Saturday, May 30, 2020

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: On a Coastal Breeze by Suzanne Woods Fisher


About the Book


Book:  On A Coastal Breeze
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre:  Amish Romance
Release Date: May 5, 2020

For Madison Grayson, life is good. Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can’t wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island–they’re all too young, too old, or too weird–Maddie feels like she’s finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.

And then Ricky O’Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again–the one who’d been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance–parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O’Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island.
Time to panic.

With wit and a bit of whimsy, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to Three Sisters Island where family, forgiveness, and a second chance at love await.

Click here to get your copy!


My Thoughts:
It was nice to go back to Three Sisters Island and visit with the characters and to see the transformation of a once dying island into a tourist attraction again. All three sisters are back and we are seeped into each one of their lives. Cam is engaged now working feverishly to bring the island into the modern world. Blaine the youngest is back for Cam's wedding, but only that. Blaine is running from something and she is reluctant to let her family know.

Madison, the middle daughter, this is her time to shine. There is one section in the book where their father describes his daughters as certain types and breeds of dogs. He keeps that all to himself, but the comparison kept running through my head throughout the rest of the story. He certainly knows them.

Madison is starting out her marriage therapy counseling business and excited to do so. She has told her father she would stay and give her business a go on the island for a year. Madison is not one to take a lot of chances and she likes things just so. Unfortunately for her the new pastor, Rick O'Shea, is someone from her past she would like never to see again. Knowing him to bully her from kindergarten to one fateful night as seniors, Madison would really like to stay away from him.

I really enjoyed watching this love/hate relationship develop for Rick and Madison. It really was romantic and put me in mind of Anne and Gilbert just a little bit.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author


Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty books, including On a Summer Tide, as well as the Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, The Deacon’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, among other novels. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher.

More from Suzanne

Dear Reader,

The minute you step off the ferry and onto Three Sister Island, magic begins. Crisp ocean air acts like an elixir. Stress starts to evaporate, like a wisp of steam from a cup of hot tea. Happiness moves in, and you’ll feel more cheerful, more positive about the future.

And then there’s time! Somehow, there seems to be plenty of it.

Little things will catch your notice—finding seashells on the beach, watching waves crash against the rocks, gazing at the star-studded night sky.

Life just starts to slow down…and you wonder if you really want to ever leave Three Sisters Island.
Nor do you have to! That’s the beauty of books—they are the perfect escape. Always available, just waiting to be picked up. Always ready to transport you to a fresh and new state of mind.

On a Coastal Breeze is that kind of a read. The Grayson Family saga continues as they move to Three Sisters Island off the coast of Maine for a fresh start. Maddie Grayson takes center stage in this story. Life is finally coming together for Maddie. On the very day she opens her counseling practice, she spots a billowing skydiver. Parachuting in is Ricky O’ Shea—the one person on earth Maddie hoped she’d never see again. But Rick’s the new pastor for the island’s only church and he’s not about to leave. That’s when sparks start to fly.

Join me for a getaway by the sea that will leave you in a happy, relaxed, vacation-y state of mind…without leaving your home. Once you board the Never Late Ferry, even in your imagination, the island will take it from there.

Warmly, Suzanne

Blog Stops

By The Book, May 18
Artistic Nobody, May 19 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Betti Mace, May 20
Remembrancy, May 24
Mary Hake, May 27
Simple Harvest Reads, May 28 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Bigreadersite, May 28
EmpowerMoms, May 30
Hallie Reads, May 31

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a copy of her book to five winners!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: Illusions by Jennifer Sienes


About the Book


Book:  Illusions
Author: Jennifer Sienes
Genre:  Christian Contemporary
Release Date: April 28, 2020

Corey Schaffer, pastor’s wife and mother of two teens, has spent her entire marriage subconsciously repenting for one reckless night the week before her wedding.

Upon discovery of Corey’s indiscretion, her 17-year-old daughter, Taylor, is in a car accident resulting in a weeklong coma, traumatic brain injury and memory loss. Corey is riddled with guilt and would like nothing better than to confess all to her husband, Paul. But how can she when his pastoral position is at risk, thanks to their son’s thoughtless act of rebellion the year before—an act Paul has yet to forgive?

Instead, Corey loses herself in the day-to-day work of Taylor’s rehabilitation and prays God will give her the courage to face the past. But when a disgruntled church member sees an opportunity for revenge, Corey must find the faith and strength to put her family first, even if it means walking away.

Click here for your copy!



My Thoughts:
Illusions was a powerful reminder of what confessing of sin and what forgiveness looks like. There was so many great nuggets of truth in this story. And I mean gold nuggets.

Corey is a pastor's wife. She has sacrificed much for her husband, Paul, and his goals. She has also sacrificed much for her children. Her career, her goals, and her dreams have been all placed on that altar. However, Corey hides a secret. She has told no one, one that could take the illusion of her so called happy life and turn it on its head. But can secret sins really stay hidden? Certainly not for Corey and what she fears most has happened.

Now dealing with the aftermath of her daughter's car accident, which just seems to be the catalyst for everything to break wide open, we get an inside look at a family seemingly falling apart. But really I think by the end, they had to come apart to be put back together right. No illusions just truth.

This story does not only focus on Corey but on Paul as well. Paul has been doing a pretty good job at keeping secrets too, or so he thinks. Will truth set this family free?

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author


Jennifer Sienes holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education, but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance and writing—and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. Her daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide inspired two of her three novels. Although fiction writing is her real love, she’s had several non-fiction pieces published in anthologies including several in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.

More from Jennifer


Since I was twelve years old, I’ve been writing stories. I even wrote fan-fiction before it was a thing—a Happy Days episode, which I’m sure dates me. I took every creative writing class I could, starting in high school, and even declared journalism as my college major until I realized I like fiction a whole lot more than truth because I can create the characters any way I like.

However, my first attempts at writing emotionally charged novels fell flat; I hadn’t lived enough to truly understand what deep emotion felt like. Then life happened—a series of tragedies that made me feel I was more on par with Job than with Jesus. Someone wise told me that all writers must find the core of why they write—that deep part of us that God instilled in our hearts. What is it we, as writers, want to communicate to our readers? What I came away with was that we all need hope, especially in our darkest days.

Illusions was born out of a near-fatal car accident my daughter was in only weeks after her eighteenth birthday. It was walking through that accident with her that started the what if questions years later. What if an accident is the result of a mother/daughter argument? What if that argument was caused by something the mother did in her past—a deep, dark secret that even she cannot face? And what if that mother is held to a higher standard than most others? Say the wife of a pastor? And what if that pastor already has a black mark against him because of an act their other child (a boy) previously committed?

Would the congregation turn against him? We all know people in church who seek any opportunity to throw a wrench into things—that live with a big ol’ log in their eye, blinding them from the concept of grace.

To add to the tension (because, what’s the point of a story without it?), what if the accident caused a traumatic brain injury and the daughter remembers nothing? It may not be on par with Sophie’s Choice, but now a mother is torn between wanting her daughter to be whole again and hoping the deep, dark secret remains lost somewhere in the recesses of her mind.

Admittedly, the two children of Corey and Paul Schaffer (the main characters) are based loosely on my own children, Nicole and Christopher. It is so much easier to write what I can easily envision in my mind. And many of the challenges Taylor (the accident victim) faces were actually those my own daughter experienced. But that’s where truth and fiction part ways. So, Illusions started with inspiration, but God took it to whole new level. It’s one of the ways He uses the challenges I’ve faced in life to connect with readers and hopefully give them His inspiration and encouragement.

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, May 14
Emily Yager, May 15
CarpeDiem, May 23
Moments, May 24

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card & a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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Monday, May 25, 2020

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: Seeing Voices by Olivia Smit


About the Book


Book:  Seeing Voices
Author: Olivia Smit
Genre:  Contemporary Young Adult
Release Date: April 15, 2020

Skylar Brady has a for her life—until a car accident changes everything.

Skylar knows exactly what she wants, and getting in a car accident the summer before twelfth grade isn’t supposed to be part of the plan. Although she escapes mostly unharmed, the accident has stolen more than just her hearing from her: she’s also lost the close bond she used to have with her brother.

When her parents decide to take a house-sitting job halfway across the province, it’s just one more thing that isn’t going according to plan. As the summer progresses, Skylar begins to gain confidence in herself, but as she tries to mend her relationship with her brother, she stumbles upon another hidden trauma. Suddenly, she’s keeping as many secrets as she’s struggling to uncover and creating more problems than she could ever hope to solve.

Click here for your copy!


My Thoughts:
Seeing Voices was a refreshing young adult novel with relatable characters and real life situations and feelings that many can relate to. Struggling teens, family fractures, and changing friends, this is a story that I would certainly recommend to teens and their families.
What parent or teen doesn't go through a growth period that results in some sort of tension? And when a tragedy or a rough patch happens, the feelings and situations can escalate. 
Skylar is a seventeen girl who is watching her close-knit family struggle through some serious problems. Not only that, but she is living with a new reality, an accident has left her deaf. The author writes Skylar in such a compelling way as she learns to navigate her life with this big difference. Not only that but her older brother, Mike, is dealing with a lot as well- more guilt and shame from the accident. It may not have affected him physically but by no means has it left him unscarred. 
This was a heartwarming and bittersweet read and a realistic look at family dynamics, sibling relationships, and true friendship. It was refreshing.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author


Olivia Smit loves baking, visiting small towns, and writing stories that face hard truth with hope and encouragement. Olivia has an Honours Specialization in Creative Writing, English Language, and Literature and lives in Canada with her family. Seeing Voices is her first novel. Learn more at https://oliviasmit.ca/

More from Olivia


Although “Seeing Voices” is not the first book I ever wrote, it is the first one that felt like it held a little piece of my heart. Skylar and her older brother, Mike, popped into my head one afternoon, both coping with the aftermath of a car accident in totally different ways. It took me ages to figure out what kind of story they belonged to, but right from the beginning I knew it would be a story about siblings and families, pain and guilt, and also (perhaps most importantly!) togetherness and love.

In so many ways, “Seeing Voices” was for me, before it was for readers. I wrote the rough draft when I was 18, fresh out of high school and still figuring out a few tricky situations within my own family. As I wrote about Skylar and Mike, I poured a lot of my own confusion and emotion into the pages, trying to make sense of my own feelings of responsibility, frustration, and ultimately, hope. Words from the book still float through my mind when I’m in certain situations, little reminders of lessons I learned once and need to hang onto with both hands.

I prayed my way through the writing process, trying (and failing) to find a story that fit with Skylar and Mike, who felt so much like real people. I prayed through querying, trusting that if God wanted this story out there in the world, He would find it a home … and if He wanted Skylar and Mike to be a story just for me, I would be okay with that, too. In so many ways this process has been a team effort, and I feel convinced that this isn’t my story, after all — it’s God’s, and I’m just doing my part to help tell it.

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Olivia is giving away the grand prize package of coasters and a book sleeve!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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My Thoughts and More on Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder

  About the Book Book:  Never Forgotten Author:  Hannah Linder Genre:  Christian Fiction / Historical / Regency Romance Release date: Novem...