A Heart's Obsession by Colleen Coble (Review + Blog Tour)

A Heart's Obsession

by Colleen Coble

Journey of the Heart series, Book 2

Christian Fiction / Historical / Romance

Available April 2015

Thomas Nelson

128 pages

About the Book
Will Sarah’s journey west lead her back into the arms of the one man she can trust?

When her father succumbs to a long illness, Sarah Montgomery is freed from duty to family. At last she can be with the love of her life, Rand Campbell, who has gone out west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Sarah and her younger brother Joel make the arduous journey filled with hope.

But at Fort Laramie, the reception Sarah meets isn’t what she had hoped for. Her friend Amelia is thrilled to have her, but Rand seems to be in the clutches of Jessica DuBois, the scheming daughter of the post commander.

Sarah resolves to remain at Fort Laramie and try to win Rand back. But things will get tougher before they get easier . . . especially when her ex-fiancé Ben Croftner arrives in Wyoming, obsessed with having her back in his arms.

Buy a copy  |  Find out what others think

My Thoughts
Urgh . . . so many emotions in this installment! I felt sorry for Sarah. She basically gets jerked around from one big emotional mess to another. And the reader gets jerked around too. (But in a good way, you know?) I really like Rand, but he's making some crazy choices. I suppose, we must be patient with him while he gets his act together. I mean, things are changing a lot on him as well.

It seems that Fort Laramie is going to be an intriguing setting. We got an introduction to it, and there's a lot that could develop between the soldiers, tensions with the Indians, and the women in the fort. I'm very intrigued and am interested to see how the story will move forward from here.  [3.5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide. Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble’s addictive brand of romantic suspense.

Colleen Coble Online

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest

Hide Nor Hair by Jo-Ann Lamon Reccoppa

Hide nor Hair by Jo-Ann Lamon Reccoppa

This has action, mystery, humor and romance. It is a fast paced book.
~readalot

The author does a great job keeping us guessing on who has done it. So many twists and turns. I loved it. I did not want to put this book down at all.
~Bab’s Book Bistro

This was a really cute, fun cozy mystery that I couldn’t put down. I love the authors sense of humor and laughed through out.
~Tea and A Book

A charming whodunit with a cast of characters so well developed and a story line that will keep you reading til the end.
~Shelley’s Book Case​

Hide nor Hair
(A Jersey Girl Cozy Mystery Book 2)
File Size: 2625 KB
Print Length: 187 pages
Publisher: Cup of Tea Books, an imprint of PageSpring Publishing (April 21, 2015)
ASIN: B00THGQ6II
Synopsis

For this Jersey girl, big hair means big trouble!

Newspaper reporter Colleen Caruso just wants her unruly curls tamed into smooth, sleek locks. Instead, she finds her stylist dead, face down in a shampoo sink. Faster than you can say Aqua Net, Colleen starts investigating. The case gets even hairier when the owner of a local fitness studio seems to have jumped from a plane … without a parachute.

Meanwhile, her suave editor, Ken Rhodes, steps in to help.  And he may be looking for more than just a good story from Colleen.

Add in a missing bracelet, some suspicious husbands, and a little breaking and entering—and this Jersey girl is heading for a real blowout!

Can Colleen tie up these split ends? Or does she have an appointment with disaster?

About This Author

Jo-Ann Lamon Reccoppa lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey, and uses her experience as a freelance correspondent as the basis of her protagonist’s career. Several of the incidents within these pages are actual occurrences. They have been shamelessly embellished and are not a blow-by-blow account of a few really bad days on the job. Hide Nor Hair is her second novel.

Author Link:
www.joannlamonreccoppa.com

My Thoughts
Cozy mysteries are generally a fun "alternate" genre for me when I'm looking for something a bit different than my normal reading fare. Hide Nor Hair was a fun, quick read. It's clean, funny, and quite few twists in the mystery to keep things interesting. There were several times where I wasn't sure about the believability of some of the characters' actions, but it is fiction after all. Overall, an enjoyable read. [3.5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Giveaway
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Katia's Promise by Catherine Lanigan (Blog Tour + Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Katia's Promise

(Shores of Indian Lake #4)
by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance

May 1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Katia Stanislaus is a top insurance agent in Chicago, but her company is about to fold if she can't pull off a miracle. She convinces her boss to relocate to Indian Lake where she lived as a child and broke the heart of the one man whose account would be enough to save her job and her company. The only problem is that Austin McCreary has been a near recluse since the day Katia left him. Austin won't take her calls and appears set on revenge for the pain Katia has caused him. Just seeing Austin, catapaults Katia back to the time when she was 16 and so very much in love. But it was just a teenage crush, wasn't it?

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

My Thoughts
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to finish this book yet (my Nook died!), but the beginning is definitely intriguing. I typically enjoy stories where the characters reunite after some time apart, which is the case for the main characters. They both have interesting professions—Katia in the insurance industry and Austin in the car manufacturing and car collecting world—which adds a bit of flair to the story. There are a couple of things about Austin that I don't really like, but I'm going with it for now to see if he can win me over as he attempts to win Katia over.

I received a free copy of this book from the author through Prism Book Tours in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Other Books in the Series

  

Links for Love Shadows

(Shores of Indian Lake #1)

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Links for Heart's Desire

(Shores of Indian Lake #2)

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Links for A Fine Year for Love

(Shores of Indian Lake #3)

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Catherine Lanigan is the bestselling author of over thirty published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, as well as over half a dozen anthologies, including ìChicken Soup for the Soul: Living your Dreamî, ìChicken Soup for the Writerís Soulî, ìChocolate for a Womanís Heartî, Chocolate for a Womanís Spiritî. Ms. Laniganís novels have been translated into over a dozen languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese. Ms. Laniganís novels are also available on audio-cassette, CD and on electronic format. A prolific writer, she is always writing wonderful stories. She has several titles only available in ebook format on Amazon.com Several of her titles have been chosen for The Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Clubs. Her novel, The Christmas Star, won the Gold Medal Award Top Pick from Romantic Times Magazine for December, 2002, and has also won Book of the Year Romance Gold Award from ForeWord Magazine as well as Book of the Year Romance from Readerís Preference. In March, 2006 Divine Nudges: Tales of Angelic Intervention and the second in Laniganís Angel Watch series of books, was published by HCI, the Chicken Soup for the Soul publisher.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Pinterest

Tour Schedule:

April 19th - Launch

April 20th - Coffee Books & Art

April 21st - Deal Sharing Aunt

April 22nd - The Written Adventure

April 23rd - I Am A Reader & Zerina Blossom's Books

April 24th - LeahSay's Views & The Opinionated Woman's Musings

April 26th - Wishful Endings & Letters from Annie (Douglass) Lima

April 27th - Christy's Cozy Corners, i blog 4 books, & Getting Your Read On

April 28th - Mel's Shelves

April 29th - Katie's Clean Book Collection

April 30th - Lisa's Research & Reviews

May 1st - Grand Finale

Cover Reveal & Tour Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card
3 ebooks of Katia's Promise by Catherine Lanigan

Open internationally.
Ends May 8th

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The Earthquake in Nepal . . . How Can You Help?

As I'm sure you've heard by now, a massive earthquake hit Nepal yesterday, and tremors have continued to cause damage and delay relief efforts. Recently, Hubs and I have become friends with two international students who are from Nepal. What could have easily been "just another disaster in a faraway place" has instead become quite personal for us. Thankfully, our friends' families were not injured or killed, but they are sleeping in the streets as a safety precaution due to the tremors that continue to occur.

Often, I'm at a loss for what I can DO. You see, I'm a bit of a "fixer," and in situations like this I often  end up feeling a bit helpless. No, I can't go to Nepal and start cleaning up rubble. But I can offer financial support to enable those who are able to physically be "boots on the ground" and provide physical relief and comfort to those who have been affected. Two organizations that I trust implicitly are Samaritan's Purse and Baptist Global Response. We have given to both of these organizations multiple times and have always been impressed with how they have worked through existing partnerships in places where emergency assistance is needed. Please don't feel pressure from me to give or do anything. I just wanted to post these links in case you were feeling like me (you know, needing to do something, anything) and not really sure which organization(s) to trust.

And if you're wondering where God is in all of this or need some help processing the tragic nature of the situation, here are a couple of resources from David Platt, a pastor / teacher whose sermons have impacted my life over the past several years. These two sermons were preached in response to different natural disasters but are still very relevant in this situation.

• How Do We Respond to Natural Disasters?
• Tornadoes and the Trustworthiness of God

Photo 1: Credit  | Photo 2: Credit  | Photo 3: Credit

Blog Tour Launch | The Truth About Hope by Kate James

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

We're launching the BOOK TOUR for

The Truth About Hope

By Kate James

Can Hope help her hometown that holds long grudges and possibly find love with her old high school sweetheart along the way? Come along on the tour to get to know a little more about

Tour Schedule:
April 24th - Launch
April 26th - Word Wranglers & Write & Rewrite
April 27th - Underneath the Covers
April 28th - Letters from Annie (Douglass) Lima
April 29th - Zerina Blossom's Books
April 30th - I Am A Reader
May 1st - Katie's Clean Book Collection & Copyright1985
May 3rd - My Love for Reading Keeps Growing
May 4th - i blog 4 books & Rockin' Book Reviews
May 5th - The Written Adventure & Write from the Heart
May 6th - Deal Sharing Aunt & Bookworm Lisa
May 7th - Getting Your Read On
May 8th - Grand Finale

More About The Truth About Hope and Author Kate James

What is your motivation behind this book? Why did you want to write it?

My motivation behind all my books is to entertain readers with stories that they hopefully find engaging, unpredictable, and morally and emotionally satisfying.

The idea for this book arose partially from my respect for Hope's real-life counterparts—people who care for, rehabilitate and locate forever homes for the animals that find their way into shelters.

What do you hope readers take with them when they read your book? 

I would like readers to feel good about the story's conclusion, and believe that no matter what hardships we may face, we can overcome them with faith, perseverance and—of course—love!

Do you have a favorite scene? 

One of my favorite scenes is when Hope and Luke meet unexpectedly outside a pet food store after her return to her hometown of Canyon Creek.

Share something about you that is unique. 

I wanted to write from a relatively young age, but a family tragedy, school and career intervened. A few years ago, my ever-intuitive husband realized that writing was—or could be—something important to me, and he gifted me a personal laptop for my birthday. While outwardly appreciative, in my mind I was wondering why I needed another laptop, when I had a perfectly good one from work that was constantly with me. Clearly my husband knew better than me, because having a separate computer that I didn't associate with my essentially 24/7 day job was pivotal. That gift ultimately resulted in my first publishing contract and, two years later, my decision to step down from a full-time CEO role (that I enjoyed and found rewarding) to pursue writing as a career. I owe a debt of gratitude to all my readers for enabling me to fulfill my dream of writing!

The Truth About Hope

by Kate James

Adult Contemporary Romance

May 1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Who is Hope Wilson?

Is she the girl her former hometown thinks she is? Or the girl Luke Carter once loved—and maybe still does?

When Hope returns to Canyon Creek, Texas, to honor her
father's last wishes, there's only one person on her mind: her high school sweetheart, Luke. The boy she lied to when she had to leave Canyon Creek as a teen, finding it easier to hide what she really felt than deal with the grief of loss. Her father's fortune could make a big difference to Canyon Creek—but Hope finds that the townspeople have a long memory about his misdeeds. With a plan to make amends on his behalf, Hope learns the truth about herself. And the truth about love.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Kate James spent eight years of her childhood living in foreign countries as her professional parents travelled on business. She lived in four countries and spoke five languages before settling down in Canada again to attend university. After graduating with a degree in civil engineering, she held a variety of positions in the field of real estate development and operations, and ran three substantial organizations. While her writing during this period was mostly business related, including presentations and speeches she delivered both nationally and internationally, her passion is and always has been fiction.

Kate's business and personal experiences enable her to write fiction with a deep, often first-hand knowledge of what she is writing about. This approach makes Kate's stories richer and more vivid.

Kate's goal is to entertain you with well-written, engaging stories, set in intriguing places and with strong, likeable characters. ìI hope my stories bring you pleasure and entertain you. Nothing pleases me more than receiving feedback from people who have chosen to spend their valuable leisure time with one of my books,î notes Kate.

Kate married her husband, Ken, in an elegant, ocean-front wedding on a tropical island. When they are not traveling, they split their time between their properties in southern and central Ontario in Canada.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter

Tour Giveaway

$30 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
5 Print Copies of The Truth About Hope (US/CAN Only)
1 ebook of The Truth About Hope (INT)

Ends May 15th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Top 12 Favorite Authors

To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see a list of future topics click here!

Choosing favorites is SO hard for me, so being asked to choose "ALL TIME favorite authors" is nearly impossible. I wasn't sure I could even choose . . . until I saw this tweet over the weekend:

Name an author whose book you would buy without reading the back. #wewanttoknow #christfic
— FamilyFiction (@FamilyFiction) April 18, 2015

So this is the criteria I'm using to identify my favorite authors . . . as of today at least! I went ahead and noted the genre that these authors *typically* fall into and linked to their list of books on Goodreads. Be sure to check them out if you're looking for some new reads! (Can you tell I'm on a contemporary kick right now?!) Here goes . . .

Top 12 Favorite Authors

(in no particular order)

Katie Ganshert (Contemporary Women's Fiction)

Beth K. Vogt (Contemporary Romance)

Becky Wade (Contemporary Romance)

Irene Hannon (Contemporary Romantic Suspense)

Candace Calvert (Contemporary Medical Romantic Drama)

Susan May Warren (Contemporary & Historical Romance)

Brenda Minton (Contemporary Western Romance)

Denise Hunter (Contemporary Romance)

Lynette Eason (Contemporary Romantic Suspense)

DiAnn Mills (Contemporary Romantic Suspense)

Julie Klassen (Historical Romance)

Dani Pettrey (Contemporary Romantic Suspense)

Who are your all-time or right-now favorite authors?

The Story Behind the Story | Unplanned by Alana Terry

I'm so excited to be part of the blog tour for Alana Terry's new book Unplanned. If you've read any of Alanna's other books, you know she's not afraid to tackle difficult topics. Unplanned is no different. Keep reading to learn more about the book and to read Alana's thoughts on "the story behind the story." And . . . keep reading to the very end to find out about some freebies!

Now, without further ado, I'll turn it over to Alana!

---

A first-year college student adjusting to life in the States.

A brand-new pregnancy center desperate for new volunteers.

A mysterious phone call from a girl who's far too young to be pregnant.

UNPLANNED

from award-winning suspense novelist Alana Terry

After volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, Kennedy Stern finds herself a pawn in a deadly game of intrigue, at the mercy of those who consider a few innocent lives a small ransom to pay for victory.

(See below to get your own pre-release copy of Unplanned before it hits the bookstores.)

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

My husband and I have both been involved in pregnancy center ministry on and off since we got married. At one point, I volunteered to answer a hotline phone like the one Kennedy takes in the first chapter of Unplanned. I still remember the very first phone call I received. My husband and I were in the middle of dinner when I picked it up. The girl was very young and told me she was pregnant.

As we started to talk a little more, it came out that she didn’t know who the father was since both her biological dad and her stepdad were simultaneously abusing her. I shaking by then, and my poor husband could only help by rubbing my back while I tried to help. The girl hung up abruptly before I could get a phone number, a last name, or any other way to identify her.

After talking to the director of the pregnancy center, I placed a call to 911 and was told there was nothing the police could do. They didn't have any evidence that what the girl was saying was true. I held onto the phone for the rest of the weekend, hoping to hear form her again. She did call a few days later to tell me that her dad had overheard our conversation and was taking her to abortion clinic. I urged her to tell a teacher or school counselor, but she was homeschooled and said her parents never let her leave the house unsupervised.

I don’t know what happened to her, but I doubt I'll ever forget that call, which is similar to the one Kennedy receives in Unplanned. I’d like to think that in some way my newest novel might help someone who ends up in a similar situation one day.

WANT YOUR OWN COPY OF UNPLANNED NOW?

Unplanned is the newest Christian suspense novel from award-winning author, Alana Terry. PRE-ORDER the $2.99 ebook today, fill out the form below, and receive:

• a pre-release copy of Unplanned (no waiting for launch day)
• the Unplanned Bonus Materials (go behind-the-scenes with deleted scenes, bloopers, character studies, and more!)
• 30 Days of Prayer to End Abortion devotional
• an exclusive 20-minute video from the author answering readers' frequently asked questions (includes  the story of the mysterious phone call Alana received that was the basis for the novel)

Sound like a good deal? Pre-order Unplanned from amazon, then fill out the form below. You will receive your free pre-release copy and the extra bonus pack materials in one to two days.

Powered by 123ContactForm | Report abuse

Form not working? Submit your information here, or forward your amazon receipt to alanaterrybooks [at] gmail.com.

Blog Tour Launch | Katia's Promise by Catherine Lanigan

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

We're launching the BOOK TOUR for:

Katia's Promise

By Catherine Lanigan

How does it feel when you've lost love, especially when you're the one who walked away? Katia is going home to win back someone she left behind. Can she mend the heart of the man she loves as well as her own?

Tour Schedule:

April 19th - Launch

April 20th - Coffee Books & Art

April 21st - Deal Sharing Aunt

April 22nd - The Written Adventure

April 23rd - I Am A Reader & Zerina Blossom's Books

April 24th - LeahSay's Views & The Opinionated Woman's Musings

April 26th - Wishful Endings & Letters from Annie (Douglass) Lima

April 27th - Christy's Cozy Corners, i blog 4 books, & Getting Your Read On

April 28th - Mel's Shelves

April 29th - Katie's Clean Book Collection

April 30th - Lisa's Research & Reviews

May 1st - Grand Finale

Exclusive Interview with the Author

1. What is your motivation behind this book? Why did you want to write it?

Katia's story goes all the way back to the night that I woke up at three in the morning with my dream still in my head about this auburn haired, beautiful woman standing under a street lamp, around midnight, looking up at a single burning bedroom lamp in the mansion across the street. In my "vision" the woman turned to me and stared. She told me that I was to write her story. I knew instantly that she was in love with the man in that house and that he was awake thinking of her. I also knew that she couldn't "go" to him because he would have nothing to do with her. She was the one who had broken his heart when they were teenagers and not only had he not forgotten her, he had become the town's recluse because she abandoned him.

Katia's story did not evolve the way some stories do for me, but was just "there—everywhere." Despite the fact that this book is the fourth in my Indian Lake Series, her story was the impetus for my ability to "see" these romances in this small lovely town.

That said, I should go back to the very beginning of The Indian Lake Series. Long before there was Heartwarming as Harlequin's line of books, I sensed, intuited, realized (use whatever word you want here) that there was a huge market for not just Christian based romances or Amish romances, but clean romances that had some tough issues in them as well. I invented Indian Lake along the lines of Jan Karon's small town Midford. I loved those books, but I wanted more characters, more individual stories. I based my little town on my hometown of La Porte, Indiana---just with a better paint job on the downtown buildings.

Once the anchor characters came to me, the octogenarian Mrs. Beabots, Sarah Jensen, Maddie Strong, Liz Crenshaw, Austin McCreary and the four handsome Barzonni brothers, it didn't take long for me to realize there were dozens upon dozens of romances and life stories in Indian Lake. My proposal for the series was 155 pages long. Half the characters I came up with in the beginning may never have a story of their own to be written as they are most likely too eccentric for Heartwarming, but who knows what the future will bring?

2. What do you hope readers take away with them when they read your books?

I always want to entertain to the best of my ability on that given moment in my life when I'm writing. Depending on the story, I hope readers find hope, laughter and inspiration to keep believing that love creates miracles in life. I truly do believe that. I believe what Jesus said, that of all the gifts, love is the greatest of all. It takes a great deal of courage to extend ourselves to someone else, to risk our hearts which can be so easily broken and say, "Here. Take my life. It's yours." Frankly, that's a huge conflict to get over. I think that's why romances appeal to so many people. Loving is not easy. It's tough. It's always thinking of the other person first, especially when we have so many other things to do, places to go, etc. In KATIA'S PROMISE, she has to go back to Indian Lake and face the one person whom she has betrayed. For all the good she's done in her life since she was 16, this is a lot of regret to swallow.

3. Do you have a favorite scene?

There are quite a few in this story, but my favorite is when Katia is so desperate to get Austin to talk to her that she "breaks" into his house to see him. Katia had been the maid's daughter in Austin's parents' mansion when she was a little girl. Therefore, this house had been her childhood home as well. Once she was a teenager, she fell in love with Austin and he with her. However, Katia's mother feared their growing relationship and moved Katia and herself to Chicago on the eve of Katia's trip to New York for Austin's senior prom. Austin waited at La Guardia for Katia to show up, but she never did. Katia was ashamed that her mother thought she might become pregnant and was too embarrassed to ever call Austin again. Austin never forgave her—and never forgot her. Katia has kept the key to Austin's home all these years. Once she comes back to Indian Lake, he won't talk to her about the insurance policy she is trying to sell him. So, she goes to his house, uses the key and lets herself in. The security guards are alerted by the electronic security system. The cops show up. The housekeeper, Daisy, comes running and its pandemonium, while all this time, Austin is upstairs in the shower. It's an embarrassing, but very humorous moment for Katia and Austin both!

4. Share something about you that is unique. How/where you write.

As I've become friends with authors over my thirty years of writing, I don't think I'm unique at all. Maybe I used to be, but not really. I write at the same desk where I wrote my very first book, but now I'm back in my family home where I grew up. I have an incredible nearly 100 year old golf course to look out on. I love trees and animals, and right now the deer are eating all my holly bushes and have destroyed my landscaping. But they are living. My husband says we'll buy iron yard sculptures in the future. Maybe not. I have more books in my head than I have time to write, but I'm trying. I write screenplays as well as novels and my husband is a film producer. Back in the day, when Romancing the Stone came out my life was beyond unique, it was incredible. Michael Douglas and Twentieth Century Fox sent me on book tour all across the US and even to Europe to promote the book and film. In Taormina, Sicily I stood on a stage in a coliseum that was 400 years older than the coliseum in Rome in front of thousands of people who were chanting my name. THAT was like living the lead character role in a novel.

Katia's Promise

(Shores of Indian Lake #4)
by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance

May 1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Katia Stanislaus is a top insurance agent in Chicago, but her company is about to fold if she can't pull off a miracle. She convinces her boss to relocate to Indian Lake where she lived as a child and broke the heart of the one man whose account would be enough to save her job and her company. The only problem is that Austin McCreary has been a near recluse since the day Katia left him. Austin won't take her calls and appears set on revenge for the pain Katia has caused him. Just seeing Austin, catapaults Katia back to the time when she was 16 and so very much in love. But it was just a teenage crush, wasn't it?

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Other Books in the Series

Love Shadows

(Shores of Indian Lake #1)
by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance

April 1st 2014 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Catherine Lanigan is the famous author with over 40 books published including "Romancing the Stone" and "Jewel of the Nile". This is the first in a series of at least five books about the romantic and electric world of Indian Lakes. 

One of the first characters we meet in the Indian Lakes series is Luke Bosworth. There are five stages of grief, and Luke Bosworth is stuck on anger. Unable to move on after his wife's death, he's struggling to make ends meet and be a good father to his children—a fight he's afraid he's losing. But then Sarah Jensen crashes into his life. 

Dealing with the loss of her mother, Sarah is a kindred spirit in grief. And even though he doesn't always agree with her actions, she renews hope for Luke and his kids. Suddenly he's making plans for the future again. But can he take the risk of falling in love a second time?

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Heart's Desire

(Shores of Indian Lake #2)
by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance

August 1st 2014 by Harlequin Heartwarming

His homecoming is bittersweet . . .for both of them 

CafÈ owner Maddie Strong is finally ready to take her burgeoning cupcake business to the next level. With the help of handsome businessman Alex Perkins, her future's all mapped out. Until her first love comes home. 

At seventeen, Maddie adored Nate Barzonni with her whole heart and soul. But when he asked her to elope, she'd said no—she couldn't let him throw away his dream of becoming a doctor. Then he vanished from her life for eleven years. Now the cardiac surgeon has returned to Indian Lake asking for a second chance, and Maddie has to choose between her new life . . .and the man she never stopped loving.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

A Fine Year for Love

(Shores of Indian Lake #3)
by Catherine Lanigan

Adult Contemporary Romance

January 1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Her grandfather told her never to trust a Barzonni 

Nothing gives Liz Crenshaw more delight than walking the hills of her family's winery and tending her precious vines. And nothing frustrates her more than Gabe Barzonni, the handsome, successful and utterly aggravating son of Indian Lake's most prominent farmers. All her instincts scream "avoid," especially when she finds out he's going into the wine business himself. But Liz can't seem to shake him. One minute, he's nosing around her property, the next he's arranging to escort her to her best friend's wedding. Well, too bad. Whatever he has designs on—her or her land—Gabe is out of luck. Now, to get him out of her mind . . .

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

Catherine Lanigan is the bestselling author of over forty published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, as well as over half a dozen anthologies, including "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living your Dream", "Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul", "Chocolate for a Woman's Heart", "Chocolate for a Woman's Spirit". Ms. Lanigan's novels have been translated into over a twenty-four languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese. Ms. Lanigan's novels are also available in E-books on Amazon.com and BN.com. Several of her titles have been chosen for The Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Clubs. Her Vietnam war-based novel, The Christmas Star, won the Gold Medal Award Top Pick from Romantic Times Magazine and also won Book of the Year Romance Gold Award from ForeWord Magazine as well as Book of the Year Romance from Reader's Preference. Cedar Fort, Inc. published the third book of angelic interventions, Angel Tales. Angel Watch and Divine Nudges, the first two books in Lanigan's Angel Watch series of books about divine intervention in human life, were published by HCI. Allworth Press released Lanigan's "how-to" book on writing: Writing the Great American Romance Novel. Ms. Lanigan's first Young Adult Adventure novel, The Adventures of Lillie and Zane: The Golden Flute was published by Cedar Fort. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid foundation to pen a collection of compelling and informative true stories of teen addicts.

April, 2014 will see Lanigan's new clean romance series HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING'S publication of LOVE SHADOWS, the first in Lanigan's "Shores of Indian Lake Series". HEART'S DESIRE will also be published in 2014. A FINE YEAR FOR LOVE January, 2015. KATIA'S PROMISE May, 2015. Lanigan is working on the next three novels in her Indian Lake series for HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING.

Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including "Coast to Coast" and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Pinterest

Cover Reveal & Tour Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card
3 ebooks of Katia's Promise by Catherine Lanigan

Open internationally.
Ends May 8th

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A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron (Blog Tour + Review)

A Sparrow in Terezin

by Kristy Cambron

A Hidden Masterpiece series, Book 2

Christian Fiction / Historical / Romance

Available April 2015

Thomas Nelson

368 pages

About the Book
Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection through one survivor’s story of hope in the darkest days of a war-torn world.

Present Day—With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairytale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy the perfectly planned future she’s planned before it even begins. Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future.

1942—Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped occupied Prague in 1939, and was forced to leave her half-Jewish family behind. Now a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, Kája has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.

Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

Buy a copy  |  Find out what others think

My Thoughts
I absolutely loved Kristy Cambron's debut novel last summer, so I was thrilled to read A Sparrow in Terezin. We get to pick up with some of the characters from the previous novel, which is always nice. However, the historical story arc definitely stole the show for me (even though I'm definitely in more of a contemporary mood most days right now!).

Somehow Cambron is able to bring a sense of newness to World War II fiction. The way she focuses on the concentration camps and those who lived there during the war provides a unique element that is extremely powerful. And it allows her to provide a story set in World War II, a favorite time period for many historical fans, while still delivering a fresh story.

With a blend of intrigue, romance, and the devastation of war, Kristy Cambron has given us a gift in A Sparrow in Terezin.  [5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author

Kristy Cambron has been fascinated with the WWII era since hearing her grandfather's stories of the war. She holds an art history degree from Indiana University and received the Outstanding Art History Student Award. Kristy writes WWII and Regency era fiction and has placed first in the 2013 NTRWA Great Expectations and 2012 FCRW Beacon contests, and is a 2013 Laurie finalist. Kristy makes her home in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons.

Kristy Cambron Online

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook

Go Ahead & Like It by Jacqueline Suskin (Review)

Go Ahead & Like It
by Jacqueline Suskin
Available April 28, 2015
Random House
72 pages

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About the Book

An artistic, smart self-help book that prompts and inspires readers to write lists of things they like--a simple yet profound way to collect and remember the good in daily life.

This scrapbook-style art book is an invitation to write lists of things you like: small things that bring delight, intriguing things that excite, and meaningful things that make every day special. It's a how-to guide, writing prompt, model for self-discovery, and beautiful inspiration for daily gratitude, with poet Jacqueline Suskin's personal lists intertwined with photographs, illustrations, and instruction. It's a self-help book for people who might not be drawn to standard self-help, and it's creative thinking for people who might not identify themselves as creative thinkers (What does it mean to "like" something in today's digital age, anyways?). Above all, it presents a simple, dependable method to notice the good that's all around us--even in a traffic jam or waiting in line--so we can inhabit our world more fully and smile more in the process.

Buy a copy  |  Find out what others think  |  Learn more

My Thoughts

To be totally honest, I had a hard time telling what this book was all about from the description. However, I thought it sounded interesting. I love making lists, and I love the idea of recording things I'm grateful for, special memories, or whatever random thoughts strike. What's not to like, right?

Well, Go Ahead & Like It is part instruction on how to make a "list of likes" and part a sampling of the author's lists. It seems the author was going for a "Post Secret" type feel, with photographs, unique layouts, and handwritten text. Unfortunately, it didn't strike the right chord with me. The lists included things like "I like: lake swimming, naps, the banjo, and storms." I think I might have felt differently if I was previously familiar with this author and her work.

It wasn't a total loss, though. I think this might be a fun idea to try with our Compassion kids. Sharing "like lists" would be a simple, easy way to get to know one another better, and the simplicity would help us cross language, cultural, and age barriers a bit easier.

This wasn't a good fit for me, but others may enjoy it.  [2 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author

Jacqueline Suskin is best known through her work with Poem Store, a public performance project in which she composes custom verses on a manual typewriter in exchange for donations. She and her typewriter have been featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, in the New York Times, at SFMoMA, and at Los Angeles Contemporary, bringing poetry to the general public in an intimate, immediate, and accessible way.

Harlequin Heartwarming Spring Fling Giveaway

The authors over at Harlequin Heartwarming are hosting a fabulous giveaway this month! Be sure to enter and comment over on their blog on each day's post for extra entries. Here's all the info:

After the long, harsh winter most of us endured, what better way to celebrate spring—and our April and May Heartwarming releases—than with an exciting new giveaway? As with any celebration, the more the merrier, and we hope you will join us.

First, here are the beautiful covers of the April and May books . . .

And here’s what we have planned to warm your heart and chase away any lingering winter blahs. All eight Heartwarming authors with April and May releases have teamed up to offer two prize packs of four books each. We will also give away one grand prize consisting of all eight books and a stunning mix of “ever-blooming” spring garden flowers, for use indoors or out. These are gifts you can enjoy time and again, as you can read our books over and over, and the flowers won’t fade when winter threatens, since they're steel, painted in bright colors.


Our first prize pack contains:

The Truth About Hope by Kate James
Katia’s Promise by Catherine Lanigan
Raising the Stakes by Karen Rock
A Case for Forgiveness by Carol Ross

These books are certain to provide hours of springtime reading pleasure!

 
Our second prize pack contains:

The Long Road Home by Lynn Patrick
Man of His Word by Cynthia Reese
Fighting for Keeps by Jennifer Snow
Firefly Nights by Cynthia Thomason

Another set of four wonderful stories you will surely enjoy!

Finally, our grand prize winner will receive all eight books, along with an “ever-blooming” spring garden, consisting of a bouquet of 13 white daisies, two periwinkle blue alliums and a set of 13 black-eyed Susans, a retail value of over $150 US, before shipping.

Photos and “ever-blooming” flowers from Gardener’s Supply Company (http://www.gardeners.com/)

Now if that isn’t enough, we have a bonus book for each prize pack. Harlequin MIRA and Harlequin Intrigue author Elizabeth Heiter will include one of her recent releases—winner’s choice—in each of the prize packs.

There are three exciting prize packs waiting to be won. The contest runs until April 25th. Enter as often as you like. Post a comment right here on our blog for two entries, visit our Facebook pages, follow us on Twitter, and tweet about the contest once a day while it's running! And check back here on April 26th to see if you are a lucky winner!

Happy spring . . . and happy reading!

(Please note, prize packs can only be shipped to a continental US or Canadian address. International winners will receive the books only, in e-book format.)

Photos and “ever-blooming” flowers from Gardener’s Supply Company (http://www.gardeners.com/)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Must reside in the US/CAN for print copies; if outside these countries ebooks only will be sent from the prize packs. You must be at least 13 years old to enter and if under 18 must have adult or guardian permission. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Facebook, Twitter, Google or any other entity other than the authors involved. Void where prohibited by law.