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| GIVEAWAY |
BLEEDING HEART
Summer 1886
Sally Clay’s livelihood has been snatched away, but in its place arises an opportunity to escape from her sordid past and an unrelenting, unwanted suitor. Boarding a train with a heartsick rancher and an enigmatic miner, she leaves Virginia City behind and heads to Northern California, waiting for the chance to make right what went wrong three long years before.
But the road to revenge is far from smooth. Sally soon learns that the jagged pieces of a broken heart can far too easily wound the hearts of others – and hers isn’t the only heart that’s broken. Tragedy and fear dog her steps as she flees from the redwood forests to the high desert and back again. Will her bleeding heart ever find a way and a place to heal?
A desperate soiled dove. Three men who come to care for her. One man determined to claim her.
All on a journey that will show them what true love really involves.
My Review:
Amber Stokes is well known around the Christian writing blogoshphere and Bleeding Heart is her debut novel. This is a mini-saga with more than its fair share of angst as emotionally wounded characters struggle to make their way in a difficult time and place. They each eventually have to take a stand and conquer the demons from their past. Definitely not your traditional romance -- rather an exploration in character growth. An affirmation that past wrongs can be righted by grace and there is always hope for the future.
Stokes keeps her readers on her toes and the story unfolds with surprising twists and turns -- and one very abrupt turn that left this reader reeling. Seriously? She wrote that? No one can accuse this author of predictability!
I have to admit to wishing this story was a little longer. I felt the pacing was hurried in places and a few transitions between scenes and timelines a bit abrupt. I wanted to savor more, sink deeper into the story and spend longer with these characters. The author certainly left me wanting more! Particularly in the case of a certain wounded hero named Myghal. He's the one who stole my heart.
Giveaway Opportunity:
Please note: At the present time Bleeding Hearts is only available in e-book format. However, if you are will to wait, the winner can opt for the paperback edition when it comes in.
If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Bleeding 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 September 1 2013. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!
I received a copy of Bleeding Heart from the author as part of a blog tour.
Check out the blog tour giveaway here:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/15cee38/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much for this review (and giveaway!), Kav. :) I appreciate your honest feedback! Myghal has stolen my heart, too. ♥ Hoping to share more of his story sometime!
ReplyDelete~Amber
Great review, Kav. :)
ReplyDeleteMust agree - Amber does keep readers guessing and I think that's awesome.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Rissi! I keep myself guessing, too, haha. ;)
Delete~Amber
OOoooh-- just so you know, Amber, Myghal needs a HEA, okay? You can torture him a bit first if you must. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Rissi, I agree, Amber is good at keeping readers guessing. Definitely a good characteristic for an author to have.
Hmmm... Do I sense a threat in there somewhere? Haha. ;) I really want to give him an HEA, too, so here's hoping!
Delete~Amber
Wow. I am even more curious about the surprises in this book. I would love to win a paperback copy of this book. Thanks.
ReplyDeletesweetdarknectar at gmail dot com
It's a darker story, but still a hopeful one, I believe - and I definitely take some risks with the plot! Hope you enjoy the book, though, if you read it. :) Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Delete~Amber
Good luck, boos mum!
DeleteHi Kav, As always, I enjoy your reviews. Thank you for featuring Amber and Bleeding Heart. She is my editor and has been great to work with so I'm happy to see the great reviews and anticipate her success. smile
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Myghal. He deserves an HEA.
Aren't Kav's reviews great? :) And thanks so much for your encouragement, Sandra!
Delete~Amber
Thanks Sandra! Maybe we should start a Myghal petition. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. smile
DeleteA Myghal petition - nice! ;)
Delete~Amber
I love a book that keeps you guessing!!! Like to win.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
joeym11@frontier.com
Hope you enjoy Bleeding Heart then! :) Good luck in the drawing!
Delete~Amber
Good luck, Diana!
DeleteI don't mind a story that is a little darker... several books I have read lately (one I didn't finish) have everyone falling in love to quickly and everything working out much to conveniently!
ReplyDeletepattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com
Things aren't very easy for these characters, for sure! Hope you find it to be a refreshing story if you give it a try, Patty. :) Good luck in the drawing!
Delete~Amber
LOL -- there's nothing convenient about love in Amber's book, Patty. And not quick either. So you'll love this book!!!! Good luck!!!
DeleteWonderful review! I would love to win a paperback edition of this book. Book sounds great. Please enter my name in the giveaway. Thank you!
DeleteBarbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
Appreciate your enthusiasm, Barbara! Good luck in the drawing! :)
Delete~Amber
P.S. Paperbacks should be available for order within the next 2 weeks, hopefully! Excited!! :D
Good luck, Barbara!
DeleteI love the cover of this book. I also would love to win the book to give to my church library.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Janet E.
von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com
My cover designer, Lena Goldfinch, did such a lovely job on the cover! :)
DeleteAnd that's awesome, Janet!! I'm thrilled you'd like to share the book with your church. :) Good luck in the drawing!
~Amber
Good luck, Janet!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOps that didn't go so well, wrong spelling not the right wording ... not a writer or just not a good typer can't figure out which, so now I'll try this again. I'd love to win this book in an "ebook" so enter my name ... rrwalter34ATgmailDOTcom
DeleteAw, it's easy to make those typos! Always frustrating when you notice them after you've published the comment...
DeleteAnyway, thanks for entering the drawing, and good luck!
~Amber
Good luck, Becky!
DeleteHello Kav and Amber. Would love to win this book in print. Sounds like it keeps you guessing whats next. Please put me in the drawing. Thanks
ReplyDeleteMAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com
It definitely keeps you guessing, Maxie. Good luck!
DeleteHi, Maxie! It's very generous of Kav to offer the book in print - I'm excited that the paperback is almost here. :D Good luck in the drawing!
Delete~Amber
Sounds like a fun book to read, if I could pick a state in the west to visit I'd pick Washington, because the pictures of the coast I 've seen look so peaceful.
ReplyDeletesonflower277 at gmail dot com
I guess it depends on your definition of "fun." ;) It's not really a lighthearted read, but it could be "fun" in the sense of keeping you in suspense and taking you to different places. :)
DeleteI haven't seen a whole lot of Washington, but the whole Pacific Northwest area is beautiful! So many great places to see. :)
~Amber
Love storylines with a lot of angst, dysfunction, & growth - beautiful book cover!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to win a copy!
bonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com
Well, I think there is a lot of that in Bleeding Heart - hope you'll enjoy it! :) And thank you! Lena Goldfinch is a wonderful cover designer (and friend!).
DeleteGood luck in the drawing!
~Amber
This sounds really good! I'd love to win. shopgirl152nykiki(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThank you, Veronica! :) Good luck in the drawing!
Delete~Amber