Tag: Christian Fiction

Refuge on Crescent Hill + Giveaway

Random Retro Read

Moving home after a recent job loss was supposed to reassure Camden Bristow and give her time to decide what to do next. But when she arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother, who she hasn’t talked to in years, has passed away and “home” is an empty mansion 150 years old. Not exactly the comfort Camden was looking for. What happened to the house she played in as a child, the bedtime stories that told of secret passageways and runaway slaves, and all those family memories?

When antiques start disappearing and footsteps are heard, some of those memories start to creep back and Camden wonders if her grandmother’s bedtime stories might actually be true. What really happened here . . . at Crescent Hill? How was her grandmother involved? Who still has access to the house? And for what purpose? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camden also uncovers secrets about her family that could change the town―and her life―forever. 

My Review:

published in 2010

If you like the hint of a Gothic vibe (aka classic Phyllis A. Whitney) then ‘Refuge on Crescent Hill’ is the read for you. So atmospheric right from the opening page with Camden in desperate straits, heading to her childhood haven and the warmth of her grandmother’s arms. Only her grandmother is dead and the ‘home’ she remembers is a decaying mansion as broken as she feels.

And the house is either haunted or invaded by someone other than herself though no one takes her seriously. And there are so many secrets! Decades of them, all surrounding Camden’s family. And strangers eager to buy the house and the land…some for altruistic reasons, some for nefarious ones. And the town watching every move Camden makes. Sooooooooo scrumptiously mysterious. Layers of villainy to unmask and family history to uncover. Plus a light romance to swoon over. The perfect escape read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Refuge on Crescent Hill, 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 June 22 2024.

Never Fall Again + Giveaway

Landry Hutton has spent three years rebuilding her life behind the secure gates of The Haven, an exclusive resort on the outskirts of Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. As the artist-in-residence, and with her pottery prized by The Haven’s guests, Landry is finally ready to settle in permanently. She wants to give her daughter, Eliza, a safe home to grow up in and hires former Marine Callum Shaw to handle the construction.

Cal grew up in Gossamer Falls and always knew he would someday join his family’s business. He longs for a family of his own but has almost given up on that ever happening. Landry is funny, gifted, and everything Cal could ever want in a partner, but he vows to keep his distance. Landry has a daughter and a past. Cal has been down that road before and barely survived when the woman he loved left, taking her two sons with her. He can’t bear to lose like that again.

Before construction on the house can begin, Landry’s pottery is destroyed in a suspicious fire. It soon becomes clear that Landry and Eliza are in grave danger–but because of whom? But, after losing one relationship, he is hesitant to try again.

My Review:

A compelling introduction to Lynn H. Blackburn’s ‘Gossamer Falls’ series and she’s left me wanting more!

We’re introduced to a lot of key players right from the start and I’ll admit it took a few chapters for me to keep everyone straight but that might have been because I was listening to the audio book and not seeing everything written out. Basically the series is centred around a friend group from prominent families in the town…and there’s a feud between two of the families and…well, it’s complicated! But these characters (our hero and future heroes and heroines) decided in grade school that they wouldn’t let family tensions get in the way of their friendship and they’ve been loyal to each other ever since.

Cal Shaw is one of those friends and the hero of this story, and, be still my heart, meets all my swoonworthy criteria. Faith-centred. Check. Servant’s heart. Check. Protective but respectful. Check. Creative and talented. Check. There’s just one problem — he’s gun-shy about becoming involved with a single mom.

Enter Landry and her young daughter. They have an intriguing backstory that is slowly revealed bit by bit through the course of the novel. I was on tenterhooks all the way through trying to figure out just what they were running from and if that danger had finally caught up with them!

Love that Landry speaks her mind and tackles issues head on. She can be blunt, but never unkind, and she’s not afraid to call Cal on conflicted signals. Love that this romance features a hero and heroine who actually talk things through! Yes, there are some misunderstandings, but they aren’t the malingering kind and are aired fairly quickly. Not easily solved, mind you, but at least they both know where they stand.

Cal becomes invested in keeping Landry safe when she appears to be the target of a stalker which adds tense undercurrents to their burgeoning romance. I really like the way the suspense starts out ‘gently’ and slowly builds. The author gives lots of time to establish a relationship between Cal and Landry and provides enough page time to get to know a number of key secondary characters who will get their turn to star in future books. As always, those relationships shine with banter and heart-to-heart conversations and we’re given a tantalizing glimpse into future romantic plots. I love when the first book in a series gets me giddy with anticipation for the next one!

I enjoyed the audible edition narrated by Kate Forbes, a familiar voice in my romantic suspense listening. She did a great job of bringing this story to life and I’d definitely recommend the audio book to any fellow bibliophiles who appreciate a good listening experience.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Never Fall Again, 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 June 22 2024.

When the Day Comes

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice? 

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she’s the same person at her core in both times, she’s leading two vastly different lives. 

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives–and any hope of love–are put in jeopardy. 

Libby’s life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters. 

But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

My Review:

I feel like I’m the last person on the planet to start this innovative series but better late than never, I guess. 🙂 Brilliantly clever time travel theme and the author even manages to include a faith thread! I’m beyond impressed. Especially at the way she developed the time travel elements and still fit the story into the Christian Fiction genre.

I think one of the reasons I hesitated to read ‘When the Day Comes’ is that I hate love triangles and I figured this one would be a doozy but — phew — it really isn’t. However it’s all kinds of complicated and heart wrenching with enough gasp-out-loud moments to give me unsettled nights for a while (I tend to carry my fiction over into my dreams.)

And that’s about all I can say because the things I want to comment on are major spoiler-y so I’ll sum up by saying this novel is unlike anything I’ve read before. Unique and compelling and so, so emotional! Now I’m eyeing book two but there are…yikes, three timelines (!) and I’m not sure my heart can handle that!

Even Forever + Giveaway

Random Retro Read

The last thing Rosalie Tomkin wants is another man trying to control her life. Her abusive jailbird father and her ne’er-do-well brother have cured her of that. Not even the wealthy visitor staying in her beleaguered mother’s boarding house can tempt her. She plans to leave Boulder Creek as soon as she can scrape together the funds to do so, and when she does, she won’t ever look back.

Michael Randolph is in a high-stakes competition for the family business and intends to beat his half-brother, no matter what. So when an innocent encounter with Rosalie threatens to cost him everything he hopes to achieve, he’s willing to pay the price demanded by her no-good father. Even if it means marrying a damsel in distress.

Strangers placed in an impossible position, Michael and Rosalie can agree on one thing. Neither of them wants to stay together any longer than they must. What they don’t know is that fate might have a better future in store for them than either could imagine.

My Review:

published in 2021

A classic Western Romance with complex issues that kept me on an emotional rollercoaster all the way through! Robin Lee Hatcher knows how to incorporate faith and hope in the midst of struggles and turmoil and turns out a stunning novel every time!

Marriage of Convenience. Happy sigh (which is so weird, but love it in fiction.) A husband who doesn’t want a wife gradually realizing he does and then the wooing begins. Swoon! But this is the Wild West so their love story is nearly thwarted by the vilest of villains. Kept me on tenterhooks all the way to the end.

Honestly, my emotions were all over the place during this read. Loved Rosalie’s spunk and determination to get out of an untenable situation. But, oh my heart hurt for her! And her mother! Gah! That woman…there are no words. I mean, I could see why she acted the way she did and it fit the circumstances, especially for the time period, but 21st century ‘girl power’ me was spitting nails in an angry/sad jumble of emotions. Phew!

‘Even Forever’ is touching and tender with a healthy dose of grit. Sometimes a reader craves a good marriage of convenience story and this one delivers!

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of Even Forever narrated by Eve Passeltiner. She delivered an emotional performance that matched these characters and their story perfectly.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Even Forever, 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 June 15 2024.

Bitter and Sweet + Giveaway

Two sisters at a crossroad in life find the answers to their problems in the lessons from the past…

Mariah never pretended her marriage was perfect but that didn’t mean she ever suspected her husband of ten years would not only ask for a divorce but steal the business she built for them. Defeated and depressed, she’s not sure how to bounce back from the manipulative betrayal. Sabrina has been self-destructing for years, maybe since she was born, but certainly since the death of her long-time boyfriend. Barely scraping by and living in her van, she’s struggling to figure out what’s next for her, when all she’s ever wanted to do is bake cakes like her mother did.

When Mariah and Sabrina’s grandmother sends them a cryptic text message summoning them to Georgetown, South Carolina, both assume their ailing grandfather’s health has declined. Instead, the estranged sisters are faced with their grandmother’s undeniable request–save the family restaurant. Through letters written by their great-great-grandmother, Tabitha, Mariah and Sabrina learn a heartbreaking yet powerful story of struggle and survival. As the whole truth about Tabitha’s complicated past unfolds, the sisters are inspired by her ability to forge her own way in Charleston, a beautiful and prosperous city that was also rife with oppression under Jim Crow.

With the lessons in their family’s past guiding them, both sisters have a chance at a different life–if they can find a way to bridge the gap that tragedy and unhealed trauma forced between them. Told in a dual timeline that alternates between the 1920s and present-day Charleston, SC, Bitter and Sweet is an emotional story about love, one family’s perseverance, and the bonds of family and heritage.

My Review:

This is the kind of book you dread writing a review for because there is no possible way to convey the brilliance of the storytelling or the emotional impact it made. So excuse me if words fail.

First, I listened to the audio edition and was completely captivated by the trio of narrators. Janice Abbott-Pratt, Angel Pean and Lynette R. Freeman gave stunning performances, adding to the rich vibrancy of Rhonda McKnight’s words. The result — an exceptional listening experience. I savoured every second.

And, oh my, these sisters and their stories! Deep layers of personal and family drama culminating in divine healing. I was an emotional wreck by the end. (Gentle warning: don’t listen to or read this book in public, especially if you are an ugly crier like I am. Don’t ask me how I know 🙂 )

The author expertly weaves Mariah and Sabrina’s great-great-grandmother’s story into the mix, so – yay – dual timeline. ‘Bitter and Sweet’ honours the legacy of faith and family through generations. So much wisdom and insight! I’ve preordered a print copy because there are so many impactful quotes that I need to highlight and pour over again and again.

A stunning, emotionally-stirring, faith-filled read!

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this novel.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Bitter and Sweet, 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 June 15 2024.

Cooper’s Choice

Separated by tragedy, reunited by love. Will he choose family or love?

As an artist Cooper Holland instantly notices the beautiful woman going into a church, for the second time in as many days. When a man dressed in black begins to follow her, he instinctively knows something is wrong. Soon, he discovers there are two men after the pretty lady, and is shocked when Mia claims they want to kill her. The rules of witness protection prevent Mia Royce from confiding in Cooper, the attractive artist who has raced to her rescue. Unfortunately, her US Marshal contact isn’t answering her calls.

Cooper has the street smarts to help her remain hidden so she reluctantly accepts his help. As the attacks against Mia grow more threatening, she isn’t sure how to keep Cooper safe from the men who now want to harm, him, too. Cooper claims he can protect himself, but Mia secretly knows there’s a lot at stake. She can’t ask Cooper to give up his life, despite the fact he’d already captured her heart. Will Cooper choose his foster family, or her love?

My Review:

‘Cooper’s Choice’ is part of the ‘Smoky Mountain Secrets’ series — book four — but it can be read as a standalone. The series centres around a group of foster kids who escape an abusive foster home and flee in different directions. It’s years later and each book features one of the kids and will gradually reunite them all by the last book.

It’s been interesting to see how the inciting incident in their past has affected each of the foster kids. They’ve all had a rocky start in life so these books are on the edgier side but there’s a solid faith thread woven into each story too.

Cooper is a talented artist with lots of hard earned street smarts which come in handy when he spots Mia in trouble. And after that first contact — whew — the story just flies! Tense with danger and suspense, it’s impossible to know who they can trust. And the romance is just as fast and furious! Riveting from start to finish.

Deception

It’s been over a year since Sam McQuaid has been back home to Shadow Ridge, and this time, he’s returning with a bounty on his head.

Welcome to Shadow Ridge, where LONGMIRE meets JERICHO.

From USA Today Best-selling author Lisa Harris comes an epic new series where the survival of Shadow Ridge depends on learning how to fight crime all over again.

In today’s world, law enforcement agencies across the country rely on forensic tools, DNA testing, and crime labs. But what if that technology was suddenly no longer available? No one in the small, west Texas town of Shadow Ridge knows what took down the power grid, or when it’s going to be back up, but everyone knows exactly where they were the moment it went down. And now, with no electricity, no internet, and no modern technology, the men and women responsible for keeping the town safe are going to have to learn how to fight crime all over again.

My Review:

I’ll say right up front that this series (Fallout) must be read in order. ‘Deception’ is book four and it is just as tense and edge-of-your-seat as the first three books…and a tad bit eerie besides. The Dystopian aspects add an extra thrill…and creep factor if I’m being truthful!

Basically, the power grid went down a year ago and society is unraveling as you might expect. The series features the McQuaid family, each book starring one of the siblings and their personal battles and issues as well as an over-arcing suspense thread about who is responsible for the power grid destruction and what their end game is. Lots of drama and danger and romance, of course!

This is Sam McQuaid’s story and it starts out with a desperate manhunt (he’s the one being hunted!) and I really don’t want to say much more than that because of the way previous books and characters weave through this one. Here’s a quote that sets the tone of this story:

“Fear had been used for centuries to manipulate and intimidate various populations as a tactic for control And apparently what they were facing now was no different.”

Grim. Heartwrenching. Terrifying. Yet there is still some good in humanity and the McQuaids are among the best.

The Italian Ballerina + Giveaway

At the height of the Nazi occupation of Rome, an unlikely band of heroes comes together to save innocent lives in this breathtaking World War II novel based on real historical events.

Rome, 1943 . With the fall of Italy’s Fascist government and the Nazi regime occupying the streets of Rome, British ballerina Julia Bradbury is stranded and forced to take refuge at a hospital on Tiber Island. But when she learns of a deadly sickness that is sweeping through the quarantine wards—a fake disease known only as Syndrome K—she is drawn into one of the greatest cons in history. Alongside hospital staff, friars of the adjoining church, and two Allied medics, Julia risks everything to rescue Italian Jews from the deadly clutches of the Holocaust. But when one little girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina arrives at their door, Julia and the others are determined to reunite the young dancer with her family—if only she would reveal one crucial secret: her name.

Present Day . With the recent loss of her grandfather—a beloved small-town doctor and WWII veteran—Delaney Coleman returns home to help her aging parents, even as she struggles to pick up the pieces of her own life. When a mysterious Italian woman claims she owns one of the family’s precious heirlooms, Delaney is compelled to uncover what’s true of her grandfather’s hidden past. Together with the woman’s skeptical but charming grandson, Delaney learns of a Roman hospital that saved hundreds of Jewish people during the war. Soon, everything Delaney thought she knew about her grandfather comes into question as she wrestles with the possibility that the man she’d revered all her life had unknown ties to Rome and may have taken noble secrets to his grave.

Based on true accounts of the invented Syndrome K sickness, The Italian Ballerina journeys from the Allied storming of the beaches at Salerno to the London ballet stage and the war-torn streets of WWII Rome, exploring the sometimes heart-wrenching choices we must make to find faith and forgiveness, and how saving just one life can impact countless others.

My Review:

Phew! This one was a heartbreaker! I’m a bit of an emotional mess now that it’s all over. A vulnerable mix of aching and hope and everything in-between.

Kristy Cambron is known for writing complex dual timeline novels full of rich layers and important bits of history that should never be forgotten. She accomplishes that again with ‘The Italian Ballerina’ though I will admit to sometimes getting lost in the un-chronological yo-yoing in the past timeline. This might have been because I listened to the audible edition (expertly narrated by Barrie Kreinik by the way.) It probably would have helped to see the dates/places printed out every time we broke away from the present day. It’s not like there was a huge leap of decades — more like a 5-6 year span — but we’d be in 1943, then the next time in 1939 and then 1941 — and in the POV of two different characters so I was always scrambling to properly place the character and situations. I really enjoy dual timeline stories but I am finding that I enjoy them more when the historical story unfolds chronologically.

Amazed once again to discover yet another aspect of World War II that I knew nothing about. That an Italian hospital created a fictitious highly contagious sickness in order to hide Jews in quarantine wards is — well it sounds like it could only happen in fiction! And Cambron has cleverly woven it into a story that bridges decades and continents. How on earth does she keep it all straight in her mind as she writes?! Sheer genius!

I liked the contrast in the present day timeline. Not without its own emotional upheavals, but it was still lighter and served to highlight the powerful impact the choices of the past have on our present.

This book gutted me though — so not a light read but an important one.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Secondary Target, 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 June 1 2024.

Bag of Bones

Random Retro Read

Does one good turn deserve a murder?

Despite all her good intentions to focus on a healthy lifestyle and leave crime solving to the professionals, Andi Grace Scott has run right smack into another investigation–literally. Who’d have thought caring for stray cats and a healthy morning beach run could lead to murder?

Andi Grace has found another body and a young woman who needs help. Solving this puzzle will come with a cost. This time, catching the killer will require Andi Grace to confront her past relationships and truths about her deceased mother.

My Review:

This Low Country Dog Walker series is fabulous! Definitely should be read in order for the progression of Andi Grace’s backstory as well as relationship developments — including secondary characters. I love Andi Grace and her crew and this small island town. Feels like a beach getaway every read.

But this time there’s a body on the beach and Andi Grace is on the case. Bwahaha! She just can’t help herself. Some might call her nosy, but I like to think of her as having a curious mind. You know what they say about curiosity though…and there are some tense moments when Andi Grace is in serious danger before this mystery is solved.

Luckily she is on good terms with law enforcement in the area (more or less) and her protective boyfriend tries to keep an eye out for her (try being the operative word.) Because Andi Grace is tenacious and once she is focused on a puzzle she is relentless. I figured out parts of the mystery but not all so there was one gasp-out loud moment for me towards the end. Love when that happens.

There’s some lovely, light romance including a very swoonworthy ending that had me all twitterpated! I’m so grateful that the first three books in this series are available in audio format now. I’m really enjoying Meg Price’s narration. Hoping the rest of the series will follow — otherwise I’ll need to hunt them down in paperback ’cause I need more Andi Grace and company!

One Perfect Spring + Giveaway

Random Retro ReRead

Claire Summers is a determined, independent single mother who is doing her best to make lemonade out of the lemons life has handed her. Keith Watson is a results-oriented workaholic with no time for a social life. As the executive assistant to a local philanthropic businessman, he’s used to fielding requests for donations. But when a letter from Claire’s eleven-year-old daughter reaches his desk, everything changes. The girl isn’t asking for money, but for help finding the long-lost son of an elderly neighbor.

As Keith digs reluctantly into this complicated assignment, he has no idea how intertwined his life and Claire’s will become–nor how one little girl’s kindhearted request will touch so many lives and reap so many blessings.

Through compelling characters and surprising plot twists, Irene Hannon offers readers this tenderhearted story of family connections that demonstrates how life is like lilacs–the biggest blooms often come only after the harshest winters.

My Review:

published in 2014

Magical. There’s something so appealing about a story that revolves around a child’s innocent request. Hannon’s ability to develop vivid characters that leap off the page make this the kind of read you want to linger over. Masterful storytelling expertly knit diverse lives together in a powerful way. It’s a thrilling plot that left me stunned by an unexpected revelation. I laughed, I cried and I worried over Claire and Keith and David and Maureen and young Haley who started it all. 

A charming tale that will linger with you long after you’ve read the last word.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback and is available to any reader, any where — so, yay, another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of One Perfect Spring , 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 May 25 2024.