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MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n I have been hearing good things about Pepper Basham for awhile and have even purchase some of her books. Unfortunately my review calendar has not allowed much time for reading books not on it. I was excited to actually put “Just the Way You Are” on my calendar so I could see for myself what everyone was talking about. Just wow!<\/p>\n First of all, this author has an amazing gift with words. The dialogue was so natural and engaging. Characters were strongly defined with enough of both good traits and flaws to make them realistic. Of course at least one character exhibited quite a few more flaws than the others. I was captivated at the opening scene and didn’t want to put the book down until I finished it.<\/p>\n If you can imagine laugh-out-loud humor combined with sizzling romance and topped off with strong faith, that is what you get with “Just the Way You Are”. The book is filled with so many perfectly quotable lines that I would find it difficult to choose a favorite. I loved both Eisley and Wes. Eisley could be such a klutz but was always able to laugh at herself and move on. Wes turned out to be so different from what one would expect of a man in his position and it was easy to see why Eisley would fall for him despite her vow to avoid romance.<\/p>\n “Just the Way You Are” is a fun yet serious look at learning to see ourselves how God sees us and following His plans for our lives. I thoroughly enjoyed Basham’s pairing of two such opposite characters from opposite sides of the world. I look forward to another visit to Pleasant Gap. I hope I don’t have to wait too long!<\/p>\n I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n Click to purchase<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance safely housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her reluctant heart a very different type of discovery.<\/p>\n Wes Harrison has a past he\u2019s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he\u2019s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.<\/p>\n When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grace salvage their unexpected romance?<\/p>\n ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong> GUEST POST FROM PEPPER BASHAM:<\/strong><\/p>\n Thank you so much for featuring my newest novel, Just the Way You Are<\/em>, on CelebrateLit. I am THRILLED to be a part of this and to share a story that is very dear to my heart.<\/p>\n Just the Way You Are <\/em>is my first \u2018true\u2019 Britallachian romantic comedy. Even though I\u2019ve written comedy in some of my other novels and <\/em>included elements of both Appalachia and Britain, this one embodies the tag #britallachian to the core. For those of you who\u2019ve read some of my previous books, you know I\u2019m a big fan of my native Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian culture. You may also know that I\u2019m a proud Anglophile.<\/p>\n Those two loves met in Just the Way You Are<\/em> \u2013 and I tossed lots of other things I love best into the mix. What are those ingredients, you might ask?<\/p>\n Well, let me just tell ya! Just the Way You Are<\/em> is a blend of Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian culture, big (hilarious) family dynamics, matchmaking, Britain, a swoony English hero, a quirky, magnanimous heroine, a bunch of adorable kids, Scooby Doo and Indiana Jones references, lots of humor, a historical mystery, a devious villainess, stately manor houses, secret rooms, love letters, and matchmaking all rolled into one\u2026oh, and did I mention brain-numbing romance?<\/p>\n (Did anyone else feel the need to add \u201cfencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles, true love\u2026.\u201d From the Princess Bride?) J I don\u2019t think I included torture, giants, or monsters in Just the Way You Are<\/em>\u2026but I may have the other elements in this novel J<\/p>\n Okay, maybe I\u2019m exaggerating about the brain-numbing, but I do have a tendency to err on the side of overly dramatic J<\/p>\n Within the pages of Just the Way You Are, <\/em>you\u2019ll meet people from my own family, people from my imagination, and some people who stepped into the story without one ounce of my planning to ever meet them. This story came out of my desire to write something I love reading \u2013 spicy romance, clean humor, culture clashes, the big love of family, and redemption.<\/p>\n How did my heroine Eisley Barrett evolve? Out of thin air. I was washing dishes one afternoon and staring out the window into our small backyard with the Blue Ridge Mountains painting a purplish-blue frame on the horizon when I closed my eyes. Into my imagination came this ginger-headed woman walking through Heathrow International Airport pulling a hot pink bag behind her\u2026and then, she tripped and fell. That was it. That\u2019s how I was introduced to my insecure, hilarious, romance-loving, single-mom heroine.<\/p>\n And the dashing hero? Okay, this may sound ridiculous, but I was watching an interview about Richard Armitage (Thoron Oakenshield, Guy of Gisborne, etc) regarding his lovely costume drama North and South <\/em>where he plays a very dashing British hero. Anyway, he was SUCH a gentleman to watch during the interview. So polite. Kind. Funny, in a sweet way, and then, out of the blue, he said the word \u2018gosh\u2019. I know, that may not be a big deal to anyone but me, but after watching celebrity interviews where every other word needed a censor, the very fact that this elegant man used the word \u2018gosh\u2019, sent my writing brain into motion. My first internal question? What if a movie star with a tender heart had been burned by the pretension and expectation of celebrity status? What kind of woman could touch a heart who\u2019d lost his faith in love\u2019s authenticity?<\/p>\n Enter my red-head single-mom toting her pink bag through Heathrow and you have the very beginning of Just the Way You Are<\/em> \u2013 a story of forgiveness, second chances\u2026and a little bit of movie magic.<\/p>\n BLOG STOPS:<\/strong><\/p>\n April 6: Reading Is My SuperPower<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 6: cherylbbookblog<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 6: Fiction Aficionado<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 7: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 7: Smiling Book Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 7: Singing Librarian Books<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 8: Bookworm Mama<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 8: my site\/autism mom<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 9: Quiet Quilter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 9: Inklings and notions <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 10: Faithfully Bookish<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 10: Back Porch Reads <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 11: Robin\u2019s Nest<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 11: Christian Chick\u2019s Thoughts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 12: Blogging With Carol<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 12: Just the Write Escape<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 13: Cordially Barbara<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 13: Moments Dipped in Ink<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 14: His Grace is Sufficient<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 14: A Greater Yes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 15: Just Commonly<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 15: 100 Pages per Hour<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 16: Book by Book<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 16: A Baker\u2019s Perspective<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 17: Splashes of Joy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 17: Christian Bookaholic<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 17: Debbie\u2019s Dusty Deliberations<\/a><\/p>\n April 18: Karen Sue Hadley<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 18: History Mystery & Faith<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 18: Through the Open Window<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 19: Henry Happens<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 19: Baker Kella<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n April 19: Daysong Reflections<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/divider2.png\" "\\"divider2\\"")
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\nPepper Basham<\/strong> is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 \u00bd stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, releases in April 2016. You can get to know Pepper on Facebook<\/a>, or over at her group blog, The Writer\u2019s Alley<\/a>, or Instagram.<\/p>\n