Tag: Christian Fiction

Target for Terror + Giveaway

“If you leave on your own, you’ll be dead by morning.” 

Critical Care Nurse Natalia Sokolova can’t ignore former FBI Agent Sloan Dryer’s dire warning. After the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia dies under her care, her house explodes in front of her eyes and she finds her best friend brutally murdered. Ironically, the only bright spot in this horrific nightmare is Sloan’s bad Ukrainian accent and his willingness to protect her.

Sloan is convinced that someone wants to kill Natalia and when he finds a link to her family, he’s not sure who they can trust. As they run for their lives, and from the attraction simmering between them, they uncover a terrorist plot that could bring the nation to its knees. Time is running out. Can Sloan and Natalia save their country and their future, before it’s too late?

My Review:

Desperation. Tension. Hyperventilating panic. Sheer terror. This is one edge-of-your-seat thrill of a read…and a bit on the grittier side so be prepared. Not quite a spy novel, but there is some international espionage going on and traitors in high places which just ups the ante that much more.

Great dynamics between the hero and heroine. Sloane is kindly surly (and yes, that can be a thing) and Natalia is sooooo stubborn. And clueless when it comes to what they’re up against. She drives Sloane crazy, especially when she lapses into sullen Russian. Bwahaha. But once they figure out they’re on the same side, they bond over bodies and explosions. 🙂

I listened to the audio edition and enjoyed the dual narration by Melissa Moran and Alex Knox. Unputdownable…or maybe I should say unstoppable.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com (US) Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Target for Terror, 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 October 28, 2023

Most Wonderful Time + Giveaway

Gabe Lewis loves Christmas, just not as much as his eccentric mother who gave him and his siblings Christmas names. When he discovers that his new co-worker Shanée Mitchell wants nothing to do with the season, he makes it his mission to show her the true meaning. 

But he never expected feelings to develop for the Air Force veteran. Can he take a chance that she feels the same way or miss the best gift of all?

My Review:

published in 2021

A sweet, heartwarming holiday romance that hits all the feels. And it’s a kinda grumpy sunshine trope, only in reverse with our heroine being the grump and our hero, the ray of sunshine. Which is all kinds of fun!

Shanée is an Air Force veteran struggling to find her place in a civilian world especially since she is living with chronic pain from an injury that ended her military career. So now she’s switching gears and she’s not entirely happy about it.

Cue our hero, Gabe, who is all about making Christmas bright and spreading good cheer. It’s in his DNA, passed down from his holiday loving mama. 🙂 Shanée, on the other hand, isn’t into Yuletide celebrations…at all! But Gabe intends to change all that. 🙂

Squealing over a heroine with glasses (she’s even wearing them on the cover!) Also appreciate a story centring around a character dealing with chronic pain and how that impacts her everyday life. And swooning over the way Gabe takes it all in stride. He’s compassionate, understanding and nonjudgemental — the perfect heartthrob hero!

And this Christmas romance has a significant faith thread that has me brimming over with joy. A perfect holiday read!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Most Wonderful Time, 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 October 21, 2023

I’ll Be Seeing You + Giveaway

Generations of secrets unfold as a young college student learns the truth about her great-grandmother’s World War II heartbreak and love.

Brianna Hastings’s life seems dull and full of disappointment until a handsome young man visits her church. She’s instantly smitten by the charming Greg, who leads an exciting, independent life—the kind of life she longs for. But when a college history assignment forces Brianna to interview her great-grandmother about life during World War II, she can’t believe it when Daisy presses her with questions about Greg’s character. “What sort of man is he? Who is he at his core?”

What could her great-grandmother possibly know about love at first sight?

The questions take both women back to Boise, Idaho, in the early 1940s, when war emphasized how fragile life could be. Daisy and her older sister pine for the same handsome bomber pilot—until one night of terrible judgment reveals their true characters and drives them apart. Trying to protect the people she loves the most, Daisy condemns herself to live a lie.

In the years that follow, as Daisy grapples with the consequences, she receives unexpected grace from a man she’s known her whole life but never looked at twice. Could what she learned about love save Brianna from heartache three generations later?

My Review:

I love intergenerational stories and this one is extra special because it involves a great-grandmother and her great-granddaughter. Love the way the two timelines compliment each other as we follow two young women, decades apart, learning about love and heartbreak and living in God’s grace with the choices made.

Present day Brianna (19 and with a bit of an attitude) tested my patience at the beginning of this book. Very much a product of our modern, fast-paced, want-it-now society. Thankfully, she matures over the course of the story, growing in her faith as she deepens her bond with her great-grandmother who patiently guides her and isn’t afraid to ask Brianna the hard questions.

Daisy (our 1940s heroine) is just as young, but in some ways more mature. In other ways she’s quite naive. She too, is a product of her time and the backdrop of war adds a whole other dimension to her story.

Oh, the foibles of youth and the mistakes we make! That’s at the heart of both timelines and Hatcher portrays both women realistically. There’s angst and romance and more angst. My heart hurt for both of them at different points in their stories. But there’s rejoicing also and a stirring conclusion that delivers hope and happily ever afters.

I so appreciated the myriad of faith threads. There is no doubt that this is a Christian Fiction offering and the author pours her heart into the lives of these characters, showing them the difference a deeper relationship with Christ can make in their lives. So inspiring!

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Windy Lanzl who did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com (US) Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of I’ll Be Seeing You, 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 October 21, 2023

Safeguarding the Baby + Giveaway

A child is in danger. Only he can keep them safe.

The discovery of a wounded woman and baby in a stranded vehicle plunges Sheriff Rylan Pierce into a chase with a murderous mastermind. Not only must he protect Emily and the child from a killer hot on their trail, he must uncover the culprit’s identity. But with Emily suffering from amnesia, his task just got harder. Will Rylan find the answers he needs before the killer finds them?

My Review:

Once again an author tackles one of my least favourite tropes and sells me on it! Sometimes amnesia stories — especially suspense ones — can end up reading like a cliche but Nelson had me hooked from the very first page. It starts out deep in the heroine’s perspective and her panic and confusion just roll off the page. I could feel the tension climbing and had a solid knot in my stomach by the end of first chapter! So well done!

What follows is an intricate, cleverly executed suspense that left me as puzzled as Rylan and Emily. What was going on? What did these villains want? How were they always able to suss them out? Great combination of action and romance that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Safeguarding 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 October 21, 2023

Spines & Leaves + Giveaway

Random Retro Read

Can his love of books save a store and a budding relationship?

With a month to get from Orange County, California to Delaware for his next corporate challenge, Milton Coleridge decides to spend a week at Joshua Tree National Park. 

He never expected to find a floundering bookstore in need of his particular business skills. Will his methods of saving companies from bankruptcy or takeover work on such a small scale? And can he convince two people to risk their hearts?

Step into the Spines & Leaves, Tamarisk, California’s oldest (and only ever) bookstore. Come in out of the harsh, desert sun and wind and peruse all the store has to offer. It might just be more than you think.

Of note: Spine & Leaves is the introductory novella to the Bookstrings series and is part of the Mosaic Song of Grace Collection.

My Review:

published in 2021

My bibliophile radar went into overdrive when I heard about this series. A man (and his parrotlet, Atticus) on a mission to save a languishing bookstore and, perhaps, ignite a spark in a couple clearly meant for each other but failing miserably at finding their way to romance. So — meet Milton the bookish matchmaker! 🙂

A short novella (112 pages) but immensely satisfying nonetheless. Havig has a beguiling way with words, creating pictures and emotions that bring her story to life. Relatable characters, a bookstore(!) and oodles of encouraging literary quotes kept me ecstatically engaged from start to finish.

And there’s romance. And high drama too. Seriously, this little book packs a powerful dose of story magic that made my heart sing and I’m now eager to dive into the next book ASAP.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Spines & Leaves, 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 October 14, 2023

Tracked Through the Woods + Giveaway

Targeted by the mob…and their’s no place to hide.

Abby Miller is determined to find her missing FBI informant father before the mafia does, but time is ticking away. Someone tried to kill her father before he disappeared—and now gunmen are on her trail. Teaming with Agent Wyatt Kane is her only chance to uncover an FBI mole—and survive the mob. But finding the truth could uncover deadly secrets…and lead them into a dangerous trap.

My Review:

Still hyperventilating after finishing this incredibly tense, action-filled romantic suspense! Way above the level of a page-turner — Tracked Through the Woods is a thrilling wonder that is impossible to put down.

The suspense is so…suspensey! 🙂 I mean, there are layers of clues and misdirections to wade through and all the while the feeling of dread shivered up my spine because….I can’t say without posting spoilers but Scott handles all the pressure and strain with sly precision. She knows how to mess with her characters and keep her readers glued to the page!

I was so excited to discover this Love Inspired Suspense on audible (usually it’s just their continuity series that are given ‘voices.’) Jennifer Jill Araya did a magnificent job of bringing these characters and their desperate situation to life. A thrilling, spine-tingling read!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com (US) Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Tracked Through the Woods, 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 October 14, 2023

The Wings of Poppy Pendleton + Giveaway

In this compelling new time-slip mystery, a little girl goes missing from her family’s castle in the Thousand Islands of New York. Eighty-five years later, a journalist teams up with a woman living on Koster Isle to find out what happened to Poppy, once and for all.

1907. On the eve of her fifth birthday, Poppy Pendleton is tucked safely in her bed, listening to her parents entertain New York’s gilded society in their Thousand Islands castle; the next morning, she is gone, and her father is found dead in his smoking room.

1992. Though Chloe Ridell lives in the shadows of Poppy’s castle, now in ruins, she has little interest in the mystery that still captivates tourists and locals alike. She is focused on preserving the island she inherited from her grandparents and reviving their vintage candy shop. Until the day a girl named Emma shows up on Chloe’s doorstep, with few possessions, save a tattered scrapbook that connects her to the Pendleton family. When a reporter arrives at Chloe’s store, asking questions about her grandfather, Chloe decides to help him dig into a past she’d thought best left buried. The haunting truth about Poppy, they soon discover, could save Emma’s life, so Chloe and Logan must work together to investigate exactly what happened long ago on Koster Isle.

My Review:

It’s been a week since I finished listening to this book and I’m still deep in a stupefied bibliophile state. Epically struck dumb and blown away and…well, gobsmacked! So, I beg forgiveness ahead of time for my incoherent ramblings.

Random thoughts:

Astonishing! Just when I thought I had something figured out, I didn’t and there are so many ‘aha’ moments!

Which brings me to pacing. The tension between the two timelines is expertly drawn out. We slip seamlessly back and forth from past to present and back again, almost gently at first but, as the story progresses, the pacing picks up and the pressure increases until I was so wired up I wanted to rush to the end. (Of course, I didn’t because I am not the kind of reader who reads the last page first…no offence meant to anyone who is, of course. You read you, and I’ll read me. lol)

And the way the mystery of Poppy’s disappearance is developed in both timelines — brilliantly executed. Kept me on edge all the way through. The author is very clever in the way she teases hints without full reveals until the exact perfect time. Made the read that much more excruciatingly wonderful.

The setting gave me all kinds of thrills. My family vacationed around the Thousand Island area when I was a kid. No private island mansions for me, though every year we toured the islands and visited Bolt Castle and I imagined what it would have been like to live in my own island castle. 🙂 It’s not often that I get to read about a place I’ve actually visited so that was loads of fun.

I could say a whole lot more, but I don’t want to fall into spoiler territory. There is some romance which always makes me happy. And found family themes. There’s heartbreak — some almost too much to bear. At one point I wasn’t sure if I could go on but reading some reviews soothed my jangled nerves and I persisted and am so glad I did! Ecstatic, actually.

I listened to the audible edition of The Wings of Poppy Pendleton and Nancy Peterson’s narration paired with Melanie Dobson’s storytelling kept me captivated right to the very end.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com (US) Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Wings of Poppy Pendleton, 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 October 14, 2023

The Heirloom + Giveaway

This heartwarming prequel to The Shunning is a tender story of love, belonging, and the courage to move forward.

After her widowed father remarries, nineteen-year-old Clara Bender is no longer needed to help run his household. Marriage seems like her best hope of moving out, but there are few young men in her tiny Indiana Amish community. When she comes across letters from her mother’s aunt Ella Mae Zook, she sets off to visit Lancaster County’s Hickory Hollow to decide where her future lies.

Ella Mae is not quite ready to move from the farmhouse where she and her recently deceased husband spent over fifty happy years, but her children are eager to resettle her, making Clara’s visit seem like an answer to prayer. The two women form a warm bond while restoring an heirloom wedding quilt and sharing their lives, with Ella Mae confiding about a tragedy from her courting years. Eventually, Ella Mae suggests Clara stay for the summer, allowing Ella Mae more time with her and giving Clara an opportunity to meet the area’s eligible young men. But when the unexpected happens, will Clara find where her heart truly belongs?

My Review:

First off, you don’t need to have read The Shunning or subsequent books set in Hickory Hollow in order to enjoy this ‘prequel.’ If you are a Beverly Lewis fan, however, Ella Mae Zook has already captured your heart and you will be thrilled to delve into her story pre ‘The Shunning’ era.

Life experiences have contributed to Ella Mae’s standing as the Wise Woman of Hickory Hollow. For decades she has served her community with sage advice, patient understanding and boundless compassion and now we’re finally offered a peek into this beloved character’s past.

Plus we get grandniece Clara’s story as well. Loved the contrast in ages of our two heroines and the inspiring friendship that develops between them. They are both at transitional points in their lives. Both grieving someone they loved. Both leaning on God to see them through, even when they can’t understand the why’s. The kind of faith thread that buoys a reader up and inspires her to reflect on her own transitioning times and how she can follow God’s leading in the midst of the confusion.

Lewis has a lovely, unhurried oral storytelling lilt to her writing. I always feel like I’m sitting with her characters over a cup of tea, listening raptly as they tell me their stories. It makes for a charming timeless tale that gently unfolds. Classic Lewis.

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

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Heirloom, 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 October 14, 2023

The Billionaire’s Backup + Giveaway

Jenna and I have been friends since college.

Not besties or anything. Just the kind of friend you hit up when you want to go to a party but don’t want the pressure of a date.

She’s fun. Independent. And she gets me.

Which is probably why we dated for a while – more for fun than anything..

The kiss was completely out of left field. And so was the ridiculous pact to get married if we were still single in our thirties.

Neither of us have ever mentioned that pact again.

But man, a lot of years have passed and I can sometimes still feel her lips on mine. Now that she’s going to be renovating my house, it could definitely be a problem.

The whole pact thing might have been dumb, but would it really be such a bad idea for us to get together?

My Giveaway:

This is me keeping current with a billionaire romance series — who’d o’ thunk it?! Not me! And yet, here I am, devouring each book with bibliophile glee!

I’ve really bonded with this friend group and am anxious to see how wealth and romance pans out for each of the guys. Having said that, you could also read these books out of order and not feel like you’ve missed out on much. Well, a few happily ever afters and some lifestyle changes — but not enough to make a new to the series reader feel on the outside looking in if you were to pick up this fourth book first. (Gasp! I know there are a lot of ‘must read a series in order’ folks out there. My apologies.)

A real strength of this Billionaire Next Door series is the way the author works faith and ethics into each story. These were average guys who pooled their financial resources and made a ton of money, but, for the most part, life hasn’t changed significantly for any of them. Oh, they might enjoy a jet-setting moment or two (there’s this incredible date night in this one…all I can say is…eeeeppp) but basically, each of our billionaire heroes has to figure out how to manage their new found wealth…and they do that prayerfully, searching for the ways God is leading them.

In The Billionaire Backup, Noah, is grappling with feeling the need to make changes in both his professional and personal life, but not quite sure how. He’s finally made the plunge and bought a house and has given his long time friend, Jenna, carte blanche on restoring it (she’s an architect.) And Jenna just happens to be the girl from high school he made a ‘marriage pact’ with — if they are both unmarried by 33, they’ll just marry each other. Bwahahaha — guess who’s closing in on that magic number?

Love that these two have lots of positive friend zone history. They’ve been each other’s backup date to social events for years and now that they are spending way more time together things start to sizzle. Only there are complications. Like the guy Jenna has been dating — only, no worries, this is in no way a love triangle trope. And there’s Noah worrying about losing a good friend if things don’t work out. So, cue some angst, but not enough that you’d choke the stuffing out of your comfort bear from an anxiety induced death grip. 🙂 Just enough to make things v-e-r-y interesting.

And I’m happy to report that there are still unattached billionaires in need of romance so we don’t have to say ‘bye’ to these fan-favourite characters quite yet.

I listened to the audible edition expertly narrated by Joel Simler and Emma Faye and enjoyed their portrayal of these characters and their love story.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com (US) Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy The Billionaire Backup, 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 September 23, 2023

Iscariot + Giveaway

In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One—a miracle-worker. The promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, Judas joins the Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life.

But Judas’ vision of a nation free from Roman rule is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention—who seems in the end to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.

Iscariot is the story of Judas—from his tumultuous childhood and tenuous entry into a career and family life as a devout Jew, to a man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus himself that forces us all to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.

My Review:

This is me venturing waaaaaay out of my comfort zone with this novel. I don’t read a lot of biblical fiction in the first place, and I tend to steer clear of fictionalized accounts of actual historical figures. And yet I found myself with book in hand, completely intrigued by the first two lines of the prologue.

“A dog chokes by the side of the road to Capernaum. He is rabid and manged. He is foul and unloved. He is more worthy to live than I.”

Thought-provoking. Profound. Reverent. Deeply layered. Difficult to read at times but convicting nonetheless. Lee brings this time and these people to life in a refreshing and relatable way.

I mean, really, Judas is not my idea of a storybook hero, but the way the author tells his story enthralled me. Yes, it’s a fictionalized account, but it’s clear the author has done her research on customs and traditions of the time. She makes Judas approachable — he is no longer the one dimensional villain in a Passion Play. He is complex and confused. A product of his upbringing and the legalistic religion of his time. He is flawed. Makes mistakes. Epic mistakes. But there’s humanity in him too and his faltering frailty is all too relatable.

This is very much Judas’s narrative, told in his first person Point of View. Understandably, sometimes that’s skewed — so his impressions of Jesus and events are distorted and can make for a challenging read at times. But, oh so fascinating!

Tosca Lee is an epic wordsmith and her gifted storytelling brought the bible alive for me. Inspired me to reach for the biblical accounts found in the gospels – and really, can you ask anything more from biblical fiction?

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read hardcover copy — open to any reader, anywhere in the world so…yay…another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Iscariot, 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 September 23, 2023