Sunday, July 31, 2016

"Evil Forebodings: For Some, The Fight Has Just Begun" by Carol Keen Book Tour and GiveAway


 
Purchase your copy of Evil Forebodings http://amzn.to/1s0u3dv

About the Book



Evil Forebodings: Tiffany Rodgers is the kind of danger that she never dreamed could happen to her in the quiet little town of Newville. She is being stalked and having strange visions. The animals even seem different of late, somehow affected by the changes in the air. Officer Allen Lawrence is drawn to Tiffany, but he has reservations. Is she losing her mind, playing games, or are the things that she is seeing more than just evil forebodings?

My Review: "Evil Forebodings: For Some, The Fight Has Just Begun" by Carol E. Keen is another one of those books that the reader has no idea where the story is going at first but one that you will be glad you finished.  

 I have to admit at first I was thinking what is with all these books I am read lately, they all have something missing to make them books I really like from the beginning.

 I think "Evil Forebodings" is a supernatural/paranormal suspense with a bit of romance.   I think part of the problem getting into the book at first is because all the characters are mixed together and it is hard to switch gears into the other characters immediately, but when the reader finally realizes what is going on, it makes a read that is thrilling and keeps the reader turning the pages just to see the outcome. So keep reading if at first you are confused! 

 This story even brings the pets thoughts into the storyline and I think the author does a great job describing them.

 This book deals with evil and though it is Christian, the reader knows that only because the characters mention prayer and that praying is the only way to help the two characters that are in the most danger. 

 I kept thinking this book is like a Criminal Minds episode the entire time I was reading, that is a good thing to me because I really like the tv show Criminal Minds. Yes, I must warn that some readers won't like this story because characters are drugged and kidnapped and words are written in blood but I did end up liking this story and have only one complaint about the book as a whole and that is there is going to be another one and I want to continue the story now which is like every book I read and like. I want to continue the story and not have to wait. Such is the life of a reader.

 The Evil continues in another book and I hope so does the romance that begins in "Evil Forebodings".

 I am giving "Evil Forebodings: For Some, The Fight Has Just Begun" by Carol E. Keen four stars. 

 I was given a copy by the author and Celebrate Lit for my honest review.

About the Author



Carol E. Keen currently resides in Alabama with her husband and family. She spends her time writing, reading, working on photography, and working with her much loved critters. She started creating stories to share with others at the age of two years old. She was published for several years in FAMA magazine (Freshwater And Marine Aquarium) as a contributing editor. She published her first book on CD, called Simply Seahorses. She is overjoyed to be publishing her fiction to share with you now. Carol currently has more books in the “works”. Please feel free to follow her for updates. On a personal note: Carol really enjoys coffee and a good book!

Guest Post from Carol E. Keen

Well, I know it isn’t lady like or proper to squeak or go “Eeeeeee!” with excitement, but it’s so hard not to do so. I’m past excited to be on this tour with Celebrate Lit! First I have to say, these are wonderful folks who I’m so very blessed to get to work with!

Now, today I’m doing happy dances over your being here for the kick off for my book, Evil Forebodings. It’s my second published book, and my first full-length fiction novel. This book took eight, yes that is 8, long years to complete. What on Earth could take me that long to write one book?

It started with my first event called, NanoWriteMo. In my case, it was NanoWrite-less! Who had the “brilliant” idea to have a huge writing contest smack over Thanksgiving and two major birthdays in our family? It was a disaster. It was as bad as saying a night person like myself has to function at 8:00am and be good at it. I was alone in my endeavor and didn’t get far at all.

A few years later, I went back to working on this book. This time I had a huge emotional backset from an incident that was just traumatic. I was told, in essence, that I wasn’t good enough to write for a career, and that my focus was on all the wrong things in my life. This came from a published author, who really didn’t know me. I was weighed and judged unfairly, and it was devastating. I learned a great deal though, and pretty much gave up on doing things the way I had been.

Forging ahead anyway, my first book, Beauty For Ashes, was published. Then I got to work on Evil Forebodings. This story and its characters have never left me, and I knew I had to finish this book. I’m really pleased with how it turned out, and I hope that you will enjoy it. While I believe all authors put some of themselves into their work, this book had a heavy dose of my heart infused into it in several places.

Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure, and please feel free to ask questions!

Blessings, Carol :)

Blog Stops

July 31: Mary Hake
August 2: Bukwurmzzz
August 4: Petra’s Hope
August 5: Carpe Diem

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away three copies of her new book with a bookmark. Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/9f31
at 2 comments:

Thursday, July 28, 2016

"Voice Of Freedom" by Harry Wegley

All eyes are on America as the nation writhes under a tyrant’s grip. 

Six Americans who spawned a resistance movement against tyrant, Abe Hannan, are hiding on the Israeli coast. Steve Bancroft, an Army Ranger protecting the other five Americans, is drawn to Julia Weiss, who reminds him of the twin sister who died under his protection. Julia, a petite woman with strengths that belie her stature, has horrific images of war etched on her mind, making Steve the kind of person her pacifist thinking rejects. 

President Abe Hannan, in a stalemate with the insurgents, gambles to crush the heart of the resistance, Brock Daniels, KC Banning, and their four friends, in a winner-takes-all battle determining the future of America. If Steve and Julia survive, can they overcome the demons from their past and find hope for their future? 

Voice of Freedom is an action-packed political thriller set in the immediate future, a story spanning the globe from Israel to Canada and from Washington DC to Oregon, a story for the time in which we live, a story of faith, hope, courage, and love.




Author Info: H. L. Wegley served in the US Air Force as an Intelligence Analyst and a Weather Officer. He is a Meteorologist who, while working as a forecaster and a Research Scientist in Atmospheric Physics, published extensively in the scientific literature. After earning an MS in Computer Science, he worked more than two decades as a Systems Programmer at Boeing before retiring in the Seattle area, where he and his wife of 48 years enjoy small-group ministry, their grandchildren, beach hiking, snorkeling Maui whenever they can, and where he writes inspirational thrillers and high-action, romantic suspense novels. Besides his scientific publications, he published one non-fiction work, Colby and Me: Growing up in the '50s, a humorous collection of the childhood adventures of an early baby boomer. Check out his author site at http://hlwegley.com
The Story Behind the Against All Enemies Trilogy, by H. L. Wegley
Though their ancestors were German, my grandfather and grandmother lived in the Volga River area of Russia where they were persecuted by the Bolsheviks in the early part of the Russian Revolution. When this group of early communists killed my great-grandfather for not giving them his crops, the rest of the family fled back to Germany and continued on to New York, seeking freedom. Like so many immigrants of the early 20th century, they literally kissed the ground on Ellis Island.

Like my grandparents, I love this country. But we have strayed far from the intent of our founding fathers, men who crafted a constitution explicitly designed to keep us from tyranny. It is now possible for the executive branch to consolidate sufficient power for a corrupt, tyranny-minded president to seize complete control of the nation. But, after seizing control, could a president actually retain it, indefinitely? Why or why not? I’ll leave that as a homework exercise for those who read book 1, Voice in the Wilderness.

Book 2 in the Against All Enemies series, Voice of Freedom provides my thoughts on how we might re-establish the rule of law and prevent future centralization of power in any one branch of government.

Book 3, which I’m currently editing and polishing, is a prequel that deals with immigration issues and drug cartel operations, but does so with a much different focus than anything you will read in the media.

There are three aspects to each novel in this series. First, the stories are fast-paced, intense, action-packed thrillers told in a clean manner—PG to perhaps PG-13 for a little violence but with nothing graphic. Second, there are many political and philosophical asides to each story that make them political thrillers with rich content, content that might not sit well with folks who think Karl Marx was spot on as an economist and/or philosopher. And third, each story has a strong romance thread that is tightly interwoven with the politics and the thriller-level action.

Each novel contains the story of one of the three main couples in the series. Book 1, Voice in the Wilderness, features Brock Daniels and KC Banning, who have known each other since they were kids. Because I’ve known my wife since we were about 3 or 4 years old, this was a fun story to tell—how a childhood friendship develops into something much more.

Book 2, Voice of Freedom, was more challenging in that I wanted to show how God brings people together such that their relationship can shape and mold them into the people He intended them to be. This story pits a missionary kid who thinks she’s a pacifist, Julia Weiss, against warrior and Army Ranger, Steve Bancroft, a weapons sergeant, a man highly skilled in the art of blowing up things and shooting people with virtually any weapon used by any military in the world. Water and oil? Maybe … but maybe not.

Book 3, Chasing Freedom, is a prequel that takes place 4 years before book 1. It tells the story of Jeff and Allie Jacobs, a couple already married in book 1. Jeff, a disgraced US Olympic gold medal contender in the decathlon, must rescue Alejandra (Allie) Santiago from a drug cartel which is labor trafficking her. Jeff, a strong Christian, wants to regain his honor, while Allie needs to find God. What they both find is plenty of danger from cartel thugs and from the volatility of US immigration courts.
With Against All Enemies the reader will get thrillers gritty enough for a guy but not offensive to women readers. That was my goal and, so far, the reviews say that the stories have hit the target.
My  Review:
"Voice Of Freedom" by Harry Wesley is the second book in the

(Against All Enemies) series and is more action packed than the first book  "Voice in the Wilderness". I really liked "Voice in the Wilderness" but I like this book the best. These books are political fiction but could be fact soon the way the world is going.


"Voice of Freedom" could be enjoyed without reading "Voice in the Wilderness" but I recommend reading the series in
 order as the books feature the same characters.  "Voice Of Freedom" is Julia Weiss's and Steve Bancroft's story . It is also a clean love story between two people who are completely opposites.

 "Voice of Freedom" by Harry Wegley  is slowly changing my mind about owning a gun for protection. The author even  points out a Biblical point of view for protecting ourselves.  I am surprised I have always been against guns, not for others, just me. But, like I just mentioned my mind is changing about this fact. 

I really like the scene where the title plays into the book. It is a song, I will stop with that so I don't give anything away.

"Voice Of Freedom" by Harry Wegley shows how a person can change (Julia) and still be the same person they always were. There were moments in this story that I didn't see how the outcome could be anything but bad, I really encourage you to read
this book and find out if they ended up being good or bad.
Yes, there is attempted murder and killing and guns and violence in this book, but it is done without being overdramatic and graphic. I wasn't tempted to stop reading this novel at anytime instead I wanted to get to the end just to see how it ended, and now that I have finished reading the book, I want book three, oh the waiting is so hard!
I was given a copy of "Voice Of Freedom" by Harry Wegley by the author for an honest review. These opinions are mine own. I have given"Voice Of Freedom" by Harry Wegley five stars. 
at 2 comments:

Thursday, July 21, 2016

"She Who Knows " By Barbara Bras Book Tour and Give Away




Purchase your copy of She Who Knows here.

About the Book



One girl’s journey from loneliness to love. Isolated on a Maui mountaintop, Cassandra has only her imagination to keep her company. Shut in due to her heart condition and shut out emotionally by her father, she meets the Menehune in a dream. Their “Gift” enables her to take the first step away from her loneliness. Along the way she finds an amazing woman in the grandmother she never knew and experiences true friendship with a new classmate. Eventually she learns that to love another she must open her heart, even if it means it may break.

My Review:

"She Who Knows" by Barbara Bras is a story of a lonely little girl who for 5 years lived a lonely life. At age five she was moved to a Maui mountaintop and was visited once a month by her father and a physician.

She had one desire, she wanted to go to school with other children. My heart was sad while reading this book, it brought feelings of my childhood back to me, no I wasn't alone but I felt friendless. 

 "She Who Knows" weaves Hawaiian scenery and culture into the story.

I like how this story points out that things aren't always the way they seem. I was hoping for a different outcome bewteen Cassandra and her father but the story does have a somewhat happy ending to the relationship.

I really would like a sequel to "She Who Knows". 

I really felt Cassandra's pain when she lost the only one she felt understood her, her grandmother. I was really glad when Zack befriended her. And I have to be honest and say I am glad when Micheal went back to his old girlfriend. Hope I have shared enough to make you want to read "She Who Knows.

Oh, I forgot  to mention the little dragon that she thinks gives her special powers and then she has to decide if she wants to use the "Gift" or not.

I am giving "She Who Knows" by Barbara Bras four stars. 

I was given a copy of  "She Who Knows" by Barbara Bras by the author and Celebrate Lit for an honest review in the book tour.


About the Author



In 2015, Barbara Bras left her career to pursue her dream of serving God. She believed that her first step would be to share the amazing ways God had blessed her. As she wrote of her son’s miraculous adoption and the challenging years that followed, it led to the rediscovery of her entire life, including the history of her grandparents’ remarkable survival in Armenia and her search for purpose and love. Her memoir led to her first novel, which she hopes readers will find engaging and memorable.

Guest Post from Barbara Bras

An interviewer asked what inspired me to write and publish two books within a year. It’s a long story. Unlike many authors, I didn’t always write, nor did I yearn to write. In fact, the opposite was true for me; fear of judgement discouraged me from writing. Judgement from my mother, an English teacher and a strict perfectionist who demanded excellence in everything, especially writing.

In spite of the circumstances, my love of reading led to my first profession, teaching English at the high school level. Teaching laid the foundation for my career, which ultimately resulted in twenty-five plus years in various corporate environments as an Human Resources leader. Naturally, during my career I wrote a great deal, including proposals, papers, and communications of all kinds. But never anything creative, I never even journaled.

Almost two years ago, our Pastor handed out little pieces of paper during his sermon that said, “ENOUGH”. He questioned our inane desire to accumulate things when we already have the one thing that is needful. Just as Mary choose to worship at the feet of Jesus rather than be distracted by the world, so must we choose what is most important. (Luke 10:42) It struck a nerve.

Shortly thereafter, I made the decision to leave my position of ten years. Unsure of my next move, I focused my energy on a burning desire. Ever since the Lord provided a son for us through a miraculous adoption, I believed He wanted me to share it as an encouragement to others. I had tried to write the story many times without success. I signed up for retreat that promised, “Write your book in a weekend!”

 The three-day retreat required nonstop writing, first in long hand, then on the pc. Amazingly, at the end of the third day I had not only finally written the story of the miraculous adoption, I had shared the incredible disappointment and heartache of the years that followed, all captured within the context of my life and the life of my ancestors. Wrapped in God’s Grace, a Life Rediscovered had materialized. I felt a great release and I thought that would be the end of my writing.

Over the next few months as I edited the book, I followed the system of editing for 45 minutes, and writing new material for 15. What emerged during those 15 minute segments became Cassandra’s story, or She Who Knows, a Tale of the Heart. The story unfolded in front of me, inspired by the woman who supervised my student teaching in Honolulu back in 1977.

Barbara Robinson was an inspiration to me both as a teacher and as a person. As we worked together that semester, she shared many stories and took me under her wing. She told me the story of how her grandmother, a musician, had come to islands and married her seafaring grandfather. She spent a great deal of her childhood isolated in the mountains on Maui, presumably to recover from an illness. When finally allowed to return to school years later, her years of isolation and her archaic English made for a lonely life. She also believed she that she had an usual gift, which she decided was better left unused.

 So what began as an effort to share my story and encourage others has developed into a love of writing and a desire to serve the Lord through my new passion.

Soli Deo Gloria. To God Alone Be the Glory!
                               
                        Blog Stops
 
July 23: Mary Hake
July 27: A Greater Yes
July 27: Reading Is My SuperPower (Spotlight)
July 29: Splashes of Joy
July 29: Artistic Nobody (Spotlight)
July 31: Bukwurmzzz
August 2: Carpe Diem

                                                           August 3: Pause for Tales

Giveaway



 To celebrate her tour, Barbara is giving away a $100 Amazon gift card, copies of She Who Knows, and Wrapped In God’s Grace. Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/9f1e
at 10 comments:

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

"Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare Book Tour and GiveAway





 

Purchase your copy here

About the Book



 If Mother Nature has her way, Timber Springs will never be the same… A warm spring and early rainstorms melt the snowpack. Spring runoff compounded by the storm of the century sends Timber Springs into a tailspin. Tossed into the role of rescuer, local pharmacist Paul Fitzgerald must face his past before the whole world falls apart. While he fights to contain the beast around him, he finds his steadfast control slipping through his fingers. And life…everyone’s life…hangs by a thread…once again. She isn’t a hero. Melissa Hampton has her own demons to battle. After she learns of her mysterious beginnings amidst her mother’s keepsakes, she faces more than just the river rushing outside her door. Now, she must discern friend from foe…but as waters rise and tension climbs within Timber Springs, she needs to rise to the challenge or lose the only man she’s ever loved. Can two people find each other through raging waters?

My Review: 
"Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare was a hard book for me to enjoy. I started liking the book at 70% read. The earlier part of the book dealt with floods due to severe storms. Which I didn't like at all but that all changed when the story took a turn and turned into a race against time to save an injured man along with a mystery man that is stopping the rescue. The book was fast paced after this point.

"Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare  is the second book in (The Snowy Range Chronicles). This book can be enjoyed without reading the first book (To Soar On Eagle's Wings) but I suggest reading it first. I really enjoyed (To Soar On Eagle's Wing).

The ending to "Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare has a few surprises and I would like to read a third book to this series as there are minor characters that I would like to learn more about.

This book has lots of moments that are sad.  It also has moments that are happy.

Don't let my top paragraph stop you from reading "Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare because most of the reviews are four and five reviews.

I am giving "Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare three stars.

I was given a copy of "Through Raging Waters" by Renee Blare by the author and Celebrate Lit for my honest review for this book tour.

About the Author



Renee Blare’s nose has been buried in a book for as long as she can remember. Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, she started writing poetry in junior high school and that, as they say, was that. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to the University of Wyoming in Laramie. She’s been counting pills ever since. While writing’s her first love, well, after the Lord and her husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar. Nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains, she lives in Wyoming with her husband, crazy dogs, and ornery cat. She serves her beautiful small town as a pharmacist while penning her stories about struggling Christians as they travel along the journeys of their lives. She loves to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blog, and social media.

Blog: Blog: Renee’s Inspirational Moments


 

Guest Post from Renee Blare

I Wrote a Book

 Five years ago, I wrote a book…and then I wrote another and another and another. Many said that the words flowed like a river onto the page. Or I painted a picture with letters. As for me? I simply write what I see so you can see it too. What about you? Do you want to write a book?

If so, there’s one thing I’d like you to know. A book’s like a child. It starts out small or simple with garbled language…often repetitive and indistinguishable. Kind of like when a baby babbles “dada” over and over. And then that moment comes when you rejoice because you hear him say “mama.” That’s the growth every book…writer…reader…yearns for.

Different stories float around inside an author’s mind, flowing in a way much like labor. Some authors plot, others don’t. And still others combine the process in a convoluted method. But like birth, no matter how the words eventually find their way to the page, the development of a book doesn’t stop with its first dawn. It takes time, energy, and growth.

Take my first release, To Soar on Eagle’s Wings. Five years ago, I wrote it, my very first book, in three months. And it was awesome! I couldn’t believe it. God brought the plot together in a phenomenal way. But publication wasn’t the next step. I had a lot to learn before that could happen.

My latest release, Through Raging Waters is the example of a writer’s growth, but also her soul. I learned that I had to leave more than my knowledge and my heart on the page. I needed to leave a piece of my soul. When you read Paul’s struggles, you read mine. Melissa’s fear and confusion? Yes, they’re mine. The anger, the pain . . . the trials, the lessons learned are scriptural but also first-hand, taught by my Father.

Writing is more than a job. It’s more than a hobby. It’s sharing your knowledge, your hope with the world. So if you want to write a book. Do it. Then take that next step, and the next. You’ll get there. Oh, and I can’t wait to read it!

Blog Stops

July 19: Pause for Tales
July 24: A Greater Yes
July 25: bigreadersite
July 26: Splashes of Joy
July 29: Quiet Quilter
July 31: Bukwurmzzz
August 1: Carpe Diem


Giveaway



 To celebrate her tour, Renee is giving away a wonderful package that includes a $20 Cabelas gift card, a set of her series paperbacks (books 1 and 2), and fleece blanket. Click here to enter:https://promosimple.com/ps/9f08
at 2 comments:

Monday, July 18, 2016

"Escaping Reality" by Rachel Skatvold Book Tour and GiveAway


 
To purchase your copy, click here

About the Book



Fame gave her a reason to hide. Can anyone unlock her guarded heart? Reality star ADDISON LEWIS had the perfect life in LA. Or so she thought. After her fiancé betrays her she’s left with one option. Escape. But is anywhere safe from the relentless paparazzi? LOGAN HART is caught off guard when a mysterious young woman becomes stranded at his family’s ranch. Past heartbreak makes him reluctant to let anyone close, but the city girl’s amusing antics draw them together. While two lonely hearts collide and secrets loom on the horizon, could God be orchestrating something miraculous behind the scenes?

My Review

"Escaping Reality" by Rachel Skatvold is a great title for this book because Addie is looking for an escape from her life as a reality star. 

This book is an easy story to read and follow and one that brings smiles as you are reading it.
Addie's Character is an easy one to like and one that is so true to life, escpecially to me as she is always falling ( if you know me personally you know what a klutz I am).

I was caught up in this story right at the beginning. 

"Escaping Reality" is a good clean love story. Some readers might think the love happened too fast 
 ( two days after the characters met), but I love it after all it is fiction and haven't anyone heard of love at first sight? 

"Escaping Reality"is not a story that is filled with all happy moments, there are quite a few scenes  that had me saying out loud "No, that isn't supposed to happen, I want this to be a happy story". It is a happy story but has real life in between the pages.

Rachel Skatvold has written "Escaping Reality" so well that this reader wishes the Hart family were real and I could go vist them on my next vacation.  

"Escaping Reality" is the first book in the ("Hart Ranch" Series) but I think the ending was perfect, no cliff hanger. There are a few questions about minor characters that I think could be answered in future books. 

I would recommend this book to any reader who likes clean books with this warning have a few kleenex handle.

I am giving five stars to "Escaping Reality" by  Rachel Skatvold 
I was given a copy of  "Escaping Reality" by Rachel Skatvold by the author and Celebrate Lit for my honest review in this book tour. 

About the Author



Rachel Skatvold is an inspirational author and stay-at-home mom from the Midwest. She enjoys writing inspirational romance, devotions, encouraging blogs. Rachel has just finished her first series, the Riley Family Legacy Novellas and is now working on her first full length novel, Enduring the Flames. Other than writing, some of her hobbies include singing, reading and camping in the great outdoors with her husband and two young sons.

Guest Post from Rachel Skatvold

Have you ever needed to escape? Every year my husband and I plan our summer vacation several months in advance. We hardly ever plan anything lavish or expensive. Most of the time we just hook up our camper, load our kids and family dog in the truck and head to a state park for our “escape.” Some of our most treasured family times have been enjoyed without television, electronics or other luxuries. It’s refreshing to leave the noise of the city for a while and enjoy a nice walk in the woods or a quiet night roasting marshmallows over a campfire. It gives us time to rest and appreciate the simple blessings that God has given us. If someone ever needed to escape, it’s Addison Lewis. From the outside it seemed like she had it all; fame, fortune and a handsome and successful fiancé. However, when her dreams of a happy future come crashing down Addison flees her home in LA and ends up stranded at a dude ranch in the Montana wilderness. There she meets a handsome young rancher named Logan and his family. Will the Hart family’s faith and simple ways help Addison discover God’s true purpose for her life? Escaping Reality is inspired by Mathew 11:28 which says, “…Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” This theme verse is prevalent throughout the story because Addison is searching for a refuge that will provide peace and rest from her stressful lifestyle. However, in the end she discovers that the peace and rest she’s looking for is not a physical destination but a condition of the heart. Addison and Logan’s story was one of my favorites to write because of Addie’s spunky personality (not to mention her tendency to fall into mud puddles J) and Logan’s courage during hard times. This story might make you laugh out loud and shed a few tears but most of all I hope it inspires you to recognize and appreciate God’s simple blessings. Happy reading, friends and I hope you enjoy reading Escaping Reality.

Blog Stops

July 8: Bukwurmzzz
July 17: Carpe Diem

July 18: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations 

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away an autographed copy of her book along with a $10 Amazon gift card. Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/9e0a
at 10 comments:

Thursday, July 14, 2016

"Change Of Heart" by Rachel J.Good Book Tour and GiveAway





 
To purchase your own copy, click here

About the Book



Lydia Esh’s younger sister Emma is running wild during Rumschpringe, causing the family major heartaches. Although it means risking her reputation, her job as a schoolteacher, and her courtship with Jakob Zook, Lydia attends parties to watch over Emma and protect her sister’s virtue. When Emma begins a relationship with Kyle, an Englischer, Lydia teams up with Kyle’s older brother, Caleb, to keep the couple apart. As Lydia and Caleb spend time together keeping an eye on their siblings, Lydia falls for this forbidden love. Will she stay true to her faith even if it means giving up the man she loves?

My Review:
"Change of Heart" by Rachel J. Good is the first book in the (Sisters & Friends series) and if the other two books in the series is as intense as this one the reader will be remembering these sisters and friends long after they finished reading the series.

This book is a novel full of emotion and twists that I didn't see coming. This book made the tears fall while reading a couple of scenes. Even though this book is about the Amish, I believe that readers of clean love stories will enjoy it. I really enjoyed this book. I  really like the way Rachel Good wrote the scenes, I could see the story in my mind as I was reading it.

This story is a story that is filled with sorrow and joy. I know the story is Lydia's but my favorite character is Lydia's mammi ( grandmother).  Lydia's grandmother seems like the type of lady that knows how to get something done and shows true faith.

 I love the title because it really fits the story because more than one character in the story has a "Change Of Heart".

I received a copy of "Change Of Heart" by Rachel Good  by the author and Celebrate Lit for my honest review as part of the book tour. I am giving "Change Of  Heart" by Rachel J. Good five stars.







About the Author



 Rachel J. Good, inspirational author, writes life-changing, heartfelt novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. She is the author of Amish romances in the Sisters & Friends series. She grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for her novels. A former teacher and librarian, she completed her MA from Vermont College while raising five children. She is presently an MFA student in Writing and Illustration at Hollins University. In addition to having more than 2200 articles and 30 books in print or forthcoming under several pseudonyms, she also juggles freelance editing and illustration careers. To buy the Amish Quilts Coloring Book: http://amzn.to/1T35q5p Visit Rachel at: Website: www.racheljgood.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/racheljgoodnovels/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelJGood1 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14661177.Rachel_J_Good Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/racheljgood1/
 

Guest Post from Rachel J. Good

Hi, I’m Rachel J. Good, inspirational author of heartfelt tales of faith, hope, and forgiveness.

’m excited to launch the first book in my Sisters & Friends Amish series, Change of Heart. Although I’ve been writing for many years and have about 30 books out now, this is my first inspirational novel. I’m busy editing book 2, Buried Secrets, and writing book 3, Gift from Above. And I’m planning the next three books in the series.

I’ve been asked how I came to write Amish novels. For that, I have to credit my agent Mary Sue Seymour, who suggested it to me. I loved the idea because I’d lived near Lancaster, PA, and had always been interested in the Amish. Although Mary Sue went to heaven a few months ago, just before the book launched, I feel her presence in my life as I write. She believed in me as a writer and encouraged me to work on this novel, which she quickly sold.

 Lydia’s story in Change of Heart has several connections with my real life. The first is that I’m the oldest in my family and have two sisters, and so does Lydia. We both feel responsible our younger sisters. Lydia’s younger sister, Emma, gets in trouble during Rumschpringe. (And no, her wild sister doesn’t resemble either of my two younger sisters.)

The second connection with my life is the spiritual lesson Lydia learns in the book. I wanted Lydia’s journey to be not only a struggle between faith and love, but also a personal inner journey from self-righteousness to seeing with God’s loving eyes.

Oftentimes, goodness and spirituality can be a source of pride, and it can also be used to justify being judgmental. Lydia’s sister Emma points this out to her, but in my case, it was my young daughter who piped up, when I was complaining about someone at church, and said, “She sounds just like you, Mommy.” Ouch!

That day I came face to face with the truth that often what I criticize most in another person is often a flaw or a sin I’m overlooking in myself. As Matthew 7:3 (NIV) says: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” I wanted Lydia’s story to reflect that truth.

The Amish try to avoid the sin of hochmut (pride), but Lydia, without realizing it, is secretly proud of her own spirituality. It often saddens me that, as Christians, we spend more time criticizing others outside the faith or with different lifestyles or beliefs, but very little time examining our own unloving and judgmental behavior. I’d like to see us become more like Jesus, who ate with the “publicans and sinners,” and showed love to everyone, instead of condemning them.

 Lydia is also forced to choose between staying in her faith or leaving it for love. I, too, faced a similar challenge many years ago, so I wrote those scenes from my heart. I hope Lydia’s story touches hearts, and that readers come away reassured that although we can’t always see the larger picture, God can, and He’s working out a wonderful plan for us. Our present circumstances might seem dark, but He knows the final results. We need to trust Him even during the challenging times, because “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

Blog Stops

July 15: Bigreadersite
July 18: Bukwurmzzz 
July 22: Quiet Quilter
July 24: A Greater Yes
July 24: Carpe Diem

July 27: cherylbbookblog

Giveaway



  To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away lots of fun prizes, including copies of her books and even a box of Whoopie Pies from Bird-in-Hand Bakery. Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/9ed1
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