Saturday, June 5, 2021

Prairie by Chautona Havig

About the Book

Book: Prairie

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fantasy

Release date: February 13, 2013

What if you could literally wish your life away?

My name is Jessa Davidson, and I awoke one day in the place of every dream I’ve ever had—the prairie. I don’t know how I got here or where here even is, but I know one thing for certain. I can’t go home again. Ever.

If I’ve learned one thing being in this beautiful place, it’s that no matter how perfect it and its people seem, sin lives in the hearts of men and women in Prairie, too. The differences between Prairie and Pittsburgh? There are too many to count.

I grew up hearing the words of the Apostle Paul. “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

Here in Prairie, they’re not a lesson. They’re a warning.

I’ve been given a gift—the greatest desire of my heart. A life in the place of my dreams, a chance at love and family, a sense of real belonging.

Can I hold onto it? Time will tell—time I may not have if I can’t learn to be content.

Prairie is the first book in the Journey of Dreams, a series of related but stand-alone contemporary Christian fantasy novels exploring truths in a whole new way.

My Thoughts:

This book intrigued me from the start. It is somewhat fantasy but doesn't have the creatures that I usually associate with fantasy. But it isn't 'reality' either. I really enjoyed the way the author writes, she is one of my favorites. Each type of story (because she does write many) has it's own distinct flair.

I loved Jessa. I will admit I felt a bit confused the first little bit of the book, but you just have to hang on for the author to show you everything. And trust me, you want to hang in there because the story is good! I can truly say it is unlike anything I've read before and I really enjoyed it.

4/5

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Author of the bestselling Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an
oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona

When Your Novel Teaches You an Important Lesson

I’ve told the story before, but I’ll tell it again. Prairie began as a dream. For several days in a row, I fell asleep and found myself lost in the sway of prairie grasses undulating to the strains of “Theme from a Summer Place.”

It’s a bad habit of mine, but despite being in the middle of a writing project, I wrote down my thoughts—my impressions. Two strange things happened.

First, the story came out in first person. Folks, I don’t write in first-person perspective. Not my novels, anyway. I don’t enjoy reading it, and I really don’t enjoy writing it.

Jessa, however, demanded I let her tell her story… her way. So I did. And it’s one of the fastest novels I’ve ever written.

There’s irony in that.

You see, I didn’t know where that story would go. My dream only replayed the scene of Jessa waking up on the prairie and not knowing how she got there—only knowing she could never go home. Beyond that, I hadn’t a clue.

And though I wanted to rush through so I could see where the story would take me, and though I wrote at breakneck speeds, the story unfolded at its own pace.

The people of Prairie live a different life from anything you’ve ever seen—and yet it is mostly very familiar. One thing, however, sets it apart.

Time.

Only in Prairie does time not work as it does here, and that changes everything. The story begins slowly and for a reason. Line by line, observation by observation, step by step through the grasses and down rutted lanes, the story draws you out of the breakneck speed of modern life and into a world that, if you aren’t careful, will whiz by faster than is even possible.

Here in our world, that is.

There… you’d better watch out.

Has anyone ever warned you not to wish your life away? It’s just a gentle reminder that if you’re always eager for today to end in hopes of a more exciting tomorrow, you may find you never lived.

In Prairie? It might actually happen.

Blog Stops

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 28

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 28

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 29

For the Love of Literature, May 30

Blogging With Carol, May 30

Texas Book-aholic, May 31

Inklings and notions, June 1

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, June 1

For Him and My Family, June 2

deb’s Book Review, June 3

Spoken from the Heart, June 3

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 4

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, June 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 7

Pause for Tales, June 7

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 8

Lots of Helpers, June 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 9

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, June 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of the book & a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca2/prairie-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, June 4, 2021

The Silver Shadow by Liz Tolsma

About the Book

Book: The Silver Shadow

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Historical/Suspense

Release date: May 2021

A Shadowy Figure Is Intent on Harming Denver’s Women

Book 11 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Denver of 1900 is still a dangerous place to be following the silver crash of 1893. And of out of the dark comes a shadow intent on harming women. Ambitious young Denver newspaper reporter Polly Blythe is searching for the big story that’s going to launch her career. On Friday evening, August 24, 1900, she gets her break when two women are cracked over the head within a two-minute walk of each other. But policeman Edwin Timmer thwarts Polly’s ideas of a serial criminal. . .until the shadowy figure strikes again. Will the reporter and the policeman team up to find the culprit before he strikes too close for comfort?

My Thoughts:

This was a good book. I've enjoyed reading these books in this series. They are fictional stories written about a true crime. This one was really great. I love the suspense and mystery. I hadn't heard about these crimes so this was all new to me.

I loved how she described and got into the story. It wasn't a breakneck speed, but it was a keep you completely engrossed kind of read. Polly was a great character and so was Edwin. Both realistic and so was their relationship, not instant but slow growing. This one may be my favorite in this series so far.

5/5

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance
novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

More from Liz

One of the most popular questions I’ve gotten from many readers of the True Colors Crime series is how do I come up with the ideas for the books? For the first two, Becky Germany, acquisitions editor at Barbour Publishing, had the ideas. That made my life easy. I just had to fictionalize it, and I had a book. But when I was putting together the proposals for The Gold Digger and The Silver Shadow, it was up to me to find the true crimes I wanted to use.

I went online and scoured historical crime blogs and books for ideas. I wanted crimes that I could work easily with, that made for compelling stories. As I was doing this, my husband and two daughters and I were driving home from Georgia. We were somewhere in Indiana. Don’t ask me why I remember this when I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, but I do.

And then on Google Books, I discovered a book about crimes the world had forgotten. The first one in there sounded so good. Not too grisly, something that no one would be able to guess the culprit very easily. It was perfect. Imagine my excitement when Becky told me they would be publishing The Silver Shadow.

Then I sat down to research it more. And I could hardly find anything! What? Where was all the information on this? There had to be more. That chapter in the one book couldn’t be all there was. He had to get his information from somewhere.

Eventually I did come across some articles from various Colorado newspapers with a few details. Not many at all. None from any of the Denver papers, even though that’s where the crimes were committed.

In the end, that’s all the information I discovered. In a way, it was freeing. I could write whatever I wanted, and no one would be the wiser. Even if they did some research and some digging, there wasn’t much to find. I was able to take the facts that I did have, combine that with what I found out about Denver in 1900, and put it together in a story. I tried to use historical details wherever I could, but of my four True Colors Crimes books, this is the most fictional of them all.

Blog Stops

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 25

lakesidelivingsite, May 25

Reviewingbooksplusmore, May 25

For the Love of Literature, May 26

Bigreadersite, May 26

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 26

Texas Book-aholic, May 27

Genesis 5020, May 27

Christian Bookaholic, May 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 28

Vicky Sluiter, May 28

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 28

The Write Escape, May 29

Betti Mace, May 29

Inklings and notions, May 29

Southern Gal Loves to Read, May 30

For Him and My Family, May 30

Rebecca Tews, May 30

Older & Smarter?, May 31

deb’s Book Review, May 31

Blogging With Carol, May 31

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 1

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, June 1

Remembrancy, June 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 2

Pick a Good Book, June 2

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, June 2

Connie’s History Classroom, June 3

Godly Book Reviews, June 3

Mary Hake, June 3

Through the Fire Blogs, June 4

Melissa Wardwells Back Porch Reads, June 4

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 4

KarenSueHadley, June 5

Amanda Tero, Blog, June 5

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 5

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 6

Grace-Filled Writer, June 6

Pause for Tales, June 6

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, June 7

Blossoms and Blessings, June 7

Daysong Reflections, June 7

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Liz is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and copy of The Silver Shadow!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10c96/the-silver-shadow-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, June 3, 2021

7 Divine Mysteries by Joshua Mill

About the Book

Book: 7 Divine Mysteries

Author: Joshua Mills

Genre: RELIGION / Christianity/Pentecostal & Charismatic

Release date: April 20, 2021

God’s abundance is waiting for you. Are you ready to go deeper?

There comes a point in our spiritual journey when we must no longer sit and wait. Instead, we need to stand up and walk boldly in God’s purposes for us. We have to progress toward the blessings and provision He has shown us in the glory realms.

There isn’t a single area of your life for which God does not have a promise of victory. He has proclaimed breakthroughs, blessings, and, yes, miracles. In 7 Divine Mysteries: Supernatural Secrets to Unlimited Abundance by Joshua Mills, you will find out how to connect to the manifest promises of God as you stretch your faith, work the Word, and allow the Spirit to lead you into overflowing abundance for spirit, soul, and body. The seven mysteries include the mystery of divine vision, the mystery of the seed, the mystery of working with angels, the mystery of gratitude, the mystery of divine connection, the mystery of divine placement and positioning, and the mystery of divine timing.

There is an entire realm of supernatural abundance just waiting for you to explore and put to work in your life. In these days, God is opening untapped abundance for restoration, healing, deliverance, relationships, finances, creative ideas, and more. Many people have been waiting for God to move in their lives, but He is waiting for us to move in faith toward His promises. We must activate what He has spoken to us about—or risk losing the opportunity. God is looking for men and women who will rise up and choose to receive every promise He has given.

As God’s children, we can confidently ask Him for miracles and provision in areas where we have experienced difficulty or lack in the past. We just need to give Him permission to upset the daily routine of our lives and let His glory flow from heaven to earth. Then, we need to take hold of our portion as it comes down from the throne.

Joshua Mills and his wife, Janet, have proven these seven scriptural principles in their own lives, and this book is filled with faith-building testimonies, practical keys, and activations for readers to apply directly to their own circumstances.

My Thoughts:

I'm going to say upfront that this isn't a book that I would recommend for most people I know simply because I don't believe as the author does on quite a few points. That being said, this is a book that you can tell the author is very passionate about and believes what he is saying. He laid everything out in an easy to read format and presented it well.

I know people interpret scriptures differently when it comes to certain things and try to keep an open mind about these things. The author put plenty of scripture in there to back up and support his positions. There was some that I agreed with, and others I simply didn't. Overall, it was an interesting read that I am glad I read because it showed a differing view point from mine.

It was a 3/5 for me.

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for my honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Joshua Mills is an internationally recognized ordained minister of the gospel, as well as a
recording artist, keynote conference speaker, and author of more than twenty books and spiritual training manuals. His recent books include Power Portals, Moving in Glory Realms, Seeing Angels, and Encountering Your Angels. He is well known for his unique insights into the glory realm, prophetic sound, and the supernatural atmosphere that he carries. For more than twenty years, he has helped people discover the life-shifting truths of salvation, healing, and deliverance for spirit, soul, and body. Joshua and his wife, Janet, cofounded International Glory Ministries and have ministered on six continents in over seventy-five nations. They have also been featured in several film documentaries and print articles, and have ministered to millions around the world through radio, television, and online webcasts. Their ministry is located in both Palm Springs, California, and London, Ontario, Canada, where they live with their three children: Lincoln, Liberty, and Legacy.

More from Joshua

There is an entire realm of supernatural abundance just waiting for you to explore and put to work in your life. In 7 Divine Mysteries: Supernatural Secrets to Unlimited Abundance by Joshua Mills, you will find out how to connect to the manifest promises of God as you stretch your faith, work the Word, and allow the Spirit to lead you into discovering overflowing abundance for spirit, soul, and body. The seven mysteries include the mystery of divine vision, the mystery of the seed, the mystery of working with angels, the mystery of gratitude, the mystery of divine connection, the mystery of divine placement and positioning, and the mystery of divine timing.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 27

Artistic Nobody, May 28 (Spotlight)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 28

Texas Book-aholic, May 29

Inklings and notions, May 30

Simple Harvest Reads, May 31 (Spotlight)

For Him and My Family, June 1

deb’s Book Review, June 2

Fiction Book Lover, June 3 (Spotlight)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 3

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 5

Booksy, June 6 (Spotlight)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 7

Spoken from the Heart, June 8 (Spotlight)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 9

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Joshua is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card, a copy of the book, and an additional surprise book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca1/7-divine-mysteries-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Lainey of the Door Islands by Judy Ducharme

About the Book

Book: Lainey of the Door Islands

Author: Judy Ducharme

Genre: Historical Fiction and Young Adult Fiction

Release date: July 24, 2020

Walk with Lainey into the world of Door County and its islands in the late 1800s, a time of
shipwrecks, lighthouses, and strong individuals who never gave up. Lainey becomes one of those rugged individuals as she faces tragedy and hardship. Her aunt and uncle, the lighthouse keepers on tiny Pilot Island, demonstrate the toughness needed to survive, but Lainey takes it a step further with her spunk and grace and becomes a shining light to all those around her. With humor, faith, close friendships and the young man who interferes with her ability to function, Lainey of the Door Islands will capture your heart, and she’ll inspire you to know that no matter what happens, God has a plan to prosper and not to harm.

My Thoughts:

This is a good YA historical book. You can tell the author has done research and loves the topic. I loved the pictures of the setting she painted with her words. That made me feel like I was there seeing the sights she was describing. Lainey is a good character. She just made me smile.

The book wasn't all up and joyful, there were some trials as well. I did like the lightheartedness strewn in and the fact that God and faith weren't shied away from was wonderful. I recommend this for middle grade and up. I enjoyed it as an adult and I think a younger audience would connect to Lainey a bit more. Overall, it was a good book that I'm glad I read.

It was a 3/5 for me.

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Judy DuCharme grew up with Lake Huron next to her back yard and has always loved the
water. She, her husband, daughter, and son moved to Door County in 1984. After teaching 5th Grade at Gibraltar School for 22 years, Judy followed the calling that tugged at her all her life to write. Lainey of the Door Islands is her 7th published book and she is the recipient of numerous awards. She also writes for Guideposts Magazine. If you visit Door County, you may find her hiking in the woods, jet skiing on the bay, worshipping at her church, teaching a Bible study, cheering for the Green Bay Packers, playing with her amazing grandson, or sitting outside enjoying the beauty around her.

More from Judy

Door County, where I live, is the destination of 3 million people in the summer and fall. Lainey of the Door Islands, my seventh published book, is the culmination of my desire to write a book about this wonderful area where I live. Tourists and residents alike love all things Door County, past and present. One day as I traveled on the ferry between Washington Island and the mainland of Door County and gazed out at tiny Pilot Island, I said again to myself, ‘I need to write a book about Door County’. I don’t recall if it was that day, the next, or two days later, but the story dropped into my spirit. I sat down at my computer and wrote well into the second chapter in one sitting. I said to my husband, “I’m writing and I can’t stop.”