Tag: Books

Faith Blum Cover Reveal and Scavenger Hunt!

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

Who doesn’t like a scavenger hunt? I suppose it depends on the kind of scavenger hunt, but Faith Blum is with us today to reveal the covers for her three upcoming novellas.

Each novella will be published this summer. One on June 26th, one on July 26th, and the last one on August 26th. To reveal the covers, Ihave a scavenger hunt set up. I have a few clues for you and then once you find the covers, you can fill out the form below to enter a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Each cover you find will get you four extra entries. Entries will be closed on June 10th and the winner announced on June 11th.

First, here are the descriptions of each book:

Just a Closer Walk

Katie and Joanna meet on a train headed to Cheyenne, Wyoming. They start talking and find out they are both headed there to become mail order brides. They quickly become good friends. When they get on a stagecoach with three other young women, Katie becomes suspicious. What is going to happen to them? Or is it really possible that nothing untoward is happening?

Just As I Am

Eve and Evangeline Collins are adventurous twins who decide to take a risk and head west as mail order brides. Their parents are less than pleased, but do nothing to stop them. Eve and Eva don’t realize their danger until they stop just outside Cheyenne. Will they ever see their family again?

Blessed Assurance

Adelaide lost her parents a year before and now a rich man in town is making unwanted advances toward her. Desperate, she writes to two men and quickly accepts the one from Cheyenne, Wyoming. On the final leg of her journey, in a stagecoach with four other mail order brides, her suspicions are confirmed. Will she ever find a man she can truly trust?

Clues

Each cover is hidden in a blog post on Faith’s blog. Here are some clues to help you find the posts:

Clue #1: Agencies, mysteries, and westerns. Where might this cover be?

Clue #2: The ides of March. A holiday, a bird, or perhaps a plane. Can the cover be there?

Clue #3: A light or six and you may find the third and final cover.

In case the form below doesn’t show up for some reason, please use this link to enter the giveaway.

Tour Schedule

June 11
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Giveaway announcement

The Beautiful Pretender | Book Review

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
25891581MY REVIEW

“A suggestion from most people is a suggestion, but a suggestion from the king is a command.”

When Lord Thornbeck is commanded to find a wife, he balks at it, not wanting the traditional marriage of rank. He is persuaded to invite ten ladies to his castle so that he can test their character and determine which one is fit to be a margrave’s wife.

The real Lady Dorothea has run off with her lover knight, and Dorothea’s father, the Lord Plimmwald, is determined to gain Lord Thornbeck’s favor. His believes his only option is to send Dorothea’s lady maid as Dorothea, so Avelina assumes the role of lady for two weeks, given the instructions to gain Thornbeck as an ally, but not as a husband.

Given this premise, the main theme of the book is romance … and as I prefer romance only in small doses, it just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed Avelina’s friendship with Magdalen. And the first half of the book, as Avelina was adapting to a new life was interesting. I loved the setting … like a lot. Dickerson does a good job capturing the era.

It was pretty much predictable and, having read one other Dickerson book (“The Golden Braid”), I found the main plot line basically the same: *mild spoiler ahead* girl falls in love with man above her rank, girl gets in trouble and he rescues her various times, there is treachery, the girl and guy end up alone, she now saves his life, etc. *end of spoiler* I could easily get this book mixed up with “The Golden Braid” because of the similarities.

What brings my rating down: as in “The Golden Braid,” there was a scene in which the hero and heroine were thrown into an “avoidable” but compromiseable situation. Of course, both were of strong, moral, upright character so even though they cuddled for warmth, nothing happened. I just don’t see the wisdom in this type of scenario being held up to young ladies.

Also, the spiritual plot was sadly lacking. Pretty much the only prayer was for God to help the situations go how the characters deemed best. There was being open about telling God their feelings because He already knows everything … but even that seemed very self-centered. The strongest spiritual quote in the book was, “Do you think a God who sent His Son to be born in a lowly stable to poor people, announced to shepherds in a field, could care about gold and ivory and jewels? Perhaps God cares about our hearts, not our wealth.” Overall, it had a Catholic feel with praying to the saints, confessing sins to the priest, etc. (which would be accurate to the time period).

*I received this book in exchange of my honest review from LitFuse Publicity Group*

ABOUT THE BOOK

What happens when a margrave realizes he’s fallen in love with a servant?

The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

Avelina is only responsible for two things: making sure her deception goes undetected and avoiding being selected as the margrave’s bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter, Dorothea.

Despite Avelina’s best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can’t deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse—far deadlier—consequences. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost?

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The Beautiful Pretender Melanie Dickerson

Anchor in the Storm | Book Review

Published on by Amanda Tero3 Comments
MY REVIEW

Lillian’s prosthetic leg immediately drew me into this book. I just haven’t read about many heroines that had an appalling “disability” and yet, you love the character, don’t pity her. I could identify with Lillian in many ways–her “cold-heartedness” (or “wooden heart”), her bluntness, her blunders. She felt very real.

Arch was also to be admired. And yes, what I admired most was that he was real. He had a very real, very strong struggle to grow through in his naval career, and he didn’t tackle this struggle on his own–he continually prayed for God’s help.
I’ve read more non-fiction than fictional WWII books, so this was a new type of book for me. I didn’t think that the war was glorified in it–being that Arch was in the middle of a ship with men struggling with their nerves and Lillian worked at a store that saw the social war affects first-hand. It was very interesting and brought the era to life.
Being the second book in the Waves of Freedom series, I wasn’t sure how Anchor in the Storm would read as a stand-alone. No worries. It read amazingly. I assume that the first book was about Jim and Mary; this second book is about Jim’s sister, Lillian. There were some references to Jim and Mary’s back-story, but it only embellished this story, it didn’t make it feel like a gap was missing somewhere.
The spiritual theme of this book was that Christ is the anchor for our soul. Both Lillian and Arch clung to that. I really, really appreciated that, at times when one would be wishing for physical comfort from their love, they brought it back to, “No, Christ is my sure anchor.” In some ways, it could be that this message was the only spiritual message in the book, but it was definitely very present–not rushed over.
The mystery in this book kind of surprised me (this is Sundin’s first book that I’ve read, so she may usually have mysteries, I don’t know). It was complex, interesting, and true-to-life. Another plus, in my opinion.

There were a couple things I didn’t care for. One, being that when Lillian was taken advantage of by a former boyfriend (back-story), she didn’t tell her family or parents. Younger readers probably wouldn’t want to read this because of that situation, plus there was considerable romance throughout the book and some violence (murders mentioned, ships bombarded, things like that).

*I received this book in exchange of my honest review, from LitFuse Publicity* 

ABOUT THE BOOK
One Plucky Female Pharmacist + One High-Society Naval Officer = Romance–and Danger
For plucky Lillian Avery, America’s entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg’s attentions only annoy–even if he “is” her brother’s best friend.
During the darkest days of the war, Arch’s destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves–and with drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian’s trust and affection?
Sarah Sundin brings World War II to life, offering readers an intense experience they won’t soon forget. 

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Anchor in the Storm Sarah Sundin

The Reluctant Duchess | Book Review

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
About the Book
The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough—not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar and the men who have jeopardized her life.

Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has suddenly found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of his neighbor, Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when the moody Earl of Lochabar tries to trap Brice into marrying Rowena, Brice finds he’s not as opposed to the idea as he expected to be.

Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to resort to marrying a notorious flirt just to gain his English home. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she ’fears she’s about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.


My Review
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m not a huge romance fan, but if there’s one type of romance I like, it’s between a husband and wife who are learning to love each other (as opposed to unmarried people falling in love…I don’t know, it’s just me). Brice, being my favorite character from The Lost Heiress, was still my favorite character. I enjoyed reading how he learned to listen and his wife learned to love. It was really a sweet story.
Throughout the whole book, it seemed like the characters regularly sought God and prayed, which I appreciated. Some of the characters were evidently stronger in faith than others, which I thought gave a realistic aspect.
However. When I think back on the book, the main thread that stands out to me is the marriage bed. Whether it was Rowena being physically abused by her supposed lover or her learning to trust again, this theme just wasn’t in my comfort zone, even though it was done fairly discreetly. For this reason, I would not recommend this book to girls under twenty.
The continued thread of the Fire Eyes was alluring. There is something about them that are enticing and exciting. In this, though, there is a lot of discussion about curses and the spiritual realm. I don’t think I particularly disagreed with the author on this, because the conclusion I found was that there are spiritual battles being fought (which I believe is Biblical) and that the curse was not a curse of superstition, but a curse of greed. The way the author brought this about, though, was slightly confusing so I might not have fully grasped her intentions.
So, those two things pull my rating down to three stars–which I realize is just my personal preference and convictions.

*I received this book in exchange of my honest review from Bethany House*

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About the Author
Roseanna M. WhiteRoseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna has a slew of historical novels available, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at http://www.RoseannaMWhite.com

Counting Blessings | Book Review

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

About the Book

by Eileen Spinelli
Illustrated by Lee Holland

Children count along from 1 to 10, following the sweet rhyming text by beloved author Eileen Spinelli and the cute and cuddly illustrations by Lee Holland. Along with counting, this padded cover board book teaches children to see the blessings in life. With whimsy and joy, Counting Blessings captures the attention of young children, filling their minds with numbers and their hearts with happiness.


My Review
I absolutely adore the illustrations in this little book! They just make me smile. I read this book with my six-year-old sister (I read a page, she read a page), and she enjoyed it and thought it was cute too.
The rhyming has a nice flow and I like the thought of counting blessings. The only negative I can see is that it’s not particularly a Christian book, in that there are no mentions of where these blessings come from–just that there are more than we can count. However, it would be simple for a parent to take the book and expound on it with their child about why we should count our blessings and that all blessings come from God.

*I received this book in exchange of my honest review from Book Look Bloggers*

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