Search This Blog

Friday, May 3, 2019


THE REFUGE by ANN H. GABHART

I didn’t realize how strict the Shakers were until I read this book. It was forbidden to be married which seems like it goes against what the Bible says. Darcie lost her husband in an accident and is taken in by the Shakers, I know she was unsure if she belonged there. What would they say when it was discovered she was with child? The sins kept building up for Darcie but she prayed they would allow her to stay. She had no one and was desperate for a place to lay her head at night. How hard would it be for you to stay somewhere you felt uncomfortable so you would have shelter and food? I’m not sure everyone was happy with her being there. Some seemed unwelcoming and was very strict about rules.

Flynn and his daughter are in a bad position when they run out of food. Flynn knows the Shakers are near by and strikes up a deal with them for food. Maybe Flynn and Darcie can make some kind of agreement to help each other out. Is it possible for them to trust each other? The author gives us details about Shaker life that I enjoyed reading about. I didn’t know some of the rules they followed and how the women and children stayed to themselves a lot. The women did all the household chores including watching any children. I hurt for the women who couldn’t tell their own children that they were their mother.

The work to keep their community going was hard, but I did find good in many  of the characters. They were always willing to help strangers and never turned anyone away. I wonder if they hoped the people would stay and be part of them? I loved reading how the characters were faithful and how they knew they would need to leave at some point. It was refreshing to see  how much  Darcie knew about the Bible and how much God loved her. It’s a great story of trust, protecting your children and standing up for what you believe in.

I received a copy of this book from Revell Blogger Program. The review is my own opinion.




Thursday, May 2, 2019

The Memory House FB banner

About the Book

The Memory HouseBook: The Memory House
Author: Rachel Hauck
Genre: Christian Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Embracing the future means remembering the past . . . When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order. Meanwhile a mysterious letter arrives informing her she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, and what she discovers there will change her life forever. Matters of the heart only become more complicated when she runs into handsome Bruno Endicott, a driven sports agent who fondly recalls the connection they shared as teenagers. But Beck doesn’t remember that, either. Decades earlier, widow Everleigh Applegate lives a steady, uneventful life with her widowed mother after a tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, and destroyed her new, young married life. When she runs into old high school friend Don Callahan, she begins to yearn for change. Yet no matter how much she longs to love again, she is hindered by a secret she can never share. Fifty years separate the women but through the power of love and miracle of faith, they each find healing in a beautiful Victorian known affectionately as The Memory House.
Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Rachel Hauck_headshotRachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pet and writes from her ivory tower. Visit her online at RachelHauck.com; Facebook: RachelHauck; Twitter: @RachelHauck; Instagram: @rachelhauc

Excerpt from The Memory House

When Mama Applegate spoke as if Everleigh were a guest rather than a family member, she embraced it with grace. Because at the end of the day, she was Rhett’s wife. She alone shared his dreams, his heart, his life.
And at night, when she couldn’t sleep, his soft breathing was her lullaby.
“Listen, mister, I have to get back to work or I won’t make it home in time for our dinner.” She tugged at his shirt collar. “So are you going to tell me why you’re here?”
“I was going to wait until tonight, but I got so excited . . .” Rhett stepped over to the desk in front of Everleigh’s and retrieved a long white canister. “Here. Open it. I feel like a kid at Christmas.”
“Rhett, what have you done?” She pried away the cap and slipped out a set of drawings.
“Here, let me.” Rhett unrolled a rendering of a cozy house with a wraparound porch nestled between two cottonwoods. “Our house, Ev. I took those sketches you made after we were married and gave
them to the architect. What do you think?”
“Th-this is our house?” She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning against his thick arm as she studied the drawing.
“It’s our house, darling.”
Everleigh studied the drawing. It was just like she imagined. “Are you sure?” She gazed up at her husband. “I didn’t think we’d saved enough money.”
“We’ve saved every penny of your salary, and I finally sold the stud bull to Jacob Marshall. He’s been after me for a year . . .” Rhett held her with one hand while flipping through the drawing with the other. “I bought the ten acres by the stream. You know, the one with the trees we loved. Dad wanted to give it to us, but I said no strings.
I wanted to buy it so he can’t hold it over me. Not that he would, but family business can get tricky.” Everleigh leaned to see the name of the road. Memory Lane.
“Darling, the section right off Memory Lane? The spot I wanted?”
Rhett’s grandmother had named the dirt road years ago, when she imagined a large family with lots of grandkids running around.
She envisioned an Applegate community.
But her sons, Melvin and Earl, went to war. Only Earl—nicknamed Spike—returned home the fall of 1918. He inherited the ranch, married Mama Applegate, and fathered Rhett, an only child. Grandma’s two daughters married and moved away.
“Your granny would be proud, darling,” Everleigh said. “We’re beginning her dream.”
“Sh-she would.” Rhett cleared his throat, pressing his fist over his cough. “So, w-what do you think?”
Tell him! The timing could not have been more perfect.
“Rhett, sweetheart—”
He jerked his wrist up, checking his watch. “Oh, Ev, sorry, darling, but I promised Dad I’d pick him up from the hardware store thirty minutes ago.” He gave her a quick, passing kiss. “I’d planned to show you these tonight, but I just couldn’t wait.” He rolled up the drawings and tucked them into the canister. “What is it you wanted to say?” On reflex, he checked his watch again.
“Nothing,” she said, smiling. “I’ll see you later. We can talk then. I have work to do anyway.”
“You sure?”
Everleigh fell into him and pressed her cheek against his chest.
“You make my dreams come true, Rhett Applegate.”
He kissed her one more time, then held her at arm’s length.
“Distraction, girl, you are one beautiful distraction.”

Review.jpg


It's hard for me to write this review without crying. The story is a time slip which gives readers a glimpse into the past where tragedy  awaits for one and in the present pain . The two main women in the story deliver a sweeping tale of loss, forgiveness and hope.  Beck is a strong willed woman who is a NYPD cop. She loves her job and has followed in her dad's footsteps. She is a cop who goes by the book, but one night she snaps and is suspended for four weeks. Beck is angry with herself for losing her cool, but maybe God has a plan for her. Beck has  no memory of her dad since he died on 9/11. There is a secret Beck is keeping which will change her life. Will she make the right decision? I don't want to leave out the dog in the story or the mysterious Joshua Christian. They each represent something precious and hopeful .

 I loved how the author connected Beck and Everleigh and it brings them back together after many years through a letter Beck receives. Everleigh is a wonderful character who loves her husband Rhett.
They have big plans for a house and with a baby on the way their happiness is overflowing. It is 1953 and Everleigh finds herself alone when a storm comes. She prays her husband will come soon and protect her. When someone opens the cellar door hours later, all her dreams are shattered. I could feel her pain and wanted to give her a hug. Her character is so well written that I wanted to be her friend. She can't let herself be happy and soon becomes a shell of herself.

As you read the story you discover the ties that The Memory House has between Beck and Everleigh. The author breathes life into the story with emotions that are realistic and heart wrenching moments that will forever be felt. It's important to mention Don and Bruno because they each will play a part in helping these two women face their past and help them heal. They are strong men who love God  and trust Him to give them strength to stand beside their women who they love. It's a love story that takes two women who are years apart and drops them into a house filled with memories as they seek healing.  The author has once again written a story that spans over years but brings two people memories they will cherish and along the way love that will last a lifetime.

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





Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, April 22
Wishful Endings, April 22
Worthy2Read, April 23
C Jane Read, April 25
Carpe Diem, April 26
Mary Hake, April 27
EmpowerMoms, April 27
BigreadersiteApril 28
Pause for Tales, April 28
Quiet QuilterApril 30
Moments, May 5
Simple Harvest Reads, May 5 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a grand prize of a copy of The Memory House!!
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/e2aa/the-memory-house-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Uniquely Common FB Banner

About the Book

Uniquely Common Cover
Book: Uniquely Common
Author: Caryl McAdoo
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: April 4, 2019
Steel sharpens steel, but will its sparks ignite unfailing love?
Instead of living a pampered life on the civilized east coast with a new husband, rejection compels Christina Adams westward with her widowed brother and his two daughters. Harboring ulterior motives, Ethan Cord, the man her brother hires to accompany the family, is more a match for her, and he appears almost perfect, but how could she possibly trust her instincts about him when she’d been so wrong about her previous fiancé? Will her past ruin her future?

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

CarylMcAdooAward-winning author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and her best-selling novels—over forty published—delight Christian readers around the world. The prolific writer also enjoys singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube. Sharing four children and eighteen grandsugars with Ron, her high-school-sweetheart-husband of fifty years, she lives in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas. The McAdoos wait expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl

I’m so excited about this year’s Lockets and Lace story! I’ve fallen in love with its characters. Asher and his sister Christina, his girls Samantha and Patricia, and his friend, Ethan Cord is certainly a man’s man though he has a checkered past to overcome.
His wife dies in childbirth, leaving him with two little girls, then when his parents pass, too, what’s to tie Asher Adams to New York?
His younger sister Christina is about to be settled into her new life, married and well cared for, so there’s nothing holding the wine merchant back from his dreams of owning a vineyard in the Napa Valley. He decides a new life in the west is the best thing for him and his daughters.
Then at the last minute, the family is turned upside down when the rogue engaged to Christina dumps her and calls the wedding off. Asher’s already sold the brownstone. She suddenly has nowhere to go and no one to watch over her if he leaves.
She never wanted to, but he insists her only choice is to go with them, accompany him and her nieces and make her new life in California . . . and he knows the perfect man for her, too!
One thing I love about this book is that as it draws to its end in Saint Joseph, Missouri, a new young woman is introduced, Remi, and her book—my May ‘Prairie Roses Collection’ story REMI—continues with the Adams family and segues into a new romance!
I hope readers will love that as well, praying my story gives God glory!




Review.jpg


As I finish this story, I remind myself how gifted this author is. Every story she writes, she puts her heart and soul into it. Her faith is strong and it shows in every story she writes. When I met Christina I was instantly pulled into her story. It does happen on occasion that a young woman is dumped right  before the wedding. Poor Christina is devastated but more importantly I think her pride was a little bruised. Come on ladies, who wants to get dumped as you are about to get married. The scoundrel needs to leave as soon as possible before Christina's brother catches up with him. I liked seeing how the author allowed Christina to slowly heal from her broken heart by taking a journey with her brother and two nieces. 

There may have been a little information left out about the trip. Oh well I'm sure Christina won't mind an extra person tagging along. Christina and her brother Asher are very close and she adores her beautiful, funny nieces. When Ethan appears as the tag along, I could hear Christina gasp a bit. After all he is quite dashing and the perfect match for one certain young woman. I laughed at the banter between the two people who try their best to just be friends. 

The story is a wonderful look at how love slowly develops when two people trust God, and allow themselves to heal from their past.Walking the streets in New Orleans was a treat to experience. What I really liked about Ethan was how patient he was and how protective he became with Christina. I feel like I've been taken back in time where women wore beautiful dresses that flowed and men were gentlemen while escorting their lady around town. The ending is wonderful and I'm anxious to read the authors next story called "Remi."   


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

Blog Stops

Splashes of JoyApril 25
BigreadersiteApril 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away
Grand Prize $50 Amazon Gift Card
1st Place – Print copy of UNIQUELY COMMON
2nd place – eBook copy of UNIQUELY COMMON
3rd place – Choice eBook of Caryl’s FORTY+ titles!!
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/de84/uniquely-common-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, April 30, 2019


THE HEART OF A KING by JILL EILEEN SMITH

From the minute I opened the book I was transported back to the days where Solomon was awaiting his turn to be king. I could see the palace, guards and servants as King David barked commands. The author breathes life into a story we know with a fresh look at the women in Solomon’s life.

When Solomon becomes king, you can feel the honor and blessings that are bestowed upon him. His first wife has given him a child but will that keep his eyes from wandering?  I loved getting a better insight into each of King Solomon’s wives. Each one played an important part in his legacy. The words he spoke to them was poetic and filled with love. The risks he took in having many wives was a heavy price. As you read the book, take note of each wife and how they impacted King Solomon as he made decisions, betrayed people and grew to know the gift of wisdom was the one gift God had given him. Did he use it wisely?

The book is fictional with some liberties taken to give readers a glimpse of what it may have looked and sounded like as King Solomon ruled. There isn’t much in the Bible about his wives, but with the authors gifted artistic way she lets us imagine what they may have said . I was captured by King Solomon’s story and basked in the beauty of how the author paints a masterpiece in words. Each chapter becomes more involved and let’s us see the heart of a King.

King Solomon did have his faults as we clearly see by the wives he took and the need for material wealth. God was very specific in the orders he gave Solomon but when they are ignored will there be consequences? It is important to read “Note to the Reader” at the end of the book. The author explains more about King Solomon and his passion to serve God. Oh that we may have that same desire. There is much to learn from this story such as, “he came to realize that even amid our failures, life isn’t meaningless but can have great purpose if we fear God and keep His Word."

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




Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David series, the Daughters of the Promised Land, the Wives of the Patriarchs, and The Loves of King Solomon series. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, read stories that take her away, ride her bike to the park, snag date nights with her hubby, try out new restaurants, or play with her lovable, “helpful” cat Tiger. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

Contact Jill through email (jill@jilleileensmith.com), her website (http://www.jilleileensmith.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith), or Twitter (https://twitter.com/JillEileenSmith).

Sunday, April 28, 2019


WELCOME TO A GATEWAY TO HOPE REVIEW PROMO BLAST
PRESENTED BY CELEBRATE LIT






Twenty-one-year-old Neka is a bit of an introvert, she also happens to be stunningly beautiful. When she discovers her friend James is about to be dumped, she sees the perfect opportunity to escape from her quiet life. Can she summon the courage to leave it all behind? James Copley comes from a ruthless family. It's rubbed off. Years ago, he disengaged from his brother's smear campaign, but now his father has offered him an ultimatum, "Get married or lose your seat at the table." Plotting to stamp his design on the family business, he proposes to a woman, even though he doesn't love her. But his carefully laid plans start to unravel when she leaves him on the day she's due to meet his family. Could years of planning his comeback vanish with her departure? A possible solution comes in an unexpected form: Neka. She's not only a friend, but the daughter of his benefactor. And she's right there, offering to support him. But will her support stretch to marriage? He attempts to win her over to his plan but collides with her powerful father who wants to leverage the situation for his own gain. In their fight for survival and love, they are forced to face some uncomfortable truths. Can they overcome thwarted dreams and missed chances to find true love, or does forcing destiny's hand only lead to misery?







E. C. Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. For three and a half years she published the Confidence in Life newsletter for Alpha Production Ministries, in addition to writing tracts and devotionals. Teaching a women’s Bible study at her church for eleven years naturally led to her current endeavor of writing inspirational romance novels and teen and young adult fiction. Her mission: spiritual maturity in the body of Christ through fiction.

Author’s Social Media

Website
Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads Author Page
Twitter

Tweets
Best eBooks Video


A Gateway to Hope Book Blurb Video


A Gateway to Hope Chapter One Video


Purchase Link

https://amzn.to/2BzXk5W



Review.jpg


This is the first book from  this author and I am impressed with the writing. The story is one where a person asks themselves." Am I willing to do anything for a friend?"  Neka steps up to help her friend James in a very unselfish way. She decides to marry him so he can benefit in the  his family business. It was quite a big step for Neka to just pick up and leave everything to follow James to announce their engagement to his family. There is a twist in the story that will present some problems. Let's just say someone may have second thoughts.

James was not my favorite character at the beginning. I was beginning to wonder if maybe Neka had lost her mind.  James is very selfish, needs approval and wants to always be right. With Neka's strong belief in God, there is bound to be some disagreements along the way. James bugged me when he kept calling Neka , "sweets." I thought it was almost like he was trying to convince himself that she was the right one for him after his fiasco of a relationship he just broke off.

The story is one that examines marriage in a Godly way and how Neka doesn't shy away from what God says about marriage. It's  a great story that shares wisdom, patience and communication between two people. At first their marriage was to be a business deal, but searching her heart, Neka knows she must do the right thing.  I loved how the author gives readers a story that shows how a simple argument allows the enemy to come in and cause doubt. James and Neka are wonderful characters and I loved seeing them grow and prefer one another. Marriage isn't always easy especially when we let pride come in.. When we invite God in to our marriage, " a three cord strand is not easily broken."

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