Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Return to Huckleberry Hill (The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill #7) by Jennifer Beckstrand + A GIVEAWAY

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book

Book: Return to Huckleberry Hill
Author: Jennifer Beckstrand
Genre: Inspirational Amish Romance
Release Date: May 30, 2017

When it comes to matchmaking, Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin’s unstoppable octogenarians Anna and Felty Helmuth never seem to run out of opportunities—or grandchildren…

Reuben Helmuth is plenty bitter. John King, his best friend—or so he thought—is engaged to the girl Reuben loved. Humiliated, Reuben flees from Ohio to his grandparents’ home on Huckleberry Hill, where he knows he’ll find comfort. He’s enjoying wallowing in his misery—until John’s sister, Fern, shows up. She won’t stop pestering Reuben about forgiveness—or trying to help him find love again. Yet Fern’s efforts only reawaken Reuben’s long-buried feelings—for her…

With her brother too ashamed to face Reuben, it’s fallen to Fern to help mend fences. But as she and the Helmuths do all they can—even organizing a knitting club event filled with eligible girls—it may take one more challenge to inspire Reuben to forget his heartache, recognize his own blunders, and embrace the true love that’s right in front of him…

My Review

The romance is very sweet and a delight to read.

This book is full of wonderful characters. Some of them are very peculiar and have some very unusual interests and tastes. Fern King is an absolute sweetheart and I fell in love with this character from the very beginning. She truly wants to get along with everyone and has a marvelous happy and optimistic disposition.

I really like the open and frank lessons about snobbish behavior. A couple of other issues that are presented are pride and the need to forgive others. All of these are very important topics that we all deal with at some point. I think that the author did an incredible job of presenting and exploring them.

I loved this book and am highly recommending it. It is getting a 5 star rating from me. Now I need to go back and read the previous books in this series.

About the Author

Jennifer Beckstrand is the award winning Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series and The Honeybee Sisters series for Kensington Books. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people and loves writing about the antics of Anna and Felty Helmuth and the Honeybee sisters’ aendi Bitsy. Jennifer has a degree in mathematics and a passion for Jane Austen and Shakespeare. She and her husband have been married for thirty-two years, and she has four daughters, two sons, and soon-to-be six adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

Guest post from Jennifer Beckstrand

Anna Helmuth is starting a knitting club, but that’s not all she’s got up her sleeve.

In Return to Huckleberry Hill, Anna Helmuth and Fern King decide to start a knitting club in order to introduce Anna’s grandson Reuben to some girls from Bonduel, Wisconsin. Anna is a very good knitter, with years of practice making baby blankets, scarves, mittens, and potholders. One of Anna’s scarves actually saved someone’s life, and her potholders have helped her make many a match.

When I was a young teenager, I learned how to knit and crochet. My mom taught me how to sew and quilt, and I made several of my own dresses in high school. I never learned to love sewing, but it was an invaluable skill that I am so grateful to have. Now that I’m a little older, I love putting together simple quilts for baby gifts and making quilts for the local children’s hospital. There is nothing like a homemade gift to say, “I care about you.”
(Photo: My family. I have five sisters and no brothers. I think my mom made every dress in this photo, including her own.)

I have a friend who is a wonderful cook. Making a delicious, beautiful meal is how she tells her family she loves them. I don’t consider myself a great cook, but I still take pride in putting something nutritious and satisfying on the table for my family.

It seems to me that some of the “home arts” that our mothers and grandmothers practiced are dying out. Who knows how to tat anymore? Or embroider? Some of these arts have died because of expediency. Who doesn’t think today’s stocking choices are more comfortable and practical than knitted wool ones? Others have died out because so few people want to learn.

What about you? Do you still practice any of the home arts that your grandmother did? What do you want to pass on to the next generation?

Blog Stops

May 23: cherylbbookblog

May 23: Lighthouse Academy

May 24: Reading Is My SuperPower

May 24: A Greater Yes

May 25: Just Commonly

May 25: God’s Little Bookworm

May 26: Have A Wonderful Day

May 26: Edits and Reviews by Leslie McKee

May 26: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner

May 27: Faithful Acres Body Soul Spirit

May 27: A Bakers Perspective

May 28: Christian Bookaholic

May 28: The Power of Words

May 29: Karen Sue Hadley

May 29: Daysong Reflections

May 29: Inklings and notions

May 30: Quiet Quilter

May 30: my site/autism mom

May 30: Donna’s Bookshelf

May 31: Bibliophile Reviews

May 31: Bigreadersite

June 1: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

June 1: Southern Gal Loves to Read

June 2: Pause for Tales

June 2: Blossoms and Blessings

June 2: Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses

June 3: Moments Dipped in Ink

June 3: Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting

June 4: A Room without Books is Empty

June 4: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS

June 4: Eat, Read, Teach, Blog

June 5: His Grace Is Sufficient

June 5: Jeanette’s Thoughts

June 5: A Simple Life, really?!

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away a $15 Amazon gift card to three lucky winners!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b3b2

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Fatal Mistake (White Knights #1) by Susan Sleeman

Title: Fatal Mistake (White Knights #1)

Author: Susan Sleeman

Pages: 336

Release Date: May 9, 2017

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: FaithWords

Format: eBook (also available in paperback)

Note: I received a free eBook copy of this novel through NetGalley. I have chosen to write this review to express my honest opinion.

About the book:

An FBI agent must protect the woman who can identify a terrorist bomber in bestselling author Susan Sleeman’s riveting romantic suspense novel.

Each day could be her last…but not if he can help it.

Tara Parrish is the only person ever to survive an attack by the Lone Wold bomber. Scared and emotionally scarred by her near death, she goes into hiding with only one plan—to stay alive for another day. She knows he’s coming after her, and if he finds her, he will finish what he started.

Agent Cal Riggins has had only one goal for the past six months—to save lives by ending the Lone Wolf’s bombing spree. To succeed, he needs the help of Tara Parrish, the one person who can lead them to the bomber. Cal puts his all into finding Tara, but once he locates her, he realizes if he can find her, the Lone Wolf can, too. He must protect Tara at all costs, and they’ll both need to resist the mutual attraction growing between them to focus on hunting down the bomber, because one wrong move could be fatal.

My review:

An intricately woven romantic suspense novel!

I love both of the main characters in this wonderful book. Both Tara and Cal are trying hard to keep their distance from others because of wounds that they are carrying. At the same time they are in a situation where they really need to rely on each other. I was very emotionally caught up in both of their lives present and past very quickly.

The plot of the story was fantastic. We knew from the beginning who the terrorist was. It was quite a journey to locate him and figure out how to stop him from killing again. It kept me very involved and pulling for Cal and his team to sort things out.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next for Cal and the rest of the White Knights team.

I have to give this incredible book a rating of 5 stars. With that said I am definitely highly recommending it.

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

For Love and Honor by Jody Hedlund

To purchase your copy, click here.

About the Book

Book: For Love & Honor
Author: Jody Helund
Genre: Young Adult Historical
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?

Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have?

As Lady Sabine and Sir Bennet are thrust together under dangerous circumstances, will they both be able to learn to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets? Or will those secrets ultimately lead to their demise?

My Review

WOW! This is an incredible YA medieval romance!

I was blown away by the wonderful characters in this book! There is an amazing depth to both of the main characters. It took most of the book to really reach the center of who they are. I liked them from the very beginning. As more and more of their personalities were presented I found myself feeling a connection that progressively deepened

Both Bennet and Sabine are carrying heavy burdens. Sabine’s is doubt of her self-worth. Bennet’s is how to save his family’s honor. As the two of them meet and start to develop a relationship they each have a personal journey that they have to work through emotionally.

It can be very hard to accept what we see as our flaws as though they are not. This is the journey that Sabine had to go on and I thoroughly enjoyed the sensitive way that Jody Hedlund handled this topic.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I am giving it a rating of 5 stars and highly recommending it!

I received a free copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the Author

Jody Hedlund is a best-selling and award-winning author who loves fairy-tales and happily-ever-afters. She makes her home in Midland, MI with her husband and five teen-aged children. When she’s not writing another of her page-turning stories, you can usually find her sipping coffee, eating chocolate, and reading.

Guest Post from Jody Hedlund

Why I Write Young Adult (YA) Books

By Jody Hedlund

FOR LOVE & HONOR is the third book in my Young Adult (YA) series set during medieval times and centering around knights, castles, and daring damsels. For those who haven’t yet read An Uncertain Choice or A Daring Sacrifice, don’t worry. All of the books can be read as standalones.

While this YA medieval series has been a step away from my usual historical romances, I have to admit that the series has been SUPER fun to write.

First, I love writing in the medieval time period, a time overflowing with danger, wars, plagues, strange customs, harsh living conditions, and incredible differences between the have’s and the have-not’s. All of that is such excellent fodder for developing page-turning stories. And so usually as I’m writing these stories, I have no trouble putting my characters into life-threatening danger, which is always fun.

Second, I’ve had fun writing my YA series because I love being able to speak truths into the hearts of young people. I have 4 teenagers and one tween, so I’m surrounded by teen angst every day! As a result of dealing with lots of teen issues with my children and their friends, it’s my goal to share hope and encouragement that if my characters can persevere and handle the growing-up issues with integrity and strength, then my readers can too.

Finally, I’ve enjoyed writing my YA series because I believe teens need clean romance alternatives. A lot of teens are reading romances (that’s when I started reading them). I’ve loved being able to provide a clean romance alternative with chivalry and honor and courage and lots of other themes that will hopefully give young ladies encouragement and inspiration as they move forward into building healthy relationships of their own.

Lest adult readers worry that FOR LOVE & HONOR might be too juvenile for them, then let me put your fear to rest. Reviews from my adult readers are showing that they, too, are enjoying the new book:

“This is marketed as YA, but it’s wonderfully interesting for all ages, in my opinion.”

“Even though it is written with the younger set in mind, I, being of the older set, enjoyed it immensely.”

“For Love and Honor is everything that fans of Jody Hedlund have come to appreciate and enjoy; regaling her readers across the generations with the timeless reminder that God-given uniqueness is a priceless gift, bestowed out of everlasting love.”

How about YOU? Have you read any YA books lately?