Review & Giveaway: When You Look at Me by Pepper Basham

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for When You Look at Me by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: When You Look at Me
(Pleasant Gap Romance #2)
Author: Pepper Basham
Publisher: Woven Words Publications
Release Date: October 25, 2018
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

An unexpected mother-to-be
A romance-leery composer
And a forgotten melody from the past that holds the keys to their futures

When Julia Jenkins' great aunt dies and leaves her a Victorian mansion with decades of secrets, Julia never expects to unearth a World War 2 espionage mystery. Struggling with her own past since an assault left her pregnant, her future as a solo parent leaves her dreams uncertain. The inheritance from her great aunt gives Julia the ability to take a step back into her future, but also sends her into the discovery of a love story she’d never anticipated. As she goes through her aunt's treasured possessions, Julia uncovers some oddly written piano music with a musical code she can’t decipher on her own. Not to worry, introverted Englishman and composer, Henry Wright, is thrust on the scene by a pair of homespun matchmakers who know the ‘right’ man for Julia’s wounded heart.

Henry arrives in Pleasant Gap with the task of composing the soundtrack for his best mate’s newest film. The Jenkins’ family’s southern welcome and gregarious personalities set his reticent nature on edge, but he’s inexplicably drawn to his gentle and music-loving hostess, Julia. Uncertain how to build a friendship with the wounded woman, and rather hopeless in communicating well through words, the bond of music becomes a bridge between her uncertainty and his awkwardness.

But her broken past and his families’ expectations build a wall much greater than the cultures that separate them. As they work together to solve a musical mystery from the grave, will an unlikely romance from the past inspire their hearts to trust in a God who’s written the perfect melody for their lives?  

PURCHASE: Goodreads | Amazon

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MY REVIEW

5 stars / It was amazing

Oh my heart! I loved this gentle introverted couple so much and the way they blossomed with their unexpected friendship and romance. They both have tragedy in their pasts that has made it difficult to trust, but the natural connection they share made it worth the risk to reach out and move forward. So many great scenes together as they get to know one another; I loved the feeling of hopeful uncertainty and longing. There is quite a bit of anticipation leading up to their first kiss, and wow, was it worth the wait! They are seriously so sweet together. 

I enjoyed the relationships Julia shares with her sisters and family, and appreciated the way they supported her and encouraged her. There are a few scenes from her father's point of view that add another perspective and show the deeper tender feelings of a protective father. I loved the beautiful role that music played in the story and in Julia and Henry's relationship, helping them both express their emotions and overcome some obstacles. The story of her aunt Millie unfolds layer by layer throughout the book and adds another dimension to the plot, giving a historical mystery for Julia and Henry to solve together, and lessons to learn from her life. Powerful themes of overcoming fear, the importance of family, and the power of love brought depth to this lovely story. Highly recommend!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions expressed are my own)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes historical and contemporary romance novels with grace, humor, and culture clashes. She’s a Blue Ridge Mountain native and an anglophile who enjoys combining her two loves to create memorable stories of hope. Pepper is also a mom of five, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of Jesus and chocolate. She resides in Asheville, North Carolina with her family.  

CONNECT: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive:

• print copy of Just The Way You Are (Pleasant Gap Romance #1)
• print copy of When You Look at Me (Pleasant Gap Romance #2)
• a plaque which says: Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life.... love comes along and brings you a fairy tale

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight October 22, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm October 29, 2018. Void where prohibited by law. US addresses only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Review: The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Love and Adventure Are Discovered on the Wilderness Road
 
In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas’s job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate’s inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas’s story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster?

My Review

I loved the expansive wilderness setting in this book and the various feelings it gave throughout the story- anticipation and adventure, trepidation and danger. I could relate to Kate as she shows her inexperience in the elements, but also her strength, determination, and grit. Like Thomas, I couldn't help but admire her lack of complaints and selfless attitude. Even though it takes a while for Thomas to warm up to her enough to spark a friendship, she doesn't go unnoticed. I enjoyed learning about his past as a former captive of the Indians and the unique perspective and skills it gave him. The journey begins with a slow but steady pace, but definitely picks up with action and conflict that draws Kate and Thomas closer together. I finished the book with a satisfied feeling, and I think it's a story that would be enjoyed by fans of Laura Frantz and Lori Benton. Highly recommend!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Check out the other books in the Daughters of the Mayflower series . . .

Book One

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean

Read my 3 star review here

Book Two

The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo - set 1725 New Orleans

 Read my 4 star review here

Book Three

The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep - set 1760 during the French and Indian War

Read my 5 star review here

Book Four

The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia 

Read my 4 star review here

Book Six

The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore 
(coming December 2018)

Special Blog Hop, Review & Giveaway: Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd

Welcome to  Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd Scavenger Blog Hunt with an awesome giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!  On each stop, there will be:

• special content by the blogger, plus
• a clue
• then head back to the launch post on JustRead or straight to the main crossword puzzle to fill in the words and get the special phrase to enter the  giveaway!

Before we begin, there's a bit about Lady of a Thousand Treasures. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Lady of a Thousand Treasures
Series: Victorian Ladies, Book 1
Author: Sandra Byrd
Publisher: Tyndale House
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical/Gothic Romance
Links: Goodreads

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.

TO PURCHASE A COPY*

Goodreads | Amazon | iTunes | Christian Book | Book Depository | Books-A-Million

MY REVIEW

4 stars / I really liked it

I loved all the amazing historical details in this story! It was fascinating to see how a middle class family interacted with the wealthy upper crust of society, accepting commissions and providing them with rare and valuable collectibles and antiques. Eleanor is in a highly unique position for a woman of her time, and I admired her perseverance under the pressures she is facing from all aspects of her life. While I found this book enjoyable to read, it sometimes felt like it would never end. Ellie's constant questioning of and wavering over Harry's character made it harder for me to connect with him, and while it provided a higher element of intrigue, it also detracted from the romance of the story until the very end. I felt quite a bit of anxiety and worry over Ellie's struggles and it seemed every time she would overcome one obstacle, another would surface, or multiple ones, until she is completely overwhelmed and in desperate circumstances. The societal politics of the collectors and procurers was forefront to the plot as Ellie works to save her uncle's company.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published fifty books.

Sandra's delighted to kick off her new historical romance series with Tyndale House Publishers, Victorian Ladies, with Lady of a Thousand Treasures. The three-book Victorian Ladies series follows her historically sound Gothic romances, Daughters of Hampshire, launched with the bestselling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor's Choice award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, was published in 2017. Check out her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2011, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012.

Sandra has published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist, with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions, and The One Year Experiencing God's Love Devotional.

Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.

CONTACT: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

SCAVENGER HUNT CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Instructions: Head to every stop on the tour to collect a word to finish the crossword puzzle. Hint: You might want to print out the crossword puzzle (link below) and enter it everyday to make it easier.

Crossword Board: https://crosswordlabs.com/view/lady-of-a-thousand-treasures-scavenger-hunt

Not a crossword puzzle fan? Just compile the clue words from each stop and enter it on the Rafflecopter entry.

This stop's CLUE is:  your

 

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive:

• a copy of Lady of a Thousand Treasures (print to US addresses OR ebook to international)
• Cork coaster set of the British Isles (US Only)
• "To The Lighthouse" diffuser made by Seawitch Candles in Cornwall, England. (US Only)
• $10 Amazon gift card (open international)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Entry form will be live on the 19th once all clues are revealed. Clues for giveaway will begin at midnight October 15, 2018. Entries are opened at midnight on October 19, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm October 22, 2018. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to stop on every stop on the Tour Schedule for all the clues to enter!

TOUR SCHEDULE

For the full tour schedule, click on either of the launch pages below.
(All stops expected to post by 12:00 NOON EST)

Launch Page at JustRead

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

 

Review & Giveaway: Night at the Opera by Stacy Henrie

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she’s sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped—and kissed. Surely he can’t be the irritating Avery Winfield, though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.

While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It’s a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.

My Review

I loved the characters in this book and the way the author brought them to life in a memorable setting. Gwen has her struggles and vulnerabilities, but her strong spirit and compassion for the less fortunate have given her purpose and the fortitude to allow her true self be known. I loved the way Avery doesn't pity her, and their banter is fun as they progress from thorns in each other's sides, to friends, to more. The spying activities that Avery pulls Gwen into bring an element of suspense, but I didn't get a sense of urgency or cunning from Avery. It was almost as if he expected the German spy to give himself up when confronted. I did like that there is a big focus on Gwen and her relationships, her feelings, and her inner journey. I appreciated that she didn't give up hope, and was determined to be helpful to the orphanages, especially ones that took in and provided for those with injuries and illnesses. I found it to be a lovely and compelling story!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

More American Heiress Books

Beneath an Italian Sky (April 2019)
Among Sand and Sunrise (October 2019)

Connect with Author Stacy Henrie

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Follow the Blog Tour

Oct. 15 - Books are Sanity / Heidi Reads...

Oct. 16 - Literary Time Out / Why Not? Because I Said So

Oct. 17 - Min Reads and Reviews / The Bibliophile Files

Oct. 18 - Katie’s Clean Book Collection / Getting Your Read On / My Book a Day

Oct. 19 - Singing Librarian Books / Wishful Endings

Giveaway

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