Saturday, April 20, 2024

Emma’s Hero by Carrie Walker

About the Book

Book: Emma’s Hero

Author: Carrie Walker

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 5, 2024

“God won’t give me more than I can handle? I’m pretty sure He just did.”

After a year of loss and bad choices distance Emma Reynolds from her lifelong beliefs, she finds herself pregnant and alone at a twenty-week ultrasound, hearing the words “incompatible with life.” When her son, Theo, survives birth, she fights to give him the best care possible. As each day passes, Emma’s love for Theo grows—along with her fear of losing him. She can’t understand why God allows her son to suffer.

Seventeen-year-old blogger, Mason Hughes, feels lonely and worthless after his father left their family years ago. When he ignores his mother’s push to “contribute to society,” she volunteers him to help Emma each week. Wishing he’d applied for any other job, Mason has no choice but to grocery shop and practice his rusty social skills with a mother and son he doesn’t know.

Paramedic Ben Sullivan has earned himself the title of “most eligible” bachelor among his friends as they continually set him up on blind dates. While he’d love to avoid the uncomfortable events, his heart can’t help but seek the one thing missing in his life—a marriage like his parents have. If only he could find the woman himself.

As Theo’s tiny life connects them to each other, their loneliness breaks under the love of community, and they will never be the same.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Carrie Walker lives in Michigan with her husband and seven children. From her ten years serving as a high school youth minister, adventures around the globe, and raising a family, many stories have been knit within her heart.

As an avid reader she pens what she loves to read: contemporary stories that bring hope to a hurting world. Weaving romance among storylines of characters in struggle, she aims to show God working in all situations. When she’s not playing board games with her husband, shuttling kids in the Walker bus, or wishing for snow, Carrie can be found at the keyboard bringing those stories to life.

A member of ACFW, ACFW-GL and FHLCW, Carrie’s writing has been recognized in many contests and her debut novel, Emma’s Hero, won the 2020 ACFW First Impressions Contest for Contemporary.

To learn more about Carrie and her writing or to connect with her, follow her on social media! She’d love to hear from you.

More from Carrie

A number of years ago, I walked into a hospital room to visit a young woman I knew whose daughter with semi-lobar holoproscencephaly had been admitted. When I laid my eyes on the beautiful, tiny baby I knew that sweet girl had touched many lives, probably without her mother even knowing. The seed for a story was planted. I’d never written a book before so I ignored it for a long time, but then I witnessed an isolated teen in the school my children went to and that seed of an idea blossomed. Soon, the idea of a baby changing the life of a troubled teen would not leave me alone. And because I believe every book is better with romance, that baby might just have to touch a few other lives I took writing classes and penned this story over and over until it was right. And now I hand baby Theo to you, and pray he touches your life as well.

Blog Stops

Life on Chickadee Lane, April 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 19

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 20

Inspired by fiction, April 21

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 22 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, April 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 24

For the Love of Literature, April 25 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, April 25

Batya’s Bits, April 26

Splashes of Joy, April 27

Artistic Nobody, April 28 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 29

Back Porch Reads, April 30 (Author Interview)

Simply Sarah, April 30

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, May 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carrie is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book (Winner’s choice of eBook or paperback)!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2afa8/emma-s-hero-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, April 19, 2024

Rip Tide by Lisa T. Bergren

About the Book

Book: Rip Tide

Author: Lisa T. Bergren

Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Release Date: March 20, 2024

The trap is set and time is slipping away.

After narrowly escaping arrest, Luciana Betarrini hurtles back to medieval Italy. Once there, she and her brother, Domenico, must decide how far they’ll go to be part of the family, and if they’re willing to risk their lives to hunt down an assassin.

Meanwhile, Lady Tiliani Forelli’s family has disappeared in enemy territory. Fearing for their lives—and secretly hoping to cross paths with the Fiorentini she loves—Tiliani goes to Firenze intent on either rescue or seeing justice done. Yet a trap is closing around them all.

Together, the Grecos and Betarrinis must find the Forellis’ nemesis and force him to confess to his role in the murders. They assume he has slipped into the serpentine streets of Firenze to evade them. But will they find him in time to save the Forellis?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Lisa T. Bergren is the author of over sixty books spanning a variety of genres, from children’s picture books to women’s historical fiction to supernatural suspense and time travel. She lives with her husband and three gradually-flying-from-the-nest young adult children

More from Lisa

Part of what makes RIP TIDE unique is that one of the heroines (and her love interest) both have a passion for hunting for medicinal plants in the woods…which made for a sweet setting for some swoony scenes! A sweet friend sent me Brother Cadfael’s Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses by Talbot and Whiteman, and it was an invaluable resource!

Here are a few herbs that were utilized in the Middle Ages—and you might find in one of my Oceans of Time novels:

#1: Betony: “Medieval herbalists highly valued the healing properties of betony, considering it a cure-all for all disorders, including migraine, indigestion and nervous complaints. The herb was also used for staunching bleeding and healing wounds, sores, ulcers and boils.” (P68, Brother Cadfael’s Herb Garden)

#2: Bryony: “Although poisonous, bryony has been valued medicinally since ancient times. Internally, in small doses, the root was taken as a purgative, and for rheumatism, sciatica and chest complaints. Externally, it was used to treat leprosy, old sores, gangrene and other skin ailments.” (P79, Brother Cadfael’s Herb Garden)

Blog Stops

Artistic Nobody, April 9 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, April 10

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, April 11 (Author Interview)

Wishful Endings, April 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 12

Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 13 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, April 14

Blossoms and Blessings, April 15 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 16

Fiction Book Lover, April 17 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, April 18

Guild Master, April 19 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 19

Simple Harvest Reads, April 20 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

A Reader’s Brain, April 21 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, April 22

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lisa is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2ade0/rip-tide-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, April 14, 2024

The Last Discilple: Crisis in Jerusalem

About the Book

Book: The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem

Author: Kurt Brouwer

Genre:Christian Historical Fiction

Release date: November, 2022

He was the Beloved Disciple…

…and he would be the last.

The mantle to tell the whole story has fallen on him.

From the cross, Jesus entrusted John, the youngest disciple, with the welfare of Mary, Jesus’s mother. Over thirty years later, as Jerusalem becomes a cauldron of explosive tempers, he receives a calling he doesn’t want.

Will he listen and follow?

And if he does, will it be too late?

In 62 AD, the Jewish high priest executes James, the brother of Jesus, triggering a bitter fight for power in Jerusalem that shatters the quiet life of John. The Jewish people he loves are making dangerous choices that will change the land of Israel forever.

Should he stay in Jerusalem and help hold off the Roman onslaught? Or is it time to reach out to those beyond Israel’s borders?

If he chooses to leave, what will be his message to these foreign believers? What new words of comfort could he possibly share?

Set against a backdrop of actual events, The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem is the first novel in a new series based on the Bible and Christian history.

Follow along while John faces multiple crises and comes to understand what it is to stand alone and lean on only the Lord.

Your heart will embrace The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem because John’s story is the story of our hope and promise.

Click here to get your copy!

I really liked “The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem” by Kurt Brouwer. I thought it was really realistic as much as it could be since We weren’t really present when this was all happening. I am looking forward to reading the next book. I have read one review that said they didn’t like the book because of the disciples defended themselves, But I ask you didn’t even Paul escape in a basket once? Again, reviews or just the reviewer’s opinion. Yes ,I recommend this book. It kept me reading till the last page.

I Received a complementary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

It all started the morning I learned that the Gospel of John was published fifty years after Jesus died. Fifty years! What did John do all that time? Where did he live? Why did he wait? Frankly I got a little obsessive about this man who became the last disciple.

Living in Hawaii

For the past 20 years, I’ve been a member of a Bible-based Christian church in Hawaii. About eight years ago, our pastor, Kahu Billy Mitchell, challenged our Elders group to pray and read the Bible for one hour every morning.

It wasn’t as though we were not reading the Bible or praying every day, but he challenged us to take our devotions up a few notches. So, I did just that.

During one of those early morning sessions, I was studying the books of the New Testament in a broad sense. Who wrote them and when? What were the broad themes covered in each?

I found out that a huge gap of 50 years elapsed after the ministry of Jesus and the publication of the Gospel of John. That morning something else hit me–John outlived all the others to become the last disciple. I couldn’t stop thinking about how lonely it must have been to be the last one standing.

A few years later, I began writing The Last Disciple Series of Christian historical novels about the life of John.

The Last Disciple Series

The Last Disciple is a series of Christian novels based on the Bible and Christian history. The first in the series: The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem, begins in the year 62 AD. In it, you walk with John through the streets of Jerusalem. With him, you face multiple crises and come to understand what it is to stand alone and lean only on the Lord.

This book, The Last Disciple: Exile in Ephesus is the third in the series, following The Last Disciple: Escape to Antioch (book two) and The Last Disciple: Crisis in Jerusalem (book one).

Blog Stops

Blogging With Carol, April 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 13

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 14

Texas Book-aholic, April 15

Artistic Nobody, April 16 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, April 16

She Lives To Read, April 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 18

Guild Master, April 19 (Author Interview)

An Author’s Take, April 20

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 21

Fiction Book Lover, April 22 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 22

The Lofty Pages, April 23

Cover Lover Book Review, April 24

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 25

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Kurt is giving away the grand prize of 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.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b465/the-last-disciple-crisis-in-jerusalem-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, April 13, 2024

The New Neighbors by Tamara G. Cooper

About the Book

Book: The New Neighbors

Author: Tamara G. Cooper

Genre: Cozy Suspense

Release date: September 6, 2023

Something isn’t right

Just when Sophie thinks life is returning to normal again, new neighbors move in next door. Right from the start, she senses that something’s off, something isn’t right…

Strange things begin to happen. Murders. Drones stalking her. Her home ransacked. Someone chasing her, hunting her. What is going on?

Burke Maguire, an old boyfriend who recently returned to their hometown as a police officer, isn’t as available to her as he was with their first case. He knows she’s in trouble, so why isn’t he helping her? Something isn’t right…

As she freefalls deeper and deeper into danger, she must outsmart the people after her, but will she figure out the who and why in time to stop their nefarious plans? And, for heaven’s sake, where is Burke when she needs him?

Click here to get your copy!

This is a story about hidden treasure. It is also a story about a second chance at love. It is also a story about child trafficking, thankfully there isn’t much details or graphic details except one scene when a child is hit by a car and nope stops to helps or check on the child, I might have been able to pass that scene and not even think to much about it but because of a personal event like that in my own life that scene still brothers me after finishing the book. Maybe because there is no closer on on that life. Yes, the book is fictional but it was real life for me.

I still am giving the book 5 stars. Part of the hidden treasure is a surprise and the bad guy is a surprise as well.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

Tamara G. Cooperlives in Texas with her husband, one son, and four dogs. She enjoys the simple things of life: picnics, hiking, swimming, church, friends. She loves writing suspense with a touch of romance.

More from Tamara

Who can you trust? Looking into your best friend’s eyes, have you ever wondered if you really know her? Is who she’s presenting to the world—to you—really her?

How would you know if it is or isn’t?

Sophie O’Brion is a bestselling author in The New Neighbors. She’s a little quirky, funny, curious to a fault, daring, and loves writing murder mysteries that answer these very questions.

But what if these questions pop up in her life? An old boyfriend that she hasn’t seen in years comes back to Forman Falls and wants to be friends with her again. Should she trust him? Then, new neighbors move in next door, and she suspects something isn’t right. Strange things begin to happen. Murders. Drones stalking her. Her home ransacked. Someone chasing her, hunting her.

What is going on?

Who can she trust? Anyone?

I hope you read The New Neighbors, Book 2 of the Sophie O’Brion Mysteries series. I would suggest you first read The Vacant House, Book 1. Enjoy!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 13

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 14

Stories By Gina, April 15 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 15

Texas Book-aholic, April 16

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 17

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 18 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, April 19

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 20

A Reader’s Brain, April 21 (Author Interview)

Lights in a Dark World, April 21

For Him and My Family, April 22

Life on Chickadee Lane, April 23

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 24

Artistic Nobody, April 25 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, April 26

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Tamara is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2afe1/the-new-neighbors-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, April 12, 2024

Blizzard at Blur Ridge Inn by Pat Nichols

About the Book

Book: Blizzard at Blue Ridge Inn

Author: Pat Nichols

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Release Date: January 21, 2024

Three strangers stranded in a North Georgia inn confront lies from their pasts and experience the healing power of friendship.

Amanda Sullivan is desperately trying to save her crumbling second marriage. Will celebrating her ninth anniversary with her husband in Blue Ridge breathe new life into their troubled relationship?

Erica Parker suspects her husband is unfaithful. She vows to learn if her distrust is real or imagined.

Wendy Peterson can hardly wait for the birth of her baby with her wealthy husband, until a shopping spree in the quaint tourist town shatters everything.

When a once-in-a-century snowstorm blankets the country and delays their husbands’ arrivals, the perfectionist, the peacemaker, and the socializer find themselves alone at the historic Blue Ridge Inn. During two days of isolation, they overcome the differences in their ages and lifestyles to discover they have a lot in common. As the temperature rises and the snow begins to melt, a stranger delivers shocking news. Their stay at the inn is no accident.

Click here to get your copy!

This is a story about betrayal. It is also a story about strangers becoming family. I want to read the entire series. While reading this book I wonder if I was faced with the same obstacle if

I would have or could survive. This is a clean read and has a good paragraph about forgiveness and justices. I recommend this book to readers who likes clean reads without alike of religion mixed in. There is one talk session with a pastor and prayers before meals but not a lot of preaching. So this story is a good read for readers who likes both Christian or clean reads.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

About the Author

Award-winning author, Pat Nichols is proving it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Nine years after retiring from a twenty-seven-year corporate career with an international beauty company, her love for writing resurfaced and prompted her to launch career number two as a novelist. Now she draws on her experience to write stories with tension-laced challenges and heart-warming triumphs. The Secret of Willow Inn is a 2020 Selah Award winner. Starstruck in Willow Falls is a NGCWC Georgia Peach Award winner. Her short story The Vet and Valentine Day also won a NGCWC Georgia Peach Award.

Pat is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers International. She has been featured on WATC Television Atlanta Alive, in Southern Writer’s Magazine, and in Voyager Magazine

More from Pat

Nestled in Chattahoochee National Forest, Southern Living Magazine named Blue Ridge, Georgia as one of 2022 South’s Best Mountain Towns. The first time my husband and I visited the town, we were impressed with the galleries, shops, Scenic Railway, and the friendly vibe. Although I was writing a series set near Savannah, the idea of Blue Ridge staring in a new series took root. When I finished writing the last book in the Butler Family series the idea had blossomed.

Another trip to the iconic town. This time to identify a setting for book one about Amanda, Erica, and Wendy, strangers who find themselves stranded in a cozy inn during a blizzard. We found the Blue Ridge Inn Bed and Breakfast. Perfect! I pressed the front-door buzzer. When I explained my mission to the woman who responded, she took my number and promised the owner would contact us. An hour later John Lavin met us on the front porch. He graciously gave us a tour and shared the 1890 Victorian home’s history.

Writing a fictional story set in a historic inn steps from the train depot and downtown Blue Ridge was inspiring. In fact, I’ve dedicated Blizzard at Blue Ridge Inn to John and guests who stay at the inn. In June, my husband and I plan to spend our anniversary in the suite reserved for Erica. We’ll ride the train and enjoy dinner at the Black Sheep restaurant, a scene in Blue Ridge series book two. By that time, book three will be finished. Then on to book four.