Thursday, February 28, 2019

#RomanceIsInTheAir - Author G.G. Vandagriff, Sale & Giveaway

 




  

 Rescuing Rosalind by G.G. Vandagriff  

#1 Amazon Bestseller in Regency romance 

"Prolific author G.G. Vandagriff creates a world full of intrigue, suspense, and romance that fans of the Regency Period will adore. Vandagriff writes in a style reminiscent of Georgette Heyer."--Deseret News. 

When frigate Captain Buckingham Kernow-Smith encounters a sprite in a topiary garden he pulls off her stocking cap, revealing the character of “Rosalind” from As You Like It, played, in this case, by the appealing Fanny Edwards. Three years pass. The War over, Buck encounters his Rosalind at a ball, where she has developed into a notable beauty. However, her guardian confides to him that she is dancing on the very edge of propriety. Buck, who has been fighting the French since he was twelve, also finds the ton confining and sympathizes with Fanny/Rosalind’s plight as a properly reared young lady. Together, they make a dangerous pair, toeing the line between propriety and scandal. When they push their fun too far, Fanny faces ruin and the demimonde. Will Buck confide his own secrets and overcome his life-long aversion to marriage? Can there be a happily ever after for someone as headstrong and impetuous as Fanny?

    




 

"Vandagriff's Regency Austen-esque romance is perfect for any reader who loves a good old-fashioned romance and can enoy the journey of two people learning not to fear love while learning how to have faith in each other." --Deseret News 

"Regency Romance in the style of Austen and Heyer. Love as it's meant to be written." --InDtale Magazine 

"Another Regency delight from G.G. Vandagriff!" --Meridian Magazine 


 


   




  

Chapter One
 
It had been many years since Captain Buckingham Kernow-Charles, Marquis of Deal, had strolled in the formal Ruisdell Palace gardens. The topiary animals that had so delighted him when he was twelve were now rendered even more magical by a frosting of snow. The last time he had seen them was that summer before he first went to sea. The giraffe, the boar, the jaguar, and . . . what was that?
Before him in the freezing mist appeared a slender, small youth dressed in tights, a belted tunic, and a comical hat that resembled nothing so much as a blue and red striped stocking.
 
“Marry, kind sir, how com’st thou here?”
 
He blinked his eyes, but the youth remained. His comely, almost feminine features had a puzzled look. Upon closer inspection, Buck saw signs of a bosom and smothered a grin.
 
“I am a guest of the duke. My name is Captain Kernow-Charles,” he said, forgetting his new title.
 
The apparition bowed from the waist. “And I, kind sir, am Gannymede. Welcome to the Forest of Arden.”
 
Buck’s forehead bunched in a frown. Gannymede? Shakespeare? As You Like It? Striding forward, he took hold of the end of the stocking hat and pulled. Out tumbled waves of thick auburn hair, descending to Gannymede’s waist.
 
“Thou art Rosalind, I think?”
 
“Thou dost not play fair, sir.”
 
He chuckled. “You are, quite obviously, a girl. Your disguise was futile. Does your mother know you are cavorting about dressed as a boy, boldly addressing strangers?”
 
“Rosalind” blushed a fiery red that clashed with her bounteous hair. “My mother is nothing to do with you, sir. She lives in Shropshire. I am sister to the duchess and may do as I please.”
 
“How old are you?” he asked with the sternness for which he was known aboard ship.
 
“I do not see that that is any of your business, sir.” Her eyes, an unusual shade of turquoise, snapped with annoyance.
 
“You may address me as Captain. My guess places you at sixteen. Am I wrong?”
 
“Quite wrong, Captain. I am to make my curtsey to the Queen in the spring. I am a great many months older than seventeen.”
 
He saw that she was beginning to shiver in her scant clothing.
 
“It is too cold for you to be out in this weather dressed as you are. Come back to the house.”
 
Looking mulish, she said, “I am not cold. Besides which, I am meeting Jacques.”
 
“If I know Jacques, he will not come out in such weather.”
 
“He wishes to write a poem about it.”
 
“A lament, you mean.”
 
“Possibly. May I say, you are quite overbearing, Captain? But at least you know your Shakespeare.” 




   

Author G.G. Vandagriff 


G.G. Vandagriff is an Amazon #1 best selling author of Regency romance, however she has recently begun a Romantic Suspense series starting with the publication of Breaking News It surrounds the events in a Chicago TV station's investigative journalism unit and is lots of fun. Her first novel The Last Waltz, the first novel in her 20th Century Historical Romance Series won the Whitney Award for Best Historical Novel in 2009. There are now two more books in that series--Exile and Defiance. Her thirteen Regencies have been lauded by critics and compared to the witty novels of Georgette Heyer. She has also written a lively genealogical mystery series featuring Briggie and Alex, two wacky widows, as sleuths. Alex is in her thirties, Briggie in her sixties, and both have plenty of romance in their lives. Vandagriff graduated from Stanford and received her master's degree from George Washington University. She worked as an associate editor at Stanford's Hoover Institution, an assistant treasurer in the Harvard Treasurer's office, a bond analyst at Fidelity Investments, and an international banker for Continental Illinois National Bank (later acquired by Bank of America). She and her husband David are the parents of three children and seven grandchildren, her greatest joys in life. Her favorite novel? Jane Eyre. She also loves Florence, Sundance Resort, Cubs baseball, hot chocolate, lilacs, and dachshunds.


   




  

https://amzn.to/2EEJGAu
   


 
  

   

Giveaway Details $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 3/19/19 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  





Review: 100 Extraordinary Stories for Courageous Girls: Unforgettable Tales of Women of Faith by Jean Fischer


Heidi Reads... 100 Extraordinary Stories for Courageous Girls: Unforgettable Tales of Women of Faith by Jean Fischer

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

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Synopsis

Girls are world-changers! And this deeply inspiring storybook proves it!

Just for the girls in your life, ages 8 and up, this collection of 100 extraordinary stories of women of faith--from the Bible, history, and today--will empower them to know and understand how women have made a difference in the world and how much smaller our faith (and the biblical record) would be without them. Featuring full-page, colorful illustrations alongside the true stories of amazing women like Lydia, Naomi, Rahab, Rebekah, Jane Austen, Corrie ten Boom, Bethany Hamilton, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, and dozens more, the stories of these 100 women will encourage and inspire girls to become the world-changers God created them to be!


My Review

This book is a treasure! I love the high quality binding with ribbon bookmark, the thick pages, and the beautiful illustrations. There is one page of text for each story, and I was impressed with the easy conversational tone to the storytelling, making it easy for young girls to relate to the iconic women they are learning about. It is so important for them to have heroes and heroines to look up to and emulate, and this book is chock full of them, from several eras in history and across a wide variety of cultures. I loved the apt inspirational Bible quotes for each woman that encourages and further helps apply the scriptures to the reader. There is a table on contents at the beginning, making it easy to find a particular person since they are presented in no particular type of order. I believe this would make a lovely gift for a young woman from ages 8 to 18. Highly recommend!

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


Review & Giveaway: A Monumental Love by Susan Alyworth


Heidi Reads... A Monumental Love by Susan Alyworth

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

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A Monumental Love is FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!

Synopsis

Roxelle McCann is eager to meet the family of her best friend, so she takes a mini-vacation to the Navajo Nation. Roxelle expects to find out more about Navajo language and customs and to be awed by the beauty of Monument Valley. She does not expect to find love among the monuments. The man she meets offers both a surprising possible future and a tender reminder of the past.

My Review

I appreciated the unusual setting in this novella of a remote Indian reservation. It was interesting and Roxelle was respectful of the heritage and culture of her friend. Roxelle had a rough childhood but it helped her bond with her roommate and they became unlikely best friends. I liked that Roxelle worked hard and has a bright future ahead of her, but she really dwelt on the past and how it shaped her. After a bit of a mix up, she has a wonderful encounter with someone she admired from afar, and I enjoyed seeing them get reacquainted. I would have liked to see more conversations and scenes as their relationship deepened. Even though it looks like they will have to sacrifice their dreams in order to be together, everything works out in the end. A sweet love story!

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


About the author

Susan Aylworth loves books, poems, plays, words in almost all polite forms, and good raspberry 
jam. Her first book, started when she was nine, "was a rip-off of Black Beauty. I wrote eight 
whole pages." For her fifth grade career day, she stated her ambition to become "a rich and famous 
author." Decades later, she is pleased to have achieved the 'author' part of that goal.

A former university professor, she enjoys researching backgrounds and careers for her novels. "It's 
one way to live many lives all at once." Servant to two spoiled cats, she lives in northern California 
with her writer husband, Roger. She wishes the kids would visit more often.

Susan loves "travel, great music, and hearing from readers." Reach her at 
susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com, post on her wall at:
www.facebook.com/Susan.Aylworth.Author or follow her @SusanAylworth. "If you enjoy my 
books, please tell everyone you know: friends, relatives, neighbors, the person who delivers your 
mail, people you meet in line in the grocery store, everyone!" She welcomes ideas for new books 
and characters.





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Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard


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Welcome to the Blog Tour for Never Let Go, the first book in the Uncommon Justice series by Elizabeth Goddard with JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

9780800729844Title: Never Let Go 
Series: Uncommon Justice #1  
Author: Elizabeth Goddard 
Publisher: Revell 
Genre: Romantic Suspense  
Release Date: February 5, 2019
  
The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up.

Forensic genealogist Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from a hospital more than twenty years ago. When someone makes an attempt on Willow's life to keep her from discovering the truth, help will come from an unexpected source.

Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget--and put Willow's tender heart at risk.






ABOUT THE AUTHOR

17059 
Photo Credit: Emilie Hendryx 

Elizabeth Goddard is the bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the Carol Award–winning The Camera Never Lies. Her Mountain Cove series books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Awards and the Carol Awards. Goddard is a seventh-generation Texan and can be found online at www.elizabethgoddard.com.  

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR: website | facebook | twitter | instagram | pinterest
 


GIVEAWAY

never let go giveaway

(2) winners will win a copy of Never Let Go & swag from the publisher, Revell.

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule at JustRead Tours. Giveaway will begin at midnight February 21, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on March 3, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Due to shipping costs, only US mailing addresses valid. For our giveaway rules and policies, click HERE.



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

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Review: Pathways by Camille Peters


Heidi Reads... Pathways by Camille Peters

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

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Synopsis

Eileen has never been interested in love. Ever since her father's abandonment, she's vowed to never experience such pain again. But the enchanted forest has different ideas. When the continuously shifting pathways lead her to a mysterious stranger, Eileen finds her promise to fiercely guard her heart increasingly difficult to keep.

One night when she becomes lost in a storm, the enchanted forest's pathways lead her to the castle, home to the kingdom's Dark Prince, where Eileen finds herself entangled in what many consider an opportunity but which Eileen believes to be a curse: competing for the Dark Prince’s hand through a series of tests that judge one’s royal worth. Eileen is neither royal nor interested in becoming a princess. But the mysterious stranger she met in the woods has his own reasons for helping her succeed, although the cost of his assistance may be too high: that of Eileen's heart, the one thing she's vowed never to give.

Inspired by “The Princess and the Pea” and "Rumpelstiltskin"


My Review

I enjoy a good fantasy now and then, and I'm always up for a fairy tale retelling. I enjoyed the world building in this one, especially the enchanted forest which had its own personality. Eileen is a peasant living with her mother (never did figure out how they supported themselves) who spends all her time wandering, drawing, gossiping with her starry-eyed friend, and angsting over her father's disappearance. I thought her attitude and assumptions about his fate were immature, but this is a YA novel after all. Her meet up in the forest with Aiden was awkward and I was surprised at how quickly they went from fear to antagonistic mistrust to lovers for no apparent reason. I prefer the getting to know each other and falling in love parts to last longer! The whim of the forest is the impetus for sending Eileen into the castle to further the plot, and she's caught up in the princess test with the assistance of Aiden. His selfish reasons for withholding the truth from Eileen were flimsy and obviously backfired, but true love conquers all. I have to admit that the story was just unique enough to keep me reading, and the characters were likeable (even when I was frustrated with them), and it also had a nice secondary cast. Overall, I had my issues, but it was still a pleasant read!

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


Review: Abigail by Jess Heileman


Heidi Reads... Abigail by Jess Heileman

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

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Synopsis

Since the death of her mother, Abigail Blakeslee has lost all desire to become a debutante and enter Society. But now, foregoing her first Season has brought an unwanted invitation to join her aunt and cousins for a summer at Timpton House, the large estate of the Stanton family.

Reluctantly accepting, Abigail is thrust into the vexing world of social propriety and matchmaking she had hoped to avoid. More vexing still is her cousin’s suitor, the young Timpton heir—Edwin Stanton. Moody and distant at times, remarkably endearing at others, Edwin seems a puzzle she can never solve, but can never quite put away. Bet then, Abigail has her own secret to hide—her own mystery to conceal. Perhaps such puzzles are better left unsolved, or perhaps love can find a solution.


My Review

This was a wonderful escape into the world of Regency England! I enjoyed Abigail and her somewhat unconventional attitude, and found it interesting who she chose to placate and who she felt she needed to be disrespectful to. She and Edwin definitely have a Darcy/Lizzie thing going, and it was fun seeing their interest and attraction despite their best efforts. I especially liked the parts where they get away from the house and are able to discover the deeper layers behind each of their facades. There are family secrets that are alluded to but also unexpected and bring quite the twist to the story.

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


Monday, February 25, 2019

Review: My Not So Wicked Stepbrother by Jennifer Peel


Heidi Reads... My Not So Wicked Stepbrother by Jennifer Peel

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

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Synopsis

I, Emma Loveless, have a destiny. It's not the greatest of destinies, but when you have a name like Loveless, what can you do? I'm cursed to always be the friend, never the girlfriend. Unless you count my love affair with Duncan Hines, Dr. Pepper, and the ever-lovable Pillsbury Doughboy. They've seen me through it all, but a girl needs more than refined sugar to curl up to every night. It doesn't help that I have a meddling, albeit wonderful, mother who can't help playing matchmaker. Thanks to her, I can say I've been on a date with a felon. Now she swears she's found the one for me, her new optometrist, Dr. Sawyer King. Meanwhile, I'm preparing for the inevitable restraining order. That is, until I meet the sexy doctor and have to admit my mother is right--love at first sight does exist.

Unfortunately, my last name means business. Not only do I find myself in the friend zone, but also the twilight zone. Only in my world would Mr. Right turn into my stepbrother. To top it off, he brings with him a wicked stepmother who will do anything to keep us apart. Despite all this my heart--or is that my mom?--keeps telling me Sawyer is the one. But what if true love isn't strong enough to interfere with my destiny? It'll be me and the Doughboy...for eternity.


My Review

Loved it!!! The funny snark (yet not annoying) of Emma kept me entertained throughout this angst and drama fest balanced by witty humor, genuine compassion, true friendship, and toe curling romance. The characters jump off the page, and the first person perspective of Emma really gets the reader in her head. Two of my favorite tropes blend nicely here- unrequited love and friends to lovers- as Emma and Sawyer are made for each other... except tragedy strikes and they end up as step brother and sister. (Since everyone is an adult when this happened and they never had to live together, I didn't find it off-putting). The friendship between Emma and Sawyer is so sweet and full of yearning, that when conflict arose and drove a wedge between them, I really felt the emotion and could not put the book down. I can always count on this author to keep me engrossed in her books no matter the hour! (I've learned the hard way not to start one at bedtime...) Highly recommend for fans of clean contemporary romance with depth and emotion!

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


Review: Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher


Heidi Reads... Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

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Synopsis

Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.
 

Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him.

Amos and Fern Lapp allow Luke to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, Luke must make a sincere apology to each person he's hurt--a four-page, single-spaced list. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused.

Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused . . . that isn't so simple. It's gut-wrenching.

And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm. Luke's clumsy efforts to befriend Izzy only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge.


My Review

I love this author's books for the deep themes she deftly explores. Normally I want romance to be the focus of a book, but the author did such a fabulous job showing the redemption journey of Luke and how he changes. I love the balance of subtle nudges and more attention-getting epiphanies that contribute to the opening of his eyes, the development of his conscience, and compassion for others. It was so thought-provoking and I appreciated that it was not an instant or overnight change, but a more realistic shift over many experiences and talks with mentors. He learns from the wisdom and examples of several people in the community- David Stoltzfus, the bishop, Amos, Fern and Izzy who he lives with at Windmill Farm, Teddy Zook and Annie Smucker who he works so hard to make amends with. Even though the story begins with Luke full of flaws and a flawed perspective, he wasn't completely unlikeable, and it helped that David had faith in him. I was really rooting for him and it was gratifying to see him get in touch with his emotions, comprehend the consequences of thoughtless choices, and experience the sweetness of forgiveness. There is some romance with his challenging friendship with Izzy, and I'm hoping we will see more of them in the next book!

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