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Starving Hearts Book Review

About the book:

Starving Hearts (Heritage Beacon Fiction, May 2016)

Since her assault, Miss Annette Chetwynd has been plagued by nightmares and worries about an arranged marriage.

She yearns to find her anonymous rescuer. Unfortunately, her health and intellect prevent it. Both repel suitors and cause Annette to doubt God’s existence, at least until He answers her prayers in an unusual way. . . .

Mr. Peter Adsley is joining the clergy, and he desires a godly wife by his side. After a failed attempt to obtain one, he engages in a clandestine meeting with the bewitching young woman who keeps crossing his path. But she is so unsettling.

Destined for disappointments, Peter and Annette both endure disgraceful situations. Will Peter’s faith sustain him through overwhelming setbacks? Can Annette overcome her doubts? Or will their starving hearts yield to the machinations of a mad man?

Purchase a copy: https://bit.ly/28OtflH

My Thoughts:

With this being Janine Mendenhall’s first novel, I was not sure what to expect. However, I was hooked after reading the first few pages. This is a delightful and sweet love story that leaves the reader with a little taste of Jane Austen. I absolutely loved it.

While the story was sweet, the main characters were not without their struggles. The main character Annette struggled with health problems and an assault by the man her mother insists that she marry. However, experiences have left her fearful and doubtful of God’s plan in all this. Also, the other main character, Peter is not without his struggles either. As they both enter one another’s life, the reader is taken on their journey with them as they overcome struggles and fall in love with one another. This book was not only entertaining from the start but it was also filled with much Godly wisdom that left me encouraged at the end. This is a must read and I am looking forward to the second book in this series.

I was given a copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my review.

To read what other reviewers are saying visit – https://litfusegroup.com/author/jmendenhall

About the Author:

Janine Mendenhall teaches teens English, of all things! Sometimes she sleeps, but most nights she reads, writes, or watches movies like Pride and Prejudice and claims she’s researching her next book. Splickety Love and Splickety Prime have published her flash fiction. She and her husband, Tom, live in North Carolina where they and their two golden retrievers help gratify the needs of their five children and two cats.

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Books, Giveaways, Reading

Janine Mendenhall’s ‘Starving Hearts’ Prize Pack Giveaway

Will Annette’s search for love and acceptance replace the loss and hurt in her heart? Find out in Janine Mendenhall’s book one, Starving Hearts, of the Triangular Trade Trilogy. Since her assault, Miss Annette Chetwynd has been plagued by nightmares and worries about an arranged marriage. But she yearns to find her anonymous rescuer. Unfortunately, her health and intellect prevent it. Both repel suitors and cause Annette to doubt God’s existence, at least until He answers her prayers in an unusual way. . . .

Join in the search for love and acceptance with Janine and Starving Hearts by entering to win the Delightful Heart Gift Pack Giveaway.

One grand prize winner will receive:

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on September 12. The winner will be announced September 13 on Janine’s blog.

Books, Reading

Service Tails Book Review

About the book:

Service Tails (Abingdon Press, August 2016)

Heart-tugging true stories of the courage, faith, and loyalty of remarkable service dogs.

Not all heroic dogs wildly toss themselves into lifesaving situations. Some save lives simply by their incredible commitment to duty and service. Some lead the way to independence for people whose disabilities were supposed to limit their lives.

In Service Tails: More Stories of Man’s Best Hero, prolific author Ace Collins introduces us to leaders whose entire lives are wrapped in the banner of service. Their stories are remarkable snapshots of the value of vision and teamwork, as well as devotion to duty and unconditional love and acceptance—stretching the way we see both canine and human potential. Their training was intense, their loyalty unquestioned and each step of the way they constantly adapt to better serve those they lead. These unforgettable dogs are more than heroes; they are models from which we can learn how to love and serve unconditionally.

Purchase a copy:

https://bit.ly/2bb7SeE

My Thoughts:

“Service Tails” by Ace Collins is a heartwarming book filled with stories that will inspire and teach you more about service dogs who are true heroes to so many. As a person with a disability, I have always been familiar with service dogs even though I have never had one myself. It was such a joy to read this and not only learn more about the history of service dogs but to also to learn the stories of so many who have benefited from their service over the years. These stories were the encouragement my soul needed during this season. If you haven’t done so already pick up a copy or two of this book to read and share with friends. You will laugh, cry, and be encouraged.

I was given a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my review.

To Read What Other Reviewers are Saying Visit: https://litfusegroup.com/author/acollins

About the Author:

Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. He has authored more than sixty books that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a network television special and does college basketball play-by-play. Ace lives in Arkansas.

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Books, Giveaways, Reading

Ace Collins’ ‘Service Tails’ Take-Your-Dog-to-the-Park Pack

Fall in love with these remarkable service dogs and their stories of courage, faith, and loyalty in Ace Collins’ new book, Service Tails. Their training was intense, their loyalty unquestioned and each step of the way they constantly adapt to better serve those they lead. These unforgettable dogs are more than heroes; they are models from which we can learn how to love and serve unconditionally.

Celebrate the release of Service Tails with Ace by entering to win the Take-Your-Dog-to-the-Park Pack!

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of Service Tails
A copy of Man’s Best Hero
A dog blanket
A dog leash
A dog-cape towel
A dog bandana
A dog toy
Dog treats

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 30. The winner will be announced August 31 on the Litfuse blog.

Books, Reading

The Things We Knew Book Review

About the book:

The Things We Knew (Thomas Nelson, July 2016)

A tragedy from the past resurfaces in this tale of family secrets and reignited love.

After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to harbor animosity toward their father, silently blaming him for their mother’s death. Nobody will talk about that dreadful day, and Lynette can’t remember a bit of it.

But when next-door neighbor Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, he brings the past with him. Once her brother’s best friend and Lynette’s first crush, Nick seems to hidingthings from her. Lynette wonders what he knows about the day her mother died and hopes he might help her remember the things she can’t.

But Nick has no intention of telling Lynette the truth. Besides the damage it might cause his own family, he doesn’t want to risk harming the fragile friendship between him and the woman he once thought of as a kid sister.

As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets begin to surface—secrets that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question all they ever believed in.

Purchase a copy: https://bit.ly/29vkFGh

My Thoughts:

“The Things We Knew” is a a beautiful story of family, redemption, faith, and forgiveness. This is the first book I have read by Catherine West, but it certainly won’t be the last. Filled with some heavy subjects, the book is about a family dealing with real issues life brings their way and reuniting with one another. West pulls the reader in from page one and takes you on a journey filled with a depth that pulls at the heart strings throughout the book, and finds you relating and feeling like you are a part of this family. I highly recommend this read and I hope that West decides to write a sequel because I want to spend more time with these folks.

I was given this book by Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my review.

To Read what Other Reviewers are saying: https://litfusegroup.com/author/cwest

About the Author:

Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border collie for long walks on the beach or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two grown children.

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Books, Reading

The Loyal Heart Book Review

About the book:

The Loyal Heart (Zondervan, July 2016)

The day Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn’t expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a

promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.

After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda’s home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip’s name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone.

Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He’s mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can.
He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn’t prove to be an easy task—Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

Purchase a copy: https://bit.ly/2ae3eOX

My Thoughts:

The Loyal Heart is a story set in the post Civil War Period in Galveston Texas. It focused on the friendship and comradeship of soldiers who were imprisoned together, and later the love story and life of a widow following the war. This is the first book in a new series by Gray and I look forward to reading and learning more about these characters in future books. This is a must read, and is a perfect read for the end of summer and early fall.

I was given this book by Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my review.

About the author:

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
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Books, Reading

About the book:

Fetching Sweetness (Harvest House, July 2016)

Standing between Stephanie and her dream is one hundred pounds of lovable trouble.

It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Meet up with Agnes Wharton in a small town in California, retrieve the reclusive author’s valuable new manuscript, and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent.

But Agnes’s canine companion, Sweetness, decides to make a break for it before Stephanie can claim her prize. Until Agnes has Sweetness safely back at home in Eagle Cliff, Washington, Stephanie will never set eyes on the manuscript she needs to make her dreams come true.

When Stephanie tracks the runaway mutt to a campground, she meets Rhett Hastings—a man also on the run from a different life and a costly mistake. Rhett agrees to help Stephanie search for the missing dog . . . thus launching a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.

Once Sweetness gets added to the mix, it’s a recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest.

My Thoughts:
Fetching Sweetness is another great read from Dana Mentink. The storyline and characters are so love able and I was cheering them on until the very end. If you are a lover of animals, a good book,humor, and a twist of romance — then this book is for you. Also, this book is the perfect read to close out the summer with so be sure to add it to your list. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

I was given this book by Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my review.

Purchase a copy: https://bit.ly/2auLee3

Read what other reviewers are saying here: https://litfusegroup.com/author/dmentink

About the Author:

Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.

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https://ameliamcneilly.com/fetching-sweetness-book-review/

Articles, Books, Giveaways, Reading

A Beauty Refined Book Review

About the book:

A Beauty Refined (Bethany House, July 2016)

What does it take to reveal the true beauty of a hidden gem?

Phoebe Von Bergen, the daughter of a German count, is excited to visit America for the first time while her father purchases sapphires in Helena, Montana. Little does she know, however, that her father’s intentions—both for her and the gemstones—are not what she thinks.

Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the dignified young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie—a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Meeting Ian has changed everything for Phoebe, and she begins to consider staying in America, regardless of her father’s plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger that results when her family’s deception begins to unravel.

My Thoughts:

Tracie Peterson is one of my favorite authors and she never fails to disappoint. I enjoy all of her books. While “A Beauty Refined” is the second book in the Sapphire Brides Series, they can be read as stand alones. I am immediately intrigued by Phoebe’s story, and once she travels to America and Ian comes into her life, I want her to discover the truth and live in that freedom. I am also a fan of her and Ian’s relationship and I am rooting for them throughout the book. Tracie does a fantastic job of telling this story, and allows the reader to feel like they are really getting to know the characters. There is just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages and enough romance to warm your heart. If you haven’t done so already add this entire series to your must read list. You will never regret reading a novel from Tracie. I am already looking forward to her next book.

I was given this book by Litfuse Publicity and Netgalley in exchange for my review.

Also, there is a live Facebook party and giveaway tonight so be sure to head over to Facebook to meet and chat with Tracie. All details for that can be found here. Don’t miss out!

Purchase a copy:

https://bit.ly/29Sh70o

Read what other reviewers are saying here: https://litfusegroup.com/author/tpeterson

About the Author:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than one hundred books. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

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Books, Giveaways, Reading

‘‘A Beauty Refined’ Blog Tour, Giveaway, and Facebook Party

Little does Phoebe know that her father’s plans—for the sapphires and his daughter—are not what they seem. If you love historical fiction, romance, and adventure, don’t miss Tracie Peterson’s A Beauty Refined. When Phoebe meets Ian, everything changes. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie—a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Join Tracie in celebrating the release of A Beauty Refined by entering to win her Precious Gems giveaway (details below) and by attending her author chat party on August 9!

One grand prize winner will receive:

One copy of A Beauty Refined
A sapphire jewelry set

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/9. The winner will be announced at A Beauty Refined Facebook party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Tracie and fellow fans of historical fiction, as well as for a chance to win other prizes!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 9th!

Books, Reading

Kelli Stuart’s ‘Like a River from Its Course’ Blog Tour and Kindle Prize Pack

Travel back in time in Kelli Stuart’s new novel, Like a River from Its Course, as the city of Kiev is bombed in Hitler’s blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union. This sweeping historical saga takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine’s tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives. Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River From Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

Celebrate the release of Like a River from Its Course with Kelli by entering to win a Kindle Fire Prize Pack.