Rescue Team

GIVEAWAY

CALVERT, CANDACE
RESCUE TEAM

Tired of running from her past, nurse Kate Callison intends to become Austin Grace Hospital’s permanent ER director and make Texas her home. Despite staff friction, she’s moving ahead. Then unthinkable tragedy wraps the ER in crime tape, brings swarms of media, legal chaos . . . and a search-and-rescue hero who seems determined to meddle in her life.

For Wes Tanner, nothing beats finding someone who’s lost; he’s known that helpless terror firsthand. That’s why he’s determined to extend a lifeline of hope to others as a search-and-rescue volunteer. He’s ready for anything—except Austin Grace’s prickly and dismissive ER director.

As Kate and Wes discover more about each other, new respect becomes something deeper. Kate wonders if her heart might finally have found a home. But when a startling missing person’s case unearths secrets and opens old wounds, she fears that all they’ve found will just as quickly be lost.

My Review:

Calvert has cornered the market on hospital dramas. Drawing on her own ER experience she brings a great perspective to this genre. It's a fascinating world and she gives us a glimpse into all its aspects from technical to emotional.

Complex characters like Kate and Wes bring depth and dimension to the hospital setting. Wes has Kate pegged on their first meeting. Prickly. But there are layers of hurt beneath that surface and his compassionate insightfulness won't let him give up on her. Loved the dynamics between these two!

This is a story about the futility of guilt and the redeeming grace of forgiveness. The plot builds to an emotional pinnacle that will take your breath away. A story that will linger with you long after you've closed the book.

Giveway Opportunity:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Rescue Team, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 26 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

Guarding the Witness

GIVEAWAY

DALEY, MARGARET
GUARDING THE WITNESS

Running out of time…

After two months of protective custody, bodyguard Arianna Jackson is days away from testifying at a murder trial when the unthinkable happens. Her Alaska safe house is attacked, and Arianna is forced to go on the run with U.S. Marshal Brody Callahan. Arianna is used to issuing orders, not taking them, but now, out in the wild, with a bounty on her head and a killer on her heels, she has only one hope of making it to testify—the handsome protector at her side.

My Review:

Take a deep breath before you open this book because it will likely be your last until you reach the end! Mercy, but Daley takes her readers through the paces. I don't think I have any fingernails left from hanging on for all I was worth.  The suspense mounts as Arianna and Brody flee for their lives and the author doesn't even give them (or us) the illusion of safety. Guarding the Witness is a roller coaster action ride that implodes and explodes right off the pages. A cardiac workout without ever having to leave your armchair.

 Giveway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Guarding the Witness, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 26 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

Katie's Choice

GIVEAWAY

LILLARD, AMY
KATIE'S CHOICE

Katie Rose Fisher loved Samuel Beachy with an intensity that shook their Amish district. No one doubted they would one day marry, until Samuel turned his back on the church and joined the world of the English.

Alone now in Clover Ridge, Katie Rose dedicates her life to God and the school children she teaches each day. Although she secretly longs for more, Katie knows God’s hand is at work, and she is happy.

News correspondent Zane Carson never even knew Oklahoma had an Amish community until he got the chance to live among them and learn about their day-to-day activities. Their simple way of life is intriguing, but not half as much as the young teacher.

Katie Rose is flattered over the attention she receives from Zane, but she has resolved to never marry. Even if she were to entertain the idea, it surely couldn’t be with an outsider like Zane.

Never one prone to the restraints of organized religion, Zane finds a comfort in the rituals and blessings in the day to day righteous living of this small Amish community. He finds himself, God, and love with Katie Rose.

But as Zane draws closer to Katie Rose, Samuel comes back to repent his ways and return to his place at her side. Can Zane convince Katie Rose that he is committed to adapting to her way of life, or will Samuel win her affections back for himself once again?

My Review:

First off, take a gander at that cover. Doesn’t the pink just pop out at you? I think the colour attracted me before anything else. You don’t see many pink covers in a CBA lineup and this one just made it irresistible. There has to be some science in book cover colour marketing – if there isn’t someone should study up on it because the pink sold me on this book before I even noticed it was Amish or read the back blurb.

Lillard is a new Amish author for me. This is the second in a series and I somehow missed the first, Saving Gideon. I found it an easy story to slip into and the solid cast of secondary characters makes me want to backtrack and read the first book but I didn’t find  Katie's Choice lacking in any way because I hadn’t read the first one.

The author has created a next to impossible love story that supplied plenty of yearning in my sensitive reader’s heart while keeping me captivated. I found it interesting that she chose to begin with the hero’s point of view. In fact, we aren’t even introduced to Katie until about 15 pages in.  It definitely gave me a vested interest in Zane and I liked having a solid lead on the heroine where the hero was concerned.

Zane is a complex character with an intriguing past that at first seems completely at odds with plain living. It is when we delve into his childhood that we begin to see how his upbringing wasn’t so very different from Kate’s and that provides a realistic base for the rest of the story.

I confess to being an armchair Amish ‘scholar’; most of my knowledge gleaned from fiction reading and internet searches. Obviously, I’m no expert, but I did feel that a few aspects of Zane and Kate’s story didn’t ring true to what I’ve learned about the Amish. Admittedly, this Amish community is in Oklahoma and I do know that standards and rules vary from one settlement to the next, but there were still a few scenes that I questioned. They definitely worked in the grand love story scheme of things, but I’m not so sure they have a solid Amish backing to them. It would certainly make a great discussion for a book club though!

Giveway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Katie's Choice, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 26 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

May Giveaway - Week Three

CONGRATULATIONS!

WON BY HEIDI

WON BY PATTY

WON BY RISSI

As always, I will contact the winners by email however thanks to the nefarious ways of the internet my email might land in your spam folder so keep your eyes peeled! :-) If you haven't heard from me by Monday evening please email me your snail mail address at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. From time to time winners and I don't seem to connect, so I have a month frame. If I can't reach you within four weeks your win will be forfeited and I will add an extra win to a future draw to even things up.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations

LOVELLA SCHELLENBERT, ANNELIESE FRIESEN, BETTY REIMER, BEV KLASSEN, CHARLOTTE PENNER, ELLEN BAYLES, JUDY WIEBE, JULIE KLASSEN, KATHY MCLELLAN, MARG BARTEL
MENNONITE GIRLS CAN BOOK CELEBRATIONS

Life is a gift from God, so why not celebrate?

The bestselling authors of Mennonite Girls Can Cook return with a second course in their new Celebrations cookbook. From mouthwatering mini-muffins and succulent soufflé to campers' stew and lattice-topped grilled apples, the Mennonite Girls share recipes to honor all of life. Join the girls for brunch celebrating a child's birth, campfire cooking with family, and even the more somber celebrations of a life well-lived. Filled from cover to cover with devotional reflections, personal stories, and beautiful photos, this book contains much more than recipes--it will soon become your kitchen companion for life's celebrations.

Like their first book, Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Celebrations includes many gluten free adaptations!

My Review:

A book to celebrate! No kitchen should be without one. I've already bought three as presents for upcoming wedding showers and a summer birthday.

This is so much more then a cookbook. It's like opening a treasured family recipe book that has personal anecdotes of all the special women in your family. Words of wisdom and faith share space with down home cookin' tried and true recipes. And the recipes aren't fussy. They are simple and straight forward, but packed with flavour and sometimes a surprising mix of ingredients. (Who would have thought of adding a Granny Smith apple to squash soup?!)

Exquisite full-colour photographs enrich the reading experience. Every time I open Celebrations I have to spend a while just savoring the ambiance of this cookbook. Definitely destined to be a classic that should find its way into every home not only for the stellar recipes but for the way the authors celebrate their faith and families within its pages.

"Book has been provided courtesy of MennoMedia and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Herald Press, a publishing imprint of MennoMedia".

Wishing on Willows

GIVEAWAY

GANSHERT, KATIE
WISHING ON WILLOWS

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.

So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.

My Reviews:

A story about finding joy in the wake of grief. Heart-wrenching, angst-stirring, soul-touching. Rich text and real characters catapult the reader into an emotional read you won't soon forget. Ganshert's words are magic even as they are laced with realism and grit along with the sheer beauty of being alive. A memorable love story that will warm you from the inside out.

Giveway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Wishing on Willows, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 19 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck! 

Follow the Heart

GIVEAWAY

DACUS, KAYE
FOLLOW THE HEART

Set during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Follow the Heart is a “sitting-room romance” with the feel of a Regency-era novel but the fashions and technological advances of the mid-Victorian age.

Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money.

At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America. Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of British society, their attentions stray to a gardener and a governess.

While Christopher has options that would enable him to lay his affections where he chooses, he cannot let the burden of their family’s finances crush his sister. Trying to push her feelings for the handsome—but not wealthy— gardener aside, Kate’s prospects brighten when a wealthy viscount shows interest in her. But is marrying for the financial security of her family the right thing to do, when her heart is telling her she’s making a mistake?

Mandates . . . money . . . matrimony. Who will follow the heart?

My Review:

This is Kaye Dacus at her absolute best! What a captivating read! She's captured the essence of Austen and channeled a bit of Gaskell to create a 21st century masterpiece set in Victorian England.  Follow the Heart is definitely in the 'rabid-read' category. I just ate this up and am ready for a second helping!

Dacus has done a great job with historical detailing.  It's in the descriptions, the conversations, the annoying protocols. Delicious stuff with which to weave a fascinating and infuriating tale of love and sacrifice. I was invested in Kate's outcome from the first time I met her. I loved her, flaws and all, even if she made me cringe a time or two.And stalwart Andrew works well as the impossible love interest. The author has made a classic tale fresh and invigorating.


There is also a bonus second romance involving Kate's brother which was just as much fun to read about. If you are looking for a book to carry you away into another time and place, Follow the Heart is just the book for you.

Giveway Opportunity:
 

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Follow the Heart, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 19 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!