Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Word Game by Steena Holmes ~ My Thoughts

25457240

The Word Game

The Word Game by Steena Holmes
Kindle Edition, 222 pages
Published November 3rd 2015 by Lake Union Publishing

For overprotective parent Alyson Ward, any time her daughter, Lyla, is out of sight is reason to panic. So it’s a big step for her when she lets Lyla attend a sleepover at her cousin’s house. Comforted by the knowledge that her sister, Tricia, is the chaperone, Alyson does the one thing she never thought possible: she lets go and trusts that her daughter will be safe.

But Alyson’s sense of peace is short lived. When Lyla comes home the next morning, she reveals something that could tear apart not only their family but also the entire community. Now, Alyson and Tricia must confront their painful shared past as they come together to help a little girl who they fear might be harboring terrible secrets similar to their own. Will the sisters be strong enough to face their demons in order to protect the child, even if it means telling their most private truths?


My thoughts about The Word Game ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Friday night. In this moment, at the core of who she was and all she wanted to be, Alyson Ward was happy. Contented, even–for the first time in years."

I read The Word Game a while ago but I still find myself randomly thinking about it. This is a story about family secrets and stories that should have been told. One person's perspective about what happened way back when is not always the way it really happened. What is the cost to a family when things are covered up and ultimately not talked about? 

It's a word game after all. Who's telling the truth? 
Who's lying? Who's hiding something? 

The Word Game will make you think about family dynamics and the secrets that are kept—maybe for the right reasons, maybe not. This was the first book of Steena's that I had read. I have since read other books by her and she always weaves such intriguing tales. I know I am in for a treat when I start one of her books. 

I received The Word Game from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

About the author

Photo credit to Vanessa Pressacco Photography

I’m Steena Holmes. A wife, a mother of three daughters, and I live in Calgary, Alberta. I’m an author and a travelholic.

I love to read, write, bake and travel – not necessarily in that order either.

Welcome to my world of passions—chocolate and writing! Pull up a chair, fill your plate with sweet delicacies as we learn together how to become stronger writers. We’ll discuss books, indie publishing and passions—not always in that order!

Growing up as a small town Canadian girl, there wasn’t much to do but ride your bike, hang out with friends on the beach and daydream. I always wanted to write but never dreamed it was something I could do as a career. I love to travel and fell in love with the sheep covered hillside, old castles and romantic history of Scotland and England. I dream about waking up in Tuscany and touring small town shops in the south of France with my husband, of placing my toes in the ocean and experiencing history first hand. As a mother with three daughters, I’m learning that teaching them to pursue their dreams is a lasting legacy. I love to wake up to the Rocky Mountains, will forever enjoy the taste of coffee and chocolate and can’t imagine the day when a story doesn’t unfold in my heart. Living a life with passion and pursuing dreams is a life well lived. ~ from author's website

Connect with Steena


*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg ~ My Thoughts

32918898

The Story of Arthur Truluv

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Print and e-book, 240 pages
Published November 21st 2017 by Random House

A beautiful, life-affirming novel about a remarkably loving man who creates for himself and others second chances at happiness.

A moving novel about three people who find their way back from loss and loneliness to a different kind of happiness. Arthur, a widow, meets Maddy, a troubled teenage girl who is avoiding school by hiding out at the cemetery, where Arthur goes every day for lunch to have imaginary conversations with his late wife, and think about the lives of others. The two strike up a friendship that draws them out of isolation. Maddy gives Arthur the name Truluv, for his loving and positive responses to every outrageous thing she says or does. With Arthur’s nosy neighbor Lucille, they create a loving and unconventional family, proving that life’s most precious moments are sweeter when shared.


My thoughts about The Story of Arthur Truluv ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"In the six months since the November day that his wife, Nola, was buried, Arthur Moses has been having lunch with here every day."

I just love Elizabeth Berg's storytelling and I have never been disappointed after reading one of her books. The Story of Arthur Truluv is a beautiful story about three lonely people who think that they are the only ones who are lonely and alone. 

As the three struggle to get to know each other, they come to realize that their misfit lives just might fit perfectly together. Elizabeth created very memorable, caring characters—characters I won't soon forget—as she wove a heartwarming tale of friendship, support, and ultimately, family.  

I received The Story of Arthur Truluv from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

About the author

Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg is the New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including We Are All Welcome Here, The Year of Pleasures, The Art of Mending, Say When, True to Form, Never Change, and Open House, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in 2000. Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for the ABBY Award in 1996. The winner of the 1997 New England Booksellers Award for her body of work, Elizabeth Berg is also the author of a nonfiction work, Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True. She lives in Chicago.

Connect with Elizabeth


*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

My Sister's Intended by Rachael Anderson ~ Coming Soon and a Giveaway!

 

My Sister's Intended by Rachael Anderson

Coming Spring 2018

For as long as Prudence can remember, it has been understood that her sister will one day wed the eldest son of their nearest neighbor. Such an alliance will benefit both families and bring a great deal of joy to all parents involved. Unfortunately, Prudence has never been able to feel as joyful. She believes her sister is mad to consider marrying a man she hardly knows, even if he will one day make her a countess.

Titles and wealth shouldn't factor into matters of the heart, and as an aspiring romance novelist, Prudence cannot fathom how anyone could even think of settling for less than love. She certainly wouldn’t, and she doesn't want her sister to either. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Prudence sets out to help the awkward couple discover the best in each other with the hope that they will eventually find love. What she neglected to foresee, however, was that she might fall in love with Lord Knave herself.



Author Rachael Anderson A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.



amazon or paypal

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway
Ends 12/17/17 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


****************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways! 

Monday, November 27, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 27, 2017


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

**************************************

What a wonderful week and weekend. We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday with part of the family, watched the 3yo grandson on Friday, and then I just relaxed and read the rest of the weekend. It was great to have that down time now because the weekends for the whole month of December are already booked. Yikes! 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

21853672
A Fireproof Home for the Bride
by Amy Scheibe
This is my book club read for later this week.

35964978
The Good Daughter
by Karin Slaughter
(audio-book)

What I recently finished

35494553
The Wife Between Us
by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Wow, just wow. My thoughts will be posted next week.

13510287
Wonder (Wonder #1)
by R.J. Palacio
Loved this book and planning to see the movie soon.

What I am going to read next

35122155
The Wake Up
by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Drawing Lessons by Patricia Sands ~ My Thoughts and a Giveaway!

34936264

Drawing Lessons

Drawing Lessons by Patricia Sands 
Print and e-book, 354 pages
Published October 1st 2017 by Lake Union Publishing

The author of the Love in Provence series returns to the South of France with a poignant portrait of a woman who must learn how to create a new life for herself…

Sixty-two-year-old Arianna arrives in the South of France for a two-week artists’ workshop full of anticipation but burdened by guilt. Back home in Toronto, she has been living with the devastating diagnosis of her husband’s dementia and the heartbreak of watching the man she has loved for decades slip away before her eyes. What does her future hold without Ben? Before her is a blank canvas.

Encouraged by her family to take some time for herself, she has traveled to Arles to set up her easel in the same fields of poppies and sunflowers that inspired Van Gogh. Gradually, she rediscovers the inner artist she abandoned long ago. Drawing strength from the warm companionship and gentle wisdom of her fellow artists at the retreat—as well as the vitality of guest lecturer Jacques de Villeneuve, an artist and a cowboy—Arianna searches her heart for permission to embrace the life in front of her and, like the sunflowers, once again face the light.


My thoughts about Drawing Lessons ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"The first time her life came to a screeching halt was twenty years earlier when the pre-dawn phone call came from Greece where her parents, Sophia and Nikos, were vacationing. Everything changed with that tragic car accident."

Oh my gosh, reading Drawing Lessons took me to the South of France where I was in seventh heaven—enjoying the food, wine, friendships, art, and the absolute beauty of the area. The words the author wrote were so descriptive and beautifully written that I felt like I was there. I truly savoured those words as I soaked up the experience.

Arianna travels to Provence to escape her life for just a mere two weeks, as she tries to reconnect with herself. Her love of art has been put aside all these years as she fulfilled her life's duties as wife and mother. What she finds is a house full of strangers who have come together because of their love of art, strangers who quickly become friends.

I appreciated the fact that the author made Arianna a women of a mature age, dealing with issues common to that age. Her life experiences and the situation she finds herself in are different from what a 20-something would be dealing with and as a more mature reader, I found myself relating to her and her life.

Drawing Lessons is the first book by Patricia Sands that I have read but it will not be my last. I fell in love with her prose and descriptive passages. I became totally immersed in the story and loved my trip to the South of France. I found myself thinking about the characters and the setting when I wasn't reading the story and couldn't wait to go back there. Thank you, Patricia, for the wonderful little vacation that I was able to take without leaving my couch. 

I received Drawing Lessons from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review. 


Be sure to check out the giveaway I have going on now for just a few more days. Patricia will be sending a paperback copy of Drawing Lessons to someone in the US/Canada. 
Ends November 28th! 
Enter HERE

About the author


Patricia Sands lives in Toronto, Canada, when she isn't somewhere else, and calls the south of France her second home. She is the award-winning author of The Bridge Club and the best-selling Love in Provence trilogy. Her fifth novel, Drawing Lessons which is also set in the south of France, was released by Lake Union Publishing on October 1, 2017.

Find out more at Patricia’s Facebook Author PageAmazon Author Page or her website. There are links to her books, social media, and a monthly newsletter that has special giveaways, photography from France, and sneak peeks at her next book. She loves hearing from readers.

Follow her on Instagram @patricialsands for fabulous photography. Her annual South of France calendar is available for order at patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com, payable by Paypal or credit card.

Represented by Pamela Harty of The Knight Agency.

Connect with Patricia



*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Book Spotlight Giveaway! The Eagle Tree by Ned Hayes


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

****************************

The book I have this week is one that we just read in one of my books clubs. It is about an autistic boy and his fascination with trees—in particular, the eagle tree. We had an interesting discussion since one of our members has an autistic son and we were able to get her perspective on the topic.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

29482259

The Eagle Tree

The Eagle Tree by Ned Hayes
Paperback, 262 pages
Published May 1st 2016 by Little A

Fourteen-year-old March Wong knows everything there is to know about trees. They are his passion and his obsession, even after his recent falls—and despite the state’s threat to take him away from his mother if she can’t keep him from getting hurt. But the young autistic boy cannot resist the captivating pull of the Pacific Northwest’s lush forests just outside his back door.

One day, March is devastated to learn that the Eagle Tree—a monolithic Ponderosa Pine near his home in Olympia—is slated to be cut down by developers. Now, he will do anything in his power to save this beloved tree, including enlisting unlikely support from relatives, classmates, and even his bitter neighbor. In taking a stand, March will come face-to-face with some frightening possibilities: Even if he manages to save the Eagle Tree, is he risking himself and his mother to do it?

Intertwining themes of humanity and ecology, The Eagle Tree eloquently explores what it means to be part of a family, a society, and the natural world that surrounds and connects us.

  

About the author

Ned Hayes

Ned Hayes is a voracious reader (and writer) from Olympia Washington. 

My newest novel is The Eagle Tree ("Little A", 2016). The novel has been nominated for the Washington State Book Award, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and has been a national bestseller. 

I like to read a lot of different books, and my daily 1 minute podcast reviews have received some notice. I especially enjoy historical fiction like Philippa GregoryAnita Diamant and Hilary Mantel, as well as supernatural historical fiction from Susanne Clarke and Tim Powers, along with the hilarious (and disturbing) works of Mark Henry. But I've also been known to read -- and teach -- literary fiction such as Annie DillardJorge Borges and Michael Chabon

I wrote the well-reviewed historical novel Sinful Folk, a book set in the 14th century. Sinful Folk's cover and a series of lovely internal illustrations were created by the marvelous New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Nikki McClureSinful Folk was nominated for the "Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award," was a semi-finalist in the "Amazon Breakthrough Novel" contest, and has received numerous starred reviews from publications, including BookList

I've also written other books -- you can find out about them at my bookish writing website -- Ned Note.com .

Connect with Ned





******************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

How to Kiss a Billionaire by Cami Checketts ~ Only 99¢ Limited Time!



This new Billionaire Beach Romance will be $.99 until Thanksgiving. Find it on Amazon

Happy Holidays!

Miriam Salisbury escapes to Oregon to avoid a boyfriend who won’t take no for an answer and kills her beloved cat to prove it. When her father sends Clay Browning to protect her, she’s certain he’s lost his mind. As far as she’s concerned Clay’s experience is limited to posing for the camera, charming every woman he meets, and making fun of her. He’s been teasing her since they were children and she’s never gotten over the way he threw crawdads at her at church picnics. Clay retired from the military and entered the world of private security. When he gets the call to protect Miriam he’s excited to spend time with his lifelong crush. As expected, he teases her nonstop and the only thing he takes seriously is her security. He knows she’d never give him a chance and he can’t help but give her a hard time.

After Miriam is dumped in the freezing ocean on a crabbing expedition and Clay saves her from drowning and freezing to death, she takes a second look at her hired gun. But opening up to him is more terrifying than facing her stalker.
As events escalate to a frenzied climax, Miriam and Clay must put aside past grudges in the hope of finding a lasting love for their future.

********************

How to Kiss a Billionaire is part of the bestselling sweet romance series: Billionaire Beach Romances. The books can be read in any order. All the books are $.99 to celebrate the release of the last book in the series. Thanks for reading!

How to Kiss a Billionaire

**********************

About the author 


Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and driving boys to lacrosse practice, she gets the chance to write fiction. 

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. She and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, hiking, biking, running, and water-skiing. 

A portion of the proceeds from Cami's books will be donated to Humanitarian Aid. 100% of Humanitarian Aid goes to help those in need throughout the world.

Connect with Cami

***********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Release Day! As the Snow Fell by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Happy Release Day! 

36274265

As the Snow Fell

As the Snow Fell: A Lake Harriet Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Print and e-book, 207 pages
Published: November 21st 2017 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

A Lake Harriet Novel

In the charming Lake Harriet neighborhood in Minneapolis, MN, where we first met Kristen, Ryan, and their beloved dog, Sam, in Walking Sam, we meet another couple who are struggling to find true love.

Mallory Dawson is planning the winter wedding of her dreams. She’s found a wonderful man to share her life with and is looking forward to a promising future together. But one month before her wedding, she runs into the man she once loved who she hasn’t seen in ten years. Soon, her entire life is turned upside down.

James Gallagher fled to California ten years ago to start over after the love of his life, Mallory, refused to marry him. But when his dad passes away and his mother becomes ill, he returns home to help run the family business. Seeing Mallory again brings a flood of memories back, and he begins to wonder what his life would have been like if he hadn’t left.

Will the wedding go on or will fate play a hand in Mallory's happily ever after?

Congrats on the release of 
As the Snow Fell today, Deanna! 

I have read all of Deanna's books and I have loved them all. As the Snow Fell is another wonderful story. Read my thoughts HERE



About the author


Deanna Lynn Sletten writes heartwarming women's fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. She began her writing career self-publishing in 2012 and has since published several novels. Her next novel will be published in June 2017 by Lake Union Publishing. Deanna believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, and happily ever after, and her novels reflect that.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.

Connect with Deanna

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Monday, November 20, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 20, 2017


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

**************************************

It's Thanksgiving week here in the US. I hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with family, friends, good food, and maybe some football. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

13510287
Wonder (Wonder #1)
by R.J. Palacio
I wanted to get this read before seeing the movie. Loving the book and I've heard good things about the movie.

35964978
The Good Daughter
by Karin Slaughter
(audio-book)

What I recently finished

32918898
The Story of Arthur Truluv
by Elizabeth Berg
Another wonderful story by EB. My thoughts will be posted soon. 

34663147
Drawing Lessons
by Patricia Sands
Loved it! My thoughts will be posted soon. Be sure to enter my giveaway HERE to win a print copy from Patricia! 

What I am going to read next

21853672
A Fireproof Home for the Bride
by Amy Scheibe
This is my book club read for next week. Amy is a new-to-me author. Have you read this? 

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Breaking and Holding by Judy Fogarty ~ My Thoughts

29800580

Breaking and Holding

Breaking and Holding by Judy Fogarty
Paperback and e-book, 366 pages
Published August 2nd 2016 by Lake Union Publishing

For Patricia Curren, the summer of 1978 begins with a devastating discovery: an unfamiliar black pearl button in the bed she shares with her controlling husband, Jack. Seeking the courage to end her desolate marriage, Patricia spends a quiet summer alone on beautiful Kiawah Island. But when she meets Terry Sloan, a collegiate tennis player trying to go pro, their physical attraction sparks a slow burn toward obsession.

Once Patricia and Terry share closely guarded secrets from their pasts, they want more than a summer together. But their love soon fractures, as a potential sponsor takes an unusually keen interest in Terry—both on court and off. And when single, career-driven Lynn Hewitt arrives, other secrets must surface, including the one Patricia has kept from Terry all summer.

An intimate portrait of the folly of the human heart, Breaking and Holding explores buried truths that are startlingly unveiled. What’s left in their wake has the power not only to shatter lives…but to redeem them.


My thoughts about Breaking and Holding ~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"This isn't my story. It's Patricia's and Terry's. But in the summer of 1978, their lives were wound around mine like strands of twine around a spool. Twine. Rope. Barbed wire by August."

Okay, this book "had me at hello!" Well, there really wasn't a 'hello' but seriously, it had me hooked from the very first chapter. I read that first chapter, it grabbed me, and then I was blown away by the last sentence. I wanted more! I immediately clicked over to Amazon and bought it. Breaking and Holding moved to the top of my TBR list. Check out Chapter 1 HERE and see if you don't agree.

This is a story filled with fascinating characters leading complicated lives in intertwined relationships. Sometimes I wasn't sure who the 'good' guys were and who were the 'bad' guys. Maybe everyone was a little bit of both? It definitely made for interesting reading. Everybody, and everything, was so complicated and tied together. How were the relationships going to unwind and play out? Getting through it all was so worth it!

This is Judy's debut novel and she has created an amazing story. I am excited to see what she writes next.

************************

About a month ago, Judy stopped by and answered my Voices question. Check it out HERE

About the author

Judy Fogarty

Judy Fogarty lives, writes, reads, and runs on the historic Isle of Hope in her native Savannah, Georgia. She holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois and has served as marketing director for private golf and tennis communities in the Savannah/Hilton Head area. She is a devoted—even rowdy—tennis fan, as anyone who has had the pleasure—or displeasure—of watching a professional match with her will attest.

Breaking and Holding is Judy's debut novel. She is happily at work on her second, enjoying as always the invaluable support of her husband, Mike, and children, Colin and Sara Jane.

Connect with Judy

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

*************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

****************************

This week's book is one that I found I have two copies of, sitting on my bookshelves. That's what happens when one tries to organize—buried treasure! It's still on my TBR list but seriously, I don't need two copies, do I? And isn't this cover beautiful? 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

9413657

Letters From Home

Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris
Paperback, 364 pages
Published February 22nd 2011 by Kensington Books 

Chicago, 1944. Liz Stephens has little interest in attending a USO club dance with her friends Betty and Julia. She doesn't need a flirtation with a lonely serviceman when she's set to marry her childhood sweetheart. Yet something happens the moment Liz glimpses Morgan McClain. They share only a brief exchange--cut short by the soldier's evident interest in Betty--but Liz can't forget him. Thus, when Betty asks her to ghostwrite a letter to Morgan, stationed overseas, Liz reluctantly agrees.

Thousands of miles away, Morgan struggles to adjust to the brutality of war. His letters from "Betty" are a comfort, their soul-baring correspondence a revelation to them both. While Liz is torn by her feelings for a man who doesn't know her true identity, Betty and Julia each become immersed in their own romantic entanglements. And as the war draws to a close, all three will face heart-wrenching choices, painful losses, and the bittersweet joy of new beginnings.

Beautifully rendered and deeply moving, Letters from Home is a story of hope and connection, of sacrifices made in love and war--and the chance encounters that change us forever.


About the author

Kristina McMorris

Kristina McMorris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She's the recipient of more than twenty national literary awards, as well as nominations for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, RWA’s RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her works of fiction have been published by Kensington Books, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins. 

The Edge of Lost is her fourth novel, following the widely praised Letters from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and The Pieces We Keep. Additionally, her novellas are featured in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central. Prior to her writing career, Kristina hosted weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has been named one of Portland's "40 Under 40" by The Business Journal. She lives with her husband and two sons in the Pacific Northwest, where she is working on her next novel

Connect with Kristina


******************************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Friday, November 17, 2017

As the Snow Fell by Deanna Lynn Sletten ~ My Thoughts and a Giveaway!

36274265

As the Snow Fell

As the Snow Fell: A Lake Harriet Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten
E-book, 207 pages
Expected publication: November 21st 2017 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

A Lake Harriet Novel

In the charming Lake Harriet neighborhood in Minneapolis, MN, where we first met Kristen, Ryan, and their beloved dog, Sam, in Walking Sam, we meet another couple who are struggling to find true love.

Mallory Dawson is planning the winter wedding of her dreams. She’s found a wonderful man to share her life with and is looking forward to a promising future together. But one month before her wedding, she runs into the man she once loved who she hasn’t seen in ten years. Soon, her entire life is turned upside down.

James Gallagher fled to California ten years ago to start over after the love of his life, Mallory, refused to marry him. But when his dad passes away and his mother becomes ill, he returns home to help run the family business. Seeing Mallory again brings a flood of memories back, and he begins to wonder what his life would have been like if he hadn’t left.

Will the wedding go on or will fate play a hand in Mallory's happily ever after?


My thoughts about As the Snow Fell ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Mallory Dawson shivered as she and her friends stepped out into the crisp Minnesota night onto the well-lit street. She clutched her wool coat close to ward off the dampness as she gazed up at the sky."

As the Snow Fell takes us back to the enchanting neighborhood of Lake Harriet where we met Kristen, Ryan, and Sam in the first book of this series, Walking Sam. Once again, Deanna has filled one of her stories with warm, wonderful characters that you can't help but come to love. And the dog, Brewster—there's always a dog—will warm your heart.

Mallory and James were pretty serious about each other ten years ago, until James ran away from their relationship. They both moved on with their lives and supposedly got over each other. And then .... they run into each other again, ten years later. Mallory is engaged to be married and James seems to be happy working in the family business.

I was really rooting for Mallory and James to get back together but I kept thinking, maybe it isn't going to happen. I kept wavering back and forth, never sure which way it was going to end. Their relationship woes and the incredible chemistry between the two of them really captured my heart and made me want to keep reading.

Deanna's stories are always ones that I can just escape into—where I can just put the rest of the world aside for a little bit. And I love that this one is set around Christmas time. It is the perfect story to read right now!

Preorder Links:


Coming soon to audiobook!


Be sure to enter Deanna's giveaway
for a $50 Amazon Gift Card!



Hurry, it ends November 21st! 

About the author


Deanna Lynn Sletten writes heartwarming women's fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. She began her writing career self-publishing in 2012 and has since published several novels. Her next novel will be published in June 2017 by Lake Union Publishing. Deanna believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, and happily ever after, and her novels reflect that.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.

Connect with Deanna

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...