Wednesday, September 20, 2017

"All of You" by Sarah Monzon Book Tour and GiveAway

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book

Book title: All of You

Author: Sarah Monzon

Release date: May 15, 2017

Genre:Dual-timeline/Contemporary Romance

Maryland, Present Day

Jacquelyn Rogers can rebuild anything…except the shambles of her past. A restorer of vintage planes, she’s worked hard to earn the reputation of being one of the guys. The last thing she needs is a former Navy pilot fighting his own inner demons stepping in to defend her from dangers she thought she’d outrun long ago. Some battles must be fought alone.

After a freak accident severs Lieutenant Michael “Finch” Carrington’s dreams, as well as two limbs, he’s left with nothing but a fragile faith and a duty-bound promise to watch out for his friend’s baby sister. A promise she insists is as unnecessary as it is unappreciated. But when she turns the tables and begins to weld together the broken parts of his life, it may be his heart that is in need of protection.

England, 1944

With the world at war yet again, Alice Galloway rejects her father’s traditional expectations and offers her piloting expertise to the Air Transport Auxiliary. She may be a woman in a man’s world, but when she overhears key intelligence, she must find the strength to transcend boundaries and her own fears. Or countless people may die.

Sometimes the past reaches forward to bring hope to the future.

My Review:
"All of You" by Sarah Monzon is the second book in the (A Carrington Family Novel)series. You can enjoy "All Of You" without reading "Finders Keeper" the first book in the series. I will say that I'm glad I read "Finders Keeper" first because two of the four main characters have a little more of their story in " All of You". Trust me, if you want to know how Summer and Trent get to where they are in "All Of You" "Finders Keepers" is a wonderful five star book that will keep you turning the pages till the end.

Ok, this review is supposed to be about "All of You" and it is also an exciting read that will make you want to keep turning the pages. These books are really two stories in one book.

I like how Sarah Monzon goes from Present Day in Maryland to England, 1944. I really love how she brings the two together at the end of the story.

"All Of You" has danger in both storylines, Jack's is from a former exboyfriend and Alice is a pilot in the war so danger from enemies and Michael was injured from an accident and who is really Henry! So as you can tell "All Of You" has a little bit of intensity and I can't forget to say "All Of You" also has clean love stories mixed in.

"All Of You" has moments that made me rejoice but a couple of times, the scenes made me sad.

I don't have a favorite character from the story, I like them all. But, as in all stories, there is one character that I don't like and in "All Of You" it is Mitch. Although, I didn't like Mitch, I have to be honest and say that in a way he was important to the story because without Mitch, Jack and Michael probably wouldn't have met, so I guess if you read this review you can say I have mixed feelings about the character named Mitch, but I still say he is a bad guy.

I recommend "All Of You" to anyone that likes clean romances with a spiritual theme . I have underlined a few quotes in my kindle copy because even though the book is fictional it has truth about God and though at times it is hard to see, He does have everything under control.

I have added Sarah Monzon's other books to my to be read list.

Thank you to Sarah Monzon and Celebrate Lit for my complimentary copy and these opinions are my own.

Definitely a five stars novel.

About the Author

Sarah Monzon is a Navy chaplain’s wife and a stay at home mom to the two cutest littles in the world. Playing pretend all day with them isn’t enough, she spends the evenings after their heads hit the pillow to create her own imaginary characters. When she isn’t in the world of make believe, she can be found in the pine forests of western Washington taking care of her family, fostering friendships, and enjoying all the adventures each day brings.

Her debut novel, The Isaac Project, skyrocketed to Amazon bestseller status while her Sophomore book, Finders Keepers, won the 2017 Selah award for contemporary romance.

Guest Post from Sarah Monzon

I’m so excited to be here today and getting this opportunity to hang out with y’all in this virtual world. If you are anything like me, you devour books faster than my son drinks orange juice (and he really loves orange juice!). Because of that, it is sometimes hard to come across a book with a unique premise or a message that you haven’t seen incorporated a thousand times before. As a writer, I always try to bring something fresh to the table.

In the first book of the Carrington Family Series, Finders Keepers, neither of my characters were Christians. What? No Christians in a Christian fiction novel? Most Christian fiction books usually have at least one or both main characters a Christians. Don’t worry, they both found their way to Jesus. With All of You, however, I wanted to take yet an even different approach.

I’ve ready lots of books where the main character is angry or upset with God for such-and-such thing that happened in his/her life (I’ve even written a character like that), but I hadn’t really read a story about a character that, no matter what life threw at him/her, he/she was going to trust in God no matter what. As a life-long Christian, this is a message I can identify with. The “If not, He is still good” resonation that is sometimes harder to hold on to in the midst of pain and struggles.

So, as with all my books, I hope the freshness of the story and the realness of my characters will inspire and uplift you as you travel along with them on their journey.

God Bless.

Blog Stops

September 12: A Baker’s Perspective

September 12: Quiet Quilter

September 13: Books, Books, and More Books

September 13: Jeanette’s Thoughts

September 14: Cordially Barbara

September 14: Smiling Book Reviews

September 15: Avid Reader Book Reviews

September 15: Carpe Diem

September 16: Inklings and notions

September 16: Christian Bookaholic

September 17: Christian Chick’s Thoughts

September 17: Artistic Nobody

September 18: Bookworm Mama

September 18: Remembrancy

September 19: Back Porch Reads

September 19: Kat’s Corner Books

September 20: Just Jo’Anne

September 20: Margaret Kazmierczak

September 21: The Power of Words

September 21: Mary Hake

September 22: 100 Pages per Hour

September 22: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

September 23: Zerina Blossom’s Books

September 23: Simple Harvest Reads (spotlight)

September 24: Blossoms and Blessings

September 24: Moments Dipped in Ink

September 25: Kathleen Denly

September 25: His Grace is Sufficient

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sarah is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/bd52

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Book Spotlight on "Love's Full Circle" by Cherry Christensen

Love's Full Circle by Cherry Christensen

Tagline: Every heart deserves a second chance.

Blurb:

In spite of, maybe because of, the way her love life had gone, Kayden James works hard to become a successful Marriage and Family Therapist. The last thing she needs is for her ex-boyfriend Liam to stroll into her office and stir up old feelings. Especially after the way he treated her all those years ago. She would rather remain a single cat lady than risk her heart again.

Liam hopes to make amends, but worries he won’t be able to melt Kayden’s icy exterior enough for her to see how much he has changed. Initiating their reunion, he sets out to prove that their relationship never was a game to him… to convince Kayden to continue traveling love’s full circle.

Author Bio:

Cherry hails from the Great Lakes state of Michigan, where she lives with her husband and two adorably mischievous cats. She does most of her writing at night because she is not a morning person, and wholeheartedly agrees with the anonymous saying, “I could be a morning person, if morning happened around noon.”

In addition to writing, Cherry has traveled overseas, exploring castles in Scotland, soaking in the sights of London, and gazing at the beautiful English countryside out a train car window. Closer to home, she’s gone dolphin watching and parasailing in Florida.

Cherry’s husband is also an author, but he doesn’t share her love of football. Her favorite teams are the Michigan Wolverines and Denver Broncos. Go Blue! Mile High Salute! So, what’s better than watching football? Eating chocolate chip cookie dough during a game!

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MX493X

Spotlight Tuesday With Mary Allen and A GiveAway

Introducing Mary A. Allen

Her business card states I am a "writer, speaker and encourager."

Mary loves to sing, read, laugh and make people smile.

She hates high tech gadgets, but puts up with them.

Just barely.

She's hoping she'll inherit a million dollars from a long

lost relative so she can quit the job she loves as a home

health nurse to stay at home and be a full time writer. Butshe's not holding her breath.

When she speaks about God at an event, a hand full

of people listen, but when she prays, the God of the

universe hears every word.

Interview

What kind of book is Crying in the Morgue, Laughing in the Dark and what inspired you to write this book?

This book is a hybrid genre-it combines my memoir with fiction. I fictionalized it in order that readers would better be able to relate with the characters and events in the book. No cities or states are mentioned, so that readers can insert their own lives and experiences into the story.  Several years ago someone suggested that I write a book and I thought about it for a year. After I prayed and fasted, I asked God if He wanted me to write a book and to please give me a story. The month after my fasting was complete, I was with my brother Chuck at a function and he shared this extraordinary story with me. I realized that this was the story God intended for me to share.

2. Summarize your book as if you were speaking to someone unfamiliar with your book and its topic.

Myra was the unwanted 5^th child of a couple in their 40’s. She always knew she was “a surprise.” Although she struggled inwardly most of her life with her own self-worth - feeling that she was not good enough, outwardly she was full of joy and love for others. She knew she wasn’t “planned,” but she always felt loved because God had given her an extra measure of love and joy in order to help her through the difficult years.

3.Why do you think that this book will appeal to readers?

I believe most women struggle with their own self-worth and feeling as if they are not good enough – that they are not tall enough, pretty enough, smart enough, thin enough etc. A lot of that is introduced to us as children through the subtleties of life. The enemy of our soul would have us believe those lies. Myra spent a lifetime believing the lies, until she finds out the truth of how much He loved her on the day she was born when He saved her from dying in the morgue. Most women will be able to relate with the characters in this book at some level.

4.How is your book relevant in today’s society? We live in a shallow society where looks and possessions are so important.  We need to know that our identity in Christ is what is important. Who we are in Him and our purpose for His glory is far more important that what we own and what we look like

5. What do you want readers to take away from your writing? Whoever you are, whatever you’ve been through, God can redeem your life, and give you purpose. He loves you.

6. Is there is any additional information you’d like the writers to know? This book is a hybrid genre-it combines my memoir with fiction. I fictionalized it in order that readers would better be able to relate with the characters and events in the book. No cities or states are mentioned, so that readers can insert their own lives and experiences into the story.

7. What are you currently working on?

I am currently doing a final edit on a novel titled Illinois Winters, about a young woman who runs from her past and finds herself forced to face some hard truths about her life. I am also finishing up on the sequel to that book, titled No More Winters.

Book Spotlight
Crying in the Morgue, Laughing in the Dark

With four active boys at home, forty-one-year-old Stella Grayson has no energy or desire to raise another child. When she becomes pregnant, she does everything she can to deny her pregnancy exists. When little Myra is born, Stella refuses to acknowledge the child, hoping she can put the baby up for adoption. Stella's husband, John, would never agree; he's been hoping to raise a little girl. The doctor sends Myra to the morgue to die. But God intervenes, and Myra is given a chance at life. Despite Myra's deep feelings of inadequacy, the Lord gave her an unquenchable love for others and an irrepressible joy for life. Her journey through childhood and her adolescent years is long and the struggles are hard, but the end result surprises even Myra's bruised and tender heart. Based on an inspiring true story, Crying in the Morgue, Laughing in the Dark is filled with deep emotional truths that speak to the heart of women. With real and sympathetic characters, the story weaves a picture of God's tenacious love and the joy that could not be contained in his precious daughter.

Where Mary A. Allen can be found

Facebook:

https:www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-A-Allen/248165518641389

https://www.amazon.com/Crying-Morgue-Laughing-Dark-
Allen/dp/1462410804/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4JZE5WVMTF7P4NGCHKTC

My Bountiful Journey - Home

www.maryaallen.com

Join me as I share the bountiful blessings of love, joy, forgiveness and redemption that I learned from God as I bridged the gap from despair to hope.

GiveAway To be entered for a print copy "Crying in the Morgue, Laughing in the Dark" by Mary Allen just comment below. Please leave a way for us to get in touch with you if you win.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

"Still Waters" by Lindsey Brackett Book Tour and GiveAway

Genre: Adult, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Publication date: September 8, 2017

When her beloved grandmother requests one last summer at Still Waters, the family cottage on Edisto Beach, Cora Anne returns to a place that haunts her with loss and tempts her with forgiveness.

Peace means reconciling her family and her Edisto memories. But acceptance may mean loving the man determined to preserve a past she'd rather forget.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

Award-winning writer Lindsey P. Brackett once taught middle grades literature, but now she writes her

own works in the midst of motherhood. A blogger since 2010, she has published articles and short stories in a variety of print and online publications including Thriving Family, Country Extra, HomeLife, Northeast Georgia Living, Splickety Prime, Splickety Love, and Southern Writers Magazine Best Short Fiction 2015. Lindsey serves as Editor of Web Content for the Splickety Publishing Group, and she writes a popular column for several North Georgia newspapers.

As a mother of four chaotic kids, her home is always full of wet towels, lost library books, and strong coffee. Her love of family ties and southern places prompted her debut novel, Still Waters, inspired by her own love of Edisto summers and peach ice cream. Connect with her at http://www.lindseypbrackett.com.

1. What or whom inspired you to become an author?I have wanted to be an author ever since I read The Little House series. My parents gave them to me one by one starting when I was about eight years old. I’ve always been a voracious reader but those were my gateway books—from that point on I was a reader and I was a writer. I wanted to tell stories about my world, like Laura did, though I was an adult before I realized exactly what that meant. Other than Laura, I’d have to say books with a strong influence on my writing life were To Kill a Mockingbird and Madeline L’Engle’s memoir, Walking on Water.

2. What did you want to be when you grew up? Did becoming and author ever cross your mind?Guess you can tell it did from that first answer! I always wanted to be a writer but I struggled (and still do) a lot with self-confidence. I’m pretty good at a lot of things, and the problem with that is, it was easy to do the things that didn’t require me to be personally hurt if I didn’t succeed, such as theater, where I found a lot of joy in directing and working behind the scenes as well as on-stage. It’s much easier to be a part of someone else’s story than it is to write your own. I also had a great love for a classroom, so becoming a teacher was a natural, safe step. I’m so grateful for my years as a middle grades language arts teacher because it’s made me the writer I am today. And I just genuinely love teenagers. They are so much fun to be around and have such amazing insight into the world if you’ll just listen.

3. Who are some of your favorite authors? Do they inspire your own writing?
So obviously, Harper Lee and Madeline L’Engle, who really couldn’t be more different. I write southern fiction, so Lee is a natural choice, but in that canon I have a lot of strong influence from Terry Kay, Joshilyn Jackson, and Beth Webb Hart. Not because I write like them but because I love the way they write about the world I know. The South is an interesting dichotomy, and I don’t know that you can understand it unless you’ve lived it—and even then, my very small town, rural raising is completely different from someone raised in Atlanta or Charleston.
In CBA, Francine Rivers has long been a favorite, and my own editor, Eva Marie Everson. Eva’s Cedar Key novels struck a chord with me unlike any CBA book had ever done and for the first time, I thought my work may actually fit in this industry.

4. What is your current WIP? What can you share with us about this project?
Well, I have several projects going, including a Christmas novella that gives Hannah and Ben (Still Watersminor characters) a story. I’ve also got a sequel for Still Waters in the works. But an agent gave me some valuable advice to pursue a completely different project because of its strong hook and sale-ability. The new project is more Southern Gothic, really strong narrative drive, teenage protagonist, and all the drama and conflict of a small community split down the county line by a tragedy. There’s football and fried chicken and country music and references to Friday Night Lights and Footloose. It’s really different from Still Waters—not nearly as lyrical—but I’m enjoying the process of creating a completely different world. It’s set in the North Georgia mountains, which is where I’m from, so that’s been fun to make people see what this culture is like, because Appalachia is not the same as the Lowcountry.

5. What inspired the idea for Still Waters?
This novel really started with a place—Edisto Beach, where my family spent most summers of my childhood. When I first decided maybe I could actually do this, write a book, all I knew was I wanted a story set on Edisto. From there I began to build characters and to discover what brings them back or makes them stay away. As I grew as a writer, and began to understand how little I knew about novel structure, the plot changed many times, but ultimately it has always been a story of homecoming, relying on the power of family that ties us to a place.

6. What do you want readers to take away from reading Still Waters?
Cora Anne has a strong need to make things perfect, to control outcomes because so much of her young life was out of her control. She really struggles with grace and with forgiveness because she’s got that legalistic mindset—if I do this, then this should happen. I really hope, as readers experience her journey, they’ll recognize if they have any of these characteristics themselves. And I hope they’ll be inspired to let, as Emily Freeman puts it, “grace for the good girl” pervade. It’s my joy, also, to hear readers tell me they can’t wait to visit Edisto now. It’s a really special place, a rare find in a world of over development, and it’s a place that encourages us to live a little slower. I hope, even though everyone can’t get there, my readers will bring some of the Edisto pace into their own lives.

My grandparents actually met on a back road in Colleton County in the 1940’s. She was lost and he was bundling pine straw to sell. So that story inside the story is true.
McConkey’s Jungle Shack—and they’re not kidding about the shack part—really does have the best fish tacos on the coast.
Late in the book I reference a story about soldiers mistaking a loggerhead turtle for an enemy when the beach was being used as a lookout during WWII. This really happened and you can read about it in Nell Graydon’s Tales of Edisto, which I used for both reference and inspiration.
We drive a blue minivan and it’s kind of well-known because the paint job was bad (thanks Honda) and we’ve never spend the money to fix it. So my best friend begged me to put the blue van in the story. It’s there, when Cora Anne and Nan stop at King’s Market, complete with a passel of kids. (I have four of those.)
King’s Market has the best key lime pie. For real.
My cousin Heather and I were born 18 hours apart, and our moms are sisters. Yes, she inspired Hannah. We spent (and still do sometimes) many weeks on Edisto with her family growing up. Our favorite thing was to hunt for sharks teeth and snail shells so we could make necklaces with our grandmother.
The book is set in 2006 because I wanted a time period before social media’s invasion and before BiLo bought out the Piggly Wiggly. Edistonians are not coming around. They still call their only grocery store The Pig.
The Edisto Island Open Land Trust is a gem I stumbled upon while researching what made the most sense for Tennessee’s philanthropic spirit. The EIOLT was the perfect fit since it’s all about preservation of the Island’s natural beauty, while empowering home owners to still be able to afford family property that’s been passed down for generations. The executive director, John, drank coffee with me one morning at the Edisto Coffee Shop and told me so much valuable information.
Botany Bay (and that’s the Botany sentinel tree on my cover) was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Edisto took the brunt of the storm’s hit and the eye passed over the island. The entire first row of houses were left standing in water since the beach was pushed inland. But the community there is strong and resilient. They’ve been rebuilding and regrouping. The beaches will never look the same, but as my mama says, “That’s nature. And life. Storms come and you have to deal with the aftermath.” Or, as Tennessee puts it in the story, “Sometimes a storm’s what clears out the junk…”
Edisto Beach still has a video store, probably the last one left in the country. It’s also one of two places in the town to get ice cream—unless you’re sitting on your own porch enjoying the ocean breeze and listening for the churn to slow down.

"Still Waters" by Lindsey Brackett is one of those books that is really a good book but is really filled with too much reality. I am going to include my Facebook post I posted about this book, "Ok, I am so ready to quit reading, yes you read that right, books are getting to be more realistic and not an escape anymore, means they are full of cancer, death and all the real issues of life, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if all these things weren't in one book but the book I am reading now has it all, cancer and fears and death and even having a grandfather dying from a massive heart attack and one of the main characters is named Lou and one named Hannah, just too much reality lately". Ok I have too say I have only read 71% of the book and the book is great, but once again #toomuchreality " I have finished the book and again I say it is good but all these issues have hit home. This book made me miss my own grandma more than I already do. And no, I am not going to stop reading, that was just a fleeting thought.

I am giving the book five stars, I know it might seem weird with the above statement but the book was really written well and some of the story is history based.

There were a couple of scenes that I laughed out loud while reading such as when Cora Ann was talking about her brothers getting into her black fingernail polish because they were Indians.

The book is about Cora Ann learning to forgive her self.

Even with the too much reality I would still recommend this book with the warning , have tissue available because you will need them. I was surprised at the ending, It really didn't end how I was excepting it too, but I am not going to say if I liked it or not. You will need to read the book and then we can discuss if you agreed with my opinion or not.

I was given a complimentary copy by the author and these opinions are my own. Definitely five stars.

Enter the giveaway HERE.

September 14--Beyond the Lake

September 15--Christian Bookaholic
September 16--Debbie's Dusty Deliberations
September 17--
September 18--Soulfully Romantic
September 19--Reading Is My SuperPower
September 20--Singing Librarian Books
September 21--Remembrancy
September 22--Reader's Cozy Corner
September 23--
September 24--Christy's Cozy Corners
September 25--
September 26--Pause for Tales

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

"Wheresoever They May Be" by Terri Wangard Book Tour and GiveAway

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book

Book title: Wheresoever They May Be

Author: Terri Wangard

Release date: August 30, 2017

Genre: Historical – World War II

Lily Swanson longs to be a mother. Soon Frank should be home for good and they can furnish a nursery. Maybe even find a bigger house.

Joe Gallagher grew up in a small house with plenty of siblings. He loves the solitude of flying, but the war has dragged on for so long. He’s ready to go home.

Susan Talbot has a bad attitude. She’s estranged from her family and she doesn’t attract friends. But war can bring out the best in people and Susan’s surprised to realize she’s happy.

They all do their part in striving for victory in World War II. Sometimes, though, the danger can be hard to identify.

About the Author

Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. These days she is writing historical fiction, and won the 2013 Writers on the Storm contest and 2013 First Impressions, as well as being a 2012 Genesis finalist. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she lives in Wisconsin. Her research included going for a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Classic Boating Magazine, a family business since 1984, keeps her busy as an associate editor.

My Review:
"Wheresoever They May Be" by Terri Wangard is a wonderful thoughtful book. It is about World War 2 and so therefore the ending isn't a happy ever after fairy tale type of story.

I really like the way the chapters are divided between Frank ,Lilly .Susan and Joe, and tells their own experiences. There is some history included in the story but it is in written as part of the story and not boring at all ( I included this because I am not a fan of history at all.)

I encourage anyone who likes to read historical history to read all of Terri Vanguard's books. "Wheresoever They May Be" has a little romance but I don't really considered it to be a romance novel. The ending made me think if there is a second book it might be more of a romance.

I literally cried at times reading this book such as the scene where Lilly was ironing pillowcases and yes I mention this scene on Facebook and it was an interesting conversation that followed, ( it brought back memories of my grandma and her ironing days). That was a good happy cry but other scenes brought sad cries for the characters in the story.

This book shows the first thoughts that we have about someone isn't always factual. Yes, the characters opinions changed during the time they served in the war together. This story also showed that sometimes our enemies isn't foreign but the people we even go to church with, ( I don't like to think this is true but too often it is.)

"Wheresoever They May Be" is a story of trust in God and overcoming.

I really hope another book is coming because I want to know if the car is ever reclaimed and how the romance hinted at the end turns out.

I was given a complimentary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit. These opinions are my own.

Guest Post from Terri Wangard

After eight years of thinking, breathing, researching B-17s, I was ready to disembark and concentrate on something else. But what? I had a vague idea of three friends who joined the WAC, the WAVES, and the WASPs, but nothing crystalized. Except for the WAC.

I didn’t want to completely turn away from flying, and I prefer topics that aren’t commonly known. How about a grasshopper pilot? My second character was on board.

I had toyed with the idea of a family generational series. A World War II story paired with a World War I story. But no, too unwieldy.

The WAC could have a sister, though, who stayed on the home front and did factory work. Oh, dear. I couldn’t completely stay away from B-17s. She’s building them.

She also needs a husband. He’ll be in the navy, and not on an aircraft carrier. A destroyer! (This was in the works before Sarah Sundin signed a contract for her just-concluded series about destroyer men. I checked with her: She was writing about the Atlantic war; my guy’s in the Pacific. No problem.) I studied the list of Pacific destroyers and, oooh, the Spence. All kinds of possibilities there.

So there I had it: a sailor, his Rosie-the-Riveter wife, her WAC sister, and a grasshopper pilot. They’re all doing their part to help win the war, but sometimes the enemy isn’t obvious.