Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Light Of Mine by Allen Brokken (Towers of Light #1)

About the Book

Book: Light of Mine

Author: Alen Brokken

Genre: Christian Fantasy Middlegrade

Release Date: November 3, 2019

Light of Mine, introduces Lauren (12), Aiden (9), and Ethan (5) who bear the responsibility of keeping their Father’s newly constructed Tower of Light shining in his absence.

Darkness is spreading through Zoura. Beyond the borders of the heathlands, innocent animals are being turned into monsters, and good men into pawns of the Dark One. Father has vanished after joining the Mighty Mercenaries and mother has gone missing in search of him.

Alone on the farm, twelve-year-old Lauren and her brave little brothers, Aiden and Ethan, must guard the Tower of Light that will guide both parents home. But when a hooded stranger is caught trespassing the farm, and a new bishop claims the church, confusion pervades their close-knit community. Will the children be able to recognize who is a threat to the Tower and who is there to help them protect it?

With little else but the aid of a trio of blessed pets, three mysterious weapons, and their growing faith, Lauren, Aiden, and Ethan find it is up to them to stop the agents of The Dark One from putting out the Light and dooming the heathlands to Darkness.

Fans of Little House on the Prairie will feel at home in the series’ classic farmstead setting, and the sincerity of the children’s love for one another— nurtured by the example of their parents—will bring a smile to readers and listeners of all ages.

Read Light of Mine aloud to your family or confidently give it to your middle grade reader, knowing he or she will be ensconced in a wholesome and riveting experience, beginning to end.

Click here to get your copy.

My Review:

I was hooked when I saw the title, as I grew up singing a song like it. "This little light of mine" is the song. Would this book live up to my expectations? Actually, it surpassed them. It's full of scripture, faith. and a good storyline too! So much scripture is included in this book, I could read it again, and again.

It focuses on knowing God and obedience. Any age can enjoy this book, but I'd say ages 6 and up. Books like this one should be in libraries and churches so more people can read it. I like how light fights the darkness in this book, and how much these three children worked their way into my heart.

5 BIG Stars

About the Author

Allen Brokken is a teacher at heart, a husband and father most of all. He’s a joyful writer by the abundant grace of God. Follow his endeavors @towersoflight, @twodadsandajoke, and http://www.brokken.net. Your children can grow their own faith and love of God by following the adventures of Lauren, Aiden, and Ethan (plus their pets!) at instagram.com/towersoflight.

Stay tuned for book two, launching in June 2020, and book three in December 2020.

The faith journey continues! Onward and upward.

More from Allen

When my kids were young there was really nothing better than getting out of my car at the end of a long day at work and having my three little kiddos run up to me and give hugs because Daddy’s Home! As a Father of three young children I was very concerned about the direction society was taking. I wasn’t sure that with how things were going that I had the knowledge or the skill to train them up in the way they should go, as the Bible directs.

Then in 2008 I took a new job that had me traveling four days a week. It was one of the hardest times of my life, the stress of a high pressure job, the loneliness of being on the road, and uncertainty of being a young parent really brought me to the end of myself. However, all of the travel gave me a lot of time to study the scriptures and learn from the writing of great bible teachers.

It was during this time that I began to write stories for my children. At first I brought my children’s stuffed animals to life for silly adventures. But then one day while we were putting together a play fort in our back yard I saw a sunrise pattern in the wood in the top of the tower. I thought:

“What if there was a Tower of Light shining God’s goodness over the children and their animals?”

“What if the children experienced the indwelling of the holy spirit in a real way like Sampson or David?”

“What if the full armor of God was physical armor they could use to defeat the darkness?”

As I shared my story with my children, they loved it.

I believe you and your children will love it too.

Blog Stops

Inklings and notions, April 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 5

Texas Book-aholic, April 6

Seasons of Opportunities, April 7

Wishful Endings, April 8 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, April 9

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 10

For Him and My Family, April 11

For the Love of Literature, April 12

deb’s Book Review, April 13

Blogging With Carol, April 14

Blossoms and Blessings, April 15

Simple Harvest Reads, April 16 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, April 17 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Allen is giving away the 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/f8bb/light-of-mine-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, March 30, 2020

Capsized by Death by Catherine Finger (A Jo Oliver Thriller #4)

About the Book

Book: Capsized by Death

Author: Catherine Finger

Genre: Christian Mystery/Thriller

Release Date: December 2019

As Police Chief Jo Oliver prepares for her dream wedding in Maui, she and her team must keep a serial killer with ties to her past from derailing her plans for the future.

Click here for your copy!

My Review:

This book isn't a stand-alone. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but I feel like I missed a chunk of stuff. It's all life as usual before that, weddings, vacations, island life, who's in love with whom, and a lot of characters that I didn't know anything about. About mid-way, the mystery starts and now we have a killer who's bent on destroying Jo.

At this point, I got involved in the story and the race to find out who, when, what and why. Some parenting issues are also involved in this book, so it has lots of layers of things for many kinds of readers. I think I enjoyed the mystery part the most, and that faith wasn't left out.

4 Stars

About the Author

Catherine Finger loves to dream, write, and tell stories. Retired from a wonderful career in public education, she celebrates the ability to choose how to spend her time in a new way during the second half of life. So far, she chooses to write books, ride horses, serve others, and generally find her way into and out of trouble both on the road and at home. She lives in the Midwest with a warm and wonderful combination of family and friends.

Capsized by Death, the fourth novel in her Jo Oliver Thriller series, will be released by Elk Lake Publishing in December, 2019. Anchored by Death, the third novel in her Jo Oliver Thriller series, received the Bronze Medal for the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards, was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards, and Her second Jo Oliver Thriller, Shattered by Death, was a finalist in the International Book Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards. Catherine and her novels have been featured on radio stations, blogs, and in numerous articles—all posted at www.CatherineFinger.com.

Catherine loves to interact with her readers at www.CatherineFinger.com Follow her on Facebook at Catherine Finger, Author, and on Twitter at CatherineFinger@BeJoOliver.

More from Catherine

In writing my Jo Oliver Thriller series, I find myself driven by passion. The genesis of the series—Cleansed By Death—was fueled by a passion to create a story about strong women embedded in a male-dominated profession, facing difficulties they could only solve through faith and community. I was vacuuming when I was hit by the idea of pitting two strong women against each other and seeing which one would win, the theme of book 2, Shattered by Death. Information gleaned during an FBI writers workshop on techniques for tracking criminals, superimposed over the mitten map of Wisconsin formed the bones for Anchored By Death, the third book in the series.

My latest novel, Capsized By Death, contains all of my favorite elements. The astute series reader will note that the foundation for the killer’s appearance in this book was introduced years ago in Cleansed By Death. But he first appeared to me during one of my many solo writing vacations on an island.

At the end of a fairytale day spent kayaking, snorkeling and listening to the sound of whales singing under water in Maui, the gorgeous male host of my day trip stood silhouetted in the setting sun. This man was beautiful in every way, and had the sort of personality that describes the essence of attractive—he pulled you into his beautiful ocean world. At that moment, I knew I had found my perfect killer for my next book! It became my goal to create a killer who was beautiful on the outside and evil on the inside. I used the New Testament book of Jude as my guide for the internal workings of my killer and thus the skeletal framework for Jude, my killer in Capsized By Death—book 4 of the Jo Oliver Thriller series—was born.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 28

Mary Hake, March 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 29

Christian Bookaholic, March 30

Blogging With Carol, March 30

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 31

Betti Mace, April 1

My Devotional Thoughts, April 1

Maureen’s Musings, April 2

deb’s Book Review, April 2

Through the fire Blogs, April 3

Pause for Tales, April 4

Just Your Average reviews, April 4

Spoken from the Heart, April 5

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, April 5

For the Love of Literature, April 6

Texas Book-aholic, April 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 7

She Lives To Read, April 8

For Him and My Family, April 9

Artistic Nobody, April 9 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Inklings and notions, April 10

Life, Love, Writing, April 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Catherine is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of the book and an Amazon gift certificate for $25!!

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/f7e7/capsized-by-death-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Back To Reality by Mark Stay and Mark Oliver

About the Book:

The bestselling '90s nostalgia time travel comedy

Jo's world is about to change forever, and it’s about time

Her marriage is on auto-pilot, daughter hates her, job sucks and it’s not even Tuesday.

As Jo's life implodes, a freak event hurls her back to ‘90s Los Angeles where, in a parallel universe, she’s about to hit the big time as a rock star.

Jo has to choose between her dreams and her family in an adventure that propels her from London to Hollywood then Glastonbury, the world’s greatest music festival.

Jo encounters a disgraced guru, a movie star with a fetish for double-decker buses, and the biggest pop star in the world... who just happens to want to kill her.

Back to Reality is a funny, heartwarming story about second chances, with a heroine to rival Bridget Jones and the rock n roll nostalgia of Keith A Pearson.

The novel from the Bestseller Experiment podcast presenters Mark Stay and Mark Desvaux. The Two Marks went to more gigs in the '90s than in any other decade and are currently working on a time machine to see Prince in concert.

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Praise for Back to Reality:

“Like if Nick Hornby wrote a time travel, body swap adventure!”—New York Timesbestselling author Mimi Strong

“Everything the world loves about British comedy. For those who wished Simon Pegg wrote novels, you now have the Two Marks.”—USA Today bestselling author Shannon Mayer

“Written with an authentic touch and plenty of good humour. A tough book to put down.”—Mark Dawson, USA Today bestselling author of the million-selling John Milton series

“A compelling story where the comedy compliments the drama and keeps you turning the page… A delight.”—Bestselling author of The Dublin Trilogy, Caimh McDonnell

“I LOVE IT! It's Back to the Future meets Freaky Friday.”—#1 Kindle bestselling author of Hot Mess, Lucy Vine

“Crackles with all the addictive energy of a pop hit, and the heart of a soul classic.”—Samantha King, bestselling author of The Choice

“Like a book version of Hot Tub Time Machine with fabulous female characters and great music.”—Kate Harrison, author of the bestselling 5:2 series

“If you love time travel and rock and roll, you'll love this book!”—Julie Cohen, author of Together

“Sliding Doors meets Back to the Future in a story to make you sing with joy.”—Karen Ball, Speckled Pen

“A magnificent book! Loved every page. Beautifully written.”—Callan McAuliffe, actor The Walking Dead

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What Amazon readers are saying:

★★★★★ 'A real page-turner overflowing with humour.'

★★★★★ 'All kinds of funny, from laugh out loud to quiet snorts of recognition.'

★★★★★ 'I miss the characters so much I think I’ll start reading it again!'

★★★★★ 'Pure pleasure to read. You won't put it down until you reach the last page.'

★★★★★ 'An absolutely cracking read. It's funny, it's clever, it's heartwarming, and completely impossible to put down.'

★★★★★ 'It's —Spinal Tap meets —Back to the Future meets —Freaky Friday.'

★★★★★ 'Funny, fast and massively entertaining. Hugely recommend.'

★★★★★ '—Back To Reality has it all; It’s funny, it’s thrilling, its thought-provoking and inspiring, but be warned, once you start reading this book you won’t want to put it down.'

★★★★★ 'Think —Peggy Sue Got Married meets MTV. Funny and warmhearted. Highly Recommended.'

★★★★★ 'This book reads like the best comedy movies. Great pace, humour and loads of action. Recommended for fans of Douglas Adams and Helen Fielding.'

★★★★★ 'Belts along at a cracking pace, at times reminding me of Douglas Adams.'

My Review:
This book has some of just about everything happening. It's written or told by two authors, both named Mark. It has lots of comedy, a trip, dreams, relationships, body-swapping, and so forth. So it has a big range of topics and "fun." The downsides- the characters are rather shallow at times, some issues are beyond cliche. I guess that is supposed to make them funnier, but even with comedy on the screen, I don't care for that when it doesn't feel real. I do like the musical aspects.

Politics. Just no. I was ready to quit listening when it got into that. However, I really did like the funny parts. The voicing was just fine for this book. No issues there.

My audio copy came from Overview Media. 4 Stars

About the Authors:

Mark Stay co-wrote the screenplay for Robot Overlords which became a movie with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, and premiered at the 58th London Film Festival. Author of the fantasy novel The End of Magic, he is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast and worked in bookselling and publishing for over twenty-five years. He lives in Kent, England, with his family and a trio of retired chickens. He blogs and humblebrags over at markstaywrites.com

Mark Desvaux writes fiction as Mark Oliver. He also authors inspirational non-fiction and online courses, and is a professional speaker in the fields of self-development and spiritual growth. He is chairman and co-founder of the charity Foodshare. As a bestselling recording artist (Urban Myth Club), Mark's two critically-acclaimed albums have led to appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury (which he tries to mention on every podcast). He lives on Vancouver Island with his family, surrounded by the beautiful mountains and seas, with chickens, bees and very tall trees.

Friday, March 27, 2020

Turning Tide by Melody Carlson (Sunset Cove #4)

About the Book

Book: Turning Tide

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: Feb 15, 2020

As the Great War rages on, Sunset Cove continues to feel its impact. Running the small town newspaper, Anna McDowell can’t escape the grim reports from the other side of the world, but home-front challenges abound as well. Dr. Daniel is serving the wounded on the front lines. And Katy, expecting her first child, with her husband in the trenches, tries to support the war effort with her Red Cross club. Even as the war winds down the costs are high—and Sunset Cove is not spared.

Click here for your copy!

My Review:

This is another super book in this series. The only bad part, this is the last book in the series. That's always bittersweet for me. Surviving the war, and keeping relationships together are the core of this book. Folks are praying and coping and it's both sad and uplifting. (Wounded Vets are something I'm very familiar with.) As the characters, we have come to love deal with life and death, and the Spanish flu, it drives points home more than usual as the world we know is affected by this current virus issue. It made the book even more poignant for me. I am looking forward to what Carlson writes next.

5 Stars

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, True Colors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody

Writing about the WW1 era has definitely been a good history lesson for me. Prohibition laws in Oregon (and rum-runners breaking them) combined with a massive war that changed the world and a global epidemic is worth paying attention to. Especially since history sometimes repeats itself. The early 20th century had a lot going on—much that seems nearly forgotten. I’m glad to see the movie 1917 is doing well—and we plan to see it this week. Although I’m not a fan of gruesome war movies, this era continues to intrigue me. Even as I wrapped up my Sunset Cove series with Turning Tide I was left wondering . . . what’s next? But isn’t that the beauty of story?