Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Shadow of Suspicion by Ashley Dawn







About the book:
Revenge is the agenda…

“Find my sister.” 

Rick Reiley’s words were what drove Luke to search mercilessly for Kerry. He is in a race against time to find her and will have to face more than a criminal mastermind to get close to her. He is prepared to give his life for her, but what about his heart?

“…I would like you to meet….My wife.”

Those words from her enigmatic rescuer threw Kerry more than anything else that had happened to her in the last few days…and that was saying a lot! Kerry’s simple life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and dragged to the middle of nowhere by a madman. She trusts Luke with her life, but can she trust him with her heart?

As Luke fights to keep Kerry safe, the chemistry ignites and the danger gets closer.

Will God protect them while Luke tries to sort out his heart….and capture Kerry’s?

My Review:
Luke and Kerry, familiar names, but a story that stands on its own is inside these pages. Kerry is a second-grade teacher, the last person you'd think of to be in danger. She needs protection and it would be easy to fall for Luke, but is that the right thing to do? I loved the faith aspects that weren't overdone, and the romance wasn't overplayed. The suspense was good. It was a bit low on twists, but I still really liked it! I'm ready for book three! 

My copy came from Celebrate Lit, but I got one of my own as well.  

Author Bio
Author Ashley Dawn was born and raised in rural Arkansas where she developed her love for writing while helping in her parent's office. She graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Central Arkansas but is currently working as a legal assistant. 
Ashley has been writing professionally for the past twelve years and has four published books.  Her Shadows Series include Shadows From The Past, Shadows of Suspicion, Shadows of Pain, and Shadows of Deception.  She is currently working on multiple projects including the fifth in her ‘Shadows’ series entitled “Shadows in Black and White” and also a standalone suspense titled ‘One of Their Own’.  She an­­d her family make their home in Texas.

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Sunday, October 21, 2018

Shadows' Sorrow by Galadriel Pittman

Shadows sorrows fb banner copy

About the Book

ebookcover
Book Title: Shadows’ Sorrow
Author: Galadriel Pittman
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: May 18, 2018
“I will become these shadows’ sorrow. I swear.”
A disillusioned guardian, a four-footed philosopher, an honorable thief, Trouble, and an unexpected inheritance against the end of the world? Bring it on.
An ancient evil has recently reawakened. Raven, a young Deinya warrior disillusioned with his people, has accepted a quest from his one-time master for old time’s sake. But when he catches a thief, Tara, his life hurls down an unforeseen path. With the help of others they meet along the way, they race to find the secret to the Rakon’s downfall before the nations again succumb to darkness.
Click HERE to get your copy!  

My Review:

I really flew through this book. It was entertaining enough that the pages flew past. I'm horse crazy to start with, so I adored the horse. I liked the progress of this adventure, the task set before Rakon and how Tara plays into it. I would like to read the rest of this series. While this book stood alone just fine, it leaves you wanting to read more about this land. I do find it a bit similar to some other fantasy tales that I have enjoyed through the years. 

5 stars

About the Author
author SSphotoI am Galadriel Pittman, a mother of two, wife to a supportive amazing husband, daughter, sister, friend, worship singer, school cafe manager…the list goes on. I am blessed with many roles to fill. And now, finally, author. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents reading to me–Chronicles of Narnia, Xanth series, Lord of the Rings…but they never read them fast enough for my liking. So, I learned to read. As a voracious reader from the age of three, my goal as a child was to read every book in the world! Sadly, reality dictated that there were more books than what my town library held, and new ones entered all the time! Perhaps taking a sideways step in that dream to become one who created those new entries is not surprising. As a child I enjoyed telling my younger siblings stories, and as a teen, I created my world with a friend. Over the years, I added to that tale. Recently, I decided I wanted to find out what happens next— so here we go.
For more information and updates on books, go to galadrielpittman.com or find me on Facebook at Galadriel Pittman
 Guest Post from Galadriel
Maps. I’ve always loved them. Like Bilbo Baggins, I would pour over them, plotting where I had been, where I wanted to go. I spent hours doodling them. There’s something calming about making squiggly lines. So when it came to creating a world, the map had to be one of the first features for me to make.
Fast forward a couple of decades to when I decided to get serious about finishing my story. I pulled out my old hand drawn in pencil map and thought, “This needs an upgrade.” Enter my amazing husband. He took my original map and drew it on the computer, adding wonderful details like trees and mountains. The final touch was the nod of homage to C.S. Lewis: The known world of Morovia prepared for his majesty by the adventurers Clark, Shawn, and Lewis.
And now I offer this portal to my world as part of the giveaway! An 11”x17” color copy of the map inspired the theme for the gift basket giveaway.

Blog Stops

Bibliophile Reviews, October 20
Blogging With Carol, October 21
Midnight Bookaholic, October 22
Texas Book-aholic, October 23
Multifarious, October 26
Bigreadersite, October 27
Carpe Diem, October 30
A Reader’s Brain, November 1
Pause for Tales, November 2

Giveaway

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To celebrate her tour, Galadriel is giving away a a themed basket that includes a color copy of my world’s map, a journal, a day planner, a pen, a pen carrier, a mug and some tea packets!!
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/d435/shadows-sorrow-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, October 14, 2018

A Duel for Christmas by Rosanne E. Lortz


a duel for christmas fb banner

About the Book

ChristmasDuel_frontBook Title: A Duel For Christmas
Author: Rosanne E. Lortz
Genre: Regency Romance, Romantic Suspense
Release date: October 1, 2019
After seven long years in Devon, Lady Maud Worlington returns to London to reclaim life on her own terms, but a nefarious shadow and the prospect of financial ruin dog her steps. An impulsive and unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe creates a connection with Geoffrey, the handsome, young Duke of Tilbury. Yet as pleasant as it is to have a suitor, Maud is not sure how a boy of one-and-twenty can prove an equal partner in life and the equal of all the forces mounted against her.
The Duke of Tilbury considers himself as adept at managing matters as he is at swordplay, but his beautiful new acquaintance Lady Worlington has other ideas about how to manage her complicated life. Intrigued by their stolen kiss, Geoffrey pursues Lady Worlington’s affections, only to be foiled by the lady’s own doubts, by rivals for her hand, and by a sudden death that affects both their families. When Jacob Pevensey, the investigator from Bow Street enters the scene, the duke becomes a prime suspect in the murder case. Truths are unearthed that Geoffrey would rather keep hidden, and the twelve days of Christmas race toward a perilous end.

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review:
This book was exactly what I needed right now. I fell into this regency book and soon, all my hesitations about this story were whisked away. I have a new author to follow. This book has a mystery, romance and time-gone-by setting that is perfectly blended with Christmas, complete with dances and gowns. I liked all the characters in one way or another, even the villains were interesting and complex enough to thrill me. I have missed books of this caliber. I have to have the rest of the books in this series. 

5 stars

About the Author

Author PhotoRosanne E. Lortz is a writer, editor, teacher, history-lover, and mom to four boys. She loves to read, sing, draw, compose, write, and create. Education is one of her passions, particularly a classical, liberal arts education. She has taught English composition and grammar, Latin, history, music, and various other subjects for ten years at both the elementary and secondary level and is currently the Director of Academics and Admissions at Paideia Classical Christian School in Gladstone, Oregon.
Rosanne’s first book, I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince, released in 2009. This book explores the tumultuous landscape surrounding the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death and is a tale of arms, of death, of love, and of honor. In 2015, Rosanne began her Pevensey mysteries, novels of romantic suspense set during the British Regency (with inspiration from medieval characters and events). The first three titles are: To Wed an Heiress, The Duke’s Last Hunt, and A Duel for Christmas.

Guest Post from Roseanne

The year is 1120. The place is the English Channel. A ship puts off from the French port. The passengers have been drinking, far too heavily. A submerged rock shatters the hull of the ship. The vessel goes down into the watery depths, and with it the heir to the English throne.
This incident from Medieval history was the inspiration for my Regency novel, A Duel for Christmas. Set in the early 1800s, the novel has a dash of suspense, a few tablespoons of murder mystery, and a heaping cup of sweet romance all blended together to make the perfect holiday read.
Lady Maud Worlington has just returned to London, determined to reclaim life on her own terms, but when an impulsive and unforgettable kiss creates a connection with Geoffrey, the Duke of Tilbury, she must decide if he can prove an equal partner in life and the equal of all the forces mounted against her. A watery death, financial ruin, and a nefarious shadow from the past dog their steps as the Twelve Days of Christmas race toward a perilous end.

Blog Stops

KarenSueHadleyOctober 13
Just Commonly, October 13
Blogging With Carol, October 14
Remembrancy, October 14
Carpe Diem, October 15
Texas Book-aholic, October 17
All-of-a-kind Mom, October 18
Wishful Endings, October 18
More Of Him, October 19
Bibliophile Reviews, October 20
Lis Loves Reading, October 21
Mary Hake, October 22
Simple Harvest Reads, October 23 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
Book by Book, October 23
Bigreadersite, October 25
Godly Book Reviews, October 26
Have A Wonderful DayOctober 26

Giveaway

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To celebrate her tour, Rosanne is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card!!
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/d434/a-duel-for-christmas-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, October 6, 2018

The Imperfect Promises by Elizabeth Noyes

Imperfect Promises FB Banner copy

About the Book

Book Title: Imperfect Promisesnei5 Imperfect Promises
Author: Elizabeth Noyes
Genre: Action, Suspense, Romance
Release date: August, 2018
Award-winning romantic suspense author, Elizabeth Noyes raises the bar in this stunning conclusion of The Imperfect Series!
Former Special Forces operative, Jonas Cameron, traded his past and his service for his family back in Idaho and the ranch he loves. But ghosts have a disturbing way of not staying where you leave them.
Shea Townsend is on her way to becoming a chef extraordinaire until her father’s illness pulls her from culinary school and back to Montana to care for him. After his death, disinherited and alone, she sets out to make a new life for herself, one which may or may not include the too-alpha, too-sexy Jonas Cameron.
Jonas learns of a homegrown terrorist threat against him and his family at the same time a mysterious stalker sets his sights on Shea. Determined to neutralize both dangers, Jonas calls on old friends for help and draws upon his own very specialized skill set to end the menaces to Shea and himself.
As the danger escalates, secrets are revealed and the truth emerges in a deadly cat and mouse game with Shea caught in the middle.
Fast-paced action. Heart-pounding adventure. This is not your ordinary romantic suspense story!

My Review:

Jonas is home from the war, but as well I know, the war comes home with people. Having fought tends to change people and like so many, Jonas has his own "demons" to fight now that he's back. Shea is sweet on Jonas, and she looks like a good match for him, however, their are plenty of issues there. Not the least of which is some of the baggage that's come home with Jonas. 

PTSD, stalking, and terrorism are a few of the things in this suspense-romance. I found this book to be realistic in almost all areas. Even thought I've not read the rest of this series, this book stood alone just fine. I didn't have any trigger issue with this book, though I do know a few people who would need to pray about it before they read it.

5 stars

Buy a copy here!

About the Author
ENoyesElizabeth Noyes—professional writer, aspiring author, dedicated dreamer—lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and best friend, Paul, who listens tirelessly while she regales him with all the tales in her head of damaged, but very human characters clamoring to be heard.
A native of the Deep South, she claims to still “speak the language,” even after traveling around the world for most of her adult life. Recently retired from a career as a professional business writer and editor, she now fills her days editing, critiquing, reading, playing with the grandkids, learning more about Social Media than she ever wanted, and putting her stories into words to share with others.

Guest Post from Elizabeth Noyes
The Imperfect Tie Between Characters, Themes, and Titles
I love reading across all genres. If it’s well- written, I’m an easy catch. What I don’t like is when fictional characters are portrayed as model-worthy with perfect looks, perfect physiques, and perfect personalities. Yuk! I’ve never met a perfect person.
To quote Mark Twain, “The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible.”
I want characters with the same flaws as you and me—judgmental, short-tempered, guilt-ridden, egotistical, defiant, withdrawn, too-skinny, compassionate, couch potatoes, foolish, silly, serious, low self-esteem, arrogant, hurt, guilty, deceiving, generous… in other words, real people. These are character traits I relate to, and they come alive on the pages, giving hope that we can also learn from our mistakes and grow into something better.
The characters in the Imperfect Series let themselves and others down. They struggle with life issues, make poor decisions, grieve over mistakes, and then pick themselves up and go on.
In Imperfect Wings, guilt and low self esteem plague TJ, while her male counterpart, Garrett, struggles with anger issues. In Imperfect Trust, yeah, trust was a problem for both Lucy and Wade. With Imperfect Bonds, Cassidy fights for her sister’s forgiveness as she deals with feelings of inadequacy … both of which carry over into her relationship with Derek. In Imperfect Lies—yep, another obvious theme. Lies from the past come back to haunt Mallory and James.
In the final book of the series, Imperfect Promises, the main male character, Jonas, is by a nature a control freak. He suffers from guilt over a perceived failure when at his deepest core he is a protector and perfectionist. Shea, the female protagonist, rose from the ashes of a devastating childhood to forge a new life for herself. Both discover that promises made to themselves and to others can’t always be kept. Despite best intentions, life sometimes gets in the way.

Blog Stops

Godly Book Reviews, September 27
Bigreadersite, September 27
Multifarious, September 29
Real World Bible Study, September 29
Carpe Diem, October 2
All-of-a-kind Mom, October 7
Texas Book-aholic, October 10

Giveaway

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To celebrate her tour, Elizabeth is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
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/d296/imperfect-promises-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Delayed Justice by Cara Putman

Delayed Justice FB Banner copy

About the Book

Book Title: Delayed Justice
Author: Cara Putman
Genre: Legal Romantic Suspense
Release date: October 15, 2018
She had long given up the desire to be loved. Now she only needed to be heard. index
Jaime Nichols went to law school to find the voice she never had as a child, and her determination to protect girls and women in the path of harm drives her in ways both spoken and unspoken. As Jamie, now a criminal defense attorney, prepares to press charges against someone who wronged her long ago, she must face not only her demons but also the unimaginable forces that protect the powerful man who tore her childhood apart.
Chandler Bolton, a retired veteran, is tasked with helping a young victim who must testify in court—and along with his therapy dog, Aslan, he’s up for the task. When he first meets Jaime, all brains, beauty, and brashness, he can’t help but be intrigued. As Chandler works to break through the wall Jaime has built around herself, the two of them discover that they may have more to offer one another than they ever could have guessed—and that together, they may be able to help this endangered child.
This thrilling installment of the Hidden Justice series explores the healing power of resolution and the weight of words given voice. And as Jaime pursues delayed justice of her own, she unearths eternal truths that will change the course of her life.

Click here to purchase your copy!

 My Review:
This is the third book in the series and it's a 5-star read. I just had to put that there, up front. Able to stand on its own, this book covers a major issue; revenge for being molested as a child. While very well handled, this book could trigger some of us. Even so, it's worth the read. I loved the depth and emotions that were shown, and the inclusion of the Chronicles of Narnia. (That's one of my favorites!) 

This is a very emotional and raw read, filled with faith, hope, healing, and forgiveness. God and Jesus are clearly shown and even though reading it hurt at times, it's a suburb story, written with compassion and lots of realism. 

About the Author

Since the time she could read Nancy Drew, Cara has wanted to write mysteries. In 2005 she attended a book signing at her local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, was history. There she met a fellow Indiana writer Colleen Coble. With prompting from her husband, Cara shared her dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, Cara’s been writing award-winning books. She is currently working on book 30 and 31. 
Cara Putman is an active member of ACFW, and currently serves on its Executive Board. She has also been the Indiana ACFW chapter president and served as the Area Coordinator for Indiana.
Cara is also an attorney, lecturer at a Big Ten university, active in women’s ministry, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, her husband and her kids that is. She graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!) and George Mason Law School, and Krannert School of Management. You can learn more about Cara at www.caraputman.com

Guest Post from Cara

Delayed Justice was a hard story to write.
I’d known from Beyond Justice that Jaime had a hard story, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. She tried to hide from her past. She tried hard, but in the end it slowly spilled out. A young girl wounded deeply by someone who should protect her. And now as a professional young woman, Jaime is still fighting the shadows.
She believes she’s okay, or as okay as she’ll ever be.
Instead, she has to learn that there’s so much more waiting for her. Freedom from the chains of a past she didn’t choose. A love that will never end. And a God who has always loved her even when she questions His existence because of her past.
I think we’ve all lived that. There’s a place in our hearts that seems beyond His reach. For some of us, it’s a barrier to knowing Him. To others of us, it makes us question what we thought we knew about God. And for others of us, it presses us deeply into Him. Jaime’s book, Delayed Justice, explores this space. The space where some days we scream at the heavens Where are you, God? And the days we just curl into ourselves because life is too hard.
And in that space of shadow and light, God ultimately shines brightest. This is a truth that is slowly revealed through friends and The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Blog Stops

Fiction Aficionado, September 29
The Avid Reader, September 29
The Power of Words, September 29
The Lit Addict, September 30
BBHfiction, September 30
Painting with Words, September 30
Real World Bible Study, September 30
Janices book reviews, September 30
cherylbbookblog, October 1
Back Porch ReadsOctober 1
Cafinated Reads, October 1
Faithfully Bookish, October 1
Lighthouse Academy, October 2
Livin Lit, October 2
Bigreadersite, October 2
All-of-a-kind Mom, October 3
The Becca Files, October 3
Blogging With CarolOctober 3
Genesis 5020, October 4
Cathe Swanson, October 4
100 Pages per Hour, October 5
Multifarious, October 5
Book by Book, October 5
Mary Hake, October 6
Godly Book Reviews, October 6
C Jane Read, October 7
Buy, Borrow, Skip, October 7
The Mimosa Blossom, October 8
Simple Harvest Reads, October 9 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)
Remebrancy, October 9
Carpe Diem, October 9
Quiet Quilter, October 10
At the Fence, October 10
By The Book, October 10
God is Love, October 11
Texas Book-aholic, October 11
Henry Happens, October 12
Have A Wonderful DayOctober 12

Giveaway

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To celebrate her tour, Cara is giving away a grand prize package that includes a Courage Dear Heart bracelet, a The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe print, a copy of Delayed Justice, and a box of Turkish Delight!!
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/d5c4/delayed-justice-celebration-tour-giveaway