About the Book

Book: Restored

Author: Tanya Eavenson

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Release date: February 10, 2016

Sometimes love arrives when you least expect it.

Dr. Steven Moore is known nationally for saving lives. If only he could save his own. Unable to deal with his prognosis, he retreats to a happier time in his past—to the woman who once stole his heart.

Four years after the death of her beloved husband, bookstore owner Elizabeth Roberts still struggles to sustain her faith and joy in the Lord as she raises her two sons. She strives to find a way through her family’s grief, never suspecting a man from her past might offer hope for her future.

But how can there be a future when he’s only come to kiss her and say good-bye?

About the Author

Tanya Eavenson is an international bestselling and award-winning inspirational romance author. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee, eating chocolate, and reading a good book. You can find her at her website http://www.tanyaeavenson.com/ on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google, or on Amazon.

More from Tanya

RESTORED is the second book in the Unending Love series. It’s a story I wanted to write, one I knew I could write, but still, it took six years to write. Not that it was difficult, but something was missing.

A friend and I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and during the conference, we discussed RESTORED. We came up with different plots, but nothing felt right.

I decided then to take a hiatus from contemporary romance and to begin writing another genre I’ve always loved, historical romance. While doing research and working on my historical romance novel, doctors discovered I had cancer.

There are many times in a person’s life where he or she may reach an obstacle. It may be an illness, an accident, a difficult decision that must be made, or any number of other things. I’d reached that point in my life. It was a defining moment, not only dealing with my cancer prognosis, but asking the Lord if He truly called me to write as I thought, or was I mistaken. I stuffed my historical romance novel away and almost gave up on God’s call to write.

But through the fears and searching for God’s direction, I learned He did indeed place this desire to write on my heart and no matter what I was facing in my life, it didn’t diminish His call. I’m inspired by the Lord to write inspirational Christian fiction so people may know the love of Christ. To know the depth He will go to have a relationship with us. And though we struggle, He uses us—ordinary people like me—to do out of the ordinary things. Unexpected things—like writing. This propelled me to write RESTORED.

I began pouring into RESTORED the knowledge I’d gained through my own experiences and that of my stepfather and father-in-law, who were both diagnosed with melanoma. I know now that if I had written this story any earlier in my career, I wouldn’t be on such a personal level with my characters nor could I have written it from the heart.

I love this story. I love my characters, Steven and Elizabeth. RESTORED is about lost love being given a second chance when you least expect it. A story of how nothing is impossible with God.

This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed how emotional her story is. You can feel the characters pain and sadness as the author delivers a story of second chances and faith. I knew what the book was going to be about and I had to prepare myself. The word cancer brings tears to my eyes and my heart hurts as I read this story.

It has only been two months since I lost my brother to Stage IV colon cancer. He refused treatment and before long it had spread to his liver and lungs. Reading about Dr. Steven Moore and his diagnosis was very painful for me. I was a bit surprised at the decision he made about his health. As a doctor, I would think he could have given more intense consideration to his decision. 

Elizabeth is a strong woman who has just been through a difficult tragedy. She seems to be barely hanging on at times and what a surprise it was to see someone from her past. As the author peels away the pain and hurt that Elizabeth caused Steven so long ago, he still can't forget her. I did like the encounters they had and how they both had to learn to communicate with each other. It is not easy to open old wounds and the author takes the characters through the process with faith and trust in God. 

If I had to pick a favorite character it would be Elizabeth's oldest son, Luke. Often times adults forget that children hurt from a loss and they don't always know how to express their pain. Luke is guarded when Steven comes into their lives and I admired how protective he was with his mother. His maturity in handling things was well written and I found him to be a strong young boy who loved his mom and dad very much. 

The story is a roller coaster ride of medical tests, tragedies,  decisions and a prayer that God will heal . Not everyone is healed the way we want, such as my brother but I did like how much both Elizabeth and Steven trusted God to do His will. It is hard to walk by faith when everything around you looks hopeless. Can two people find happiness again after years apart? Will health be restored to one of the characters? These questions can be found by reading  this story that gives hope, and walks us through restoration of emotional scars.

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

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 6

Through the Fire Blogs, June 7

Simple Harvest Reads, June 8

Remembrancy, June 9

Godly Book Reviews, June 10

For Him and My Family, June 11

Spoken from the Heart, June 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 13

Texas Book-aholic, June 14

janicesbookreviews, June 15

A Reader’s Brain, June 16

Inklings and notions, June 17

Artistic Nobody, June 18 (Spotlight)

Just the Write Escape, June 19

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Tanya is giving away a grand prize of a $5 Amazon gift card and a pillow cover from RedBubble!!

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/e4f5/restored-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: Summer by The Tides

Author: Denise Hunter

Genre: Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 21, 2019

From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom(now a beloved Hallmark Original movie) comes a heartfelt story of family secrets, forgiveness, and unexpected romance.

Following a painful betrayal, Maddy Monroe’s love life is a wreck, and her restaurant career is in shambles. When her grandmother goes missing, she and her estranged sisters converge at the family beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina. Being with uptight Nora and free-spirited Emma at the place where their family broke apart is a struggle, and undercurrents of jealousy and resentment threaten to pull the sisters under. In the midst of the storm, sparks begin to fly between Maddy and Gram’s maddening neighbor, Connor Murphy.

As the sisters pack up the family belongings, memories of idyllic, slow-paced summers are resurrected. But long-buried secrets also come to light as Maddy discovers that all was not as it appeared that last summer in Sea Haven—nor today in the seemingly perfect lives of her sisters.

As family tensions rise and Connor causes tumult in Maddy’s heart, the sisters must find a way to accept each other for the women they’ve become before the bitterness of the past destroys their hope for a future.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 25 books, including A December Bride and The Convenient Groom, which have been adapted into original Hallmark Channel movies. She has won The Holt Medallion Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Carol Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist. When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking green tea, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are rapidly approaching an empty nest. To learn more about Denise, visit her website DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: AuthorDeniseHunter; Twitter: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: deniseahunter.

Read an Excerpt from Summer by the Tides

MADDY MONROE WAS COWERING behind a ficus tree near the hostess station when her cell phone rang. Her hands shook as she silenced the phone before it drew the attention of the staff.

She jabbed the elevator button for the third time. “Come on, come on.” A star could be born in interstellar space, a polar valley carved by a glacier in the time it took the elevator to reach this floor. Stairs were not an option, as she was on the twentieth floor of the Waterford building and sporting heels.

She sniffled. Drat. She seemed to be crying. She swiped a hand under her eyes, heedless of her makeup.

She heard voices, Nick’s boisterous laugh. Maddy shrank deeper into the ficus and finally, finally, the elevator dinged its arrival.

“Maddy?” Noelle’s concerned voice tunneled down the hall. “Maddy, wait.”

“Oh, come on,” she muttered, tapping her fingers against her leg until the gold doors crept open. As soon as she could fit, she squeezed inside and punched the ground-floor button.

She didn’t draw a breath until the doors sealed and the elevator began to drop. She placed a palm over a heart that was threatening to beat its way out of her chest. Her white blouse clung to her back, and her skin prickled beneath her arms.

She closed her eyes, the scene that had just transpired playing out in fast-forward in her mind. And then, as if that montage weren’t painful enough, the image of Nick’s face appeared. The look on his face just before he’d kissed her good-bye last night.

Nick. She clamped her teeth together until her jaw ached.

There had been signs. Many of them, really, she was realizing now. They ranged from whisper-subtle to neon-sign obvious. But like so many other walking clichés before her, she was only seeing them in retrospect.

Maddy opened her eyes to the buttery sunlight streaming through her blinds. She scrambled for her iPhone to check the time. But as she did so, the events of yesterday washed over her like a tsunami. She didn’t have to get up at all, because she didn’t have a job anymore.

Her cell buzzed with an incoming call, and she squinted bleary-eyed at the unfamiliar number on the screen before declining it.

She drooped against her pillow, only now aware of how fat and swollen her eyes felt. Of the persistent achy lump pushing at the back of her throat. Her heartbeat made the bed quake. Her eyes burned with tears. Yesterday’s anger had faded, and something worse had filled its spot.

Yesterday she’d come home, changed into yoga pants, and worked in her little garden until she was too exhausted to do anything but flop on the sofa. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after three o’clock in the morning.

She didn’t want to talk to anyone, didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t even want to be awake today. She pulled the covers over her head and prayed for oblivion.

Required text: Taken from “Summer by the Tides” by Denise Hunter. Copyright © 2019 by Denise Hunter. Used by permission of http://www.thomasnelson.com/. 

I liked the setting of the story and found the quaint place in Sea Haven, North Carolina very inviting. The author describes the area so well, you could feel the sand on your feet as you walked along the beach. It was a great place at Gram's cottage in the summertime. Those memories are special to Maddy and soon she will find herself back at Gram's place when she receives an upsetting phone call. 

I really liked the clever way Gram was able to get all three sisters to come back to their summer hangout. Maddy, Nora and Emma each descend on the place frantic about their grandmother. A phone call from her neighbor has them worried that Gram has disappeared. Will they be able to mend their relationship between them? Can each sister learn to trust again and lean on each other?

Conner was a welcome addition to the story as Gram's next door neighbor. He always watched out for her and knew something was wrong when he hadn't seen her in a few days.  Maddy didn't trust Conner as soon as she met him. She thought he had something to do with Gram's disappearance and didn't trust him at all. I thought she judged him very quickly and didn't care for her attitude towards him. She has come there with a preconceived notion that Conner is not a nice person. 

The story starts to take shape as we learn that the family hasn't really been close in a long time. Nora and Emma haven't talked to each other in awhile and having them there together at the cottage is going to be explosive. There are lots of secrets that have been hidden in  Maddy's family that has caused hurt so deep that it has divided the family. It is easy to hold a grudge for some people but what I have realized is life is too short. All the years we walk around refusing to forgive the person who hurt us, takes precious time away that you can never get back. 

It was like a domino effect as secrets starting coming out and soon the sisters learn that growing up their mother had protected them from a secret to keep the family together. It was easy for each sister to blame their mother but they never knew what a precious gift she gave them to protect their feelings all these years. There is a lot of repairing to do in the family and the most important lesson they will learn is about forgiveness and trust. 

There is a romance blooming in the story that didn't surprise me at all. What I liked was how two people who had been hurt  by relationships slowly let the wall they had around themselves fall away. The sisters luck with men are not going well and I think that helped them at least try to communicate with each other. All three are struggling with a relationship and it will take a miracle for these sisters to reconnect. There was something that Conner said to Maddy that I really liked. He said," When I can't trust others and I can't trust myself, I can always trust God." It was a perfect way for Conner to share his faith with Maddy and let her know God was there waiting for her to turn to Him for guidance. Overall good story about a broken family that must leave their pride behind, learn to trust again and find happiness.

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 4

The Power of Words, June 4

Back Porch Reads, June 4

The Morning Chapter, June 5

A Baker’s Perspective, June 5

Worthy2Read, June 5

Carla Loves To Read, June 6

Genesis 5020, June 6

Through the Fire Blogs, June 6

Among the Reads, June 7

Quiet Quilter, June 7

For Him and My Family, June 7

The Christian Fiction Girl, June 8

cultivating us, June 8

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 8

Girls Living For God’s Glory, June 9

Moments, June 9

Inklings and notions, June 9

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 10

Coast and anchor, June 10

amandainpa, June 10

Lighthouse Academy, June 11

EmpowerMoms, June 11

Pause for Tales, June 11

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, June 12

For The Love of Books, June 12

Just the Write Escape, June 12

All-of-a-kind Mom, June 13

Texas Book-aholic, June 13

Hallie Reads, June 13

2014 and Beyond, June 14

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 14

Simple Harvest Reads, June 14

Living Life Free In Christ, June 15

janicesbookreviews, June 15

Vicky Sluiter, June 15

Have A Wonderful Day, June 16

A Reader’s Brain, June 16

To Everything A Season, June 16

Lukewarm Tea, June 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 17

Daysong Reflections, June 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away a finished copy of Summer by the Tides!!

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/e541/summer-by-the-tides-celebration-tour-giveaway

WELCOME TO THE COVER REVEAL OF STAR OF PERSIA written by JILL EILEEN SMITH

IT

IS 

GOING

TO

BE 

REVEALED

RIGHT 

NOW

AND 

HERE 

IT 

IS

BREATHTAKING, ISN'T IT?

In an effort to complete a war his father had planned to win, King Xerxes calls every governor, satrap, and official in his vast kingdom to his palace in Susa to strategize and feast. When they finally leave, he decides on one more week of frivolity, which ends in the banishment of his favorite wife, something he never intended to do. But when he discovers Esther, Xerxes is sure he has a second chance at happiness.

In her wildest dreams, Esther could never have imagined that she would end up as queen of Persia. Yet she knows better than to become complacent. Another of Xerxes's wives is vying for position, and his closest advisor has a deep and dangerous grudge against Esther's adoptive father. Caught in the middle of palace politics, Esther will find herself in an impossible position: risk her life or consign her people to annihilation.

With her impeccable research and her imaginative flair, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the romantic, suspenseful, and beloved story of Esther, queen of Persia.

 https://amzn.to/2XsABSg 

• Goodreads link https://bit.ly/2Wu2axR

https://www.jilleileensmith.com/journal//blog/cover-reveal

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David, the Wives of the Patriarchs, the Daughters of the Promised Land, the Loves of King Solomon series, The Heart of a King, and the nonfiction When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams. 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),  

FACEBOOK(www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith), or Twitter (www.twitter.com/JillEileenSmith).

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www.jilleileensmith.com

About the Book

Book: The Amish Widow’s Rescue

Author: Rachel J Good

Genre: Amish Romance

Release Date: May 28, 2019

The perfect family awaits…if only he’ll risk his heart.

Pregnant and recently widowed, Grace Fisher is determined to provide for her family on her own. Thankfully, her jam business is popular in her Amish community. But it’s difficult keeping up with her work, her farm chores, and her two mischievous children. Especially now that they’ve taken to idolizing their neighbor Elijah. While the handsome farmer is kind and generous, he seems intent on holding Grace and her little ones at a distance…

Elijah Beiler has always admired his neighbor Grace. So standing by while she struggles to support her family isn’t an option. Offering to take over her farm duties, Elijah is determined to help while remaining detached. He knows all too well that love only leads to heartbreak. Yet the more time he spends with Grace and her children, the harder he finds it to leave each day. But can Elijah overcome past hurts and open his heart to this ready-made family?

“A beautiful story of forgiveness and second chances.” -Shelley Shepard Gray, New York Timesbestselling author, on The Amish Teacher’s Gift

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Inspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. The bestselling author of several Amish romance series, she grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for many of her stories. Striving to be as authentic as possible, she spends time with her Amish friends, doing chores on their farms and attending family events. Rachel has more than 40 books in print or forthcoming for both children and adults under several pen names. Find out more about Rachel and her books at her website and by signing up for her newsletter.

Rachel’s Amish series include Sisters & Friends (Charisma House & Harlequin), Love & Promises (Hachette/Grand Central), Hearts of Amish Country (Annie’s Book Club), and the forthcoming Unexpected Amish Blessings and Surprised by Love series (Kensington). She also has several anthologies in print as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Book.

More from Rachel

The story idea for The Amish Widow’s Secret came to me after I’d just finished reading stories to my Amish friend’s children to give her a little break. She was expecting a new baby, and while we sat in their kitchen enjoying a snack, her husband came in.

The tenderness in his eyes as they talked made my eyes well with tears. It was obvious how much they loved each other, and they both supported each other. A perfect companionship. Not everyone gets to experience that bond, that caring.

It made me wonder what she’d do without him, and the seeds of a story was born. I decided to explore how a widow would cope with a pregnancy and two children alone. In the Amish community, of course, no one is ever left on their own. Everyone chips in to help.

So, what if the handsome and reclusive bachelor next door felt obligated to help, but wanted to avoid getting involved? Would he eventually soften his heart toward children and love?

As I wrote, I wondered if Elijah Beiler could get over a previous heartbreak. He needed to face his past before he moved forward, so I gave him that opportunity. A surprise visit and unwelcome news force Elijah to rethink everything he believes about parenting and love. And about the person who destroyed his world. He also needs to face the bitterness he’s been harboring.

Sometimes learning more about the circumstances or reasons of the person who has hurt us causes us to see the whole situation in a new light, making it easier to let go of the hurt. That’s what happens to Elijah.

I hope his journey will encourage readers to consider the places in their lives where they’ve been holding onto pain and reevaluate those experiences in the light of God’s forgiveness and love. To write this story, I needed to do that too.

I don't think I have read many Amish stories that deal with widowhood. This story was a nice change of pace and captured the realism of being a widow. It also reminds us that the  Amish face problems and tragedies  just like the English do. Grace has been in a marriage that was unhappy and abusive. She never told anyone how difficult her marriage was and I wondered if she was ashamed or afraid to say anything. When her husband suddenly passes away, her world is turned upside down.

Grace has her hands full with two small children, a jam making business and running the farm. I was fascinated by all the work it takes to make jam, can it and sell it. It was not easy but Grace did her best. There was evidence that she didn't like anyone to help her and maybe because she had always done everything herself. Her inability to accept help was something she needed to work on. I thought right away it was her pride. If she asked for help, would it look like she was weak? 

 Living next door to Grace, he knew she was struggling but for some reason he had it in his head that Grace was ignoring her children and concentrating on her jam business more. The ugliness of judgment was alive in Elijah and he needed to change his way of thinking. Being abandoned as a child has caused him to judge mothers and be a bit standoffish around them. I loved how Elijah stepped up and helped Grace doing chores and watching her children. His heart began to soften towards Grace and it was nice to see him admit he had judged her wrongly. 

Although the main story is about Grace and Elijah, I don't want to forget to mention a sweet little boy named Levi. He is such a loving child and hungry for attention from a father figure. The author does a great job of slowly showing how Levi and Elijah bonded. It was good for Elijah to open his heart and experience how much love a child can give. Their time together was special and I loved how easy Levi took to Elijah.

There is a lot more to the story but I don't want to spoil anything. I loved the surprises the author had in the story and how forgiveness was a big part of the emotional journey the characters took. Have you ever had a neighbor help you out without asking for anything in return? When is the last time you reached out to your neighbor and offered a helping hand? I loved the theme of loving your neighbor as yourself. Sometimes we forget everyone around us and only  focus on our own problems. Let this story remind you to reach out and help someone out. Don't allow pride to consume you and always love and forgive unconditionally.

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

Blog Stops

Quiet Quilter, May 28

A Reader’s Brain, May 28

Maureen’s Musings, May 29

Through the Lens of Scripture, May 29

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 29

Among the Reads, May 30

The Avid Reader, May 30

janicesbookreviews, May 30

Emily Yager, May 31

Lighthouse Academy, May 31

Bigreadersite, June 1

THE BECCA FILES, June 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 1

Carla Loves To Read, June 2

Random Thoughts From a Bookworm, June 2

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 3

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, June 3

Vicky Sluiter, June 3

For Him and My Family, June 4

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 4

Inspiration Clothesline, June 4

Miss Tina’s Amish Book Review, June 5

For the Love of Literature, June 5

Jeanette’s Thoughts, June 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 6

Retrospective Spines, June 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 7

Mary Hake, June 8

Inklings and notions, June 8

Pause for Tales, June 8

EmpowerMoms, June 9

Texas Book-aholic, June 9

Genesis 5020, June 10

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, June 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a grand prize of autographed copies of The Amish Midwife’s Secret and Big-City Amish, a copy of an Amish cookbook, and an authentic Amish headscarf!!

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/e2ab/the-amish-widow-s-rescue-celebration-tour-giveaway