About the Book

Book:  Shattered Guilt

Author: Kathleen J. Robison

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: June 15, 2021

When they told her about Southern hospitality, no one mentioned human trafficking.

The move to Bay Town, Mississippi was supposed to be a fresh start for single-mom Melanie and her daughter, Lacy. The quiet Southern town offers a nice relief after the frenetic-paced life of Los Angeles, but something sinister lurks beneath the surface.

Her bridal business struggles to take off, and instead of turning to the Lord, Melanie makes a desperate plea for help–from her ex-husband. Lacey is attacked, and while she is hospitalized, her friend goes missing—a victim of human trafficking out of New Orleans.

With her ex-husband showing true signs of repentance, the pastor she’d begun to fall for is taking a step back, and her daughter’s friend lost to the animals who stole her, Melanie goes on a desperate, dangerous mission to rescue the girl and get their lives back.

And she’ll do it with or without the Lord’s help.

How can Melanie find the girls and rescue them without getting caught herself?  Why can’t she trust the Lord to keep them all safe, and which man in her life is the right one–if either?

Read this heart-gripping, pulse-racing novel and see how the Lord’s hand is on us, even when He seems so very far away.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kathleen J. Robison is an Okinawan-American. Born in Okinawa, raised in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Singapore. Her travels are the inspirational settings for her stories. She and her Pastor husband have eight adult children. Seven are married, blessing them with fourteen grandchildren and counting. The diversity of their 31 family members provide the inspiration for more lively characters than can be imagined. Her husband grew up in the streets of Los Angeles raised by a single working mom, and that life provides fodder for many of the conflicts of her characters.

Tackling difficult life’s trials with God’s strength are the central theme of Kathleen’s stories. She hopes to inspire her readers to trust God and with His strength, weather through and rise above trials and tragedies. If you like suspenseful stories with a thread of romance, you will enjoy Kathleen’s Bay Town Series!

 

More from Kathleen

Guilt comes from within. Shame comes from without ~ Voddie Bouchman

 

I homeschooled my eight children, and they all attended a conservative Christian university. My husband is a pastor. So, when I started writing Shattered Guilt, the running joke in the family was, “Mom wrote a book, and it has no bad language, no sex, and no graphic violence, but it’s about human trafficking.” And they were right, but God gave me the words to depict a passionate stance against sin, a pure romance, and horrific tragedy…hopefully, all without offending my readers.

The story begins with Melanie. A delightful single mom and her teenage daughter living in a charming little town on the gulf coast of Mississippi. I love their relationship and their faith, but Melanie’s past mistakes linger in the back of her mind, and she somehow thinks herself not worthy. The theme of guilt runs throughout this book in both the lives of those trafficked and those not. When young girls are targeted for human trafficking, Melanie lays aside the self-imposed shame of her past and fights to save those who will suffer far worse feelings of guilt and shame, for which they had no control.

My heart breaks for those whose lives are paralyzed by their pasts. While writing Shattered Guilt, I didn’t realize the connection between Melanie’s shame and the victims of trafficking. The latter suffer guilt and shame through no fault of their own. Yet, all of us carry baggage; if it’s something that needs forgiveness and confession, and we’ve done that, it’s a done deal. We shouldn’t let the past paralyze us from living a life of fullness in Christ. Melanie and even Pastor Desmond come to realize this in their lives. We need to be the best that God desires for us to be, and to be effective in His work, we must experience his love and forgiveness.

Years ago, when I was first writing the rough draft of this novel, human trafficking was finally getting recognition in the world, and the horrors of who was being trafficked were shocking. That’s what gripped my heart, and I was embarrassed that I didn’t have a clue about the scope of this morally reprehensible practice.  Enslavement of human beings by another has been on this earth forever, and that’s why awareness and action are so important today. In addition, there are so many facets as to how one becomes a victim in this tragedy. I now try never to assume how someone’s life takes the path it does, but I only care that they find a way to hear God’s voice calling them. Every Christian story is about God’s love.

Although I love writing a suspense story, I love creating my characters too. I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know the people of Bay Town as much as I enjoyed writing about them. I look forward to sharing more about these endearing characters and the trials they face. Please come back and visit the charming community of Bay Town in the continuing series.

MY REVIEW 

I never expected this book to be so powerful but it really packs a punch. The author doesn’t hold back  and exposes the sins that lay just below the surface in the small town. Melanie believed her move to a quaint little town would be perfect for her, her daughter and her business. I liked Melanie but she seemed a bit unsettled at times. It bothered me that she was flaky about her ex-husband and her business. I know Chris isn’t the best dad and certainly wasn’t a good husband, but the anger Melanie has needs to be taken to God. 

I did like Pastor Desmond Brooks and how he wanted to help others. Now I did have a problem with the attraction between Melanie and Desmond. The reason is it happened too soon and Melanie is kind of stringing him along. When her ex shows up she seems to push Desmond away. This part of the story is really about letting go of your past and learning to forgive. 

The real meat of the story is about human trafficking. It happens everywhere and has now come to Melanie’s town. When her daughter is in trouble the town really comes together to help find her. I loved how Desmond was there to be someone Melanie could lean on , but Chris being there also does make things uncomfortable for all three. The story is quite intriguing and there were some parts that were hard to read. The author delivers a story that shines the truth on a horrific crime against young girls and how quickly they can disappear. 

The characters each have issues they need to face and I liked how faith was blended in the story to show how God was right there to comfort them and help them find peace. The ending was a big shock and I’m not sure the author explained what happened to a certain character, so I’m wondering if I overlooked something that explained the tragedy. Overall a good story that emphasizes the importance to never give up, give your burdens to God and to learn to forgive  quickly.

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 2

Texas Book-aholic, July 3

Blogging With Carol, July 3

Simple Harvest Reads, July 4 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 5

Inklings and notions, July 6

For Him and My Family, July 7

deb’s Book Review, July 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 9

Stories By Gina, July 10 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 10

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 11

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 12

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, July 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 14

Cats in the Cradle Blog, July 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of 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/10e74/shattered-guilt-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book:  Going South

Author: Marsha Moston

Genre: Christian nonfiction—humorous, inspirational, Christian-living memoir

Release date: January 2021

When Bob and Marcia Moston told their friends they were moving south, they meant it as a geographical move. They didn’t expect their plans to go south too.

Trusting his wife’s previously sound judgment, Bob agrees to have Marcia go ahead of him and pick out a house—an efficient, low-maintenance one. It was a good plan. If only Marcia had stuck to it.

But when she veers from the plan, the couple find themselves overwhelmed with the consequences of a seemingly bad decision. Marcia looks for encouragement in the story of Jacob—the patriarchal bad boy, remembered more for the predicaments he got himself into than for his commendable deeds—and the God who is not deterred by our plots, plans, stratagems, and side trips.

Written with heart, humor, and biblical insight, Going South—with the God of Jacob’s and My Mistakes offers hope and encouragement to those who find their lives upturned by a geographical move, a chaotic economy, a backfired dream, or just a plain bad choice.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Marcia Moston, the award-winning author of Call of a Coward—the God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife, has contributed to several magazines, anthologies, and newspaper columns. She loves to write about the possibilities of life in the hands of a very real God. Marcia teaches workshops in narrative nonfiction and makes home in South Carolina with her Bob.

 

More from Marcia

We were no superstar, sledgehammer-wielding, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines. But I was confident my husband and I could handle the repairs that the house I had bought needed. After all, we were handy—solid do-it-yourselfers, excited about starting a new phase of life in a part of the country we’d never lived.

 

Armed with enthusiasm, experience, and degrees, we didn’t anticipate any problems finding jobs or making friends. And I certainly didn’t anticipate I’d be hanging telephone directories on doorknobs or stuffing vending machines to make ends meet. But our ravenous little fixer-upper had a bigger appetite than we expected and was devouring our funds in record time.

 

Before long we began to realize we’d left life as we knew it somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line. I wondered if, instead of running strong to the finish line of our lives, we would be crawling across it, covered in sheetrock dust and regrets.

 

It’s one thing to suffer for a noble cause, but quite another when you find yourself in messes and muddles of your own making time and time again. Like Jacob, some of us have to wrestle an angel of the Lord all night before we get to the end of ourselves and trust that the Lord can and will orchestrate all he’s appointed for us.

 

I wrote about our southern saga foibles in Going South with the God of Jacob’s and My Mistakes as an entertaining reminder for all of us trying to find our way home, that even when we make bad decisions and big mistakes, the Carpenter of Nazareth can fashion something beautiful from the dust and debris we trail behind.

MY REVIEW 

I have read the scripture many times where it talks about the plans God has for us. We make decisions praying we are going in the right direction. I liked this book because it is candid, personal, mixed with humor and God’s Word. The author takes us on a trip where mistakes are made but with it comes wisdom. I’m not big on change and get anxiety when faced with it. I laughed when the author saw actual billboards that were directed at her. Well I’m thinking , He is definitely trying to get her attention. I got comfortable and buckled in to travel with our author as she navigates life and change. 

I loved how the author weaved the story of Jacob throughout the book. In the midst of everything Jacob was doing wrong, God showed him grace. How many times have we wanted to give up? As the author continues her journey through restoring a sad looking house to   owning vending machine  we sense God working and reminding her that He is in control. 

Each chapter is filled with wonderful accounts of a journey that teaches us to trust God, never give up and thank Him for His grace that surrounds us daily. I enjoyed the book and found it refreshing to read. I appreciate how the author shared her struggles and rejoiced when lessons were learned. This would be a great book to give to someone needing encouragement and a reminder that change doesn’t have to be a burden.

“God is in charge of your future, don’t fear change.”

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 28

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 29

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 1

Texas Book-aholic, July 2

Mary Hake, July 2

Inklings and notions, July 3

Cats in the Cradle Blog, July 4

For Him and My Family, July 5

deb’s Book Review, July 6

HappyWhenReading, July 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 7

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 8

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 10

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Marcia is giving away the grand prize package of an All-Things-South gift box!!

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/10e09/going-south-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  See You Monday

Author: Kristen Terrette

Genre: Young Adult

Release date: April 30, 2021

Senior year. The homestretch.

Honor student, Grace Warner, had it easy. Popularity, friends, attention from her crush, even a soccer scholarship offer—if only she can figure out her senior project to graduate on time. Getting approval to write about someone’s life-changing event, Grace recruits her sassy grandma as her mentor who can’t wait to tell the crazy story from her childhood.

Events in the early sixties are words in history books to Grace, but her grandma lived them. She witnessed the civil rights movement in full swing, desegregation becoming a reality in her southern town, Martin Luther King, Jr. moving the country with his iconic speech, and the country coming to a halt when President Kennedy was assassinated.

Grace loves finding out her family history but didn’t know the project would have her noticing hardships and prejudices at her school she hadn’t before. When the homecoming court is announced and new kid, Jacob Horton, is nominated as a colossal prank, it brings Grace to a choice, much like her grandmother years before her. God is about to use her in a miracle if she chooses correctly. If she fails, a life could be lost.

MY REVIEW 

This is a must read for everyone who wants to make  a difference in the world. I was captivated by the story from beginning to end. It was easy to picture each event that happened as the author is gifted with words that flow gracefully across the pages. I liked  reading about the 1960s and all the changes  that made headlines. Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. brought make many feelings. Today we still find ourselves fighting for everyone to be treated equally. During the sixty’s there was a definite division in race. One woman stood up and made a difference at a field day that set the tone for this story. 

Some called her crazy, but Johnnie knew that God wanted her to reach  out to those who felt unwanted. I loved how brave she was to stand up against hatred  and be God’s hands and feet as she took a stand against prejudice. Every  character in this book came to life as Grace listened to Mimi  retell of her childhood. I remember going to my granddad’s farm every summer. There was plenty to do but all I wanted to do was sit with my granddad and  listen to him recount his life. 

I could go on for days about how much this book touched me. I was reminded about being bullied and how even today that pain still lingers. One person can make a difference and this story emphasis how important it is to listen to God. The faith in this book was good and gives a great lesson in trusting Him. Out of everything I read, two things really stuck with me. Be the person who isn’t afraid to stand up for what is right. Don’t be on the sidelines watching  injustice happen. God  called us to love one another. The ending is perhaps the best part of the story for me. I cried as I read the last page and wondered how many people I ignored when they needed someone? Did I miss an opportunity to show someone  that they mattered? I am forever changed by this story and will from this day forward not miss my chance to reach out and show love to everyone. I will not be afraid to stand up to bullies and I will at all times love unconditionally. 

“God doesn’t want anyone to be alone, and I’m not going to disappoint him.”

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

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kristen’s passionate about storytelling and helping people take their next steps in their relationship with Jesus. She lives forty-five minutes outside of Atlanta, GA. where she served as a Children’s Ministry Director for many years. With the support of her husband and two children, she now stays home writing fiction and non-fiction. She also serves on the women’s leadership team at her local church and writes for Crosswalkand Wholly Loved Ministries. You can check out her articles and novels at www.kristenterrette.com.

More from Kristen

In most novels, a touch of the writer’s life scatters itself throughout the words—a phrase, the personality of a character, the circumstances of a heartache or joy. These serve as tiny acknowledgements to those who motivated them. But sometimes it’s something much, much more.

 

See You Monday is inspired by a family, my family, and a little girl, my mother, who went through a captivating, life-shaping course of events during 1963 and 1964. It’s a story of how God awakened her to Him and how, when we follow Jesus—doing what He asks—our choices cause miraculous ripple effects which spread for generations.

 

Have you ever thought about that? How one choice can change everything? How the course of someone’s life can be altered for good or bad by someone’s decision?

 

At one point in my novel, my grandmother (her character’s name is Johnnie) makes a choice when my mom (“Sandy” in the story) was a child. Many years later, we find out this choice had lasting effects, reaching as far as a grown man, from my generation, who lived across town—not even in their neighborhood. And this happens all the time. God is always using us in miracles, we simply have to be attuned to Him and willing say yes.

 

And since this story brings real people to life in the time-lapse back to the early 60s in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I’d thought I share pictures of the actual Lewis/Baron clan.

 

These photos, taken between 1958-1961, show four generations who lived under one roof. The cutie pie kids are my mother (the oldest/blonde), my aunt (the adorable redhead who steals every scene in the book), and my uncle (the baby). Also, check out the car in the driveway! I wish we still had it.

 

What’s your story? What ripple effects have your relatives left behind when they said yes to being used by God? What choice have you made that changed yours or a loved one’s course? Maybe something you didn’t realize until years later?

 

I hope you’ll think through your own family line and the legacy they leave. And be sure to get a copy of my Young Adult novel, See You Monday, to find out how my own family inspired its timely message in the life of Grace, a seventeen-year-old senior in high school.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 29

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 30

Texas Book-aholic, July 1

Inklings and notions, July 2

For Him and My Family, July 3

Mary Hake, July 3

Reflections From My Bookshelves, July 4

deb’s Book Review, July 5

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, July 6

Rebecca Tews, July 7

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 8

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 9

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, July 10

Cats in the Cradle Blog, July 11

Nancy E Wood, July 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kristen is giving away the grand prize package of signed paperback copy of See You Monday, Chattanooga-based “Clumpies” signature ice cream pint pack, Chattanooga-based “The Hot Chocolatier” large box of assorted chocolates, and a $25 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card!!

Disclaimer: Some items contain milk, gluten, nuts, soy, and egg products.

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/10e0a/see-you-monday-celebration-tour-giveaway 

About the Book

Book:  Beneath the Forsaken City

Author: Carla Laureano

Genre: Fantasy

Release date: June 8, 2021

With a storm on the horizon, who will stand against the darkness?

Conor and Aine have barely escaped Seare with their lives. Conor knows he must return to find the harp that could end the Red Druid’s reign of terror, but he must first see Aine safely to her family home on the isle of Amanta. When an unnatural storm tears them apart, they find themselves in even more danger than that which they fled.

Because magic is not the only thing to fear in Aine’s homeland, where the Sofarende invaders harry the coasts and shifting clan alliances make it impossible to know who to trust. Conor and Aine must cling to the whispers of Comdiu’s plans for them and their enduring love for one another, even when the future looks darkest.

But with betrayal at every turn, will they give into fear? Or will they learn to depend on Comdiu completely … before all hope is lost?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Carla Laureano is the two-time RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy.A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales andmarketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind towrite fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

More from Carla

Fictional Magic… and Why It Matters to Us

The first book in the Song of Seare series introduced the culture, religion, and characters of my fictional universe, but it’s this second book, Beneath the Forsaken City, that really delves into the magic of the world, both light and dark.

The light magic in the series comes directly from Comdiu (their version of the Christian God), given as gifts to his people to be used in His service. I approached the creation of this magic much as the real-world church views spiritual gifts: everyone might have a different gift, some people may have more than one, but all of them are meant to be used within the context of God’s commands and promises. They come from a purely good source, but when used for our own glory or for selfish ends or even just without full understanding, they have the potential to be twisted into something that’s harmful or ineffective. In Beneath the Forsaken City, Aine learns how carefully she must wield her powers in order not to sow discord in those around her; Conor must come to grips with the limits and the boundaries of his own abilities, battling the ever-present temptation of pride.

The dark magic, on the other hand, comes from the Adversary either in the form of sorcery or in the powers of the sidhe, the spirits who haunt the isle of Seare and beyond. For this, I delved both into the Celtic myths and fairie tales as well as neo-pagan rituals, particularly for details on scrying. I approached the topic thinking it was a somewhat harmless, if ineffective, practice and left with a deep sense of spiritual unease—this is the type of thing the Bible warns against when it forbids divination and witchcraft. Consequently, when Conor is approached with the opportunity to scry for an answer he desperately needs, he battles the temptation of his own desires against his very clear understanding that it’s dark, forbidden magic.

Some of this may seem academic to the modern Christian reader—most of us aren’t going to be tempted by dark magic or pagan rituals. But I meant it to reflect a warning and a lesson in our larger walk with Christ. Things that come from darkness can never be used for light, even when our intentions are good—God has forbidden them for a reason, because of their danger to ourselves, others, or the integrity of our own souls. Even the gifts and abilities that have been God-given for the use of His kingdom can be corrupted by sin if we’re not anchored to the heart and purpose of Christ.

That’s why my deepest wish is that readers of Beneath the Forsaken City will look beyond the fantasy elements of Seare to the real-world lessons beneath—and be both warned and encouraged in their own spiritual walks.

MY REVIEW 

In the depths of magic and characters who try to survive in this world the author has made, lays truth and understanding in the Spiritual World. The story is fast paced and danger seems to be everywhere. A fatal shipwreck pulls two people in love apart. I liked that we get to follow Conor and Anie as they travel through their own journey to reunite. 

Anie is rescued from certain death but I wasn’t sure if she was better off with these men. They are dangerous and have no problem taking revenge on someone. I gasped when one of them is painfully murdered before Aine’s eyes. She must be thinking what is to become of her after witnessing a horrible scene. I couldn’t wait to follow her as she tries to figure out who to trust. The shock of finding out something very important about her heritage places her in more danger along with her ability  to heal. I liked that the author shared a glimpse of what revenge can do to someone who only wants peace when harm comes their way. 

Conor is desperate to find Aine but first he needs to escape from his captures. You witness how much he cares for Aine as he confesses that he would kill for her or die for her. That kind of love is unconditional and Conor will go through much pain and hard decisions as he searches for her. He is a warrior that will not give up so I knew we were in for an adventure that would take us to the brink of danger and temptation. 

The story is filled with twists as the characters are guided by deceit, pride and prophecy that will change the course for many. I enjoyed reading the undertones of faith in the book and how creative the author is. The ending is good and I can’t wait til the next book comes out. 

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

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 26

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 27

Worthy2Read, June 27

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 28

Inklings and notions, June 29

Texas Book-aholic, June 30

For Him and My Family, July 1

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, July 1

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 3

deb’s Book Review, July 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 6

Blogging With Carol, July 7

Labor Not in Vain, July 8

Mia Reads, July 8

A Baker’s Perspective, July 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carla is giving away the grand prize package of a limited-edition hardcover of Beneath the Forsaken City and a sterling silver Celtic pendant!!

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/10e08/beneath-the-forsaken-city-celebration-tour-giveaway