by admin | May 18, 2019 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Geneology, Historical
MY REVIEW:
I don’t believe I have previously read any books by Olivia Newport but The Inn at Hidden Run seemed intriguing so I decided to give it a try. I am glad that I did! I found it to be an interesting read, especially the historical details about the Yellow Fever epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee, the city near where I’ve lived my entire life.
Jillian’s occupation as a genealogist was quite fascinating. I enjoyed reading about her methods and the reasons clients needed her services. She was quite a specialized detective! Although her intentions were probably good ones, I did think that Jillian may have been just a little bit pushy in how she went about convincing Meri to let her discover her family history.
I did like reading the historical sections most but loved seeing how everything all tied together at the end. I will be looking forward to the next book in Newport’s Tree of Life series.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Present to Past on Family Trees Meri flunks out of medical school—and runs from her parents. Genealogist Jillian Parisi-Duffy’s digging traces the family long tradition of doctors to an ancestor saved during a yellow fever outbreak in Memphis in 1878. As Meri’s family closes in, Jillian gets the final puzzle pieces in place just in time for them all to learn the truth. The Inn at Hidden Run is the first book in the Tree of Life series. Readers will come back to backdrop of a lovely mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that inspire them to connect with their own family histories and unique faith journeys.
Click here to purchase your copy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.
MORE FROM OLIVIA:
Of Family Lines and Family Lore
I suppose it all started in a cemetery.
Once, while a group of relatives were visiting a cemetery, one of my cousins and I wandered off and looked at all sorts of graves, speculating about the names we read and the lives they represented. We were duly scolded both for separating from our families, which caused some consternation, and for being disrespectful—though I think the second accusation was a false one!
Just because we were young children didn’t mean we were disrespecting the dead. Quite the opposite. We were respecting lives long forgotten with our curiosity about who they were and what legacies they left.
These days a lot of people are interested in genealogy. Entire TV series spin around the theme, and DNA kits show up in Christmas stockings. Lost branches of family trees find the main trunk—sometimes with big surprises.
My new Tree of Life series is set in the backdrop of a lovely Colorado mountain town I hope you’ll want to visit often, where a father-daughter genealogy team link present to past on family trees and characters learn about who they are, where they come from, and their unique faith journeys as they discover their own Tree of Life.
It all starts with The Inn at Hidden Run. When Meri arrives in Canyon Mines because she wants to run away from her family, true answers come from understanding the past that generations have forgotten—the accounts from another time and place no longer handed down but that still form the backbone of the family’s story.
What’s the backbone of your family’s history? How is it shaping your own future?
BLOG STOPS:
| Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 18
The Avid Reader, May 18
The Power of Words, May 18
Daysong Reflections, May 19
Texas Book-aholic, May 19
Through the Fire Blogs, May 20
Lighthouse Academy, May 20
A Baker’s Perspective, May 21
To Everything A Season, May 21
Reflections From My Bookshelves, May 22
Pause for Tales, May 22
Hallie Reads, May 22
Bigreadersite, May 23
By The Book, May 23
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, May 23
All-of-a-kind Mom, May 24 |
Connect in Fiction, May 24
Maureen’s Musings, May 25
Seasons of Opportunities, May 25
Inklings and notions, May 25
Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 26
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 26
Godly Book Reviews, May 27
janicesbookreviews, May 27
Retrospective Spines, May 28
Mary Hake, May 28
Quiet Quilter, May 29
A Reader’s Brain, May 29
Remembrancy, May 30
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 30
Just the Write Escape, May 31
Moments, May 31 |
GIVEAWAY:
To celebrate her tour, Olivia is giving away a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of The Inn at Hidden Run!!
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/e1c1/the-inn-at-hidden-run-celebration-tour-giveaway
by admin | May 18, 2019 | Books, Historical, Romance, Shakers
MY REVIEW:
It has been awhile since I read one of Ann Gabhart’s books about the Shakers. I always enjoyed learning about their history and customs in her earlier books. I liked the way she always managed to point out the errors of their religious practices through the story and the experiences of her characters. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed her latest offering.
The Refuge features Darcie Goodwin who feels trapped at Harmony Hill when her husband dies in an accident. She and two other “sisters” share their hopes for being able to live in the outside world again in the future but make the best of things and work hard at the tasks they are given. Two new babies threaten to upset the peaceful life of the community but may actually soften the hearts of more than one leader. The story of Flynn Keller, his young daughter, and his father-in-law is also told as the book progresses and it is interesting to watch as both worlds intersect.
The Refuge has a little of everything I love in a book – plenty of interaction between characters that is both positive and negative, a bit of drama and mystery, a strong emphasis on faith, and of course a bit of romance. I loved seeing their world through the eyes of Gabhart’s characters and found myself hoping for happy endings for all of them. I can truthfully say that I was quite pleased with how everything ended.
Ann H. Gabhart is a very skilled author who brings her characters to life amid vivid settings that spark my imagination. I also must mention the gorgeous cover. Revell’s artists outdid themselves on it. Readers who love historical fiction should pick up a copy, especially if they have not read a book by this author.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Can the power of love and the bond of family triumph in a community that cannot accept either?
With the threat of a cholera epidemic at their heels, Darcie and Walter Goodwin join the Shakers, whose villages seem immune to the disease. It’s meant to be temporary, but when Walter is killed in a riverboat accident, destitute Darcie has little choice but to stay with the Shakers. To complicate matters, she is expecting a baby conceived before she and her husband came to the Shaker village. Marital relationships are considered sinful in this celibate community, putting Darcie in a unique–and lonely–position. Can the arrival of widower Flynn Keller and his headstrong daughter offer Darcie the hope of happiness?
Read an excerpt here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several Shaker novels–The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, The Innocent, and The Gifted–as well as other historical novels, including Angel Sister, These Healing Hills, and River to Redemption. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dog, Frankie. Learn more at www.annhgabhart.com.
by admin | May 11, 2019 | Books, Fantasy, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Book two of Morgan Busse’s Ravenwood Saga, Flight of the Raven takes up where the previous book ends with Selene Ravenwood and her new husband Damien Maris on their journey to his home in the north. From that point on the tale grows more intense by the page with plenty of action, danger, and a developing romance.
I was enthralled by this story as Selene searched for the truth – drawn to the difference she witnessed in Damien and those who surrounded him yet hesitant to embrace the Light herself. I felt that the author managed to express valuable Christian truth within this wonderful fantasy and did so beautifully. I so appreciated the development of the relationship between Selene and Damien that was natural and unhurried. It made their eventual decisions so much more believable.
It is difficult to express how much I enjoyed Flight of the Raven without divulging too many spoilers so I encourage other readers to read this one for themselves. Although some may enjoy it on its own, I personally would recommend reading Mark of the Raven first in order to understand the tale in its entirety. I look forward to the next installment of this most excellent series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided by the author. I had also purchased a copy. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Selene Ravenwood, once the heir to House Ravenwood, is now an exile. On the run and free of her family’s destiny, Selene hopes to find the real reason her family was given the gift of dreamwalking. But first she must adapt to her new life as wife to Lord Damien Maris, the man she was originally assigned to kill.
While adjusting to her marriage and her home in the north, her power over dreams begins to grow. As the strongest dreamwalker to exist in ages, her expanding power attracts not only nightmares but the attention of the Dark Lady herself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She’s the author of the epic fantasy Follower of the Word series and the award-winning steampunk series, The Soul Chronicles. Her debut novel, Daughter of Light, was a Christy and Carol Award finalist. Mark of the Raven, a new fantasy series, releases Fall of 2018 from Bethany House. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.
by admin | May 6, 2019 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Humor, Mystery
I’ve been told that it is National Beverage Day which makes it the perfect day for a cover reveal for Angela Strong’s latest book A Cuppa Trouble. What could be more appropriate than a somewhat humorous mystery featuring two friends, one who loves coffee and one who is a tea drinker all the way. Or are they?
MY REVIEW:
A Cuppa Trouble is the second book in Angela Ruth Strong’s CafFunated Mysteries series. With a strong emphasis on caffeine in both coffee and tea, the series also contains a wealth of quirky characters, plenty of mystery and danger, and of course fun by the bucketful. It is imperative that you pick up a copy of the first book, A Caffeine Conundrum, in order to become acquainted with Tandy, Marissa, and some of their friends as you await the release of A Cuppa Trouble which takes up where the first book left off.
As Tandy and Marissa prepare for the grand opening of their coffee/tea shop, there is a good deal of friendly competition about their personal favorites. When their very first customer is murdered nearby, the duo are determined to solve the mystery. After all, they have one successful case to their credit. What ensues is a delightful mixture of action, hilarity, danger, mystery, and romance. I was kept guessing along with our intrepid “sheroes” (I ran across that word recently and loved it) as several possibilities for the guilty party present themselves. Don’t you know, it’s always the one you least expect!
Loved this book and catching up with favorite characters and meeting new ones. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and is able to mix it seamlessly with mystery as well as blend a touch of spiritual wisdom in for good measure. Don’t miss out on this one!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance digital copy of this book provided by the author. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Plans for a Valentine’s Day grand opening of a small town coffee shop go awry when the first customer is killed. Evidence points toward the victim being mixed up in a car theft ring, but shop owners Tandy and Marissa have reason to believe he was framed. An assortment of suspects–from a pink-haired heir to Tandy’s charming ex–all seem to know a little too much about grand theft auto.
Without approval from either their boyfriends or the gum-chewing FBI agent in charge, the shop owners go on stakeouts, plan stings, and pursue justice in a high-speed car chase. If they don’t find the killer soon, it might be more than their love lives in trouble.
Preorder a copy today!
