Stormy Haven (Coldwater Bay Intrigue #2) by Elizabeth Goddard

Title: Stormy Haven (Coldwater Bay Intrigue #2)

Author: Elizabeth Goddard

Pages: 219

September 1, 2018: 

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

     He’s her undercover bodyguard— but she can’t know.

     When someone tries to kill former government agent Jonna Strand, Ian Brady comes to her rescue. Now Ian must keep Jonna safe and catch the would-be killer—without revealing he was sent undercover to protect her. But when Jonna learns the truth, can she look past his secrets and lean on him to ensure they live through the storm-ridden night?

My review:

     A fantastic heart-pounding romantic suspense novel!

     Both Jonna and Ian are incredibly strong and courageous. They face danger at every turn. This book is packed with twists and turns so that means it is packed with danger. They each have a lot of baggage from their pasts. It is all related to their jobs and it makes it hard to go back to the dangerous situations that they are now having to face together. The biggest decision they have to deal with individually is whether they can trust each other or not.

     I love the setting for most of this book. The lodge on the cliff in northwestern Washington and the winter storms that keep taking place are perfect for this story. It really adds to the feeling of danger and helped to get my heart racing.

     This marvelous story is getting a 5 star rating from me. I am 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.*

Priscilla's Escape (The Bishop's Daughters #3) by Diane Craver + A GIVEAWAY

About the Book

 Book Title: Priscilla’s Escape 

Author: Diane Craver 

Genre: Amish Romance, Contemporary 

Release date: March 23, 2018  


When faith and freedom collide, mistakes made in the past may decide the future. 

Twenty-year-old Priscilla King is unsure about joining the Amish Church and wants to use her rumspringa freedom to paint beach landscapes. She’s been offered a two-month-long nanny position in Siesta Key, Florida by an author on a tight writing deadline. The opportunities presented are more than a little tempting for Priscilla, even if it means disappointing her parents and leaving her new boyfriend. 

Stephen Hertzler grew up in an Amish family, but, like Priscilla, he’s undecided about joining the church. He loves Priscilla and wants to marry her, though he knows she’s not ready to decide about anything other than her summer plans. His biggest worry is that she’ll meet someone else in Florida and forget him.

When Priscilla’s parents sabotage her part-time job at a local fabric store to dissuade her from following a “worldly lifestyle” in taking the nanny position in Florida, Priscilla is distraught. She knows she would regret not taking this chance. Leaving a note, she sneaks out in disobedience of her parents’ wishes.

Free to paint, dreams she’s never fully envisioned before seem within reach…but at what price?

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

This is a charming Amish romance.

I love both Priscilla and Stephen. They are extremely believable. They have very normal questions about their faith and how God wants them to live their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that they started by developing a friendship based on common interests and an ease in talking things over with each other.

The way that Priscilla’s family came together to discuss the situation when she left home was fantastic. That was a remarkable example of a close knit family working together when faced with difficulty.

There were a number of times that things that happened prior to the beginning of this book were discussed. I felt that many of them may have taken place in previous books about the King family.

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am giving it a rating of 5 stars. I am highly recommending it. I will be reading more of her books.

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

About the Author

Diane grew up on a farm outside Findlay, Ohio, and she often acted out characters from her own stories in the backyard. In high school Diane would read during classes and hide a novel in front of her in a propped-up textbook. After her high school graduation, she attended Ohio State University. Then Diane became a schoolteacher and play director. She met her husband while teaching at an orphanage, and they married three years later. It took her that long to convince him she was the one for him! While raising their family in southwestern Ohio, Diane started writing nonfiction and was published. Later she decided it would be a nice escape to write fiction. Diane was blessed with five daughters and one son. Two daughters were born with Down syndrome and live with Diane and her husband. Their other children live close by in Ohio so that’s wonderful. They also have four precious grandchildren. Diane published through a variety of houses. Several years ago, she decided to self-publish her books, so requested the rights back to her previously published stories. From the beginning, she enjoyed self-publishing her Amish romances. Diane gives thanks to God daily for her many blessings.

Guest Post from Diane

Hello, Reader Friends, 

Priscilla’s Escape is Book 3 in The Bishop’s Daughters Series. This story features Priscilla King, and she is the fourth child born to Amos and Lillian King. You may remember meeting Priscilla in my Dreams of Plain Daughters Series. After I finished writing this series, I decided to continue to write about the Amish and English characters living in Fields Corner, Ohio. They became family and real to me. 

The King family have six children with only one son. That is like our Craver family because we have five daughters and one son. Through the years, our family has faced certain challenges with two daughters being born with Down syndrome. Although Priscilla doesn’t have any siblings with special needs, she feels overlooked in her family. It’s like she’s invisible to her parents, especially to her father. He doesn’t understand her passion for painting but favors Molly’s talent for quilting. Everyone needs a cheerleader in their corner at times, and Priscilla is no different. Fortunately, her new boyfriend, Stephen, listens to her dream to paint beach pictures. He even understands her desire to wait to join the church. 

All families suffer some type of hardships. It does seem like some more than others. A family’s faith in God gives them hope in their daily lives. Whatever the level of the pain, staying close to God and listening to his voice, gives us the strength to survive. The King family have their share of tragedies, but their faith reminds steadfast. When Priscilla leaves their close-knit unit, they all reach out to her by letter and phone calls. Her siblings even tell their father that he needs to share his secret with Priscilla. 

I hope you will enjoy reading Priscilla’s Escape. There is a lot happening in the King family, so you can catch up with your favorite romantic couples in this novel. If you love going to the beach as much as I do, I think you’ll love reading about Priscilla’s beach experiences – some are good, and others are not.

Blog Stops

The Becca Files, September 22

The Avid Reader, September 22

Vicky Sluiter, September 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 23

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, September 24

Mary Hake, September 24

God’s Little Bookworm, September 25

Splashes of Joy, September 25

Because I said so – adventures in Parenting, September 26

Inklings and notions, September 26

Maureen’s Musings, September 27

Luv’N Lambert Life, September 27

KarenSueHadley, September 28

Quiet Quilter, September 29

proud to be an autism mom, September 29

Bibliophile Reviews, September 30

Not Enough Time for Books, October 1

Carpe Diem, October 1

Blogging With Carol, October 2

A Baker’s Perspective, October 2

Texas Book-aholic, October 3

Janices book reviews, October 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 5

Bigreadersite, October 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Diane is giving a grand prize that includes a $25 Amazon Gift Card & The Bishop’s Daughters: A Three Book Collection – Amish Baby Snatched, A Plain Widow, and Priscilla’s Escape (paperback or eBook)!!

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/d35a/priscilla-s-escape-celebration-tour-giveaway

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.*

Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands by Various Authors

Title: Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands

Authors: Cynthia Hickey, Susan Page Davis, Susanne Dietze, Darlene Franklin, 

Patty Smith Hall, Carrie Fancett Pagels, and Gina Welborn

Pages: 448

Year: 2017

Genre: Historial Romance Novella Collection

Publisher: Barbour Books

Format: eBook (also available in paperback)

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

     Meet seven of Turtle Springs, Kansas, finest women who are determined to revive their small town after the War Between the States took most of its men . . . and didn’t return them. The ladies decide to advertise for husbands and devise a plan for weeding out the riff riff. But how can they make the best practical choices when their hearts cry out to be loved?

My review:

     This is a delightful novella collection!

     I thoroughly enjoyed each of the seven stories. All of the main characters are wonderful. This collection has an aspect I’d never seen before. All of them are set in one town during the same time period. That means that there are lots of crossovers of characters among the different stories. At the same time each story is definitely separate. I loved seeing how they all interacted with each other.

     I really liked the variety of situations the women were in at the beginning of their stories. There were so different and yet they all had the very same problem. There were no men of marriageable age in their town after the Civil War

     I understood the dilemma that each of the women faced and why they wanted to find a husband. Then there was the odd woman out who didn’t want to find one and found herself falling in love anyway.

     Some of the authors were new to me. Actually that’s my favorite part of reading a novella collection. I have found a lot of great authors through them. This collection is no different. My list of authors to look for has grown thanks to this book.

     This wonderful collection is getting 5 stars from me and I’m 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.*

A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris

Title: A Secret to Die For

Author: Lisa Harris

Pages: 336

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Revell

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

     Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret—one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn’t simply suffering from paranoia.

     Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed eighteen people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan—and her life is in grave danger. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information they are willing to kill for.

     With her signature pulse-pounding suspense, Lisa Harris takes readers deep into the heart of heart in this race against the clock.

My review:

     This is a complete adrenaline rush, romantic suspense novel!

     The main characters are incredible! They are well developed and very believable. The heartache that they are each carrying is slowly built upon. We are told the bottom line of what they went through up front. Then the layers of hurt are peeled back. My heart broke for both of them.

     The plot for this story is fantastic! It is filled with twists and turns as details are discovered. I was completely caught up in it and had trouble putting the book down at times. It really prompted me to wonder, “What if. . . ?”

     I am giving this wonderful book a rating of 5 stars. I am 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.*

12 Days at Bleakly Manor (Once Upon a Dickens Christmas #1) by Michelle Griep

Title: 12 Days at Bleakly Manor (Once Upon a Dickens Christmas #1)

Author: Michelle Griep

Pages: 192

Year: 2017

Genre: Christmas Story

Publisher: Shiloh Run Press

Format: eBook (also available in paperback)

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

About the book:

     A mysterious invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home may bring danger…and love?

     England, 1851: When Clara Chapman receives an intriguing invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home, she is hesitant yet feels compelled to attend—for if she remains the duration of the twelve-day celebration, she is promised a sum of five hundred pounds.

     But is she walking into danger? It appears so, especially when she comes face to face with one of the other guests—her former fiance, Benjamin Lane.

     Imprisoned unjustly, Ben wants revenge on whoever stole his honor. When he’s given the chance to gain his freedom, he jumps at it—and is faced with the anger of the woman he stood up at the altar. Brought together under mysterious circumstances, Clara and Ben discover that what they’ve been striving for isn’t what ultimately matters.

     What matters most is what Christmas is all about . . . love.

My review:

     An unusual Victorian Christmas story!

     This book is filled with well developed and very strange characters. I love the two main ones, Clara and Ben. As we get to know them, as well as, the rest of the assorted house guests at Bleakly Manor a mystery starts to present itself. 

     Clara and Ben are the only two that know each other before arriving at the manor. It was interesting to see how their past affects their stay at the manor. Their interaction with each of the other house guests was very interesting. At times I wanted to tell some of them to just shut up. 

     This was a fun book to read and I’m looking forward to seeing what else the author comes up with for this series.

     I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

     I’m giving this wonderful story a rating of 5 stars and recommending it because it captured my attention right up until the very end.

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.*

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson + A GIVEAWAY

About the Book

Book Title: Hidden Among The Stars
   
Author: Melanie Dobson 
   
Genre: Historical Fiction (However, this is a time-slip novel, so there is also a contemporary component to the story)

Release date: September 4, 2018  

From the award-winning author of Catching the Wind, which Publishers Weekly called “unforgettable” and a “must-read,” comes another gripping time-slip novel about hidden treasure, a castle, and ordinary people who resisted evil in their own extraordinary way. 

The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan—even their very lives—in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone. 

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

WOW! An incredible historical/contemporary time-slip novel!

Since much of this book is set in Austria in 1938 the story is very heavy. It is so well written that I was caught up in it and had trouble putting it down at times.

I loved all of the main characters. They all had understandable problems. Some of them were directly connected to Hitler’s rise to power in Austria. Others were typical girl and boy issues.

The two time periods were beautifully woven together. I was fascinated with the way the present time period was used to reveal parts of the historical period’s story.

I have watched the movie Bambi many times. I was intrigued by all of the information about the book and the author that were included in this novel. I had no idea that it was written by an Austrian.

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

About the Author

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of nearly twenty historical romance, suspense, and time-slip novels including Catching the Wind and Chateau of Secrets . Three of her novels have won Carol Awards; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010; and The Black Cloister won the Foreword Magazine Religious Fiction Book of the Year. 

Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and owner of the publicity firm Dobson Media Group. When she isn’t writing, Melanie enjoys teaching both writing and public relations classes at George Fox University. 

Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to hike and camp in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific Coast. Melanie also enjoys exploring ghost towns and abandoned homes, helping care for kids in her community, and reading stories with her girls. 

Visit Melanie online at www.melaniedobson.com.

Guest Post from Melanie

Hallstatt’s Hiding Places

Backpacking across Europe—that’s how my husband Jon and I decided to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. We savored the old world culture and charm as we hiked along Italy’s coast, toured medieval castles in Germany, and cruised the canals in Belgium; we both left a bit of our hearts in an ancient lakeside town called Hallstatt. 

The moment we stepped off the ferryboat and into this storybook village, we crossed through a portal of sorts, traveling back several centuries in time. The rugged, snow-capped mountains around us and alpine lake, the quaint village with its church steeples and cobblestone lanes and waterfall that spilled into town—all of it captivated us. 

Along the shore, hidden partially by trees, we could see spires of an abandoned castle, and I wanted to know its story. No one in Hallstatt could tell us who’d lived in the castle—at least, not in English—so my husband agreed to a new adventure. With a swan as our escort, we glided across the lake in an electric boat so I could study the rusty turrets, boarded windows, and wooden boathouse resting in the water like a felled log. 

Instead of quelling my curiosity, the match of inspiration ignited my mind. Who had lived in this castle, and what happened there? I began writing in my journal that night, trying to capture my rogue thoughts on paper, hoping that one day a novel would emerge from the ashes of this castle’s story. 

When we returned home, I began researching more of Hallstatt’s history and discovered that this region, in all of its beauty and mystique, had been infiltrated by an enemy in 1938. This town and the surrounding Salzkammergut became a mountain retreat for Nazi officials who built mansions on the shores of its many lakes and used salt mines to hide “ownerless treasure”—the gold bullion and artwork they’d stolen from the Jewish people. 

The Nazis intended to build a Fourth Reich in this alpine fortress, but the Allies had other plans. Near the end of the war, these lakes became a dustbin of sorts, collecting whatever the enemy dumped into its waters—weapons, counterfeit banknotes, concentration camp lists—as they fled south from the Allied troops. The Devil’s Dustbin, locals call it. 

Lake Hallstatt plunges more than four hundred feet between the fortress of mountains. Because of its depth and the many hiding places in the underwater forests, caves, and shifting sands, divers continue finding World War II artifacts today. Some still believe there’s a treasure trove buried on the bottom, but no one has reported finding any gold. 

After our trip, a story about this castle and what happened to the heirlooms of the Austrian Jewish people continued to burn inside me until I finally put it on paper. So I built Schloss Schwansee—Castle of Swan Lake—in my mind, inspired by the castle along Lake Hallstatt, and created a cast of historical and contemporary characters who are searching for lost treasure. 

Hidden Among the Stars is a time-slip novel about a castle and treasure and fairytales, but most of all, it’s a story about God using ordinary people across Austria to resist evil in their own extraordinary way.

Blog Stops

Reading Is My SuperPower, September 6

Fiction Aficionado, September 6

Back Porch Reads, September 6

Among the Reads, September 6

The Power of Words, September 7

Multifarious, September 7

lady ansel book vibes, September 7

The Becca Files, September 7

God’s Little Bookworm, September 8

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, September 8

Painting with Words, September 8

Lis Loves Reading, September 8

cherylbbookblog, September 9

Living LIfe Free in Christ, September 9

Madeline Clark, September 9

Mary Hake, September 9

Reflections From My Bookshelves, September 10

Genesis 5020, September 10

Faithfully Bookish, September 10

Simple Harvest Reads, September 10 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)

Margaret Kazmierczak, September 11

All-of-a-kind Mom, September 11

Daysong Reflections, September 11

Caffeinated Christian Raves – N – Reviews, September 11

Seasons of Opportunities, September 12

Remembrancy, September 12

Inklings and notions, September 12

amandainpa, September 12

Maureen’s Musing, September 13

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 13

Just Commonly, September 13

Book by Book, September 13

Connect in Fiction, September 14

Pause for Tales, September 14

Have A Wonderful Day, September 14

Splashes of Joy, September 14

The Christian Fiction Girl, September 15

Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 15

To Everything A Season, September 15

A Baker’s Perspective, September 15

proud to be an autism mom, September 16

Bibliophile Reviews, September 16

Bigreadersite, September 16

Aryn The Libraryan, September 16

By The Book, September 17

Christian author, J.E. Grace, September 17

Janices book reviews, September 17

Texas Book-aholic, September 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 18

Carpe Diem, September 18

Godly Book Reviews, September 19

For The Love of Books, September 19

Live. Love. Read., September 19

Reader’s Cozy Corner, September 19

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Melanie is giving away a grand prize package that includes a $25 Amazon gift card, Catching the Wind paperback, and Hidden Among the Stars paperback!!

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/d2ad/hidden-among-the-stars-celebration-tour-giveaway

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.*