Heidi Reads...

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy

A Tapestry of Light JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: A Tapestry of Light
Author: Kimberly Duffy
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release date: March 16, 2021
Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Calcutta, 1886.

Ottilie Russell is adrift between two cultures, British and Indian, belonging to both and neither. In order to support her little brother, Thaddeus, and her grandmother, she relies upon her skills in beetle-wing embroidery that have been passed down to her through generations of Indian women.

When a stranger appears with the news that Thaddeus is now Baron Sunderson and must travel to England to take his place as a nobleman, Ottilie is shattered by the secrets that come to light. Despite her growing friendship with Everett Scott, friend to Ottilie's English grandmother and aunt, she refuses to give up her brother. Then tragedy strikes, and she is forced to make a decision that will take Thaddeus far from death and herself far from home.

But betrayal and loss lurk in England, too, and soon Ottilie must fight to ensure Thaddeus doesn't forget who he is, as well as find a way to stitch a place for herself in this foreign land.

EXCERPT

“I’ve been sent here for a purpose, and I’m surprised your mother mentioned nothing of my coming.”

Ottilie narrowed her eyes. “Being struck down by a horse has a way of obstructing conversations—even important ones.”

Mr. Scott sighed. “I must know—was your mother Indian, and is she also Thaddeus’s mother?”

Ottilie didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to give his impudent question another thought. But if her mother had expected this man, invited him to their home, Ottilie wanted to know why, and she wasn’t sure he’d give her the answers she needed if she didn’t give him the ones he did.

“Yes, Sonia and Edwin Russell are the parents of us both. My mother is Eurasian—she has a British father and Indian mother. I look like my grandmother. Thaddeus looks like—”

“Your grandfather.”

“No, my father. Thaddeus looks nothing like the colonel.”

He shook his head. “I meant your father’s father. He’s the exact replica, except for the brown hair. Your grandfather had blond hair.”

Ottilie’s breath caught in her chest, and something hard and impossible to ignore fisted her stomach. “You know my father’s family?”

“Quite well. They sent me here.”

“Why?” she whispered. The English Russells had never contacted them before. Father alluded to some kind of falling out, but otherwise never spoke of his family except to say he had two brothers and a younger sister.

“Thaddeus is . . .” Mr. Scott laughed in a nervous way. “There is no easy way to say this. Your father’s eldest brother, Newell, was killed in a carriage accident nine months ago, and he had only daughters. Four of them. They’ve gone north to live with their mother and her family. The second brother, who died three years ago in the Anglo-Zulu War, wasn’t married. That makes Thaddeus the new Baron Sunderson.”

Ottilie laughed. “Thaddeus . . . a baron? That’s not possible.”

“But it is. And your grandmother, Lady Sunderson, has sent me here to bring him home.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Duffy is a Long Island native currently living in Southwest Ohio, via six months in India. When she's not homeschooling her four kids, she writes historical fiction that takes her readers back in time and across oceans. She loves trips that require a passport, recipe books, and practicing kissing scenes with her husband of twenty years. He doesn't mind.

CONNECT WITH KIMBERLY: Website | Facebook | Instagram

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a print copy of A Tapestry of Light, A Mosaic of Wings, and Recipes from an Indian Kitchen!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 22, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 29, 2021. 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 the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Review: Stronger Every Day: 9 Tools for an Emotionally Healthy You by Janell Rardon

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

As a trauma-informed professional life coach, Janell Rardon spends a good deal of her day-to-day work with brokenness--broken families, broken relationships, broken hearts and souls. In response to the pleas of her clients, she developed a set of emotional health tools that help them repair the broken parts of their lives. In Stronger Every Day, she shares those powerful tools with you.

In this heartlifting book, she helps you to
- transform pain into meaning
- experience secure attachment with God
- shape healthy thoughts
- shift from shame to self-compassion
- practice healthy assertiveness
- set mental and emotional boundaries
- understand triggers and defense mechanisms
- regulate emotional highs and lows
- cultivate healthy human connection

With inspiring Scriptures, quotes, prayers, personal stories, and case studies, Rardon sets you on the path of emotional health so that you can be stronger than ever--every day.

My Review

I enjoyed the tone and vibe of this book through the author's voice. She speaks as both a therapist and friend, with words that are full of hope, encouragement, and assurance. She believes in you and knows you can do it. Something unusual that I haven't encountered in other nonfiction books is the prayer guidance she provides. It feels like she is praying with and for the reader, offering specific phrases and thoughts to bring your prayers to a deeper level. The tools in the book are pertinent and will develop a strong foundation for healing and building. The metaphors for life that the author expounds upon are easy to relate to, for me especially the ones centered around home renovation and gardens. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone, but especially those looking to heal, grow, improve, or make changes.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Book Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: Second Chance Cowboy by Claire McEwen

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Second Chance Cowboy

(Heroes of Shelter Creek, #5)

By Claire McEwen

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 210 Pages

March 1, 2021 by Harlequin Heartwarming

He was her first love…
But some things she can’t forget

Busy small-town veterinarian Emily Fielding is finally ready to take on some help. The best man for the job, however, is Wes Marlow—who broke her heart in high school. Though Wes has a way with horses and a way of melting her resolve, Emily needs to keep things purely professional. Wes left her once—will he do it again? Because she can’t lose her heart a second time…

Heroes of Shelter Creek
Book 1: Reunited with the Cowboy
Book 2: After the Rodeo
Book 3: Her Surprise Cowboy
Book 4: Rescuing the Rancher
Book 5: Second Chance Cowboy

(Affiliate links included.)

Excerpt

They’d reached the center of town. Many of the shops on Main Street were still open. Couples were strolling in and out of the restaurants. Friday night was usually busy but not like this. Emily slowed and stopped to let a couple, walking hand in hand, cross the street in front of them. A man Emily didn’t recognize crossed, too. He was carrying a bucket full of flowers.

“What is he doing?” she asked when he stopped in front of them and waved a bouquet of what looked like pink roses.

“Don’t you even know what day it is?” Wes grinned at her as he rolled down his window. He waved the man over. “I’ll take them,” he said.

Emily stared at Wes in confusion. Why was he buying flowers? She just wanted to get home. She was so tired, and this day, whatever day it was, had gone on forever. It seemed like weeks ago that she’d spotted Wes walking down the street, but it was only this morning.

Money changed hands through the truck window and the rose seller thanked Wes, then ran back across the street. Wes turned and offered the pink roses to Emily. “Here. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

She gasped. “It’s Valentine’s Day?”

He put his fingers to his forehead and shook his head slowly in mock disbelief. “Don’t tell me you didn’t even know.”

“I was up most of the night dealing with a calving. I can barely stay awake, let alone worry about some silly holiday.” Her cheeks were “pinker than those roses. Luckily, it was dark in the truck. “Seriously, I don’t need a valentine!”

“Everyone needs a valentine.” Wes set the roses on the console between them. Emily checked to make sure everyone was out of the crosswalk and continued driving on toward her clinic.

The flowers were really pretty and they made the truck smell sweet. Wes’s gesture was charming and annoying. Was he trying to remind her that they’d been sweethearts once upon a time? She didn’t need any reminders.

Other Books in the Series

(Amazon affiliate link.)

About the Author

Claire McEwen is an award-winning author whose strong heroes and heroines take big, emotional journeys to find their happily-ever-afters. She loves writing stories set in quirky small towns and romantic western settings. Claire lives by the ocean in Northern California with her family and a scruffy, mischievous terrier. When not dreaming up new stories, she’s a busy mom who also enjoys gardening, hiking, discovering flea-market treasures and wandering on the beach. A life-long bookworm, she always has her kindle close by.

Tour Schedule