Monthly Archives: February 2012

CFBA Tour Preview: A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh

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This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Sweethaven Summer
Guidepost Books (February 7, 2012)
by
Courtney Walsh
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Courtney Walsh is a published author, scrapbooker, theater director, and playwright. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, will be followed by two additional novels in the series. She’s also written two papercrafting books, Scrapbooking Your Faith and The Busy Scrapper. Courtney has been a contributing editor for Memory Makers Magazine and Children’s Ministry Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Group Publishing curriculum. She works as the PR Manager for Webster’s Pages from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her husband and three kids, who range in age from 4 to 10. Courtney drinks entirely too much coffee.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Suzanne’s daughter, Campbell, journeys there in search of answers to her questions about her mother’s history.Suzanne’s three friends-Lila, Jane, and Meghan-were torn apart by long-buried secrets and heartbreak. Though they haven’t spoken in years, each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together in Sweethaven. Suzanne’s letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers. As the scrapbook reveals secrets one by one, old wounds are mended, lives are changed,

and friendships are restored-just as Suzanne intended.

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Sweethaven Summer, go HERE.

PUYB Blog Tour Review: Honor Redeemed By Loree Lough

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Honor Redeemed
Loree Lough
First Responders Series, #2
Abingdon Press Fiction
February 2012
272 pages
Amazon|BN|DeeperShopping
provided by publisher
RBM’s Disclaimer
5/5 Books

During rush hour one cold November night, a jumbo jet crashes on a busy highway…most of it, anyway. Honor Mackenzie and Rowdy, her trusty Search and Rescue dog, join the SAR team to search for the tail section, reported by witnesses to have landed in the dark and rainy woods along Baltimore’s Patapsco River.

Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Matt Phillips, forced to leave his SAR work behind to ensure his motherless twins would always have a dad, leaves the boys with a neighbor and heads to the woods, intent on getting another breaking story. It takes weeks to figure out why she’d given him such an icy reception: Another headline-hungry reporter–whose less-than-accurate story–ended her career with the fire department. In his effort to prove that not every reporter sacrifices “truth” for “story,” Matt finds himself attracted to the beautiful sad-eyed redhead.

As weeks pass, they discover that SAR missions aren’t the only things they have in common. Haunting attachments to 9/11 and the loss of a spouse have kept them lonely and alone…until they find comfort with one another. Much as he and his boys have come to care for her, Matt isn’t convinced that Honor will ever fully commit to him or the twins…especially after she takes a job in New York without even discussing it with him.

During his annual ski weekend with the boys, the heartbroken Matt gets word that Honor has gone missing during a search for a lost girl. He leads the search team, desperate to find her before a blizzard moves in. But even if he does, will they find their way back to one another…

…or back to living life alone?

Author Loree Lough

About The Author:
With more than 3,000,000 copies of her books in circulation, best-selling author Loree Lough’s titles earn 4- and 5-star reviews and industry/reader’s choice awards. She has received nearly 10,000 letters from fans who write to say she’s “a gifted writer whose stories touch hearts and change lives.” Her 9/11 series, First Responders (From Ashes to Honor, Honor Redeemed, A Man of Honor) is no exception, and it’s raising awareness and funds for organizations that assist soldiers and first responders, and their families.

Connect With The Author:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

My Review:
Loree Lough is a wonderful author. I’ve been a fan of her work for sometime now, and after reading book 1, From Ashes To Honor, I fell in love with this incredible series. Often, the first responders are the unsung heroes, and Ms. Lough takes them and incorporates them in to books that will leave you in tears, and in awe by the last page.

Honor Redeemed is a wonderful story of faith, hope, love, and second chances. Tragedy is often the eye opener for things we take for granted, or things we didn’t realize we had before it happened. In Honor Redeemed, through Honor Mackenzie and Matt Phillips, the important lessons of forgiveness, and second chances is strong as Ms. Lough incorporates the complexity of the life of those who get the call…the call to help. The call to respond to tragedy….and safe a life.

Saving lives isn’t always easy, and as a SAR (Search and Rescue) trainer, Honor Mackenzie is trying to do just what her name says: honor her late fiance, who was a SAR member of the 9/11 tragedy. But, when a plane crashes and she sets out to search for any survivors, she knows that with the help of Rowdy and Rerun, she will keep that honor for him.

But, someone is out to ruin her with nasty lies about her. Her life and her job are at stake and she knows it was a reporter that started it. She turns her heart against the world of reporting and focuses on the efforts of finding survivors in the midst of chaotic tragedy….until she meets Matt Phillips.

Matt Phillips is a widowed father of twin boys, and is just trying to do his job. When he meets Honor Mackenzie in the SAR efforts of the downed plane, his heart reaches out to her. But, as a reporter, Honor is hesitant and Matt is willing to prove he’s not unworthy. Until the rumors of the beautiful woman he’s come to care about threaten his family. Taking a step back from Honor and the feelings he has for her, he sets off on vacation with his boys. What will happen when he gets the call that it’s HONOR that’s missing this time. The weather is turning tragic…will he find her in time? Or will his efforts fail him?

I loved the way this book played out. It focuses on the unsung heroes, yet brings forth the overwhelming emotions of having faith and trust, love and honor before anything else. Second chances aren’t easy to come by and through Matt and Honor’s story Ms. Lough shows us that it IS possible to have them. Reading Honor’s story, along with Matt, I could feel their emotions as if they were my own, I was THAT drawn into the story. When Honor was missing, Matt’s pain became evident and my own heart wrenched at the thought of losing Honor. I could feel the inner turmoil of Honor’s heart when she learned of Matt’s questions about the rumors.

I definitely give this captivating, complex novel a high 5 Book worthy rating. Though it’s second in a series, it’s easily read as a stand alone. If you are looking for that story that will tug your heart, and twist it, and fill you with a sense of peace by the end, look no further than the talented hands of Ms. Loree Lough and her First Responder books. You will fall in love her work instantly!

Click the banner to follow all the stops on the tour.

 

PICT Guest Post: Joel M. Andre

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Brutal
Joel M. Andre
DarkCountry Publications
March 2010
21 pages
Amazon
RBM’s Disclaimer

One dark and warm October night in the heart of Arizona, a group of friends are out for an evening of fun. It was a night for celebration, and to draw them away from the world.

As they drink the night away, a dark and handsome stranger watches them in the distance. His observations going unnoticed as the girls focus on their own conversation.

Too drunk to make it home on their own, the stranger offers the group a ride home in his taxi. Reluctantly, the girls agree.

What follows is a dark and brutal act of revenge decades in the making.

Perfection
Joel M. Andre
February 2010
27 pages
Amazon
RBM’s Disclaimer

Carol and Tammy Long have fought a constant battle with their weight all their lives. When a stranger on the television offers an amazing new diet plan with a weight loss success rate of 100 percent, Tammy feels like it was an answer to their prayers.

As the pair ventures off to the Verde Valley Weight Loss Clinic things start to take a darker turn. The owner Kathy Black gives them a new take on the classic idea of perfection.

Now, placed in a medical facility where they are constantly monitored, the women learn there is something wrong with perfection.

For, Reviews by Molly, I have been asked to write up a post on what the easiest story I have ever written was and why. This is an interesting question and I will touch on a few stories I have written and why they would be among the easier stories I have crafted.

Probably the easiest story I have put out on the market is, A Death at the North Pole. This was the first full story I decided to put out there and I didn’t have any reservations on the direction the story took. This is a story that ended up telling itself with a series of twists and turns and I just let it all flow.

It was also a learning experience as well. Future stories like Perfection and Brutal ended up taking more time to craft as I planned out the events that would take place. These stories were fun to write since they were short stories that I was placing on a blog back in 2008 daily during the month of October. The original plan was to craft 31 stories and then release them as a collection. However, the process ended up being too time consuming and only 13 parts actually came out in that series. Of those I wrote during that month, only a handful of them were ever released on the Kindle. Others were fleshed out in books with a few adjustments made to them.

There have been other stories I have written over the last few years that came out naturally, but they are now too close to other books. An example is, Let’s Play Murder. While it would have been fine coming out in 2008, I don’t think the market for it would still be here. As a result, I don’t think it will ever see the light of day. That was about 40,000 words I wrote over a 4 day period. I sat down in front of the computer and it just poured out. It has a bunch of dark humor and grisly murders.

That is all the time I have for today. Thank you for taking the time to read a little more about me and I hope everyone has a great day.

Author Joel M. Andre

About The Author:
Joel M. Andre was born January 13, 1981. At a young age he was fascinated with the written word. It was at fourteen that Poe blew his mind, and Andre began to dabble with darker poetry.

Between the years of 1999 and 2007 Joel was featured in various poetry anthologies and publications. In 2008 he released his first collection,Pray the Rain Never Ends.

Knowing there was something deeper and darker inside of his soul, Joel decided to take a stab at commercialism. Releasing the dark tongue in cheek, A Death at the North Pole, created a dark world among the death of Kris Kringle. Ultimately providing a tale of redemption.
October of 2008 saw Joel release his second book, Kill 4 Me. A tale in which a woman is haunted by a vengeful spirit through text messages and instant messaging.

Taking some time off and doing a lot of soul searching, Joel took things in a new direction and dabbled in the Fantasy Genre with, The Pentacle of Light. The tale dealing with five major races battling for control of Earth, and the acceptance of their God.
Finally, after missing his detective Lauren Bruni, he released the book The Return in October 2009, this time moving the action from the North Pole and placing it in the small Arizona community he was raised in.
Andre’s latest book is The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen about a dead man who seeks revenge on the woman that tormented him in peaceful Northern Arizona.

Currently, he resides in Chandler, AZ.

Connect With The Author:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Next Stop:March 1-Review(Perfection)@ A Good Day To Read    March 1-Guest Post@ Fighter Writer + Giveaway of Kill 4 Me

GoddessFish Blog Tour Review: A Taste For A Mate by Carrie Ann Ryan

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A Taste For A Mate
Carrie Ann Ryan
Redwood Pack,#2
self-published
January 31, 2012
eBook
Amazon|B&N
provided by author
RBM’s Disclaimer
5/5 Books

Jasper Jamenson’s only responsibility to being the Beta of the Redwood Pack, second son of the Alpha, is to protect the Pack from themselves and the human world. After a century of selfless service, his brother’s new found mating forced him into taking a good look into his life. He isn’t sure he wants a mate, but fate may have other ideas.

Willow Delton is a skinny, bakery owner – the type most woman love to hate. Being without family, she finds herself alone to the Greek god with green eyes who saunters into her bakery every morning. Her desire to follow him, to be with him, overrides every rational sense she possessed.

Jasper and Willow are drawn together, despite every nuisance that works against them. But evil beyond even Jasper’s supernatural compensation will make war against him, by going after the only thing in his eternal life he desires – Willow. Is Willow’s heart enough to overcome Jasper’s soul to save her life? A fight he cannot win, but to save her life – he must.

Author Carrie Ann Ryan

About The Author:
Carrie Ann Ryan is a Paranormal and Contemporary Romance Author. Her first book, An Alpha’s Path, is now available.
She’s also an avid reader and lover of romance and fiction novels. She love meeting new authors and new worlds. Any recommendations you have are appreciated.

Carrie Ann lives in New England with her husband and two kittens.

Connect With The Author:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Goddess Fish PartnerMy Review:
After reading, and falling in love with, book 1, An Alpha’s Mate (click hereto see my review), I knew I MUST read book 2.And I am SO happy that I did! This series, this author, these characters ALL pull me instantly to the heart of the wolf’s den and make me a part of their lives, if just for the length of the novels.

This story picks up where An Alpha’s Mate leaves off. Though this one if full length where as An Alpha’s Mate was not, this story is still incredibly written like book 1. This is Willow and Jasper’s story. Both characters are deep and complex, yet vibrant and refreshing. I loved their story and the connection that they instantly had for each was awesome.

Jasper Jamenson is the second son of the Redwood Pack’s Alpha leader and has been going into Willow’s bakery for more than a month, and each day, just by seeing her and being near her, he falls for her a little more. He knows she’s his mate, but he’s nervous about telling her that. Getting up the nerve to finally ask her out, he’s completely unaware of the danger that is surrounding his Willow.

Willow Denton is an orphan, who has finally gotten her dream of owning her own bakery. She loves her customers, especially the sexy, gorgeous mystery man who comes to her shop every day to order the same thing. She fantasizes about him when he’s not there, so she’s super excited when he asks her on a date. But, when he leaves, she, too is unaware of the danger that’s around her…..that is, until she’s kidnapped by the enemy pack.

The hunt for Willow ensues, and Jasper is forced to make her his mate. But, Willow is unsure if he really wanted to make her his mate or if it was because he wanted to protect her and the enemy pack forced him. Determined to prove herself worthy of Jasper and win his love, she’s in for a treat when she learns the real reason behind Jasper’s mating.

This story is full of fun, desperation, hot,passionate, steamy love scenes and one whopper of an ending! Once again, the lives of werewolves have stolen my heart, as Carrie Ann Ryan created another beyond 5 Book worthy novel. She combines all the passion, all the bonds, and the meaning of friendship and family into one incredible book. Bringing back all the characters from book 1, and adding in a few new ones, Ms. Ryan keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with the twists and turns, and keeps them ohhing and ahhing with the amazing, instant chemistry between Jasper and Willow. This is by far, my absolute FAVORITE series, and I can’t wait until April when book 3, Trinity Bound, Reed’s story releases.

Carrie Ann will be giving away an autographed bookmark to one commenter at every stop and a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter, so click the banner and follow the stops for your chance to win!

GoddessFish Blog Tour Review: The Rancher And The Rock Star by Lizbeth Selvig

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The Rancher And The Rock Star
Lizbeth Selvig
Avon Impulse
February 28, 2012
eBook
Amazon|B&N
provided by publisher
RBM’s Disclaimer
5/5 Books

To the world, Gray Covey is a rock superstar. But to his runaway son, he’s simply the father who never has any time for him. To prove that he’s more than his rock star lifestyle, for the next few weeks Gray must put aside his fame and become…a farmhand?

Abby Stadtler has built the perfect, quiet life for herself. Neat and orderly is the name of the game for her and her beloved farm. When Gray shows up on her doorstep, looking like he stepped straight off the front cover of a magazine, she is determined that he won’t upset her routine.

But what neither counts on is the love that springs up between them. Abby knows that life on a ranch in Minnesota can never compete with an exciting world tour. But for Gray, it’s time to decide what’s really important. With Abby’s help, will he be able to decide, once and for all, that love and family are the answer?

Author Lizbeth Selvig

About The Author:
Lizbeth Selvig lives in Minnesota with her cradle-robbing husband and a border collie that inspired the character Dug (“Squirrel!”) in the Disney movie Up. After working as a journalist and editor and raising an equine veterinarian daughter and a talented musician son, Liz entered and won RWA’s Golden Heart® contest in 2010 with her contemporary romance The Rancher and the Rock Star. In her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read, horseback ride, and play with her nearly twenty four-legged grandchildren.

Connect With The Author:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Goddess Fish PartnerMy Review:
I absolutely, with out a doubt, have a new favorite author. This books was AWESOME SAUCE and then some! Lizbeth Selvig swept me away with instant smiles and laughs and kept me on the roller coaster ride of laughs, and fun until the end of the amazing book. Each character wormed their way into my heart and are there to stay. The plot line was flirtatious and fun, hooking me for the long run!

I loved Gray Covey’s character. Just from the cover you can tell he’s gonna be one sexy man, and oh la la! Was he EVER! He’s character was one of complexity. He’s a caring, loving guy, but being a rock star, well, life isn’t always that easy for him. Especially when he has to hunt his runaway teenage son down. When he finds him, at a Minnesota farm with a gorgeous widowed woman and her daughter-his number one fan- his life is about to get a whole lot more complicated….for the better.

Abby Stadtler. Her complicated life really wasn’t all that complicated. Could be because I sympathize easily with her, since she’s a single mom, and I am too, so I can understand her struggles financially. But, when she meets Gray Covey, the Rock Star, HER world is about to a get a little more complicated than it already is. Her daughter is his number one fan and his son….well, let’s just say that she thought she had hired an 18 year old young man who’s father was a typical work-a-holic.

But, once Gray and Abby meet, the sparks are their and their fun loving squabbling ensues. Seeing them flirt and have fun together really is breathtaking. Until someone is out to make Gray look bad, to the public eye, in order to boost his sales and career. The question is, who is doing it? And why? It’s enough to drive Gray crazy and a little more closer to the life he wants to live…with Abby, her daughter and his son. Will he finally get the life he wants, or will he forever be a rock star, with no time for his son?

This book is most definitely a highest of high 5 Book worthy novel. I loved the romance, the flirtiness, the sparks that fly…all of it was compelling and gripping. Ms. Selvig even added an element that is dear to my heart…Alzheimer’s…for it was my grandfather died of, so it’s always something that pulls me a little further into a story when an author adds that element. Between the amazing characters, the fantabuleriffic plot line and lots of sparks flying, this book is sure to win it’s way into hearts of romantic comedy lovers everywhere. I definitely recommend that you grab up a copy of this book now! Well done, Ms. Selvig! I can’t wait for another fun, flirty, laugh out loud novel from this talented author!

Lizbeth and HarperCollins/Avon will be giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so click the banner and follow the stops for your chance to win!