by admin | Dec 3, 2019 | Books, Colorado, Contemporary Fiction, Geneology, Mystery
hr />
MY REVIEW:
I enjoyed the Inn at Hidden Run, the first book in Olivia Newport’s Tree of Life Series so much that I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review her second novel of the series In the Cradle Lies. I love Jillian and her father Nolan as well as their other friends in the small Colorado town of Canyon Mines. The relationship between Jillian and Nolan is special and they work together so well with refreshing and often humorous dialogue.
Once again a person shows up in their lives who needs their specialized services but doesn’t know it. And once again the pair puts their skills to work before they are even asked in order to help their new friend. In this tale, a young man, Tucker, shows up determined to ski an abandoned and highly dangerous ski run. Recognizing his troubled spirit and desperation behind his plans, Nolan, Jillian, and her good friend Kris join together to convince Tucker that he should not attempt to ski the treacherous run. In a parallel story, readers learn the backstory about Tucker’s grandfather Matthew and the secrets that troubled him his entire life.
In the Cradle Lies is another wonderful tale laced with mystery and history that reveals how sometimes family secrets can destroy one’s own peace and joy and how they also affect the other family members. The book has minimal romance but dwells strongly on relationships between family and friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to When I Meet You, the next installment of this 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:
| Book: In the Cradle Lies
Author: Olivia Newport
Genre: Christian Fiction
Release Date: November, 2019
Click here to get your copy! |
 |
Book 2 in the Tree of Life Series: A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Faith Journeys on Family Trees
On a solo ski vacation in Canyon Mines, Colorado, Tucker has a love-hate relationship with his wealth, spending indiscriminately while skiing fearlessly and preparing to conquer the overgrown slope of Hidden Run, a dangerous run not attempted in decades. As genealogist Jillian tries to uncover enough of Tucker’s family tree to understand his charming nature but reckless resolve, Jillian’s equally charming father, Nolan, cajoles Tucker into giving him ski lessons to get him talking about the suspicious circumstances surrounding his grandfather’s life in St. Louis in the 1930s.
On the surface, Tucker’s family’s history seems too perfect. The secret may lie in the sealed envelope Tucker carries with him at all times—even on the ski slope. When no one can find Tucker to tell him the fiancée he never mentioned turned up in Canyon Mines, they realize he must be off attempting to ski Hidden Run alone in a snowstorm. And they may be too late.
In the Cradle Lies is the second book in the Tree of Life series by Olivia Newport. You’ll want to return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and twenty something 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 Pikes Peak.
MORE FROM OLIVIA:
True confession. I live in Colorado and don’t ski.
In the Cradle Lies includes several references to “How can you live in the Colorado mountains and not ski?” Jillian, a main character in the Tree of Life series, has lived in the mountain town of Canyon Mines since she was two, and by the time she was eight she knew she didn’t want to ski.
I grew up in Illinois, and while my high school had a ski club and somehow found places to ski (I’m not sure where; um, not exactly mountain territory), I was sure I would break something. Arriving in Colorado in my forties did not persuade me to take up skiing at that age. I live at the base of Pikes Peak, not in the mountains like Jillian. I do love the views!
But one of the fun things about being a writer is learning a lot about things you know little about. Enter Google and YouTube. And more YouTube. And … you get the drift.
Some quick facts about Colorado skiing to help get you in the mood for In the Cradle Lies:
- Colorado typically leads the country in “skier days”—days of skiing purchased in ski areas.
- Actually, most people in the state don’t ski. By a large margin. Like 90 percent. (So I feel better and so does Jillian.)
- People visiting the state to ski or snowboard are important to our economy. (So thank you!)
- Colorado has hosted about 175 ski areas since it became a state in 1876. Today, we have only about 30 operating resorts—so there are lots of dormant, lost, and hidden runs like the one in my story.
I hope you’ll check out In the Cradle Lies—and find out why Tucker came from St. Louis to Canyon Mines to ski an abandoned run that put his life at risk.
| Through the Fire Blogs, December 3
All-of-a-kind Mom, December 3
Inklings and notions, December 4
Daysong Reflections, December 4
Genesis 5020, December 5
Godly Book Reviews, December 5
Just the Write Escape, December 6
Pause for Tales, December 7
For Him and My Family, December 7
For the Love of Literature, December 8
Mary Hake, December 8
Betti Mace, December 9
Bigreadersite, December 9 |
A Baker’s Perspective, December 10
Hallie Reads, December 10
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 11
Spoken from the Heart, December 11
Older & Smarter?, December 12
Texas Book-aholic , December 13
Blogging With Carol, December 13
janicesbookreviews, December 14
Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 14
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 15
A Reader’s Brain, December 16
With a Joyful Noise, December 16 |
To celebrate her tour, Olivia is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a free copy of In the Cradle Lies!!
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/f1ba/in-the-cradle-lies-celebration-tour-giveaway
by admin | Dec 1, 2019 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
When I signed on to review Christmas at Breakers Point I expected it to be a seaside Christmas romance due primarily to its cover. Truthfully I found very little romance in this novel and what was there actually took a back seat to the rest of the story. Not to say that was a bad thing. In fact this is a heart-warming yet sometimes poignant tale of the people in a small island town who rallied around an elderly man and his niece as they lived through the last days before his final breath on earth.
Honestly, I probably would not have chosen to read this book had I known I would read much of it sitting in my mother’s room in a hospice facility – just a little too close to home to my own situation. Yet it turned out to be an encouraging experience as I witnessed the interaction between Bud and his niece Mallory and her determination to make his last Christmas a wonderful experience for him. I loved how hard Mallory worked to make his Christmas wish come to pass, especially the numerous faith-building conversations between her and her friend whose disillusionment with other Christians had brought her to a crisis in her faith.
Strong characters, difficult situations, and a very strong Gospel message worked together to make Christmas at Breakers Point an excellent read even if it was not at all what I expected.
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:
| Book: Christmas on Breakers Point
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian Contemporary Fiction, Christian Romantic Fiction, Christmas
Click here to get your copy! |
 |
One man’s last Christmas wish might change two lives forever.
Mallory Barrows has one last Christmas with her uncle. She’s determined to make it the best one he’s ever had.
She knows when she asks what he wants as his final gift, it won’t be a tie or a new mug. He won’t need those where he’s going, and he’s quite happy about that.
Mallory just didn’t think he wanted a miracle wrapped in paper and tied with a shiny red bow!
Christmas on Breakers Point is the introductory book to the Independence Islands Series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.
MORE FROM CHAUTONA:
The book opens with a phone call that goes like this:
Her phone buzzed. Without taking her eyes from the page, Mallory Barrows fumbled about until her hand closed around it. The book held her bound in ropes of suspense as the villain slipped into the party unannounced—unseen. While she followed him around the edge of the imaginary room, her thumb swiped, tapped, and answered the call as if on autopilot.
Even as Mallory said, “Hello?” her breath caught. The guy had found his prey.
“Mallory, honey?”
Without a second look, she dropped the book and sat up, feet planted firmly on the floor and all attention on the call. “Is it time?”
“’Fraid so, darlin’. Doc says it’s a matter of weeks or a month or two. And I promised.”
“I’ll be there Friday afternoon.”
Just days after I wrote those lines, I woke up to a message from my sister. “Call Mom.”
I called. Mom said, “I need you to come.” That was Thursday. I walked into Mom’s house on Saturday evening and our lives changed forever.
I don’t know if God prepared me for this change by having me write that scene just days before, but I have to say it felt like it! Everything went crazy for over a month as I tried to wrap up my mother’s affairs in Missouri, I had to try to finish three books in a time of upheaval and turmoil. No, it’s not the same as trying to help a young woman reclaim her True First Love so she could reclaim her first earthy love. It isn’t the same as starting a whole new life and a new business. But… oh, how it felt like it.
Another parallel in the story and my life was how Mallory struggles to try to get Uncle Bud to eat. I did the same thing for most of my time in Missouri. Mom struggled and hard just to swallow and just wanted to eat. So, while I was writing, I worked hard to come up with a recipe that Mallory might use to convince Uncle Bud to eat something. The result were these Coconut Lime Cookies. I hope you love them as much as Uncle Bud did.
Coconut Lime Cookies
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups white flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sugar
3 oz room temp cream cheese—cubed
½ tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 lime (key limes may be preferred)
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter (warm)
1 egg
1 TBS milk (whole is the most delicious… and half & half is even better)
1 TBS lime juice (again, some may prefer key limes)
½ cup powdered sugar (reserved for rolling cookies in)
Directions: (oven preheats to 350)
Stir together the first five ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside
Stir together sugar, cream cheese, and lime zest in a large mixing bowl. Cream butter in. Repeat with egg, milk, and lime juice, one at a time. Make sure your ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix well.
Roll dough into approximately 1” balls. Roll each ball into powdered sugar and place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for approximately 11-12 minutes until lightly golden.
Before you eat, close your eyes and imagine yourself beneath swaying palm trees with warm sand between your toes. Merry Christmas!
BLOG STOPS:
| Among the Reads, December 2
She Lives to Read, December 2
Daysong Reflections, December 2
A Reader’s Brain, December 3
Mamma Loves Books, December 3
Aryn the Libraryan ?, December 4
CarpeDiem, December 4
A Baker’s Perspective, December 5
Hebrews 12 Endurance, December 5
Betti Mace, December 6
For the Love of Literature, December 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 7
Cultivating Us, December 7
Inklings and notions, December 8
For Him and My Family, December 8
janicesbookreviews, December 9 |
SusanLovesBooks, December 9
Texas Book-aholic, December 10
Connect in Fiction, December 10
Lots of Helpers, December 11
My Devotional Thoughts, December 11
Wishful Endings, December 11
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 12
Stories By Gina, December 12
Quiet Quilter, December 13
Batya’s Bits, December 13
Godly Book Reviews, December 14
Emily Yager, December 14
Blossoms and Blessings, December 15
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 15
Back Porch Reads, December 15 |
GIVEAWAY:
To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away the grand prize of a 6 Month Kindle Unlimited subscription!!
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/f1b8/christmas-on-breakers-point-celebration-tour-giveaway
by admin | Dec 1, 2019 | Books, England, Historical, Regency, Romance
hr />
MY REVIEW:
It did not take but a book or two for Carolyn Miller to earn a permanent spot on my favorites shelves. I have not missed a single one of her novels and I personally believe that each one has surpassed the previous ones. Misleading Miss Verity may well be my favorite of them all but I really did also have a fondness for A Hero For Miss Hatherleigh, the first book of Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley series. You could probably truthfully say that my favorite book by Carolyn Miller is the one I am currently (or just finished) reading.
Once again Ms. Miller has given her readers a strong and feisty heroine who does not perfectly fit the expectations of society or her mother. Verity is not at all interested in society functions and would rather be riding a horse or spending her time outdoors. Banished to her grandmother’s she is quickly secreted away to a friend’s home in Scotland where where finds a most intriguing castle and the man who seems to be the gardener. Both Verity and Anthony have secrets the other does not know and those create a complicated and sometimes confusing relationship between them. Verity’s lack of faith further complicates the situation as Anthony’s strong faith makes his attraction to Verity a very bad idea.
Vivid descriptions of the Scottish setting and the characters pulled me right into the story. Anthony was a perfect hero as well as the perfect man for Verity. I loved how he always encouraged her, defended her, and built up her wounded self image. Verity, too, was a special heroine with her own determination to help others despite her privileged upbringing. Her encounter with the Lord was a special passage in this wonderful novel.
I hate to see this series end but am confident that the author has more special books in store for her readers. I would love to see one featuring Anthony’s friend Mac.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Kregel Publications. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Verity Hatherleigh has a mind of her own–but her impulsive actions do not impress her viscount papa. When she gets into one scrape too many, he sends her off to the wilds of Scotland to rethink her headstrong ways.
Anthony Jardine relished his role as curate, but his new duties as laird of Dungally aren’t always to his liking. Though he thought his new inheritance would be a blessing, somehow he’s finding nothing but trouble on these estates. And the intelligent, compassionate, feisty lass who was sent to rusticate in his territory is one of the biggest problems. He’s falling in love with her, but she doesn’t share the faith that’s his foundation–not to mention he’s been lying to her about who he really is. For the truth-loving Verity, that may be unforgivable.
The tangled web these two have woven may spell disaster for their happiness–and for the tenants of Dungally.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers. Check her out at www.carolynmillerauthor.com.
by admin | Nov 24, 2019 | Books, Historical, Romance, West Virginia
MY REVIEW:
In her latest novel, When Silence Sings, Sarah Loudin Thomas relates the story of Colman Harpe, a young man who feels God’s call on is life despite a long-standing feud between his family and the McClean family. After the death of his cousin at the hands of a McClean, Colman feels an urging from God to take the Gospel to his longtime enemies but like the Biblical story of Jonah, Colman decides to follow his own path and like Jonah, he pays dearly for his choice.
This book is a powerful story filled with exceptional characters both good and evil and there were times some of them surprised me. One in particular was not at all the person I thought he was. It is a story of enemies driven by a feud that no one can remember how it began. It is a story of one man who finally decided to obey God or possibly die and a special woman whose heart was so pure despite the difference that made others fear her.
Although there are hints of romance in When Silence Sings, it is not the primary focus of the story. It is a story that points out the hate and prejudice that drives humans away from God and the power of love and forgiveness to bring reconciliation and restoration to those who need it most.
I have loved each of this author’s previous novels but When Silence Sings is a special story that will linger in my mind for some time to come.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the author and Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
As a Long-Standing Feud Threatens to Spark Once More,
the Fates of Two Families Rest on the Most Unexpected of Shoulders
For years, Serepta McClean has towered over the coal-filled hills of West Virginia, taking more than her share of legal and illegal trade alike. She’s intent on securing the future of the McClean name, despite two unreliable sons and a long-standing feud with the Harpe clan that’s exploded once again into violence.
While many fear her, and many more despise her, few dare to stand against her. Especially not someone like Colman Harpe–a railroad man with dreams of being a preacher. And yet it’s a reluctant Colman, Serepta’s sworn enemy, who finds himself in this powerful woman’s territory, supposedly sent there by God himself to share stories of love and hope.
With the feud growing ever more dangerous, putting the entire region at risk, these two impossibly different people find themselves on a collision course. And the very lives of everyone close to them will be changed forever.
Read an excerpt HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photo Credit: © Kristen Delliveniri
Sarah Loudin Thomas (www.sarahloudinthomas.com) is a fund-raiser for a children’s ministry who has time to write because she doesn’t have children of her own. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Coastal Carolina University and is the author of the acclaimed novels The Sound of Rain and Miracle in a Dry Season–winner of the 2015 Inspy Award. Sarah has also been a finalist for the ACFW Carol Award and the Christian Book of the Year Award. She and her husband live near Asheville, NC.
