Review + GIVEAWAY: Sit, Stay, Love

Sit, Stay, Love
By Dana Mentink
Love Unleashed, #1
Harvest House, 2016


Summary

Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you're ready for a lesson in love . . . Tippy style.

Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother's elderly dog, Tippy, he's quick to call on a pet-sitting service.

Gina isn't thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can't abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.

As Gina travels through Cal's world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too . . .

Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together.


My thoughts

Refreshingly different, funny, touching, romantic, heartwarming . . . Sit, Stay, Love resulted in one of the most pleasant reading experiences I’ve ever had, contrary to what I might have feared when choosing to review it. For one thing, I love dogs – other people’s dogs, that is. And I’m not particularly fond of baseball. But none of that mattered because I was entranced with characters and storyline from the first page – and Tippy, of course, for “There’s just something about Tippy.”

Cal and Gina are so easy to relate to, and I was drawn to them from the beginning. Cal’s emotional and spiritual growth from one chapter to another make this story especially enjoyable. I loved the slowly-growing relationship and sweet chemistry between these two. And strong secondary characters in Cal’s uncle, aunt and dad – Oscar, Sweets, and Mitch – add so much richness.

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        Cal was adrift at what Pete seemed to be asking him to do.“I don’t like dogs that don’t work for their keep.”

        “You make a seven-figure salary. Hire someone to like her for you.”

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Enter Gina, pet sitter extraordinaire. Sometimes I come across characters that I wish were real so I could actually meet them, and one of those would be Gina. She radiates a faith in God, humor, genuineness, and is a natural with people. To Cal, “It was like she had the sun inside her, energy which pulled him closer and warmed him.”

Gina’s faith is real and I loved the influence she had on Cal, helping him to realize that pitching was just his job, and that family was his world. Themes of forgiveness and second chances are also explored through the relationship between Cal and his dad.

I love Dana’s passion for senior pets and how she brings awareness to all they have to offer. Please note that part of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.

I give Sit, Stay, Love 5 stars based on my personal enjoyment factor and highly recommend it – for, after all . . .

There’s just something about Tippy.

My review on Amazon (Helpful marks are always appreciated!)

Book #2, Fetching Sweetness, releases August 1, 2016.

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        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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Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, as well as a giveaway copy.

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Review: More Than a Promise

More Than a Promise
By Ruth Logan Herne
Franciscan Media, 2016
Genre: Christian, Contemporary, Romance
292 pages


Summary

"My Three Sons"... Naughty sons, at that!... meets "Sarah, Plain and Tall" in this delightful marriage of convenience story that shows how amazingly inconvenient love... and life... can be!

Widower Matt Wilmot is in trouble. His boys are causing chaos and wreaking havoc, his former mother-in-law is threatening to sue for custody, his father just had heart surgery and their family company is liable for a huge balloon payment on a loan his father took out to expand the business the previous year. But rain and illness took their toll, and Matt is having a rough time spinning multiple plates in the air.

​But when he discovers Elle Drake next door, a woman with a wonderful hand at managing errant boys, cranky relatives, and frustrated men... Matt's world suddenly tips back into a more normal orbit. And when drastic measures are required, it's the girl next door who's there to save the day.

Elle Drake wanted nothing more than to create beautiful pottery and have a family, but when her millionaire husband publicly dumped the renowned artist for another woman, Elle moves back to Cedar Mills to start anew, the spinster artist with her big potting shed. But when her to-die-for good-looking neighbor thinks marriage is a good idea, Elle figures he's either crazy, desperate or right.

But a marriage of convenience can become its own conundrum, and when life takes sudden turns, can this marriage become all that they bargained for? And maybe more than a promise?


My thoughts

Ruth Logan Herne writes the kind of stories that I like to read – stories with a tender poignancy that will resonate with any reader. I’ve read two of her books this week, completely different on the surface, but with the same heartfelt emotion and rich, complex characterization. I’m not sure how to describe it, but there’s that special “something” that elevates Ruth’s writing in my opinion. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that, instead of standing on the outside watching the action, Ruth draws you right into their lives.

More Than a Promise is a heartwarming love story with great chemistry and conflicting emotions between Matt and Elle, but it’s so much more. One of my reviewer friends, Kav, described it as “rollicking fun, achingly sweet and peppered with large doses of love and laughter” … and I’d have to agree. There are several laugh-out-loud moments, coupled with themes of forgiveness, overcoming the grip of fear caused by past events, and acceptance.

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If the Wilmots were a hashtag,

they’d rock the “trending now” list daily.

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Matt and Elle are sympathetic, appealing characters. Matt works too hard and long, carries the burden of financial responsibilities in the family business, is often clueless as a dad, but loves his boys with all that’s in him. Elle is the no nonsense type, willing to meet things head on, felt that she’d been “born the ugly duckling in a family of swans,” and brought laughter back into the lives of Matt and his boys. Elle is a most memorable character. I loved her wisdom, courage to confront, and her giving heart.

And then there’s Matt’s boys.  Todd, Randy and Amos just leap off the printed page and straight into your heart, making me want to wrap my arms around each of them. Todd, the oldest, is a lost soul and in need of a friend. Little Amos is gentle, kind and giving. But Randy “carried his anger like a coat of armor, still and unyielding” – and the way he defended a classmate was amazing. All three boys are heart stealers, and Elle’s gift for connecting with them is precious.

I particularly loved how a good bit of this story takes place after Matt and Elle marry, for I enjoy going beyond the “I do” and seeing couples grow closer as they deal with conflict and draw nearer to God at the same time. The Catholic faith of this family is a very real and natural part of this story.

More Than a Promise is an uplifting, true-to-life story that pulls at the heartstrings – an exquisite read. 5+ stars, best of the best. Highly recommended.

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Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne loves God, her family, her country, dogs, chocolate and coffee! A country gal with a heart for the big city, Ruthy likes nothing more than to write the kind of books she loves to read, and she's even more happy that now she gets paid to do it! She's been married for a Very Long Time and she and her husband Dave live on a small farm in upstate New York where lake effect snow buries them on a regular basis in winter. But that's all right... it gives her more time to write!

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Thank you to Singing Librarian Tours for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Back in the Saddle

Back in the Saddle
By Ruth Logan Herne
Double S Ranch, #1
Multnomah Books, 2016


Summary

It’s been a long time since Colt Stafford shrugged off his cowboy legacy for shiny Manhattan loafers and a promising career on Wall Street. But when stock market manipulations leave him financially strapped, the oldest son of legendary rancher Sam Stafford decides to return to the sprawling Double S ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington. He’s broke, but not broken, and it’s time to check in with his ailing father, and get his legs back under him by climbing into the saddle again.

He doesn’t expect to come home to a stranger pointing a loaded gun at his chest— a tough yet beautiful woman that Sam hired as the house manager. Colt senses there’s more to Angelina Morales than meets the eye and he’s determined to find out what she’s hiding...and why.

Colt’s return brings new challenges. Younger brother Nick has been Sam’s right-hand man at the ranch for years and isn’t thrilled at having Colt insert himself into Double S affairs. And the ranch’s contentious relationship with the citizens of Gray’s Glen asks all the Stafford men to examine their hearts about what it truly means to be a neighbor. And as Wall Street recovers, will Colt succumb to the call of the financial district’s wealth and power—or finally the courage to stay in the saddle for good?

My Thoughts

I am thrilled to have discovered the writing of Ruth Logan Herne, for she has quickly earned a place on my list of favorite authors. I’ve always been drawn to relationship stories and Ruth writes this style extremely well, creating a memorable cast of characters who immediately captured me emotionally. When a series is developed around one family, the first book can sometimes be overwhelming as all the characters are introduced, but Ruth has done one of the best jobs I’ve ever seen in creating a strong family ensemble that readers can very easily connect with.

In a novel that combines inspiration from the biblical Prodigal Son story with a little taste of TV’s Bonanza, Ruth draws us into day-to-day life on the Stafford family’s Double S Ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington. We see a broken family, headed by a tough, arrogant father who has found Christ and longs to set things right with his sons and the community in the time he has left. Tension is strong as the intricacies of father/son and brother-to-brother relationships are explored. Ruth’s writing flows smoothly and the accurate way she portrays family life captured my attention throughout.

Sam Stafford, a proud man who had built a cattle empire at the expense of his children, had 30 years’ worth of fence mending to do with his sons. The oldest, Colt, “had been wearing bitterness like comfortable shoes.” But what a character! He’s brilliant and intuitive, a lot like his father in both good and bad ways, and it’s great to see him soften gradually as he and Sam grow closer to each other and to God. Angelina, Sam’s household manager, is a strong, sympathetic character who I instantly felt for. Faith and family are everything to her, and she has made a huge difference in the lives of the Staffords. I wish Colt and Angelina could have spent more time together as the story progressed, but she is the perfect counterpart to Colt and there is plenty of romantic tension. One of the most touching scenes was when Colt brought Noah and Isabo, Angelina’s son and mother, to the ranch.

Colt’s brothers add to the complexity of this story and I’m eager to see all that develops with them through the series. Nick, who is trying to raise two precious daughters, doesn’t have an easy time with Colt’s return. Trey is a country music superstar with a strong faith, so there’s lots to anticipate!

I found this description of the brothers’ faith interesting because it is such a true reflection of life . . . “Trey owned his faith. It was clear in his eyes, his countenance, and the folded hands in prayer. Nick tolerated the idea of faith because he was a father and that’s what fathers were supposed to do. Colt fought the idea of handing over his hard-won control to anything or anyone, a true questioner.”

We often see how people can experience the same thing, yet turn out completely different, as with Colt, Nick, and Trey. But I also think these three attitudes can be found in the same person, depending on life’s circumstances – for although my faith is strong, there are times when I have found myself going through the expected motions, and even struggling to give God control.

Back in the Saddle is a moving and complex story of family dynamics and a forgiving God who gives second chances, a 5-star read all the way for me. Highly recommended.

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Ruth Logan Herne has more than half a million books in print, including fifteen Love Inspired contemporary novels. Back in the Saddle is the first book in her new western romance series. Ruth is a founding member of Seekerville, a popular writing collective blog. A country girl who loves the big city, Ruth and her husband live on a farm in upstate New York.

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Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Gift of Friendship

The Gift of Friendship
Edited by Dawn Camp
Revell, 2016


Summary

Sharing secrets. Laughing until it hurts. Hugging through tears. True friends are one of God's greatest gifts.

Whether next door or in the next time zone, our friends provide some of our most important relationships. We cherish time spent with them, bemoan time spent apart, and look forward to the next time we can have coffee or rush to greet them as they walk toward our door. And nothing warms our hearts like stories of true friendship.

Collecting over fifty true stories from some of today best writers, Dawn Camp offers readers a chance to sit back and experience the gift of friendship. With its beautiful photographs and poignant prose, this collection is a great gift for a dear friend and the perfect pick-me-up any time you need a boost. Contributors include Crystal Paine, Liz Curtis Higgs, Tsh Oxenreider, Myquillyn Smith, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Lisa-Jo Baker, Jessica Turner, Lysa TerKeurst, Bonnie Gray, Holley Gerth, Renee Swope, and many more.


My thoughts

I tend to be an introvert, so this book really spoke to me. Not that I don’t have friends, because I do; but I often fail to stay connected with them like I should. In fact, I wasn’t very far into this collection before I stopped to phone and write notes to a few of those special people in my life, and was greatly blessed as a result.

The Gift of Friendship is an inspirational collection from several of today’s popular writers, edited by Dawn Camp, and also includes beautiful photography by her as well. Included are such topics as Building Community, It Takes a Friend to Be a Friend, Hospitality, Vulnerability, and Making a Difference. I’m familiar with a few ladies who contributed to this collection, and I made new “friends” at the same time. I recommend reading The Gift of Friendship slowly, a chapter at a time, and you’ll discover that the experience is similar to surrounding yourself with a group of encouragers.

Rather than trying to describe this book further, let me point out a few things that I found especially touching . . .

• I have been surprised at how close relationships can be formed online, so I appreciated Dawn’s words in the Introduction:  “Don’t let anyone tell you that a friendship that begins online must lack a foundation. Treasure friendship in whatever form it takes.”
• Francie Winslow talks about the importance of deepening our relationships in a world of high-tech social media where we are “connected – but rarely known.”
• I loved the humorous experience Liz Curtis Higgs shared about her friend’s friendship bread and starter dough, resulting in this reflection:  “Sometimes the best friendships get off to a messy start. Just keep squeezing, add the right ingredients, and let it bake until done. Delicious.”
• Sarah Forgrave uses the beautiful analogy of a quilt to illustrate the give and take of friendship:  “Some of the fabrics were colorful and vibrant, while others faded into the background or had frayed around the edges. The quilt maker took these frayed pieces and stitched them next to a sturdy piece. As each scrap of cloth connected with another, the weak ones became stronger, until the squares were stitched together to form a quilt. A quilt with no evidence of frayed edges. A quilt as beautiful as its most vibrant pattern.” My takeaway is that when I’m weak, I need to share with a trusted friend(s), letting others come alongside me and trim off my frayed edges. When I’m strong, God stitches me next to someone else to hold them together.
• I especially enjoyed Dawn Camp’s personal stories that are scattered throughout this collection. In one chapter, she describes how people reached out to those in need during a southern ice storm, how “tragedy breeds everyday heroes.” I could definitely relate to that, as I live in Georgia! In another chapter, she encouraged me to find a safe place by looking for someone I can trust - and, at the same time, to be a safe place for friends who need to talk. In the last chapter, Dawn talks about mother/daughter closeness, ending with an anonymous quote that perfectly describes the precious relationship my mom and I had:  “A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.”

The Gift of Friendship is a great book for personal reading, but would also make a wonderful gift for a special friend. Highly recommended.

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Dawn Camp is the camera-toting, homeschooling mother of eight children. A featured blogger at (in)courage, her beautiful photography previously graced their monthly calendar and currently decorates the desktops of women around the world. Camp blogs at MyHomeSweetHomeOnline.net and is a featured photographer on Adobe's website for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software. She lives with her family in metro Atlanta.

Thank you to Revell for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: A Twist of Faith

A Twist of Faith
By Pepper Basham
Mitchell’s Crossroads, #1
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 2016
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Number of pages: 308


Summary

A witty, sweet romance with memorable, honest characters. Love does not have an accent . . .

Dr. Adelina Roseland has worked ten years in research as an accent reduction specialist to attain her dream job. But a secret wager to transform Appalachian cattle farmer Reese Mitchell into corporate material challenges Adelina in ways she never expected, threatening her new position.

For one, Adelina didn't plan for the faith and friction of Reese, or the unexpected influence of his chaotic family. Now, drawn into a culture she'd tried to forget, Adelina finds the warmth of family, the hope of faith, and the joy of love melting away the deep wounds of her past.

But when Reese discovers that he's a pawn in her climb up the academic ladder, will he forgive Adelina s deceit or will their miscommunication end in two broken lives?

Amazon purchase link: http://amzn.to/1Tf0nDF


My thoughts

A Twist of Faith is a fantastic story! Whether you look upon it as shades of My Fair Lady with a modern Appalachian twist, or just a moving, poignant story with lots of heart, you are sure to be entertained as you fall in love with this Virginia setting and wonderfully real characters.

I can’t explain what it is about Appalachia, but ever since reading Catherine Marshall’s Christy many years ago, I’ve been drawn to stories with this setting. Pepper has done a beautiful job conveying the essence of the Blue Ridge mountain community and the people that inhabit it. A Twist of Faith is laced with humorous situations and dialogue, a swoon-worthy hero, and delightful chemistry between Reese and Dee, but at its very heart are the elements that define true Christian fiction:  faith, family, redemption.

While I’ve always been crazy about the Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, My Fair Lady has never been my favorite because I know that one person’s motives aren’t pure and the other person is going to get hurt. And that’s the case with Reese and Dee, but Pepper weaves everything together in a way that I loved. The idea of Dee working to improve Reese’s language skills was fascinating because my family ancestry is that of the north Georgia mountains, so I grew up hearing people talk this way.

The characters of Mitchell’s Crossing are the type of people you’d want for your friends in real life, and they are well drawn and complex. Secondary characters are so rich that they often stole the show, and they beg for future development in this series. I’m a cat person myself, but I fell in love with a dog named Haus. I don’t know if dogs can actually grin, but Haus seemed to have that endearing ability.

Amidst all the humor, sweet romance and electrifying chemistry is the beauty of Dee’s transformation – such as watching her laugh for the first time in years and experience a forgiveness that had no requirements. A Twist of Faith was hard to put down and I eagerly await all that is to come in this series. Highly recommended.

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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley.

Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, with the second arriving in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in April 2016.

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Thank you to Pepper Basham and Singing Librarian Tours for providing a PDF copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Covered Bridge Charm

Covered Bridge Charm
By Dianne Christner
Shiloh Run Press, 2016


Summary

Carly Blosser may not match the typical description of a conservative Mennonite woman—unmarried at 27, living alone, and careening around her Oregon neighborhood on a pink bicycle—but she has a soft heart for the elderly Mennonite residents at Sweet Life Assisted Living Facility, where she works as a caregiver.

When Carly’s plans for a new volunteer program go awry, she shifts her focus to one lonely resident named Martha. Adam Lapp, a wood shop instructor at Sweet Life, joins with Carly to reunite Martha with an old flame before her 85th birthday.

Carly and Adam’s hunt involves carved initials on covered bridges, digging up the past, and the appearance of a newcomer, who hinders the budding romance between the two. Soon, new clues sweep them all in a harried race to the finish line where love is sure to be the ultimate prize.


My thoughts

Dianne Christner has penned a lovely story that is uniquely different and quite entertaining. Covered Bridge Charm, set in the Oregon Mennonite community, has rich characterization, spiritual depth, and is a story with heart. I’m so glad to have discovered Dianne’s writing.

Carly and Adam both work at the Sweet Life Assisted Living Facility and captured my heart with their empathy for the elderly. Adam, who teaches a woodworking class, finds himself caught in the middle between his dad and uncle in their ongoing feud. And Carly is quite the character! While some consider her to be a little independent and strong willed for a Conservative Mennonite, no one can fault her heart and passion for the assisted living residents. I love that she rides a pink bicycle everywhere, often getting in situations that require Adam to give her a lift in his truck. And she has the most adorable pet, a unicorn lop rabbit with one ear up and one down – a rescue bunny that “had always been on the nippy side when he didn’t get his way.” I loved seeing how there was a hierarchy in Cocoa’s world, and let’s just say that Carly was not at the top.

Dianne writes with a gentle humor and compassion for the assisted living residents and I easily became involved in their lives. That the staff had descriptive names for them was so cute – like Nines (due to dress style), General, Magnificent, and Klepto (no explanation needed). Carly was clever at finding ways to reduce their loneliness and particularly touching was her encouragement that Martha read from the Psalms to her friend, Dot, who suffered from dementia. I appreciated these words of Dianne from her Goodreads page . . . “Covered Bridge Charm was birthed from my experience as a caregiver for elderly in-laws. This experience stirred up a passion against the aging process and the pain and humiliation which accompanies it.”

Covered Bridge Charm is a heartwarming story of relationships, and I loved the chemistry between Adam and Carly. There’s a lot of interesting secondary characters who add to the richness of this story, so I hope we get to return to this Mennonite community.

Recommended.

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Dianne Christner - Christian Fiction Author - writes Christian romance novels. She writes both historicals and Amish fiction. Raised in the Mennonite church, she brings authenticity to "The Plain City Bridesmaids" series.

She keeps a lighthearted reality blog called plaingirl romanticizing. Her passion is reading and connecting with other readers and writers.

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Thank you to Barbour for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.