Month: March 2019

The Interlude – JustRead – Giveaway

Take your Pick blog & review tour

Welcome to another addition of First Line Friday! Today I’m featuring a stop on the Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Interlude by Lin Stepp, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Join in with other on FLF, hosted by Hoarding Books and see all of today’s first line. Comment below to share the first line of your current read. Don’t forget to include the title and author so friends can find other great reads.

Without further ado, the first line from The Interlude:

“Mallory stood in line at the airport security checkpoint in
Savannah, Georgia, waiting to pass through into the waiting area.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

the interlude goodreadsTitle: The Interlude
Series: Smoky Mountains #12
Author: Lin Stepp
Publisher: Mountain Hill Press
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2019

In this gentle, inspirational romance, Lin Stepp reveals the healing touch and deep peace the beauty of the Smoky Mountains can bring to a hurt and troubled heart.

Too much work, too much pressure, and too much heartache can lead even a strong young woman like Mallory Wingate to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Now her doctor and employer have insisted she take a space to heal and rest—so like it or not, she’s heading to her grandparents’ resort in the Smoky Mountains. Hoping to sleep and rest on the flight home, Mallory is entertained instead by an unexpectedly charismatic stranger, making her forget many of her problems and even making her feel deliciously female again.

Lucas James, flying home from a pro golfing event, hadn’t expected to enjoy an interlude of flirting with a pretty stranger on the plane. A stranger he never expected to see again but who turns out to be the granddaughter of his boss at The Millhouse Resort. Worse, he quickly learns she’s passed through a recent history of emotional problems that remind him all too painfully of his past wife. The last thing Lucas wants is to get involved with anyone like Cecily again. Surely it won’t be too hard to keep his distance while Mallory is at the resort.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Lin Stepp is a native Tennessean, businesswoman and educator. A New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon best-selling international author, Lin now has sixteen published books, including her twelve beloved Smoky Mountain novels set in different locations of the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains, as well as a Smoky Mountain novella in one of Kensington’s Christmas anthologies. In addition, Lin’s first novel in a new Edisto Trilogy recently released, set on the South Carolina coast. Lin and her husband also write regional guidebooks, including a Smoky Mountain hiking guide and a Tennessee state parks book.  Stepp’s latest 2019 releases are The Interlude, set in the Greenbrier and Pittman Center of the Great Smoky Mountains and Claire at Edisto set at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Lin enjoys keeping up with her readers on Facebook, Twitter, and through her monthly blog on her website at: www.linstepp.com

CONNECT WITH LIN: website | Facebook | Twitter

take your pick giveaway

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win:

  • your choice of The Interlude OR Claire at Edisto (print, US only)
  • $10 Amazon gift card

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 24, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm March 31, 2019. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Flights of Fancy

About the Book

Miss Isadora Delafield may be an heiress, but her life is far from carefree. When her mother begins pressuring her to marry an elderly and uncouth duke, she escapes from the high society world she’s always known and finds herself to be an unlikely candidate for a housekeeper position in rural Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ian MacKenzie is known for his savvy business sense and has built his reputation and fortune completely on his own merits. But when his adopted parents are in need of a new housekeeper and Isadora is thrown into his path, he’s unexpectedly charmed by her unconventional manner.

Neither Isadora nor Ian expected to find the other so intriguing, but when mysterious incidents on the farm and the truth of Isadora’s secret threaten those they love, they’ll have to set aside everything they thought they wanted for a chance at happy-ever-after.

My Review

Jen brings another story to life with all the quirks, humor, and slightly odd happenings that her readers love. This time, it’s predominately set outside of New York, which is a refreshing change of pace for her stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this story with its humor and lovable characters.

It’s hard for me to imagine someone not knowing how to complete basic housekeeping skills, but with the perspective of Isadora’s class and time period, it creates moments that will make you laugh. I admire her tenacity and determination to succeed, which is balanced with “girlie” moments. Ian is a strong self-made man, but at times that means he can’t see past his nose. I enjoyed him as a hero, alternately falling in love and wanting to shake some sense into him.

The villain is fairly obvious early in the story, but it did not detract from the story for me I enjoyed seeing the journey of how he would get his comeuppance. Along with the hero and heroine are three wonderful children and animals to love. I can just imagine a cow living in a yard in the city. Living in a large city myself, I kept imagining trying to keep a cow in our apartment building’s side yard.

If you’re looking for a fun read that’s clean with enough faith but not getting preachy, give this one a read. I received a copy from the publisher, but was not required to post a review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/ or visit her on the web at www.jenturano.com

Finally Accepted

On tour with Celebrate Lit!

There’s only one thing Chloe Smith has ever wanted: family. Yet the DNA results she’s received have thrown her life into a tailspin. Her utmost desire has ended up being the catalyst for shaking her faith. She doesn’t even know who she is anymore, and she’s certainly too messed up for her longtime crush to give her more than a second glance.

Darryl Jones is struggling between his past and the grace God so freely offers. His sins feel too big for him to handle, let alone expect the woman of his dreams to accept. Chloe is the only woman he’s ever wanted and the one he doesn’t deserve.

As they form a tentative relationship and examine their faith, Chloe and Darryl ache to know they are finally accepted and fully loved.

My Review

Chloe is caught between two worlds. She grew up identifying as black and when she finds out he father is Caucasian finds her identity in turmoil. I can’t imagine being in the place where what I believed about myself my whole life was called into question. Chloe wrestles with finding her identity in God rather than her skin color or genetics. She wrestles with loss, bullying, rejection, and doubt that God is a good Father.

Darryl struggles with accepting that he is good enough with God’s grace. I like how throughout the story he is continually compassionate and fights to overcome his past though he does not see it. So many of us do things that we think will make up for past wrongs and earn favor with God, not truly believing that His grace is offered freely and that nothing we can do will earn His mercy.

I enjoyed watching Chloe and Darryl’s relationship develop as they both sought God and what it meant to follow Him in the bad as well as the good, how they held each other accountable for dealing with their relationship with God and their families. I was reminded of Biblical truths about who I am in Christ and I know that He’ll reveal something to you as well in the reading.

I received a copy of this story for the purpose of this tour with Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write a positive review.

About the Author

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.

She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the president of the ACFW Virginia Chapter.

You can find her at http://tonishiloh.wordpress.com.

Enduring Promises of the Heart

Enduring Promises of the Heart Blog Tour

About the Book

Enduring Promises of the Heart

Genre:  Adult, New Adult, Historical, Romance
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: February 8, 2019

“What if I told you there is a way that we could all be happy? That if I were to propose to you, your father couldn’t deny us?” “What is it, John? Tell me!”
Just then the basket hit the water and the sea began to stream in through the spaces between the reeds. This was the end.
The year is 1887, and the small community of Pleasant View is abuzz over Penelope Pottifer’s serialized romances in the local paper. Since the release of the first volume, the thrilling story has captured the hearts and minds of the entire town— and several towns over!
Each successive edition of the Pleasant View Gazette spins a breathtaking tale of kidnappers, pirates, and forbidden love. Between volumes, however, Pleasant View resident Mary Clarence, the story’s toughest critic, hears a rumor that Penelope Pottifer is not, in fact, the author’s real name. Determined to uncover the mystery, Mary drags her friend Elizabeth Black into a hunt for the elusive author’s true identity. But fiction and reality seem to entwine when along the way, Mary and Liz discover unexpected truths, exciting adventures, and dramatic romances of their own.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

About the Author

BOP_Valerie-50 (1)

Valerie has a love for stories with happy endings and bright comedy. A native to the California high desert, she now considers Utah her home where she lives with her husband, three children and two chihuahuas. Growing up in a family of seven kids, Valerie learned to embrace her unique creativity and way of looking at the world and hopes it will enrich other’s lives. In 2015 she published two children’s books, Singing Not so Sweetly and Anabelle Loves Babies. She believes writing is the ultimate end-all for creative pursuits because there are no limits to what you can create. A picture may say a thousand words but a novel is usually around seventy-thousand.

FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE

My Thoughts

Enduring Promises of the Heart features a story within a story. It was nice to read something a bit different, watching two stories progress at the same time. I enjoyed the featurette part, which was over the top dramatic, in the style of the dime store novels of the day. Reading it in that lens and accepting the outlandish tale as the style of the period fiction let me just have fun and enjoy the adventure and pirates.

I struggled to connect with the “real world” part of the story line. To me, Mary came off as immature and not the best of friends. Her mood swings create most of the drama in the “real life” story. I admire Liz for her patience through Mary’s anger and pettiness. I also like the sweet romance that developed between Liz and Peter.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this tour. I was not required to give a positive review.

Giveaway

EPofH Tour Giveaway

​Enter the giveaway HERE.
​
Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Tour Schedule

March 5
Heidi Reads…
March 6
Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen 
March 7
​Stephanie’s Life of Determinations
March 8
Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic
March 11
Bookworm Lisa
Reading Is My SuperPower
March 12
Blooming with Books
Kat’s Corner Books
March 13
Emily Yager
March 14
​Singing Librarian Books
March 15
Paulette’s Papers

Grace and Lavender – JustRead – Giveaway

Welcome to another addition of First Line Friday! Today I’m featuring a stop on the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Grace & Lavender by Heather Norman Smith, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Join in with other on FLF, hosted by Hoarding Books and see all of today’s first line. Comment below to share your current read.

Without further ado, the first line from Grace & Lavender:

“Colleen Carter Hill sat at her kitchen table with a cup of black coffee in her hands and a boatload of ideas on her mind.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Grace & Lavender
Author: Heather Norman Smith
Publisher: Ambassador International
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: March 1, 2019

Recently retired Colleen Hill is always busy, constantly on a quest to make life more interesting.

When the ladies’ group at her church partners with the local children’s home, Colleen jumps in as usual, volunteering to share her passion for cooking with a troubled teenager named Grace. But Colleen must balance the new project with her pursuit of becoming a contestant on a television game show, along with all the other ideas her brain continually spins out.

Colleen’s daughter Melody is quite different. She lives a calm, simple life and is content with who she is. That is, until an unexpected opportunity to work with Grace, too, pushes her to reevaluate life and dare to take on bigger dreams. The path starts with a newly-found interest in soap-making and leads her to responsibilities she didn’t even know she wanted, including helping Grace understand the meaning of her name.

Grace & Lavender is a book for all audiences—a heart-warming story that reminds us to seek God’s purpose for our lives.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather Norman Smith aims to entertain and encourage, while illuminating the redemptive love of God through her writing. Along with Christian Fiction, she writes devotions and children’s books. She also enjoys writing songs and singing about Jesus.

Heather is proud to be a life-long North Carolinian and hopes to present the beauty of the Tar Heel State in her writing. Her home is just outside Winston-Salem, NC, where she lives with one husband, two daughters, one son, two cats, and two dogs. Heather loves words and does not enjoy math, except when it comes to counting blessings.

CONNECT WITH HEATHER : website | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter

 

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win a print copy of Grace & Lavender (US only)

(4) winners will receive an ebook copy of Grace & Lavender (open internationally)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 4, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm March 11, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!