by admin | Oct 11, 2015 | Books, Christmas
MY REVIEW:
“Bespoke” is an enchanting tale that left me with that same magical feeling of wonder that I experienced as a child during the Christmas season. Through Amanda’s lyrical prose I could almost hear the music and feel the winter chill. What a beautifully touching story of love, redemption and hope! “Bespoke” is the perfect book to escape the stress of holiday busyness.
Please gift yourself with a copy this Christmas. I don’t think you will regret it.
I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A Secret. A Bicycle. A Promise…
While the elusive Secret Symphony of Giovanni St. John captivated the world’s fascination, it left his daughter closed away in the Silent House – she, the one who holds the fullness of truth about the ninth symphony. Now Aria St. John is determined to not only break free of the loss that has defined her, but to honor her father through one final gift in his last days.
On the tiny Isle of Espoir, only one man can help in her quest: James Shaw, the village blacksmith… and the lost friend of her childhood. Will they be able to overcome the tragedy that separated them before it’s too late?
Written to slip easily into the stolen moments of the busy holiday season, this enchanting novelette delves into the miracle of second chances, the gift of God’s healing redemption, and the joy of the unexpected.
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.
Learn more about Amanda and her books at amandadykes.com.
by admin | Dec 28, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Novella, Romance
MY REVIEW:
“The Fruitcake Bride” is the last but certainly not the least of The 12 Brides of Christmas collection of novellas. I have spent several enjoyable hours reading this series and hate to see it reach its end.
Karen Briggs has moved to Bakerstown, Missouri in order to marry her longtime friend Pastor Clayton Parsons. After the death of her aunt, Karen has no family and nowhere to live. Clayton’s offer of marriage was an answer to her problems but she has very mixed feelings about the offer. Does Clayton really love her or does he just feel sorry for her? Will she be a good pastor’s wife or could she even hurt his ministry?
“The Fruitcake Bride” is a sweet story with several humorous scenes. Karen learns that despite her inadequacies, God has a plan for her life and that she is loved by Him and others just for being herself.
This book was provided for review by Shiloh Run Studios.
Pastor Clayton Parsons waited a year to bring his fiancée, Karen Briggs, to his new church post. They plan a Christmas wedding, but in the meantime Karen helps the church ladies with various projects, including a bake sale. But revealing her fruitcake recipe could spell disaster for her future in Bakerstown, Missouri.
More About The Fruitcake Bride with Vickie McDonough
The author of many novels set in the old west, particularly in Texas, Vickie McDonough had no problem choosing a time period for her 14th novella.
“I love reading novels set in the late 1800?s, and it’s the time period that most of the books I’ve written are set in, so when I started brainstorming ideas for The Fruitcake Bride, it was natural for me to set my novella in 1890.”
She chose her subject matter from a list of titles provided by Barbour Publishing. “I figured not too many people would want to write The Fruitcake Bride story. Being how I’m a little fruity, I thought I’d take a stab at it. I was thrilled when my editor loved my story idea.”
Vickie started with the idea of a young pastor headed west to prepare a home for his prospective bride before she joined him. Along the way, he encountered a problem: a troublesome woman named Prudy with designs on him!
Vickie was surprised by Prudy’s strong personality. “She’s a bit of a Nellie Olson from Little House on the Prairie type of character.” She wasn’t originally in the story, “but I needed more conflict. Prudy more than a little graciously added that as she popped in, bent on marrying the preacher—the same man my heroine is engaged to,” Vickie said.
Spiritual themes run strong in this novella collection.
“Karen, my heroine has lots of doubts that she is the right woman for Pastor Clay. They’ve been friends for many years, but their engagement is rushed when her aunt dies. Karen isn’t sure she is cut out to be a pastor’s wife. She prays a lot and seeks God’s will to be sure she’s not making a mistake. Clay never doubts his love for Karen, and he ends up being a good example of how God’s love for us is so strong and everlasting.”
Given her past books, research for this novella wasn’t too difficult for Vickie. She merely had to ensure Advent, Texas was a fictional town and examine fruitcake recipes. In terms of her characters, she feels they reflect her stubbornness, faith in God and concern to do the right thing.
Vickie is the descendant of early 1700?s pioneer from Germany who emigrated to the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania and later traveled west to Kansas and Oklahoma. “I am quite enamored with books about settling in the Old West, but if I had a chance to live in the 1800?s, I’d have to decline. I’m too much a creature of comfort—and I’d have to wear dresses.”
Vickie is thrilled to be working with “such a great cast of authors and is excited to hear what the readers think of the 12 Brides of Christmas Collection.”
She’d like to invite you to sign up for her newsletter to keep up with her book news. Click on this link to sign-up: http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/www.vickiemcdonough.com/Newsletter_Sign-up.html
Who is Vickie McDonough?
Vickie McDonough is the author of 33 novels and novellas, including two books in the Texas Trails: Morgan Family series, The Texas Boardinghouse Brides, The Pioneer Promises series and A Pioneer Christmas Collection. Vickie has been married 39 years and she and her husband live in Oklahoma and have four grown sons.
She’s the blogger on the tenth of each month at Heroes, Heroines and History.
For more information about Vickie and her books, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com
You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter
by admin | Dec 18, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Romance, Western
MY REVIEW:
The end of The 12 Brides of Christmas is fast approaching with bride number eleven “The Snowbound Bride”. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series thus far and hate to see it come to an end with the next novella. I would be hard pressed to choose my favorite among them but once again the latest installment has taken that place – at least temporarily.
I loved the story about an orphaned city girl who has been raised by an uncle and grandmother with all the comforts and privilege of wealth but love has been missing from the equation. Ara has fled the city to accept a position in Colorado to avoid marrying the man her uncle has chosen for her. Complications find her hiding in the back of a wagon in the midst of a snowstorm and eventually snowed in on a remote ranch with Nate and his mother. With a match-making dog and mother, how can Ara and Nate avoid romance?
“The Snowbound Bride” was entertaining with a sweet romance, a bit of drama, and a touch of humor. My only complaint is that it ended much too soon. Loved the characters and the dog Beetle. Do yourself a favor and pick up “The Snowbound Bride” and others from this new Christmas series.
This book was provided for review by Shiloh Run Studios.
On the run from a heartless uncle, Arabella Taube hides in Nate Horne’s farm wagon just as a harsh winter storm sweeps into Colorado. Despite Ara’s mysterious background, Nate’s mother thinks she is the answer to a prayer and the hope for his future.
More About The Snowbound Bride with Davalynn Spencer
Davalynn Spencer’s The Snowbound Bride feels very close to home. Her home in Colorado, that is, where she loves seeing the snow come down every Christmas!
“During my childhood, Christmas was always about Jesus, and I have continued with that joyous celebration in my home as an adult. Scent plays a part as well—the tree, clove-studded oranges, hot cider, cinnamon bread. Christmas always smells good.”
“After I married, I moved to Colorado and discovered snow! Of course there is snow elsewhere, but its crystalline beauty here against our blue Colorado skies is breathtaking. I wanted to express the contrasting power and beauty of a snowy holiday in my book, as well as the simple joy of receiving the Christ child.”
Set on a ranch not far from where Davalynn currently lives, The Snowbound Bride tells the tale of a woman fleeing a vicious relative, only to wind up snowbound with total strangers for more than the holidays.
The plot originally came to her as a contemporary story, but she wondered what the situation would look like in the 1880s. “Once I began exploring the differences, the characters took on color and ran off with the tale!”
Davalynn’s paternal family came west, one uncle served as the doctor on a wagon train, long ago. She used some of that experience in her research, coupled with investigations she made from a recently released trilogy of western stories.
“My characters in The Snowbound Bride are working ranchers trying to make a living off the land and their horses in the 1880s.
“Like many families of that time, they don’t have a lot of money for baubles and store-bought trinkets, so decorations as well as gifts are homemade. Dried berries and popcorn adorn the freshly cut tree, and hand-made cookie cutters fashioned from empty tins are used to make star-shaped cookies tied on the tree with yarn. One character is particularly talented, and carves a nativity scene from willow branches.”
An unexpected character turned up while she wrote:
“Beetle the dog surprised me. Almost as suddenly as he surprises Ara! He stepped out of my heart and onto the page without any planning, and established himself as an important background character. I love animals, and all my stories have dogs or cats or horses—sometimes all three.”
The theme of The Snowbound Bride is simple and yet important:
“Trusting God’s leading is key in my life, and I believe it is for others as well. However, I still want to see where I’m going and it doesn’t always work that way. That’s where the trust comes in. The Lord has this incredible way of using things that we think are failures or mistakes or disasters, and often those very things become our greatest blessings.”
Who is Davalynn Spencer?
Novelist and speaker Davalynn Spencer is an award-winning journalist whose background spans the city crime beat and the national rodeo circuit. She’s both the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters. When she’s not writing inspirational romance or teaching as an adjunct professor, she enjoys speaking and leading worship at women’s retreats. She makes her home in Colorado where she continues to be amazed by God’s creative splendor.
For more information about Davalynn, visit her webpage: http://davalynnspencer.com/
In social media, you can find Davalynn on Facebook and Twitter
Davalynn ends with a word to readers: “I hope readers will enjoy this brief trip into Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, warm themselves by the home fires of love, and come away with a good helping of faith and fresh hope.”
Click below to purchase from your favorite online vendor!
by admin | Dec 12, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Novella, Post Civil War
MY REVIEW:
After losing the man she loved during the war, Esther had focused on raising her orphaned niece and managing the family bakery. Jeremy had been rejected by his fiance when she learned he had lost a foot in battle. Neither ever expected to find love at their age but Esther’s search for just the right artist to paint a Christmas star for her niece’s wedding gift may have set things in motion for another family wedding.
“The Christmas Star Bride” may be my favorite so far in the 12 Brides of Christmas collection – probably because the romance came as somewhat a surprise to both parties. I probably also liked the story because it featured a couple who were a bit more mature than those in the usual romance novels. Of course, Cabot’s excellent skill at developing a wonderful story and her careful research combined to make this one well worth my time.
I am loving getting to read all the stories in this collection and hate to see it quickly coming to the end. I encourage everyone to grab a copy of one or more of these sweet and inspiring stories about Christmas brides.
This book was provided for review by Shiloh Run Studios.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Esther Hathaway lost her one true love at Gettysburg twenty years ago, but she is still willing to celebrate her niece’s wedding by commissioning Jeremy Snyder to paint her portrait. Will Esther’s prayers for God to ease her loneliness be answered by a wounded vet?
More About The Christmas Star Bride with Amanda Cabot
Who would have guessed that at one time Cheyenne, Wyoming had the highest number of millionaires per capita in the country? Amanda Cabot discovered that fact and many others while researching her novella The Christmas Star Bride. Such a surprising fact spurred her imagination and intrigued her writer’s sensibility.
“Ever since I moved to Cheyenne and learned a bit of its history, I’ve been fascinated by the era of the cattle barons when Cheyenne was the wealthiest city per capita in the country. Not only was Cheyenne the capitol of Wyoming Territory, but it also boasted beautiful parks, the only opera house west of the Mississippi and even had electric lights. What better time and place to set a story?”
This is not Amanda’s first visit to nineteenth century Cheyenne. Two of her Westward Winds books, Waiting for Spring and With Autumn’s Return, are both set in Cheyenne during this period.
In this particular story, however, she wanted to tell the story of “an older couple, one who’d suffered through the War Between the States, and how love comes when it’s least expected. Once I realized what Jeremy and Esther had endured, the story practically wrote itself.”
“The Bible verse I chose for this story is Psalm 34:22, “The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” Both Esther and Jeremy have had desolate periods in their lives, but thanks to their faith in the Lord, they are redeemed.”
Amanda noted that while her characters are not based on real people, “my heroes and heroines frequently embody my personal values. Because I believe in justice and happy endings, readers will find that my protagonists do, too. They’ll also find the recurring theme of the healing power of love, since that’s something I believe in.”
Because she lives in Cheyenne, Amanda often walks the streets her characters inhabited. She’d not personally like to have lived in that time period (too dangerous to be ill), but she would love to have seen the opulent homes now gone.
Who is Amanda Cabot?
Amanda Cabot is the author of more than thirty novels, including the CBA bestseller Christmas Roses and Waiting for Spring. A Christmas-time bride herself, Amanda now lives in Cheyenne with her high-school sweetheart husband, where they celebrate a fairly simple Christmas tradition.
For more information about Amanda, please visit her website at www.amandacabot.com or read her blog.
You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter
Amanda had one last word: “I hope everyone who’s reading this has an opportunity to read all of the 12 Brides of Christmas novellas. I’ve had the privilege of reading each of them, and I can tell you that you’re in for a treat.”
by admin | Dec 4, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Novella, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Widower Roy Gibbons is at the end of his rope trying to be both father and mother to his young daughters. They need a woman’s touch and they have requested a new mother for Christmas. Alma Pickens is in absolutely no hurry to marry. She is content living with her father and taking care of him and their home. Her father’s newest plans changes everything for Alma but she is not certain she is happy about it.
“The Festive Bride” is a somewhat different story about an arranged marriage. Although both Roy and Alma have agreed to her father’s suggestion, neither is sure it is a good idea. With interesting characters and some unexpected twists, this sweet Christmas romance is another fun addition to the 12 Brides of Christmas collection. It is just right for a long winter’s evening by the fire or any cozy reading spot.
This book was provided for review by Shiloh Run Studios.
When Roy Gibbons finds Alma Pickens as a mother to give his daughters for Christmas he thought it would be a simple arrangement. But this is the only wedding Alma will have, and she is determined to make it festive. Will this bride be more than Roy bargained for?
More About The Festive Bride with Diana Brandmeyer
Diana’s novella is a poignant story of love between a widow and a widower, which reflects her own personal experience–though she didn’t have to fall in love quite so fast!
The 12 Brides of Christmas stories all feature gifts and that’s where Diana began thinking about her story. “I wanted to set my novella long enough after the Civil War that healing had begun; it was a time for the country to breathe.”
It took some thinking to find out what was available at the time that could be used. “I wasn’t sure paint would have been used on glass. I asked my son, an artist about the paint Alma uses for Roy’s gift and found out I was on the right track.”
As she wrote, she fell in love with the quirkiness of her heroine’s character. “She was fun to write. I named her after a friend of mine which could be what made her so special.”
Diana’s own family traces back to Revolutionary days, though she wouldn’t want to be a pioneer herself. “I like reading about this time period, love looking at the old houses and wondering what it would be like…but live during that time? No. I’m way too spoiled by microwaves, cell phones and warm cars!”
Diana is thrilled to be part of The 12 Brides of Christmas ebook collection. “This has been one of the most exciting writing endeavors I’ve had, 12 authors one topic—Christmas!”
For her, personally, Christmas was a simpler time growing up. “Our family Christmas’s were not huge affairs. My mom stressed the importance of making gifts and the love that goes with that effort is worth more than an item you can buy.”
Who is Diana Brandmeyer?
A multi-published author, Diana Brandmeyer began her career in 1987 writing devotionals for children. From there, she “followed the stories that God placed in my heart. I’m not saying He told me to write them, but the ideas that I get I feel do come from him. At first it was contemporary fiction, then I was led to write about the journey my family took to become well blended. Now I’m writing a historical fiction novel. I love the surprising way God works.”
She writes historical and contemporary novels and a non-fiction book based on her experiences joining two families into one: We’re Not Blended-We’re Pureed, A Survivor’s Guide to Blended Families.
Together, Diana and her husband have three sons, several daughter-in-laws and an adorable grandchild. She lives in Illinois, not far from where The Festive Bride takes place.
For more information, you can visit Diana’s website: http://dianabrandmeyer.com/
Or find her on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
by admin | Dec 3, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Novella
MY REVIEW:
Lisa Wingate has surprised her fans with a short Christmas novella just in time for the holidays. I ignored the many chores that were awaiting me and read “A Sandy’s Seashell Shop” in one sitting this morning but wished I had taken just a bit more time to savor it. Set in Hatteras Village located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the novella features a grieving young military widow who has tried her best to ignore Christmas since her husband’s death during that season.
This is a read that requires a nearby box of tissues because I guarantee there will be a moment or two that will bring tears to your eyes. Fortunately other scenes will bring forth chuckles or maybe even a hearty laugh or two. Young Micah is just precious and both Tiff and Jason are characters I want to get to know better. A sweet story of healing, hope, and miracles – I absolutely did not want this story to end!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
For young military widow, Tiff Riley, Christmas isn’t just another day. It’s the worst of all days. Hiding out on Hatteras Island with three-and-a-half-year-old Micah, she’s desperate to once again ignore the anniversary of tragedy. The winter-season quiet of North Carolina’s Outer Banks is the perfect place to escape. It never feels like Christmas at the beach.
But in tiny Hatteras Village, the crew at Sandy’s Seashell Shop is determined to make sure no one is forgotten at Christmas. Is it possible for a magical Christmas Eve at the Seashell Shop to help mend one damaged life? On a night of miracles, in a place of miracles, can a young widow’s heart be reopened to joy, hope… and even love?
Proceeds from the sale of this E-short will help fund a donation to Operation Military Kids, which serves children whose parents are deployed. Purchase a copy HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lisa Wingate is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and the author of over twenty mainstream fiction novels, including the national bestseller, Tending Roses, now in its nineteenth printing. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, and a two-time Carol Award winner. Her novels are known for taking on gritty subjects while offering redemptive and uplifting themes. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. More information about Lisa’s novels can be found at www.Lisawingate.com
