kavlovestoread

April New Releases Giveaway!

I recently listened to an author interview and was surprised to learn that a book’s success or failure is often determined by first month sales! (Though I bet preorders play into that as well.) Publishing houses look at those stats to determine whether they’ll add on to a series or accept the author’s next manuscript! All that literary goodness hanging in the balance but for a month’s worth of sales! (This was a cozy mystery author, but I imagine all traditional publishers use the same ‘system’.) So, I thought I should do my wee little bit to promote Christian Fiction by introducing a new tradition.

So, sometime during the first week of each month I’ll run a special “Hello — insert month” giveaway. It’s easy to play along, especially since we have all our lists organized after Reader’s Choice Week! You just have to choose one of the April 2023 books on your TBR wishlist and mention it in a comment below (or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca) If your name is drawn, that April release is the book you will win and we’re one book count closer to keeping our fave authors in business. 🙂

Shielding the Baby + Giveaway

A K-9 Unit has a child to protect…and a murderer to catch.

A double murder and an attempted kidnapping of a baby in a national park have Officer Danica Hayes and her K-9 partner on high alert. She’ll have to protect Luke Stark and his six-month-old son while tracking the person who murdered his sister. Danica and Luke face a battle for their lives to keep from becoming the next victims.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit

My Review:

Woohoo! A brand new multi-authored K-9 continuity series from Love Inspired Suspense! And double woohoo because the books are available on audible and I might have them all preordered. 🙂 I’m such a happy reader!…er, listener.

And does Laura Scott ever know how to pull together an unputdownable (unstoppable?) story. The suspense is non-stop, edged with danger and bogged down in a baffling case that has all kinds of twists to it.

Plus, there’s an adorable baby, a kind of wary romance (both Luke and Danica have issues to resolve) and an exceptional K-9 to fur-bond over. My heart is full of bookish glee over this great start to the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy — winner’s choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Shielding the Baby, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 8, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

A Match in the Making + Giveaway

Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to sped the summer in America’s most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the employ of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds beyond irritating.

Walter Townsend is reluctantly in search of a wife for the safe of his unruly motherless children who cannot keep a governess for long. What he wasn’t expecting was Miss Brinley, an amateur matchmaker who turns his quest for a new wife into a complete and utter debacle. Constantly besieged by society ladies on a mission to win his affection, Walter must find a way to overcome their inundating attention — and his unexpected attraction toward Gwendolyn.

The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife when she realizes his perfect match might me….her.

My Review:

Still grinning when I think back on these characters and all the madcap mayhem that follows them around. The hilarity knows no bounds. I mean…I’ve loved all of Jen Turano books but this one gives new meaning to ‘quirky banter’. In fact, in honour of this book, I’ve come up with a new word to describe this particular type of quirky banter. Ready? Here it is (Merriam-Webster eat your heart out!)

Turanter: tur-an-ter, verb, definition: when regular banter takes on next level absurdity all while making complete sense.

Seriously, Jen Turnano’s comedic talent is next level brilliant. And it is infused in every aspect of the story. From character thoughts to tongue-in-cheek descriptions to all the cunning dialogue (aka turanter) — this book is a sheer delight.

It’s an enemies to more love story that sparkles. Tender and light-hearted but with some profound moments as well. The pacing is perfection, from the way the plot develops to the unusual romance. And every single character is memorable. Just…just….an awesomeauce of turanterism!!!

While I did receive a copy of this book from the publisher, I listened to the audible version and I really think Sarah Zimmerman’s performance enhanced my enjoyment that much more!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Match in the Making, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 8, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

The Metropolitan Affair + Giveaway

Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City’s most esteemed museums.

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she’d accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptogoly for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father’s offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York’s wealthiest patrons who have been victims of fraud.

With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York’s high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger’s identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.

My Review:

Phew! This is the kind of read that is so well plotted that you want to take your time to savour every nuance of scene and character but, at the same time, you are impatient to get all the pieces put together and bask in the happily ever after! Such a reader dilemma! To race or relish? I confess to doing both, and revelling in it all.

The Second Chance Romance trope is one of my favourites and this one has lots of delicious layers to dig through. A chance childhood meeting sparked an unusual friendship, complicated by differences in class and education that eventually separated Lauren and Joe. Until a not-so-chance meeting reunited them and then the fun begins.

Gah, but my emotions were all over the place during this read. I loved Lauren but don’t get me started on her naivety. I was forever cautioning her, but did she listen? She did not! Luckily Joe is more grounded — the life of a New York City police detective (with scruples) will do that to a guy. Absolutely loved the depth in both their back stories, their complicated (and distinctly different) family relationships and the way all of that played into the story.

And the whole ‘Egyptomania’ craze both irked and enthralled me. The historical details are riveting (I wouldn’t expect anything else from this author, but it bears saying anyway.) I’d get so steamed up over all these wealthy patrons of the arts who thought nothing of robbing a nation of their priceless antiquities for their own private collections! And then I’d be confounded by the irresistible draw all the Egyptology details held over me. And that made me wonder if I’d have been any different as a high society matron back in the day. And that just made me cranky. 🙂

Green blends history and mystery to create a captivating tale of greed and deception nicely contrasted with faith and love and the kind of insurmountable hope God can bring into our future.

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Marthin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Metropolitan Affair, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 8, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Reader’s Choice Week Winners — Spring into Books Edition

Before we get to the fun stuff, here’s some bibliophile nerdy stats for you. I always find it fascinating to see what the most requested books are in each category. If you don’t, just scroll down until we get to the part where I announce the winners. 🙂

MOST REQUESTED HISTORICAL

MOST REQUESTED CONTEMPORARY

MOST REQUESTED SUSPENSE/MYSTERY

MOST REQUESTED AMISH

And now it’s time to move on to the moment you’ve all been waiting for. (Thank you for indulging my inner nerdiness.)

SPRING INTO BOOKS WINNERS!

HISTORICAL FICTION WINNERS

WON BY JOLENE

WON BY TRIXI

CONTEMPORARY FICTION WINNERS

WON BY NORA ST LAURENT

WON BY DIANE FLOWERS

MYSTERY / SUSPENSE WINNERS

WON BY LORI SMANKSI

WON BY CINDY DAVIS

AMISH FICTION WINNERS

WON BY LUCY

WON BY RUBYNREBA

CHRISTIAN FICTION WINNERS

WON BY CC

WON BY LANE HILL HOUSE

READING GOAL WINNERS

WON BY SARAH

WON BY WINNIE

But wait, it’s not over yet. The Vanity category has become a blog tradition. It’s where a book is actually judged by its cover and I choose my favourite cover art per genre and then draw from a pool of readers who requested that title. Here are my COVER LOVE winners!!

HISTORICAL COVER LOVE WINNER

(I adore the punch of colour, the nod to Disney’s Snow White. I want to twirl around the meadow with her! So excited for this fairy tale retelling, Texas style!)

WON BY MELANIE B.

CONTEMPORARY COVER LOVE WINNER

(Those colours just pop — it almost looks like a batik print which is oh so retro-Bohemian. I remember those days fondly.)

WON BY TRACEY

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE COVER LOVE WINNER

(There’s just something about this stark graphic design that grabs me.)

WON BY TAMMY

AMISH COVER LOVE WINNER

(I like this one because it’s a bit different from the normal Amish cover. We actually see a profile of the heroine’s face, and who doesn’t love a horse on the cover?)

WON BY JACKIE

WAIT! Don’t go away ’cause we’re not through. We have another Reader’s Choice tradition of picking a random number which becomes a ‘just because giveaway’ on the genre specific days. If that doesn’t make sense, all you need to know is that it means more book giveaways. Woohoo! This time the number is: 50

HISTORICAL 50TH

WON BY SYLVIA M.

CONTEMPORARY 50TH

won by heidi r.

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE 50TH

WON BY CHANEL M.

That’s another RC wrap up. I’ll send winners an email stating their book win, publication date and requesting contact info so that I’ll have everything ready for release day. Then I’ll email you once again once the book has been ordered.

Looking ahead to next week’s giveaways:

And for Thursday and Friday I have something a little bit different but I’m too brain-dead right now to explain so you’ll just have to stop by and see what all the fuss is about. 🙂

2023 Reading Goal’s Giveaway

I haven’t shared my 2023 reading goals with you yet so I thought I would do that here as well as tally up my first quarterly report. So, to enter this giveaway, just share anything goal related in the comments. Then, in the same comment, list a book that will help you reach your goal. So it looks like this:

“I want to catch up on some suspense series. Night Prey by Susan Sleeman.”

****NOTE: BOOKS MUST BE CHRISTIAN FICTION****

You can enter up to three times in three separate comments — and you can use the same goal for a different one each time.

Books can be published any time through June 2023. Currently published books will be ordered right away, otherwise you’ll get an IOU for a later title.

See? Easy Peasy. But, if you’re still not clear, don’t be shy about asking questions.

Here’s how I’m doing on my goals so far this year (Jan to March):

121 (ish) books read — I’ve added on that ish ’cause I’m going by my Good Reads # but I read ahead for the blog so the count is a wee bit higher. And here’s some fun stats:
31 Audible
34 Audible Plus
6 Chirp
5 for Review
41 from the library (print and audio)
12 print purchased by me

And broken down by genre (because I’m that much of a book nerd these days.)

14 Historical
9 Regency
3 WWI
4 WWII
16 Contemporary
2 Amish
18 Romantic Suspense
1 Suspense
2 Mystery
59 Cozy Mysteries (yikes!)
14 Historical Mysteries
2 Dual Time lines
1 Novella set
6 Middle Grade

Now for my goals:

#1 READ MORE INDIE BOOKS

14 books — not great given the number of books I’ve read overall so I’ll try to improve next quarter.

#2 READ MORE DEBUT BOOKS

7 books — not bad, that’s about two a month.

#3 READ MORE NEW TO ME AUTHORS

28 authors — and have found some new faves too, which is going to make my reading life that much more complicated. 🙂

#4 DIVERSIFY MY READING

40 books — largely due to setting (thank you Regencies!) so I’m going to try harder to branch out next quarter.

Diverse Settings:

23 books set in England
4 books set in Canada
3 books set in Ireland
3 books set in Germany
2 books set in Africa
2 books set in France
2 books set in Asia
1 book set in Denmark
1 book set in Greece
1 book set in Austria
1 book set in Wales
1 book set in Scotland

Diverse author by nationality:

6 Canadian
3 British
1 Irish
1 Australian

5 ethnically diverse authors
6 books with at least one ethnically diverse MC
2 books with disabled or chronically ill characters

#5 PLAY AUTHOR CATCH-UP

Last year I put way too many authors on this list one of which was Christy Barritt (what was I thinking?!) so I failed dismally. This year I’m going to concentrate on one or two each quarter. This time round it was:

Sally Britton (surprised?) — I’ve read 8 out of 19 books (still have some work to do!) and Susan Sleeman — just have 7 books to go (8 if you count her May release) out of…a bazillion books! I’m getting closer!

#6 GIVE UNLOVED TROPES A SECOND CHANCE

3 books read. Sigh — I really don’t like to move out of my comfort zone and I don’t think that’s likely to change any time soon. I enjoyed the books I read for the most part, but I’m not going out of my way to find these tropes. 🙂

#7 STORY CHATS RECOMMENDS

Story Chats is a Booktube video (podcast?) hosted by three indie authors — Valerie Comer, Elizabeth Maddrey and Narelle Atkins. It’s a weekly show where they highlight contemporary Christian Romance (CCR) using various themes/tropes, as well as host guest authors. My goal is to read at least one book recommend a month and, yay, I’m 3 for 3!

SERIOUS ABOUT SERIES:

And then there’s this whole other beast called a SAS list, that stand for Serious About Series. I might have been overly ambitious when I made up these lists…they fill an entire book after all, but here it is in a nutshell:

TRILIGOIES IN PROGRESS

10 completed (or up to date) out of 28

TRILIGOIES TO START:

4 started out of 27

SERIES I’M CURRENT WITH

33 out of 37 (a few new releases slipped passed me!)

SERIES IN PROGRESS:

Have been randomly reading through 8 out of 29! Nothing completed yet.

SERIES TO START

24 started, 5 up to date out of 95!!!!!

Reader’s Choice – Christian Fiction

So, here’s how this week’s giveaways works: You recommend CHRISTIAN FICTION genre specific titles with release dates in April, May or June 2023 (up to three suggestions per genre day) and you have a chance to win one of your recommendations! BUT it’s a little more complicated than that so be sure to read ALL the details before entering.

IT’S CHRISTIAN FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the book(s) in the Amish Fiction genre you would like to win.

Christian Fiction –– a full length story or novella or collection of novellas. Any genre, including previous selections you’ve made on other days and also for specific genres not covered this week like Women’s Fiction, Sci-Fi, Speculative etc.

How does it work?

Easy peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be April, May or June 2023

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since comments are working on WP

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

Open to International Readers (I’m all about sharing the love of Christian Fiction far and wide!)

It’s helpful to include your email (using AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers) but you only need to add it to one of your comments per day. If you choose not to include your email, then it’s up to you to contact me if you are a winner.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 1

Reader’s Choice – Amish Fiction

IT’S AMISH FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the book(s) in the Amish Fiction genre you would like to win.

Amish Fiction –– a full length story or novella or collection of novellas where the hero or heroine (or both) are Amish OR the story has significant Amish involvement through secondary characters and an Amish community. Can be set in any time period — contemporary or historical — and cross genres such as YA, suspense, dual timeline etc.

How does it work?

Easy peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be April, May or June 2023

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since comments are working on WP

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

Open to International Readers (I’m all about sharing the love of Christian Fiction far and wide!)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 1

Reader’s Choice – Mystery/Suspense

IT’S MYSTERY/SUSPENSE GIVEAWAY DAY!

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the book(s) in the Mystery / Suspense Fiction genre you would like to win.

Mystery/Suspense Fiction — a full length story or novella or collection of novellas where mystery is an important part of the plot. The hero or heroine (or both) are often in peril (more so in suspense.) Can be set in any time period — contemporary or historical — and cross genres such as YA, Amish, dual timeline etc.

How does it work?

Easy peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be April, May or June 2023

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since comments are working on WP

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

Open to International Readers (I’m all about sharing the love of Christian Fiction far and wide!)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 1

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon on April 1. Winners will be announced later that afternoon.)

Readers Choice – Contemporary Fiction

IT’S CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE / FICTION GIVEAWAY DAY!

To be entered in the draw just leave a comment (or 3) below, including the title(s) of the book(s) in the Contemporary Romance / Fiction genre you would like to win.

Contemporary Romance / Fiction — a full length story or novella or collection of novellas set in any time period after 1980. May cross genres such as YA, Suspense, Amish etc and may include dual timelines.

How does it work?

Easy peasy! Make recommendations in the comment section and if you win, you win the book you suggested.

BUT YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THE RULES!

Publication date must be April, May or June 2023

Each day is genre specific, so only submit titles from that genre

Christian Fiction books only please!

You can offer up to three suggestions per genre day BUT they need to be made in 3 separate comments (easier for me to keep track of.)

No email entries this time round since comments are working on WP

OF SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN’T COMMENTED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE, YOUR FIRST COMMENT WON’T APPEAR UNTIL I APPROVE IT. AFTER THAT YOUR COMMENTS WILL POST AUTOMATICALLY.

Entrants must submit their own selections (no piggybacking on someone else’s log in.)

Open to International Readers (I’m all about sharing the love of Christian Fiction far and wide!)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 1

(You can enter any of the giveaways up until noon on April 1. Winners will be announced later that afternoon.)