Monday, May 7, 2018

Review (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): Love Unexpected by


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Love, Unexpected
(Two Moon Bay #3)
By Virginia McCullough
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
May 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming

 Moving to a new place isn’t easy…

 Until a neglected ship and its owner make her feel at home

After spying a boat in need of some TLC, single mom Andi Sterling strikes a deal with its owner, Zeke Donovan, who shares her passion for restoring old things. Uncovering the legendary ship’s secrets draws them closer. Is it too soon for Andi to open her heart to the chance to build new dreams?

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│Harlequin│iBooks│Kobo│GooglePlay


My Thoughts

There's a lot to like in this sweet romance by Virginia McCullough, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Andi and Zeke in Love, Unexpected. The beautiful setting of Wisconsin's Two Moon Bay community is beautifully conveyed, and I especially liked how characters from two previous books, Miles/Lark and Jarrod/Dawn, are woven into this story, making me eager to read them also.

The overarching theme is restoration – restoring something’s original beauty – but the application goes deeper than physical objects. Having recently moved to Two Moon Bay, Andi discovers an old yacht while on an evening walk one day. And in that yacht, Andi saw its comeback potential … “kind of like an old band getting back together to relive the glory days.” I could see the Drifting Dreamer’s emerging beauty as Andi worked, and also enjoyed her exploration of the boat’s history.

That the Drifting Dreamer had a background of unfilled dreams deftly plays into Andi and Zeke’s story. These two share a sweet chemistry almost from the first meeting, and it was refreshing to read a romance where the couple isn’t always fighting or plagued with misunderstandings. There’s still plenty of tension, however, for Andi hasn’t made the wisest of marriage decisions in the past and Zeke’s dad, a loveable character, has some mental disabilities caused by a childhood injury. I loved how everything comes together, making the story’s restoration theme not only about Drifting Dreamer, but Andi’s dreams as well.

Love, Unexpected is a sweet, heartwarming story and I look forward to more entertaining reading from Virginia McCullough.

Recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Prism Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.


Other Books in the Series

Girl in the Spotlight
(Two Moon Bay #1)
By Virginia McCullough
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
June 1st 2017 by Harlequin Heartwarming

The daughter they never knew

When Miles Jenkins sees the graceful young figure skater on TV, he can't believe how much she resembles Lark McGee, the girl he dated briefly in college. Could this aspiring star be the child Lark gave up for adoption eighteen years ago? He has to find out.

Locating Lark ignites conflicting emotions in Miles—including regrets for what might have been and romantic feelings that take the two single parents by surprise. As they prepare to meet their daughter, this deeper connection between the two just might be the chance at love they never got.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│iBooks│Kobo│GooglePlay

Something to Treasure
(Two Moon Bay #2)
By Virginia McCullough
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
January 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming

If anyone can save him, she’s the one

Jerrod Walters hopes relocating to the coastal town of Two Moon Bay can be the fresh start he and his young daughter need. But the single dad is caught off guard when a beautiful PR professional offers to promote his diving excursions to legendary shipwreck sites. There’s so much he admires about Dawn Larson, starting with the woman’s upbeat, can-do personality. Dawn’s boundless capacity for joy might be the only thing capable of bringing him back to life after his tragic loss…



About the Author

A writer all her adult life, Virginia McCullough has had the opportunity to write the stories of her heart in her novels, including Girl in the Spotlight, the first book in her Two Moon Bay series for Harlequin Heartwarming. (Book 2 is scheduled for release in January 2018). Her award-winning romance and women’s fiction titles include The Jacks of Her Heart, Amber Light, Greta’s Grace, The Chapels on the Hill, and Island Healing.

Born and raised in Chicago, Virginia has been lucky enough to develop her writing career in many locations, including the coast of Maine, the mountains of North Carolina, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and currently, Northeast Wisconsin. She started her career in nonfiction, first writing articles and then books as a ghostwriter and coauthor. She’s written more than 100 books for physicians, business owners, professional speakers and many others with information to share or a story to tell.

Virginia’s books feature characters who could be your neighbors and friends. They come in all ages and struggle with everyday life issues in small-town environments that almost always include water—oceans, lakes, or rivers. The mother of two grown children, you’ll find Virginia with her nose a book, walking on trails or her neighborhood street, or she may be packing her bag to take off for her next adventure. And she’s always working on another story about hope, healing, and second chances.
Tour Giveaway

1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card and the pictured Handfelted Wool Bowl and Gemstones (US only):

Description: A beautiful handfelted wool bowl filled with colorful gemstones to add a little beauty to your home. The bowl contains a small amethyst cluster from Uruguay which is generally used in rooms where people tend to congregate such as kitchens and family rooms. It is said to bring about peace and open communication. The bowl also includes a pink chunk of rose quartz from Brazil as a reminder of love and healing, a candle quartz crystal crystal from Madagascar said to make anyone who enters your home feel welcome, a pretty piece of blue lace agate from Southwest Africa to help create relaxing and accepting energy near your front door, a deep blue apatite heart from Sri Lanka to encourage the sharing of feelings and tangerine quartz from Brazil for information retention and perfect for your office, study or a student's room.

Ends May 16th

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Grab Our Button!
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Friday, May 4, 2018

Review (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): Cake & Punishment by Maymee Bell




Cake & Punishment
By Maymee Bell
A Southern Cake Baker Mystery #1
Crooked Lane Books, 2018
Summary

 In the first of a delectable new Southern-set baking cozy series, Sophia Cummings, pastry chef extraordinaire, must craft the perfect cake for an old friend’s wedding while sifting through the suspects in a murder.

 Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef. Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York City. She’s not there a minute before she’s charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte’s wedding cake. The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile’s body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast iron skillet on the floor close by.

 With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it’s not Emile’s. She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager, who needs an interim chef. The mood in the country club is grim: Emile’s peppery personality had burned members and staff alike. Sophia wonders which one of them burned him?
Amazon  B&N   Kobo


My thoughts

 Cake & Punishment, book #1 in Maymee Bell’s new series, is a delightfully satisfying cozy mystery. The “city girl returning to her small hometown” theme that works so well for Hallmark works here also. It’s easy to feel Sophia’s uncertainty … go back to her job at The Manhattan in NYC job or put down roots in Rumford, Kentucky? The setting and community are so appealing that I’d love to visit and eat one of Sophia’s Red Velvet Crunchies.

 There’s also plenty of southern charm and humor to go around. Sophia’s mom, Bitsy, is one of my favorite characters, for she embodies the warmth, charm, and traditions of a true southern lady. I’m pretty sure that, like my own mom, she would have put away her white shoes and handbag on Labor Day and dutifully brought them out again on Easter.

 Friendships with ladies like Charlotte and Madison also play a big part in this story, as they lend a sense of bonding and community. Some good chemistry between Sophia and Sheriff Carter suggests that a relationship might be developing for them.

 And then there’s the murder mystery itself. Rarely do I pick up on hints the author might scatter here or there, but I did notice one little thing that caused me to wonder about halfway through. However, I was actually more interested in whether or not Charlotte’s wedding took place than the whodunit part – but let me quickly say that this is a well-crafted mystery.

 The only thing I didn’t care for was the occasional use of profanity.

 I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
_________________________
Maymee Bell is the pen name of USA Today Bestselling author Tonya Kappes. 

 She lives in Kentucky with her family and her two schnauzers. She likes strong coffee, slow-country days, and fresh-baked cookies – but she like telling stores best of all. 

 This is her first SOUTHERN BAKER MYSTERY.




____________________

GIVEAWAY

An Amazon Kindle!!

Click on the image above or the link below to enter.
Giveaway ends May 10.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/55df6ee651/


Blog Tour

April 25 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 25 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
April 26 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
April 26 – Bibliophile Reviews –  REVIEW
April 27 – The Book Diva’s Reads –  CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 27 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
April 28 – Ms. Cat’s Honest World – REVIEW
April 28 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 29 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
April 30 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
April 30 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
May 1 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
May 1 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 2 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 3 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
May 3 – Valerie’s Musings – GUEST POST
May 4 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
May 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 5 – Varietats – REVIEW
May 6 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
May 7 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW
May 7 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST
May 8 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 8 – Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder – RECIPE POST
May 9 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, GUEST POST
May 10 – That’s What She’s Reading – REVIEW, GUEST POST
May 10 – Bookworm Cafe – REVIEW
May 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, RECIPE POST
May 11 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Review (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): Falling for You by Becky Wade


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Falling for You
(A Bradford Sisters Romance #2)
By Becky Wade
Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 368 pages
May 1st 2018 by Bethany House Publishers

Famously beautiful model Willow Bradford is taking a temporary break from her hectic schedule to work as the innkeeper at her family's small-town bed-and-breakfast. She was enjoying the peace of her hometown, Merryweather, Washington, right up until she came face-to-face with Corbin Stewart, the man she loves to hate. A thoughtful rule-follower by nature, Willow threw caution to the wind four years ago when she entrusted her heart to Corbin--and suffered the consequences when it all fell apart.

Former NFL quarterback Corbin is forceful, charming, and accustomed to getting what he wants . . . except where Willow Bradford is concerned. Unable to forget her, he's never stopped regretting what happened between them. When their paths unexpectedly cross again, he's determined to make her give him a second chance.

When a decades-old missing persons case finds Corbin and Willow working together, they're forced to confront their past and who they've become--and whether they can risk falling for one another all over again.



My Thoughts

For the best in contemporary romance, Becky Wade delivers every single time. I could never pick a favorite book because whatever I’m reading at the time is best, and that’s surely the case with Becky’s newest, Falling for You. In fact, it presented me with a conundrum … should I quickly read this story that totally captivated me, or proceed at a slower pace, so as to enjoy these characters longer and not miss a single nuance?

 I really had no choice but to choose the latter because Falling for You is that good – and because of that, I haven’t quite finished. But I can say that there is rich characterization, complexity, and humor in this multi-layered story that builds on a previous relationship between Willow and Corbin. As the children of parents who had abandoned them, both are such lovingly flawed characters! Willow’s actions are fueled by her efforts to gain love by being the “good” daughter, and Corbin can’t resist her calm confidence. Corbin was “a veteran at every pleasure the world had to offer” and, in the beginning, “was about as trustworthy as a toddler with a permanent marker.”

 Wade is a master at blending description with humor. Here’s just one example in this scene where Willow sees Corbin’s home for the first time: “His home was seducing her the way cream seduced cats … It whispered to her, this house. It spoke of history, style, and spaces that waited for children.”

 Twelve-year-old Charlotte stole my heart as she convinced Willow and Corbin to help investigate a “cold case” disappearance in her family. The relationship between Corbin and his dad adds another emotional theme to the story. And the beauty of God’s grace is present on every page.

 Falling for You is an outstanding story in every way and I hope we’ll see Britt’s story soon.

 Highly recommended.

 I received a copy of this book through Prism Book Tours and Becky Wade. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.


Other Books in the Series



About the Author


Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance! She’s the Christy Award and Carol Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.


April 30th:
May 1st:
May 2nd:
May 3rd:
May 4th:
May 7th:
May 8th:
Facebook Party at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT
May 9th:
May 10th:
May 11th:
May 12th: Grand Finale


Tour Giveaway


Celebrate the release of Becky Wade's Falling for You by entering to win a fabulous prize pack that includes some of Willow Bradford's favorite things!

One grand prize winner will receive*:
  • A model-worthy Kate Spade bracelet
  • A $100 cash card (so you can feed a housewares and home décor addiction like Willow’s)
  • A Seattle Candle Co. candle (that smells just like the setting of the book)
  • Roasted in Seattle Rainy Day Coffee
  • A delicious scone mix (so that you can enjoy scones just like Willow and Corbin do while having high tea)
  • Cozy book-lover socks
  • And of course, a copy of Falling for You
Two runner up winners will receive*:
  • A Seattle Candle Co. candle (that smells just like the setting of the book)
  • A copy of Falling for You
*Due to shipping costs, US entrants only.



Grab Our Button!
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Review (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): The Doctor's Recovery by Cari Lynn Webb


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Doctor's Recovery
(City by the Bay Stories #1)
By Cari Lynn Webb
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
May 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming

When a doctor and a filmmaker reconnect…

 Just who is healing whom?

 Two years ago, Dr. Wyatt Reid shared an unforgettable goodbye kiss with Mia Fiore. Now a scuba diving accident brings the daredevil documentary filmmaker into his San Francisco ER. Could this be their shot at a real relationship? But Wyatt, haunted by family tragedy, saves lives, and Mia risks hers every day. Can they find the way to a future on both their terms?



My Thoughts

The Doctor’s Recovery by Cari Lynn Webb is my kind of story – rich in character depth and relationship drama – and I enjoyed it very much. There’s a complexity to lead characters Mia and Wyatt, much of it drawing from past events in their lives. San Francisco’s Bay area provides a vivid backdrop for the story, and there’s a great supporting cast as well.

 A relationship between Mia and Wyatt had begun to grow when they met previously in Africa, but neither seemed willing to sacrifice for the other. The story opens as Mia, who “embraced danger and dared life to challenge her more,” finds herself in Wyatt’s ER after a life-threatening diving injury. Daughter of a famous documentary film maker, Mia had always sought her father’s love by trying to be all that he was and carry on his legacy, only to never quite succeed. This quote says it all …

 Mia worked every day to prove she was more than enough to step into her father’s illustrious shoes, despite the doubts from the network, the film industry and even her own crew. She’d prove herself, keep her promise to her father, and then she’d be fulfilled. She’d finally be good enough. And that would be enough.

 A secondary character that I fell in love with is Helen, Wyatt’s mother. Their love for each other is also complicated due to the tragic loss of Wyatt’s brother some time past, and her plants literally became therapeutic for her. According to Wyatt, “her greenhouse was a sacred place; everything inside those glassed walls was her family now.” I loved the natural talent of this plant whisperer, and the close relationship that grew between Helen and Mia was so heartwarming to watch.

 I loved the relational depth to this story, but wish the narrative had been a little tighter, with less rehashing of thoughts, which would have increased the pacing. Still an excellent story over, emotional and touching. I definitely want to read more by Cari Lynn Webb.

 I received a copy of this book through Prism Book Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.


About the Author


Cari Lynn Webb lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughters and assorted four-legged family members. She's been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparent's 70 year marriage and her parent's marriage of over 50 years. She knows love isn't always sweet and perfect, it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers. Visit her at her website.



Tour Giveaway


- 1 winner will receive a signed copy of The Charm Offensive, a Two Tone Sterling Silver Diamond Accent Heartbeat Necklace, and some Spring Candy (open to US only)
- 1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon e-gift (open internationally)
- Ends May 9th

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Grab Our Button!

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)