Thursday, May 27, 2021

Autumn's Harmony by Donna Wyland

About the Book

Book: Autumn’s Harmony

Author: Donna Wyland

Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction

Release date: October 20, 2020

For every woman who has ever desired

to make sense of her past, find joy in

the present, and discover God’s purpose

for her future.

Anna Bentley needs a new life. Struggling in a long-term marriage with two children and carrying a secret that stole her joy many years ago, she begins to search for the key to happiness in marriage and in life. When peach martinis, lacy lingerie and Nicholas Sparks novels fail to quell her discontent and spice up her failing marriage, she finds what she was looking for in the most unlikely place.

Autumn’s Harmony is a poignant and witty tale about the healing power of forgiveness, reconciliation and new beginnings.

My Thoughts:

To be honest, when I started reading this book, I wasn't sure what I was reading. It read a bit more like nonChristian fiction book, but I kept reading and I'm glad I did. There was a lot in there to learn from and to realize. Not everyone is a Christian when their stories 'start'. I like the way the author writes, the style just kinda pulled me in.

Anna has a lot to deal with and the story is laid out really well. I liked some of the other characters and the story was a quick read. I'm not sure because of some of the things in it, I would recommend it but to people I know that sort of thing wouldn't offend. I mean it is written as real life and the characters are realistic, I just wouldn't want anyone who would be offended by that to read it.

It was a 4/5 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

Donna Wyland is an award-winning author whose personal essays and poetry have appeared in numerous publications. Her published work includes picture books, Your Home in Heaven and If I Could Ask Jesus, and a gift book titled Surrender. Donna is a mother and grandmother, and she lives in the Midwest with her husband surrounded by quilts, crafts, and oodles of books. To learn more, visit www.freetobe.faith or connect with Donna on LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest.

More from Donna

Anna Bentley needs a new beginning. Most women have felt the same way at one time or another. When life is routine and marriage & family are a struggle, where can you find true happiness? Anna discovers her new beginning in an unlikely place – the same place I found mine when I was thirty-three. Join Anna on her journey to reignite the happiness in you.

Blog Stops

lakesidelivingsite, May 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 19

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 20

Genesis 5020, May 20

Texas Book-aholic, May 21

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 22

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 23

Spoken from the Heart, May 23

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 24

deb’s Book Review, May 25

HappyWhenReading, May 25

Inklings and notions, May 26

Batya’s Bits, May 27

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 27

For Him and My Family, May 28

Older & Smarter?, May 29

Pause for Tales, May 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 31

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Donna is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of Autumn’s Harmony and a $25 Magnolia Market E-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/10bbe/autumn-s-harmony-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Someone to Trust by Lesa Henderson

About the Book

Book: Someone to Trust

Author: Lesa Henderson

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: January 26, 2021

Megan McCormick doesn’t leave Atlanta looking for love. Far from it. She runs to the
mountain town of Laurel Crest to flee from her past and a broken heart. When she’s knocked over by Lee Grainger, handsome veterinarian and lover of small-town living, Megan’s life takes an unexpected turn.

Tired of fast-paced city life, Lee is considering a permanent move to the mountains. His run-in with Megan has him believing he’s in Laurel Crest for more than a partnership in an animal hospital.

After a case of mistaken identity is cleared up, Megan and Lee strike up a friendship. Lee is everything Megan ever wanted—smart, loyal and dedicated to his faith. But Megan has experienced deep betrayal twice, and she’s reluctant to give romance another try.

Can Megan come to terms with the secret that haunts her, get past her distrust of men, and accept the love Lee offers or will her heart be broken again?

My Thoughts:

This book is great. So relatable to so many out there. It is a story of betrayal, love, forgiveness and more. Megan wants away from it all and runs. She just happens to run right into Lee. Megan doesn't want a relationship, but Lee seems to be everything she wants and needs.

I liked how Lee and Megan's paths cross. The book has romance, but also a mix of serious moments, hilarious moments, interesting characters and God. Megan's journey to trust isn't just about men. I loved the book and will be sharing it with friends I know either would simply love it or I think the book will help.

It was a 5/5

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book. 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

Lesa Henderson has been an avid reader since she first learned how to read and loves getting
lost in the world the author creates. She’s been writing since the age of 10 and has since been published in many national magazines and is also a screenwriter. She lives in Florida with her husband Ken, their three children and a Schnauzer named Jackson.

More from Lesa

In Someone To Trust Megan McCormick (the heroine of the story) though very disciplined, loves icing-filled, chocolate chip cookies. I love the combination myself. Especially butter-cream icing. I’ll do an extra mile of running to have one.

She’s also a bit of a klutz and I drew some of her mishaps from my own unfortunate past episodes. I’m a bit more graceful now but definitely share some embarrassing incidents with Megan. I’m also a screenwriter, so I did my best to relay Megan’s clumsiness, in a way hopefully that reader could easily see in their mind.

I wanted to tell a story of someone who was very broken by her father’s betrayal of her mother when she was a little girl. Many of us have suffered father wounds that greatly impact us, even down the road in our lives.

As the story began forming in my mind, I wondered what would happen if Megan became the very thing she despised her father for? How would that impact her life? Naturally, it would compound her distrust of men, as well as bring on self-loathing.

Of course this brought up the issue of forgiveness. Not only the ability to forgive those who have hurt us but also the grace to forgive ourselves.

This is something Megan needs to learn. Although, she is beautiful and caring, her heart is cloaked in bitterness and she’s running from her past. And we all know, sometimes our past comes back to haunt us when we least expect it.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 20

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 21

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 22

For Him and My Family, May 23

deb’s Book Review, May 24

Texas Book-aholic, May 25

Splashes of Joy, May 26 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 26

Inklings and notions, May 27

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 30

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 31

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 1 (Author Interview)

Kayem Reads, June 1

Cultivating Us, June 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lesa is giving away the grand prize package of a digital copy of the book Someone To Trust, as well as a DVD of the Film Hope Has A Name!!

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/10c8f/someone-to-trust-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, May 24, 2021

At Lighthouse Point by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About the Book

Book: At Lighthouse Point

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: May 4, 2021

Blaine Grayson returns to Three Sisters Island with a grand plan–to take Camp Kicking Moose
to the next level. Her dream starts to unravel when she discovers Moose Manor’s kitchen has been badly remodeled by her sister, Cam, who doesn’t know how to cook. Added to that blow is the cold shoulder given by her best friend, Artie Lotosky, now a doctor to the unbridged Maine islands.

As old wounds are opened, Blaine starts to wonder if she made a mistake by coming home. Little by little, she must let go of one dream to discover a new one, opening her heart to a purpose and a future she had never imagined.

My Thoughts:

I was happy to get this book to finish up this series. I recommend reading the other books first and then this one so you know all of the characters and get the entire feeling for all the characters. That being said, it could be read as a stand alone and enjoyed. Blaine is a good character and I was excited for her story.

She's got a dream that she's coming home to fulfill. I could feel that feeling in her and then the dismay when it isn't working out how she wants/expects it to. There is a lot going on in this book with all of the different characters, but it wasn't hard to keep up with. I liked the family interactions and how it felt real. Overall, I was really happy with the book.

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

Award winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher writes for readers who have learned to expect
the unexpected. With more than one million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the bestselling author of more than 30 works, ranging from novels to non-fiction books to children’s books. Currently, she lives with her very big family in the East Bay.

More from Suzanne

10 Curious Facts about Lighthouses

People love lighthouses. There’s just something special about those sturdy sentinels with their beacons of light, patiently sweeping the water, their mournful and haunting wail of a foghorn. Longfollow’s poem, The Lighthouse, written in 1850, captured the allure so well:

And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright,
Through the deep purple of the twilight air,
Beams forth the sudden radiance of its light,
With strange, unearthly splendor in the glare!

“Unearthly splendor.” Wow, doesn’t that hit the nail on the head? A lighthouse, to me, represents a spiritual truth: Someone’s watching out for us, looking out for the dangers ahead, and always glad to welcome us home.

Here are 10 facts about lighthouses that you might not know:

THE FIRST KNOWN LIGHTHOUSE was Egypt’s Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt, built in the third century B.C. The lighthouse was made from a fire on a platform to warn sailors of the port’s entrance. This lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

THE OLDEST EXISTING LIGHTHOUSE IN THE WORLD is considered to be La Coruna in Spain that dates from ca. 20 B.C. A Roman lighthouse is located on the Cliffs of Dover in the UK that was constructed in 40 A.D.

THE UNITED STATES IS HOME to more lighthouses than any other country.

THE FIRST LIGHTHOUSE IN AMERICA was at Boston on Little Brewster Island (1716). The first keeper was George Worthylake who, sadly, was drowned, along with his wife and daughter, when returning to the island in 1718.

THE TALLEST LIGHTHOUSE is on Cape Hatteras, NC. Built in 1872, it reached 196 feet tall.

THE FIRST WEST COAST LIGHTHOUSE was built on Alcatraz Island in 1854.

DAYMARKS are the painted colors and patterns (diamonds, spirals and stripes) on lighthouse towers to distinguish them from each other.

LIGHTHOUSE KEEPING was one of the first U.S. government jobs available to women, as far back as the 19th century. Most obtained their position when their husband died or became incapacitated.

THE RANGE OF THE LIGHTHOUSE LIGHT produces a light seen 25 miles at sea.

ABOUT 700 LIGHTHOUSES are still in active use in the United States.

As I wrote the third book in the ‘Three Sisters island’ series, I just had to give that little charred lighthouse its day in the sun. It had patiently played a role in the first two books, waiting for its turn on center stage. Not only did its setting provide a very unexpected “WHAT? How did that happen?” conclusion to the series, it even stole the headline! The undisputed title: At Lighthouse Point.

Do you have a favorite lighthouse? If so, please add your picture in the comments below. Don’t forget to include its location.

Thanks for reading! Stay well, stay home, and read.

Suzanne