Thursday, July 25, 2019

"Pulse"by Linore Burkard Booktour and Give Away

About the Book

Book: Pulse

Author: Linore Burkard

Genre: Christian YA/Apocalyptic Suspense

Release date: August 24, 2015

What do you do when the whole world stops?

Andrea, Lexie and Sarah are just ordinary teens until a mysterious event shuts down all technology. In the dead of winter, there’s no heat, no internet, no cell phones–not even a working car.
In this chilling Christian YA tale, most of the population doesn’t survive. Pitting faith and grit against a world without power, the girls and their families must beat the odds. But can they find the strength to survive when society collapses and technology fails?

About the Author

Linore Rose Burkard wrote a trilogy of genuine regency romances for the Christian market before there were any regencies for the Christian market. Published with Harvest House, her books opened the genre for the CBA. She also writes YA Suspense/Apocalyptic fiction as L.R. Burkard.Married with five children, Linore home-schools her youngest daughter, teaches workshops for writers, and is the Vice President of the Dayton Christian Scribes. Her latest PULSE EFFEX SERIES, takes readers into a “chilling possible future for America, while affirming the power of faith in the darkest of times.”

Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, July 13

Through the Fire Blogs, July 14

amandainpa, July 14

Genesis 5020, July 15

Real World Bible Study, July 15

Retrospective Spines, July 16

Blogging With Carol, July 17

Artistic Nobody, July 17 (Spotlight)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 18

All-of-a-kind Mom, July 18

Inspired by fiction, July 19

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, July 19

Mary Hake, July 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 20

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, July 21

Pause for Tales, July 21

Inklings and notions, July 22

janicesbookreviews, July 23

Emily Yager, July 23

Ashley’s Bookshelf, July 24

Texas Book-aholic, July 25

God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae, July 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 25

A Reader’s Brain, July 26

"Pulse"by Linore Burkard is a book that is about three different teens and their own perspectives on life after all society collapses and technology fails?

This book has no sex and zombies nor drugs/alcohol, no horrible violence but guns are used, no profanity (though alluded to a couple of times), no macho guys and/or gals, no overt religion and/or preaching, but it does have faith and Biblical points in the girl's writing, no army of super-heroes.

This book really does make the reader think about what would we do if this happen in our life time.

Okay, I have to be honest and tell that why reading this book I was very judgmental of Lexie's father because even through he is a Christian, he refused to help her friend family's because they have to help their own family seems wrong to me because aren't we called to help when we are able. As soon I typed this, this thought immediately popped in my head, Christians aren't to judge and aren't you judging even if the characters are fictional, no one is perfect in their Christian walk . I can't tell you how that was eventually worked out.

I can't image having to do some of the things that the characters had to do to just survive, but again maybe with this statement I am judging again, but I don't think I would resort to even think about selling my teenage daughter to someone so that I can eat. Yes, I know that happens way to much in this world and I have to say that the ones thinking about this aren't Christians. And I have never experienced real hunger or thirst.

This story is written as journals by all three girls, and is written so well that I could image myself setting down at a table and listening to them telling me their stories.

This story will make readers more appreciative of what they have and make them love their families and show love more openly and more often because even if we never experience a EMP, these things and those we loved can be taken from us suddenly.

This book has happy moments in it but it is not a happily ever fairytale story. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

I really recommend this book to all, young mature readers, teens, adults and seniors adults, to read.

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

"Love’s Belief "by Linda Shenton Matchett Book Tour and GiveAway

About the Book

Book: Love’s Belief

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction
Release date: May 15, 2019

Midwife Pia Hertz and her mother Sabine have been delivering babies long before the Nazis came to power. Now, the Third Reich has implemented mandates that require Jewish babies and other “undesirables” to be killed as part of The Final Solution. Is Pia’s new faith in Christ strong enough to defy the laws of man?

Despite the agony of the injury at the Battle of Drøbak Sound that took his arm, Dieter Fertig is relieved he’s no longer part of Hitler’s army. He returns to Berlin and discovers Jews are being deported by the thousands. When he realizes the Nuremburg Laws require his best friend’s baby girl to be killed, he must find a way to spirit the child out of Germany before the Nazis discover her existence.

Inspired by the biblical story of Shiprah and Puah, the midwives who saved Jewish babies during Pharaoh’s reign, Love’s Belief shows how one person’s actions can change the world.

Click here to grab your copy.

"Love’s Belief" by Linda Shenton Matchett is the third book in the (Wartime Brides ) Series. It can be read as a stand alone. It is also a very short read of only 115 pages. This story is inspired by the biblical story of Shiprah and Puah, the midwives who saved Jewish babies during Pharaoh’s reign.

This is a story about two midwives being brave and saving lives even when it is against the Nazi's laws.

This story shows that even when one or two people do the right thing it can improve someone life for the better.

I really like how the story ends. I also like that how to be saved is part of the story.

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

About the Author

Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library.

Read an Excerpt

Berlin, late February 1943
Chapter One

“I thought Frau Schmidt was going to die.” Pia Hertz blew out a deep breath. “We haven’t had a difficult birth like that in a long time, Mutti.”
“Ja, but you are a gifted midwife, Pia. I wasn’t too worried.”
Pia chuckled. “You always say that.”
Mutti linked her arm with Pia’s. “We must have confidence, otherwise fear will make us prone to mistakes. Now, let’s reward ourselves with strudel, if we can find it, hmm?”
“A wonderful idea. I’m starving. Hopefully, the baker has some, and the line won’t be too long at this early hour. Selections at most of the shops have been meager as the war has ground on.”
Leaning close to Pia’s ear, Mutti whispered, “Be careful what you say. You don’t want to be accused of sedition.”
Pia cast a glance over her shoulder. “You’re right. It doesn’t seem to take much to get arrested these days.” She sighed. “I don’t understand why God has allowed Herr Hitler to succeed. Why has He not stepped in to save His people, the Jews?”
Dust coated their shoes as they sauntered along the sidewalk, skirting the piles of rubble from the most recent RAF bombing raid.
“There are some things we will never have an answer to, Daughter, but we must trust in His plan. It is difficult. Despite being a believer since childhood, I still struggle with doubts. It’s understandable that you do, too.” She stroked Pia’s cheek. “When we get home, let’s pray together and see what He would have us do.”
Pia stifled a gasp. “What are you suggesting?”
Her lips pressed in a thin line, Mutti frowned. She jerked her head toward the SS officer standing about ten meters away, then tugged on Pia’s arm. Continuing down the sidewalk, they arrived at the bakery. Unlit windows and lack of women waiting indicated there were no more treats to be had for the day.
“Ach, we’ll have to assuage our penchant for a sweet another time.” Mutti rubbed her belly. “Let’s take a shortcut down Rosenstrasse then head for the river. It would be nice to look at something other than damaged buildings and debris.”
“Good idea. It is warmer today than yesterday, and there is a market at the end of the street. Perhaps they have some bread or cheese we can nibble on.”
A chill swept over Pia as they walked past a police officer, their eyes averted to avoid any interaction. An elderly couple tottered along in front of them, holding hands and speaking softly. Pia’s heart tugged. Would she ever find someone to spend her life with: someone to look at her like the wrinkled, gray-haired man gazed at the petite woman by his side? At twenty-eight, it seemed unlikely. Der Führer’s desire to rule the world was destroying an entire generation of young men, and she certainly had no interest in a black-coated member of the SS.

Blog Stops

Christian Bookaholic , July 20

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 21

Genesis 5020, July 22

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 23

For Him and My Family, July 24

Becka Jimenez’s FB, July 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 25

Mary Hake, July 26

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, July 27

Artistic Nobody, July 27 (Spotlight)

Texas Book-aholic, July 28

janicesbookreviews, July 29

A Reader’s Brain, July 30

Blossoms and Blessings, July 31

Inklings and notions, August 1

Simple Harvest Reads, August 2 (Spotlight)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away a grand prize package with a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of each book in the series!!

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/e5aa/love-s-belief-celebration-tour-giveaway

"No Greater Love" by Gina Holder Book Tour and GiveAway

About the Book

Book: No Greater Love
Author: Gina Holder
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Release date: April 30, 2019

He said he’d never risk leaving a widow. She said she’d never love a man in uniform.

Paige McDonald collects antique literature and works at the largest bookstore in Portland, Oregon. When her grandfather, a firefighter, was killed, she vowed never to fall in love with a first responder. An old Bible leads to an unexpected discovery and disrupts everything she knows about herself, her family, and God. Her desire to know the truth sends her to the town of Whitman directly into the radar of Patrol Officer Hamilton Bryant. After the loss of his best friend and fellow officer, Hamilton vowed never to marry. He won’t risk leaving a widow. Instead, he reserves his passion for serving his family and the town he’s sworn to protect. When a series of robberies and threats against the mayor correspond with Paige’s sudden appearance in Whitman, their paths intersect.

Click here to purchase your copy.

"No Greater Love" by Gina Holder is a book that had me from the first sentence till to the last word. It is a story that involved unwed teen pregnancy and political gain and lies and adoption and robberies, and books and bookstores. But, I think the great story that was woven in-between the pages is that we can only get what our souls and hearts crave from Jesus.

This story has a few funny events that happened in the story such as the first time the two main characters meet, Paige is staring at a mansion and Hamilton, a police officer stops to ask her if she has seen a goat and then when Paige asks for a coffee, the barista thinks she is asking for a grasshopper in her drink.

Both Paige and Hamilton have to learn to trust their future to God. Hamilton vows never to marry because his job as a police is to dangerous after his best friend is killed in the line of duty after just a couple of months after his marriage and Paige has vowed never to love a first responser after her firefighter grandfather is killed fighting a fire. And to make manners worst, Paige has a history that she hopes she doesn't have to let Hamilton know.

The characters were easy to like and made you feel like you wanted to be friends with them with the exception of the bad guys.

I wanted there ending to be different with the mayor, but while writing this review I am glad the ending happened the way it did because it is the way things goes so much of the time, yes, we readers liked things to go happily ever after but sometimes that just feels wrong even in fiction , so with that being said, I think the ending for all the different characters was a terrific ending.

This is why I escape into books, I just read this and it brought a smile to me and gave me what I needed to be reminded of today. "Jesus Christ, the God of Heaven, the God of love paid the highest cost so that you and I could have hope. Hope for a better future. Hope for forgiveness of sin. Hope that even when this world beats us down until we barely have strength to stand, Someone, who knows all things, is right there just waiting to take your hand and walk with you." this was taken from "No Greater Love" by Gina Holder

!!I really loved this book except for two things, which is my own issue, a character that is important to the story but not part of dies of cancer in the past and then a minor character in the story is diagnosed with cancer. I know that cancer being mention in the story doesn't impact the story in anyway and like I have already mention it is my own personal issue but I just want author not to use cancer as much as they do in a story because readers like to escape when they read and when the c word is used, reality comes rushing in.

I am eagerly awaiting the other books in this series because there are a few mysteries left unsolved.

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

About the Author

Gina Holder completed the Long Ridge Writer’s Group “Breaking into Print” course and graduated from Faith Bible Institute. In August 2017, she published her first novel, Whither Shall I Go. She is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. Her Website and Blog is found at http://storiesbygina.wordpress.com. She lives in Colorado with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next novel, she enjoys reading, watching movies, singing, and playing the piano and organ.

More from Gina

Fun Facts about No Greater Love (Don’t worry, spoilers weren’t invited to this party.)

I love the smell of coffee, but I don’t like the taste. I asked my coffee-loving friends on social media for their favorite coffee drinks to use in the story.
Tyler, Tony, and Timothy Thorne were modeled after three brothers I saw playing on a beach in Hurgadah, Egypt.
R. Electronics was based on an actual store my husband and I saw in a mall.
When Paige and Hamilton meet, he is looking for a runaway goat. This happened to my husband and me. We were out admiring large mansions, when a police officer pulled up behind us. We thought we were in trouble for loitering. Instead, he asked if we’d seen a goat running around the neighborhood.
Hamilton’s deceased best friend is named after my childhood friend, William Donnelly. Will was a U.S. Marine killed in battle in Afghanistan. Like the character in the story, he got married only two months before his death and was killed on Thanksgiving Day. No Greater Love is dedicated in his memory.
The character Jessie Faye is named after an elderly woman my husband knew while living in Fossil, Oregon.
The diners in the food court scene were written from personal observations at a food court in Colorado Springs.
While Whitman is a fictional town, it is modeled after the real town of Enterprise, Oregon, at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains.
Several locations in the book are real establishments in Enterprise, including Heavenly’s Restaurant, the Espresso and Car Wash, El Bajios, and the Bowlby stone courthouse.
There are several beloved pets in No Greater Love, including a parrot named Gerald, a Persian cat named Delilah, and a labradoodle named Bruce. All the pets have names except for Aunt Hattie’s Dalmatians.
Paige McDonald works at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon when the story opens. Powell’s lays claim to the status of the “largest independent used and new bookstore in the world.”
Portland is the fifth city in America with the most coffee shops per capita.
The statistics for the Whitman school—100% graduation rate and a 1:13 student-teacher ratio is not fictional. They are the actual statistics of the Enterprise High School.
Behind the cash registers at Powell’s, there is a fake dictionary definition—“Smell bound: held as if under the spell by the scent of books.” This is the inspiration behind the opening scene of No Greater Love. The word, Bibliosmia, means the smell of old books.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 16

The Becca Files, July 17

Just Your Average reviews, July 18

For Him and My Family, July 19

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, July 19

The Christian Fiction Girl, July 20

Godly Book Reviews, July 20

Library Lady Kid’s Lit, July 21

Moments, July 22

Books, Life, and Christ, July 22

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 23

Retrospective Spines, July 23

Vicky Sluiter, July 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 25

Pause for Tales, July 25

Texas Book-aholic, July 26

janicesbookreviews, July 27

Inklings and notions, July 28

Mary Hake, July 28

A Reader’s Brain, July 29

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Gina is giving away a grand prize of a signed paperback copy of No Greater Love and Whither Shall I Go plus a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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/e54f/no-greater-love-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, July 22, 2019

"Midnight on the River Grey" by Abigail Wilson Book Tour and GiveAway

About the Book

Book: Midnight on the River Grey

Author: Abigail Wilson

Genre: Historical Romance/Mystery

Release date: July 2, 2019

Abigail Wilson returns to Regency England with another tale of murder, mystery, and romance.

After her elder brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible-Mr. Lewis Browning-known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian. He alone was on the bridge that fateful night and openly admits striking her brother with his horse, but he claims he remembers little else.

Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation. Yet, Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and whether she too will follow the same heartbreaking path.

Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Lewis, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?

Click here to grab your copy.

I really don't know what to say about the book "Midnight on the River Grey" by Abigail Wilson except that I really liked it. It really kept me guessing on what would happen next.

Midnight on the River Grey" kept me turning the pages because I just had to know what happened to Jacob and why? I was drawn into the story from the first page to the last. I really didn't try to figure out who was guilty or innocent because I was literally kept on the edge of my seat reading the story. I did try to figure out who I would want to be friends with if I were part of the story and I think I will be best friends with Aunt Jo and Rebecca. The other characters had me questioning if they would be friend or foe.

This novel is written so well that you can really feel Rebecca's emotions.

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

About the Author

Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A Registered Nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the National Parks, attending her daughter’s gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book. In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA’s Fab Five contest and in 2016, ACFW’s First Impressions contest as well as placing as a 2017 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children. Connect with Abigail at www.acwilsonbooks.com; Instagram: acwilsonbooks; Facebook: ACWilsonbooks; Twitter: @acwilsonbooks.

An excerpt from Midnight on the River Grey

My heartbeat turned sluggish as an ache swelled in the back of my throat. This man—the

person responsible for my brother’s death—expected me to live with him? In his house? Madness.

“And if we refuse?”

“I’m afraid there is little choice in the matter at this point. The arrangements are already complete.”

Mr. Browning narrowed his blue eyes, scrutinizing me, no doubt, as the numbing shock of his declaration faded to resignation across my face. He sighed. “I do realize Greybourne Hall might hold unfortunate associations for you—”

“Unfortunate?” My voice came out a bit louder than I’d expected. “Is that what you choose to call it?”

He gave a sideways glance at Aunt Jo then returned to me, a pained look hovering about his eyes. His voice, however, remained firm. “Forgive me if I startled you. I hadn’t expected such a violent reaction to what I assumed was the logical next step. Perhaps I should make myself a bit clearer.” He gave a curt sigh. “I only intend for you to stay at Greybourne Hall till some place more suitable can be arranged. Unfortunately, there are few options at present.”

Ice enveloped my heart. I had no wish to travel to, let alone live at that dreadful house, not even for a single night. In his letters, Jacob had described the rambling structure as a gray pile of stones fit for vampires, or worse. I could only image Mr. Browning, this dark-headed devil before me, at home in such a place.