Heidi Reads...

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Promise for Tomorrow by Michelle De Bruin

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour (and Giveaway!) for Promise for Tomorrow by Michelle De Bruin, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Promise for Tomorrow

Author: Michelle De Bruin

Publisher: Mantle Rock Publishing

Release Date: November 12, 2019

Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction

Living a life of faith isn’t going the way Logan and Karen hoped until some special visitors arrive and offer them their future back.

Karen Millerson dreamed of teaching high school but now finds herself boarding with a farm family and teaching country school. She is engaged to marry Logan De Witt and is getting prepared to share in ministry with him. But when she gets blamed for the tragic fire at the school, Karen’s future grows uncertain.

Logan De Witt is working to clear his family’s name with the bank. But when he breaks his leg, hindering his ability to work the farm, Logan is faced with life-changing decisions. When his best friend can’t offer the help he requested, can Logan find a way to care for his family and court Karen before his love for her destroys all of them?

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

EXCERPT

Karen followed Logan out to the wagon that would deliver her to a new home. A parsonage. Her life had come full circle, almost like the Lord was giving her the chance to make right all the things that had gone wrong in her earlier years.

She stole a glance at her fiancé as they drove along. No one possessed a higher integrity than Logan. Would Father have moved into a drafty barn for her mother? Would he have drained his savings to care for those he loved most?

Karen couldn’t answer those questions about him, but she could about Logan. This move to the Silver Grove parsonage was the beginning of the rest of her life. Today marked a passage into new territory. A place where she could prepare to welcome into her life all the goodness and risk and reward marriage to a man like Logan would bring.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle De Bruin lives in Iowa with her husband and two teenage sons. She has a bachelor’s degree in Religion with a Christian Ministry emphasis, and in Music. Michelle is the spiritual services provider for an organization that offers services for people with mental and physical disabilities. She has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since 2015.

Michelle writes inspirational historical romance about people who live in rural communities. Characters that bring to life the delights of farm and small-town living, whispers of Dutch heritage, and Christian faith make Michelle’s stories distinct. A romantic at heart, Michelle is always on the lookout for glimpses of God’s love through the window of a good story. Her first book, Hope for Tomorrow, released in 2018. The sequel, Promise for Tomorrow, released November 2019.

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE: Website | Facebook | Twitter

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) US winner will receive a print book of Promise for Tomorrow, chocolates, and quilted table runner. (1) international winner will receive an e-book of Promise for Tomorrow & $20.00 Amazon gift card.

Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 13, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on January 20, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Review: Freedom in the Mountain Wind by Misty M. Beller

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

The last epic journey before her life changes forever.

Susanna Wilkins will do anything to make her father’s final dream come true, including trek along the path Lewis and Clark explored into the untamed wilds of the Rocky Mountains. Every mile is more crucial now that lung cancer is stealing Pa’s last days faster than she can come to terms with losing him. The journey becomes harder than she ever expected, but paddling upriver through fierce rapids and fighting hungry grizzlies isn’t what terrifies her the most.

Beaver Tail endured more than he can stand from the women in his Blackfoot camp, but the last disaster gave him the final shove he needed to join this band of brothers searching for one of their group who’s gone missing. The last thing he expected was to find a white woman and her sick father stranded at the base of a massive waterfall. His plan is to help them carry their oversize canoe and supplies, then leave them to their strange mission. Yet, the more he learns about the pair, the more he realizes his life is about to be derailed—again.

My Review

It's hard to comprehend that a young woman and her sick father would not only venture into the wilderness but be able to get as far as they did. I love the sense of adventure and the epic grandeur of the landscape that I can always count on from this author's books, and this one lived up to the standards she sets. While the harsh realities of uncivilized travel are expected, encountered, and overcome, this book felt a bit different with the grief Susanna struggles with, watching her father decline and knowing that his end is near. It brought a sense of anticipation of impending heartache, and I appreciated that she did her best to not only fulfill his wishes but soak up her time with him. The harder parts of the story are well-balanced with the friendship and sincerity of Beaver Tail and his comrades, and the sweetness of new love. The characters are well-formed and I felt like I was able to get to know them well as they journeyed. Beaver Tail's spiritual enlightenment was another aspect of the plot that brought depth and a sense of hope to both his and Susanna's future together. I'm looking forward to continuing the series as they search for the brother who is chasing the rumor of a special breed of horse among one of the tribes.

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

Book Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: DawnKing by Janalyn Voigt #DawnKingTour

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

DawnKing
(Tales of Faeraven #4)
By Janalyn Voigt
Fantasy, Christian Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 342 Pages
February 1st 2020 by Pelican Book Group

A prince marked for death, a princess without a kingdom, and a world at war.

Unlikely travelers band together to accomplish the impossible—bring peace to their kingdom. But traitorous forces are at work, and a treacherous hand is destroying everything they accomplish.
Honor and soul-searching bring the travelers to hidden truth, and when a sacrifice is made, the broken-hearted band of misfits must cleanse the evil from their midst to free their world...or lose everything.

(Affiliate link included.)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Pelican

Excerpt

“Easy now.” The wind buffeted Kai’s face as he leaned forward to put a hand on his winged horse’s shoulder. Battle cries, explosions, and screams littered the air. Repressing his own urge to bolt, he turned Flecht to meet the welke riders approaching from Torindan. Regret flooded him. Both he and his wingabeast would die. Torindan would fall this day, thrusting the once-united Kindren kingdoms into confusion.

Conquering the high hold of Faeraven would not appease Freaer’s blood lust. A stronghold could fall and be rebuilt, as Freaer himself had proven at Pilaer. Ah, but a heart, once silenced, would never beat again. While the Lof Shraen of Faeraven and the daughter he’d named his heir remained alive, Freaer would not rest.

Elcon and Mara had been among those who’d escaped with him from Torindan. If he had anything to say in the matter, they would yet avoid capture. Surviving a clash with two of Freaer’s finest seemed unlikely, but Kai could delay the assassins.

The giant raptor birds flapped their ragged wings and snapped the air with pointed beaks in a display of ferocity. Sunlight gleamed along their rider’s swords, no doubt honed to wicked sharpness.

Kai’s skin crawled. Garbed in the red of Freaer’s elite assassins, the welke riders glared at him across the intervening distance, a space closing with alarming speed.

Kai touched the reins against his wingabeast’s neck, all it took to tilt Flecht sideways and away. The wind snatched at Kai’s breath, and he turned his face to breathe. Silver wings fanned around him and stroked downward. The wingabeast leveled in flight.

Bloodcurdling shrieks rent the air, the welkes’ hunting cry.

Kai’s heart raced, and he looked back. Both riders were following, one pulling ahead of the other. Flecht’s course carried them above the forest that stretched across Elder lands to the sea. He guided Flecht lower, ready to duck beneath the tree canopy. Tiny, flitling birds darted through kaba leaves so thick they left no gap. If he tried to break through the screen of leaves and branches here, Flecht’s feathers would shred. Only one choice remained.

He drew his sword and turned to meet the attack. The hiss of flight feathers reached him along with the stench of the assassin’s sweat. Flecht shuddered but held. Metal grated against metal with jarring force.

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Janalyn Voigt is a writer and professional speaker with a photography habit and a passion for travel. Her unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and fantasy creates worlds of beauty and danger for readers. Tales of Faeraven, her epic fantasy series beginning with DawnSinger, carries readers into a land only imagined in dreams. She is represented by Sarah Joy Freese of Wordserve Literary.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Facebook Fan Group

Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube | Instagram

Tour Schedule