Sunday, June 21, 2020
Review, Special Offer & Giveaway: Living Scriptures Streaming
Book Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: Healing Their Hearts by Cleopatra Margot
Excerpt
With his back pressed snug up against the wall in the narrow hallway, Mark knocked on the door. “Lainee? I need you to respond to me. I won’t hurt you, I promise. My name is Mark. Remember me? Can you say something for me?”
The three-year-old remained silent. Mark tipped his head back against the ramshackle wall and sent up a silent prayer. So far, he wasn’t getting anywhere, and they’d arrived on the scene well over an hour ago.
A neighbor had reported that Steve was being belligerent, and Brenda had been spotted with a fresh purchase of booze. Though both had denied it, the last straw had been drawn, and that was the end of it.
Sweat trickled down his back because the house had no AC, and he was beginning to wonder if the child was even in her room like Steve and Brenda had insisted upon.
“510 to 512.” Braeden’s voice rang through the earpiece Mark wore. “The parents are in separate patrol cars and we’re about to head to the station. Any luck?”
Mark pressed his button and said quietly, “Not yet. I’m working on it.”
Braeden must’ve decided he didn’t need more info, because he didn’t say anything further. Mark rapped on the door again.
“Lainee, can you hear me?”
This time, Mark heard muffled crying. He swallowed past his strong distaste for Steve and Brenda Olson, then eased to his feet. The only option now was to open the door and pray to God he didn’t scare her.
Mark’s heart about broke when he stepped into the room, even though he’d seen it before. Filled with just a beat up bed and a couple tattered toys, this ill-kempt room wasn’t the place for a little girl to grow up.
Lainee was sitting in the corner, and Mark crossed and knelt a couple feet from her. “You’re safe now, okay? Can you come with me? I’ve got an apple down in my car, if you want some.”
Distrusting blue eyes met his. “Gone?”
The fact that she, at only three years of age, had to ask that about her own parents made Mark’s blood heat. “Yes. They’re gone. You’re safe now.”
About the Author
Blitz Giveaway
1 winner will receive an ebook of The Floods Came by Cleoptatra Margot
Ends June 25, 2020
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Blog Tour Grand Finale & Giveaway: Where the Road Bends by David Rawlings #WRBPrism
I honestly couldn’t put it down; I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to them."
The first hand thrust the caught cap onto a head of bouncing red curls. Bree Carter choked back tears as she flicked the tassel from her eyes. “I can’t believe it’s all over.”
Andy Summers grabbed his mortarboard and spun it between his fingers, his lithe forearm muscles rippling as the billowing gown’s sleeves fell away. “This moment has been so far away for years and now that it’s here, it doesn’t seem real.”
The ordeal started long before the police car ride back into civilization, the unexpected bookend to a reunion that had started days earlier. Their story—which they each thought to be unbelievable—turned out to be a variation of someone else’s. Except one, which went unspoken. That someone else should have been sitting in the empty chair, but the police had found no trace at all, save for a neat stack of rocks at their campsite.
He also poses the question of how we respond to the unexpected and unforeseen bends in the road in our lives. Do we adapt? Do we stall? Do we run and hope our problems don’t catch us? How we respond to life when it goes off rails is the mark of where our foundation of beliefs lies, and without a compass, we are often lost."
With an annoyed headshake, his attacker lumbered away with its strange, swaying gait. Halfway to the bushes it turned and headed straight for Andy’s backpack, nosed it open, and rummaged inside.
Eddie brushed past him. “Are you hungry, mate? Let’s grab some tucker, hey?”
Andy furrowed his brow. “Tucker?”
Eddie’s voice echoed from deep within the trailer. “Tucker. Food. We might have some spiders or bugs you can eat.”
Andy froze. He was starving, but there was no way he would be forced into that. He reached for the softened shape of the remaining Mars bar in his pocket. He hoped he wouldn’t have to make it last.
Eddie emerged from the trailer, his pearly white grin beamed through the fading afternoon light. “I thought so. I’m only winding you up because your mate said you’d be up for anything.”
In the middle of the path a long, black snake coiled back on itself. It appeared to be gathering energy to strike. At her.
Bree flushed cold in the heat as she froze. “Eddie?” Three more long syllables.
The snake eyed her from the path, the sun rippling from its dark-brown scales. Its head eased back into its body.
The foliage parted. “Don’t. Move.” Eddie stepped off the path and inched around the snake, his eyes not deviating from the threat. The snake sensed his movement and jerked back.
Eddie stepped in front of Bree and placed an arm across her, his voice flat. “I want you to take a step back. Slowly. He doesn’t like sudden movements.”
By David Rawlings
Christian Fiction
Hardcover, Audiobook & ebook, 304 Pages
June 2, 2020 by Thomas Nelson
Fifteen years after college graduation, four friends reconnect to keep a long-ago promise and go on a trip of a lifetime in the Australian Outback.
Eliza needs to disconnect from her high-powered fashion job to consider the CEO position she’s just been offered. Lincoln hopes to rekindle a past relationship and escape from another one. Bree looks forward to a fun getaway from home and her deeply buried disappointments. Andy wants to disappear from the mess he’s made of his life—possibly forever.
Dropped at a campsite in the middle of nowhere, the friends quickly discover they aren’t the same people they once were, and they begin to confront hard truths about one another—and themselves. Then a bizarre storm sweeps across their camp, scattering them across the desert. Wondering if they are part of some strange escape game, each of the friends meets a guide to help them find exactly what they need: purpose, healing, courage, and redemption.
But they’ve already traveled far down the road of life and course-correcting to become the people they were meant to be won’t be easy.
About the Author
David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father of three who loves humor and a clever turn of phrase. Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication. Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face.
One winner will receive a print copy of The Camera Never Lies by David Rawlings (US only)
Ends June 24, 2020
ENTER HERE
Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt
ABOUT THE BOOK
Author: Jessica Smartt
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: June 9, 2020
Genre: Christian Living/Parenting
As every parent hopes to raise kids with good manners and values, Jessica Smartt’s practical guide fills the gaps of uncertainty and provides tips on how parents can equip their children in purity, faith, and creativity.
Former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, especially with all the outside pressures and influence of the world. She struggled with how she could raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to utilize technology wisely.
Let Them Be Kids is Jessica’s offering of grace and confidence to moms, giving them practical ideas to meet these challenges. Her well-researched, tested methods, woven together with her personal stories and witty humor, deliver wisdom on the tough topics of life, such as
- family time vs. outside activities,
- being “cool” or not,
- boredom,
- technology usage
- sexual purity, and
- showing grace when kids disobey.
Let Them Be Kids helps moms feel confident and equipped with ways to provide a safe, healthy, Christ-centered childhood for their children. It leads them to conquer fear and find truth that transforms them and their families as it reminds them how to enjoy and cherish the special memory-making moments of building family values together.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook
Most of us are not raising children who carry a past with profound levels of trauma. (Although some of us are, and to those of you, I say a prayer that you feel the strength for this incredible job. You have my deep respect.) But while many of us are not raising children who experienced complex trauma, none of us have unvarnished children with perfect habits.
We have children for whom we wish we could do this differently or that differently. We have kids who have seen things we wish they hadn’t seen or know things we wish they didn’t know. We have kids who have developed habits we wish they hadn’t developed. We may be tempted to feel we are reading some of this too late to help.
Thankfully, this is not true.
Even if you are reading this as a thirtysomething grown-up, it is not too late for you to change. It is not too late for you to have adventures, to break unhealthy technology habits, to resurrect play and imagination, to return balance and manners and faith to your life. And if it is not too late for you, it is certainly not too late for them.
This is because three things are true.
1. We can learn, or relearn, how to enjoy simple pleasures.
2. We can build new habits.
3. Innocence can be restored.
For instance, kids who have been addicted to video games can become unaddicted and instead learn to love being outside. Kids who never enjoyed children’s classics such as Little House on the Prairie or The Boxcar Children can learn to read them and enjoy them. Even kids who don’t have grit or manners can learn
either—or both.
There is hope for childhood. Not in the abstract, blank slate of future children but in your children, the ones in your home.
As you read, promise me that you will not lose hope. The virtues you read about here are powerful and real and worth fighting to regain. Do not despair. Change is possible.
Taken from “Let Them Be Kids” by Jessica Smartt. Copyright 2020 by Jessica Smartt. Used with permission from www.thomasnelson.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Book Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Where the Road Bends by David Rawlings #WRBPrism
By David Rawlings
Christian Fiction
Hardcover, Audiobook & ebook, 304 Pages
June 2, 2020 by Thomas Nelson
Fifteen years after college graduation, four friends reconnect to keep a long-ago promise and go on a trip of a lifetime in the Australian Outback.
Eliza needs to disconnect from her high-powered fashion job to consider the CEO position she’s just been offered. Lincoln hopes to rekindle a past relationship and escape from another one. Bree looks forward to a fun getaway from home and her deeply buried disappointments. Andy wants to disappear from the mess he’s made of his life—possibly forever.
Dropped at a campsite in the middle of nowhere, the friends quickly discover they aren’t the same people they once were, and they begin to confront hard truths about one another—and themselves. Then a bizarre storm sweeps across their camp, scattering them across the desert. Wondering if they are part of some strange escape game, each of the friends meets a guide to help them find exactly what they need: purpose, healing, courage, and redemption.
But they’ve already traveled far down the road of life and course-correcting to become the people they were meant to be won’t be easy.
Andy circled the floor of the crater, checking for critters. Nothing but dirt and spinifex. He slogged his way through soft sand as he climbed to the crater’s lip, his thighs screaming with the unfamiliar exertion. He pulled himself over the lip and doubled over to regain his breath in the blustery wind. Their vehicle was the only sign of civilization anywhere in this landscape. In the distance graying clouds lit distant hills in burgundy and purple, and a roiling storm brewed on the horizon.
Eddie brushed past him. “Are you hungry, mate? Let’s grab some tucker, hey?”
Andy furrowed his brow. “Tucker?”
Eddie’s voice echoed from deep within the trailer. “Tucker. Food. We might have some spiders or bugs you can eat.”
Andy froze. He was starving, but there was no way he would be forced into that. He reached for the softened shape of the remaining Mars bar in his pocket. He hoped he wouldn’t have to make it last.
Eddie emerged from the trailer, his pearly white grin beamed through the fading afternoon light. “I thought so. I’m only winding you up because your mate said you’d be up for anything.”
Lincoln. Andy grunted in frustration. “Are we going to do anything dangerous?”
Eddie’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “We’ve got some surprises up our sleeves but don’t worry, we’ll look after ya.”
Another flash of lightning, this time closer. “Are we about to get some rain? I didn’t think it rained in the outback.”
Eddie shrugged. “We still get rain, just not as often and not as much, but if it does we’ll sure know about it.”
“Is there any phone coverage out here?”
Eddie shook his head. “Nah, mate. Only our satellite phone. That’s what I said to Eliza over there. If you wanted to disappear for a while, this is where you’d go.” He shouldered a hefty bag of supplies and disappeared over the crater’s edge.
Andy cast a nervous eye toward the bright flashes peppering the hills. He breathed deep as he checked over both shoulders. Alone. He reached into his pocket and held his cell phone aloft, his eyes jammed shut against the messages he was sure he would get. He switched it on, but his phone stayed silent. His eyes drifted to the top corner of the screen. His heart leaped at the two words he desperately wanted to see: No Service.
Fourteen messages had flooded his phone when he switched it on at the airport. He thumbed them open and deleted them all, a growing sense of power flushing back through him, a sense of control over his destiny. It had been far too long.
He stared at the landscape and the flashes that were edging closer. They could come as close as they wanted. Those who were after him couldn’t.
From Where the Road Bends by David Rawlings. Used with the permission of the publisher, Thomas Nelson. Copyright © 2020 by David Rawlings. Learn more at TNZ Fiction.
David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father of three who loves humor and a clever turn of phrase. Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication. Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face.
One winner will receive a print copy of The Camera Never Lies by David Rawlings (US only)
Ends June 24, 2020
ENTER HERE
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Review: The Heart of a Hero by Susan May Warren
Jake Silver may not be able to put the memories of his time as a sniper and Navy SEAL behind him, but at least he can put his skills to use as a part of the Jones Inc. rescue team. Saving the life of pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Aria Sinclair on Denali helped too. Now he can't get her out of his head, and when he hears she is in the path of a hurricane down in Key West he can't help but jump on a plane to rescue her.
Aria has dedicated her life to helping children born with defective hearts. After all, she was one of those children. Now driven to succeed, she lives a lonely, stressful life. One she would have lost on Denali if it hadn't been for Jake. Jake is exciting and handsome, but he's also dangerous, and she's already lost one person she loves. She can't bear it again.
It's not until she finds herself trapped in the middle of a category 4 hurricane that she can admit she needs Jake desperately. With their very survival in the balance, can they hope for a second chance at life . . . and love?
My Review
This second book in the Global Search and Rescue series picks up where the first one leaves off, with a continuation of Jake and Aria's new and undefined relationship, the appearance of Ham's secret daughter, and the search for answers to his wife's mysterious disappearance. It would definitely help to read The Way of the Brave first, to get to know Jake and Aria since their story begins there as a subplot. While the first book left me feeling frigid from the snowy mountain setting, The Heart of a Hero took us to tropical Florida, but no less dangerous with a hurricane devastating the area. Aria is dealing with her regrets from the mountain climbing trip and her continued attraction to Jake, who seems all wrong for her (but of course he's just what she needs). Jake is drawn to Aria and her compassionate way of drawing out his deeper feelings that he's struggling with. They each have issues with their past that involve siblings, and I loved that even though they are both uncertain and vulnerable with their feelings for each other, they still provide support and encouragement for each other as they work through their emotions. Others that they have rescued also provide inspiration with the themes of forgiveness and being enough, and Mimi was a favorite. The chapters from Ham's perspective were more difficult for me because they dealt with past missions and flashbacks from his early relationship with Signe, but I always felt like I didn't quite understand what was going on. He was a source of spiritual strength for his friends in the first book, but in this one he seemed more lost. I'm looking forward to his story being featured in the next book. Overall, this book provides the author's trademark adventure, romance, and inspiration with complex characters that you can't help but root for.
Monday, June 15, 2020
Review & Giveaway: Flying in Love by Chalon Linton
Will Paige decide to share her heart or fly solo?
Paige Hall’s happy ending may just be in sight. She has been dating her boyfriend for months and feels confident their relationship is going in the right direction—until she catches him kissing another woman. Humiliated and hurt, Paige retreats from the dating scene and pledges to never fall hard again as she throws herself into her work as a speech therapist. Her vow is upended in a grocery store parking lot when she is nearly run over by a handsome and very apologetic air force pilot.
Captain Jake Summers is everything a girl could dream of: charming, considerate, and hardworking. Despite Paige’s determination to avoid falling into another relationship, her resolve is no match for the whirlwind romance that ensues. When Jake is not flying, he and Paige are inseparable, and Paige begins to believe in happily ever afters again. But when the couple faces a heartrending loss, they must find strength in each other and in their faith or risk losing a once-in-a-lifetime love.
My Review
I was thrilled to learn that one of my favorite Regency authors was writing a contemporary romance since I love both genres. I knew that with the author's background as a military wife, we would get an authentic story with details that really bring depth. I was not disappointed! Paige and Jake are great together, even with their flaws and mistakes, and I loved seeing how they not only fell in love, but overcame obstacles and supported each other. The tone of the book is definitely emotional and I was able to easily connect to the characters. The California setting was so fun since I live in San Diego, and it was easy to picture them in their environment. There are strong themes of insecurity, trust, family dynamics, and having a relationship with God. I loved that there was a faith element to the story that was tastefully done- no heavy preaching, but genuine and sincere. I'm excited for more sweet contemporary romance from this author... as well as her historicals!
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Review: Tomorrow's Shining Dream by Naomi Rawlings
She needs to learn how to flirt. He needs to forget she exists. Then she asks him for help finding a husband… What could possibly go wrong?
Charlotte Westin has always been more comfortable in a saddle than a ballroom. That wouldn’t be a problem, except her father owns the largest ranch in Texas—and he insists she marry a wealthy city-slicker worthy of a cattle baron’s daughter. There might be someone out there who’d love her for who she is instead of her money, but she’s been fooled by a sweet talker before, and her family is still suffering because of it.
With an old friend-turned-enemy returning to town and cattle rustlers running roughshod over the county, Sheriff Daniel Harding knows the last thing he should be thinking about is a woman… especially the one woman he’ll never be able to marry. Then Charlotte Westin asks for his help, and Daniel can’t refuse. Until he finds out exactly what she wants…
When Charlotte comes to Daniel with a plan to find herself a husband, Daniel is forced to face his feelings for her—as well as some past mistakes of his own. But as the rustlers grow more dangerous, Charlotte’s father takes drastic steps to engage her to a man she doesn’t love. And Charlotte and Daniel soon find themselves caught between the burdens from their pasts and others’ expectations. Will they let their past choices ruin their dreams? Or will Charlotte and Daniel embrace God’s forgiveness and forge a happy future for themselves?
From jagged mountains and green river valleys, to cattle ranches and vivid sunsets, Tomorrow’s Shining Dream offers a meaningful story about simpler times, sincere faith, and unfailing love.
My Review
Charlotte and Daniel have a good friendship, but his hidden feelings for her and her embarrassment over her recent indiscretion make their interactions awkward. Charlotte is full of self-doubt after misjudging her last beau and being betrayed by him, resulting in her father's cattle being stolen. I appreciated that Daniel respected her even when she didn't respect herself, and encouraged her to share her pain with her family. Sometimes when we do something wrong we think pretending it never happened will make the guilt go away, but it just compounds over time. Charlotte thinks that doing what her father wants and marrying the man of his choosing will solve her problems, but finds herself more lost than ever. Daniel is in over his head with cattle being rustled from all the ranches in the area, and the pressure mounts when the Rangers finally show up to get the job done. I was surprised there was bad blood between Daniel and his friend from childhood, and they have difficulty working together and trusting each other to catch the thieves. Sam and Ellie from the previous book brought some much needed light into an angst-ridden story, but I would have liked more of a balance. The themes of forgiveness are strong as Daniel learns that there is more to the past than he knew, and Charlotte realizes that forgiving herself and allowing her family to forgive her brought peace and the answers they were looking for.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Review: Rocky Mountain Redemption by Lisa J. Flickinger
A Rocky Mountain logging camp may be just the place to find herself.
To escape the devastation caused by the breaking of her wedding engagement, Isabelle Franklin joins her aunt in the Rocky Mountains to feed a camp of lumberjacks cutting on the slopes of Cougar Ridge. If only she could out run the lingering nightmares.
Charles Bailey, camp foreman and Stony Creek's itinerant pastor, develops a reputation to match his new nickname — Preach. However, an inner battle ensues when the details of his rough history threaten to overcome the beliefs of his young faith.
Amid the hazards of camp life, the unlikely friendship growing between the two surprises Isabelle. She's drawn to Preach's brute strength and gentle nature as he leads the ragtag crew toiling for Pollitt's Lumber. But when the ghosts from her past return to haunt her, the choices she will make change the course of her life forever—and that of the man she's come to love.
My Review
I usually love the setting of a lumber camp for a good romance, but sadly this one fell flat for me. It has a promising start with the characters, and Isabelle's hidden presence at the camp began the story with a sense of intrigue. The friendship between Preach and Isabelle doesn't have much time to develop before the angst and drama sets in and hijacks the plot. So much of the story involves the aftermath of Isabelle's rape and how she was unprepared to handle it, leading to poor decisions and bad blood between her and her family. Preach was also unprepared to handle the news of the "tainted" past of the girl he puts on a pedestal in his mind. He has a past himself full of carousing, so his quick judgement felt hypocritical, especially when he jumped to conclusions and didn't even consider there might be more to the story. I don't expect the characters to be without flaws, but it prevented me from trusting his sincerity for the rest of the book. The conflict of the story was propelled forward by assumptions, and by the middle of the book I didn't find it enjoyable to read.