Pulse by Linore Burkard

 About the Book

Book: Pulse

Author: Linore Burkard

Genre: Christian YA/Apocalyptic Suspense

Release date: August 24, 2015

What do you do when the whole world stops?

Andrea, Lexie and Sarah are just ordinary teens until a mysterious event shuts down all technology. In the dead of winter, there’s no heat, no internet, no cell phones–not even a working car.

In this chilling Christian YA tale, most of the population doesn’t survive. Pitting faith and grit against a world without power, the girls and their families must beat the odds. But can they find the strength to survive when society collapses and technology fails?

Click here to get your copy.

My Review:

Well, I have read this basic premise before. Freezing winter, emp, no phones, no computers - welcome to the end of the world. Enter the lives of three girls whose world has been turned upside down. Thus we have survival, faith, and all the major issues that happen when things come to a screeching halt. I felt that it was told reasonably well. I like the multi-person perspectives, but at times I wished it had been a tad more interwoven. It's not preachy, but just a "here it is" kind of style as Lexie, Sarah and Andrea share what happened in their lives when things quit. I wouldn't mind knowing what happened with the rest of the series. 

4 Stars

About the Author

Linore Rose Burkard wrote a trilogy of genuine regency romances for the Christian market before there were any regencies for the Christian market. Published with Harvest House, her books opened the genre for the CBA. She also writes YA Suspense/Apocalyptic fiction as L.R. Burkard. Married with five children, Linore home-schools her youngest daughter, teaches workshops for writers, and is the Vice President of the Dayton Christian Scribes.  Her latest  PULSE EFFEX SERIES, takes readers into a “chilling possible future for America, while affirming the power of faith in the darkest of times.”

More from Linore

When my sweet historical romance series was published, I never dreamed my next would be YA/dystopian. What a switch in genres! So, how did I go from one end of the writing spectrum to another? Blame it on an idea that refused to die. I read a headline about how close the earth came to suffering a catastrophic electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, in 2012. We missed the worst effects of a solar flare by a hair (in space terms); but the “what if” factor had been set in motion. What if that flare hadn’t missed us? What if I was a teen raised on electronics–or an adult medically dependent on them–and it all went dead in a matter of seconds? What if the next flare doesn’t miss? PULSE, the first book in my PULSE EFFEX Series, was born.

The books shows life in the aftermath of such an event for three teens and their families. With the world plunged into a new dark age, can they keep hope alive?

Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, July 13

Through the Fire Blogs, July 14

amandainpa, July 14

Genesis 5020, July 15

Real World Bible Study, July 15

Retrospective Spines, July 16

Blogging With Carol, July 17

Artistic Nobody, July 17 (Spotlight)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 18

All-of-a-kind Mom, July 18

Inspired by fiction, July 19

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, July 19

Mary Hake, July 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 20

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, July 21

Pause for Tales, July 21

Inklings and notions, July 22

janicesbookreviews, July 23

Emily Yager, July 23

Ashley’s Bookshelf, July 24

Texas Book-aholic, July 25

God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae, July 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 25

A Reader’s Brain, July 26

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linore is giving away the grand prize of an eBook copy of her book and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/e683/pulse-celebration-tour-giveaway

Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin

About the Book:

In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield. 

Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.

When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.

My Review:

 This is the story of spies and romance, and of carrier pigeons, and wars.  It could have fallen to being too much like many other books in this genre, but it didn't. Instead, it too me on a journey about 100 or so years ago, to a time when faith was clearer and war heroes were born. Collin is endearing and the mystery aspects propelled me through at a much faster rate than I realized. Through France, England, and Spain, this story carried without failing at any point. 

5 Stars 

My copy came from Bethany House. My review is all mine, left freely. 

About the Author: 

Former bookseller-turned-author Kate Breslin enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received Christian Retailing's 2015 Best Award for First Time Author and her first novel, For Such A Time, won American Christian Fiction Writers 2015 Carol Award. Kate's third novel, High As The Heavens, released in June, 2017. When she's not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington's beautiful woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, and much of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas.

 Please visit her at www.katebreslin.com

Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes

About the Book:

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea.

My Review:

I was drawn by the cover and the title is interesting, but I was ill prepared for the contents of this novel. This book is captivating. From the time I read the line about the rocks, I hoped the book would live up to my expectations. It surpassed them. It encompasses love and loss, and hopes and dreams, and fear and life all at once. It pulls history and the past into the here and now. It will make you cry. (Sometimes that's a good thing!) This beautiful Maine setting with romance and so many details sticks with you long after the book is closed. Without skimping on faith, this book is a gambit of emotions and deserves every high start rating it gets. 

5 HUGE STARS! 

Thanks to Bethany House for my copy of this book. My review is all mine, left freely. 

About the Author: 

Amanda Dykes is the author of Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale, the critically-acclaimed bicycle story that invited readers together to fund bicycles for missionaries in Asia. A former English teacher, she has a soft spot for classic literature and happy endings. She is a drinker of tea, a dweller of Truth, and a spinner of hope-filled tales, grateful for the grace of a God who loves extravagantly.

The Tinderbox by Beverly Lewis

About the Book: 

With her Amish parents' twentieth anniversary approaching, eighteen-year-old Sylvia Miller stumbles across a surprise--the old brass tinderbox her clockmaker father keeps in his Lancaster County shop has been left unlocked. Against her better judgment, Sylvia opens the cherished heirloom, not realizing that what she is about to discover will splinter apart her happy life. 

Sylvia's bewilderment grows when her father confronts her about snooping in the box. To her amazement, the respected convert to the Old Order reacts as if he has something to hide.

Burdened by the weight of his deception, Earnest Miller decides he must reveal the details about his past to his beloved wife, Rhoda. The long-kept secret alters everything for the close-knit family, jeopardizing Earnest and Rhoda's relationship, as well as threatening Sylvia's recent engagement to the preacher's grandson.

Can the Millers find a way forward through the turmoil to a place of forgiveness and acceptance?

My Review:

Off and on I have read this author's books. Breaking out of the more standardized "Amish Box", this book pulls in some real-life issues. This book feels much more like the ones that brought Lewis so much success. So many secrets and so many lives were altered in this story. Amidst the secrets, life, death, courting, and major events are happening with and to Sylvia. I was so glad to see the Wise Woman of Hickory Hollow again. I love her character! The major issues are well handled, even topics that are scandalous. I didn't like that we don't have the full conclusion till the next book, but I know that's a popular way to do things. 

4 Stars

Thank you to Bethany House for my copy of this book. My review is my own, left of my own free will. 

About the Author:

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado."

Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett (Vintage National Parks #3)

About The Book:

Vibrant historic Yellowstone National Park comes to life in this romantic mystery about a man hiding the truth, braving the west to become something more--and the woman who must confront his deception.

A man who can't read will never amount to anything--or so Nate Webber believes. But he takes a chance to help his family by signing up for the new Civilian Conservation Corps, skirting the truth about certain "requirements." Nate exchanges the harsh Brooklyn streets for the wilds of Yellowstone National Park, curious if the Eden-like wonderland can transform him as well.
Elsie Brookes was proud to grow up as a ranger's daughter, but she longs for a future of her own. After four years serving as a maid in the park's hotels, she still hasn't saved enough money for her college tuition. A second job, teaching a crowd of rowdy men in the CCC camp, might be the answer, but when Elsie discovers Nate's secret, it puts his job as camp foreman in jeopardy. Tutoring leads to friendship and romance, until a string of suspicious fires casts a dark shadow over their relationship. Can they find answers before all of their dreams go up in smoke?

My Review:

The time:1933. The place: Yellowstone National Park. Me: Now addicted to this series! This is the first book in this series that I have read and I must read the others and have more! That said, this book stood alone with ease. 

I've heard it said the author was a Ranger. I could believe that because this book is saturated with the ability to feel like you are there. It's flourishing with detailed descriptions. Yellowstone is a place I haven't been, yet, but I feel like I might have been after reading this book.

Nate and Elsa are a cute couple with a strong romance, complete with underlying currents of faith. This book is not preachy, it's a good choice for those who haven't read Christian fiction before and are scared to try it. A solid who-done-it type mystery also flows through the book, making this novel a refreshing read that takes you away like the travel channel or a good "old time" movie. 

Five Stars! 

Many thanks to Waterbrook & Multnomah for my copy of this fantastic book! #EverFaithful #WaterbrookLaunchTeam
My opinions are my own and are left of my own free will.

About The Author:
Karen Barnett is the award-winning author of the Golden Gate Chronicles (Out of the Ruins, Beyond the Ashes, Through the Shadows) and MISTAKEN. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two kids, and a bevy of furry friends. You can learn more about Karen's writing journey at http://www.KarenBarnettBooks.com.

Midnight On The River Gray by Abigail Wilson

 About the Book

Book: Midnight on the River Grey

Author: Abigail Wilson

Genre: Historical Romance/Mystery

Release date: July 2, 2019

Abigail Wilson returns to Regency England with another tale of murder, mystery, and romance.

After her elder brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible-Mr. Lewis Browning-known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian. He alone was on the bridge that fateful night and openly admits striking her brother with his horse, but he claims he remembers little else.

Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation. Yet, Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and whether she too will follow the same heartbreaking path.

Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Lewis, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?

Click here to grab your copy.

My Review:

This is my second book by this author. If anything, I found it even better than the first book! It's a lovely mix of mystery, and romance, with core values included. It carries the historical feel very well. Rebbecca and her plight quickly had my attention. I also love a good mystery and watching a character grow to know who, and in whom, they can trust. My frustrations with this book were along the lines I have with some tv shows of films. Sometimes people do things that make no sense to me at all, but that's often just me. I did like the twists and the fact that this is a clean read that took me to another time and place for a while. 

4 Stars

About the Author:

Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A Registered Nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the National Parks, attending her daughter’s gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book. In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA’s Fab Five contest and in 2016, ACFW’s First Impressions contest as well as placing as a 2017 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children. Connect with Abigail at www.acwilsonbooks.com; Instagram: acwilsonbooks; Facebook: ACWilsonbooks; Twitter: @acwilsonbooks.

An excerpt from Midnight on the River Grey

My heartbeat turned sluggish as an ache swelled in the back of my throat. This man—theperson responsible for my brother’s death—expected me to live with him? In his house? Madness.

“And if we refuse?”

“I’m afraid there is little choice in the matter at this point. The arrangements are already complete.”

Mr. Browning narrowed his blue eyes, scrutinizing me, no doubt, as the numbing shock of his declaration faded to resignation across my face. He sighed. “I do realize Greybourne Hall might hold unfortunate associations for you—”

 “Unfortunate?” My voice came out a bit louder than I’d expected. “Is that what you choose to call it?”

He gave a sideways glance at Aunt Jo then returned to me, a pained look hovering about his eyes. His voice, however, remained firm. “Forgive me if I startled you. I hadn’t expected such a violent reaction to what I assumed was the logical next step. Perhaps I should make myself a bit clearer.” He gave a curt sigh. “I only intend for you to stay at Greybourne Hall till some place more suitable can be arranged. Unfortunately, there are few options at present.”

Ice enveloped my heart. I had no wish to travel to, let alone live at that dreadful house, not even for a single night. In his letters, Jacob had described the rambling structure as a gray pile of stones fit for vampires, or worse. I could only image Mr. Browning, this dark-headed devil before me, at home in such a place.

Blog Stops

Fiction Aficionado, July 11

All-of-a-kind Mom, July 11

The Power of Words, July 11

Emily Yager, July 12

Blogging With Carol , July 12

Stories By Gina, July 12

Just the Write Escape, July 13

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, July 13

Simple Harvest Reads, July 14 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)

For Him and My Family, July 14

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, July 15

Wishful Endings, July 15

Godly Book Reviews, July 15

Texas Book-aholic, July 16

Retrospective Spines, July 16

Seasons of Opportunities, July 17

For the Love of Literature, July 17

Mary Hake, July 17

Genesis 5020, July 18

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, July 18

Bigreadersite, July 18

Blessed & Bookish, July 19

Through the Fire Blogs, July 19

Blossoms and Blessings, July 19

Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 20

Remembrancy, July 20

Inspiration Clothesline, July 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 21

Pause for Tales, July 21

A Reader’s Brain, July 22

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 22

Inklings and notions, July 22

Hallie Reads, July 23

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, July 23

janicesbookreviews, July 23

A Baker’s Perspective, July 24

Ashley’s Bookshelf, July 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Abigail is giving away a grand prize of a copy of her book!!

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/e5a8/midnight-on-the-river-grey-towers-celebration-tour-giveaway

Over Your Shoulder by CJ Carver

A Bloodhound Book 

About the Book: 

OVER YOUR SHOULDER by CJ Carver

You love them both, but can you trust them?

            

Twelve years ago, Nick’s brother, Rob, drowned.  His body was never found.  When Nick met Susie at his brother’s funeral, he thought it was destiny.

But when Rob suddenly re-appears, Nick is forced to examine everything he once knew. Why do the police want to talk to Rob? And what is he running away from?

Nick wants to find his brother but if he does, he risks losing the woman he loves. Because Susie has her own secrets, and as the truth emerges, Nick finds it is those closest to us we should fear the most…

©CJ Carver 2018

My Review:

I don't think I have read a book by this author before. I think I picked a good one to get acquainted with. Rob has been dead for ages, till he wasn't. Boy was that a shock! Then there's Susie. Did she know the whole time? What is happening here? It only took a few pages to captive me. I'd call this a spy thriller. It has all sort of little twists and turns. I don't enjoy some books of this type, but I like this one. 

4 Stars

 About the Author:

Winner of the CWA Debut Dagger for her first novel Blood Junction, CJ Carver has written a further ten critically acclaimed novels.  Spare Me The Truth, the first in the Dan Forrester series, was shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award 2017.

Half-English, half-Kiwi, CJ lived in Australia for 10 years before taking up long-distance rallies, driving London to Saigon, London to Cape Town and covering 14,000 miles on the Inca Trail in South America.

CJ began her writing career by writing about her adventures, eventually becoming a travel writer for various national publications including The Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, Autocar.  She is co-founder for the Women’s World Car of the Year Award 

CJ has been a judge for the Thriller Awards in the USA.  Her books have been published in the UK, USA and translated into several languages. She lives just outside Bath.