Tag: Christian Fiction

The Promise of Easter + Giveaway

As the quaint Amish community of Promise Glen prepares for the Easter season, one woman discovers that forgiveness is freedom — and may lead to forever after.

Anna Stoltzfus lives a quiet but fulfilling life in Promise Glen. Though she lost her beloved brother James in a tragic accident, her family is supportive and close-knit, and her job as a cherished teacher at Orchard Hill School fills her heart with joy. She’s perfectly happy with the life she created. Anna’s comfort is quickly dashed, however, when the man she deems responsible for James’s death — Matthew King — returns to the Amish community.

Forgiveness is at the heart of being Amish, and Matthew’s pain over losing his dear friend is obvious. Still, no matter how hard she tries, Anna can’t let go of the reckless night that ended her brother’s life. The ache was more tolerable after Matthew left Promise Glen, but noe he’s returned and her father has accepted his offer to work on their farm.

As the preparations for Easter begin, Anna’s regular contact with Matthew introduces her to a man far different from the boy she knew before. Perhaps the season of solemn reflection and joyous remembrance might be exactly what they both need to final forgiveness for the past and hope for the future….

My Review:

I absolutely love the way Marta Perry tells a story and this Promise Glen series is one of her finest. The way she portrays multi-generational family dynamics makes me all kinds of happy and the Stoltzfus clan is certainly memorable. Chock full of humour and wisdom…and the kind of angst you’d expect in a large family. Anna is certainly blessed to have their love and support…even when she is harbouring a very misguided (and un-Amish) dose of blame towards Matthew.

So, kind of a frenemies to more romance. They were friends in their youth, up until the horrible accident that took Anna’s brother’s life. And then Anna projected all her heartache and fury onto Matthew. She was relieved when he left the community for the Englisch world and furious when he returns.

Easter time is the perfect setting for a redemption story — and both Anna and Matthew find forgiveness and grace through the course of this read. Learning to forgive — both ones self and others is a big part of the inspirational message. Love how Anna and Matthew are on a journey, but they are not alone. There are wonderful secondary characters who walk along side them, encouraging (and speaking plainly when needed…I’m looking at you Aunt Ella!) and helping them put the past and the present into perspective so they are finally free to look ahead to a future full of hope.

The Stoltzfus family puts me in mind of an Amish Waltons — same touch of heartwarming mixed with laughter while dealing with true-to-life issues that can happen to anyone. I wish there was an entire series dedicated to them! (Hint to the author…after all, there are a lot of children who will need matchmaking at some point in their futures!)

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 The Promise of Easter, 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 March 25, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

A Seaside Wonder + Giveaway

In one evening, Indi’s world falls apart. Enter the shy professor her family mistakes for her fiancé…make that ex-fiance.

Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine…or his grandfather’s miserable old house. But after his mother’s death, he’s now the guardian of a teenage half sister he barely knows — one who doesn’t want anything to do with him. He longs to help her heal, but he’s exhausted and numb, desperate for relief of his own. Maybe that’s why he’s so easily distracted when he happens upon the little shop with a name on its storefront window that sounds familiar, a hint of a mystery nudging him inside.

More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she’s never recovered from — though she’s certainly tried. She has a full life running her shop and creating the artsy pieces that fill its shelves. If she can just stay busy, she’ll keep her hurt and regret at ba… until her past and present collide, shattering her carefully built walls. Things only get worse when danger comes calling at her childhood home.

The one bright spot amid Indi’s turmoil is the shy stranger who wandered into her shops months ago and his moody but lovable sister. As she confronts her past and the mysterious threat facing her family, she’s intent on helping Philip too, if they can overcome old secrets and wounds, outrun rising peril…and take a chance on love.

Breathtaking romance, a captivating mystery, and an enchanting wintry seaside…return to Muir Harbor in bestselling author Melissa Tagg’s latest.

My Review:

“You are not a mess. God sees the beauty you already are. He’s not in a hurry and you don’t have to be either.”

What a stunningly beautiful and incredibly moving story! Written in a way that pulled at all my emotions — I cried, I laughed, I swooned. Intricate details woven into a tapestry of…well…wonder! And it comes from more than just our hero and heroine’s stories. It’s in the family relationships — raw and real and imperfectly wonderful. And the way a myriad of story threads pull together, building in intensity until they are all expertly intertwined by the end. I’m truly gobsmacked at the impact ‘A Seaside Wonder’ had on me.

So rich in inspirational wisdom. Honestly, I filled a little notebook with faith quotes and tabbed so many pages…I’m not one to annotate fiction books but this one might be the exception. The kind of book that transforms the reader as much as the characters. So many profound insights! Like:

“I just wonder if instead of asking God to take the pain away, we invite Him into it.”

and…

“She’s put her trust in a God who…who maybe doesn’t make every crack disappear, but who holds all her broken pieces tenderly.”

I could go on and on and on…but you just need to read this book for yourself. Guaranteed to hold a cherished place of honour on any library shelf.

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 A Seaside Wonder, 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 March 25, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

The Sound of Light

When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden.

American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research — her life’s dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement’s legendary Hammond — the merman — and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse has something to hide.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech…or in silence. Bestselling author of more than a dozen WWII novels, Sarah Sundin pens another story of ordinary people responding to extraordinary circumstances with faith, fortitude, and hope for a brighter future.

My Review:

Indescribably good. It’s going to be hard to write a review that does justice to this story. I hardly know where to start…

Well, first off, I’ll say that I was a bit hesitant about this latest Sundin offering — not because of the writing, but because I am about as un-sciencey and un-mathy as they come. 🙂 I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to connect with a ‘science nerd’ heroine or be able to understand the physics lingo. So, if that’s your fear too, have no worries. Else is an incredible heroine with a heart as big as her brain! And there’s so much more going on in the institute’s labs than the science-y bits. Though there is some foreshadowing about nuclear energy which made me nervous.

Now, this is where it gets tricky because I don’t want to give away any spoilers and there’s just so many layers in both plot and characterization. Henrik’s personal growth and his spiritual journey is phenomenal and there are so many things I want to say but I can’t because the plot twists start from the very first time we meet him. I will say that Sundin captured a multitude of emotional nuances that built over the course of the story. I choked up many times and was wracked with sobs when I reached the last part of the book. Definitely an ugly cry read for me (which is a good thing, in case you’re wondering.)

Once again, this author finds a new way to spin a WWII tale. The unusual Denmark setting was refreshing and the Danish resistance inspiring. A complicated history that I didn’t know much about before I read this book. And, oh my, the way she ties in that title in so many profound ways. Wowzers. I got goosebumps over some wonderful ‘aha’ moments.

Plus there’s a stunning (and very emotional, for me) romance in the midst of all the intrigue and danger. Again, I can’t say more without posting spoilers because there are so many elements to the love story that I can’t share…but you will absolutely adore when you read them for yourself. Also, be prepared for swoony toe-curls.

The kind of novel that makes me extremely happy to be a reader!

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 The Sound of Light, 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 March 25, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Bound by a Secret + Giveaway

To give his girls a home…can he reveal their troubled past?

Under witness protection, widower Greyson McKinsey is determined to build a safe future for his twin girls while keeping their identities hidden. But when the struggling dad mistakes Savannah Espinoza for the new nanny, he can’t help but encourage his daughters’ instant connection with the pretty carpenter. Savannah might be just what his family needs…yet exposing the truth could be dangerous to their lives and their hearts.

A longe star heritage story.

My Review:

Sniffle…this one hits all the feels. Tender and funny and achingly sweet as well as heart breaking given Greyson’s past. The witness protection angle was really interesting since it focuses on what that actually looks like for the family in hiding. I’m used to reading this trope in a suspense novel which is all about the danger and intrigue — so a very different spin and one I haven’t read in a contemporary romance before.

Greyson’s daughters are adorable! Their antics, and the wary way Savannah interacts with them (she doesn’t do kids) was alternately funny and touching. And the romantic tension between this hero and heroine….be still my heart. Toe-curling with an undercurrent of impossible that made it a frenzy-page-turner because I just had to get to the promised happily ever after (it is a Love Inspired romance, after all.)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Bound by a Secret, 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 March 18, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Perilous Security Detail + Giveaway

With threats on all sides…secrets can prove deadly.

Narrowly surviving an intentional hit-and-run, Sawyer Blackwood hires his unexpected rescuer to guard his niece. Bodyguard Everly Honor will do anything to protect a child, even if it means working with her ex. But, as attacks escalate, how can she accomplish her mission to keep them safe when Sawyer is keeping secrets from her…and she’s concealing the truth about her own past?

Honor Protection Specialists

My Review:

Elizabeth Goddard always delivers a spellbinding suspense, no matter what the word count. Her Love Inspired books pack the same kind of punch found in her longer novels. She knows how to pace out action and danger with sweet interludes of romance and I’m always swept away by the story.

Perilous Security Detail was a read in one sitting extravaganza. I intended to read only the first three chapters and then get some work done…but, nope, that didn’t happen. Not when the last sentence of chapter three reads like this: “Suddenly, a strong arm hooked around her throat from behind.” (p 45) Love it when the end of one chapter hooks me into diving into the next one!

Desperate danger, a reluctant hero and an angsty preteen all combine to keep protection specialist Everly Honor on her toes…and readers in a page turning frenzy! Love the reunion romance aspect to this story and it about drove me crazy trying to figure out what Sawyer was holding back and then, once I knew, I was gobsmacked. Didn’t see that coming.

An adrenaline rush of a read right to the very last page!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Perilous Security Detail, 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 March 18, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Cold Light of Day + Giveaway

Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal acitivity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murderes, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.

Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are — to disappear — when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.

As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.

My Review:

Um…this is me speechless. I’m blaming Goddard’s incredible suspense-y Ninja skills for my addled brain because….Whooooaaaaaaaa. Hence the rambling review that follows:

What just happened here? And here? And here? And all the way through the book I’m like “What’s up with Grier? What’s his secret? Why is he off the grid?” And — gah — but small town politics gets my dander up, especially when it’s aimed at Autumn who, hellllooo, is just doing her job. And mighty fine at it too, I might add.

My spidey senses were all askew, sensing danger (sometimes where it wasn’t, often from unexpected places) so I was on edge the whole entire read. Like all 352 pages (or 9 hr, 45 min in my case.) And the way the author pulls seemingly diverse plot points together by the end. My mouth was agape as in exhaling a, “Whhhaaaaaatttttt??????”

So, that pretty much describes my reading experience…plus there’s romance and a hero husky named Cap (short for Captain America!) And tons of action and adventure in the Alaskan wilderness! The kind of book that gives a reader a cardio workout without having to leave their comfy armchair!

Re audio book: matching a story with the right narrator is paramount to providing the perfect listening experience and the powers that be nailed it when they hired Sara Farrington. She delivered an amazing performance and I’m hoping that she’s on call for the rest of the series. Because….eeeeeeppppp….Cold Light of Day is the first book in Elizabeth Goddard’s new Missing in Alaska 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 Cold Light of Day, 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

His Alaskan Redemption + Giveaway

Earning her trust is the start of his second chance.

Crab fisherman Gus Colman is just trying to make a living for his daughter. But when his fishing boat capsizes, he’s injured and stranded in Hearts Bay, Alaska, where he comes face-to-face with Mia Madden — his late best friend’s fiancee. As she helps him recover, he works hard to prove he’s changed. But could Mia ever love another man who risks his life at sea?

A Home to Hearts Bay Romance

My Review:

I have no idea why I am so enamoured with Alaskan settings, but I am, so this book was an auto buy for me. Well, the author being Heidi McCahan might have influenced that decision some too. 🙂

And what a heart-stopping, beautiful, emotional love story this is! Painful pasts clash in a disastrous way and provide the opening for healing and hope. Loved the ‘meet-cute’ which was more angst-riddled than cute. I was hooked and committed in that first chapter.

Yowzers, but my emotions were in knots a lot during this read because Gus is dealing with so much stuff! Of course I was also swooning over this dedicated single dad and the connection he has with his adorable toddler daughter. And it wasn’t long before Mia began to feel those fluttery swoons coming on too. But, oy, her life is more than a tad complicated at the moment…in a very big way. The author struck a wonderful balance between all that turmoil and the tender, light-hearted moments. Made for an emotional, unputdownable kind of read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of His Alaskan Redemption, 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Double the Lies + Giveaway

In the second instalment of Patricia Raybon’s critically acclaimed mystery series, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a handsome young pilot before she is framed for the crime — and before his dashing twin falls head over heels for her, tempting her promised heart.

On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief — a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake — to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee become the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.

With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, wh can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics — all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love…and perhaps even her life.

My Review:

Annalee! Annaleee!! Annalee!!! You made my heart hurt and my blood pressure rise and I loved every minute of it! I’m a glutton for punishment when it comes to angsty reads, I guess. And, while I loved All That Is Secret, I loved Double the Lies that much more.

Annalee Spain, an up and coming private investigator, has her work cut out for her. Especially since she’s a Black woman in 1920s Denver — a town run by the Klan. So, Annalee doesn’t just have a twisty-turny mystery to solve, but the added complication of trying to do it while dodging police and the blatant prejudice that prevents her from going about her investigation in a direct manor. Gah, but my blood boiled over some the situations she faced.

Annalee is brash and headstrong and impulsive — traits that both help and hinder her work. And the way she throws herself into some alarming situations kept me in a panic stricken state for most of the read. She’d no sooner get out of one dire predicament than she’d rush headlong into another one. Mercy, but that girl has guts and grit!

Loved the depth in characterization — Annalee is an ever-evolving heroine and I appreciate the growth she makes not only through the series, but within this book in particular. And a lot of that comes about through the aid of some incredible secondary characters. I am attached to so many of them now! Plain speaking Mrs. Mason is an all time favourite . She kind of reminds me of a Marilla and a Rachel Lynde mash up (aka Anne of Green Gables.)

Double the Lies is the second book in the Annalee Spain Mystery series and, while it could be read out of order, there are some spoilers from the first book — from both the mystery and Annalee’s personal life, so I think it’s best if you read the books in order. Your read(s) will be all the richer for it.

History, mystery and faith make for a winning combination.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

*IMPORTANT NOTE:* Because I think The Annalee Mystery series should be read in order, this giveaway is for either book one, All That Is Secret (Christy Award Winner) or book two, Double the Lies — Winner’s choice, in either paperback or ebook, again, winner’s choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of All that is Secret OR Double the Lies, 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Detecting Secrets + Giveaway

Tracking the scents of the missing might be the only way to save them.

Partnered with her air-scent dog and Sheriff Dennis Monroe, marriage and family therapist Charlotte Bradley is desperate to put an end to a black-market baby smuggling ring in Anderson County. Who is kidnapping the pregnant girls she counsels and taking their babies? As Charlotte searches for answers, she and Dennis must dodge gunfire and deadly attacks. But the sinister agenda they uncover just might include her.

A Deputies of Anderson County thriller.

My Review:

This is the third book in the Deputies of Anderson County series and don’t ask me how I missed the first two books! The good news is that I can vouch for Detecting Secrets working fine as a standalone. There’s lots of give and take and teasing amount the deputies which might have meant more if I’d met them all in the first two books but I still enjoyed the banter and teamwork and didn’t feel lost or overwhelmed at all. So, definitely don’t hesitate to pick this one up even if you haven’t read the first two books.

And what a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seater! Pulls at your heartstrings too because the crime is so vile. Kidnapping babies. Bah! And Charlotte’s backstory is pretty heartbreaking. I was emotionally engaged all the read through.

Luckily, we have Theo, air-scent SAR canine extraordinaire for distraction and comic relief. If I wasn’t laughing and melting over his antics, I was cheering him on as he seeks and defends and generally creates bedlam for the bad guys .

A fast-paced, adrenaline rush of a read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Detecting Secrets, 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.

Beneath His Silence + Giveaway

Will seeking justice lead to her own demise?

A Gothic Style Regency Romance from a promising young author

Second daughter of a baron — and a little on the mischievous side — Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretence is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wychkhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.

Lord Sedgewick knows there’s blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more lies but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son — and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.

Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him — just as her dead sister?

My Review:

Well, I’m gobsmacked by this debut novel! Very Jane Eyre-esque with Gothic undertones. Lots of emotional angst and high drama that peaks by the end. And so much character growth! Which is a good thing because Ella’s obsession with seeking vengeance over her sister’s death was a bit hard to take in the beginning. She is full of self-righteous indignation and preconceived assumptions based on her late father’s consuming hatred. And now she feels compelled to carry on his crusade to destroy Lord Sedgewick.

If you like brooding heroes you will definitely be drawn to poor Henry. He fits the Mr. Rochester archetype — with one major difference. Henry constantly leans into his faith. Imperfectly, maybe, because he still struggles with bitterness and unforgiveness but he never turns away from God. Very realistic and relatable.

So, Ella arrives at Wychkhorn Manor under false pretences, intent on exposing the dark truth about Lord Sedgewick. She isn’t prepared to fall in love with her young charge — the nephew she’s never met before (gah, and I wanted to know why — the family had no contact with the older sister, didn’t even attend the wedding and that was never explained. My mind is working overtime thinking up credible possibilities.) Of course, Ella is about as ungovernessy a governess as they come. She’s also opinionated and impulsive which makes for some interesting cutting-edge banter. And I do so love great banter in my Regencies!

Very much an enemies to more trope and I love the way the author developed the relationship that grows between Henry and Ella. It’s all two steps forward, one step back and full of self-doubts and erroneous assumptions. You never met two more reluctant would-be-lovers! And I enjoyed every second!

And the Manor had a character all its own. Steeped in tragedy and hiding so many secrets! I was on tenterhooks the whole read trying to piece everything together. From the closed mouth servants to Ella’s feelings of being watched, to…well, I can’t say any more without posting spoilers…but, eeeeppp, deliciously mysterious.

I listened to the audible edition of Beneath His Silence and enjoyed Anna Flosnik’s narration. Her performance enhanced the Gothic vibes and kept me riveted.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Beneath His Silence, 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 March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.