Thursday, January 23, 2020

About the Book

Book: Broken Promises

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Middle Grade

Release Date: December 15, 2019

A school play sounds like fun…for some.

As she settles into life in the middle school of her new hometown, Zoey agrees to audition for the school play to encourage Louisa. Isn’t that what a BFF does? But she’s none too sure it’ll actually be fun—especially when she’s cast as a dog! Louisa really does need her support though when some of the older girls get upset at a sixth grader landing the lead role. Zoey does her best to be supportive and finally begins to feel really at home with her grandparents and at school.

Until someone pulls the plug on all her dreams.

Click here for your copy.

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody

For many tweens, middle school is a jungle of insecurities, mean girls, and disappointments. As usual I gave Zoey plenty to deal with. Including a BFF with high expectations and an absentee mom who still hasn’t grown up. Even though some people let her down, Zoey keeps plugging along, even playing Sandy the dog in the school play. And through her struggles she changes and matures — kind of like real life.

The author has developed a great series for young girls that is fun to read. I liked being back with Zoey and her friend Louisa. Zoey seems to be pretty grounded even though her mother has pretty much abandoned her. Well really her mother dumped her to go follow her dream of being in a rock band. I liked how Zoey's grandparents have taken on a very supportive role in her life. It is refreshing to see grandparents being recognized for their support in raising their grandchildren. It made me think of the people I know that have stepped up to raise their grandchildren. It is not as uncommon as it use to be.

Zoey's mother is very selfish and I hope someday she realizes how much she has missed in her daughter's life. This story deals with bullying that is relevant to today. I don't like bullying and I enjoyed how the author presented it in the story. Another aspect of the story deals with promises. How many of us have made a promise that we broke? Zoey will find out a valuable lesson when she doesn't follow through with her promise. The faith element is light in the story but I feel it is just enough for this age group. I look forward to the next book in the series to see what happens with Zoey.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 18

janicesbookreviews, January 19

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 20

For Him and My Family, January 21

deb’s Book Review, January 22

Texas Book-aholic, January 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 24

Older & Smarter?, January 25

Mary Hake, January 25

Christian Bookaholic, January 26

Inklings and notions, January 27

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 28

Blogging With Carol, January 29

Remembrancy, January 29

Vicky Sluiter, January 30

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, January 31

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Melody is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of Broken Promises and the classic Annie movie (DVD or digital download, winner’s choice)!!

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/f4a1/broken-promises-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: Climbing into Eternity: My Descent In Hell and Flight To Heaven

Author: Michele Pulford

Genre: Non-Fiction

Release Date: April 2018

“I died twice and came back to tell about it.”

Michele flirted with death for six years, trying to numb her pain following a sexual pervert’s attack. Attempting to protect herself, she allowed hatred of men to control her, and used mind control to manipulate others. Suffering with acute anorexia nervosa, she was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital at age twenty-three.

She woke up in hell, a place of eternal damnation, horror, torment, and fire. Rescued by the Savior whose soft, gentle voice she had rejected, Michele was given a new chance at life and turned wholeheartedly to the Lord.

When her body was completely paralyzed from an anaphylactic allergy attack as a young mother, she found life leaving her body once again. “This time,” she says, “I was ushered into the splendorous glory of Heaven—a place of almost indescribable light and love.”

Sent back to tell her story, Michele Pulford warns others of the horrors of the kingdom of darkness, and tells them of the glory of true abundant life in God’s kingdom of light.

This personal love story, as well as a story about death and eternal life, is both a warning and a promise, and ultimately an unforgettable account of the love of God that would not let a young woman go.

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Michele Pulford trained and worked as a fashion designer and textile lecturer from 1982 to 2009. After attending evening Bible school, she was further trained at MES Aksie, an evangelical missions ministry, before doing missionary outreach and relationship building among the locals in the Maghadighadi Pans of Botswana from 1990 to 1996. A marketplace intercessor and teacher on prayer, she makes her home with her husband Charles in South Africa. Their family consists of a son Cyle-jay, his wife Natasha, and grandson, Asher Ethan; and a daughter Brontii-ann.

More from Michele

After a sexual pervert’s attack at ten years of age, I invited evil into my life. I became an embittered, hateful teenager consumed by acute anorexia with murderous hate towards men. This led me into an abusive marriage of two years which ended with a failed murder attempt. Due to my failure I landed up DOA at my local hospital from premeditated suicide. On dying, I was taken to the evil and fiery demon invested accusing, tormenting pit of hell. It was here where the miraculous Light and Life of Jesus ripped through and rescued me.

I began my new life with my best friend, the Holy Spirit. Miraculously I married my high school sweetheart. The miraculous continued when after being declared completely barren, God’s love and grace stepped in resulting with me giving birth to a son and a daughter. Our family joy was shadowed by my soul-destroying bulimic addiction which God’s grace eventually set me free from. The life-death challenges did not end there. I found myself in an intense battle with witchdoctors as well with the dangers of onset anaphylactic attacks. It was one of these attacks that found me dying once again, with my husband and doctor watching. This time I was taken to the gates of heaven and glory. This is my story of life and death, heaven and hell, blessing and cursing.

This is certainly not an easy book to read. Unfortunately I could relate to the author in many ways. When you are not protected by your parents it destroys your feeling of safety and trust. The author is very vivid in her descriptions of addiction and mental problems. The hate she had inside of her oozed throughout the book. Her hate for everything overtook her and she started punishing herself. In her mind it was her fault that she was violated by a man. I didn't care too much for the description of the attack and thought it could have been written a bit more respectful.

The details of the authors eating disorder are hard to read but exactly what someone needs to hear. It is a dangerous disease and can cause serious complications. I was happy to read that her parents at one point decided that they were going to help her get better. It seemed like the author was fighting this alone. The voices she was hearing was the enemy whispering lies to her. Her manipulation was a way for her to protect herself. At one point she decides that death is best for her. What a sad state she was in.

The book follows the author through many ups and downs and shows how much of a hold the enemy had on her life. I did think the book could have left some details out and still been effective. I do understand how tormented she was and I desperately wanted her to get help. The first thing she needed to do was admit she needed help. Sometimes we have to go to the depths of hell before we realize how much we need God. That is exactly what the author goes through. At some point she will face death head on and need to call out for God to rescue her.

I can't say for sure if the author was taken to hell or if it was an out of body experience. It is very graphic and pretty much scared me. I never want to go to wherever the author went. The author does make a good point of saying that God looks at the heart. He can see the ugliness inside us and there is no where to hide anything. Hatred is something that turns your heart into stone and will try to destroy anything in its path.

The book is a powerful testimony of a woman who faces the enemy and the chaos she goes through to find peace. Through everything she went through it can be said with confidence that God never left her. He forgives each of us and wants us to be set free from the lies of the enemy.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, January 23

janicesbookreviews, January 24

Simple Harvest Reads, January 25 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 26

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 27

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 28

A Baker’s Perspective, January 29 (Author Interview)

Spoken from the Heart, January 30

Inklings and notions, January 31

My Devotional Thoughts, February 1 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, February 2 (Guest Review from Kelsey Barela)

For Him and My Family, February 3

For the Love of Literature, February 4 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, February 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and ‘signed’ copy of Climbing Into Eternity, My Descent In Hell and Flight To Heaven!!

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/f52d/climbing-into-eternity-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

About the Book

Book: Indebted

Author: Charmayne Hafen

Genre: Young Adult, Adventure, Mythology

Release Date: August 25, 2019

When the abandoned princess discovers a friend, some muscle, and a passion for swords, she also acquires the crucible by which she uncovers the mysterious key to unlock her grief and win true freedom. Or will her strength confound her future in the kingdom to which she rides?
At the mythical edge of the Berkshire Forests, Wren finds herself rattling around in an austere castle, abandoned by the King and Queen. King Belodawn seems to blame his daughter for the mysterious disappearance of his wife, and he avoids his daughter at all costs in favor of conquests requiring his person away from the kingdom. But, things are about to change; the princess has matured. Wren’s spirit refuses to remain the lost bird she became at age twelve. With the aid of the cook and the cook’s son, Wren discovers her unknown dexterity in sword fighting. With it, she believes a new community in which to live will open up but is this young girl prepared to encounter deceptive ghosts, angels, and demons in the maze of the forest to attain her aim?

Click here for your copy.

About the Author

Charmayne Hafen is a graduate of John Brown University and has her masters in counseling from the Denver Seminary. Her love of Celtic mythology in Christian themes inspired her to write her debut Young Adult novel, Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon. She is a fan of the author, Stephen Lawhead.

She has written several short stories for children, teens, and adults, as well as the fantasy trilogy being published in 2020 by Capture Books, called, The Land of Twilight. She is currently working on the development of her sequel to The Berkshire Dragon.

Charmayne has a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and psychology as well as a Master of Arts degree in counseling. When she’s not writing, Charmayne is running counseling groups for adults and a therapeutic photography group for teens. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband John and her two chihuahuas, Pepe and Frida.

More from Charmayne

Hello, Readers, Educators, Book Reviewers and Celebrate Lit Bloggers!

Although I am new to a lot of social media, I have heard that your group is a fantastic resource to new authors. Being a little bit of an introvert, you might even call me reluctant or a slow starter, but I assure you that I can imagine strategies and battle in the heavenlies for readers’ minds with the best of ’em. I say, “Let’s go!”

Please feel free to connect with me on any social media platform, or to write to me directly. I have loved engaging with anyone who has read my book and has sent me a comment or question. Because Indebted was published, I was thrilled to be able to speak to a group of college students taking coursework in literature and writing at Texas Tech last year.

I love facilitating creative writing seminars especially speaking to authors about how to join a system of discipline and creativity to overcome writer’s block.

My hope, however, is to be able to engage more students in elementary school and junior high about the topics in my books because I write about the things facing young people with a certain perspective that the Lord sees them right where they are, that God actually cares deeply for them, and that He has answers for them. These answers include that Jesus paid the penalty for a kid’s lying, bullying, violence, disbelief, envy, and rebellion and that bringing them to back to God means that they get to be adopted into His kingdom as princes and princesses.

I hope that my books provide that suspension of disbelief needed for us all to see the possibility of walking in faith with others in traumatic times and to experience the wonders of God’s word to us.

Sincerely and Gratefully,

Charmayne

This is a very enchanting story set in the 16th century. Oh how I loved reading about castles, knights, princesses and oh yes a dragon. The story is filled with adventure, danger and a young princess who is destined to fight with a sword. In the days where the story is set, it is unheard of for a young girl to be able to use a sword to fight or even to spar. As the story continues the author illustrates the Armor of God in a brilliant way.

Princess Wren is by far the best character in the story. She is fierce, beautiful and also holds a deep hurt in her heart. It was sad to learn that her mother had abandoned her at such a young age. Wren has carried the guilt of being the reason her mother left. Her father the king has completely turned his back on Wren. What a horrible way to live thinking you caused a parent to leave and know that your father detests the sight of you.

I loved the imagination the author used in having Wren travel to another kingdom and use her ability with the sword to find a new home. The fights were very vividly written. I could hear the clank as two swords collided against each other. Wren finds herself in danger when she is demanded to slay the dragon or find herself locked away forever. Would it be better for her to give into the dragon and be its slave? I cheered as I understood the semblance of what the dragon represented. The dragon or as I refer to it as the enemy or devil whispered lies to Wren in order to control her. She allowed her fears to overtake her mind and fell victim to the enemy's lies. The enemy is the father of lies. He will convince you that he knows what is best for you. He will entice you to follow him thinking you are doing the right thing.

One of the main things Wren lacked was trust and belief in herself. The author does an excellent job of showing us how easy it can be to fall for lies from the enemy. Wren felt she was not good enough for anyone and would never find love. The enemy loves to devour us with lies and Wren needed to build her faith in order to slay her demon. I loved reading how Wren slowly began to read the Bible and open her heart to the One who loves us unconditionally. Will Wren be able to trust anyone or will she wander the earth always guarding her heart?

The story is filled with wonderful characters who come into Wren's life and try to show her what friendship means. The action is good and the description of the dragon is one that I will not forget. This is not just another princess in distress knight in shining armor to the rescue story. What it is however is a story that uses a young princess to show us how to slay our enemy. God never leaves us. He is always there and all we need to do is have faith and trust.

" We all need someone we can count on to be there for us when other people let us down."

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, January 22

For The Love Of Literature, January 23

Just the Write Escape, January 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 25

Mamma Loves Books, January 26

Wishful Endings, January 26 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 27

By The Book, January 28 (Author Interview)

janicesbookreviews, January 29

Inklings and notions, January 30

A Baker’s Perspective, January 31 (Author Interview)

Seasons of Opportunities, February 1

Blogging With Carol, February 2

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 3

Artistic Nobody, February 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Charmayne is giving away the grand prize of a pillow made with one of the illustrations!!

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/f52b/indebted-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

About the Book

Book: More Than A Second Chance

Author: Lisa Renee

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Release Date: August 30, 2019

Does Cassie deserve another chance at love?

Cassie Chambers, a dedicated youth worker, is determined to rescue the troubled youth in the city of Perth, Australia.

Cassie has made mistakes but hasn’t allowed tragedy or divorce to stop her. She devotes every working hour at Youth Connect. But her own needs are neglected.

Chef Chris Evanson offers work experience to young men from Youth Connect. Cassie and Chris’s encounters become more than sassy bantering with a hint of attraction. Chris is a sincere romantic.

How will Chris respond when he finds out her secret? She must tell him before he falls in love. Will he believe she deserves more than a second chance?

To complicate matters, one of Youth Connect’s troubled teens needs rescuing. She’s pregnant and moves in with Cassie, bringing absolute chaos. Chris gains insight into what life with Cassie involves. Does he still want the total package? Is Chris her true soul mate?

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Lisa Ren’ee is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Omega Writers, Australia. With an Australian theme, she wrote the Single Again series featuring More Than a Second Chance and Acres of Promise, to encourage women to heal past wounds and to dare trust again.

Lisa adores babies enough to have seven of her own. Recently, Lisa has taken up breeding Ragdoll cats instead of breeding humans.

The tribe lives in Australia, where Lisa and her husband enjoy their writing projects, public speaking, and are on the pastoral team at their church.

More from Lisa

What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve read many wonderful Christian novels of first-time love. Unfortunately, not all of us have experienced a strong lasting marriage. I’ve met many women who’ve had a husband turn away from their Christian faith and left the marriage. I want to encourage those women that God can restore what was lost with a faithful man.

My message is not to rush ahead of God’s timing. My characters are more cautious since they know life can throw unexpected blows. They learn to trust and open their hearts again, which takes time.

My first series tackles the central issue of divorce. More Than A Second Chance also addresses the challenges of infertility and grief. The story is wrapped around a new romance with plenty of humor and light-hearted moments to balance out the themes.

I did enjoy the setting of the story in Australia. The author describes the place beautifully and I could here the accent as the people spoke .Cassie was a complicated character to me. Her heart was for helping youth and making a difference in their life. I loved reading about the programs Cassie had set up and the opportunities she was able to give. The story does take on some difficult issues like drug abuse, abortion, premarital sex and suicide. The author handles these subjects with grace and shows how hard it is to overcome some of these issues. There are a few moments when curse words were used that may offend some.

It was easy for Cassie to relate to the youth because she had faced similar issues in her life. It was hard to hear her tell her friend Chris about her past and the loss she experienced. With her ability to share her secret, I think it helped Chris see her in a different light. Chris is an accomplished chef who now owns his own restaurant. The amazing food that was described in the story made me hungry, The details were good and I appreciate the author making the cuisine fit the place the story was set in.

The story has many layers of trust and forgiveness in the story. The title of the book fits perfectly with the story because we all deserve chances. God never gives up on us and in the story, Chris was willing to give Cassie as many chances as needed for her to realize who she was in Christ and that she could trust a man. There are some moments in the story that are difficult to read such as emotional abuse which is hard to overcome.

I have often wondered if I ever made a difference in a child's life when I was a Children's Pastor. I may not ever know that answer but the author offers a great example of making a difference for someone in the story. A young woman who Cassie mentored comes back into her life and I think this was my favorite part of the story. It is a roller coaster ride with this person and it shows cracks in Chris and Cassie's relationship. I sometimes thought that Cassie was to pushy and always wanted to control everything. Their relationship is put to the test when this young woman needs help. It is a good story that explores relationships as well as trusting God.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.