Saturday, July 21, 2018

Revealed

About the Book

Title: Revealed
Author: Elaine Manders
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: December 27, 2018
Nothing can be hidden that won’t be revealed.
When her father dies, Katherine Levinson discovers her parents have kept secrets that render her happy childhood a farce. She and her gravely ill mother face eviction, and she has no choice but to appeal to the brother she’s never seen, the famous cattle baron, Rhyan Cason. Over her gravely ill mother’s objections, they move to Nebraska and the sprawling cattle ranch, Sollano.
Instead of the warm welcome Katherine expects, she and her mother are met with whispers and scorn in the little prairie town near Sollano. Gradually, the sins of her parents’ past surface, and Katherine begins to doubt her very identify. With her brother busy with cattle rustlers and her mother too ill to be bothered, Katherine turns to Colt Holliman, a soft-spoken neighboring rancher, for comfort.
Tired of waiting for the right woman to come along, Colt has promised to wait for Charley Ryder, an acclaimed female sharp shooter and equestrian acrobat with the Wild West Show, but it’s becoming clear Charley loves the show more than him. As his attraction to Katherine grows, he finds himself spiritually conflicted. How can he break from past commitments and follow his heart?
Then unexpected danger strikes, testing Katherine’s and Colt’s faith in God—and each other.
My Thoughts: A beautiful heart warming tale with just enough drama and intrigue to keep you wanting more. Once you start reading you won't want to stop! The characters jump off the page and into your heart and soon you feel like you are reading about friends instead of a work of fiction. 
*I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own. 

About the Author

Elaine Manders writes wholesome Christian romance and suspense about the bold, capable women of history and the strong, dependable men who love them. Her stories twist, turn, and surprise, told by characters who aren’t afraid to show their love for God and each other. She grew up a small town country girl and now lives in Central Georgia with her fur baby. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, sewing, crafts, and spending time with her family.




Guest Post from Elaine Manders

My Backstory
Intrigue under Western Skies Series, Book 3
Revealed
Back when I watched television, drama series were my favorite—Little House of the Prairie, the Waltons, the Virginian. I was caught up in the lives of these characters and looked forward to seeing what they were up to each week. For much the same reason, I enjoy writing episodic series.
Intrigue under Western Skies, a blended genre, historical romantic suspense series falls in this category. Some of the characters show up in every book, with new ones added along the way. But the books can be read out of sequence since each one has a different premise and plot.
In Revealed, Book 3 of Intrigue under Western Skies, I wanted to give Colt Holliman, previously introduced as a secondary character, his own HEA. Also, it seemed the time to reveal what happened to Rhyan Cason’s mother, the woman who’d caused so much angst in the first two books. More importantly, it gave me the opportunity to introduce Katherine, the sister he never knew existed.
Unexpectedly, my research led me to the history of show business, and how it developed through the Wild West shows of the nineteenth century. From that, a mystery evolved.
The spiritual thread running through Revealed explores the emotions of a young woman who discovers blood relatives have been hidden from her. Can she accept and love her new family and forgive the sins of her parents?
Maybe the greatest insight I gained from writing Revealed is that one can never trust his own heart without first trusting God.

Blog Stops

Carpe Diem, July 17
The Avid Reader, July 18
Remembrancy, July 19
Mary Hake, July 20
cherylbbookblog, July 27
Pause for Tales, July 27
Henry Happens, July 29
Bigreadersite, July 29

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elaine is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cee6/revealed-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Cowboy Bodyguard

About the Book


Title: Cowboy Bodyguard
Author: Dana Mentink
Genre: Western, Mystery
Release Date: July 3, 2018
In this Gold Country Cowboys novel, Jack Thorn gets a surprise call from the woman he married in secret years ago. Shannon Livingston needs his protection for herself and the baby she’s hiding from a biker gang targeting the mother. Now Jack must help Shannon, even if shielding her means pretending to be a true husband to the only woman he’s ever loved.
My thoughts: A well written clean love story. Jack Thorn is the guy of any girls dream. Sue he's made mistakes but when it comes down to it he's a good guy. The drama and intrigue were there but not so overly done to take away from the story. All in all it was an amazing read and I think you will like it as much as I do. 
*I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own

Guest Post from Dana Mentink

I’ve spent a bit of time in emergency rooms lately. Not to complain, mind you. The asthma related treatments worked like a charm and we were blessed by good care, so I am not grateful. There’s a bonus, too. The emergency room is a great place for people watching! Hour upon hour I spent surveying patients, relatives, nurses and doctors. I came away pondering what it must be like to work in the strange bustle that is an emergency room. That’s where character Shannon Livingston was born.

The E.R doc and nurses must be brilliant problem solvers with nerves of steel because they never know what will roll through their doors. Since they are not responsible for follow up care, they have only a short term relationship with their patients. But what would happen, my fictional mind wanted to know, if one emergency room treatment ensnared Shannon in a “run for your life” scenario? And what if her incredible life saving skills weren’t nearly enough to save her own life, or the baby she’s suddenly become responsible for? Ah me! The perfect scenario for a suspense novel, no? I hope you enjoy Cowboy Bodyguard. I can promise it’s going to be a bumpy ride!


About the Author

Dana’s Bio: Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over thirty five titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Harvest House. Dana was thrilled to be a semi-finalist in the Jeanne Robertson Comedy With Class Competition. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the nutty terrier, a chubby box turtle and a feisty parakeet. You can connect with Dana via her website at danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)


Blog Stops


Power of Words, July 15
Genesis 5020, July 16
Remebrancy, July 17
Carpe Diem, July 19
Pause for Tales, July 20
Book by Book, July 21
Bigreadersite, July 24

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away a Mentink Bundle that includes a horse tote book bag, a three book collection, and a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/ced1/cowboy-bodyguard-celebration-tour-giveaway

Firestorm

About the Book

Title: Firestorm


Author: Laura Hilton
Genre: Christian Amish
Release Date: July, 2018
Bridget Behr and her family migrate from the bustling Amish community where she grew up in Ohio to the mostly unpopulated Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a stalker breaks into their home. While her father and brother try to find work in the area, the family is forced to reside in a borrowed RV until the house and barn are rebuilt. While Bridget is hoping for a fresh start, she’s afraid to trust anyone—even Gabriel, the overly-friendly Amish man who lives nearby. Bridget thinks he’s a flirt who serial dates and doesn’t even remember the girls’ names.
Due to not enough construction work in his Florida community to keep him out of trouble, Gabriel Lapp has been sent to Michigan to work. His father is desperate for his son to settle down. When the family walks into Gabe’s home in the middle of a thunderstorm and he discovers their circumstances, he offers to help with construction. For Gabe, the beautiful girl he teasingly calls “the recluse” once he discovers she doesn’t attend youth events, confuses him like none other.
As Gabriel and Bridget grow closer, they realize there is more to a person than meets the eye. Just as Bridget is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding love, tragedy strikes. Now Bridget and her family must decide if they should move to another Amish community, or dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County.
My Thoughts: Laura Hilton has done it again! Firestorm is a book that people of all ages can enjoy. It has just enough drama and intrigue to keep you hanging on until the end. The only downside is once you start reading Firestorm you won't want to stop!
*I was provided a free copy of this book all opinions expressed above are my own. 

About the Author


Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with over twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her
blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write.

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.
When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.

Guest Post from Laura Hilton

I read a series of books a year or so ago by another Amish author who had set her books in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. As a Michigan native, I was curious, and I researched, but found nothing about Upper Peninsula Amish except a notation that one had tried and failed. So I contacted the author. She told me that she’d never been there, and her research had all been hearsay, so with that lack of firsthand knowledge and no trip to the Upper Peninsula planned, no trip to see for myself would be possible. At least at that time


Then God intervened. My son who is in the United States Coast Guard was stationed in the Upper Peninsula this past summer (2017.) He saw the Amish driving around in their buggies. And he felt like a stalker as he followed one to see where he went and drove through the area. He even sent pictures. (Shhhh.)
Yes, there are Amish in the Upper Peninsula – at least at the time this book was written.
Okay, as a Michigan native, I used some terms that may not be familiar to non-Michiganders. A Yooper is someone who lives in the Upper Peninsula. A Troll is someone from the Lower Peninsula. A pastie is kind of like a Hot Pocket, except it’s a meat pie made with root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and rutabagas. They are so good. And the straits are the area of the Great Lakes connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
As for the wildfire, the earliest wildfire I could find any documentation on in the Upper Peninsula was in April. It is generally a snowy area — trust me. I lived near the Muskegon area and saw snow drifts in May. We sometimes had over six feet of snow on the ground at one time. So, to get the wildfire when I wanted/needed the wildfire I used artistic license. Yes, fires really happened in Michigan’s history. Just not in the month mentioned in the book.
I am attaching a meme about Michigan seasons. We’ll call the fire set in “fool’s spring.” My son got married during the “third winter” this year. April 21 and there’s snow on the ground. He and his beautiful bride got married at a water fall (Tahquomenon Falls) very near where the story is set.
Thanks for reading Firestorm!!

Blog Stops


Carpe Diem, July 10
The Avid Reader, July 12
Among the Reads, July 14
Pause for Tales, July 20
amandainpa, July 21
Bigreadersite, July 21

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Laura is giving away
Grand prize: Firefighter Puppet 9 (Melissa & Doug), Copies of Amish Firefighter and Firestorm by Laura Hilton.
First place prize of “I Love You to the Cross & Back” Mug (Gardenfire) & Firestorm by Laura Hilton!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cf87/firestorm-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, July 2, 2018

Kappy King and the Pickle Kaper



Kappy King and the Pickle Kaper is an Amish mystery and the second book in Amy Lillard's Kappy King series. If you haven't read the first book yet, no worries, you can read this one and not be lost. If you've never read one of Amy Lillard's books then you're in for a treat!

Kappy King has always felt like she's on the outside fringe of her Amish community. She's not banned or shunned, she just feels...different. Maybe it comes from losing her parents and siblings at a young age and being raised by her aunt, who knows? But Kappy loves her community and does her best to fit in. Maybe she would feel more settled if she were married, but she doesn't have time for that! She's busy trying to get her friend, Edith Peachy, to commit to staying in the community.

Edith Peachy jumped the fence as they say, many years ago. She loved the English world and the conveniences that come with it. After her mother died there was no one left to care for her brother, Jimmy, but her, so Edith returns to Blue Sky...although a bit reluctantly. She's under the bann and nobody will acknowledge her presence or talk to her until she repents, no one but Kappy. The two become the best of friends even though they have their differences.

When a local teen is killed in a buggy accident the local community is in mourning. But what if it wasn't really an accident at all? Edith gets a text suggesting just that and she and Kappy set off on an adventure to prove one way or the other. Each text reveals a little more about the "accident" and the ladies are determined to crack the case.  The story is full of twists and turns and a lot of pickles along the way!

I really enjoyed the story more than I thought I would. It was a fun and light-hearted read. Edith and Kappy's friendship reminded me a lot of me and my best friend. We are so different in many ways but I know if I need her for anything all I have to do is call. She has  my back through thick and thin and most of the time goes along with my hair brianed ideas, just like Kappy and Edith. They aren't too different that you wouldn't buy them being friends, but they are close enough to embrace each other flaws and all.

The mystery part of the story was really good too! There is a long list of who dunnits and you will keep guessing until the very end. I had my suspicions but until the truth was revealed I had as many guesses as the community has pickles! Oh and the pickles, I guess you're wondering about that, well I don't want to spoil anything for you but let's just say, people like things a certain way and don't take kindly to people trying to change things.

Kappy King and the Pickle Kaper is a great summer read (or anytime!). I think you will love it if you give it the chance, I know I did! So what are you waiting for? Grab you a copy and get ready to go on and adventure!

You can grab a copy here: Kappy King and the Pickle Kaper

* I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.