Wednesday, June 29, 2022

"Flame of the Rockies" by Angela Breidenbach -- Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Flame of the Rockies

Author: Angela Breidenbach

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release date: February 1, 2022

The fiery pain at her new husband’s murder might equal the disaster blazing across the Pacific Northwest. Stranded in the treacherous railroad camp, baking bread for survival to avoid the life of a bordello canary, Juliana Hayes has no desire to marry a railroad ruffian like Lukas Filips, or anyone else. Her scrimping and saving will pay off soon. She’ll be free of the camps, the rails, and the men who destroyed her life. But she can’t earn her living constantly besieged by desperate bachelors where few women cause chaos in the male ranks.

Juliana reluctantly accepts his protection, but when Lukas reveals the secret of his Montenegrin nobility, the old fears flare as hot as the fire storm eating up the forest at their heels. Can she release her prejudice to love again? Or will either one of them survive The Big Blowup to find out?

Flame of the Rockies, Book 6 in the Queen of the Rockies series, is based on true history when three million acres burned out of control on the border of Montana and Idaho darkening the skies all the way to the East Coast during August of 1910. It’s a wonder anyone survived! Read this heart-pounding romance full of adventure, honoring true history and the heroes that made it. Be sure to follow this 6-book historical romance adventure series, Queen of the Rockies, set in the Gilded Age through the turn-of-the-century. Written by bestselling author and professional genealogist, Angela Breidenbach.

My Thoughts

I have enjoyed reading the Queen of the Rockies series. It is fun to learn about actual the historical details woven through the story. This book, like the others, is a very quick read. I didn't feel it seemed rushed, though. The darker pages at the beginnings of the chapters made those pages harder to read. This is the only book in the series that had that and I think it would have been better off without it. I look forward to reading more books by Angela Breidenbach.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Angela Breidenbach is a professional genealogist, the director and president of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com), conference speaker, bestselling author of eighteen books. Angela lives in Montana with her hubby and Muse, a trained fe-lion, who shakes hands, rolls over, and jumps through a hoop. Surprisingly, Angela can also. Catch her show and podcast, Genealogy Publishing Coach!

https://AngelaBreidenbach.com

More from Angela

Research is both a joy and a nemesis for an author and/or genealogist. We’re easily distracted with one more fascinating discovery! The entire series, Queen of the Rockies, came from research rabbit trails when I thought there’d be one book. Now there are six ending with Flame of the Rockies!

Flame of the Rockies happens on the factual Trail of the Hiawatha. At first, this trail was a mining area deep in the mountains on the Idaho-Montana border. So deep that fourteen feet of snow blocking the railroad was common during the winter. Quite the contrast to the hot, dry summers with countless lightning strikes and regular forest fires.

After the Big BlowUp that occurred in August of 1910 burning over 3,000,000 acres, the area gradually became a gorgeous upscale train ride through the mountains. People rode the Hiawatha for leisure, upscale dining, and tourism. Then rails died out. The Trail of the Hiawatha rose from the ashes of forgotten history to become the incredible 16.5 mile bike path it is today. The trail winds down the valley from on top of the Continental Divide with incredible views for miles as you ride and experience the awe of God’s creative grandeur.

Understanding the history and evolution of this special trail isn’t hard. So much work in historical preservation has been done, and continues to be done, for those who come. Be sure to read the travel article in the back of this book so you can be one of those holding your breath as mountain after mountain after mountain roll outward from the trestles. You’ll see mountain tops go on for miles and miles. Those vistas truly feel as if you’re standing on the clouds with the Heavenly Hosts. Then you’ll understand why Montana is called the Big Sky Country!

I hope you enjoy Flame of the Rockies and meeting many of the real people who lived and worked in those extreme conditions. Yes, a few of the characters are fictitious. But remember you’re also going to meet a true hero whose heroism and name still rings through the Hiawatha and the world today!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 18

Texas Book-aholic, June 19

Rebecca Tews, June 19

Inklings and notions, June 20

For Him and My Family, June 21

Blogging With Carol, June 21

deb’s Book Review, June 22

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 23

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 24

Bizwings Blog, June 25

Sylvan Musings, June 25

Pause for Tales, June 26

Betti Mace, June 27

Connie’s History Classroom, June 27

Mary Hake, June 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 29

Blossoms and Blessings, June 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 30

Tell Tale Book Reviews, July 1

Spoken from the Heart, July 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Angela is giving away the prize a free genealogy course to three winners!!

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/1eff7/flame-of-the-rockies-celebration-tour-giveaway

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review

"Finding Love in San Antonio" by Miralee Ferrell and Kimberly Rose Johnson -- Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Finding Love in San Antonio

Authors: Miralee Ferrell & Kimberly Rose Johnson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: June 1, 2022

For TV chef Adela Romero, the lights of LA have lost their luster. The grief of her husband’s death three years ago still hangs heavy over her and her daughter, Fabi.

When Adela hears her mother-in-law’s Mexican diner is struggling, she decides to return to San Antonio and try to make a fresh start—though she can’t leave the media attention entirely behind.

Local food critic David Agraponte has a history with Adela. A history he’d like to rekindle. When he interviews Adela, sparks fly—both good and bad. In Adela’s struggle to put her past behind her, she’s tentative about a new relationship, but David hopes she’ll stay at Romero’s long enough to give him a chance.

Sandra always dreamed of managing Romero’s one day, but her chances of proving herself to her aunt are slim with her famous TV-chef cousin taking all the attention. Can’t her aunt see that Adela’s just passing through on her way to her next big gig? Still, as much as she resents it, Sandra may need Adela’s help if there is going to be a Romero’s left for her to manage.

When Adela gets a TV offer that’s sure to shoot her career to the stars, her choice may hold more than just her future in the balance. Can David and Adela find a way to save Romero’s and hold onto their own dreams, or will Adela’s opportunity push them apart?

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book. There are a lot of point of view characters which I am not used to having. There are two intertwined story lines with Adela and Sandra and what they choose to do with their lives. I found the book to be well written and easy to read. I look forward to reading more books by both Miralee Ferrell and Kimberly Rose Johnson.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Authors

Miralee Ferrell is an award-winning, best-selling author of 27 books. Her novel, Runaway Romance, released in January 2018 on UP TV, and subsequently on Hallmark on Demand, and From the Heart, aired in 2020 on Hallmark. Finding Love in Bridal Veil, Oregon, aired September of 2021, and Finding Love in San Antonio will air sometime in 2022.

Miralee is the owner and founder of Mountain Brook Ink, a traditional publisher with over 100 titles, a large number them being award-winners. She lives in the Pacific N.W. with her husband, two cats, sixteen chickens, and one very spoiled little dog. Miralee loves horseback riding and hiking with her married daughter.

While Miralee has spoken in a number of venues, she doesn’t see herself as a speaker as much as an encourager. She loves helping writers find ways to succeed, improve, and learn to believe in themselves, whether by teaching a class, leaving positive comments in an edit or critique, or speaking to groups about her writing journey and how the Lord might minister to them.

Website: http://www.miraleeferrell.com

Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance and romantic mystery and suspense with a heart.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website at: https://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

More from Kimberly

Kimberly Rose Johnson here. I’m excited to share my story behind the writing of Finding Love In San Antonio. Last year Miralee Ferrell approached me about a project she was working on. She wanted me to write the story of a secondary character into a book she was adapting from a movie, and bonus, I was given license to choose the character. She sent me the script and my imagination took off. What fun!

I knew right away which character’s story I wanted to write. So many ideas of who this woman was behind the scenes filled my mind. I chose Sandra, the heroin’s cousin by marriage. Sandra was sassy in the script and somewhat negative toward Adela. As a positive person who tries to see the bright side in every situation, this bothered me about her, so I had to create a strong reason why she would be this way. In the final cut of the movie, I don’t think Sandra came across nearly as negative as she did in the version of the screenplay I originally saw, so I think along with the backstory I gave her and the fact that I toned Sandra down worked well.

Before this book neither Miralee or I had never co-written a book before, but I must say, I enjoyed it! I had written a story within a story for one of my own books in the past, so I basically did the same thing for this one. We are both so pleased with the outcome that we are going to do it again.

We hope you enjoy seeing the fleshed out version of the movie in our book!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 16

Texas Book-aholic, June 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 18

For Him and My Family, June 19

deb’s Book Review, June 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 21

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 22 (Author Interview)

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, June 22

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 23

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

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 26

Inklings and notions, June 27

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, June 28 (Author Interview)

The Sacred Line, June 28

Blossoms and Blessings, June 29

Giveaway

To celebrate their book, Miralee and Kimberly are 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/1eff4/finding-love-in-san-antonio-celebration-tour-giveaway

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

"Season of My Enemy" by Naomi Musch -- Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Season of My Enemy

Author: Naomi Musch

Genre: Christian Fiction / Historical Fiction / Romance

Release date: June 1, 2022

“Get Your Farm in the Fight” – The Realities of WWII Come to a Wisconsin Farm

Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?

My Thoughts

I have read the other books in the "Heroines of WWII" series and so I was looking forward to reading this book. I found it to be well written and with a nice flow. The conflicting emotions in this "enemies to lovers" book were very realistic. It is sort of funny how I have read a few books now with the thread of the heroine falling in love with a German soldier during WWII. I found the biblical thread to be well done. I look forward to reading more books by Naomi Musch.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Naomi Musch is an award-winning author who writes from a deer farm in the pristine north woods of Wisconsin, where she and husband Jeff live as epically as God allows near the families of their five adult children. When not in the physical act of writing or spending time loving on her passel of grandchildren, she can be found plotting stories as she roams around the farm, snacks out of the garden, and relaxes in her vintage camper. Naomi is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Wisconsin Writers’ Association, and the Lake Superior Writers. She loves engaging with others and can be found all around social media or at her site naomimusch.com

More from Naomi

Welcome to my wilderness – that’s what it says when you pop onto my website, because so many of my books take place in rural and wilderness settings. That’s where my heart lives too. Therefore, when I decided to write a World War II story, I gravitated to the home front, to rural America, where living out the war years meant a different kind of survival.

Before this story idea came to me, I knew that prisoners of war had been held in America during part of the war years. There are a number of other wonderful WWII novels out there set in North America involving POWs, and I adore the 2005 movie Sweet Land. Yet, until looking further, I hadn’t realized that so many German soldiers were held right here in my home state of Wisconsin! In fact, thousands of prisoners were sent to work in our country’s canning factories and on our farms. How could I have grown up and never been told that there had once been a POW camp right in my home town?

In fact, there were 38 such “branch camps” just in Wisconsin alone—camps that housed workers specifically for contracting work on farms and in canneries. Workers were contracted by farmers with the army and sent to labor in the cranberry bogs, cherry orchards, apple orchards; to farms picking beans, peas, corn, and to tend the other crops. By international treaty, prisoners had to be paid for their work, so they were allowed to earn scrip in the equivalent of 80 cents per day which they could spend in camp canteens on personal items.

Bingo! There was the seed that burst through the soil of my imagination for my novel Season of My Enemy.

My heroine Fanny O’Brien is a Wisconsin farm girl who left state teacher’s college to manage her family’s farm during the war. She never imagined herself coordinating the work of eight German prisoners in the process—or what the outcome of that task would be.

I believe a great story has to reveal strong yet subtle themes in order for the characters and their plight to feel real. In Season of My Enemy, Fannie uncovers a lot of prejudice both in her own heart and as her eyes are opened to the broader sphere around her. There are all kinds of prejudice in the world, and some of it revealed in this story may surprise you. In fact, my editor and several other authors of WWII fiction who read the book all said, “I didn’t know that!” (I won’t tell you what they were referring to, because you know…spoilers.)

Season of My Enemy isn’t all about history of course. It’s a heartfelt story of a man and woman who slowly yield their hearts to love amidst unpredictable times and unusual circumstances. They begin as enemies who finally look beyond their prejudices to find they have more in common than they first thought. To overcome terrific odds, they must depend upon their faith and rest in a powerful hope that touches their own lives as well as the lives of others surrounding them.

I hope you’ll read Season of My Enemy, and be sure and pop me a note to tell me what you think!

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, June 28

Blossoms and Blessings, June 28

Inklings and notions, June 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 30

For Him and My Family, July 1

Remembrancy, July 2

Pause for Tales, July 2

deb’s Book Review, July 3

Book Looks by Lisa, July 4

Mary Hake, July 4

Betti Mace, July 5

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, July 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 6

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 7

Connie’s History Classroom, July 8

Books, Books, and More Books, July 8

Bizwings Blog, July 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 10

Labor Not in Vain, July 10

lakesidelivingsite, July 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Naomi is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback 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/1f45e/season-of-my-enemy-celebration-tour-giveaway

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.

Saturday, June 25, 2022

"Stars in the Night" by Cara Putman -- Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Stars in the Night

Author: Cara Putman

Genre: WWII Romantic Suspense

Release date: February 1, 2022

Hollywood 1942. When attorney Audra Schaeffer’s sister disappears, Audra flies to Hollywood to find her but instead must identify her body. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Audra takes a job with the second Hollywood Victory Caravan. Together with Robert Garfield and other stars, she crisscrosses the southern United States in a campaign to sell war bonds. When two other women are found dead on the train, Audra knows the deaths are tied to that of her sister. Could the killer be the man with whom she’s falling in love?

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be well written and easy to read. I love the WWII setting and going along on the fictional version of the Victory Caravan. It was interesting to see a little peek into what the lives of movie stars of the era were like. I look forward to reading more books by Cara Putman.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Since the time I could read Nancy Drew, I have wanted to write mysteries. In 2005 I attended a book signing at my local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, is history. There I met Colleen Coble. With prompting from my husband, I shared my dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, I’ve been writing award-winning books with the count currently at 35 published and more in the works.

In addition to writing, I am a mom of four, attorney, clinical professor at a Big Ten university, active in women’s ministry, and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God, my husband, and my kids. I graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!), George Mason Law School, and Purdue University’s MBA program. You can learn more about my books at http://www.caraputman.com. And if you’d like a copy of my legal suspense novella, Dying for Love, simply connect with me here (http://www.caraputman.com/contact/), and I’ll send you the link.

More from Cara

One of the things I loved about writing Stars in the Night, set during World War II, is that I learned so many things. As a World War II history nut, that keeps the writing fresh and exciting. Here are a few of the things I learned while writing Stars in the Night:

1) There really was a Hollywood Victory Caravan. The Hollywood Victory Caravan traveled by train Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., then north through cities like Chicago and Minneapolis.

2) If something had happened to the train, Hollywood would have been ravaged. The real caravan was filled with stars like Abbott and Costello, Desi Arnez, Bing Crosby, and Groucho Marx. The papers at the time said the stars would have gone out in Hollywood if anything had happened.

3) The first train entertained the President and Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House. What a great way to launch the tour. And Mrs. Roosevelt had a staff member standing immediately behind her to help her “remember” everyone who came by so she could say something personal to them.

4) The Winecoff Hotel, where I have my stars stay while they’re in Atlanta, was the site of the worst hotel fire in American history and has recently been restored and renovated.

5) I initially considered having the tour appear at Ford’s Theater, but it was essentially abandoned during the World War Two era – and was used as storage. Hard to believe if you tour that beautifully restored theater today.

6) The National Theater has had continuous shows running since December 1835. Fortunately for my story, it had a hole the summer of 1942, which fit perfectly with when I wanted my caravan to have a show there.

7) The Hollywood Canteen didn’t open until later in 1942. Since my first book involved a canteen, I really wanted to include the Hollywood Canteen. Besides, what’s more romantic than movie stars mixing with and entertaining servicemen? Unfortunately, it was in the planning stages during Stars in the Night. Maybe in the next book…

As you can see, I love the details of history. I hope Stars in the Night sweeps you away to a time that was rich in service, glamour, and conflict.