About the Book

Book: Finding a Memory

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: January 25, 2022

He loved her then. Will she love him now?

When Mallory Barrows finds an old diary in a box of books, the story she finds within sends her on the hunt for the owner–and maybe more.

Theirs is a story ripped from a country song. A wedding, a former love presumed dead, her new love stepping aside. And over forty years later, their story is one few remember.

With Mallory determined to find the people in the pages of that diary, one couple is offered the second chance of a lifetime.

This “second-chance / seasoned romance” novel introduces the next island in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

 

More from Chautona

I was a weird child. While my friends were listening to… whatever 80s kids listened to, the enormous console in my bedroom played The Brothers Four, The Kingston Trio, Roger Miller, Billy Vaughn, Patsy Cline, and Patti Paige.  One minute I was a “Rovin’ Gambler” and the next I was “Chug-a-lugging.”  Hmmm… In hindsight, one could say I listened to some dubious music. Drinking, gambling… Oh, that reminds me of another one. The Sons of the Pioneers.  “Cigarettes, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women. (Hint: they’ll drive you crazy. They’ll drive you insane.  The song says so).

But there were other songs—beautiful ones.  “Greenfields.” “Little Green Apples.” “You Belong to Me.”  And of course… “Go on with the Wedding.”

If you’ve never heard it, you should listen. HERE.

That one used to tear me apart.  I never could decide which man she should have chosen.  I’m a sucker for the underdog—for a hero.  So, I always said Fred.  And I meant it. Right up to the moment I thought about Jim being away, fighting, finally making it home to his girl only to see her marry someone else.  How horrible is that?

Well, one of the tropes I chose for my books in the Independence Islands was going to be a “second chance romance.” I also wanted a “seasoned romance,” so this song came to mind. And then I had my story.  It’s not the one my twelve-year-old self would have wanted.  Truthfully, it’s not the story I wanted to write today, but it’s the right one. It’s probably my favorite of all of the ones I’ve done in this series.  I hope you’ll love Frank and Patti as much as I do.

All that’s left now is for me to write one more story—the one that has been forming through each book. It’s time for Mallory and Benjamin to both learn and write their story’s end (which of course, is only a beginning).

MY REVIEW 

Well Chautona you have finally done it. You have written one of the best books I have ever read. There are many stories out there about second chances and forgiveness. What sets this book apart from others is the characters who not only express their weaknesses but they address them with realistic emotions. My heart broke as the story unfolds into this long ago relationship that never quite got  a chance to blossom. 

There are a few characters I want to focus on because they defined the story for me. Patti’s life has been filled with pain, abuse, regrets and anger. Marrying the man she did was more out of a sense of honoring her word. Patti tries so hard to make the marriage work, but she had no idea that her husband was dealing with PTSD. It was during the Vietnam war that he served and no one really understood the physiological effects it had on those who served at that time. It would be easy  to be angry at Jon for the abuse he inflicted on his family, but the author made me look deeper into his character. Yes I was angry at what he did, but I also wanted him to get help and realize that he needed to change his life. Somehow I felt sorrow for him as his life exploded around  him. Maybe he thought that he was unworthy to be loved and gave up. The author deals with PTSD with understanding and shows that it affects everyone in different ways. 

One of the most emotional parts of the book is when Patti cries out and expresses her anger towards God. Why did He allow her to go through so much pain during her marriage? Perhaps in our moments of why me, we should be asking “what message  are you teaching me God? So many years passed and she still found her heart yearning for someone she never forgot. It is time to get the tissues ready because here comes the part where I start to break down in tears. 

I think my favorite character in the entire story is a woman who loved her husband knowing that he loved another woman. I admire how she gave grace to a man who still hopes someday to rekindle a relationship with another woman. Their marriage is good and Frank did love Gina but he couldn’t give his full heart to her. I cried as I realized the sacrifice Gina made as a wife. She loved her husband and was willing to share his emotional bond with someone from his past. How many of us could do that? I don’t think I could. Her character taught me how to be kind, gentle and forgiving. 

Mallory is the one who finds a diary that sets off years of old memories for two people. Her determination to solve the mystery of who the diary belongs to opens the door for a beautiful journey through years where hope and second chances can happen no matter how old you are. The ending is both joyful and a bit of a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see where  Mallory and Benjamin’s story goes.

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

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 26

Blossoms and Blessings, February 26

Texas Book-aholic, February 27

She Lives to Read, February 28

An Author’s Take, February 28

Inklings and notions, March 1

CarpeDiem, March 1

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 2

Lots of Helpers, March 2

For Him and My Family, March 3

Blogging With Carol, March 3

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 4

deb’s Book Review, March 5

Simple Harvest Reads, March 5 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 6

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 7

Splashes of Joy, March 7

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

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 9 (Spotlight)

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 9

lakesidelivingsite, March 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chautona 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/1b05c/finding-a-memory-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War

Author: Mary Davis

Genre: Christian / Historical Fiction / Romance

Release date: February 1, 2022

A WASP Goes Above the Call of Duty to Free Captive American Soldiers

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

Peggy Witherspoon, a widow, mother, and pilot flying for the Women’s Airforce Service in 1944 clashes with her new reporting officer. Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg was injured in combat and is now stationed at Bolling Field in Washington D.C. Most of Peggy’s jobs are safe, predictable, and she can be home each night with her three daughters—until a cargo run to Cuba alerts her to American soldiers being held captive there, despite Cuba being an “ally.” Will Peggy go against orders to help the men—even risk her own life?

Don’t miss these other stories about Heroines of WWII:
The Cryptographer’s Dilemma by Johnnie Alexander
A Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma
Saving Mrs. Roosevelt by Candice Sue Patterson

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning author of over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has been in numerous compilations and collections. Stories and characters have been running around in her head for as long as she can remember. Her published works have been on Publisher’s Weekly bestselling lists several times. Some of her works include her award-winning Quilting Circle series and Newlywed Games.

An empty-nester, Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-seven years and a black Norwegian Forest cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. She enjoys playing board and card games, rain, and cats. She would enjoy gardening if she didn’t have a black thumb. Her hobbies include quilting, porcelain doll making, sewing, crafts, crocheting, knitting, and papercrafts.

 

More from Mary

AIRBORNE

When my agent asked if I had a WWII story idea that might fit in with Barbour’s Heroines of WWII series, I had to tell her I didn’t. At the time, I was writing book 4 in a series set in 1894 and proofing audio chapters for book 3 in that series. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tackle war, but I told my agent I would think on it and pray. If the Lord wanted me to write a WWII era story, He would give me an idea. So I prayed.

I knew women had done some military flying but didn’t know the details, so I jump into some quick research. I couldn’t take too much time away from my current novel and its rapidly approaching deadline. When an idea started forming with a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), I wrote a brief one-page outline of my rough idea. I knew I couldn’t take too much time away from my other project to write a whole proposal if I was going to be told the publisher already had a story in the series about a WASP, which I assumed they had. Because who wouldn’t want to write about lady pilots?

My idea about a WASP, who flies an unsanctioned secret mission to rescue three US soldiers held captive in Cuba, now needed a title. No sooner had I thought that I needed a title than one—which I thought would be nothing more than a placeholder—popped into my flakey little head: Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War. Well, now my heroine, at least, had a last name. My critique partners seemed to like this title, so I added it to my outline and sent it off to my agent, then I got right back to work on my novel with the looming deadline.

Since the publishing industry typically moves very slow, I figured I had a good chunk of time before I would find out if I needed to write a full proposal. So back to work on my contracted novel. Surprisingly, the publisher came back immediately with strong interest in the idea and wanted a full proposal in a week. Fortunately, this editor knew my writing, so I didn’t have to include three sample chapters, but my synopsis needed to be strong in details.

So now, I had a full, detailed proposal to write with historical notes ASAP, a novel I needed to finish writing, and audio chapters to listen to and give feedback on. Bouncing between two different eras isn’t easy and to keeping things straight. With God grace, I got the proposal written and submitted, the audio chapters checked, as well as completing my contracted novel, which I managed to turn in on time. Barely.

   Since the publisher seemed very interested in my WWII premise and I had book 5 in my Quilting Circle series to get started on soon, I needed to pick up the pace on my writing. With the idea still fresh in my head and the WWII novel would be due first (if contracted), I decided to use NaNoWriMo in November to write a 50,000 word rough draft of Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War, which would eventually be around 80,000.

As November progressed and my word count grew, I fell more and more in love with my characters in Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War. I obviously received and signed a contract. I continued to enjoy my characters as I finished writing and editing this novel.

I would have to say that Mrs. Witherspoon Goes To War is in my top five of the books I have written. My prayer is that this story ministers to others as it did to me as I wrote it.

MY REVIEW 

Wow! What an exciting adventure I just  took reading this book. The main  character,  Peggy is dedicated to her country. I love how she stands up to those who think women have no business being in the service. During the time period this was written, men took great exception to women flying aircraft. Bravo to all the women who proved them wrong. 

The details about the aircraft are phenomenal and shows that the author took her research seriously. It amazed me how much work went into making sure each plane was safe to fly. Peggy is top notch in her field and is always ready to take a plane up to make sure it was functional. I do not like to fly at all. Oh I know it is suppose to be safer than riding in a car, but being up there in the sky is a little unnerving for me. 

It was easy to like Major Howie Berg with his attitude of supporting WASPS. He does have a little misgiving about Peggy and her crew, but over time he started to trust them more. That bring up something I want to point out about the story. The author illustrates trusting God by the secret mission that took place in the story. Each person involved in this dangerous mission put their trust in God to protect them.  Peggy may have wavered a little in her faith throughout the story, but with this important mission she knew she had to trust God. I loved how a group of three women took on a secret and intense mission without thought to their own safety. 

There is romance in the story that slowly developed but I have to say I was more interested in  behind the scenes details where planes were worked on and the duties of the women were explained. It highlights an important group of women who loved their country and went above and beyond to achieve a second chance for those who had almost given up. 

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 24

An Author’s Take, February 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 25

Labor Not in Vain, February 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 25

Texas Book-aholic, February 26

Jeanette’s Thoughts, February 26

Inklings and notions, February 27

Bizwings Blog, February 27

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 28

Southern Gal Loves to Read, February 28

For Him and My Family, February 28

Sodbuster Living, March 1

deb’s Book Review, March 1

She Lives to Read, March 2

Remembrancy, March 2

Betti Mace, March 3

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 3

Older & Smarter?, March 3

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 4

Blossoms and Blessings, March 4

Rebecca Tews, March 5

Connie’s History Classroom, March 5

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 6 (Spotlight)

Through the Fire Blogs, March 6

Pause for Tales, March 6

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 7

Genesis 5020, March 7

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 8

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 8

Reflections From My Bookshelves, March 9

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, March 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Mary is giving away the grand prize of 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/1b059/mrs-witherspoon-goes-to-war-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: No Turning Back

Author: Katie Vorreiter

Narrator: Christa DelSorbo

Genre: Suspense

Release date: February 26, 2021

Chronic panic attacks have stolen Livvy Fischer’s classically trained soprano voice and derailed her life. Due partly to a mix-up, partly to her crush on Pastor Lucas, Livvy joins a worship team bound for the chapel at San Quentin. But when a full-scale riot breaks out, she is separated from Lucas and the rest of her group. Survival becomes this songbird’s sole focus.

Snatched from the chapel by an inmate, Livvy doesn’t know who to trust. Tobin says he’s protecting her, but she’s been blindsided before. She struggles to put her trust in God, while all too aware that free will can wreak horrible consequences. Tobin wants her to hide and ride out the prison storm, but Livvy becomes the obsession of another inmate who is a serial killer. Will God protect her? Will Tobin?

It’s one thing if Tobin is turning his life around behind bars. It’s quite another to fall for him.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 MY REVIEW 

If you have not listened to a book read by Christa you are missing out. She brings each character to life with her voice. I love how she adds excitement to the story and how easy the book flows with her crisp and clean reading. 

What a roller coaster ride this story is. The thought of going into a prison to minister is not high on my list. I admire people who feel called to do this. It is important to share the gospel with everyone and hopefully the people incarcerated can find forgiveness. 

I was intrigued by the setting of San Quentin as it is a famous prison. What a shame that such a place is overcrowded and understaffed. It was easy for me to sympathize with Livvy and all the things she is dealing with from her past. Panic attacks are scary and often  leave you feeling withdrawn. The gift God has given her to sing is one she treasures, but it has been hard to go out in the public to share that gift. Someone has hurt her and she is trying so hard to overcome her fear. I was quite surprised that she decided to go on the trip with the church to the prison. Maybe God has a reason for her being there. 

Lucas is a compassionate pastor and is happy to have Livvy join him and others on the trip to minister to men at the prison. The author does a good job of using faith throughout the story. There is definitely an attraction between Livvy and Lucas but I felt that Livvy was holding back a bit.

The story gears up when a riot breaks out while the church group is there. Tobin who is an inmate becomes a focal point of the story. He takes  Livvy under his wing and tries to protect her from other prisoners. There is a high volume of intensity in the story and very dark moments that only God can help get them through. It wasn't easy for Livvy to trust Tobin but I don't think she had any alternatives. 

I was very impressed with the author and her debut novel. It is hard to believe that this is her first book. She writes characters with flaws and slowly allows them to explore their faith. She  takes people through forgiveness and shows how free they feel. The author takes a convicted man and uses him to protect others without thinking of the consequences. It is a great story that made me think how God can use anyone. Forgiveness is a good focus in the story and I loved how the author used an unstable environment to see how people can change. 

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

About the Author

Writing for the wireless and caffeinated, award-winning author Katie Vorreiter makes her home in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes suspense because she enjoys exploring what real people do in life-changing situations. Married, with two kids who are actually now young adults, she frequently talks aloud to her impossibly adorable cockapoo.

 

 

 

 

About the Narrator

Speaking Life into Story

Queen of the one-eyebrow quirk, Christa DelSorbo auditioned for the role of Tarzan’s mom and has the photos to prove she ended up as the only cast member in a literal cast. These days, they keep her stuck in a box with a ball on a stick and only feed her when she reads another chapter of another fabulous book. She loves every minute. Or so they tell her. *eyebrow slowly raises *

 

More from Christa

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 23

Inklings and notions, February 24

Texas Book-aholic, February 25

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 26

For Him and My Family, February 27

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 28

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 1

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 2 (Spotlight)

Mary Hake, March 2

An Author’s Take, March 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 4

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 5

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 6

Blogging With Carol, March 7

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Christa is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book in the winner’s preferred format!!

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/1b058/no-turning-back-celebration-tour-giveaway