Friday, September 13, 2019

About the Book

Book: Rose’s Redemption

Author: Donna L. H. Smith

Genre: Christian Western

Release Date: November, 2018

A Former Dance Hall Girl. A Handsome Young Doctor. Can Rose overcome her past? That’s Rose’s Redemption

Rose Rhodes changed not only her name after the tornado; she changed her outward appearance. No more was she Rosalie O’Roarke, former dance hall girl. She loves her new work as a nurse-in-training to handsome Doctor Scott Allison. As Scott and Rose’s relationship begins to change from professional to personal, they must deal with figures from Rose’s past who make life anything but easy. Rose is concerned that the town will discover her dance hall girl past, especially when Jake Thomas, the man who viciously beat her, asks all over town where Rosalie O’Roarke went. But both Rose and Scott are in for surprise encounters with Christ that will change their lives forever and help them see His plan for them. In fact, they will see God at work all over New Boston.

Rose’s Redemption won second place in the 2017 Golden Leaf Award at the Advance Novelist Retreat and was a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Phoenix Rattler Contest.

Click here to grab your copy.

About the Author

Donna L.H. Smith is a Kansas prairie girl transplanted to Lancaster County, PA. She is a graduate of Christian Writer’s Guild Craftsman program and holds two college degrees, both B.S. and M.A. in Mass Communication. She’s been married to a wonderful man named Kirby for thirty years. Her debut novel, Meghan’s Choice, made the finals of both the Selah and Will Rogers Medallion Awards. Rose’s Redemption, the sequel, also made the Selah Award finals in 2019. She blogs, speaks at workshops and holds inner healing retreats. Although she is at an age where many begin slowing down, she wouldn’t think of it. She served as Managing Editor of www.almostanauthor.com, an award-winning website for writers. She continues to serve as ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Mid-Atlantic Zone Director. She is also a member of AWSA’s Protégé program (Advanced Writers & Speaker’s Association).

More from Donna

Rose’s Redemption is the second book in the Known by Heart series. There were interesting challenges to this book.

First, how to change a rascal of an antagonist from Meghan’s Choice, to the romantic hero of Rose’s Redemption.

Second, I serve a supernatural God, so I wanted to include a little something different. It’s not spec-fic, but I hope people will enjoy Rafe. Answer the question for yourself whether or not he is an angel.

Third, I included in Rose’s history a bombshell from her mother. That was personal to me, only I didn’t discover it until two years ago.

The point of Rose’s Redemption is that our faith or our change cannot just be external, as Rose tried to do by changing her name, her appearance, and her profession—but an internal change of heart, too.

God is in the business of change

I have been anxiously awaiting the next book in this series and am excited to tell you how much I loved it. The author takes a character that is tarnished, lets us witness her transformation and along the way give us a lesson in forgiveness and acceptance. I can't say enough good things about Rose. She had a background that was shall we say not ladylike and is determined to change her life. It is very difficult for her to accept the friendship of Meghan and I loved how Meghan looked past Rose's sins and showed her friendship. There is a lot to learn from this story of redemption. I can think of a few times I thought I would never be forgiven for things I had done.

There are a few graphic scenes where I wanted to cry as Rose was being beaten. I think in a way she felt like she deserved it because she was tainted as a woman. Jake is a nasty character and has no respect for women. His character is well written and gives us a look at what rage, jealousy and pride can do to a person. I admire the author for not sugar coating the story but be able to do it in a clean respectful manner.

Scott is a changed man from the first book and I loved his experiences he had with Rafe. They are very emotional and worth reading to find out what happens when Scott is faced with trying to forgive himself for his past.

There are eventful things happening in the book that deals with the railroad, an almost tragedy with Rose and faith that is felt throughout the book. I don't want to give the story away because it is one that needs to be experienced on your own. The author is gifted in showing characters that take a journey through forgiveness that was eye opening for me. Rose is the highlight of the story and she reminded me of the story in the bible about the woman that was accused of something. Jesus spoke up and said, "Ye without sin cast the first stone." It such a powerful statement and is very relevant to this story.

The author does leave a cliffhanger which entices me to anxiously anticipate the next book in the series.I highly recommend this series to everyone looking for a story strong in faith and shares how forgiveness is a choice and what happens when you open your heart to God.

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

Blog Stops

Carla Loves To Read, September 5

CarpeDiem, September 6

Connie’s History Classroom, September 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 8

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 8

For Him and My Family, September 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 10

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, September 11

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, September 12

Texas Book-aholic, September 13

janicesbookreviews, September 14

A Reader’s Brain, September 15

Inklings and notions , September 16

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, September 17 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, September 18 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Donna is giving away the grand prize of a signed copy of her 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/e957/rose-s-redemption-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, September 12, 2019

About the Book

Book: Waiting for God

Author: Xochitl Dixon

Genre: Non-Fiction, Devotional

Release Date: August 7, 2019

Inhale God’s Word. Exhale in prayer. Rest in God’s love.

If your heart is weary and longing for answers—for healing, for provision, for miracles—Waiting for God renews your hope with strong biblical truth and encouraging Scripture-based prayer.

Conquer your fears and frustrations as you inhale God’s Word, exhale in prayer, and rest in God’s love. Live a life of deeper connection and immediate communion with God that can lead to contentment in His constant presence, no matter what your days hold or how long God’s deliberate delays may last.

Xochitl Dixon writes each chapter with heart-touching transparency and vulnerability, as she shares her own story as well as the stories of others who are trusting God through waiting seasons with no apparent end in sight. As a woman who lives with chronic pain, Xochitl understands constant struggle yet chooses to put God on the throne of her life.

About the Author

Xochitl (So-Cheel) E. Dixon has a heart for loving God and people. She’s passionate about intercessory prayer, nurturing spiritual growth, and the prayerful study and application of Scripture. Through her daily struggles with chronic pain, due to an upper back injury she endured in 1992, she writes with transparency, ministers to the hurting, and inspires hope through worshiping God in all circumstances.

She serves as a regular contributor to Our Daily Bread (www.odb.org), a ministry devoted to making “the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all.” Her devotional, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace (Discovery House Publishers) is available for pre-order and releases August 7, 2019. She is a contributing author for the upcoming Our Daily Bread devotionals: What Really Matters (August 7, 2019), And He Walks with Me (October 2, 2019), and Moments of Peace for Moms (October 2, 2019).

Her devotions have also been included in All God’s Creatures (Guideposts, 2019), God Hears Her (Discovery House, 2017), Our Help (Discovery House, 2017), and This Far by Faith: Legacies of the Black Church (Discovery House, 2017). Her nonfiction has been published in My Amazing Mom (Chicken Soup for the Soul, 2018), Second-Chance Dogs (Revell, 2018), LIVE Magazine (2019), and Church Health Reader (2019).

She followed God from California to Wisconsin and is enjoying Midwest adventures with her best friend and husband of over 25 years, Dr. W. Alan Dixon, Sr. She loves their sons, A.J. and Xavier, spoils her service dog, Callie, and likes serving as a speaker, traveling, photography, reading, singing, sketching, studying Scripture, and nurturing authentic relationships.

Xochitl connects with readers and shares encouragement devotions, prayer, and Scripture-based memes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and on her blog at www.xedixon.com. You can also follow her Author Page on Amazon’s Author Central.

More from Xochitl

“Never pray for patience.”

My friend’s warning pricked at the back of my mind. Without realizing it, I began lacing my prayers with fear, doubt, and caution. I couldn’t risk being thrust into situations that would force me to develop patience, so I did everything in my power to avoid asking the Lord to help me be patient.

But even when I didn’t ask Him to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in me, I always seemed to end up in circumstances that stretched my faith as much as my patience.

When my agent challenged me to write the book I had to write, I pitched Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace.

I thought I’d be sharing tips about how to persevere through trials and endure suffering with grace. But after I signed the contract and received a deadline for my manuscript, my husband received an unexpected job offer.

We followed the Lord from California to Wisconsin.

Writing became a challenge as I suffered a setback in my healing journey. I endured high levels of pain and fatigue. My husband and I struggled with frustration as we adjusted to life in the Midwest during one of the coldest winters in history.

And God changed my perspective on waiting for Him, which has nothing to do with patience.

I’ll be sharing my answers to the end-of-chapter questions on my blog (www.xedixon.com). I’m excited to invite you to join the adventure.

I look forward to growing with you as we wait for God, inhaling His Word, exhaling in prayer, and resting in His love as we trust daily in His plan and pace.

I don’t know about you, but I am the most impatient person around. I don’t like to wait in lines, wait for a food order to be delivered to my table or even sit in traffic. It is hard for me to understand why God isn’t answering my prayers sometimes and it frustrates me. When I received this book to review, I laughed because I knew I needed this book to stop my pity party and listen to God.

As I began to read the book, it gave me a wake up call. How many of you have ever felt like God wasn’t working fast enough on your behalf? I can easily raise my hand and confess I am guilty of that. It is easy for us to point fingers at others and tell God they need to change ; that it wasn’t my fault we stopped talking to our friend or family member. After all, we don’t have a problem. I loved how the author shared how she finally realized that God does hear our prayers and He is answering them in His timing not ours.

The author uses examples from the Bible to illustrate how God shows people like Hannah that He is waiting for her to surrender her whole heart to Him. It is so easy to become selfish and whine about our problems. Hannah in the Bible wanted a child but needed to give her love to God. He answered her prayer, but it was with change within Hannah that made it come to pass. The book also includes personal stories that were inspiring and showed how God worked in their lives. The author includes prayer and questions at the end of each chapter which I enjoyed.

At the beginning of each chapter is a reading assignment, which I decided to do. The reading was encouraging and very relatable to the chapter. The author has done a great job of giving readers a book that guides you through challenges in your life while refreshing your mind and soul with God. I learned a valuable lesson while reading this book. I had become a full time caregiver in January for my brother who had Stage IV colon cancer. Day after day, I cared for him and made sure he knew that he was loved and important. Some days were hard as a I saw him start to slip away. I prayed for strength each day to be there for my brother. There were days I didn’t know if I could go on, but I was determined to make my brother comfortable in his last days. I wondered where God was and why wasn’t He healing my brother. Through this book I found peace and knew that God had been beside me each day as I cared for my brother. He gave me the courage to lead my brother to Jesus before he passed away. The book showed me that I had found a new relationship with Jesus as He gave me strength to care for my brother,

I encourage everyone to read this book. It is filled with scriptures, stories and wisdom that will renew your relationship with God and soften your heart to those who have caused you pain.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 2

April Hayman, Author, September 3

Genesis 5020, September 4

A Diva’s Heart, September 4

Through the Lens of Scripture, September 5

AndreaChristenson, September 6

Kelly Harrel, September 7

Mary Hake, September 7

For the Love of Literature, September 8

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, September 9

Just the Write Escape, September 10

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 11

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 11

Texas Book-aholic, September 12

A Reader’s Brain, September 13

janicesbookreviews, September 13

Inklings and notions, September 14

Cultivating Us, September 15

God is Love, September 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Xochitl is giving away a grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of Waiting for God, and a copy of God Hears Her (Our Daily Bread 365-Day Devotional)!!

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/eaef/waiting-for-god-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

About the Book

Book: Surf Smugglers

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: August 15, 2019

In the summer of 1917, US troops join the allied forces in the Great War. Back in Sunset Cove, Oregon, other battles wage. Anna McDowell continues to fight old fashioned stereotypes as she runs a newspaper committed to truth. Despite opposition, she’s determined to expose ongoing rum-running and prohibition lawlessness.

Adding to Anna’s frustrations, her good friend Dr. Daniel seems to run hot and cold. He loves Oregon, and maybe Anna too, but he’s pulled by his East Coast family responsibilities. Even the lure of a new modern Sunset Cove hospital doesn’t seem enough to keep him in Sunset Cove.

Meanwhile, Anna’s strong-willed daughter Katy continues to develop her dress shop by inviting family friend Sarah Rose to help out. But the woman’s presence tests the small town’s tolerance. And Anna’s concern that her daughter is growing up too fast is confirmed when Katy’s romantic life takes an unexpected turn, which Anna fears is influenced by the pressure of a devastating war that is not only changing the entire world but Sunset Cove as well.

Click here to grab your copy.

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, True Colors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody

My favorite way to learn history is through historical fiction—both by reading and by writing it. And I’ve discovered that World War 1 (previously known as the Great War, since WW2 had yet to happen) is quite fascinating. As well as incredibly sad. But I’m amazed at how science and technology evolved so quickly in this era. Whether it was advancement in automotive, communication, medicine . . . the culture was rapidly changing. And the war pushed it along at an even faster pace.

Another factor that makes this era interesting is prohibition. Oregon, my home state and where I set my series, was one of the earliest states to adopt prohibition of alcohol—in 1914. As a result, Oregon became ripe territory for bootlegging and rum-running along the coastline. And because my series involves a small town coastal newspaper that’s run (gasp!) by a woman, it gets even more interesting—and exciting!

Speaking of women, the suffrage movement was approved in Oregon in 1912—also well ahead of the rest of the nation (and the main reason that prohibition passed). My theory on why this happened is that the brave women who’d made the arduous journey West (via perilous wagon train or long hard voyages on clipper ships) were strong and opinionated and tough. And many of them were sick and tired of drunken slacker husbands. Also, thanks to Oregon’s amazing land donation act of 1850, many of these women were equal landowners to their husbands—and land equaled power.

Of course, what these suffragette-prohibition supporters didn’t realize is that banning alcohol would make matters worse because bootlegging and rum-running suddenly became a very lucrative business. The crime rate soared and the booze continued to flow freely. But all this makes for good newspaper stories, keeping our female editor in chief rather busy. In the first two books of the series, Anna McDowell has her hands full with trying to run her ailing father’s newspaper, restoring family relationships, and staying ahead of the growing crime element in Sunset Cove.

By book three, Surf Smugglers, Anna has her feet under her and doing a good job of standing up to the criminal element in their region. But by now the Great War is really heating up and the United States must get involved. Of course, this means that many young men, as well as Anna’s very good friend Dr. Daniel Hollister, are being shipped overseas to serve. Meanwhile, there is plenty of trouble at home. And the rum-runners, who despise the newspaper’s support of prohibition, target Anna’s good friend Sarah Rose because she’s a woman of color who’s sought refuge from the big city . . . and naturally things get dicey.

I’m currently finishing up the fourth and final book of the Legacy if Sunset Cove series, and I’m sad to think my ‘history lesson’ in this interesting era is drawing to an end. Not only have I learned a lot, I’ve really come to love the McDowell family . . . and I’m getting worried that not all the men from Sunset Cove will survive the brutal war. Of course, this is fiction . . . but the war was very real and the losses were great. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the war to end all wars like they’d hoped, but I appreciate the sentiment . . . and continue to pray for world peace

I am so glad to be back in Sunset Cove, Oregon in 1917. So much has changed in the small town with women getting the right to vote and hopefully the rum running is over. Anna still runs the local newspaper and people are becoming more accepting of her . The big story is that the US will be putting into place the Selective Service Act. This news has everyone on edge as young men face being sent into battle.

An old friend of Anna and her daughter Katy has been asked to come stay with them to help get her back on her feet. There could be a problem with Sarah Rose coming to town because she has darker skin. Not everyone during this time period was accepting of African American people and they fear that Sarah Rose could be in danger. I liked how several people made her feel welcome and made sure she got to work and home safely.

Katy has sure matured and her dress job is a huge success. She is smitten with Jim and I loved their innocent relationship develop slowly. It is very likely that Jim will be called up for duty and Katy is a bit upset. What will she do when Jim leaves? Will he still be her sweetheart when he returns? Katy is so worried about his safety and does something very spur of the moment that takes her mother by surprise.

The story has wonderful characters and I loved how Anna and Daniel were slowly starting to like each other. He also has news that he has to leave and what the town does to entice him to return is overwhelming. The town is full of people who help each other out and want the town to prosper. There is still a rumor that liquor is being smuggled and Anna is determined to find out who it is. The town has a lot going on and the author keeps the story flowing at a great pace. It is a book that brings people together to celebrate achievements and continue to trust God as they look to the future.

There is a little suspense in the story that was unexpected. Someone is kidnapped and the race is on to rescue this person before a tragedy happens. I liked this part because it part townspeople together and put aside their differences.

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