Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Dedicated to the One I Love by Beth K. Vogt

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Dedicated to the One I Love by Beth K. Vogt, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Dedicated to the One I Love 
Author: Beth K. Vogt
Publisher: White Glove
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance

She doesn’t believe in love anymore. He doesn’t either.  

They’re perfect for each other. 

Beloved romance novelist Kylie Franklin walked away from her pen-name career as bestselling and award-winning Veronica Hollins the day her husband died. Her loyal readers are eager for the final book in her sensational series. But Kylie’s given up on love, both fictional and in real life. Behind her back, Kylie’s agent contrives a way to get her writing again. 

Joe Edwards has made a name for himself with his popular military suspense novels under the pen name Tate Merrick. Yet he can’t quite break onto the bestseller list. What his books need, his publisher suggests, is some romance. Joe flat refuses. However, his publisher is determined and hires Veronica Hollins to save the day—and his career. 

Veronica and Tate quickly realize they’re Kylie and Joe, good friends who connected online via a popular word game and their mutual love of trivia. Surely they can wrangle their alter egos into this literary collaboration. But as the deadline looms, their differences threaten the romance developing off the page.  

From a Christy Award-winning author comes this charming mash-up of hidden identities, literary tug of war, and falling in love when you least expect it.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

 

Excerpt

This was one of the reasons Joe liked having Liza as his literary agent. Talking to her was like talking to his sister—and that was one of the best compliments he could ever give Liza. His favorite person in his family was his younger sister, Abbie, not that he would ever admit that to his mom.

He bit into the sub, savoring the smoky, mildly spicy bite of ham, mortadella, capicola, and provolone cheese topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and just the right amount of mayo and olive oil.

“Tell me the good news already.” Joe took a swig of water as he carried his phone and the remainder of the sub to his favorite chair in the living room, stretching out to continue the conversation. For Liza’s sake, when he turned on the flat-screen TV, he kept it on mute, only paying partial attention to whatever sports show was on ESPN. “They loved the manuscript, right?”

“Not exactly, Joe.”

“Wha—?” He choked on the wad of bread, cold cuts, and cheese. Sat up. Coughed. Wheezed.

“You okay?”

Joe grabbed the water bottle and took small sips. “What do you mean ‘not exactly’?”

“You know sales for your last three books have slipped.”

“Every author I know has struggled with sales numbers this past year.” Joe gulped more water. “Well, except for that romance writer who hasn’t even had a book out in the last few years . . .what’s her name?”

“Veronica Hollins?”

“That’s the one. But she can probably live off the royalties of her last two books alone for the rest of her life.”

“It’s interesting you mentioned Veronica Hollins.”

“Because?”

“After reading your manuscript, the editors suggested you should add more romance to the story.”

“There’s romance in the story, Liza.”

“Barely. No one holds hands. No kisses. It’s elementary school romance. You could cut the sexual tension with dental floss.”

 

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About the Author

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She’s authored 15 novels and novellas, both contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Beth is a Christy Award winner, an ACFW Carol Award winner, and a  RITA® finalist. Her newest contemporary romance novel, Dedicated to the One I Love, releases June 20, 2023. Her novel Things I Never Told You, book one in her Thatcher Sisters Series by Tyndale House Publishers, won the 2019 AWSA Golden Scroll Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people.

Connect with Beth by visiting bethvogt.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $50 Etsy Gift Card, a print copy of Dedicated to the One I Love, a box of typewriter themed gift note cards, Novel Teas Book Lover Teas, and a 24 oz insulated Tervis Floral Tumbler!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 19, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 26, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

Review: Things I Never Told You by Beth K. Vogt

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

It's been ten years since Payton Thatcher's twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine--as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm's length.

But with her middle sister Jillian's engagement, Payton's party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian's plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

My Review

This wasn't as difficult of a book to read as I had imagined. It deals with sisters, loss, and grief, but it focuses more on the process of healing that they go through- not only with their grief but also their fractured relationships. There was an underlying sense of change and turning towards something new, even when some of the characters felt helpless or hopeless. Payton had an authentic voice, and her part of the story is told in first person, so I would consider her the main character. We also see some third person point of view from Jillian, the sister diagnosed with cancer, and Zach, the acquaintance from high school that is seeking to make things right with Pepper's death. The journey is heartfelt but never corny or cliche. The dynamics of the sisters' relationship is forefront in the plot as they are brought together and undergo a little pressure cooking from wedding planning, the cancer, memories of Pepper, and the holidays. I appreciated that part of the change in the end involved forgiveness and choices to try harder and allow a new dynamic to form. One of my favorite quotes from the book came from Jillian's thoughts: 

"Could things be changing between her and Johanna and Payton? Shifting so they could have better- more respectful- communication? Learn to accept one another as adults, not just continue to react to each other the way they had growing up?"

Also this from Pepper: "Sometimes you just have to forget all the other stuff and remember we're sisters."

I'm glad that I read this book as it prompted me to examine the relationships I have with my own sisters and think of ways I can be a better sister and friend. And that's what really good books do ;)

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

Review: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Wedding bells and storm clouds collide in the first engaging novel in a brand-new series about destination weddings, the power of love, and the possible mishaps and missteps that happen on a couple’s journey down the aisle to “I do.”

Paramedic Vanessa Hollister has put her adolescence behind her, including the unwanted label of being the new kid in town over and over again, thanks to her father’s military career. She’s overcome what her mother called “the biggest mistake of her life” and is planning an elegant destination wedding in Destin, Florida with her new fiancé. But will the reappearance of her first husband from her what-were-you-thinking teenage elopement disrupt her dream of an idyllic beach wedding?

As a professional storm chaser, Logan Hollister is used to taking risks. However, a reckless decision during the last tornado season has him questioning the future of his team, the Stormmeisters. Coming face to face with his ex-wife eight years after their divorce compels him to confront his greatest regret: losing Vanessa. Does their past give him the right to interfere with her future?

A fast-moving, powerful hurricane throws Vanessa and Logan together as they evacuate to a storm shelter along with other residents of the Florida Gulf Coast. Forced to spend time together, the pair battles unexpected renewed feelings for each other.

Vanessa and Logan are faced with a choice: Should they accept, once and for all, their teenage marital mistake? Or is God offering them a second chance at happily ever after?

My Review

My husband wants to be a storm chaser when he grows up. Thankfully, we live in California and he is a teacher... for now :) Vanessa and Logan are both in periods of transition when they unexpectedly reconnect. The perilous circumstances heighten the emotion and while they struggle in the here and now, several flashbacks share the sweetness of their love story and the tragedy when it went wrong. The book started out kind of slow for me with Vanessa an Ted planning their wedding, but it effectively contrasted with the energy of Vanessa and Logan's relationship once their paths collided. There is plenty of angst as Logan is filled with regret and seeking for a second chance, only to be shut down repeatedly by Vanessa. I had a hard time with how she felt their problems were Logan's fault, yet the flashbacks show how her refusal to communicate or compromise contributed to the disintegration as well. She does relent to spend some time with Logan, but instead of closure, their deep feelings are reawakened. The last part of the book moved in a direction I didn't anticipate, and it was interesting to see how things were resolved. The secondary cast of characters was well-rounded with Vanessa's high school friend Mindy (who was great), some elderly neighbors, parents, siblings, and Logan's storm chasing team members. Each served to help Vanessa and Logan in their pursuit to follow God's plan for their lives and find peace.

(Thank you to Howard Books and Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

About the Author

Beth K. Vogt believes God's best often waits behind the doors marked "Never." A 2015 RITA® Finalist and a 2014 Carol Award finalist, Beth is a contemporary romance novelist with Howard Books. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher's Weekly's Best Books of 2014. In 2015 she introduced her destination wedding series with both an e-novella, Can't Buy Me Love, (May) and a novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (June).

Visit Beth online:   

Website

Facebook

Twitter

High Summer Read-a-thon

I'm excited to be participating in the High Summer Read-a-thon this week! Here are the books I'm planning on reading...

 

Review: Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

In this beautifully rendered, affecting novel, a young widow’s world is shattered when she meets her late husband’s identical twin—and finds herself caught between honoring her husband’s memory and falling in love with his reflection. Haley’s whirlwind romance and almost three-year marriage to Sam, an army medic, ends tragically when he is killed in Afghanistan. As she grapples with widowhood and the upcoming birth of her son, her attempts to create a new life for herself are ambushed when she arrives home one evening—and finds her husband waiting for her. Did the military make an unimaginable mistake when they told her that Sam had been killed?

After a twelve-year estrangement, Stephen hopes to make things right with his brother—only to discover Sam died without revealing Stephen’s existence to Haley. As Haley and Stephen struggle to navigate their fragile relationship, they are inexorably drawn to each other. Haley is unnerved by Stephen’s uncanny resemblance to Sam, and Stephen struggles with the issue of Haley loving him as Stephen—and not as some reflection of his twin. How can Haley and Stephen honor the memory of a man whose death brought them together—and whose ghost could drive them apart?

Somebody Like You reminds us that while we can’t change the past, we have the choice—and the power through God—to change the future and start anew.

My Review

The theme of grief is the front and center theme of this novel. It's not depressing, though, I was touched more than anything. Even with the unique plot, the characters and their interactions with each other felt very realistic. Haley and Stephen both explore their regrets with their relationship with Sam and life up to the point they are at, since they are both at a crossroads. The writing is sweet and tender, raw and real. A perfect balance between hurt, healing, and hope. Highly recommend.

(Thank you to Howard Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

Review: A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Sadie McAllister’s clients know how lucky they are to have her: an ultra-fastidious personal chef who leaves behind a spotless kitchen and a week’s worth of mouth-watering meals.

Erik Davis, her best friend since middle school, is content to enjoy Sadie’s culinary skills too while maintaining their “friends only” status. Most of his energy is focused on his just-launched freelance business and casual dates that never come close to a commitment.

But when Sadie is offered a once-in-a-lifetime cooking job across country, Erik realizes maybe he’s taken his best friend for granted. Even more, he’s about to lose his only chance for lasting love.

How can Erik convince Sadie that the well-known adage “Marry your best friend” just might apply to them? With God’s help, can they both move past their assumptions about each other and their future? Should Sadie and Erik risk taking their relationship to the romantic point of no return? If they do, their decades-long friendship is as a good as done . . . unless it ends at the altar.

My Review

The friendship and banter between the main characters in this novella was fun to read. It was interesting to see how complicated it can be moving from a platonic to romantic relationship- the missteps and miscommunication, the hesitance and apprehension. Even though Sadie and Erik aren't always on the same page, they eventually get there and sparks fly!

(Thank you to Zondervan Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)