Friday, February 18, 2022

A Promise for Faith

About the Book

Book: A Promise for Faith

Author: Stacy T. Simmons

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Release date: January 18, 2022

A-Promise-for-Faith-663x1024 Secrets have the power to ruin lives. Faith and love have the power to disarm those secrets.

Failure isn’t an option for Faith Fuller, She wants to prove to herself and her very successful parents she can stand on her own, even if it means accepting a job offer from someone she wanted to forget. To add to the problem, that job means facing her biggest fear.

Caleb Gaines is looking for a manager for his coffee shop. He’s in over his head running his successful river outfitters business, and being a single dad to a preschooler. But the perfect candidate wants nothing to do with him. Risk-taker Caleb is up for a challenge and wants to convince Faith to help him.

If neither one relies on faith and learns to trust, any chance at love will be washed downstream.

An out-of-work chef and successful river outfitter are both hiding secret tragedies. How much faith will it take to learn to trust in each other, overcome obstacles, and find love?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

stacy Stacy T. Simmons writes uplifting fiction that delights the reader’s romantic sensibilities. Thirty-four years of marital bliss is a great contributor. She is a mom of two grown children, and she and her family have a menagerie of pets she likes to call “Noah’s Ark.” You can find her working on her next manuscript with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of coffee nearby. She loves to connect with her readers via her website at www.stacytsimmonsauthor.com

More from Stacy

Why did I write this novel? I’ve had both friends and family members ask me this question over the years it’s taken to craft this story. The reason I decided to write it was my family has experienced some job transitions in the past.

A Promise for Faith Briar Creek Love Book One has a talented chef Faith, who undergoes some of the similar things my family faced. When you dive deep into your faith, it makes you stronger as you head toward the “water’s surface.” This novel has some romance, heart-tugging moments, a few cups of coffee and delicious baked goods woven into the storyline.

Like Faith, I enjoy baking, and trying new recipes. As a trained chef the treats mentioned in the novel are a bit more time-consuming than I usually make. I’ve included one below from “Faith’s kitchen.” It’s raspberry twists, and you can make your own puff pastry or purchase it. That’s half the fun of baking, you’re able to do what you’d like to do with the recipes.

I hope you enjoy both my upcoming novel, and this recipe. Soon I’ll have two more novels which will release that are nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina as well in a cozy little town named Briar Creek.

MY REVIEW

If you are looking for a clean romance I highly recommend this book. It has the perfect balance of romance with sprinkles of lessons on forgiveness, trust, new beginnings and overcoming fear. The story flows with ease as the author develops the characters nicely. I loved the addition of a young boy who stole my heart. I also have to mention how breathtaking the cover of the book is. It is perfect for this story.

Faith may be a great chef but her boss thinks she can do without her and let’s her go. I know that things happen for a reason and I couldn’t wait to see where the author would take Faith. I like how the author brings Faith to a small town where she encounters family and new friends. It is hard to accept when you fail at something and this is what Faith struggles with. I could sense her doubting herself and starting to feel hopeless.

Caleb is one of those characters you just instantly like. I like how he comes to Faith’s aide and offers her a job at his coffee shop. It may not be the job she wanted, but it will help her get back on her feet. The interaction between Caleb and his son is heartwarming. I loved the part about their bedtime routine. Don’t miss this part because it shows how important it is to spend quality time with your child. Even though they have experienced a loss, Caleb and his son have a strong and loving relationship.

The book is easy to read and has a nice faith element that stays throughout the story. I enjoyed following Faith on her journey as she opened her heart to not only romance but seeing her dreams come true. There is a strong take away from the book about God’s love and His promise to give us the desires of our hearts.

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

Below is the promised recipe.

(Makes eight twists)

Puff Pastry Directions:

You will need:

Large mixing bowl

Pastry blender

Rolling pin

Whisk

Ingredients:

2 ½ sticks unsalted butter cold (cubed into ¼ in squares)

2 c all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup cold water

In a large bowl, combine the flour and cubed, cold, butter, and salt, work with a pastry blender to cut in the butter. It should end up being pea-sized and the mixture blended enough to press with a hand into a clump. (About 8 minutes total).

Make a well in the middle, and pour in the cold water, mix with a whisk gently until the ingredients become combined with the water. (6 minutes). Shape into a ½ inch thick square and place in plastic wrap. Chill dough for an hour.

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle that is ten inches in length.

Fold over the bottom third of the dough to the middle, fold the remaining top portion to the middle. Then, fold it lengthwise in half. Turn 1/3 of the way and roll out again to another ten inches in length. Fold bottom and top and in half lengthwise. Turn another ¼ and roll out. Repeat process five more times. Shape the dough into a round and put in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. (Dough can be kept for three days in the refrigerator before use).

To make Raspberry filling:

You will need:

Greased baking pan

Pizza cutter

Rolling Pin

Ingredients:

2 pints fresh raspberries

½ c sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

Powdered sugar (optional)

Filling cooking directions:

Place ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for about eight minutes, set aside to cool.

To prepare twists:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cold dough on floured surface and roll to ¼ inch thickness and ten inches in length.

Cut the dough into 1 ¼ inch strips, place a thin layer of raspberry filling along one side, filling one-half of the strip. Then, fold the other part of the dough strip over the side covered with raspberry filling. Twist three times and place on the greased pan.

Put the remaining filling in a container to enjoy later. It lasts five days in the refrigerator.

Bake the twists for 28 minutes and cool. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the twists and serve. Enjoy!

Blog Stops

An Author’s Take, February 16

Back Porch Reads, February 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 18

By the Book, February 18

Texas Book-aholic, February 19

Inklings and notions, February 20

For Him and My Family, February 21

Through the fire Blogs, February 22

deb’s Book Review, February 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 23

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 24

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 25

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 26 (Spotlight)

CarpeDiem, February 26

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 27

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 28

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Stacy 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/1ab29/a-promise-for-faith-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Song of the Rockies

About the Book

Book: Song of the Rockies

Author: Angela Breidenbach

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release date: October 1, 2021

Song-of-the-Rockies-Generic 1890, Helena MT Song of the Rockies is the story of a sweet music teacher and eleven boys given one chance or else! Evan Russell lost everything—his ranch, his wife, and now, after trusting relatives with his young son, even the little boy is missing. How can a beautiful symphony of the heart come from such chaos?

Mirielle Sheehan, a music teacher at an exclusive boys’ school, believes scholarships for disadvantaged boys will solve the plight of hopeless homeless children. Mirielle’s challenge is to turn eleven street ruffians of various ages into stellar, disciplined boys with a future. Most think guttersnipes like this should be sold into indenture to learn a trade or pressed into the military. Get those miscreants off the streets!

Evan Russell, new mining millionaire, lost everything in the disastrous winter of 1886. Then his wife died leaving him with a son. Relatives in Helena offer a safe home for the child while Evan must find work in the mines. When he returns, he’s devastated to learn the entire family perished in a fire, and his son has never been found. Though he gained a fortune, he’s lost everything he valued! Romantic, sweet adventure set in picturesque Helena, Montana written by a bestselling author who is also a professional genealogist.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

AngelaBreidenbach-headshot (1) Angela Breidenbach is a professional genealogist, media personality, bestselling author, and screenwriter. She’s also the Christian Authors Network president. Angie lives in Montana with her hubby and Muse, a trained fe-lion, who shakes hands, rolls over, and jumps through a hoop. Surprisingly, Angie can also. Catch her show and podcast, Genealogy Publishing Coach!

http://AngelaBreidenbach.com

More from Angela

Song of the Rockies idea came from the need to continue deepen the experience from Queen of the Rockies to share more about the orphaned children on the streets of Helena MT in the late 1800s. A lot of readers asked a lot of questions that kept me fired up and involved in the story. That led to the full six-book series because I just couldn’t stop once the first book sparked all the curiosity.

The people of Montana are very civic-minded, committed to volunteerism, and helping those who can’t help themselves. And that’s the modern society. But that kind of a “personality” of a place doesn’t come from a void. The people of Montana have a reputation of being intensely independent. But the heart of the people isn’t about independence, that’s just the way we are because life here is spread out and requires a lot of individual effort to survive and thrive. The result of such a spread-out population is the opposite of intense independence—devout and loyal support of one another. So, though Montanans are independent, we’re also fiercely supportive.

An ironic history tidbit I ran into on my research for this series, but couldn’t use, was the famous Thomas Meagher who was originally from Ireland. We have a massive, gorgeous statue of him on his horse in front of the Montana State Capital Building in Helena because of his contributions toward Montana becoming a state. He was educated in Ireland by the Jesuits and then in England. He spent time in France as well. His last name is pronounced like the planet, “Mar”. The irony is that Thomas Meagher escaped from imprisonment in Australia, banished there by the British for crime of sedition. He believed in Irish independence. Thomas was a hero to the Irish independent movement, a Civil War hero who flipped from supporting the Confederate South to the Union when the Catholic Church put their support behind the North, and after a successful military career he moved to Montana. Evidently, he put all those skills to good use as Montana became a state. But he was also a well-known scoundrel whose stories didn’t always add up. He met his end in a murky manner, well that’s what they say… Thomas was purportedly drinking and playing cards on a paddle boat up the Missouri River near Fort Benton. Somehow, though he was supposedly a good swimmer, he managed to fall overboard and drowned. Was he drunk? Was he cheating and murdered? Did he run into those he’d flipped on during the war? Was he pushed over? He did have a bad knee… No one knows. His body was never found. Hmm… We have a bar/pub in Missoula called the The Meagher Bar that serves delicious Irish fare. So, if you visit Montana, please don’t ask for the “Meeger” Bar, not a soul will understand what you’re looking for. But now, you know how to pronounce his name.

MY REVIEW

This second book in the series is short but packed with adventure and a sweet romance. Mirielle is such a wonderful character. Her heart overflows with love for the young boys were are fending for themselves in the streets. Some people in the town are not happy with the orphans running around but Mirielle is determined to help them find shelter and a place to call home.

The story moves very quickly and Mirielle finds herself falling in love with a man she doesn’t really know well. I thought this was a little abrupt that Evan and Mirielle develop a relationship so quickly. The story line with him trying to find his lost son is an added bonus to the story. It does have a good lesson on helping others that makes the book fun to read. I quickly fell in love with one special boy who others looked up to as their leader. Even though they each are independent, they long for a forever home. I did enjoy seeing some of the characters from the first book in this story and getting to visit the beautiful state of Montana. I look forward to the next book in the series as we continue our journey with characters that become like family.

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

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, February 18

Bizwings Blog, February 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 19

For Him and My Family, February 20

Mary Hake, February 20

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 21

Lighthouse Academy Blog, February 21 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Betti Mace, February 22

Inklings and notions, February 22

deb’s Book Review, February 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 24

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 25

Blogging With Carol, February 25

Connie’s History Classroom, February 26

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 27

Blossoms and Blessings, February 27

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 1

Austen’s Angle, March 1

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 2

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 3

Pause for Tales, March 3

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Angela is giving away the grand prize 20-minute genealogy consultation to a winner via Zoom!!

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/1ab2b/song-of-the-rockies-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

The Struggle for Love

About the Book

Book: The Struggle for Love

Author: Marilyn T. Parker

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: November 2, 2021

The Struggle for Love Two sisters married to the same man. A man who loves only one.

Leah didn’t want a marriage without love. A strong and capable woman, she had determined to live a life of service as a midwife, bringing other women’s children into the world, allowing her father to breach tradition and betroth her beautiful younger sister first. But that was not to be.

Forced by her father to pose as her sister, Leah goes to Jacob’s wedding bed. When Jacob awakens to find Leah instead of the beautiful Rachel, he tells Leah that he will provide for her and do what a husband must, but she will never have his love.

Rejected by her husband and her relationship with her beloved sister broken, will Leah be able to keep her faith in the God of Abraham through the tragedies to come? Will Jacob see Leah for the woman she truly is? Will these two wives of the patriarch mend their relationship before it’s too late?

Enjoy this beautiful story of a woman overlooked by history but not by God. In Genesis 29:31 the scripture says, “When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved—” God was watching over Leah. And He’s watching over you.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

edited black shirt Marilyn has worn many hats in her life: school teacher, pastor’s wife, mother of four God-loving children, and best of all—Grammy! She is presently the older member of a mother/daughter blogging duo with her wonderful daughter, Rebecca. They co-author Persevering Women, a blog full of inspiration to help women live above their circumstances.

Four years after becoming a widow, Marilyn married Peter Parker. Yes! She’s Mrs. Spiderman! Marilyn says she is truly married to her superhero.

When Marilyn and Peter are not traipsing around the country in their RV, they reside in Buckeye, Arizona with their monster dog, Mimi (don’t let the cute name fool you!). Marilyn’s greatest desire is that her work bring glory to God.

More from Marilyn

When I was seven or eight years old, I entered a writing contest for elementary students sponsored by the local newspaper. I won! Actually, I won two years in a row. I still remember some things about those stories. I remember that one was about a little girl who was so poor, she had to use fall leaves to make Christmas cards. Uh, kind of got my seasons mixed up there—but the storyline must have been good! That was the beginning of my writing career!

So why do I write biblical fiction?

Can’t people just read their Bibles? Yes. Of course. But years ago, when I was reading through the book of Genesis, studying the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, one of Jacob’s wives caught my attention.

Genesis 29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved—

God was watching Leah. Can you imagine it? The God of the Universe leaning over the portal of heaven to get a better view of an unloved woman! I was hooked on the story right then. The scriptures were scant, but the story was hiding there in subtle hints. As I fleshed out Leah’s life from the Word, I fell more in love with the God who originally wrote her story. The Great Storyteller who knew both Leah and me before He laid the foundation of the earth, and who wrote our stories with love, promising us the best of all happy endings with Him.

MY REVIEW

Before I started this book, I went back to Leah’s story written in the Bible. It helped refresh my memory of her and I was anxious to see how the author would portray her. There are times that the author took a few liberties in the story, but I don’t think it took anything away from the actual story from the Bible.

It is easy to like Leah with her compassion for others. How sad that she felt ugly and unwanted even by her father. The moment that stands out in my mind is when Leah is forced to deceive the man who loves her sister. The author does a good job of letting us feel Leah’s shame when her deceit is revealed. It sets the tone for the journey that Leah takes as she continues to feel rejected by everyone. Oh how she loved Jacob, but he only has eyes for her sister. Rejection is something many of us have felt. It hurts deeply and is hard to overcome. But this story will teach us that God never rejects His people. He loves us and will never leave us.

I liked Rachel but thought she was very prideful. She counted on her looks to get what she wanted. In the story we witness the struggle between sisters as they both want the attention of Jacob. Little by little bitterness enters Rachel’s heart and her relationship with Leah is fractured. The author digs deeper into their thoughts and shares the heartbreak of a family being torn apart.

The story kept my attention and I was mesmerized by the actions these characters displayed. Leah has become a very respected mid wife and many call for her to help when a birth is imminent. I can’t imagine how difficult it was to have a baby during this time period. I admired Leah as she became this woman of strength who was not afraid to stand up for what was right. Her faith was evident and it helped her when grieving about the unthinkable act that happened to her daughter.

As the story draws to a close we see chaos break out when revenge is acted upon. During this period of conflict we get a glimpse of two sisters who come together to reconcile, a husband who asks forgiveness and a woman who impacted many lives.

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