|
|
|
|
|
|
Book: Courage in the Mountain Wilderness
Author: Misty M. Beller
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: April 6, 2021
Keeping her son safe on this epic journey may be harder than she imagined.
Caleb Jackson is on a journey. And not just the mission he and his friends have embarked on to fetch the Nez Perce chief’s runaway daughter. Maybe someday, he could also find God’s plan for his life. He’d once thought being a small town minister was the Lord’s will for him, but he’d proved a failure at living under the scrutiny of his congregation. Yet the chief’s niece and her feisty toddler accompanying them on this expedition make him feel like he might be able to make a difference yet.
Otskai is eager to take on a challenge. She’s lived under the shelter of other’s choices her entire life, especially when she was betrothed to one of the village braves at the tender age of eight. Now with her husband dead, she’s finally found the freedom she always craved—even with a two-year-old to raise. She’s built her camas root harvest into a thriving trade to provide all she and her son need and more, yet she can’t seem to keep her active child safe. When she agrees to accompany her new friends on a trip to bring back her wayward cousin, she knows she’ll have her hands full managing her boy.
The journey turns out nothing like Otskai expects, and for the first time in her life, she’s thankful to have others around to help. Especially Caleb, whose gentle attentions captivate her son and occupy him for hours at a time. But as the danger escalates and her worst fears come to light, she must find the courage to choose between freedom and a love more liberating than she imagined possible.
From a USA Today bestselling author comes another epic journey through breathless landscapes and adventure so intense, lives will never be the same.
My Thoughts
I have enjoyed reading the books in the Call of the Rockies series. I was excited to read Caleb's story after having gotten to know him in the previous books. He is the gentle, silent giant and I wanted him to get his own happily ever after. I loved reading the interactions between Caleb and River Boy. The book was well written and had a nice flow to it making it easy and quick to read. I liked the biblical faith element throughout the book. I look forward to reading more books by Misty M. Beller.
Click here to get your copy!
Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and children now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.
God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.
Mom Guilt—it’s real, no matter what your race or tribe.
One of the things I love about writing the Call of the Rockies series is the cast of characters that covers almost more races than I can count on all my fingers! From Spaniards, to Frenchman, to Southern Americans, to Blackfoot, to Nez Perce, to Salish, to Shoshone. And let’s not talk about the various sectors within some of the tribes (Peigan Blackfoot, Blood Blackfoot, Pikunin of the Nez Perce…oops, we weren’t going to talk about those!).
But what I love the most about so many people groups represented is learning how much we really are alike, down deep in our cores! Sure, some are introverts, some are extroverts. Some like to swim, some hate to swim. Some like to cook, some like to play with the kids (okay, maybe most like to play with the kids!).
Yet there are common threads that connect us all. As I was writing Courage in the Mountain Wilderness, I discovered a new thread that I have in common with Otskai, the Nez Perce hero of the story.
Mom guilt.
Yep. Our situations are a little different—I’m married with four kiddos, and she’s widowed with one very energetic two-year-old son. But we both struggle with that same push and pull. That same set of conflicting longings. When I’m with my kiddos, sometimes I just desperately want time alone. Time to actually get things done. But then at night when they snuggle close at bedtime, wrapping their sweet arms around my neck and not just saying, but showing, how much they love me, I can’t imagine how I could ever want to do anything but spend time with these sweet little ones God has trusted me with.
Thus, the guilt.
Maybe Otskai and I are the only ones who’ve ever experienced that particular strain of Mom Guilt. But I’ll bet there are other ways you can relate—both to these very real fictional characters who may or may not be the same race as you. And also to the very real real-life characters you meet every day.
The great news is that God loves each and every one of us, Mom Guilt and all.
lakesidelivingsite, April 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, April 6
Blossoms and Blessings, April 6
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, April 7
reviewingbooksplusmore, April 7
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 8
cats in the cradle blog, April 8
Betti Mace, April 9
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 9
For the Love of Literature, April 10
deb’s Book Review, April 10
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 11
Jeanette’s Thoughts, April 11
Texas Book-aholic, April 12
Maidens for Modesty, April 12
Inklings and notions, April 13
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, April 13
Older & Smarter?, April 14
Blessed & Bookish, April 14
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 15
Splashes of Joy, April 15
Wishful Endings, April 16
Mary Hake, April 16
For Him and My Family, April 16
She Lives To Read, April 17
Connie’s History Classroom, April 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 18
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 18
Adventures Of A Travelers Wife, April 19
Simple Harvest Reads, April 19 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
To celebrate her tour, Misty 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/10a1f/courage-in-the-mountain-wilderness-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.
Book: Love at First Flight
Author: Linda Shenton Matchett
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: September 15, 2020
Can two people emerge from the clouds of past hurt to find a silver lining of love?
Evelyn Reid would rather fly than do anything else, so when war engulfs the U.S., she joins the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. One of the program’s top pilots, she is tapped for pursuit plane training…the dream of a lifetime until she discovers the instructor is her ex-fiancé, Jasper MacPherson.
Collecting enough points to rotate stateside, fighter pilot Jasper MacPherson is assigned to teach the WAFS how to fly the army way. Bad enough to be training women, but things take a turn for the worse when his former fiancée shows up as one of his students.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading this book. I found the book to be well written with a nice flow. I liked the biblical faith element that ran through the book. It was fun learning more about the WASP .
Click here to get your copy!
Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. She is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry. Linda has lived in historic places all her life, and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include serving as a volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, exploring historic sites, and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.
Dear Readers:
It’s all I can do to parallel park my car…well, actually I can’t. I’m terrible at that sort of thing, which is why I’m so impressed with the Women’s Air Service Pilot who served during World War II. Created in August 1943 by merging the Women’s Flying Training Detachment and the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, the WASP was a civilian organization that came under the authority of the Air Force and freed male pilots for combat or other duties. Their leader was the intrepid Jacqueline Cochran, an award winning pilot who set and broke numerous records during her career.
Qualifications for the program were stringent, and of the more than 25,000 women who applied, only 1,800 were accepted. Of that number, 1,074 completed the program. These women flew over sixty million miles and transported every type of military aircraft from the ninety-nine foot long B-29 Bomber that weighted over 100,000 pounds to the P-51 Mustang that could fly at over 400 miles per hour.
The WASP also towed targets for live anti-aircraft gun practice, simulated strafing missions and transported cargo. Thirty-eight WASP members lost their lives and one disappeared while on a ferry mission, her fate still unknown. Disbanded in December 1944, the WASP did not receive military status or benefits for their service. However, after nearly three decades its members were granted veteran status, and in 2009 they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
It is my hope that Love at First Flight honors these brave women in some small way.
Blessings,
Linda Shenton Matchett
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 24
Texas Book-aholic, March 25
Genesis 5020, March 25
Inklings and notions, March 26
Betti Mace, March 27
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 27
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 28
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 29
Jeanette’s Thoughts, March 29
Hebrews 12 Endurance, March 30
For Him and My Family, March 31
Connect in Fiction, March 31
She Lives To Read, April 1
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 2
deb’s Book Review, April 2
Connie’s History Classroom, April 3
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 4
Blossoms and Blessings, April 4
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 5
CarpeDiem, April 6
A Novel Pursuit, April 6
To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize package of an autographed paperback edition of Love at First Flight, eco-friendly reusable shopping bag with image of Women’s Air Service Pilots, stuffed WASP bear, Norman Rockwell notecards, VJ Day book mark, and I {heart} Spam socks!!
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/109d2/love-at-first-flight-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.
Book: The Purple Nightgown
Author: A.D. Lawrence
Genre: Christian Historical Suspense
Release date: March, 2021
Marvel at true but forgotten history when patients check into Linda Hazzard’s Washington state spa in 1912 and soon become victim of her twisted greed.
Book 10 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History
Heiress Stella Burke is plagued by insincere suitors and nonstop headaches. Exhausting all other medical aides for her migraines, Stella reads Fasting for the Cure of Disease by Linda Hazzard and determines to go to the spa the author runs. Stella’s chauffer and long-time friend, Henry Clayton, is reluctant to leave her at the spa. Something doesn’t feel right to him, still Stella submits herself into Linda Hazzard’s care. Stella soon learns the spa has a dark side and Linda a mean streak. But when Stella has had enough, all ways to leave are suddenly blocked. Will Stella become a walking skeleton like many of the other patients or succumb to a worse fate?
My Thoughts
I was eager to read this next installment of the True Colors series. As someone who gets migraines, I could empathize with Stella. It is hard to imagine, though, to think that fasting would be considered a cure for migraines. I could feel the frustration and conflicting emotions that Stella was feeling. I liked Henry and his desire for Stella to be well. I liked the biblical faith element on standing still and letting God work in your life. I wish that we would have gotten an update on the children. I did not realize that this was A.D. Lawrence's debut novel. I think she did a great job and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Click here to get your copy!
A.D. Lawrence makes her home in Northeastern Nebraska. She has been passionate about writing and true crime for years, and her two obsessions melded into the goal of authorship. She is an active member of the ACFW, writes a true crime blog, won the 2019 Crown Award and was a 2019 First Impressions finalist.
Times have changed. And like so many things, health retreats have experienced their own metamorphosis. Sure, they’ve always catered to people with both spare money and time, but aside from similar clientele, the face of the health spa is nothing like its early 20th century sister.
If you could afford a getaway to a modern-day health spa like The Golden Door, you’d be treated to the luxury of rest. Yoga on the beach. Deep tissue massages. A much-needed break from technology and life’s constant pressures. Mental well-being is valued almost as highly as physical health, and the two are thought to be connected. After days or weeks of pampering, you would return home relaxed, recharged, and ready to dip back into the hustle of the real world.
In 1911, during the time of The Purple Nightgown, the medical community took a diametrically different approach to health. Weight equaled health. The prevailing assumption was that any ailments were directly connected to weight. Thus, ‘fat camps’ grew in popularity. Men and women checked into sanatoriums where the aides put them through grueling exercise regimes and provided them with just enough food to sustain life. No coddling. Not many of us would subject ourselves to the treatments early health spas required.
In this era of already extreme health measures, Linda Hazzard made her mark in Washington State. Obsessed with fasting, she ran her patients through an unfathomable course of ‘diet and exercise’ that proved the undoing of many. She did give massages though, which you’ll learn more about when you read The Purple Nightgown.
Although it’s fun to long for a simpler time while reading historical books and watching shows like Little House on the Prairie, there are some modern ways of thinking and advances in human comfort I’d rather not give up. One of those is the vastly superior spa experience we have today. Somehow, a facial with soothing background music sounds much more appealing than running mile after mile every day with nothing to look forward to but a glass of orange juice or a bowl of canned tomato broth.
Hot stone massage anyone?
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 23
lakesidelivingsite, March 23
The Meanderings of a Bookworm, March 23
For Him and My Family, March 24
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, March 24
Godly Book Reviews, March 24
Through the Fire Blogs, March 25
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 25
For the Love of Literature, March 26
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 26
Mary Hake, March 26
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 27
deb’s Book Review, March 27
Pause for Tales, March 28
Remembrancy, March 28
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 28
Connie’s History Classroom, March 29
Genesis 5020, March 29
Melissa Wardwell’s Back Porch Reads, March 29
Babbling Becky L’sBook Impressions, March 30
Texas Book-aholic, March 30
Inklings and notions, March 31
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 31 (Author Interview)
Cathe Swanson, March 31
Older & Smarter?, April 1
Betti Mace, April 1
Rebecca Tews, April 1
Tell Tale Book Reviews, April 2
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 2
Vicky Sluiter, April 2
Locks, Hooks and Books, April 3
Amanda Tero, blog, April 3
Blossoms and Blessings, April 3
Christian Bookaholic, April 4
Blogging With Carol, April 4
Spoken from the Heart, April 4
Splashes of Joy, April 5
Artistic Nobody, April 5 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Southern Gal Loves to Read, April 5
To celebrate her tour, A.D. is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 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/1098d/the-purple-nightgown-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.
