Wednesday, May 22, 2019

More to Love FB Banner

About the Book

Book: More to Love
Author: Robin Helm
Genre: Christian Historical Sweet Romance
Release Date: February 12, 2019
More to Love Cover“She is tolerable, I suppose, but there is rather too much of her to tempt me.” Overhearing Mr. Darcy’s rude dismissal of her shocks and mortifies Elizabeth Bennet to the core. She is living her worst fear, and it galvanizes her into action. Soon, the gentleman cannot keep his eyes from her, but can she forgive his thoughtless judgment of her appearance and character? Especially since he faces a worthy competitor for her attention? Who will win the lady’s hand, along with the right to love her through thick or thin?
Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

robin helmRobin Helm’s books reflect her love of music, as well as her fascination with the paranormal and science fiction. Previously published works include The Guardian Trilogy: Guardian, SoulFire, and Legacy (Christian paranormal romance); the Yours by Design series: Accidentally Yours, Sincerely Yours, and Forever Yours ( ChristianTime Swap romance), and Understanding Elizabeth (Christian Regency romance). She contributed to A Very Austen Christmas: Austen Anthologies, Book 1, an anthology featuring like-minded authors, in 2017, and A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2, in 2018. New releases for 2019 include More to Love, a stand-alone Christian historical sweet romance dealing with body image; Lawfully Innocent, a Christian historical U.S. Marshal romance book in the Lawkeepers series; Maestro, a Christian historical sweet romance featuring a brilliant musician and his student; and A Very Austen Romance: Austen Anthologies, Book 3. She lives in sunny South Carolina where she teaches piano and adores her one husband, two married daughters, and three grandchildren.

More from Robin

Have you ever been judged on the basis of your appearance – what you weigh, how you dress, how you wear your hair or do your makeup? I am a professional dieter, and I have been on all of them. I lose, and I gain it back. I know the lengths a woman will go to after she overhears remarks about how she looks, so I relate to Elizabeth in More to Love in a way that’s a bit beyond my comfort zone.
Another aspect of this book which is personal is that I chose to base a supporting character on a wonderful, Christian lady at my church (with her permission). Mrs. Donna Bailey has been a constant encouragement to me in regards to my writing. She often gives me beautiful sugar cookies she painstakingly decorates with holiday themes. Mrs. Bailey is the housekeeper and dessert cook at Longbourn, and she helps Elizabeth through thick and thin, so to speak.


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The beginning of the book had my blood boiling. How absolutely rude for a gentleman to say with no regard to feelings that a woman was shall we say a little heavy for his taste. It is typical of society to judge someone by their appearance. Well I was ready to walk over there and give Mr. Darcy a piece of my mind.  Elizabeth heard the remark made about her and you could feel inside how deep those words hurt.

Jane was a sweet person and definitely has caught the eyes of a gentleman who cares for her deeply. I loved how protective she is of Elizabeth and how angry she was when she heard what was said of her sister. Daily walks seems to draw the sisters closer but I found it funny that someone was watching them from afar without their knowledge.  When Jane becomes very ill along with Mr Darcy I was a bit surprised. The author didn't really give any indication that influenza was sweeping through the town . Most surprising was how Mr. Darcy came to blame himself that  the illness had spread.  

I loved the addition of the charming doctor , Mr. Beckett . Elizabeth is quite taken with him and it was interesting to see where their relationship would go.   Mr. Darcy realizes his   feelings for Elizabeth but will she return those feelings or be drawn to the charming doctor? The scriptures included at the beginning of each chapter was indeed a bonus. They highlighted how the beauty is within and a woman should be treasured. The story is predictable for me, but I still enjoyed reading the fight over Elizabeth's affections.

The story is charming and there are some funny moments when Mr. Darcy shows how jealous he is of Mr. Beckett. After all, Mr. Beckett is more than a doctor when it is revealed he has noble blood running through him. Overall the author keeps the story interesting and gives readers delightful characters to enjoy.

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

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, May 14
Hallie Reads, May 17
Remembrancy, May 22

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away
Grand Prize: a $25 Amazon gift card
1st Place: An autographed paperback of A Very Austen Valentine: Austen Anthologies, Book 2
2nd Place: An autographed paperback of More to Love
3rd Place: A set of three eBooks – Reader’s Choice of any three of my books!!
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/e270/more-to-love-celebration-tour-giveaway
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The Painted Letter Bookshop FB Banner

About the Book

Book: The Printed Letter Bookshop
Author: Katherine Reay
Genre: Women’s fiction, romance
Release Date: May 14, 2019
The Printed Letter Bookshop CoverAmid literature and lattes, three women come together and find that sharing one’s journey with best friends makes life richer.
When attorney Madeline Carter inherits her aunt’s bookstore in a small town north of Chicago, she plans to sell it and add the proceeds to her nonexistent “investment portfolio.” But plans change when Madeline discovers the store isn’t making money and she gets passed over for promotion at her firm. She quits in protest, takes the train north, and decides to work at the store to prep it for sale. Madeline soon finds herself at odds with employees Jessica and Courtney; when she also finds herself attracted to an affianced man, it only confuses the entire situation.
After blowing up her marriage two years earlier, Jessica has found solace working at the bookstore and a kindred spirit within its owner, Maddie Cullen. But when Maddie dies and her niece, Madeline, barges in like a bulldozer, Jessica pushes at the new owner in every way-until she trips over common ground. Soon the women are delving into online dating and fashion makeovers, and Jessica feels the pull to rediscover her art, a love she thought long behind her.
After a night of bad decisions leaves the store in peril, Courtney arrives and tries to save the day. While she, too, found sanctuary in the little bookstore, she knows it’s under-insured, in the red, and will never survive. When she discovers her teenage daughter has played a part in vandalizing the store, Courtney taps into strength she didn’t know existed-or had long forgotten. The quietest of the three, she steps up and finds a way to save her family, the store, and the precious friendships that have grown within it.
The Printed Letter Bookshop is the story of friends who find each other-and themselves-in a place none of them ever expected.


About the Author

Reay KatherineKatherine Reay is the national bestselling and award-winning author of Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy and Jane, The Brontë Plot, A Portrait of Emily Price, The Austen Escape, and The Printed Letter Bookshop. All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flair. Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and isa wife, mother, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL. You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com; Facebook: KatherineReayBooks; Twitter: @katherine_reay; or Instagram: @katherinereay.

More from Katherine

Don’t you love bookshops?
Every time I walk into a bookstore, it feels like a rainbow cracked open and rained a kaleidoscope of light, life and possibilities before me. I find worlds within the world and a call to adventure.
Each bookshop tells a different story. It tells of its loyal beloved customer base. It reflects the personality of its owner and staff. It carries the aura of the stories it offers to us.
And it was the perfect place to dig into lives, hearts and book loves of Janet, Claire and Madeline. These three women, at different stages in life, meet at the Printed Letter Bookshop, with all the romance and wonder it holds, and learn to work through their challenges together. They become the friends that each didn’t know she was missing.
There is also a fourth woman I loved spending time with in the Printed Letter Bookshop — its original owner, Maddie Carter. Maddie doesn’t step onto the stage even once, but her presence, her love and her guiding hand are apparent from page one as Janet, Claire, and Madeline grow in friendship and in faith.
The Printed Letter Bookshop is a love letter to books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship. I hope you savor your time with these three women — And, book lovers rejoice, there is a list of all the books they allude to in the back of the book!



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I enjoyed my time getting to know the three women featured in this book. They all came from different backgrounds, but they had more in common than they knew. I felt like I spent everyday at the bookstore as customers came in, browsed, read and made friends.  The bookstore is the focal point of the story as rumors abound that the new owner will sale. 

Madeline is very smart and loyal which has caused her to lose touch with her Aunt Maddie.  What a shock she had when her aunt's will was read. The timing could not have been more perfect since it was time for a change of scenery for Madeline. What does a respected lawyer do when she inherits a bookstore? The beauty of this story is getting to know each character and watch them struggle, feel remorse, look for forgiveness and find themselves.

I loved all the books mentioned in the story and the list of books each woman receives from Maddie. They don't understand the list at first, but Maddie knew just what each one needed to read. I would love to have an Aunt Maddie in my life. She was the glue that held this story together. She touched so many lives and gave her time and wisdom  unconditionally.

Janet is unsure of herself and my heart broke for her as she longingly wanted to be part of her grandchild's life. There seems to be a theme going throughout the book of bitterness and pride in families . Janet loves working at the bookstore and finds peace there. I think she was looking for acceptance and longed to feel needed.

Claire was easy to relate to for me. She seems to feel like a failure when it comes to her teenage daughter. it is hard for them to connect with Claire working at the bookstore and Brittany pulling away from her guidance.  There will be a crisis that will have Claire examining her purpose and wanting to protect her daughter.

The story is easy to read and I loved watching each woman grow, depend on each other and watch their dreams blossom. There are times when Madeline isn't sure she can save the store and wonders why her aunt left it to her. It was wonderful to see how each woman discovers something about themselves and how they grow as friends.  Come join them as they find true friendship and trust in a bookstore.

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





Blog Stops

Bigreadersite, May 16
By The Book, May 16
Emily Yager, May 18
Simple Harvest Reads, May 26 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
amandainpa, May 27

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Katherine is giving away a paperback copy of The Printed Letter Bookshop to one lucky winner!
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/e4f1/the-printed-letter-bookshop-celebration-tour-giveaway
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Monday, May 20, 2019

Strike the Mark FB Banner

About the Book

Book: Strike The Mark
Author: James W. Goll
Genre: Christian non-fiction, prayer, spiritual warfare
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Strike the Mark CoverPrayers that strike the mark are specific prayers authorized by the Holy Spirit and endowed with divine power to accomplish the will of God in your life and for the needs of the world. On the cross, Jesus fulfilled the ultimate answer to all of our prayers, but He awaits our invitation to come into our situations and circumstances. When people of prayer intercede, they create a meeting place between the heavenly Father and His children. God comes upon the person who is praying and moves them from the natural to the supernatural. Empowered by God, the intercessor has the authority to cut down enemy forces and pick out “targets” for God’s lightning bolts of glory, bringing victory and breakthrough.
Intercession could be called “extreme prayer” because it links extreme needs with the extraordinary power of God. Inserting ourselves into the gap between God and a need, we call upon the Holy Spirit, our Helper, who is ready to move us from finite ability to infinite ability, take hold of difficult situations, and help accomplish the will of God. We have the great honor of being called to “paint targets” on cities, churches, ministries, family members, contemporary “Sauls” (those who persecute or cause difficulty), and even ourselves. Our believing, persistent prayers will Strike the Mark!
“He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark” (Job 36:32 NASB).

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

James GollJAMES W. GOLL is the president of God Encounters Ministries and has traveled around the world sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding study guides and is the author of more than forty books, including The Seer, The Discerner, Releasing Spiritual Gifts Today, Passionate Pursuit, The Lost Art of Intercession, and The Lifestyle of a Prophet. James is the father of four wonderful children with a growing number of grandchildren, and makes his home in Franklin, TN.


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The title of the book had me wondering what it had to do with prayer. I know how important prayer is and the way each individual prays is the way God designed our prayer life. I went into the book with an open mind and came out knowing that I don't agree with a lot of what is written in the book . To be fair everyone has their own belief system but I know if it doesn't line up with the word of God then it is not from God. 

Praying together in a church is very dynamic. We come together to commit in agreement for something . We don't have to pray exactly as the person next to us. God wants us to pray from the heart and listen to His Holy Spirit. I don't think we need to scope out the atmosphere before deciding how to pray. If we are in a group at church, of course we will each pray differently and not everyone will agree. 

I'm on the fence about the different types of intercessors the author described. If God puts on your heart to pray for finances one week and spiritual warfare the next, he will equip you too do so. People do have a heart at times for a specific needs, but I don't think we need to label which intercessor you are. 

There is one statement I did agree with and wanted to jump for joy when I read it. We are not fighting against each other but, "we are fighting principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness." To me that is a powerful statement to remember. We are in this together and must join together as God has called us to pray for what he has put on our hearts.  The author has many scriptures and personal examples of prayer that may be helpful for someone. I did find a few things I liked in the book but I can't say I agreed with everything he wrote.

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


Blog Stops

Mary Hake, May 14
Genesis 5020, May 15
Artistic Nobody, May 18 (Spotlight)
Power of Words, May 22 (Spotlight)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, James is giving away a grand prize of a $20 Starbucks 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/e2ac/strike-the-mark-celebration-tour-giveaway
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Past Forward FB Banner

About the Book

Book: Past Forward
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance, Suspense
Release Date: April 19, 2017
Past Forward CoverAlone without friends or family to comfort her after the death of her mother, Willow Finley’s idyllic life is over—and just beginning.
The Finley women’s lives, while rich and full, aren’t easy. rejecting electricity and many other modern conveniences, they live purposefully and intentionally–alone and isolated from the world around them.
When Willow Finley awakes on a hot summer morning, she is unprepared for the grief that awaits her. Jerked from a life of isolation with her mother, Willow learns what alone really means when she finds her mother dead.
From the moment Willow arrives in the police station with her startling announcement, Chad Tesdall fights the friendship he knows he can’t avoid.
The Past Forward series opens with Willow’s life-changing discovery and gently guides the reader through aspects of her life–the past weaving through the present and into the future. Experience her first morning in church, her first movie, and the culture shock of her first trips to the city. A birthday party and a street faire add welcome diversion from butchering, canning, and the beating of area rugs. Disaster strikes. Will she choose to continue her simple life, or will an offer in the city change it all? Find out in this first volume.


About the Author

ChautonaChautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona

HOW DID MY WEIRD HIGH SCHOOL YEARS INSPIRE THIS BOOK?

December 1985. The time had finally come. After two months of living in a run-down motel in Rosamond, California, we were finally moving to our own place. Seventeen miles away.
Just off Highway 58, outside Mojave, California (about the place that Alton Gansky’s, Distant Memory opens), a huge billboard loomed. For the curious, it’s still there today. Aqueduct City.
For the record, there was no city. There still isn’t. Just a dirt road or three. Oh, and the aqueduct. In fact, that’s eventually how we got our water—stole it from the California aqueduct.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
At the edge of all those parcels lay our new land. Twenty-two acres of desert sand, creosote, sage, and a tiny, baby Joshua tree at the end of our long, U-shaped dirt driveway.
I took out that sucker with my first attempt at backing down the drive. It looked like a snake had slithered back and forth across the sandy strip of cleared dirt, and somehow I managed to run over the foot-high tree. It wasn’t often I managed to shock my mother speechless. That was one time. I now have mad back-upping skills. Thought you oughtta know.
On that land, my parents put an 18’ travel trailer.
We hauled in water in 55-gallon drum barrels—first from a friend’s house and later from that aqueduct. It was several miles closer. One of those barrels ended up on top of the trailer for showers. The water pressure depended on how full that sucker was. Navy showers? Ever had one? It goes like so:
  • Turn on water.
  • Make one slow turn under the water to get all wet.
  • Turn it off.
  • Lather up.
  • Shampoo hair.
  • Turn on water.
  • Turn off.
  • Work conditioner into hair.
  • Turn on water.
  • Turn off.
  • Get out.
  • Try to stop your teeth from chattering.
For the record, that chattering is no joke. When it’s twenty degrees out there, water gets cold. And we had no way to heat it.
Our plumbing also included a shovel. For… um… other plumbing needs. Winter was the worst and the best time for the call of nature. Worst because, well, 40 mph winds and twenty-degree weather. Best, because no snakes.
We used Coleman propane lanterns, a propane refrigerator (that sat outside our door), and eventually, a gas-powered generator. Once a week, Dad would fire that thing up so I could iron my church clothes. #darkages
For the curious, summer was blistering hot.
No fans (except for stiff cardboard we used arm-power to operate). No air conditioner. Not even a swamp cooler. Mom and I would go into town and read at the library when we just couldn’t take another minute in 112-degree desert heat. She’d drive me to Lancaster so I could go sit in an air-conditioned movie theater and watch another movie. If it came out in 1986 or 1987 and wasn’t pure smut, I probably saw it. Out of self-preservation.
Before long, I’d been relegated to the “porch.” That consisted of a redwood lattice “patio” enclosure in front of the trailer door. (For those who haven’t figured it out yet, I was the dictionary definition of “trailer trash” in some people’s books.) That space was eight feet wide and sixteen feet long.
I had a twin bed out there. When winter came, dad made sleeping out there more bearable by heating huge rocks in one of those 55-gallon drum barrels and wrapping them in old quilts. That went at the foot of my bed to keep my feet warm.
If only the wind hadn’t blown sand into my hair every night…
What does all of this have to do with Past Forward?
Just this. People have often asked why Willow would choose to live without electricity. Some have said you couldn’t live only five miles outside of town and be so isolated and reclusive.
I disagree.
We did it. By choice. Because it’s who my father is. And of all of my characters, Kari Finley, Willow’s mother, is the most like my father. The way Kari taught Willow? That’s exactly how Dad used to teach me—by making it a natural part of life.
I didn’t know it when I wrote the series, but Past Forward really does show exactly what kind of life my father would have chosen to live if he’d ever really considered it. The self-sustaining work, the emphasis on beauty, the isolation—all of it shows the kind of man I call Dad.
If you’d asked me as a kid what I thought of living out there in Mojave, I would have said I hated it. Not only that, I would have believed myself. But if you’d talked to me for a while, you would have figured out that I said that because I was expected to. No one thinks you’ll like living with almost nothing, in the middle of nowhere, especially as a teenager.
Looking back, though, I actually I liked it. Dad. Mom. Me. And Boozer, our dog. I’d tell you about her, but that’s a story for another day. Yeah, I liked my life there “out on the property,” as we called it.
Except for the Mojave green rattlesnakes. Not a fan of those. Not then or today.
Just sayin’.




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The beauty of reading a book by Ms.. Havig is that she has the gift of bringing the story to life. I was so absorbed in Willow's story that everything around me faded away. I loved getting to know Willow and how strong she was. It was so much fun to read how she made her own soap, canned vegetables and fruits and lived off the land.  I could picture her out there in the hot sun as she worked in the garden and took care of her animals.I loved the way she lived and how carefree and innocent she was. 

It is not hard to believe that she didn't know how to ride an escalator or use a cell phone. Some may say she had been sheltered all her life. I think her mother raised a young woman who was able to provide for herself and stay away from the dangers that a city has. Her simple but hard working life appeals to me. The story does remind me of the summers I spent at my granddad's farm. He harvested wheat, had chickens and a garden full of bountiful fruits and vegetables. He hardly went to town and enjoyed farming. Just like Willow, he didn't have air conditioners and kept the windows open for the breeze to blow through.

The journals that Willow found that belonged to her mother was definitely eye opening. Her mother shared her heart in those journals and made Willow realize how hard it was at times for her mother. I loved how the author allowed readers to follow Willow as she discovers the city and all it has to offer. The movie theater incident was classic.. I won't spoil it for you, but it is typical Willow discovering something new. I loved her innocence at things like riding in a vehicle or just walking into a store to purchase something. Can you imagine what it would be like to sew all your own clothes, eat off the land and never go into town? 

Chad is a welcome addition to the story and instantly became a favorite of mine. He meets Willow under a tragic situation but quickly feels the need to protect her. He is a classic gentleman with a heart of gold It is easy to see the signs of deeper feelings he has towards Willow. After all, he seems to always find a reason to stop at her place. I rooted for Chad and Willow to get together and loved reading how at times Willow let her guard down with him. 

The story is the liberation and new beginning for Willow as she finds herself on her own in a world that has many up and downs for her. Her talents are endless around the farm and her ability to adjust to new friends is wonderful to witness. I admired her mother for raising a daughter who stands up for herself and can easily take care of a farm with sweat and hard work. Being isolated most of her life does bring challenges to her but her determination is refreshing. I will briefly mention that there is a little tug of war going on with Willow's feelings towards two men, but you must read the story to find out what happens. The big question is , will Willow continue to live on her farm, or will an opportunity draw her to the big city?

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


Blog Stops

Bigreadersite, May 19
Carpe Diem, May 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away a grand prize that includes a complete paperback set of Past Forward & a custom Past Forward Lavender Lemonade candle!!
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/e319/past-forward-celebration-tour-giveaway

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