10.09.2018

Becoming Mrs. Lewis ~ Review

Becoming Mrs. Lewis
By Patti Callahan

She became Mrs. Lewis but the journey from Joy Davidman to Mrs. Gresham to Mrs. Lewis was not an easy one. From an early age, Joy became an atheist and she clung to this belief of unbelief until she called out to God in a moment of despair. Fear for her husband caused her to call out but what she experienced set her on a path that would take years and redirect her life.

What had she experienced? Joy was determined to discover the truth researching through reading books, articles, and asking questions. The question that made the greatest impact was the one she wrote to Mr. Chad Walsh in which she asked him about C.S. Lewis. In reply to her letter, he told to write to C.S. Lewis and ask him the questions she had. What followed was years of correspondence that lead to a unique and special friendship between the two.

As Joy struggles with her husband's bouts of drinking, infidelity, and abuse her correspondence with Jack offers her a chance to escape the life she had and to hope for something better. When her own writing provides the funds to visit England in the hopes of saving her marriage and to heal from the undiagnosed illness plaguing her Joy takes this opportunity. Exploring England, doing research for her newest book, and connecting with her friends including Jack.

Joy's return to her home exposed just how dreadful her home life had become, a life that was threatening to drag her beloved sons down with it. With her husband once again straying from his vows, Joy knows that she and her sons must leave behind this toxic life. But divorce was something she had never thought would be a consideration for her. Yet it was the only way she knew to save both herself and her boys.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a most interesting look at the life of the woman who inspired C.S. Lewis to write A Grief Observed. Their friendship and love was but a mere 10 years and yet it had a tremendous impact on both. It all started with the reading of a book The Great Divorce and a questioning, seeking mind. One never knows just what journey the opening of a book will set one on and this is one woman's journey. A journey of pain, of loss, of joy, of love, of life.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through TLC Book Tour with no expectation but offering my honest opinion - all opinions expressed are my own.





Listen to an audio clip of chapters 1 and 2here

About the Book:
Hardcover: 432 Pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 2, 2018)
In a most improbable friendship, she found love. 
In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice.
From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.
In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.
At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.


Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Patti Callahan (who also writes as Patti Callahan Henry) is a New York Times bestselling author. Patti was a finalist in the Townsend Prize for Fiction, has been an Indie Next Pick, twice an OKRA pick, and a multiple nominee for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Novel of the Year. Her work has also been included in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and blogs. Patti attended Auburn University for her undergraduate work and Georgia State University for her graduate degree. Once a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, she now writes full time. The mother of three children, she lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband.

Connect with Patti

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Instagram Tour Stops

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Review Tour Stops
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Wednesday, October 3rd: Book by Book
Thursday, October 4th: Amy’s Book-et List
Friday, October 5th: Running Through the Storms
Monday, October 8th: Really Into This and @mountain_reader_
Tuesday, October 9th: Blooming with Books
Wednesday, October 10th: @createexploreread
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Friday, October 12th: The Lit Bitch
Monday, October 15th: @kim_reads
Tuesday, October 16th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Wednesday, October 17th: Openly Bookish
Thursday, October 18th: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Monday, October 22nd: Fiction Aficionado
Monday, October 22nd: @novelmombooks
Tuesday, October 23rd: Read Eat Repeat
Wednesday, October 24th: Faery Tales are Real
Thursday, October 25th: Girl Who Reads
Friday, October 26th: What is That Book About

10.07.2018

Second-Chance Dogs ~ Review

Second-Chance Dogs

True Stories of the Dogs We Rescue 

           and the Dogs Who Rescue Us

Edited by Callie Smith Grant

Everyone loves a good dog story or at least I do and this collection of stories offers several that will warm your heart. Second-Chance Dogs is an offering of dogs who are offered a second chance at life and a home. But these delightful new additions also offer their new families a second chance as well.

All too often after the loss of a beloved friend, one declares that they can't take the heartbreak of another pet but somehow these four-legged bundles of life manage to make a place in hearts that are hurting.

I really like that each story is a quick read and takes under 10 minutes. Some of these stories will bring tears while others will make you smile as you are reminded of the antics of your beloved furry friend. I highly recommend this book - it would be a great gift for the dog-lover in your life.  Another possibility for this book is if you volunteer with seniors is this would be a great group read-aloud book that could be read a story at a time.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectation but my honest opinion - all opinions expressed are my own.



About the Book:

Everyone loves an underdog, and nothing gives us warmer feelings than seeing someone get a second chance in life. A problem pup who flourishes under the right kind of training. The struggling veteran who finds unconditional love wiggling around at the end of a leash. The lonely child who finds comfort in the steady breathing of the warm, furry friend at her side. Each of us needs to be rescued from something--and each of us has the capacity to rescue someone, or something, else.

This collection of more than thirty contemporary, true, feel-good stories spotlights the beauty of being rescued--dogs rescued by people, people rescued by dogs, and even dogs who rescue other animals. It's the perfect companion--well, besides the four-legged, tail-wagging kind--for your morning cup of coffee or an evening curled up on the couch. Contributors include Susy Flory, Dusty Rainbolt, Lauraine Snelling, Melody Carlson, Wanda Dyson, Suzanne Woods Fisher, and many more.

The Sound of Distant Thunder ~ Review

The Sound of Distant Thunder
The Amish of Weaver's Creek #1
By Jan Drexler

Katie Stuckey and Jonas Weaver know that they are meant to marry and they want to do it as soon as possible. But Katie's father thinks she is too young at 17 years. And Jonas he feels is just not responsible enough to marry his youngest daughter. Gustav is relieved when Jonas agrees to wait.

With the country caught up in a war about slavery and state rights, the Amish of Weaver's Creek are caught in their problem those who want to embrace the change of the world and those who want to hold tight to their traditions. War is the furthest thing on their minds as they refuse to participate in violence. But when Ohio implements a draft the Amish community is faced with a dilemma - take up arms (against the church), pay a fee to avoid serving, or pay a substitute to fight for them.

When Samuel, Jonas's older married brother's name is drawn he is faced with a dilemma. Samuel vowed to never pay a fee nor pay a substitute to take his place. As one who had joined the church serving in the war could cost him dearly - shunning.  Jonas feels drawn to the war not that he wants to fight but he feels that God has something for him to do. Taking his brother's place means that Jonas will have to put his plans on hold and he will be separated from Katie. 

With Jonas gone Katie faces challenges that will test her. Can she hold onto the promise that Jonas will return to her? Can Jonas stay true to his beliefs or will war change him forever?

The Sound of Distant Thunder is an apt title for this book as thunder is a reoccurring theme throughout - thunder that is accompanied by a storm and that that is the distant call of battle coming. I have not read Jan Drexler's work before so came to this book with no expectations. I found the first few chapters to be a little slow but once the book got into it with the characters established the pacing and story seemed to move along quicker.

Those who like historical American fiction will enjoy this one as it is set in the early 1860s and if you have a fondness for Amish fiction consider this a bonus read as it offers both. This book focuses on family and the idea of hold firm to your principles.  Overall I would recommend this book which is the first in a new series The Amish of Weaver's Creek.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectations but that I give my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:
For two hopeless romantics, 
the Civil War will be the ultimate test . . .

Seventeen-year-old Katie Stuckey is starry-eyed, in love with the idea of being in love, and does not want to wait until she is eighteen to marry Jonas Weaver as her parents insist. Twenty-year-old Jonas knows war is at odds with the teachings of the church, yet he can't help being taken in by the romance of the soldiering life, especially for the abolitionist cause.

When his married brother's name comes up in the draft list, Jonas volunteers to take his brother's place. But can the commitment Katie and Jonas have made to each other survive the separation?

10.04.2018

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ~ Movie Trailer

The Nutcracker in all its various forms is considered to be a tradition of the Christmas season for many.
Clara receiving the Nutcracker. The party that features a most formidable Christmas tree that is too large for most homes. The rats, the prince, the sugarplum fairies. For most, a delightful memory or two is attached to this story. 

This year Disney is offering a new vision of  E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale “The Nutcracker.” The Nutcracker and the Four Realms showcases the wondrous journey of Clara, who finds herself in the mystical world of the Four Realms, home to a host of eccentric characters and no shortage of surprises. 



The film opens in theaters on November 2, 2018

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world. Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Disney’s new holiday feature film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.

The cast includes Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Macfadyen, Richard E. Grant, Miranda Hart, Sergei Polunin, Jayden Fowora-Knight, Omid  Djalili, Jack Whitehall, Meera Syal, Ellie Bamber, Misty Copeland, with Helen  Mirren and Morgan Freeman. 

The film is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston.

Check out the trailer:

10.03.2018

Target Acquired ~ Review

Target Acquired
Justin Hall #14
By Ethan Jones

Justin Hall is about to face his most personal mission yet when it suddenly goes wrong and the person who means the most to him is captured. When a not so simple mission goes sideways Justin must decide just how far he will go to rescue his partner when she is captured by extremists in Tunisia.

And Justin is about to push the limits to get what he needs and it won't be pretty. And the consequences he'll just deal with them when the time comes. Get ready for some cringe-worthy moments. And time is against this op/rescue mission especially if they still want to achieve their objective. Justin may have to make a deal with the devil this time...

If you like intense action and suspense this newest Justin Hall book offers this and more. Just a word of warning Justin does go to extremes in this one and he pays a price. Now there is not graphic violence but there is violence that is described after the fact that might cause a bit of cringing at the thought of it. Overall this is another winner from Ethan Jones that will keep you reading. And there is an interesting setup for future missions.


About the Book:
When you wake up drenched in sweat only to realize the nightmare is real…
How far would you go to save the one you love?

Spymaster Justin Hall is on a sanctioned assassination operation in Tunisia when his partner is captured by terrorists. With only a few hours to get her back alive, Justin frantically begins working with a CIA operative and attempts to activate a precarious old contact. Distraught and determined, Justin will go to any lengths to save her. Will he make it in time to save the one he loves?
Target Acquired is an adrenaline-fueled spy thriller with emotionally-charged characters, electrifying action, and fast-paced spycraft. If you’re a fan of Silva, Baldacci, Child, Clancy, DeMille, le Carré, Ludlum, Thor or Flynn, you’ll love Target Acquired. 

10.02.2018

Rise of the Mystics ~ Review

Rise of the Mystics
Beyond the Circle #2
By Ted Dekker

First off this is a totally WOW book. And you absolutely have to read book 1 The 49th Mystic first, if you don't you will be more lost than Rachelle Matthews when she first awoke in the desert of Other Earth (from book 1).

Everything that Rachelle thought that she had known was wrong or so the DARPA professionals working to help her would have her believe. Vlad Smith, nope just an implanted memory. The sky projection that she brought down with her mind, never happened that was all DARPA. And her dreams that take her to Other Earth just a manifestation of her schizophrenia for which they are treating her.

Rachelle is a threat to both worlds as she is to usher in change through her actions if she can succeed in her mission of finding the Five Seals. Finding the first three seals allowed her to save Eden, but leaving Eden has placed under the manipulative control of DARPA. And in Other Earth, she is being held in an Elyonite prison. Worse the Horde know that both she and Jacob are prisoners of the Elyonite and they want them back.

Rachelle is the 49th Mystic but her life in Other Earth has been stripped of its early memories thanks to the poison she received while imprisoned by the Horde. The Horde is not alone in their desire to stop her. The Elyonites too wish to stop her heretical beliefs and destroy the Mystics and their Realm in the process. Needing to re-learn, to re-member, what she once knew Rachelle is in a race against time and her own fears. But fear is a powerful foe, one that must be conquered before her time runs out.

I liked that Thomas Hunter, known in Other Earth as Thomas of Hunter, is in this book. He is not alone as the Circle - many that one knew from The Circle series are integral to the story. And then there is Justin. After reading this series you'll want to reread The Circle if it has been a while since you last read them. It is easy to return to this world - it is like visiting a favorite childhood haunt and having the time away vanish. Ted Dekker has created another superb chapter in this world and one that should not be missed.


About the Book:
Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams. They are all wrong. 

Rachelle Matthews, who grew up in the small town of Eden, Utah, discovered just how wrong when she dreamed and awoke in another world. There she learned that she was the 49th Mystic, the prophesied one, tasked with finding five ancient seals before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, the world will forever be locked in darkness.

In The 49th Mystic, Rachelle found the first three of those five seals through great peril and mind-altering adventure. But two seals remain hidden and the fate of both worlds hangs in their balance.

As Rachelle Matthews sits deep in a dungeon, Vlad Smith is just getting started. Thomas Hunter's world is about to be turned inside out. The mystics say that there is no defense against the Fifth Seal--but finding it will cost Rachelle everything.

So begins the final volume of high stakes in one girl's quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward. 

Ready? Set?

Dream.

Regency House Party: Somerstone Book Blast

Welcome to the

Regency House Party: Somerstone Book Blast



About the Books

The Unwanted Suitor

1-The Unwanted Suitor
When Cornelia Greystock received a proposal from Sir James Hawkston, she couldn’t bear it. It had been inspired, she knew, from pity and remorse—not love. Unable to face him afterward, she leaped at an offer of employment from the Countess, Lady Du’Breven. Serving as her companion, Cornelia struggles to adjust to the change in her social status, but the hard work distracts her from her broken heart. That is, until the Countess decides to hold a summer house party at her family estate and invites Sir James.
Sir James has never recovered from his disappointment when Miss Greystock refused his proposal and then fled, according to her family, to live with an unheard-of aunt in Ireland. When he grudgingly accepts an invitation to Lady Du’Breven’s house party, however, he is astounded to find Miss Greystock there. One thing is certain—this time he’ll court her the way he always should have. He is almost certain she returns his feelings, but he must tread carefully. If she refuses his proposal a second time, it would not be gentlemanly to ask a third. As time grows short and she continues to hold him at arms-length, will he find a way to at last win her hand?

An Unlikely Courtship

2-An Unlikely Courtship
One can only be careless with so many hearts before he ends up breaking his own.
Lord Anthony is an outrageous flirt with a devil-may-care attitude. The last thing on his mind is settling down. When the Countess Du’Breven invites him to her house party, promising to see him married, Anthony finds the prospect diverting and accepts. But when he meets a damsel in distress unwilling to accept his help, Anthony realizes his attraction to her may be his downfall.
Isabel Townshend is at her breaking point, caring for her ailing father and her innocent younger sister. She has a family secret to protect and no time for handsome young men, even at a house party with so many eligible bachelors. When Lord Anthony disturbs her well-laid plans, Isabel realizes her determination to protect her family may cost her future happiness.
With hearts at odds and defenses drawn, will Isabel and Anthony be able to put aside their differences and find love at last?
An Unlikely Courtship is one of five books set in the Regency House Party Series. While each is a stand alone story, watch our characters mingle together with others from the books in the series. The stories can be read in any order.

Mistaken Identity

3-Mistaken Identity
Conrad Pinkerton, the Marquess of Kendal, despises society; the scheming, the guises, and the games they play. And yet, for his twin brother, he agrees to a temporary guise of his own, pretending to be his brother for a house party. Playing the fop should be easy, as long as he keeps everyone at a distance. But when he meets Jessica Standish, he wishes she didn’t think he was someone else.
Jessica Standish has never been considered worthy by the ton and now that she and her mother are penniless, the chances of a good match seem out of reach. Even the matchmaking schemes of the Countess Du’Breven seem doomed to failure. This house party will change nothing, though it’s hard not to hope when she sees Lord Ian again. The connection between them grows, though he seems so different from the man she remembers.
With his family name and fortune on the line, Conrad knows he should leave with his secret intact. After all, how can she truly love him if she thinks he’s someone else?

The Stable Master’s Daughter

4-The Stablemaster's Daughter
Marjorie’s days as the barefoot daughter of the stable master are long past—she’s an educated and accomplished artist. But at the house party of the summer she is out of her social depth, especially when reunited with Reginald, a man she has secretly loved for years. Just when he begins to show real interest in her, his older brother Miles tries to separate them and sparks fly. Miles is maddening and intriguing, and stirs a longing for a radiant future, but are his intentions sincere? An alliance is forbidden and a chance for love may cost Marjorie’s dignity and her father’s employment.
Lord Miles Beauchamp is the heir to an earldom and unyielding in his principles. He doesn’t have time for trivial social gatherings, except when reforming his brother. Miles anticipates Reginald’s wandering eye, but is caught off-guard when he pursues a wholesome woman, one Miles is honor-bound to protect. It will take all Miles’ effort to keep his brother in line, Marjorie from harm, and himself from falling in love. In a society keeping them a world apart, can Miles and Marjorie find a future together?

Tabitha’s Folly

5-Tabitha's Folly
Tabitha’s Folly is one of Five books all set at the same Regency House Party Series. While each is a standalone story, watch our characters mingle together with others from the books in the series. The stories can be read in any order.
Lady Tabitha Easton recklessly dodges four over-protective brothers while trying to gain attention from the man who holds her heart. She has many choices of suitors, and with Henry as disinterested as ever, she turns to what is wholly forbidden, an irresistibly handsome footman. While their friendship grows, her trust in him increases while her hurt and doubt in her childhood love and friend pushes her away from all she’s ever known as family.
When Lord Henry Courtenay discovers a new attraction to his childhood friend, his role as one of her chaperones at the house party becomes near impossible. Irrationally defensive about any potential suitors and seeking time alone with the enticing Tabby, maintaining friendship with her brothers proves more difficult than he ever imagined. His task becomes all the more difficult when she refuses to understand his growing attraction and often finds herself in almost compromising situations.
When Tabitha’s choices might lead her to danger, and doubt and distrust are high, Henry must prove himself or lose her forever.

About the Authors

Michelle Pennington

Michelle Pennington
Michelle Pennington writes clean, heart-pounding, sigh-inducing romance across multiple genres. Her books include Young Adult, Contemporary, Regency, and Fantasy. The genre might change, but her characters will always be falling in love.
She spends her days quoting movies with her husband and making messes faster than her four kids. She also has a cat her kids call Boots, but is really Hessian Boots, the perfect Regency gentleman, complete with a snowy white cravat. She loves to make magic by stringing words together, but she also creates designer sugar cookies, sings loud in church, and kills too many house plants.

Heidi Kimball

Heidi Kimball
At a young age Heidi perfected the art of hiding out so she could read instead of doing chores. One husband and four children later, not much has changed. She has an abiding love for peanut butter M&Ms, all things fall, and any book that can make her forget she is supposed to be keeping her children alive.
Heidi currently lives just north of Boston, in a charming old town in southern New Hampshire.

Mindy Burbidge Strunk

Mindy Burbidge Strunk
Mindy loves all things history and romance, which makes reading and writing Regency romance right up her alley. When she isn’t living in her alternate realities, she is married to her real-life Mr. Darcy and trying to raise five proper boys. They live happily in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

Sara Cardon

Sara Cardon
Sara Cardon craves happily ever afters—which is why she writes heartfelt stories to uplift and inspire. She grew up in West Texas and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree that has nothing to do with writing. Sara has four kids, a dog, and a true-blue husband. He laughs at her hero crush on George Washington. She and her family are putting down roots near Dallas where there’s plenty of wide-open sky, cattle, and sunshine.

Jen Geigle Johnson

Jen Geigle Johnson
An award winning author, including the GOLD in Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, Jen Geigle Johnson discovered her passion for England while kayaking on the Thames near London as a young teenager.
She once greeted an ancient turtle under the water by grabbing her fin. She knows all about the sound a water-ski makes on glassy water and how to fall down steep moguls with grace. During a study break date in college, she sat on top of a jeep’s roll bars up in the mountains and fell in love.
Now, she loves to share bits of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Whether in Regency England, the French Revolution, or Colonial America, her romance novels are much like life is supposed to be: full of adventure. She is a member of the RWA, the SCBWI, and LDStorymakers. She is also the chair of the Lonestar.Ink writing conference.

Giveaway

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$25 Amazon Gift Card
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