25 Book Reviews

Thursday, June 11, 2020

And..... the book spotlight for June 12th is... "Relentless Love " by Heather Greer! Enter the Giveaway!


                       " Relentless Love"
                        by Heather Greer

About the Book:


Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Without passion, there is no love. Without love, is she even living? 
Living with limits protects a heart from hurt. After unexpectedly losing her husband, it’s a lesson Katie Blake has learned well. From moving in with her elderly father to staying at home with her son, Sammy, Katie’s life has been arranged to avoid further pain.
After three years, life feels stagnant. It’s time to carefully venture into the world once again. Sammy needs friends his age, and Katie needs a project to focus on.
As Sammy adjusts to preschool, Katie finds her perfect job. Her position even allows her to befriend Anna, a young mother who needs encouragement. Events also bring Nathan Phillips, a childhood friend, back into her life. Each successful step forward encourages Katie to continue opening her heart. By the time her friendship with Nathan begins to deepen, Katie is ready to pursue the relationship.
Nathan’s encouragement gives Katie strength to make tough decisions regarding her father’s care as his dementia progresses. But when Sammy is injured while in Nathan’s care, Katie knows she’s made a mistake. It won’t happen again. Abandoning their relationship in favor of safety is only the beginning. Katie has felt God calling her to help change Anna’s situation, but the risk is too great. God will have to find another way to help.
It takes a strange message from her father for Katie to understand God’s relentless love and desire for her life to reflect His love. But will Katie take the risk or continue limiting love in favor of a life without hurt?

Click here to get your copy!



About the Author

Heather Greer is a pastor’s kid and pastor’s wife from southern Illinois. Though her nest is
quickly approaching the empty stage, with three of her four children out on their own, she enjoys the times she gets to spend with all her children, husband, and grandson. Equal mix geek and romantic, you could as easily find Heather watching an episode of Doctor Who as the latest Hallmark movie. Of course, you may find her baking, reading, or crafting too!
Heather’s writing and teaching ministries revolve around a passion to see believers grow in their faith. Though God has used her most often with teens and adults, she has worked in ministries reaching all age groups through the years. It is Heather’s prayer for God to use what she writes in her books and on her blog to challenge and encourage readers in their faith walks.


More from Heather

Authors leave a bit of themselves on the pages of what they write. Whether it comes out in a name or character’s special interest or a faith lesson the author had to learn themselves before they could put in on paper, somewhere in what is written readers will find a hint of the author in the story. This glimpse into the author’s world add a feeling of authenticity to the story.
My family and friends will quickly recognize at least one of these windows into my world as they read Relentless Love. Though I didn’t intend it, my personal experiences with dementia and Alzheimer’s care are woven into the story. While the exact details are different, I was a full-time caregiver to my grandmother through the middle and late stages of her life with dementia. Dealing with the confusion, illogical thinking, obsessing, and paranoia that are portrayed in the story is part of everyday life for a caregiver.
In including Katie’s experience with her father’s deteriorating mental health, I pray others facing the same struggle find encouragement and strength. And because my time with my grandma was blessed with sweet memories, in spite of the struggles, I’d like to share a recipe she passed down to me in high school. I cannot make this cookie without thinking of the one who made it first and all the lessons she taught me about what it means to love God, our families, and others.
Lace Cookies  – from the kitchen of Sue Ellen Forby
Ingredients:
1 cup oats                                            3Tbs. flour
¼ tsp. salt                                            1 stick butter
1 cup sugar                                          1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. baking powder                         1 egg
Directions: Mix oats, salt, sugar, baking powder, and flour. Melt butter and pour over dry ingredients. Add vanilla and egg. Mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour, until set.
Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into marble sized balls and place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Edges of cookies will be golden brown. Remove from oven and carefully slide parchment from pan to let cookies cool completely before removing them from paper. These cookies puff during cooking but flatten out completely as they cool.

Blog Stops

Andrea Christenson, June 3 (Author Interview)
Rebecca Tews, June 5
My Devotional Thoughts, June 7 (Author Interview)
By The Book, June 10 (Author Interview)
Quiet Quilter, June 12
Artistic Nobody, June 13 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Heather is giving away  the grand prize of $30 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Book Spotlight for June 10th! "Secrets Resurfaced" by Dana Mentink! Enter the Giveaway!


                      "Secrets Resurfaced"

                         by Dana Mentink

 About the Book:


Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Release Date: June 2, 2020
When new evidence surfaces about a tragic boating accident that put her ex-boyfriend’s father in prison, private investigator Dory Winslow’s determined to look into it. But now someone’s dead set on silencing her. And working with Chad Jaggert—the father of her secret child—may be the only way to survive the treacherous truth about the tragedy that once tore them apart.
Click here to get your copy!





About the Author
Dana Mentink is a two time American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award winner, a danamentink.com, on Facebook, YouTube (Author Dana Mentink) and Instagram (dana_mentink.)
Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Holt Medallion winner. She is a national bestselling author of over forty titles in the suspense and lighthearted romance genres. She is pleased to write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Heartwarming and Sourcebooks. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with Papa Bear, teen bear cubs affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo, Junie, the  nutty terrier, and a chubby box turtle. You can connect with Dana via her website at 






More from Dana

Well, it’s been a wild ride through the Roughwater Cowboy series! Here we are at the end, with youngest brother Chad’s story. Fortunately, the rest of the clan (Mitch, Liam and Helen) are here to lend a hand when the man Chad’s father was jailed for killing comes back to life. Helping out also is Jingles the hapless dog, and a new member of the canine family, three legged Meatball. Throw in a killer on the loose and a secret child, and we’ll have a ‘hold onto your hat’ finish to this series. Thanks for coming along with me! God bless you!

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, June 8
Hallie Reads, June 8
Betti Mace, June 10
Quiet quilter, June 10
Bigreadersite, June 12
KarenSueHadley, June 14
Moments, June 14
Simple Harvest Reads, June 15 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Remembrancy, June 16
Bizwings Blog, June 16
Splashes of Joy, June 17
Artistic Nobody, June 18  (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dana is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of the book and a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Today’s spotlight: "Yellowstone Yondering” by Kristen Joy Wilks



Yellowstone Yondering

    By Kristen Joy Wilks


About the Book

Book:  Yellowstone Yondering            
Author: Kristen Joy Wilks
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 17, 2020
When a free-spirited wildlife photographer loses her Scottish terrier in a herd of bison, she sets out to rescue her furbaby before he is devoured. But will she succeed when Yellowstone National Park is chock full of boiling, bubbling, and rampaging hazards (both mammalian and geographical) — not to mention a rule-obsessed park ranger whose many rescues thwart her efforts to find her poor pup?
They say opposites attract, and when it comes to Kayla Dineen and Ranger Alexander Brandt, no two people have ever been more opposed…or attractive. Old Faithful isn’t the only thing making noise at Yellowstone this season.

Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Kristen Joy Wilks lives in the beautiful Cascade Mountains with her camp director husband, three fierce sons, and a large and slobbery Newfoundland dog. She has blow-dried a chicken, fought epic Nerf battles instead of washing dishes, and discovered a stealthily smuggled gardener snake in her sons’ bubble bath. Her stories, devotionals, and articles have appeared in Nature Friend, Clubhouse, Thriving Family, Keys for Kids, The Christian Journal, Splickety, Spark, and Havok. She writes romantic comedies for Pelican Book Group, including Copenhagen Cozenage, The Volk Advent, Athens Ambuscade, Spider Gap, and Yellowstone Yondering. Kristen writes about the humor and Grace that can be found amidst the detritus of life.

More from Kristen

Greetings and Salutations!
My name is Kristen Joy Wilks and I am a mountain woman, married to a camp director, who lives at a remote Bible camp where we don’t have access to electricity, water, or garbage services unless we do it ourselves. Yes, it is totally possible to do all these things. But it does mean some frantic running about when the generator starts making a strange noise or the water inexplicably cuts off. As a girl I did have one or two mountain kid adventures that were perhaps not typical for the average tomboy. Such as when I rode my horse through a herd of 200 elk or when I got together with my brother and cousins to build a homemade snake pit so that we could dangle one another over it by our legs from a tripod made of logs in classic Indiana Jones style. Of course, we caught snakes for our pit!
Why do you ask?
We managed to find over twenty and it was a huge success, except for the tiny issue of me being too tall and all those snakes getting into my hair. As you can plainly see, mountain kids do have more fun. I’m now the mom of three fierce sons, six pet chickens, and a large and slobbery Newfoundland dog named Princess Leia Freyja Wilks. I spend most of my time thwarting my sons’ attempts to smuggle their pet chickens onto their bunk beds and trying to keep my husband from filling another wall of our dinning room with strategy board games. Yes, you would think that 300 would be sufficient, but there is always another one, apparently. Well, he does have a point when he insists that they are great for camp ministry. I spend a great deal of time over at Camas Meadows Bible Camp photographing the daily comings and goings of counselors and campers so that their parents can look online and see that everyone is still alive. During all that photo taking, I have seen many a shy child open up after playing an exciting game of Camel Up, Snorta, or Star Trek Ascendancy. I also write the camp blog, step in as camp mother when homesickness pops up, and volunteer at our local public schools with Princess Leia Freyja who excels at reading therapy … yep, she just flops on the floor next to children while they read, which is definitely her spiritual gift. I can also be found at 4:00AM, with a cup of Jasmine Monkey King tea, tucked under my Star Trek quilt, writing crazy stories that might sound insane, but always have a tiny hint of truth. Thank you for joining me today to see what kind of misadventures I managed to put my unsuspecting characters through.

Blog Stops

Quiet Quilter, June 5
Emily Yager, June 10
Holly Jo Morris, June 13
Artistic Nobody, June 17 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kristen is giving away the grand prize of a delicious dark chocolate bar with candied ginger bits!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Another Fantastic Read by One of My Favorite Authors, Vannetta Chapman!

An Amish Proposal for Christmas  By Vannetta Chapman Synopsis: Her deepest Christmas wish will bring more than she imagined…in this novel by...