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Prism Book Tours - Daughters Of Northern Shores by Joanne Bischof + Excerpt & Giveaway

3/13/2019

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Heartache and regret, boldness and sacrifice. What will restoration cost the beloved Norgaard family?

Aven Norgaard understands courage. Orphaned within an Irish workhouse, then widowed at just nineteen, she voyaged to America where she was wooed and wed by Thor Norgaard, a Deaf man in rural Appalachia. That the Lord saw her along the winding journey and that Aven now carries Thor’s child are blessings beyond measure. Yet while Thor holds her heart, it is his younger brother and rival who haunts her memories. Haakon—whose selfish choices shattered her trust in him.

Having fled the farm after trying to take Aven as his own, Haakon sails on the North Atlantic ice trade where his soul is plagued with regrets that distance cannot heal. Not even the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s pursued can ease the torment. When the winds bear him home after four years away, Haakon finds the family on the brink of tragedy. A decades-old feud with the neighboring farm has wrenched them into the fiercest confrontation on Blackbird Mountain since the Civil War. Haakon’s cunning and strength hold the power to seal many fates, including Thor’s which is already at stake through a grave illness brought to him as the first prick of warfare.

Now Haakon faces the hardest choice of his life. One that shapes a battlefield where pride must be broken enough to be restored, and where a prodigal son may finally know the healing peace of surrender and the boundless gift of forgiveness. And when it comes to the woman he left behind in Norway, he just might discover that while his heart belongs to a daughter of the north, she’s been awaiting him on shores more distant than the land he’s fighting for.

From Christy Award–winning author Joanne Bischof comes Daughters of Northern Shores: the highly anticipated sequel to her moving novel Sons of Blackbird Mountain.

“The Norgaard brothers and their families will steal your heart.” --Catherine West, author of Where Hope Begins

Christian Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
March 12th 2019 by Thomas Nelson

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│ChristianBook│TNZ Fiction

Other Books in the Series

"VERDICT Christy- and Carol Award-winning author Bischof (The Lady and the Lionheart) creates endearing characters and a heartwarming story line in this unforgettable novel about the power of family, love, and the true meaning of home. Fans of Kristy Cambron, Julie Klassen, and Susan Meissner will love this one." - Library Journal

Excerpt

The air inside was dim and stagnant. Ripe with the scent of musty wood. A fresh leak had blossomed in the far corner, and sunlight hadn’t been kind to the curtains hanging on the windows. Aven stepped to them and fingered a hem just as she’d done when Haakon had stood beside her. He’d raised the curtain rod into place, giving her that boyish smile as he did. Just before the back of his hand had touched her arm. A coaxing—a pleading—for her to choose him.

A would-be lover who had lost her to Thor, losing his own way in the aftermath.

With a shuddering breath, Aven set the map on a wobbly table and turned away. Not wanting to linger, she stepped out and bolted the door before pressing the key back from sight.

Turning, she spotted a flash of white overhead and shielded her eyes to spy the lone herring gull dipping beneath the spread of clouds. She walked back toward Jorgan, still watching the sea bird that arced down to soar over the treetops of this land. It let out an urgent call, a cry for waters to rest upon, as it curved in a slow circle above towering pines.

“You are far from home, little one.” Chilled, she wrapped her arms around herself, thankful for the earthy scent of Thor’s shirt as she stepped farther down the lane. “But I do believe you’ll fare just fine,” she whispered.

As Aven neared Jorgan, the bird dipped and turned back the way it had come, wings spread sure and steady. Not so much as a falter in the steady pump, pump, pump as it rose higher. A determination. A steady climbing. And a reminder that just like a bird seeking a haven, the lost would do all they could to find their way home.

Taken from “Daughters of Northern Shores” by Joanne Bischof.
Copyright © 2019 by Joanne Bischof. Used by permission of http://www.thomasnelson.com/.

Joanne Bischof

Joanne Bischof is an ACFW Carol Award and ECPA Christy Award-winning author. She writes deeply layered fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. She was honored to receive the San Diego Christian Writers Guild Novel of the Year Award in 2014 and in 2015 was named Author of the Year by the Mount Hermon conference. Joanne’s 2016 novel, The Lady and the Lionheart, received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from RT Book Reviews, among other critical acclaim. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her three children.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│YouTube│Instagram

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a print copy of DAUGHTERS OF NORTHERN SHORES and a Thomas Nelson/Zondervan custom tote bag (book and bag shown are examples, not actual prize)

US only
Ends March 20, 2019

Tour Schedule

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - The Secrets Of Paper And Ink by Lindsay Harrel + Review & Guest Post & Giveaway

3/10/2019

https://promosimple.com/ps/dcc3/the-secrets-of-paper-and-ink-celebration-tour-giveaway

Lindsay Harrel presents a powerful story of healing,
forgiveness, and finding the courage to write your own story.

A year after the death of her abusive fiancé, domestic violence counselor Sophia Barrett finds returning to work too painful. She escapes to Cornwall, England—a place she’s learned to love through the words of her favorite author—and finds a place to stay with the requirement that she help out in the bookstore underneath the room she’s renting. Given her love of all things literary, it seems like the perfect place to find peace.

Ginny Rose is an American living in Cornwall, sure that if she saves the bookstore she co-owns with her husband then she can save her marriage as well. Fighting to keep the first place she feels like she belongs, she brainstorms with her brother-in-law, William, and Sophia to try to keep the charming bookstore afloat.

More than 150 years before, governess Emily Fairfax knew two things for certain: she wanted to be a published author, and she was in love with her childhood best friend. But he was a wealthy heir and well out of her league. Sophia discovers Emily’s journals, and she and William embark on a mission to find out more about this mysterious and determined woman, all the while getting closer to each other as they get closer to the truth.

The lives of the three women intertwine as each learns the power she has over the story of her life.

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release date: February 26, 2019
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Click here to purchase your copy.

My Review

Life can be messy, painful...and beautiful...

I read Lindsay Harrel's debut novel not that long ago, it truly moved me in a way that a novel seldom does. So it naturall followed that I would want to read her next book when it came out. The Secrets Of Paper And Ink was another excellent read, just a little different from its predecessor. I finished the book a short while ago but I know that it is one that I will be pondering, digesting, for awhile yet.

This book features the intertwined stories of three women. Two of them are contemporary and the third is from the Victorian Era. Over a century spans their lives but they intersect in a way that could only be called a God thing. Each of them has been hurt, by circumstances, and by the people closest to them. And each of them must work their way through the pain and find their identity in the only One who will always be there for them, and for us. This is the overarching theme that will resonate with women readers of all ages.

A thought-provoking story, The Secrets Of Paper And Ink is a book to both enjoy and ponder. It's easy to get immersed in the lives of Sophia, Ginny, and Emily, but it is equally as easy to see the parallels in our own lives. To see that when life hands you lemons, search for the sugar that can only come from the hand of God, and make it into lemonade.

Lindsay Harrel may be a new author in what I would call women's fiction but she is also one to watch. I for one, am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Secrets Of Paper And Ink by Lindsay Harrel a 4.5 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Guest Post

from Lindsay Harrel

With every book I write, it seems God has something new to teach me. That certainly was true of The Secrets of Paper and Ink.

Lately, I am learning more and more about the power of our words. I’ve become more conscious of the words I speak over myself as well as what I say to other people. It’s more than “positive thinking”—the words we say ultimately contribute to the stories we weave, and I want my story to be as positive and hope-filled as possible, regardless of my circumstances.

I’ve also become much more aware of the lies that I tell myself—“you are not worthy, you are not enough, you will never achieve what you want to achieve”—and the need to replace those lies with the truths that God says about me. I have listened to Lauren Daigle’s song You Say on repeat lately, and it has become a theme not just of The Secrets of Paper and Ink, but one in the story of my very life.

So while I may not have experienced everything my characters have—I’ve never suffered emotional abuse, or been ostracized by my family, or been orphaned and alone in a world that seems against me at every turn—I have learned alongside them. I set out to write a book that would draw readers closer to the true healer and hope giver, and I ended up being drawn closer myself.

And that, to me, is the true power of story.

-Lindsay Harrel-

Lindsay Harrel

Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd who lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training.

She’s held a variety of writing and editing jobs over the years and now juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with writing novels.

When she’s not writing or chasing after her children, Lindsay enjoys making a fool of herself at Zumba, curling up with anything by Jane Austen, and savoring sour candy one piece at a time.

Connect with her at LindsayHarrel.com.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Lindsay is giving away a copy
of Lindsay’s first book The Heart Between Us!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

Blog Stops

February 26
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
The Avid Reader
The Power of Words
Carla Loves To Read
February 27
Blogging With Carol
Inspirationally Ever After
Kristin’s Book Reviews
February 28
Real World Bible Study
Caffeinated Christian Raves – N – Reviews
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March 1
A Baker’s Perspective
Andy Carmichael
Stephanie’s Life of Determination
March 2
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March 3
Christian Chick’s Thoughts
Emily Yager
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March 4
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March 5
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March 6
Remembrancy
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March 7
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March 8
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March 9
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March 10
Tell Tale Book Reviews
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March 11
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amandainpa

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Ladies Of Intrigue by Michelle Griep + Review & Guest Post & Giveaway

3/6/2019

3 Comments

3 Page-Turners Under One Cover from Reader Favorite Michelle Griep!

Can truth and love prevail when no one is as they appear?
The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady
Cornish Coast, 1815
When a prim and proper governess returns to England from abroad, she expects to comfort her dying father—not fall in love with a smuggler. Will Helen Fletcher keep Isaac Seaton’s unusual secret?

The Doctor’s Woman (A Carol Award Winner!)
Dakota Territory, 1862
Emmy Nelson, daughter of a missionary doctor, and Dr. James Clark, city doctor aspiring to teach, find themselves working side by side at Fort Snelling during the Dakota Uprising. That is when the real clash of ideals begins.

A House of Secrets
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1890
Ladies Aide Chairman, Amanda Carston resolves to clean up St. Paul’s ramshackle housing, starting with the worst of the worst: a “haunted” house that’s secretly owned by her beau—a home that’s his only means of helping brothel girls escape from the hands of the city’s most infamous madam.

Genre: Christian Historical
Release date: February 2019
Publisher: Barbour

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

Danger looms for three Ladies Of Intrigue...

Over the last year or so I've really come to enjoy Michelle Griep's historical romance so when I saw Ladies Of Intrigue it was a must read for me. I was curious to see if she could write novellas as well as she does her full length novels.

While the title indicates suspense I found that Ladies Of Intrigue was more historical romance with a healthy dash of adventure. What could be more adventurous than smugglers, a Native American uprising, and a haunted house with many secrets...?

One thing that I would like to note is that those who have difficulty with smaller print will not have that problem with this book. The font size is really nice and easy to read.

I found Michelle Griep's novella collection to be a fairly quick and easy read. The settings, Cornwall, Dakota Territory, and St. Paul, Minnesota, were quite interesting. And I really liked the fact that the stories covered the length of the 1800s, 1815, 1862, and 1890. So, if you are looking for a trio of adventurous and romantic novellas from a talented author Ladies Of Intrigue would be a great choice.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Ladies Of Intrigue by Michelle Griep a 4 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Guest Post

by Michelle Griep

3 Reasons to Read Historical Fiction

Believe it or not, some readers snub historical fiction, preferring instead to stick to contemporary reads. Several have good reason to, simply preferring one genre over another. But others have never given historical fiction a try. If you fall into that camp, here are some reasons you should consider reading a tale from the past.

1. Historical fiction books are not as boring as your high school history class.
Does the thought of endless names and dates make you break out into hives? Good news! Historical fiction is a painless way to glean some historic facts without mindless memorization. You can experience a different era and culture vicariously through heroes and heroines that live on the pages of yesteryear.

2. Makes for great conversation.
In a world that prides itself on keeping up with the Kardashians, dare to add a little cultural zest to your next dinner conversation. Reading historical fiction arms you with interesting tidbits of things that’ve happened in years gone by.

3. Because truth is timeless.
Some people yearn to go back to a simpler time. The truth is, though, that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the historic side of the fence. People have had tough issues to deal with no matter the era. . .but therein lies a great reason to read historical fiction: truth is timeless. Be it ancient, biblical, medieval, Victorian, or anything in between, truth never changes.

In my new release, Ladies of Intrigue, you’ll experience all these things and more. Find out about the smuggling trade in Cornwall in The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady. Learn about the rough and dangerous life on a military fort during the 1860’s in The Doctor’s Woman. Find out why the gilded age wasn’t as glittery as we often think in A House of Secrets.

Don’t be doomed to repeat history. Grab a cup of tea and master it with a great read!

-Michelle Griep-

Michelle Griep

Michelle Griep has been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes—except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager. She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. An Anglophile at heart, she runs away to England every chance she gets, under the guise of research. Really, though, she’s eating excessive amounts of scones while rambling around a castle. Michelle is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and MCWG (Minnesota Christian Writers Guild). Keep up with her adventures at her blog “Writer off the Leash” or visit michellegriep.com.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away a grand prize of
a $25 Amazon gift card and a free copy of Ladies of Intrigue!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/da8c/ladies-of-intrigue-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

February 23
The Avid Reader
The Power of Words
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
Happily Managing a Household of Boys
February 24
Blogging With Carol
Reflections From My Bookshelves
Jeanette’s Thoughts
Mary Hake
February 25
Kathleen Denly
Genesis 5020
Splashes of Joy
For the Love of Literature
February 26
Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Faery Tales Are Real
Through the Fire Blogs
Blossoms and Blessings
February 27
Inspired by fiction
All-of-a-kind Mom
Back Porch Reads
Stephanie’s Life of Determination
February 28
A Baker’s Perspective
Andy Carmichael
Stories By Gina
March 1
Emily Yager
Multifarious
A Reader’s Brain
Baker kella
March 2
Bibliophile Reviews
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy
Remembrancy
March 3
Just the Write Escape
Bigreadersite
Inspiration Clothesline
March 4
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess
Vicky Sluiter
Ashley’s Bookshelf
Book by Book
March 5
Kat’s Corner Books
Inklings and notions
Living Life Free in Christ
The Morning Chapter
March 6
Tell Tale Book Reviews
Pause for Tales
Simple Harvest Reads (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Daysong Reflections
March 7
Texas Book-aholic
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
Janices book reviews
March 8
A Humble Cup of Lukewarm Tea
Christian Chick’s Thoughts
Christian Author, J.E. Grace
Carpe Diem

3 Comments

Prism Book Tours - Never Past Hope by Janine Mendenhall

3/5/2019

Genre:
Historical Romance

Never Past Hope
Triangular Trade Trilogy book 2
by Janine Mendenhall

-From the back cover-

Miss Mary Hope Adsley always considered herself to be the sensible one. But now, her sensibilities are unraveling around a man she thought she knew. After he attempted to marry her best friend – for money, no less – authorities charge Sir Steven Likebridge with masquerading as a gentleman and abduction. With his execution days away, Mary Hope desperately seeks to learn the truth about the man she loves.

Will the truth turn out to be worse than his lies?

ISBN-13: 978-1946016591

She's a saint, he's a criminal, can they find love...

I started this book with some reservations. I mean, the object of the heroine's romantic affections is the despicable villain from the last book! I wasn't sure I wanted to give the rake a second chance. But ultimately that is what Never Past Hope is about, forgiveness and redemption. Each of Janine Mendenhall's characters struggle with some aspect of one of both of those words. A struggle which I think so many can identify with.

I'll confess that it took me a bit to get into the story, I was just so deadset on disliking Steven and I thought that Mary Hope was a naive fool for her persistence. But after awhile they both grew on me a bit and I began to take an interest in how the story could possibly have a happy ending.

This Book received a 3.5 Bark rating.

Janine Mendenhall

Author Website

Never Past Hope couldn't have been more perfectly titled, the play-on-words with the heroine's name, and even more the overarching themes of the story. I think I actually may have liked this book better than the previous one, especially with the addition of family secrets and a missing object. I'll be curious to see where Janine Mendenhall takes her characters in the last book of the Triangular Trade Trilogy.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Never Past Hope by Janine Mendenhall a 3.5 Bark rating.

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Prism Book Tours - Starving Hearts by Janine Mendenhall

3/5/2019

Genre:
Historical Romance

Starving Hearts
Triangular Trade Trilogy book 1
by Janine Mendenhall

-From Amazon-

Plagued by nightmares, Annette yearns to find her anonymous rescuer — the man who saved her life from a near deadly assault. Deep inside she is starving for companionship and a mutually respectful relationship. When Mr. Peter Adsley, an abolitionist pastor dealing with his own emotional baggage, agrees to a clandestine meeting, the event appears providential. But self-doubt, deception, and the schemes of a mutual enemy threaten to keep the pair apart. A phantom adversary will stop at nothing to win Annette’s dowry for himself, even if it means killing Peter.

ISBN-13: 978-1938499845

Can they make a difference in a world of darkness?

I'm not exactly sure how to reign in my rather scattered thoughts about Starving Hearts. While the story didn't exactly capture my attention I did think that the the author's take on the horrible Triangular Trade, slavery, was both interesting and compassionate.

And while the heroine's constant vacillating about standing up to her mother or being a doormat, was quite annoying, I found her commitment to the abolition of slavery to be commendable and her desire to grow her faith to be inspiring. And sometimes I wanted to tell the hero he was being stupid but on the other hand his desire to be a pastor tending his flock was admirable.

This Book received a 3.5 Bark rating.

Janine Mendenhall

Author Website

The story had a good suspense thread with a truly despicable villain who was easy to despise. If you are into historical romance with an early Regency flavor, some danger and suspense, and a strong faith message, Janine Mendenhall's book might be right up your alley.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Starving Hearts by Janine Mendenhall a 3.5 Bark rating.

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Prism Book Tours - A Desperate Hope by Elizabeth Camden + Review & Giveaway

3/1/2019

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she believes is finally behind her. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak.

Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town--but he needs Eloise's help to succeed.

Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them.

Christian Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 352 Pages
February 5th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│ChristianBook│iBooks│Kobo

Other Books in the Series

My Review

Can their differences bring them back together...?

It's been awhile since I've read one of Elizabeth Camden's books. Too long, as A Desperate Hope is the third book in her Empire State series, which, is actually her first ever series.

Maybe it was kind of dumb to start with the third book in a series but that's just how it turned out. Each book appears to be connected but can be read standalone.

While I found myself time and again annoyed by Alex, the hero, I did find myself genuinely liking the heroine, Eloise. The real draw for me was the storyline. I have personal connection as I, too, live near an area where several towns were inundated by water when the dam was built. And I even know people who lost land and homes when the decision was made to flood the landscape.

While probably not my favorite Elizabeth Camden novel I did find A Desperate Hope to be quite interesting. And the suspense angle was a good addition.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives A Desperate Hope by Elizabeth Camden a 4 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Elizabeth Camden

Elizabeth Camden is the author of twelve historical novels and two historical novellas and has been honored with both the RITA Award and the Christy Award. With a master's in history and a master's in library science, she is a research librarian by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. She lives with her husband in Florida.

You can connect with Elizabeth Website│Goodreads│Facebook

Tour Giveaway

- One Grand Prize winner will receive print copies of all three books in the Empire State series: A Dangerous Legacy, A Daring Venture, and A Desperate Hope
- Two additional winners will receive a print copy of A Desperate Hope

US only
Ends March 1, 2019

Follow The Tours

Check out the Bookstagram Tour on @prismbooktours

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Prism Book Tour - Pajama Party: The Story by E.C. Jackson + Excerpt & Giveaway

3/1/2019

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Most sleepovers are simple. Food, fun, and pillow fights. But sixteen-year-old Karen Duncan has bigger plans for her slumber party. Family troubles have changed her over the past year, and she’s no longer the petty, selfish girl she used to be. Now she’s ready to shake things up with her friends. The guest list comes as a surprise to some and a slap in the face to others. This popular girl has invited some not-so-popular guests. Even more shocking, she’s left out some of the girls she’s hung out with since middle school.

Diane and Evette are outsiders, nervous about being stuck in a house with the same girls who tease them at school. Kathy, Lisa, and Joann come to the party with the confidence of the in-crowd, but they’re masking inner-turmoil that is bound to surface. Sandy and Angela are usually the voices of reason…usually. And then there’s Linda, the friend that got away. She may not ever forgive the girls who abandoned her years ago. Karen hopes to change her mind.

Her agenda is ambitious, and it could spell disaster. But Karen is convinced God will use this party to spark a new beginning for everyone involved. This companion book to A Living Hope gives us the inspired story Sadie Cummings wrote for the girls of Shiatown.

YA Christian Contemporary
Paperback & ebook, 213 Pages
August 26th 2017 by E. C. Jackson

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│Book Depository

Excerpt

Although it was freezing outside, Karen wanted to move the conversation onto the front porch. She hated that the girls were huddled in the foyer. Her mother and sister sat on the top step. They’d listened to every word so far. Annette stared at her. She probably thought about what had happened to Karen last May.

Stop worrying about me, Mom. I’m fine. That will never happen to me again.

Too bad the noise inside the family room had disrupted the entire household. Nevertheless, she could handle the situation without their help. At least her father remained upstairs inside his bedroom fast asleep. Unless he hid out of sight and secretly watched what happened too.

My mother will step in if we don’t patch up this trouble soon. Only God knows what she’ll say.

E.C. Jackson

E. C. Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. For three and a half years she published the Confidence in Life newsletter for Alpha Production Ministries, in addition to writing tracts and devotionals. Teaching a women’s Bible study at her church for eleven years naturally led to her current endeavor of writing inspirational romance novels and teen and young adult fiction. Her mission: spiritual maturity in the body of Christ through fiction.

A note from E. C. Jackson: “The Write Way: A Real Slice of Life” is the slogan on my website and Facebook author page. If every person reading my book feels connected to the characters, my job is done.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Amazon

Tour Giveaway

One 1st Prize winner will receive:
- A Living Hope Paperback (the companion book to Pajama Party: The Story)
- 1 Key chain for Pajama Party: The Story
- 1 Key chain for A Living Hope

One 2nd Prize winner will receive:
- A $25 Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally
Ends March 6, 2019

Tour Schedule

1 Comment

2019 Birthday Celebration - 3 Things You Didn't Know About. . .Far Side Of The Sea by Kate Breslin + Giveaway

2/27/2019

15 Comments

â€‹In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.

Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.

When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.

â€‹ISBN-13: 978-0764217821

#1. â€‹Shortly after finishing the manuscript for Far Side of the Sea, I searched for information about my great-uncle George, who fought in WWI in 1917-1918 and received a Purple Heart (once they were issued in 1932.) In my quest, I found his fatherâ€™s (my great-grandfatherâ€™s) genealogy that took me back to the year 1634, when my maternal ancestors lived in St. Eustache, Paris, Franceâ€”just blocks away from where my new novel takes place! My great uncle, I also learned, fought with the fearless American 32nd infantry division in France and they were awarded the French Croix de Guerre, which my hero, Colin Mabry, also received. It was such a thrill to know that unbeknownst to me, my own family had walked the same paths as my fictional story!
â€‹

#2. â€‹I traveled to Barcelona, Spain, while writing Far Side of the Sea and visited the famous 1000-year-old monastery at Montserrat, where a bit of my story takes place. It was so much fun reliving my vacation as I created story scenes, and there were many sights I included in my novel. Though my story takes place 100 years ago, itâ€™s fortunate that in Europe a century can go by and things pretty much remain the same.

Montserrat Monastery

#3. â€‹One of my writing habits is that before I begin typing a new story on my computer, I change the photograph on the monitor screen to a place that Iâ€™m writing about. I find that like Pinterest, visuals inspire me. For Far Side of the Sea, my screen saver is a picture of a beautiful French chÃ¢teau, just outside of Paris where Colinâ€™s adventure begins!

-Kate Breslin-

Kate Breslin

â€‹Former bookseller-turned-author Kate Breslin enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received Christian Retailing's 2015 Best Award for First Time Author and her novel, For Such A Time, won the 2015 Carol award for Debut Novel. Kate's third novel, High As The Heavens released in June 2017. When she's not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington's beautiful woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, and much of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas.

Contact info
Website â– Facebook â– Twitter â– Pinterest â– Instagram

â€‹It's Time For A Giveaway!

Kate is generously giving away a
print copy of Far Side Of The Sea

USA Only

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2019 Birthday Celebration - Guest Post from author Lynnette Bonner + Giveaway

2/26/2019

10 Comments

Hello Dear Readers of Jasmine’s blog!
I’m so honored to be here sharing my brand-new book, Beauty from Ashes, with you all today.

Do you ever feel the weight of your past mistakes?
Wonder if you’ll ever be able to get past them?

That’s exactly how Liora, the heroine in my story feels. She lived a sinful life, right up until God rescued her from herself. But she wonders if she’ll forever be stuck with the ashes she’s made of things.
Thankfully we all serve a God who can make beauty from ashes! (Isaiah 61: 1-3)

About the book:
Take the next stagecoach to Wyldhaven,
where the coffee's perked hot,
the sheriff likes his apple pie fresh from the oven,
and adventure invariably waits just around the next river bend.

Liora Fontaine wants nothing more than to help mistreated women escape from brothel owner, John Hunt. She understands the desperation and manipulation that force many women into his employ. But when she rescues a young girl, she is shocked by Hunt’s ruthless reprisal. Now as she cowers in her cabin, hiding from Hunt’s men, who are determined to kill her, she can’t help but think how much this day is a picture of her whole life. Ashes. Nothing but ashes.
Deputy Joseph Rodante can’t believe Liora took on a mission so dangerous without asking for his help! He arrives at her cabin to make sure she’s safe just as Hunt’s men start shooting up the place. Now they are stuck together inside with a long night looming. The Wyldhaven gossips are going to have a heyday over that! The only way to fix this is to make Liora his wife. But the stubborn woman turns him down flat.
Despite her protests, Joe vows to protect her—no matter the cost.
And it just might cost both of them everything!

I’m happy to give away an eBook copy to one commenter today.

So, to be entered, leave a comment sharing one way that God
has given either you, or someone you know, beauty for ashes.

Lynnette Bonner

Born and raised in Malawi, Africa. Lynnette Bonner spent the first years of her life reveling in warm equatorial sunshine and the late evening duets of cicadas and hyenas. The year she turned eight she was off to Rift Valley Academy, a boarding school in Kenya where she spent many joy-filled years, and graduated in 1990.

That fall, she traded to a new duet—one of traffic and rain—when she
moved to Kirkland, Washington to attend Northwest University.

It was there that she met her husband and a few years later they moved to the small town of Pierce, Idaho.

During the time they lived in Idaho, while studying the history of their little town, Lynnette was inspired to begin the Shepherd’s Heart Series with Rocky Mountain Oasis.

Marty and Lynnette have four children, and currently live in Washington where Marty pastors a church.

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2019 Birthday Celebration - Interview with the Island Aunties from Anna's Tower in The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection

2/23/2019

https://promosimple.com/ps/db0f/brunch-at-bittersweet-cafe-celebration-tour-giveaway

Lighthouses have long been the symbol of salvation,
warning sailors away from dangerous rocks and shallow waters.

Along the Great Lakes, America’s inland seas, lighthouses played a vital role in the growth of the nation. They shepherded settlers traveling by water to places that had no roads. These beacons of light required constant tending even in remote and often dangerous places. Brave men and women battled the elements and loneliness to keep the lights shining. Their sacrifice kept goods and immigrants moving. Seven romances set between 1883 and 1911 bring hope to these lonely keepers and love to weary hearts

ISBN-13: 978-1683227694

Interview

We’re welcoming the Island Aunties from Anna’s Tower, part of
The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection.
They have agreed to sit down and answer a few of our questions today.

Auntie Laurie and Auntie Gretchen, tell us a little about yourselves, your family, and friends.
Auntie Gretchen: That’s easy; we’ve outlived all our family and friends.
Auntie Laurie: Now, sister, that’s not true. Jim Wilson has been a dear friend who took us in to live at the lighthouse. And you know we have some nieces and nephews, oh goodness, no doubt great nieces and nephews by now. Our brother, he was much younger than us you know, had a couple of boys and a girl the last time we heard from him back in … was it 1863, sister?
Auntie Gretchen: Not that we’ll ever see a one of them. Packed off to greener pastures the way all young people do these days. Gone. Just like that.
Auntie Laurie: Well, dear, there was a war going on.
Auntie Gretchen: Pffft.

Let’s move on. What is the one thing you just can’t do without?
Auntie Laurie: Fresh air and sunshine. Doesn’t that just pick your spirits up? I so look forward to spring when everything comes into bloom again.
Auntie Gretchen: Something for my hands to do. Nothing worse than sitting in a chair with idle hands.
Auntie Laurie: Unless you’re napping.
Auntie Gretchen: I don’t nap in my chair.
Auntie Laurie: Well, dear, then you snore while awake.
Auntie Gretchen: I don’t snore. Never have. Never will.

Ladies, why don’t you tell us what you fear the most?
Auntie Laurie: *shudders visibly* Spiders. I know I shouldn’t let them worry me, but just the thought--
Auntie Gretchen: She’s always been afraid of spiders. What’s much more worrisome is a nasty shipwreck off our island.
Auntie Laurie: She’s right, I should have said that.
Auntie Gretchen: Pulling sailors out of the water, some alive, some not. Trying to patch up the ones that are still breathing. Wondering if any are still out there.
Auntie Laurie: Yes, that is always frightening. Sometimes, if the storm isn’t too loud, you can hear the cries of the men in the water. It’s awful. Just awful.

That does sound dreadful so let’s move on. Tell us, what are your greatest strengths and your greatest flaws?
*The two women look at each other briefly*
Auntie Laurie: I think it might be a good idea to just skip that question.
Auntie Gretchen: Pffft.

That’s fine, then let me ask this, if you could change one thing in your life, past or present, what would it be?
Auntie Gretchen: I’d like to have traveled to Russian and seen the land our parents came from.
Auntie Laurie: But you get seasick just sailing to the mainland, how would you have crossed the ocean?
Auntie Gretchen: She asked what I’d like to change.
Auntie Laurie: Then you should have said you’d like to not get seasick.
Auntie Gretchen: *opens her mouth*
Auntie Laurie: But I’ll answer now, I would have liked to get married.
Auntie Gretchen: WHAT?!
Auntie Laurie: It would have been nice to have children and grandchildren.
Auntie Gretchen: Pffft.

Okay, ladies, what do you hope that people will learn from your story?
Auntie Laurie: That people shouldn’t be judged by where they come from.
Auntie Gretchen: And young people ought to listen to their elders. If Anna would have listened to me in the first place we could have avoided--
Auntie Laurie: Sister, don’t give away the ending.
Auntie Gretchen: Oh. Right.

What is the most important thing to you?
Auntie Laurie: My sister.
Auntie Gretchen: I suppose I better say by my sister too.

Thank you, ladies, for talking to us today. If people want to learn more about you and Anna’s Tower,
they can find The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection at bookstores and on Amazon.

Pegg Thomas

Pegg Thomas lives on a hobby farm in Northern Michigan with Michael, her husband of *mumble* years. They raise sheep and chickens, keep a few barn cats, and Murphy the spoiled rotten dog. A life-long history geek, she writes “History with a Touch of Humor.” Pegg is published in the Barbour historical romance collections. Pegg also works as Managing Editor of Smitten Historical Romance, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. When not working or writing, Pegg can be found in her barn, her garden, her kitchen, or sitting at her spinning wheel creating yarn to turn into her signature wool shawls.

Website ■ Facebook ■ Twitter ■ Goodreads

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Brunch At Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano + Review & Guest Post & Giveaway

2/21/2019

3 Comments

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.
Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.
Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

Genre: Christian Romance
Release date: February 5, 2019
Publisher: Tyndale

Click here to purchase your copy.

My Review

A scrumptious story!

I've heard really good things about Carla Laureano's books in recent years but for some reason I haven't read any of them until now. Maybe it was silly of me to start with book two in a series but Brunch At Bittersweet Cafe had such name and the storyline sounded interesting.

Reading Brunch At Bittersweet Cafe couldn't have come at a better time. I had a cold and I was stuck home on the couch. Reading beats watching TV any day in my opinion so I dove right in. I'll tell you this, reader beware, your mouth will be watering throughout the entire book and you will find yourself dreaming about things to eat with exotic sounding words such as croquembouche and kolache.

While I really had nothing in common with the characters I found their story to be engaging and hard to put down. Melody and Justin are both searching and they ask some really good questions, questions about faith, that I think we've all probably asked at one point or another.

Carla Laureano has a good thing going in her Supper Club Series. Now that I've read book two I definitely want to go back and read the first book as well as looking forward to the next one.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Brunch At Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano a 4 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Guest Post

from Carla Laureano

“Confessions of An Erstwhile Baker”

Like most females, baking is encoded somewhere deep down in my DNA. Call it nature or call it nurture, but at the earliest age, I figured out that the cute boy in my English class would talk to me if it involved chocolate chip cookies. Got my heart broken or had a friend betray me? I grabbed the mixing bowl and went for the brownies (even better if they’re served à la mode.) My friend was having a birthday? I made a cake drowned in pounds of buttercream.

I quickly graduated from the boxed mixes to the real thing when I got married and had a kitchen large enough to roll out dough. I would comb magazines for the best recipes and spend my weekends trying them out. I quickly became known for bringing beautifully iced Christmas cookies and delicious homemade cakes to work.

Then my husband and I moved our young family from Los Angeles to Denver, a relocation that was about 1000 miles northeast and 5000 feet up. Suddenly, every recipe I’d perfected in the previous eight years failed. Cookies burned to crisps, cakes fell, and don’t get me started on candy making. Gradually, I adapted my recipes (my beloved never-fail Toll House recipe took eight tries to get right) and even became an avid artisan bread-baker.

Then disaster. Or at least, what a baker would consider a disaster. After developing chronic health problems, I discovered that among other things, I was sensitive to gluten. The horror! In order to heal, I turned to the paleo diet, which eliminates all grains (there goes most gluten free recipes) and all processed sugars (there goes everything else). I’ve tried baking paleo-style, and while I can now make cakes that even my gluten-fiend family enjoy, it’s just not the same.

So what’s a once-obsessive baker do when she can’t eat her creations? She bakes for other people and goes on faith that they actually taste good… considering she can’t taste them herself.

It struck me that there was a spiritual lesson in that, and an obvious tie to Brunch at Bittersweet Café, which deals in large part with Melody’s faith journey. There are times when we have no idea if things are working out the way they’re supposed to, in which case we just have to trust the “recipe” and the input of friends and family who love us. Sometimes our instincts tell us when we’re off track, and sometimes we need that outside nudge from our “taste-testers” to put us back on course.

In any case, what Melody and I have in common is that we both bake to show our love for the people around us. And the process of baking my favorites, even knowing that I can’t enjoy them myself, can still be a selfless way to show people they’re important to me.

Fortunately, macarons, which happen to be made with almond flour, are still on the menu.

-Carla Laureano-

Carla Laureano

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Carla is giving away a grand prize package of a macaron
baking mat, a macaron book, and a paperback copy of Brunch at Bittersweet Café!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

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2019 Birthday Celebration - Meet the characters from For Such A Time As This by Heather L.L. FitzGerald + Giveaway

2/21/2019

6 Comments

Queen Vashti the Fair is not only the wife of King Xerxes, she is also—secretly—an enchantress. But thanks to Haman’s flirting she now has a new distinction: deposed. While Vashti loses perks like her holographic trousseau, Haman continues to enjoy his position as second in command, much to Vashti’s vexation.

Mordecai was once a soldier in the king’s private guard, but has since carved out a self-sufficient life for himself and niece Esther. Although citizens are required to have an identity chip for governmental transactions, he and Esther live off the grid and out of big-government’s greedy reach.

Or so he thought.

When Mordecai’s old nemesis, Haman, turns up demanding Esther’s participation in the king’s upcoming beauty pageant, Mordecai arranges to have her transported to the Vale of Seven Dragons for protection. But not before Esther’s charm makes her a target on Vashti’s radar, as Vashti seeks to undermine the outcome of Xerxes’ hunt for a new queen.

Esther is caught between loyalty to her uncle and fear for her future—whether in the care of dragons or in the palace of the king. Will she be brave enough to embrace her destiny, wherever that may be?

You can get a free copy of For Such A Time As This by signing up for Heather's newsletter.
You can also gain entries in the giveaway by signing up for Heather's newsletter.

Character Profiles from
For Such A Time As This

We've got all the fun and fascinating details about the good, the bad, and the
fearsome, characters in For Such A Time As This, Heather L.L. FitzGerald's
futuristic fantasy mashup of Snow White and Esther...with dragons!

Esther has no memory of her parents. She only knows they died protecting her. Knows that they were heroes. In the basement of the local synagogue, her father and mother, a doctor and nurse, had set up a triage center for wounded soldiers. They brought Esther to work with them, believing the synagogue to be one of the safest places during a war. After all, a house of worship was a refuge that even the enemy respected.

But when the synagogue takes a direct hit, both parents lose their life. If not for her father’s body protecting her own, Esther would have perished as well.

Although she wishes things had turned out differently, she could not imagine loving her parents any more fiercely than she loved her Uncle Mordecai. He had given everything up to provide Esther with a loving, secure home—including his eligible years as a bachelor.

Now soldiers have come to their obscure little farm, learning from locals that her beauty must be included in the upcoming pageant to find King Xerxes a new wife. Though Mordecai has raised Esther to mistrust the government, would it be so terrible to be queen? Mightn’t she help the people of the realm of Susa—especially those in her hometown of Parthia—and be an influence for good?

But what about Mordecai’s wishes? Of course she trusts her uncle, but why--why—would he send her into the fearsome clutches of dragons? There doesn’t seem to be an easy answer or an easy choice. One thing is certain, her faith must extend beyond that of her uncle and find its rest in the hands of a sovereign God.

Mordecai has fought hard for the private, self sufficient life he lives with his orphaned niece Esther. Fighting, in one way or another, has always been a part of his life—even before the Wizard’s War took Esther’s parents.

Trained as a soldier, Mordecai rose through the military ranks thanks to his agility and strength, both of body and mind. Eventually, he became one of the elite royal guards, assigned to protect Prince Xerxes years before he became king. In the course of Mordecai’s exemplary military career, he managed to make one enemy in his time as a soldier: Haman.

Mordecai loathed the way Haman exploited his power in every situation. Yet he did it in such a way to get rewarded, rather than punished. When the war came to an end, Mordecai was more than happy to leave his position at the palace with no need to further interact with Haman.

The years that followed were spent raising his darling, beautiful niece Esther. Thanks to his respected reputation, Mordecai was eventually able to erase his identity from the governmental data base, as well as removing his identity chip—required for all government transactions. Refusing to allow Esther to be chipped as well, he had create a self-sustaining homestead, far out of the reach of the government.

When news of Esther’s mandatory participation in Xerxes’ beauty pageant reaches Mordecai’s doorstep, he realizes they’re not nearly as insulated as he thought. Now he must get Esther somewhere safe, and quickly. With the help of a friend, he hopes to place Esther with seven guardians in wilds of the Hinterlands.

Easier said than done, however. These fearsome protectors are none other than The Seven Dragons of the Vale.

King Xerxes the Valiant is a fake. Everyone close to him knows his title is nothing more than ruse. His soldiers do his dirty work, his advisors make the big decisions, and even his former queen—Vashti—often wielded more influence in matters of state. But he’s sick of the charade.

Sick of himself.

Maybe it’s time to live up to his title. Stop relying on his second in command, Haman, for the running of the day-to-day goings on. Stop deferring to his advisors when faced with diplomatic decisions. Stop drinking so much wine which tends to sully his ability to perform any of the above.

Getting rid of the manipulative Vashti was a good first step. It doesn’t hurt that those outside the palace walls believe him to be valiant. Perhaps his new marriage will provide a fresh start as he lives up to the image he has carefully cultivated to his subjects.

He’ll need help, of course, to turn things inside the palace to his favor. Good thing he has Haman to help him.

There are seven dragons that guard the vale from the greedy humans and wizards that wish to encroach on their magical Hinterlands. These winged reptiles take to the air, patrolling the borders, searching the roads, and readily destroying those that dare to cross into their territory.
United in purpose, there is one magnificent dragon that rules over the other six.

Nautilus—Warrior of the Hinterlands, descendant of Rispian the Resplendent, Grand-dragon of Aakadian of Eneglaam, Protector of the Vale—is a chilling creature to behold. From his pearly white scales to his crimson eyes, this dragon with its serpentine neck and unicorn horn, may only be approached with special permission.

Thankfully, Mordecai has connections that have connections. Without the help of Mordecai’s elderly friend Caleb, there would be no hope for Esther to enter into the protection of this magnificent beast and his six companions.

Haman, second in command in the realm of Susa, may serve King Xerxes with a bit too much zeal. Zeal that has extended to the king’s queen, Vashti. Well…former queen, that is. And Haman may have had a little something to do with the loss of her title, truth be told.

No matter. With Vashti conveniently out of Xerxes’ favor, it’s much easier for Haman to pay her visits ad well as plot the king’s demise. If he can persuade Vashti to forgive him for getting her into this less-than-ideal situation, the two will become a power to be reckoned with—one that cunningly dethrones the impotent King Xerxes. Once Haman and Vashti unite with one another, they can move on to uniting their country with the Wizards Cabal and making Susa one of the most powerful countries in New Persia.

Maybe then they will finally rid the Hinterlands of those pesky dragons that protect the vale, keeping Susa’s borders from expanding as they should.

Queen Vashti the Fair and King Xerxes the Valiant make an ideal couple…if one was to judge them strictly by appearance. But, alas, a marriage cannot survive on pouty lips and chiseled jaws alone.

Besides, Vashti has recently lost her royal standing. No longer queen, the platinum blonde now seethes in her downsized quarters, plotting how best to return to Xerxes’ favor. Promise him an heir? Disrupt his upcoming search for a new queen? Resort to using her secret skills as an enchantress to make him love her again?

One thing is certain, this power-lusting woman will not step demurely out of the way and allow someone else to take her place. She may be the Fairest but she most certainly doesn’t play fair!

Caleb is a man who looks as worn and weathered as the ancient buildings of Parthia—the town where his modest shop, Caleb’s Cornucopia, displays rare treasures from the world over. Affectionately called Abba by the locals, Caleb knows everyone and everyone knows, and loves, him.

He has always held a special fondness for Mordecai and his niece. The three share a distinct connection that he’s kept to himself for many years. With recent tumultuous events in greater Susa trickling into Parthia, he’s beginning to wonder if the time has come to reveal more details about Esther’s miraculous recovery and the words God once whispered to him about the orphaned girl.

Heather L.L. FitzGerald

Award winning author Heather L.L. FitzGerald writes from her home in Texas, while dreaming of being back in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. She is drawn to stories that become good friends—friends you want to revisit—the kind you wish to keep close. Those are the type of books Heather aspires to write, ones worthy of delicious coffee and a lingering relationship.
The Tethered World was a finalist and The Flaming Sword won the 2017 OCW Cascade Award for Speculative Fiction. The Genesis Tree was a finalist for a Realm Award, Alliance Award, Selah Award, and an OCW Cascade Award.
Heather’s a member of ACFW, and Manent Writers.

You can connect with Heather on her
website/blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

Heather is generously giving away a
print copy of For Such A Time As This

USA Only

6 Comments

Wish Upon A Christmas Star by Kit Morgan, Danielle Thorne, Allie Pleiter, K.D. Garcia, Rachel A. Andersen, Jessica L. Elliott

2/20/2019