BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 1 September 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BLACK MIDNIGHT by KATHLEEN Y’BARBO

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE BLACK MIDNIGHT by KATHLEEN Y’BARBO

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book: The Black Midnight

Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo

Genre: Christian Historical Suspense

Release Date: August, 2020

THE BLURB

Death Seems to Follow Harriet’s New Friend

Book 7 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Three years before Jack the Ripper began his murderous spree on the streets of London, women were dying in their beds as The Midnight Assassin terrorized the citizens of Austin, Texas. Now, with suspicion falling on Her Majesty’s family and Scotland Yard at a loss as to who the Ripper might be, Queen Victoria summons her great-granddaughter, Alice Anne von Wettin, a former Pinkerton agent who worked the unsolved Austin case, and orders her to discreetly form a team to look into the London matter.

The prospect of a second chance to work with Annie just might entice Isaiah Joplin out of his comfortable life as an Austin lawyer. If his theories are right, they’ll find the The Midnight Assassin and, by default, the Ripper. If they’re wrong, he and Annie are in a bigger mess than the one the feisty female left behind when she departed Austin under cover of darkness three years ago.

Can the unlikely pair find the truth of who is behind the murders before they are drawn into the killer’s deadly game? From Texas to London, the story navigates the fine line between truth and fiction as Annie and Isaiah ultimately find the hunters have become the hunted.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

THE AUTHOR

Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than sixty novels with almost two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad.

 

MORE FROM KATHLEEN Y’BARBO

I am a tenth generation Texan, but London has held a place in my heart for over ten years. You see, I have a son who has lived there for more than a decade. Thanks to him and his family of three—my granddaughter was born there on New Year’s Eve 2019—the city will always be special to me. There is absolutely nothing like walking those streets with a thousand years of history close enough to touch.

It was on a walk with my son through this great city that the stories of nineteenth century London came alive. With fog shrouding the rooftops of buildings that were hundreds of years old and our footsteps echoing on the cobblestones, I could imagine a time when lack of electricity and CCTV would make this place less than charming on a dark night. What reminded me of my favorite childhood movie, Mary Poppins, quickly became more reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. And then a story was born.

Only I just had half the story.

The other half came to me several years later when I stumbled across an article in Texas Monthly magazine about a serial killer who rampaged through Austin, Texas in 1884 and 1885 and was never caught. Some surmised this madman, called “The Midnight Assassin” by some, might have been Jack the Ripper honing his skills before he crossed the Atlantic to begin his famous crime spree in Great Britain.

But Austin? Ironically, my other two sons lived in Austin. So while part of my heart was in London, two more parts of that same heart resided in the Texas capital. I thought I knew Austin inside out. Between one of my sons getting not one but two degrees from the University of Texas (this Aggie grad is still proud of him in spite of what I jokingly call his burnt orange rebellion) and my other son living there and managing a restaurant at the time (and who just graduated from Texas A&M Galveston last month!), I had spent many years in the city. And yet I had never heard of the Midnight Assassin.

Research turned up a tale that sounds so close to fiction I had to write about it. Discovering the theory that the Austin killer might also be the Ripper just added to my interest—neither had been caught. And I like to write about Pinkerton detectives.

From there the story unfolded. If you’ve read any of my historical romances, you know that I love incorporating actual history into my stories. As you’ll see when you read The Black Midnight, this book is no exception. While I will continue writing the historical romances I love to bring to you, I will confess that writing this book has me itching to research another one like it.

What’s next in my foray into true crime novels? Maybe Houston. You see, I have a daughter who lives there…

In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy reading The Black Midnight as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 

MY REVIEW

This story is one of the things I love about historical fiction—fact and fiction overlap so seamlessly that this reader couldn’t tell which was which.

I liked Annie, feisty and no nonsense, she cut to the chase. In an era when women were seen and not heard, Annie roared, fighting both the stigma of her gender and the dictates of her status as a royal.

Ike was a trooper. Taking Annie willingly as a partner, no questions or qualms about working with the weaker gender. And the Queen! The man wasn’t intimidated at all. #kudos

For all the tension of the crimes, I felt the story dragged at times. The [SPOILER] interlude built the romance, but lost the crime story thread altogether.

This reader, however, was unaware of the Black Midnight crimes in Texas, and therefore the tie to Jack the Ripper. What a twist, truly truth is stranger than fiction.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

THREE FEATHERS

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/ffb7/the-black-midnight-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

 

BLOG STOPS

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 27

Genesis 5020, August 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 27

Inklings and notions, August 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 28

Ashley’s Bookshelf, August 28

Older & Smarter?, August 29

Texas Book-aholic, August 29

Artistic Nobody, August 29 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

For the Love of Literature, August 30

Connie’s History Classroom, August 30

For Him and My Family, August 31

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, August 31

Betti Mace, September 1

Robin’s Nest, September 1

Bigreadersite, September 1

deb’s Book Review, September 2

Splashes of Joy, September 2

Just Your Average reviews, September 2

Rebecca Tews, September 3

Just the Write Escape, September 3

Emily Yager, September 3

Christian Bookaholic, September 4

reviewingbooksplusmore, September 4

KarenSueHadley, September 4

Remembrancy, September 5

Through the Fire Blogs, September 5

21st Century Keeper at Home, September 6

Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 6

Blogging With Carol, September 6

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, September 7

Life of Literature, September 7

Mary Hake, September 7

Godly Book Reviews, September 8

Back Porch Reads, September 8

Daysong Reflections, September 8

Pause for Tales, September 9

Blossoms and Blessings, September 9

Hallie Reads, September 9

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, The Black Midnight, Kathleen Y’Barbo, True Colors Crimes, Celebrate Lit Tours

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 25 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TO LOVE A PRINCE by RACHEL HAUCK

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TO LOVE A PRINCE by RACHEL HAUCK

 

THE BLURB

Daffodil Caron is not a princess, even though she once dreamed of being one. After all, she grew up as a playmate to royal princes, running through the halls of Perrigwynn Palace in the North Sea’s Lauchtenland. But the day she stumbled upon a royal secret, everything changed.
Flash forward eighteen years, and Daffy’s living a sweet, non-royal life. A skilled art curator for the Royal Trust, she has friends, a flat in the heart of the capital city, and a handsome, successful boyfriend. The last person on her mind is Gus, the prince she once called her best mate.
HRH Prince Augustus is no longer “Prince Pudgy,” as caricatured by the press—he’s charming and gorgeous, possessing a world-famous smile. But after he’s jilted at the altar, then dumped by his second fianceé, the spare heir to Lauchtenland’s ancient House of Blue finds solace on a Florida beach.
A year as a regular bloke allows him to rethink his purpose. He’s half decided his calling is to pour pints at a tiki bar rather than serve his country and the Family.
But a wild Frisbee toss down the beach changes his destiny.
Despite his long hair and beard, Daffy recognizes her prince. She reminds Gus of his heritage and assures him that he’s needed in Lauchtenland.
When Daffy and Gus find themselves on assignment at Hadsby Castle in preparation for his brother’s wedding ball, their friendship blooms into affection.
Then secrets are exposed, and Gus must choose between his past hurts and his future hope. And Daffy must trust her heart to forever love a prince.

THE AUTHOR

Rachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pet and writes from her ivory tower. Visit her online at RachelHauck.com; Facebook: RachelHauck; Twitter: @RachelHauck; Instagram: @rachelhauck.

 

MY REVIEW

Ms. Hauck’s writing is magical, her stories beautiful, her characters real.

Daffy Caron has a charmed life. Except she’s in love with the wrong man. A man she can’t have.

Prince Augustus had led a not-so-charmed life, with two broken engagements and a vow to never love again. Until the one woman he loves steals his heart all over again.

Ms. Hauck puts them through the wringer, as they both fight against, and then fight for, each other. Still, Daffy knows a secret and she’s sure she’ll not be accepted into the royal family.

In the midst of a host of fascinating characters—Ernst, Leslie Ann, Thomas, the Queen, poor Hemstead—two mysterious characters walk into the story and change everything.

Sometimes God intervenes, the “supernatural breaking into the natural,” to bring about His best plan. And Ms. Hauck has woven this into her story as naturally as ocean waves breaking on the shore, reminding us that angels do indeed walk among us.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, To Love a Prince, Rachel Hauck

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 18 May 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ICED OVER by HEATHER DAY GILBERT

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – ICED OVER by HEATHER DAY GILBERT

 

THE BLURB

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java…and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

Black Friday turns fatal when an armored security truck hits an icy patch and runs over an embankment near the cafe. With one driver dead and the other in a coma, police are baffled by the discovery that $500,000 is missing from the truck’s cache.

When strangers show up at Barks & Beans asking nosy questions about a young cafe employee, Macy’s mama bear instincts kick in. She can’t ignore what her gut is telling her—that things aren’t all they seem on the surface—and with a little help from her brother, Bo, and her Great Dane, Coal, Macy follows up on a few leads of her own. But if the ruthless thief beats her to the stash, the thin ice she’s been skating on might just crack.

 

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown…with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.

THE AUTHOR

HEATHER DAY GILBERT, an ECPA Christy award finalist and Grace award winner, writes contemporary mysteries and Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Publisher’s Weekly gave Heather’s Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is “an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.”

Find Heather on Pinterest (heatherdgilbert), Instagram (@heatherdaygilbert), Twitter (@heatherdgilbert), and Facebook (heatherdaygilbert). You can find all her books at heatherdaygilbert.com

MY REVIEW

I just love Macy Hatfield! Adorable and cute and so clever and quirky. Sometimes, though, ya just wanna knock some sense into her! Then again, ya gotta admire her tenacity! And the girl got some serious observation skills, noticing random and obscure details. Details that end up being vital clues in solving cases.

And I just love Ms. Gilbert’s writing style! She grabs the reader and welcomes them to the story, and plunges them right into the bedlam.

Not only has Ms. Gilbert has created a memorable and loveable character in Macy, she blends disparate personalities to make a robust story-brew. The interactions between the characters are real and relatable, the reactions and personality quirks authentic. And the dialogue is as snappy and quirky as the characters.

The twist and turns and layers in this story are compelling and page-turning. Just when I thought I (might have) figured out whodunnit, Ms. Gilbert hits the reader with another twist, shining the spotlight on a different suspect. Truly, she keeps the reader wondering until the end.

Then, just when ya think the story’s all wrapped up, there’s a surprise twist at the end!

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Iced Over, Heather Day Gilbert

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 11 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TETHERED by ELEANOR BERTIN

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – TETHERED by ELEANOR BERTIN

 

THE BLURB

Perfectionistic librarian Jacqui Penn is ripped up by the roots when she’s dumped by her longtime boyfriend. Rootless and on the run, she is drawn two thousand miles west across Canada to the last place she ever thought could offer stability—the old homestead where her father grew up.
Renovating the derelict house soon becomes a personal battle as it stubbornly resists her efforts. While Jacqui struggles to renew the home, she spends time with the family Pops bitterly resented. Her hunger for roots grows stronger as she fights to discover the long-buried reasons her father fled the house as a beleaguered teen. But will she ever find the belonging she craves?

THE AUTHOR

In a fit of optimism at age eleven, Eleanor Bertin began her first novel by numbering a stack of 100 pages. Two of them got filled.
Eleanor holds a college diploma in Communications and worked in agriculture journalism until the birth of her first child. The family eventually grew to include seven children, all girls except six. Writing was crowded out by homeschooling a houseful for 25 years until Lifelines, her first completed novel, was shortlisted in the 2015 Word Alive Free Publishing Contest.
Eleanor and her husband live with their youngest son, who has Down syndrome, amidst the ongoing renovation of a century home in central Alberta. She blogs about a sometimes elusive contentment at jewelofcontentment.wordpress.com.

 

MY REVIEW

Haven’t we all thought about it, wished it, idly planned it at one time or another in our lives? Running away? Daily life becomes mundane, heartbreak unbearable, betrayal unforgiveable?

For most of us, reality ties us in place and the notion of running away gets tucked on the shelf for another day.

For Jacqui Penn, though, reality was turned inside out, and while she could have stayed put and maintained the status quo, her heart wouldn’t let her.

Ms. Bertin digs deep into Jacqui’s heart, the human tug to belong—and to believe. As Father God does per Romans 8:28, Ms. Bertin wove strands of her story to bring good into Jacqui’s life. Even the hurtful and damaging factors. Jacqui faces each challenge head-on, relying first on her own strength and ability, then little by little, day by day, grows to accept and trust those around her. As she discovers her roots, she also discovers herself. And her future.

A deep and profound story of truth and self-discovery, a journey that could belong to any one of us. A story that drew me in, as though I were part of Jacqui’s journey, and kept me turning pages so I, too, could rejoice in her discovery of Truth.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Tethered, Eleanor Bertin, Mosaic Collection, JustRead Publicity Tours

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 04 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – KATHERINE’S ARRANGEMENT by BLOSSOM TURNER

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – KATHERINE’S ARRANGEMENT by BLOSSOM TURNER

 

THE BLURB

Marrying him is her only choice to save her family, but Josiah Richardson isn’t at all the man she expected.

Katherine Williams’s family was left destitute when their home was burned to the ground by Yankee soldiers, so the ready solution presented by the prominent Mr. Josiah Richardson seems almost too good to believe. He’ll provide a home, work for her pa, and a new beginning for her family…if only Katherine will accept his proposal. A marriage of convenience is the last thing she wants, but there doesn’t seem to be a better option for her family or herself. Setting aside her dreams of love, Katherine agrees to the arrangement.

The gentleman in Josiah Richardson can no more force his frightened bride into his bed, than he can force her into loving him, so he sets out to gently woo her. He works hard to befriend her, to earn her trust and win her love.

Katherine is pleasantly surprised to find herself drawn to the man she thought she would never love, until an unexpected friendship tears apart all they’ve worked for. Where once the promise of love had budded between Josiah and Katherine, now they wonder what to do with their so-called marriage. Is love strong enough to weave its healing power through two broken hearts?

 

THE AUTHOR

Blossom Turner is a free-lance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, an avid blogger, and published novelist. Her authentic understanding of the power of forgiveness through life experience has inspired this compelling novel, Anna’s Secret, where failure, God’s love, and romance collide. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Read more at blossomturner.com.

 

MY REVIEW

The realities of war escape most of us. Certainly the up close and personal cruelties of Yankee soldiers and the total and utter loss of everything familiar.

Add to that, the ancient practice of an arranged marriage left Katherine feeling like a pawn in some grim game.

The premise of this story offers much with the veiled similarity to the Biblical story of Ruth. But sadly I found I could not connect with the characters. At first, I felt Katherine’s dismay, but when it turned to bitterness she lost me. Josiah was a delight at first, his morals and honor the badge of a gentleman. But the repeated mention of his physical desire for Katherine and his struggle to control himself got old fast.

The make-it-or-break-it for this reviewer, the dialogue, did not ring true to the era.

Ms. Blossom builds the tension, then eases it, then jerks it taut again as Katherine and Josiah dance around their situation and their marriage. And not only did she toss in one secret, but two—one of them with a surprise twist—with hints smattered throughout the pages until each secret was revealed.

The Spiritual struggle, though, was evident. Unbelievers surrounded with praying folk—and resenting any mention of the Bible of prayer. And yet, each of them felt the stirring, burning within, the longing for God, even if they didn’t recognize He was their answer.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

THREE FEATHERS

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Katherine’s Arrangement, Blossom Turner

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Saturday 1 August 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-SATURDAY – BOOK REVIEW – FALLING FOR GRACE by JANET FERGUSON

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-SATURDAY – BOOK REVIEW – FALLING FOR GRACE by JANET FERGUSON

 

THE BLURB

Grace Logan has taken a lot of tumbles in life, but she works hard to bounce right back. Dreams shattered and hope for reconciliation gone, Grace needs a place where she can pick herself up now that her ex is marrying her former best friend. Her boss’s beach house in Santa Rosa seems like the perfect getaway, but stumbling into the attractive-but-damaged handyman next door isn’t part of the plan.

After losing his infant son—and his marriage—Seth Gibbs is left with smothering grief and guilt. Bad memories make it difficult to find a new normal, so he escapes to his family’s vacation home. Three years later, he’s still in Santa Rosa with no plans to leave. That is…until Grace falls into his life.

THE AUTHOR

Janet W. Ferguson is a Grace Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space.

 

MY REVIEW

Sometimes it takes the broken in us to see the broken in others.

I’ve come to know that when I read a story by Ms. Ferguson, I will fall in love with her characters. Grace Loga and Seth Gibbs are no exception.

Her trying to escape a broken heart, him hiding from his, and they keep bumping into each other. And as stone sharpens stone, Grace and Seth’s encounters begin to strip away the sting and broken edges.

Ms. Ferguson digs into deep heart issues—grief, unforgiveness, betrayal—and roots them out, exposing them for the damage they create. She takes Grace and Seth through a steep learning curve, both individually and together. I appreciate her understanding of human nature, and the beauty of her stories that tell on us all so well.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

FOUR FEATHERS

 

 

This book was given to me as a gift. I offer my review of my own free will, and the opinions expressed in my review are my own honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review, Falling for Grace, Janet Ferguson, Coastal Hearts

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 28 July 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE HAUNTING OF JOSIAH KASH by DANA PRATOLA

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – THE HAUNTING OF JOSIAH KASH by DANA PRATOLA

THE BLURB

“The odds of being struck by lightning are practically the same as finding the love of your life.” ~Josiah
Josiah doesn’t believe in ghosts. But he can’t deny this abandoned house with its dark history holds more than just shadows of the past. Whether he’s dealing with something other-worldly or the effects of a near devastating head injury, there’s no doubt he’s being haunted.
Brenna’s life has been rough enough lately. Homeless and alone, she’s found safety in an old house atop Unger Hill. But she isn’t alone. She’d heard the rumors of the haunting here, but the handsome stranger invading her sanctuary is all too real, and might be more dangerous than any spirit.

THE AUTHOR

I’m passionate about Romance. I write about real people with real struggles, temptations, and desires. My characters often have difficult choices to make – and don’t always make the right ones. My stories are not what you expect, and everything you want.
God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three dynamic children, all of whom are destined to make wide, colorful splashes in this world. We share our New Jersey home with two dogs. I have no hobbies to speak of unless you include writing. I don’t.

Connect With Me at: http://www.DanaPratolaRomance.com to join my mailing list and receive news of new releases, giveaways, etc.

 

MY REVIEW

I’ve loved every one of Ms. Pratola’s books that I’ve read, and this one, told in first person, just sucked me right in.

I’ve felt helpless before but never so desperate as Brenna’s situation. And I’m tenacious, but I do believe she OWNS tenacity! Then again, sometimes ya just need to ask for help.

Talk about headstrong!! (Though apparently not in a match against a horse hoof… ) First of all, checking himself out of the hospital days after his injury, and then insisting he stay alone in an abandoned house, Josiah takes man-stubborn to new levels!

The twists in this story are unexpected and intriguing, tugging the reader page after page. Ms. Pratola understands the human psyche, and it shows in how she portrays her characters. The dialogue—often a make-it-or-break-it for this reader—is snappy and vivid.

This story kept me reading in anticipation to the last page.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, The Haunting of Josiah Kash, Dana Pratola

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 21 July 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY –BOOK REVIEW – LU. by BETH TROY

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – LU. by BETH TROY

 

THE BLURB

In a debut novel readers are calling “true to life,” “captivating,” and “cleverly written,” author Beth Troy takes on the story of Lu Sokolowski and her life upended. Lu’s plans have turned sideways, taking her back to the family and town she always planned to leave.

Lu is a modern woman’s honest journey to faith, that unapologetically addresses:

• The big questions women ask about their beliefs.
• The struggles women face in creating a fulfilling life.
• The complexity of family relationships.
• The tension between hope and reality.

Lu. by Beth Troy is one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. In turns witty and sincere, snarky and heartfelt, it is a study in brokenness and redemption. – Reading is my SuperPower

Lu is a story for readers looking for real growth in relatable characters who aren’t afraid to ask real questions. It’s for women who want to experience the full spectrum of who they are and what they believe. It’s for women who want a story about how faith integrates into the whole life of a woman. You will want to share this story with a friend – after you read it again yourself.

 

THE AUTHOR

Beth Troy is an American writer and educator who teaches courses in Creativity & Innovation and Women & Entrepreneurship at Miami University.

When not teaching, she spends her time writing. Her first novel is Lu, a sequel to which is being released in Summer 2020. She writes what she believes and asks questions that aim to spark debate and positive changes in her readers.

Beth lives in Ohio with her husband and three sons.

 

MY REVIEW

If #allthefeelz is a hashtag, then this book is #AlltheRealz!!!

 

How coincidental that today’s morning Scripture (Colossians 2:9-10) says, “… you are complete in Him…” Which is exactly Lu’s story, the journey she was on. To discover who she is, what her purpose is. And how this whole Bible thing relates. Or if it relates.

Ms. Troy’s storytelling is real and gritty and honest. Told in first person (this reviewer’s favorite) the story pulls the reader deeper into Lu’s discontent and unrest. Ms. Troy makes it clear that there is only one answer to fill the emptiness Lu knows so well.

I think any one of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, have known some of Lu’s feelings and doubts, if not the depth of them. But the cord, heavy and cumbersome, through it all was how Lu wanted to believe. How she tried.

Lu pounded Jackson with questions about the Bible and about his faith; he readily answered every time. Ms. Troy neatly tied Lu’s story with his, knitting them in a comfy cocoon of friendship. And maybe more…

Life is complicated and messy, and so is Lu’s story. Ms. Troy asks the questions that we ask; she lays bare the soul, because the walk of faith is not an easy one. Lu is a bold telling of an earnest search for answers, played against the familiar, the comfortable, the known with answers we all resist but desperately need.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Lu., Beth Troy, JustRead Publicity, #AlltheRealz

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Tuesday 7 July 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – MURDER ON EDISTO by C. HOPE CLARK

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY – BOOK REVIEW – MURDER ON EDISTO by C. HOPE CLARK

THE BLURB

A big city detective. A lowcountry murder.

Peace, safety, a place to grieve and heal. After her husband is murdered by the Russian mob, Boston detective Callie Jean Morgan comes home to her family’s cottage in South Carolina. There, she can keep their teenage son, Jeb, away from further threats.

But the day they arrive in Edisto Beach, Callie finds her childhood mentor and elderly neighbor murdered. Taunted by the killer, who repeatedly violates her home and threatens others in the community, Callie finds her new sanctuary has become her old nightmare. Despite warnings from the town’s handsome police chief, Callie plunges back into detective work, pursuing a sinister stranger who may have ties to her past. He’s turning a quiet paradise into a paranoid patch of sand where nobody’s safe. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop him.

THE AUTHOR

Hope Clark is the award-winning author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, also set in her home state of South Carolina. In her previous life, she performed administrative investigations for the federal government and married an agent she met on a bribery investigation. She can be found either on the banks of Lake Murray or Edisto Beach with one or two dachshunds in her lap. Clark is also editor of the award-winning fundsforwriters.com. Find out more about her at chopeclark.com

 

MY REVIEW

NOTE: For my followers who read only clean Christian fiction, there are several instances of swear language, and one scene in particular that gets pretty steamy. 

Having started reading this series with Book #3 or 4, it’s fun to go back and see how it all started. I mean, I knew Callie had issues, but to witness how they started—I just wanna give her a great big HUG! I felt for Callie, with attacks—and not just physical—coming from every side, even within her own mind as memories torment.

NOTE: The books in this series are stand-alone, but I appreciate getting to know Callie and her cohorts better.

Nobody tells a story like C. Hope Clark! Taut story, crisp writing, in-your-face dialogue! And real, believable characters. And the tension she builds from the first page had my heart racing!

In a new place where there are more unknown than familiar faces, Callie teeters between civilian life—foreign to her—and taking this crime spree head on. Especially since it seems aimed at her.

As she ticks through possible suspects—and no one is exempt, it seems—the clues get stranger and stranger.

Ms. Clark builds the suspense with each page, holding my attention in a tight grip to the unexpected twist at the end.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

 

This book was given to me as a gift. I offer my review of my own free will, and the opinions expressed in my review are my own honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Murder on Edisto, C. Hope Clark, Edisto Island Mysteries

Read Full Post »

BLOGWORDS – Friday 3 July 2020 – TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-FRIDAY – BOOK REVIEW – VOLITION by CHAUTONA HAVIG

TUESDAY REVIEWS-DAY-on-FRIDAY – BOOK REVIEW – VOLITION by CHAUTONA HAVIG

NOTE: I originally had this review scheduled for 16 May, but following my father’s death the week prior, I was too unfocused to keep up my reading pace, and deferred my post till I could get caught up. And though the tour is long over, I wanted to give credit where credit is due—after all, it is through Celebrate Lit that I came to read this little gem!

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book:  Volition

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre:  Christian fiction, futuristic

Release Date: December 31, 2019

 

THE BLURB

“I should have made that left turn at Tucumcari.”

It’s Doctor Who meets mail-order brides when “rescuers” from the future arrive to save Andi Flanders from a happy life with her loving family and fiancé.

Okay, so they meant to get her suicidal roommate, but hey. Mistakes happen, right?

And as far as Andi’s concerned, they can fix them—by sending her home.

However, when she learns what happens when she disappears from home, Andi has an impossible choice. Stay in the government-controlled futuristic world she despises and never see her family again or return to the twenty-first century and doom an innocent person to death.

Volition— Life and death decisions are so overrated.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

THE AUTHOR

Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

 

 

MORE FROM CHAUTONA

What Happens When You Explore Logical Progressions?

She used chopsticks. Me? I’m a fork kind of gal. But over plates of sesame chicken and fried rice, we hashed out what our NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) books would be. Every year, I challenged myself.  Once by writing drippy romance (Discovering Hope).  Once by turning a sermon into a story that wasn’t preachy (Argosy Junction). (psst… links are affiliate links—they provide a small commission at no extra expense to you!)

This time, I’d decided the challenge would include writing in the first person.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I don’t like the first-person perspective. As we tried to figure out what our plots would be, my friend added another challenge. “Do science fiction.”

I’ll be honest. I almost laughed her out of the restaurant. But then an idea hit me.  Why shouldn’t I?  I could kill two dislikes in one book.  Bam! Done!

That kicked off a book I probably never would have written otherwise.

I knew doing major techno-science stuff wouldn’t be conducive to trying to write 50,000 words in thirty days, so I immediately chose futuristic over space travel.  The decision to go with a form of time travel was probably inspired by Doctor Who, now that I think of it. I didn’t back then. I just went with what I thought I might be able to make interesting—to write, if not to read.

That kicked off an idea that sent my brain spinning.

What would happen if you got kidnapped and taken to the future, but returning to your former life means someone’s soul will never be redeemed?

Of course, it would take a really strong, amazing character to pull off that kind of thing. Not everyone could do it. But who… who give up her life for someone else?

That’s when I knew. That soul saved would have to belong to someone my character didn’t even like. Gotta raise the stakes, you know?

That’s also when I discovered that I wouldn’t like her—not at first.

Andi Flanders jumped onto the page with hands on hips and eyes flashing. She was livid that people in the future had interfered with her life. Then she’s broken when she realizes she can’t go back.

Fiercely independent, Andi enters futuristic Rockland with a critical eye and condemning spirit.  Since most sci-fi stuff I’ve seen focuses on sleek, pristine futures full of glass and steel, I wanted to go a different direction.  But how?

That’s when my solution came to me.

I’d take today’s world and push everything to logical exaggerated conclusions.

• Environmentalism? We’ll have a world that tries not to encroach on nature any more than necessary
• Population? I took China’s “one child” policy and made it worldwide… and then let the future deal with the fallout.
• Globalism? I let them have their one-world government that protects everyone from themselves.
• Apathetic faith? I didn’t persecute Christians. I just let their faith die a slow, natural death.

And then I threw in a character with a love for Jesus and a minor obsession with Ayn Rand’s objectivism.  Yes, I’m aware that those two things can be mutually exclusive. That was the fun of it.

This Rand-spouting, Jesus loving, freckle-faced, fiery redhead had to deal with all if this stuff in a world as opposite from her freedom-loving self as can stand.

Ninety-thousand words later, I was done.  And then I shelved the book.

For ten years.

On December 27, 2019, I got a message from my son.

He’d found a book cover design contest and wondered if he should enter.  And if so, with what book?  We hashed out ideas when I remembered Volition.  It wasn’t edited.  Done, but not edited.  Could I possibly get the whole thing cleaned up before December 31 rolled over into January 1?

I decided to try.

Nolan got to work on a cover while I began editing like nobody’s business.

With the help of my amazing launch team, an incredible editor, and no sleep, the book was live on New Year’s Eve with three hours to spare.

Then my son decided not to worry about entering this year.

He lives. This is a testimony to God’s grace and control over my life.  And my hands.

Or maybe it’s because he lives three hours south of me, and I’ve only seen him once since then. You don’t kill your son at your daughter’s wedding reception. Just sayin’.

But let’s go with the first reason. It makes me sound more spiritual or something. 😉

 

MY REVIEW

I don’t even know where to begin!! Amazing seems to small a word for this story!

A fan of stories written in first person (if done well,) I was immediately drawn into Andi’s dilemma. And the situation with her roomie.

But then the story felt off-putting, and I didn’t think the futuristic aspects would hold my attention. Boy was I wrong!

Now, having finished the book, I think I was feeling some of Andi’s confusion and frustration—and disbelief! (that first person point of view!) Then the choice she had to make—would I be that strong? How many of us could do that? Make that much of a sacrifice?

James was likeable enough, easy going, non-condemning. But frustrated and confused, too. After all, it was his [SPOILER] that was mixed up. He was just as bewildered with Andi’s previous life experience as she was with his. And yet, made great allowances for her, and defended her time and again.

The progression of this story, the incredible character arcs, were a thing of beauty. Little by little, two steps forward, one step back, dancing around feelings that at first weren’t there, Andi and James came to know and understand one another. Both thrust into a situation neither asked for, their first days were more than a little rough. Abrasive better describes it.

Ms. Havig created not only a plausible if tragically lost future world but wrapped a plausible and victorious story into it. With each page, each chapter, some new revelation unfolds, another rough edge of conflict was made smooth. As the story progressed and the characters evolved, so too did their marriage—from an arrangement to a friendship to something more.

A page-turner and tear-jerker, Ms. Havig’s story kept me captive to the last page. The last, lovely, tear inducing page.

 

ROBIN’S FEATHERS

ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

 

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Friday, #TRD, Book Review, Volition, Chautona Havig, Celebrate Lit Publicity

Read Full Post »