Sunday, September 5, 2021

Lucinda's Defender Blog Tour & Giveaway by Blossom Turner

 



About the Book

 


Book:  Lucinda’s Defender

Author: Blossom Turner

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: September 7, 2021

Life hasn’t turned out at all like Lucinda expected, but neither is the depth of love one man has for her.

The young and impetuous Lucinda Williams, through a series of bad decisions, is now in a situation she never dreamed conceivable—an unplanned baby and marriage to a man who proves to be far darker than she ever imagined. Pain is a cruel teacher but brings instant maturity.

Joseph Manning, a childhood friend who watched the love of his life leave, is heartbroken to find the bruised waif of a girl he rescues less than a year later. What atrocities did she experience to change the vivacious, bubbly soul into this shell of hopelessness? Broken. Bruised. Beaten. Does love really have the power to heal all wounds?

Lucinda marvels at how Joseph effortlessly whittles his way back into her heart and that of her child with kindness and respect. But she has a secret far too dark to allow the kind Joseph into her life. He deserves so much better than the likes of her. Is love strong enough to break down the barriers of bad choices? Can a second chance at happiness really be possible?

 

Click here to get your copy!

MY REVIEW
I related to Lucinda's struggle with God's forgiveness and the ability to forgive Nate. The character of Joseph, I admired and he seemed very real as he struggled also with hate issues regarding Nate.  
The dark theme of the novel hit home for me, being an abused wife myself in the past.
The story is steeped in faith, forgiveness, second chances, and miracles. It was a good story but very emotional for me.  I was a little surprised at the descriptions of the love scenes in the story, as they were more than I expected from a Christian novel. Nothing explicit though.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily choose to review it. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Blossom Turner is a free-lance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, an avid blogger, and published novelist. Her authentic understanding of the power of love in the darkest of circumstances is woven masterfully through her first novel Anna’s Secret (a contemporary romance), in book one of the Shenandoah Brides series, Katherine’s Arrangement and again in this second book, Amelia’s Heartsong. Being a hopeless romantic, Blossom, endeavors to give you, the reader, entertainment value with an inspirational twist. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Read more at blossomturner.com.

 

More from Blossom

Do You Enjoy Romance That Keeps You Thinking Days Later?

Long before I even knew I could write, I loved to read. Being a hopeless romantic I gravitated to all romance stories either contemporary or historical. I soon realized that finding clean fiction but still written with the passion God created us to experience, was hard to find. (Song of Solomon is a good example of the expression of passion and love between a man and woman without being explicit.)

Given the gift of a writing career later in life one thing was for sure…I wanted to write what I like to read. Clean romance does not need to be boring. As each story pours out, I realize that writing historical fiction is my new passion. I finally know what I was born to do. My favorite theme was an arranged marriage…so birthed the first book of the Shenandoah Brides that has now morphed into a series of 5 sisters and their 5 love stories. September 6th 2021 is launch day for book three called Lucinda’s Defender.

Where-as book one was set in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, post-civil war, the second book Amelia’s Heartsong took place in the big city of Richmond Virginia where balls, debutants, pomp and circumstance matter. This third book, Lucinda’s Defender is back in the valley once again.

Have you ever made decisions that you wish you could unwind? If that is a yes, then you will relate to young, beautiful, sassy Lucinda who at the age of sixteen is forced to live with her adult choices. By seventeen her world crashes in doling out a future no woman deserves. But God is a God of second chances, and handsome Joseph a worthy life-long friend and hero. Passion, love, and undying devotion make this read a romantic page turner sure to keep you awake into the wee hours of the morning.

Although this book can easily be read as a stand-alone, enjoying the whole series as the family saga unfolds will deepen the experience.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed the write. I love to hear from my readers. Contact me at http://blossomturner.com

 

                              Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 7

Texas Book-aholic, September 8

Cats in the Cradle Blog, September 8

lakesidelivingsite, September 9

Inklings and notions, September 10

Bizwings Blog, September 10

For Him and My Family, September 11

deb’s Book Review, September 12

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 13

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, September 14

Simple Harvest Reads, September 14 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Connie’s History Classroom, September 15

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 16

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, September 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 18

Reviewingbooksplusmore, September 18

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 19

Splashes of Joy, September 20 


                                 Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Blossom 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/116c6/lucinda-s-defender-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, August 28, 2021

The Cryptographer's Dilemma Blog Tour & Giveaway by Johnnie Alexander

 

 


About the Book

 


Book:  The Cryptographer’s Dilemma

Author: Johnnie Alexander

Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Release date: August, 2021

A Code Developer Uncovers a Japanese Spy Ring

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?

 

Click here to get your copy!

MY REVIEW

The Cryptographer's Dilemma is an intense cat and mouse read to catch the person who is writing in code, giving information to the Japanese.

The author did an excellent job of combining historical information with a cast of characters that are engaging. I really enjoyed watching Eloise's growth throughout the story and her ability to adapt to unusual circumstances.

A touch of espionage and romance kept me guessing about the players in the story until the end, and the spiritual reflections were inspirational. It is a very enjoyable and exciting read. Highly recommended.

I received a copy from the author and voluntarily choose to review it. All opinions are my own.

 










About the Author

Johnnie Alexander creates characters you want to meet and imagines stories you won’t forget in a variety of genres. An award-winning, best-selling novelist, she serves on the executive boards of Serious Writer, Inc. and the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference, co-hosts Writers Chat, and interviews other inspirational authors for Novelists Unwind. Johnnie lives in Oklahoma with Griff, her happy-go-lucky collie, and Rugby, her raccoon-treeing papillon. Connect with her at www.johnnie-alexander.com and other social media sites via https://linktr.ee/johnniealexndr.

 

More from Johnnie

American Traitor in WWII

 

Not all secret messages involve substitution codes where random letters and numbers replace the original letters and numbers. Velvalee Dickinson, a doll collector who owned a doll shop on Madison Avenue in New York City, used jargon code to pass along information to the Japanese about the U.S. ships that had been damaged at Pearl Harbor.

Here’s an excerpt from one of the letters (as originally written):

The only new dolls I have are THREE LOVELY IRISH dolls. One of these three dolls is an old Fisherman with a Net over his back—another is an old woman with wood on her back and the third is a little boy….I can only think of our sick boy these days. You wrote me that you had sent a letter to Mr. Shaw, well I want to see MR. SHAW he distroyed Your letter, you know he has been Ill. His car was damaged but is being repaired now. I saw a few of his family about. They all say Mr. Shaw will be back to work soon. 

Velvalee, who the FBI nicknamed The Doll Woman, wrote this letter on her Underwood typewriter. She used the return address and forged the signature of one of her regular customers, Mary Wallace of Springfield, Ohio. Then Velvalee mailed the letter to an address in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Unknown to Velvalee, the Japanese had abandoned the Buenos Aires address as a drop point. The letter was marked “return to sender.” When Mrs. Wallace received it, she turned it in to the Post Office Director in Springfield who passed it along to the FBI.

Cryptographers determined that the letter was written in jargon code. To the casual reader, the letter is about dolls. But the intended recipient would have understood it’s about much more than that.

In this example, only one of five letters given to the FBI between February and August of 1942,

cryptographers decoded the message as follows:

 

  • Old Fisherman with a Net over his back ~ refers to an aircraft carrier which has anti-torpedo nettings on its sides.
  • Old woman with wood on her back ~ refers to an older battleship, one made of wood.
  • A little boy plus our sick boy ~ a damaged ship.

 

Cryptographers believed that the words Mr. Shaw and Your were purposely capitalized and that the word distroyed was purposely misspelled to draw attention to them. Mr. Shaw referred to the USS Shaw, a destroyer (destroy + your = destroyer).

The remainder of the letter says Mr. Shaw is ill but “will be back to work soon.”

The ship was in dry dock at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. As the heroine in The Cryptographer’s Dilemma explains, “About two weeks before this letter was written, it [the USS Shaw] was undergoing repairs in San Francisco.”

In the novel, Eloise Marshall is a naval cryptographer who teams up with FBI agent Phillip Clayton, to find the person responsible for forging the signatures on the letters. Their search takes them from Washington, DC to the Springfield, Ohio, to the west coast and back again. On their journey, Eloise will confront an unexpected specter from her past and Phillip will risk his life to save hers.  



                             Blog Stops

Life of Literature, August 25

Where Faith and Books Meet, August 25

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 26

Reflections From my Bookshelves, August 26

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, August 27

Bizwings Blog, August 27

Daysong Reflections, August 27

Texas Book-aholic, August 28

A Baker’s Perspective, August 28

Inklings and notions, August 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 29

For Him and My Family, August 30

Simple Harvest Reads, August 30 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Older & Smarter?, August 31

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, August 31

Aryn the Libraryan 📚, September 1

Rebecca Tews, September 1

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 2

deb’s Book Review, September 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 3

Blossoms and Blessings, September 3

Mary Hake, September 3

Connie’s History Classroom, September 4

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, September 4

Sodbusterliving, September 4

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 5

Labor Not in Vain, September 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, September 6

Moments, September 6

Splashes of Joy, September 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 7

Pause for Tales, September 7

                                 Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Johnnie 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.

Giveaway

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

My Review of Rescuing the Sheriff's Heart by Lorin Grace



 Rescuing the Sheriff's Heart by Lorin Grace

New Release- Western Historical Romance

Published: Aug. 24, 2021






My Review

The storyline is exciting and suspenseful and kept me engaged.
Emily fresh from college graduation secures a job in Texas teaching
and travels from Boston. From the point of her arrival, nothing appears to be
as she thought. T. J., the sheriff, tries to save her from making a serious mistake.
The story is filled with mystery, deception, kidnapping, and murder
but also is a sweet love story. Emily becomes a student of life instead of a teacher.
The ending wrapped up nicely and the characters kept me engaged in the story.
It was one of the best Historical westerns I've read this year.
I couldn't put it down due to the twists.I had to figure out what was coming next. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from the author and voluntarily choose to review it.
All opinions are my own.








Thursday, August 19, 2021

Lethal Cover-Up Blog Tour & Giveaway by Darlene L. Turner

 

 


About the Book

 


Book:  Lethal Cover-Up

Author: Darlene L. Turner

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release date: July 27, 2021

 

Some secrets are dangerous…

But uncovering the truth could be deadly.

Border patrol officer Madison Steele knows her sister Leah’s fatal car crash was no accident. Someone’s willing to kill to cover up a pharmaceutical company’s deadly crime of distributing tainted drugs. Now they are after Madison to tie off loose ends. But with her high school sweetheart, Canadian police constable Tucker Reed, at her side, can Madison expose the company’s deadly plan before she becomes the next victim?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.

 




More from Darlene

The Hidden Staircase, The Secret of the Old Clock, The Sign of the Twisted Candles—these were just some of my favorite Nancy Drew books. I couldn’t get enough of them growing up! My family often saw me with my nose stuck in one of Nancy’s many tales. When I was finished with those, I’d sneak my brother’s Hardy Boy books and devour them too. This is where my love of writing and of a good mystery/suspense began.

Creating stories in the romantic suspense genre was a natural journey for me. I had always wanted to be a policewoman after watching Charlie’s Angels (they even kicked butt while wearing high heels…what could be better than that?!), Cagney and Lacey, Policewoman, Murder She Wrote, etc. My love for all-things-mystery carried into my adult life. Who doesn’t love Sydney Bristow and Kate Beckett?

I enjoy creating strong female characters in a law enforcement role. Madison Steele fits the bill head-on as she works to bring down a ruthless pharmaceutical company. While she has nerves of steel, I also wanted to make her vulnerable. In the beginning, Madison loses her long-lost sister in a heart-wrenching crash. One she knows was not an accident. This thrusts her into a deadly pursuit of the perpetrators with her estranged high school sweetheart, Tucker Reed, by her side.

 

I wrote this book during the tough year our world faced living in the unknown. Madison and Tucker are stuck in their own fears but eventually find hope. Hope in the unknown and hope in knowing God is in control and with us—no matter the circumstances. We just need to know where to look.

 

I hope you enjoy reading Madison and Tucker’s story as much as I loved crafting it. I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me through my website www.darlenelturner.com and also sign up for Darlene’s Diary newsletter to receive exclusive subscriber giveaways.


MY REVIEW

Lethal Cover-Up is a fast-paced, action-packed suspense novel filled with secrets, lies, and deception. I enjoyed all the twists and turns in the story and was kept on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the villains.

The characters are well-developed and I grew to admire Madison's courage. Her struggle with faith rang true and added a nice element to the story, grounding her character in the end.

The ending wrapped everything up nicely and had a few surprises which made for a great story. I can't wait to read the next publication. Highly recommended.

                               Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 18

Lighthouse-Academy, August 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 19

Genesis 5020, August 19

Simply Susan, August 19

Texas Book-aholic, August 20

Bizwings Blog, August 20

She Lives To Read, August 21

HookMeInABook, August 21

Inklings and notions, August 22

Reviewingbooksplusmore, August 22

Mary Hake, August 22

Betti Mace, August 23

Daysong Reflections, August 23

For the Love of Literature, August 24

deb’s Book Review, August 24

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 26

Pause for Tales, August 26

Blogging With Carol, August 26

For Him and My Family, August 27

Simple Harvest Reads, August 27 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, August 28

Batya’s Bits, August 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 29

Kayem Reads, August 29

Little Homeschool on the Prairie , August 30

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 30

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, August 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 31

Labor Not in Vain, August 31


                               Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Darlene is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of Lethal Cover-Up!!

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/1141b/lethal-cover-up-celebration-tour-giveaway




Saturday, June 26, 2021

Blog Tour of Her Treasured Love by Marshalee Patterson

 


About the Book

Title: Her Treasured Love

Author: Marshalee Patterson

Genre: An Inspirational Christian Romance

Release Date: March 26, 2021

Synopsis

After losing all her family in Jamaica, Gabriela went to live with her best friend Sophia in Milan. She wanted to let go of the past and start over in the only other place that brought her happiness.

However, one encounter in her past left her suspicious of men and unable to trust.

Coming to Milan, she soon had another encounter, this time with an unexpected stranger which left her wondering if he was a sign of hope...

Or her chance of love.


MY REVIEW

Her Treasured Love, is a tender story about forgiveness, and learning to follow God's path for you, even when it seems impossible. 

 The characters are warm, with a lot of faith and conviction. I loved the spiritual aspect of the story and didn't want to put it down.  It was an enjoyable read, uplifting and inspiring.

I was provided with a copy from the author and voluntarily choose to review it. All opinions are my own.


 Q& A

1. Tell us a little about your book.

Her Treasured Love is a tender story about love, forgiveness, and learning to follow God's direction, even when it seems impossible. It’s also about overcoming trauma and learning to trust and love again.  

2. What was the hardest part of the writing process for you?

That would be to write the scene about her traumatic past as it’s close to home and all the pain was resurfaced. But I find that for me to be able to write with a lot of feelings for readers to connect with, I myself usually have some connection to these experience that becomes the characters. I believe God allows me to experience them in order to help others heal through these stories.   

3. What scene were you most excited to write?

 That would be the scene where the main characters finally came together after so much struggle. It was a happy moment for me and I hope readers will feel that too.

4. Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

Sophia was the bubbliest character and reminds me of the side of me that doesn’t comes out very often. She is sometimes seen as materialistic but dee down she is wise and knows how to come through with the right answers.

5. What is your advice for any readers who would love to write a book?

Pray first and know if it’s the will of God, that way your story will flow as it should and you won’t be easily discouraged when you are criticized by others who might not agree with what you have to share.

6. Is there anything else you'd like to add about your book that you think readers should know before picking it up?

This book will allow you to  stop seeing yourself as not good enough for the good things that come your way, which often times allow us to live in regret later. It will show you how to move past that showing you how God really sees us and gives you the courage to embrace the blessing that is yours.



About the Author


Marshalee Patterson was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She always had a love for reading. It was while attending Merl Grove High School that she discovered she loved writing stories. Some of her favourite novels were written by Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo, as she found she liked the true-to-life stories to which we all can relate.

Despite discovering her love for reading and writing, she pursued a banking career as a Bank Teller after leaving high school. Not until after she went to Italy in 2003 did she start reliving her experiences about which she wrote. She gives credit to being a Christian; it is the Holy Spirit that guides her in writing her books. Marshalee hopes that through her novels, she can inspire people of all ages with the message of hope in Christ, to show them that through Him comes deliverance.

With this medium, her goal is to supply readers with the knowledge of victoriously overcoming Satan’s tactics. Creating these stories exposes the devices Satan uses and allows readers to better detect various situations in which demonic doors open. Through spiritual warfare and prayers are often spoken, all of which have seen results, she hopes readers can learn to stand firm against the devil.

She is a lover of nature and its tranquillity. She finds nature refreshing and peaceful. She loves different cultures, especially Spanish culture. A culture she strongly feels strengthens our ability to learn to appreciate where we have otherwise been ungrateful. She adores Salsa music dances, well, too. She is a proud Jamaican.


Connect with Marshalee

Website: https://inspiringchristian.wixsite.com/marshaleepatterson

Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/authormarshaleepatterson/

Add to GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57560066-her-treasured-love

Add to Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/her-treasured-love-by-marshalee-patterson

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marshaleepatterson/_saved/

 

Links to Buy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0917V8TWT/

            Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/her-treasured-love

 

 BLOG STOPS

June. 25th - Britt Reads Fiction

June. 26th- Bizwings Blog

June. 27th- Marshalee Patterson