Saturday, June 5, 2021

About the Book

Book: Ablaze

Author: M. Liz Boyle

Genre: Christian YA

Release date: February 25, 2021

This summer the Stanley sisters and the Miles boys are excited to hike together again, and now they have the unique opportunity to help two of their ranger friends with an outdoor program in the beautiful Montana mountains.

Marlee has always considered herself a willing follower. Give her a direction and she’s happy to help. Her older sister Ellie is a natural leader, and Marlee is content in her role as assistant.

Marlee and her sisters have been assigned to help with Ranger Rose’s team, and they are savoring the adventure. But in a heartbeat while the group is divided by a few hundred feet, fire breaks out between Ranger Rose and Marlee’s group. In this enthralling finale to the Off the Itinerary series, Marlee must face her fears with courage that only God can provide.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Liz is the author of the Off the Itinerary series, the wife of a professional tree climber, and the homeschooling mom of three energetic and laundry-producing children. Liz once spent a summer in Colorado teaching rock climbing, which she believes was a fantastic way to make money and memories. She resides with her family in Wisconsin, where they enjoy hiking and rock climbing. Liz and her husband have also backpacked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon, which have provided inspiration for her writing. She makes adventurous stories to encourage others to find adventures and expand their comfort zones (though admittedly, she still needs lots of practice expanding her own comfort zone).

More from Liz

After sending my five teenage characters through an avalanche and subjecting them to a lunatic with handcuffs (during a flash flood), I decided that a wildfire was the next disaster they should endure. From a plot perspective, a wildfire allows for much excitement; but I especially love the character refinement that takes place as my cast faces this natural disaster in the finale to my Off the Itinerary series. I hope your family will find encouraging entertainment in Ablaze.

MY REVIEW

We find ourselves joining the group again on another hike. This one has a bit more detail about the forest and I learned a lot from the author. I knew what this story was going to be about but I knew the author had a few surprises in store. Marlee and her sister are teamed up with Ranger Rose to lead a group through the forest. I love the outdoors but I really don’t care to hike at all. It sounds exhausting and dangerous at times.

Marlee was interesting because she was wrestling with her fear of being a leader. One girl in the group intimidates her and causes Marlee to hold back. Will she miss her opportunity to grow as a leader? Seems that someone is going to have to face her fear and God is about to test her. Isn’t it funny the things we fear are the very situations we find ourselves in. That moment defines our faith and trust in God.

I did like the part about an emergency that happened with one of the girls. The author does a great job of teaching readers about allergic reactions and what to do when it happens. Poor Marlee is right in the middle of the emergency which causes her to doubt herself even more. I can relate to Marlee as she is very insecure about herself. It is hard when everything seems to go wrong around you. It sure doesn’t help that one of the hikers is mean to Marlee. Shelby has an attitude and I think she may be a little jealous of Marlee.

There is a lot of adventure in the story but the lessons are more valuable to me. The author does an amazing job of showing us how to trust, forgive and follow our dreams. Having confidence in yourself helps you to achieve your dreams. Most importantly we need to always invite God to be with us on our journey through life.

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

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 5

EmpowerMoms, June 5

Texas Book-aholic, June 6

Remembrancy, June 7

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 8

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 8

Inklings and notions, June 9

For Him and My Family, June 10

deb’s Book Review, June 11

Rebecca Tews, June 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 12

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 13

For the Love of Literature, June 14

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 15

Mary Hake, June 15

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 16

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, M. Liz is giving away the grand prize of a signed copy of Ablaze and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10d04/ablaze-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, June 4, 2021

About the Book

Book: The Little Way

Author: St. Thérèse

Genre: RELIGION / Spirituality

Release date: May 18, 2021

We want to love God with all our hearts, but we often find ourselves striving in our efforts to please Him, acutely aware of our weaknesses. As our failures pile up, we become frustrated and discouraged.

Have we missed the essence of the gospel? Is there a simple but true way to serve God that can fill us with joy and peace rather than fear and discouragement?

St. Thérése of Lisieux faced similar struggles. As a young woman who desired to abandon herself to God, she felt daunted at the thought of climbing “the steep stairway of perfection.” Thérése searched the Scriptures until she discovered a path to freedom she called her “little way.” This is “the way of spiritual childhood, the way of trust and absolute surrender.” It is a recognition that while we are small and imperfect, we have a mighty God who reaches out to us with infinite love, grace, and strength to take care of all our needs.

As Thérése followed this new path, she considered herself a “little flower” in Jesus’s garden. She understood that she was beloved by her heavenly Father and delightful in His eyes. And she could bloom right where He planted her as she daily demonstrated His unconditional love to others in small but meaningful acts of kindness and interceded on their behalf.

This beautiful gift book highlights St. Thérése’s deep insights into faith and devotion, while visually capturing, through simple floral illustrations, the theme of simplicity that permeated her life. As you read excerpts from St. Thérése’s autobiography, poetry, and letters, with accompanying Scripture verses, you will learn to rest in the loving arms of your heavenly Father, allowing your own faith to grow and flourish.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

St. Thérèse, known as the “Little Flower,” was born Marie-Françoise-Thérése Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France, the youngest of five surviving children in a loving Christian family. Desiring to devote her life to God, she persuaded the religious authorities to allow her to join the Carmelite convent at Lisieux at the age of fifteen. Feeling unable to meet the perceived demands of Christian perfection, she sought a simpler, scriptural way to reach God, an “elevator to take me straight up to Jesus.” The “little way” she discovered—that of humility, trust, sacrifice, and resting in God’s deep love—captured the essence of the gospel with profound simplicity. It transformed her relationship with her heavenly Father, and its ripple effects surged to a global impact that continues to this day. Thérése died of tuberculosis on September 30, 1897, at the age of twenty-four. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, published shortly after her death, eventually became a worldwide bestseller, with millions of copies in print. The work has been translated into more than sixty languages and dialects. Thérése was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church on May 17, 1925, and was declared a Doctor of the Church on October 19, 1997. Pope John Paul II described her insights into faith as “vast and profound.”

More about St. Thérèse

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 4

Cats in the Cradle Blog, June 4

Texas Book-aholic, June 5

Inklings and notions, June 6

For Him and My Family, June 7

deb’s Book Review, June 8

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 9

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 10

Mary Hake, June 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 11

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 13

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 14

Writing From the Heart Land, June 15

CarpeDiem, June 16

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Whitaker House is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks 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/10d02/the-little-way-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, June 3, 2021

fifty days

About the Book

Book: Fifty Days

Author: Katie Vorreiter

Genre: Christian Spec Suspense

Release date: March 28, 2021

RGB7250Days Three days ago, Maggie Lehman’s beloved mentor and friend, Jarrett Adams, was murdered on live television. Grief stricken, Maggie traverses a Washington DC under curfew, but when she arrives at the morgue, the body is missing—and her presence is recorded on the security video.

As dawn breaks over the city, Maggie encounters Jarrett on the street—and he’s very much alive. Either she’s gone mad—again—or Jarrett really is back.

While the US loses its grip on democracy, government thugs eager to contain what Maggie knows hound her every step, and the good intentions of a man from her past only tighten the noose. The powerless and bewildered Maggie seeks Jarrett and the return to how things were, but finds she must give up what she wants most to gain what she can hardly imagine.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

headshot 6a Katie Vorreiter makes her home in the diverse and beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. She works in high tech as a proofreader as well as a freelance fiction copy editor for a small press. While she admits to being a grammarian, she considers herself a fun one.

After studying and later interning in Madrid, Spain, Katie continues to use and improve her Spanish as much possible—especially when a travel opportunity arises. Aside from that, she DIYs at home with her husband in their almost empty nest, travels to Colorado where their two young-adult children study, and snuggles with her pup who promises not to grow up and go away to college.

Please see Katie’s webpage at katievorreiter.com and sign up for her newsletter for giveaways, sneak peaks, and insider info. Check out her debut novel, No Turning Back, “a propulsive action tale.”

More from Katie

2,000 years ago, a body disappeared from a cave. But what if it happened yesterday?

What would miracles look like in the age of Photoshop? Might our cynicism dismiss a resurrected Jesus as a David Blaine wannabe looking for his 15 minutes of YouTube fame?

Fifty Days was inspired one Easter Sunday as I sat admonishing myself to listen with new ears and to not feel that I’d been there, done that for the most amazing story ever told. But those women at the tomb: I had no concept of what their day-to-day lives were like. I wanted to identify with them, but how could I walk in their shoes when I couldn’t envision their sandals?

I said to myself, “it’s not like the events could take place in my world”… and my imagination took off as Maggie walked into my life. More precisely, she walked through the pre-dawn streets of Washington DC, driven to get to the morgue to see Jarrett’s body. But when she got there, he wasn’t there. His body was missing, and unfortunately for Maggie, she was caught on the security video.

From Easter to Pentecost (hint, that’s a period of fifty days), we see the followers of Jesus experience a huge change. We don’t know much about the weeks that intervened, and we never see Mary Magdalene again in scripture after Easter morning. So that gave me a lot of room to imagine: what would it be like to go from hiding in bewilderment and fear to the bold empowerment of Pentecost?

For Maggie it’s a matter of keeping one step ahead of the thugs pursuing her and the man from her past whose good intentions only create havoc for her, while she searches for a way to clear her name, or better yet, be reunited with Jarrett.

Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thus, whether in a robe, jeans and a tee shirt, or a spacesuit, Jesus and his truth are unfailing, unchanging. Fifty Days isn’t about “updating” those truths. But boy, imagining hanging out with his followers at Starbucks made them seem a lot more three-dimensional to me. And to be honest, I find myself a little jealous of Maggie’s relationship with Jarrett—she is completely sold out. Totally confident in his character and power. There is not only love between them, but affection. Fleshing that out has made me look at my relationship with Jesus in a new light.

MY REVIEW

This is a very unique story that has us follow Maggie on a journey that is familiar to many. The question is raised of what would happen if Jesus was alive and then killed in our modern world of today?

From the person who denies knowing Jarrett to his body missing we are able to follow along as this mystery unfolds. I had shivers thinking about what I would do if this happened today. Maggie is caught up in a battle where people don’t believe that she saw Jarrett even though he supposedly died. Just think about how you would explain to someone right now that this person everyone saw die, is really alive and you saw them? I think they would be finding you a nice quiet bed in a hospital where you’re placed for your safety and others.

I loved Stephen and how he teams up with Maggie to help keep her safe. People are after them and are desperate to stop them . Someone doesn’t want the truth about Jarrett coming out. It was exciting to meet different people in their journey and how they helped Maggie and Stephen. The author is a great storyteller and it is so close to the story in the Bible, yet I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I was hooked on following these two characters till the end.

The best part for me was how determined Maggie and Stephen were. When they see Jarrett again it is so special. He tells them how he loved then before they were born and His unconditional love for them. He tells them ,”If you approach your relationships with genuine love, you can forgive anything.” If only we could remember those words every time we face someone who hurts us. God wants us to walk in love and forgiveness.

The ending is an edge of your seat thriller as Maggie must face the enemy. It gives me chills as I think of what Maggie was facing. It’s a fight to save Maggie as she is escorted into court. At that moment she feels His presence. Can you imagine being told you are crazy because you believe in God? The scene before us at the end is good vs evil and the author displays it with much compassion and love for God. I would love to see this book made into a movie.

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

Blog Stops

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 2

Blogging With Carol, June 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 3

Texas Book-aholic, June 4

Inklings and notions, June 5

April Hayman, Author, June 5

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 6

deb’s Book Review, June 7

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 8

Christa DelSorbo, June 8

For Him and My Family, June 9

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 10

Pick a good book, June 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 12

Mary Hake, June 12

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 13

The Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 14

Spoken from the Heart, June 14

Pause for Tales, June 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Katie is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card as well as a sterling silver dove charm bracelet!!

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/10d00/fifty-days-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: Written Off

Author: Barbara Cornthwaite

Genre: Christian Cozy Mystery

Release date: May 2021

“Break a leg?” They’ll be lucky if they don’t all break their necks!

After years of waiting, Katrina finally has her happily ever after. All is right with her world . . . until hate crimes begin happening in the charming college town of Wilkester. Even more disturbing is the fact that the perpetrator seems to be connected with the writing class Katrina teaches. How can she prevent her rosy visions of the future from turning into broken dreams?

Find out in this third book of the Wilkester Mysteries.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Barbara Cornthwaite lives in the middle of Ireland with her husband and children. She taught college English before “retiring” to do something she loves far more; her days are now filled with homeschooling her six children, trying to keep the house tidy (a losing battle), and trying to stay warm in the damp Irish climate (also a losing battle). She is surrounded by medieval castles, picturesque flocks of sheep, and ancient stone monuments. These things are unappreciated by her children, who are more impressed by traffic jams, skyscrapers, and hot weather.

More from Barbara

What Kind of Lessons Could a Mystery Possibly Teach Me?

It’s been a couple decades since I taught a college English class, and writing the Wilkester Mysteries with Professor Katrina Peters as the main character brought back happy memories of teaching. Not enough to want to go back to it—homeschooling my own kids is much more rewarding—but enough that I had to stop myself from writing much longer lectures into the stories! These are my first contemporary novels, and it was nice to write a story without the hours and hours of historical research I usually have to do. But whatever time period stories are set in, people feel the same emotions and have to learn the same spiritual lessons.

Katrina loves literature and can’t help seeing her own life as a story. The only problem is that she keeps thinking she knows what the Author is doing, and she has definite ideas about what the plot should be. She is not unlike myself: over and over I’ve thought I knew what God was doing in my life. And if He was short on ideas, I had quite a few that He was free to use! But He has rarely been doing what I thought He was, and for some reason He never seems to use my ideas about what could happen in my story. Both Katrina and I need to learn the lesson that God’s wisdom is beyond ours, His storytelling is much deeper and richer than ours, and His plots are never predictable!

MY REVIEW

This book in the series is more serious than the others. It takes on a topic that is very relevant for today. Hate crimes are on the rise and this story tackles the subject with realistic incidents. I don’t know that I would call this book a cozy mystery but rather a look at how the world is affected by racism. I was very intrigued by who the person was behind the different attacks.

There is some happy moments in the story where we get to see Katrina plan for her wedding. She has been waiting for this moment and it is fast approaching. I liked that she and Todd attended premarital counseling. It is an important step in being in agreement with issues that could cause discord in their marriage. We get to know more about Katrina and her teaching at the college. The author does a great job of tying the mystery of who is behind the hate crimes into one of Katrina’s classes.

The story was eerily similar to front page news of today. Riots becoming violent, people traveling to different places and starting the peaceful protest then provoking brick throwing and bottles breaking. Is someone in Katrina’s class responsible for all the hate crimes? The author really had me hooked on the storyline and I was anxious to see how it was solved.

I enjoyed reading about the wedding plans and all the work that they encountered with a new purchase. Katrina found time to really spend time with God and I think she found peace about several things she was stressing over. As for the mystery it was a lesson in greed and revenge. In the end I liked how the mystery was solved. I think it is a great reminder to all of us to love one another and not get caught up in worldly problems without praying and asking God for guidance.

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