kelly Irvin






Rebekah Lantz feels imprisoned by circumstances she didn’t create. Tobias Byler is haunted by regret. Can two young runaways from half a world away teach them the healing power of true family?


Rebekah isn’t like her sister, but the watchful gaze of her family and small, close knit Amish community makes her feel as if she’s been judged and found lacking. The men avoid her and the women whisper behind her back. She simply longs for the same chance to be a wife and mother that her friends have.


Tobias Byler only wants to escape feelings for a woman he knows he should never have allowed to get close to him. Moving with his family to isolated Bee County, Texas, seemed the best way to leave his mistakes behind. But even a move across the country can’t erase the past that accompanies his every thought.


A surprise encounter with two half-starved runaway children forces both Rebekah and Tobias to turn to each other to help a sister and brother who have traveled thousands of miles in search of lives of unfettered peace and joy.


In doing so, Rebekah and Tobias discover the key to forgetting the past is the one that will open the door to love and the future they both seek.


About The Author



Kelly Irvin's latest book in the New Hope Amish series, A Plain Love Song, releases in July 2014. She is the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Amish Amish series. The first series includes To Love and To Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love’s Journey Home, published by Harvest House. Love Still Stands, the first book in her spin-off series New Hope Amish, released in September 2013, followed by Love Redeemed in March 2014.

Kelly is now working on a three-book series for Zondervan set in Bee County, Texas. The first book in The Amish of Bee County series, The Beekeeper's Son, is set to release in January 2015.

Kelly has also penned two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, published by Five Star Gale in 2010 and 2011.

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime. She also serves as secretary of the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly has been writing nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso.

She has worked in public relations for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department for 19 years.Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-six years, and they have two young adult children. They recently became grandparents for the first time. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and play with her new granddaughter.


My Review




Another great visit in the Amish Bee County, and back with some dear friends, and family. This story brings a new family into the community, and they quickly become active members, especially when some lost little souls come through.
These read brings a few new romances, some you will be surprised by, and others are just so sweet and seem so destined. Add to the mix another romance with an Englisher, the reason why the Byler’s moved her, and then some tragedy.
Will these loving people be able to put away their differences and help two young Columbia alien children, they are running and so afraid, and yet hoping to find their father. We also find one of their own that has left the fold, coming to the aid of these little ones.
I found my heart breaking when Rebecca’s sister stops by with her daughter, I can’t imagine not having my family in my life. This story does allow some healing, but the things that happen here, are going to make this book a page turner, and linger with you a long time after the final page is turned.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.




Tuesday, June 14, 2016

No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer






Men are optional. That's the credo Emma Chandler's suffragette aunts preached and why she started a successful women's colony in Harper's Station, Texas. But when an unknown assailant tries repeatedly to drive them out, Emma admits they might need a man after all. A man who can fight--and she knows just the one.

Malachi Shaw finally earned the respect he craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma's plea arrives, he bolts to Harper's Station to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she's not a girl any longer. She's a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn't deserve.

As the danger intensifies, old feelings grow and deepen, but Emma and Mal will need more than love to survive.


About The Author




Christy Award finalist and winner the ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, and Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, CBA bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes Christian historical romance for Bethany House, believing the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children.


My Review

I loved the concept of the woman only town, but now the town is under attack, whom would want to close this town.
Emma Chandler and her spunky aunts have established this colony to help woman and let them earn their freedom and restore their lives. Many come from abusive relationships.
When the town is attacked Emma can only think of one person to turn to for help, Malachi Shaw, who she helped along with aunts when he was homeless, cold and starving, of course she was younger than him, but they opened their home to him. Now they need him, and when the telegram comes, Malachi and off as fast as he can!
Then comes an ultimatum from Malachi’s boss, come back to work or your done, what will he do? He cannot stay forever in a ladies only town, can he? The threats and violence keep coming, and we need to put faces to who is responsible, how can it all be stopped, and why is this happening?
Be ready for a page-turner here, and enjoy as we journey in a woman’s world!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House and was not required to give a positive review. 

Friday, June 10, 2016

Debut Authors Giveaway Hop ~ $10 Amazon Gift Card

 


This hop is designed to introduce you to some new Debut Authors, the new guys on the block!
You may find your new favorite author, and I'm giving a $10 Amazon Gift Card to give you that chance to try someone new!
Just fill out the rafflecopter!
Here are a couple of ones...one I've read and the other I'm looking forward to reading...I'm sure you have some that look good to you!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Barks and Clues: A Canine Cozy Mystery by Sharon Michaels

    Barks and Clues: A Canine Cozy Mystery by Sharon Michaels About Barks and Clues  Barks and Clues: A Canine Cozy Myst...