Sunday, June 26, 2022

Hair Calamities and Hot Cash Kick-Off Package

About the Book

Book: Hair Calamities and Hot Cash

Author: Gail Pallotta

Genre: Christian Fiction

Release date: 2018

What happens when a New York stockbroker crashes his car into Eve Castleberry’s North Carolina beauty shop … on the same day the young widow’s defective hair products are causing wild hairdos? Soon, Eve finds herself helping the handsome stranger hunt the thieves who stole his clients cash…and hot on the trail of two of the FBI’s most-wanted criminals!

Romance blossoms amid danger, suspense and Eve’s hair-brained plan to get back the money.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A 2013 Grace Awards finalist, she’s a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner and a TopShelf 2020 Book Awards Finalist. She’s published six books, poems, short stories and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums.

More from Gail

Even mysterious events and robbery can’t stop the fun, laughs and romance that follow after New York stock broker Philip Wells crashes his car into Eve Castleberry’s beauty shop.

Hair Calamities and Hot Cash is a contemporary romance with mystery and comical scenes about a New Yorker and a lonely, young widow in the North Carolina Mountains who fall for each other amid a crisis, danger and suspense.

The story behind Hair Calamities and Hot Cash began many years ago in a small town at the foothills of the North Carolina Mountains, where my mother ran a beauty shop.

Her salon doubled as a meeting place where customers who knew each other discussed how to make the latest recipe, what to do about world affairs and everything in between, including family relations, births, deaths and weddings. Clients planned showers, graduation parties and get-togethers for new neighbors while hair flew.

Mostly townspeople showed up, and the spirit of the community overflowed. The residents had disagreements, but they didn’t abhor those who thought differently from them. They had close friends, acquaintances, people they tolerated and those they kept at a distance. As in most small environments, they gossiped and could be nosey. However, when someone grieved for a loved one, suffered from an illness or any other crisis, prayers went up and casseroles went out no matter whether the person was a best friend or someone held at a distance. They all were God’s children.

The walls of Mother’s beauty shop echoed the spirit of the community, and I wanted to bring it back. I set the mystery, romance and shenanigans in the Western North Carolina Mountains. Many years ago, a friend my father knew in college came to visit us, and we drove him to the mountains. He said, “I’ve traveled the world over, and I’ve never seen a place any prettier than these hills.” I wanted to share the awe-inspiring scenery. I believe we need those peaceful surroundings and the sense of community now more than when I wrote the book.

MY REVIEW

This is my first book from this author but I can tell you right now I will be searching for more from her. Her humor is priceless and the characters are a hoot. In a quaint little town is the popular Beauty Salon. It is the place to get your hair fixed and catch up on the town gossip. I loved everything about the shop and decided I wanted to join them on a daily basis.

Eve is the owner of the shop and keeps herself busy with clients all day long. She has experienced heartache in her life that holds her back from wanting to start a new relationship with anyone. I liked how the townspeople looked out for her and cane to her aid when a car crashes into her shop. Oh my what a sight that must have been. Eve is beside herself as she knows that her business will suffer while repairs are done.

Philip didn’t quite plan to make such a big scene when he travels to Triville. Isn’t it funny how your plans can change in an instant? What a mess the shop is in and poor Philip is beside himself knowing the damage he has caused. Of course Philip assures Eve that the damages will be taken care of. He has a big client to see and hopes he hasn’t messed that up due to his accident.

I loved the banter between Eve and Philip and how they seemed to click right away. Well maybe Phillip was a bit more taken with Eve, but if you remember she doesn’t want a relationship. God has other plans and puts these two together in a story filled with laughs galore, mysterious notes showing up at Eve’s shop and weird things going on with her hair products.

Mr. Jacobson is the kindest most humble man you could ever meet . His character is so good and wait til you find out where his money is stored. We aren’t talking thousands of dollars either. I about fell out of my chair when he said how much he wanted to give Philip to invest. All seems well as Philip assures Mr. Jacobsen that his money is safe with him and travels to New York to deposit the money.

The author had me tapping my toes as the excitement builds in the story. Let’s take a brief inventory shall we? Eve’s shop is a disaster with sabotaged products, notes that are mysterious showing up written with threatening words , Philip somehow misplaced Mr. Jacobsen’s money, and now needs a plan to try to keep his job. It sure sounds like a big mess going on in the town and someone is up to no good.

The ending is so good and has plenty of laughs as we find out what happened to the money, who sent the notes and who sabotaged the salon. I loved how the author pretty much had the entire town witness the take down of several criminals and one who everyone clapped for when he was taken away. The town is saved and Eve and Philip are…. Did you really think I would tell you how their story ends? Grab yourself a copy of the book and settle down to a fun cozy mystery with laughs and a touch of faith.

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 22

Book Looks by Lisa, June 22

For Him and My Family, June 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 24

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 25

Texas Book-aholic, June 26

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 27

Inklings and notions, June 28

deb’s Book Review, June 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 30

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, July 1 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, July 1 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Guild Master, July 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 3

A Baker’s Perspective, July 4 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Gail is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!

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/1f459/hair-calamities-and-hot-cash-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, June 24, 2022

From Shore to Shore

About the Book

Book: From Shore to Shore

Author: Tabitha Bouldin

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: May 31, 2022

Can one captain show her the deep love of the ultimate Captain without falling in love himself?

Bree Jamison comes to Sparrow Island for one reason: to study coral reefs. She’s not interested in happily-ever-after and certainly won’t allow her handsome boat captain to sway her into believing these islands are different from any others. But when she finds an old shipwreck and learns the history of pirates and treasure, Bree finds herself searching for something that always feels just out of reach.

Cooper Carmichael takes the job as boat captain for the enigmatic Bree to further his career. He never expected her to be so driven—or so painfully opposed to God.

All Cooper wants is his happy island life. He wants for nothing. In fact, he’s made it his mission to be content. In every aspect of his life. Bree throws a wrench in his plan as her presence pushes Cooper to want for things he deems unnecessary.

A man striving for contentment. A woman who believes God is picking on her.

It takes one to show the other that no matter which shore you find yourself on, God got there first.

Read the next Sparrow Island novel in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Tabitha Bouldin is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, where she is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she works with critique groups and provides endorsements for other authors. Tabitha’s genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart. Tabitha spent ten years working as a Medical Assistant before God opened the door which allowed her to become a stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom and author.

More from Tabitha

Writing in the Independence Islands series has been a true blessing, and From Shore to Shore is no different, except that these characters brought out feelings that I never expected.

Most of the time, when I go into a story, I know a bit of what’s going to happen. I already understand the characters’ backstory and what has driven them to this point in there life where I’ve picked up their tale and begun to weave it into a book.

Bree decided she wanted to go another route.

Cooper didn’t want to talk to me for half the book.

Christian walked onto the page and tried to take over because he didn’t want to wait for his turn in book five.

These characters, I tell you what, they’re a demanding bunch.

Finally, though, finally they settled in and told me their story.

You might remember Cooper, he’s Mel’s brother and he showed up in book one, Mishaps off the Mainland. Cooper is a delightful yet careful captain who delights in the open ocean and loves the islands.

Bree is a tangled mess of consternation. She scorns love and believes it to be a trap. Even God’s love is suspect in Bree’s eyes.

These two are imperfectly suited for each other, but God has a plan to help them both, and He helped me through every page of From Shore to Shore, a story that shows no matter how far you run, no matter what shore you find yourself on, God got there first.

MY REVIEW

On a hot summer afternoon as I try to stay cool , it is nice to travel back to Sparrow Island. I love the people who live here and the tranquil feeling you get as the waves gently rock you to sleep. I couldn’t wait to see what adventure was in store for me in the latest book from a series that spans emotions, gives you hope and a feeling of making lifelong friends along the way.

Bree is very hard to like and I really had my mind set that she had a chip on her shoulder. She is a let’s just get the job done with little interaction as possible kind of person. Bree has this wall built around her that protects her from having relationships with anyone. The author had me intrigued with where she would take Bree and how that wall hopefully would be torn down.

Cooper seems to be a reliable captain who Bree is counting on to help out as she and her partner dive to uncover secrets hidden beneath the sea. I loved reading about the dolphins swimming nearby and how relaxed Cooper was as he started his job manning the ship. I wonder what it would be like to be out in the water everyday? Cooper thinks he has the best job but I kept wandering how he and Bree would get along.

Bree has traveled around the world discovering coral reefs with her partner Damien. I really liked Damien and how he stood up to Bree. I could understand why he was so upset with Bree. Being partners meant equal in every decision but Bree has this power thing going on. Without a diving partner what is Bree going to do?

The author increases the intensity of the story with characters clashing with each other in ways that only God can fix. Oh yes faith is definitely a part of this story and illustrates how important trust and hope in Him is vital to happiness. The direction is clear as Bree decides to continue with the exploration hoping that she will find a suitable diving partner she can trust.

The story is a great adventure as Bree learns to allow God into her life again. I understood exactly what she was thinking when she questioned why God allows bad things to happen. I have those same thoughts when I am going through trials. What we need to remember is “if we never knew about the bad things, we’d never be able to appreciate the good.” Once we give God control of our life, we can finally understand that no matter what we face God is right there with us. I started to think that Bree was being too hard on herself and felt rejected. Oh but the unconditional love of God is what she needs to experience.

I enjoyed the mystery of the sunken ship and the old captain’s logs which to me really helped Bree start to allow her guard to be let down. You will need to read the book to find out if Bree gives Cooper a chance or moves on after her job is finished. I have read several stories by this author and for me this is one of her best in regards to flawed characters that learn to trust God with their life. The title of the book is perfect when I saw how it was illustrated by this; “God can find you anywhere. From this shore to that shore to the next shore , He’s always there.” With that I end my review feeling a new joy in my heart.

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

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 23

Christina’s Corner, June 23

lakesidelivingsite, June 24

An Author’s Take, June 25

Texas Book-aholic, June 25

Inklings and notions, June 26

For Him and My Family, June 27

Sylvan Musings, June 27

deb’s Book Review, June 28

Aryn the Libraryan, June 29

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 29

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 30

Life, Love, Writing, July 1

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 2

Blossoms and Blessings, July 3

Miriam Jacob, July 3

She Lives To Read, July 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 5

Blogging With Carol, July 5

Simple Harvest Reads, July 6 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Tabitha is giving away the grand prize package a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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/1f45b/from-shore-to-shore-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, June 23, 2022

RANGERS, RVS, & REVENGE BY TONYA KAPPES

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY WITH A SMIDGEN OF HOMICIDE

USA Today Bestselling author Tonya Kappes brings you southern and quirky characters in her mystery series. Her stories are charged with humor, friendship, family and life in small southern towns.

Welcome to Normal where nothing is normal!

As we say in the south beauty is only skin deep but ugly...now that runs straight to the bone.
When Miss Daniel Boone Days is murdered and our good friend Helen Pyle, owner of Cute-icles beauty salon is standing over our beauty queen with a gun, lets just say Helen didn't giddy up on out of there.
Nope. She was hauled down to the sheriff's department and booked for murder.
Ranger Tucker Pyle is taken off the case because let's just say he knows his Aunt Helen didn't do it, but who better to snoop around to help him out?

Yep! You guessed it!

The Laundry Club Ladies and Mae West once again find themselves with their sleuthing notebook in hand and get all gussied up to find out just who is behind the murder.

After all everyone has beauty but not everyone sees it.

Tonya Kappes has written more than 175 southern cozy mysteries, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and Woman's World Book Club pick twice . Best known for stories charged with southern charm, emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband in northern Kentucky. Now that her four boys have flown out of the nest, Tonya writes full-time in her camper!

You can find her all over social media and at Tonyakappes.com.

For weekly updates and contests, sign up for Tonya's newsletter Kappes Krew Weekly via her website or Facebook.

MY REVIEW

If you haven’t started reading this series, you are missing out on so much. I absolutely adore The Laundry Club Ladies. They are a tight knit group that sees their share of mysteries with the ring leader Mae West. I have decided that I want to move to Normal, Kentucky and live at Happy Trails Campground. There is always excitement going on with cookouts and gossip. Wouldn’t it be fun to be part of their group? Just think of all the strange things you would encounter as Mae puts on her detective hat when a crime is committed.

This story starts on a great day as a parade is about to start until Miss Daniel Boone Days stirs up a ruckus. She decides to get gussied by someone else instead of following tradition. Every year it has been an honor for Cute-icles beauty saloon to get Miss Daniel Boone’s Day ready for her debut on the float. This sure stirs up trouble and makes Helen very mad that her salon was snubbed and it makes front page news. Okay I had to laugh at what Helen was quoted as saying about a certain someone. The town is buzzing about her outburst as she sees her business dropping off because of it.

As if that isn’t enough for the small town to deal with, who do you think is found dead? Let’s also think about who is found holding a gun while standing over the dead body? It was obvious who the guilty person was to most people. Mae on the other hand knows it can’t be her friend Helen who did this crime and sets out on a bumpy ride to bring the real criminal to justice. With a list of suspects including the Appalachian mob, the ladies have their work cut out for them.

I loved how the author gives us hints along the way of who the guilty person is. I had my list written down and followed along as Mae and the ladies started their investigation.The author gives us several surprises in the story that made me almost scream out loud. There is plenty of laughs in the book and I believe this definitely is my favorite series by the author. Well now wait a minute. Now that I think of it, all of her series are my favorite. I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this journey in Normal, Kentucky.

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

The Fragrance of Violets Kick-Off Package

Fragrance of Violets

About the Book

Book: The Fragrance of Violets

Author: Susan K. Beatty

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction

Release date: May 17, 2022

Life crushes us with its weight sometimes.

Fiona’s father abandoned her when she was twelve. So when she learns that he’s the groom’s father in the wedding she’s been assigned to manage, all the old hurts resurface. Maybe if he’d just explain himself and ask forgiveness, she’d get over the pain he left her with—pain she obviously hadn’t left behind after all.

When Nason discovered he wasn’t Fiona’s biological father, and when her mother tried to sabotage his marriage, he felt like he had no other option but to leave and never look back. Running into her again— awkward to say the least. And he can’t understand why she feels betrayed—why she expects him to seek forgiveness.

As if life weren’t complicated enough, Fiona meets Trevor, which sparks a possible romance. New faith, an overdose, and revelations combine with Trevor’s discipleship and shows her how forgiveness really works.

What will it take for Nason to swallow his pride and see how his actions hurt an innocent child?

The Fragrance of Violets—as Mark Twain once said, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Susan-K-Beatty-600x600 Who says you can’t begin a new career after middle age? Certainly not Susan K. Beatty. She is passionate about writing about finding courage through faith and grit, particularly through the trials of breast cancer and other life trials. Her daughter is a metastatic breast cancer “thriver” and has been an inspiration for her writing. Susan’s first novel, Faces of Courage, debuted May 2021, as part of the Faces of Courage series, including several novelettes. She is also the author of An Introduction to Home Education (AKA California Homeschool Manual). Susan is a professional writer/journalist and is active in the writer community. She is proof you can begin a fiction writing career at any age.

More from Susan

The Fragrance of Violets’ story has yearned to be told for many years now—before I created my tagline, Courage: The Intersection of faith and grit. But it fits perfectly. A similar situation existed a long time ago in the life of an acquaintance. I thought all parties handled it badly, and I longed to make it right. Of course, being an outsider, the only way I could make it right was by creating a novel.

Fiona and Nason, the main characters, are total figments of my imagination, and the details of the story are substantially different. But the core, abandonment, the need to ask for and grant forgiveness, and the courage to meet them, is real and universal.

I desired to show that even when we think we’ve done nothing wrong, we need to seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal where we need to own up to our mistakes and seek forgiveness. Also, I wanted to show that although it is difficult to forgive when we’ve been horribly wronged (and how horrible to have the person you thought of as your father abandon you and with no apparent explanation or remorse), it’s possible with courage. The courage that comes from faith and action.

My prayer is that Fiona and Nason (despite his past) will inspire readers to find their own courage through whatever situations in which they find themselves.

MY REVIEW

This is a deeply emotional book that grabs at your heart as characters walk through forgiveness. If you have ever experienced the feeling of abandonment then you will relate to Fiona. It is a difficult time for Fiona when her past comes full circle. I did enjoy getting to follow Fiona on her job and learn how much work it can be to help put a big wedding on at a venue. God had a plan for Fiona to face her past when the man who abandoned her so long ago is the client. I know my insides would be in turmoil if I was Fiona. There are many unanswered questions that she wants to ask Nason but I think the fear of rejection was consuming her.

Nason never expected to run into Fiona at the venue much less be forced to work with her. The author lets us see how he struggles with his relationship with Fiona. How will he explain that he stopped coming around? A test proves he is not Fiona’s father but their bond until she was twelve leaves both in pain and perhaps guilty for one of them. There is another issue that Nason is dealing with that keeps him not as on top of things as he should. A little bit of anger shows as he tries to deal with his life as it begin to unravel.

While there are many great lessons in the book, two of them really stood out to me. Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to walk through as both Fiona and Nason find out. I also have dealt with forgiving when I didn’t want to. I wanted and needed for several people in my family to ask forgiveness. I never received it but God showed me that even though I may never hear those words from them, I need to forgive them. It was a freeing experience where at last their hold on me was gone. The other lesson from the book that really goes along with forgiveness is joy. We are responsible for our joy. Instead of being depressed we need to find joy in our life. All we have to do is look around and see that we can find joy in the small things like a smile from someone or a grandchild who gives you a hug.

Fiona and Nason both need to find joy and learn to forgive. It was interesting to watch Fiona’s mother try to convince herself that she would not be happy again until she had Nason back in her life. I loved how both Fiona and Nason find their way to a relationship with the One who died for our sins. The story is well written and gave me hope that as each day goes by I can learn to forgive quickly and keep joy in my heart.

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