Don't Keep Silent

GIVEAWAY

GODDARD, ELIZABETH
DON'T KEEP SILENT

Justice comes easy for these two. But forgiveness? That's another matter altogether.

Investigative reported Rae Burke will do anything to find her missing sister-in-law, even if it means facing Liam McKade, a man who almost lost his life saving hers. A former DEA agent, Liam thought he could find peace at his Wyoming ranch, but he doesn't feel at home anywhere anymore. When the reporter who blew his cover on an important investigation inserts herself back into his life, he's less than thrilled. But Rae's keen investigative skills have led her down the right path -- and directly into the dragon's mouth -- leaving Liam not choice but to protect her.

As the danger increases, the past they both tried to flee catches up to them, along with the feelings they once had for each other...

My Review:

In a word: intense. From the suspense to the romance and the undercurrents zinging between the two. Wowzers! I actually listened the last part on double speed because I was crawling out of my skin with the frantic need to know everything! (And then, because I felt guilty for rushing the ending like that, I went back and listened at my usual speed, 1.3. Much more relaxed that way. I could actually catch my breath!)

A complex plot with an emotional edge. Rae is desperate to find her sister-in-law and she has the tenacity and daring to follow any lead. Loved the investigative angle to this suspense. Rae is good at her job and as scrappy and fixated as a terrier once she's following a lead. Admiral qualities, but frustrating as well because she has no filters and just blunders on, making it up as she goes. Meanwhile, Liam takes a measured approach to every problem. Methodical methods that do get results...just not fast enough for Rae.

And don't get me started on the romance because it's....beyond complicated. They are both raw and wounded and no where near healed enough to move on so they circle and spar and just plain annoy each other. Until buried emotions rise to the surface and complicate everything that much more. Phew! Intensity on steroids!

This is the third and final book in the Uncommon Justice series but it reads incredibly well as a standalone. The series is centered around the swoonalicious McKade brothers, and this last book has some pretty sweet (and funny) sibling moments. Very satisfying for readers who have been following the series and just plain fun even if you're meeting them for the first time.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Don't Keep Silent, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August  1 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

At Love's Command

GIVEAWAY

WITEMEYER, KAREN
AT LOVE'S COMMAND

He's fought through ruthless outlaws and injury, but with her, he's tempted to surrender.

Haunted by the horrors of war, ex-cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leads a band of mercenaries known as Hanger's Horsemen who have become legends in 1890s Texas. They defend the innocent and obtain justice for the oppressed. But when a rustler's bullet leaves one of them at death's door, they're the ones in need of saving.

Dr. Josephine Burkett is used to men taking one look at her skirts and discounting her medical skills. What she's not used to is having a man change his mind in a heartbeat and offer to assist her in surgery. Matthew's dedication to his friend during recovery earns Josephine's respect, and when her brother is abducted, he becomes her only hope for rescue.

When plans go awry and Josephine is caught in the crossfire, Matthew may have to sacrifice everything -- even his team -- to save her.

My Review:

Eep! Eeeeep!!! Eeeeeepppp!!!! I'm super excited about this new series. I think it might be Karen Witmeyer's best if book one is any indication. Because, while I love Matthew Hanger, I am equally invested in the other three Hanger's Horsemen to the point I will be utterly devastated if they each don't get their own story! Love the comrades-in-arms vibe -- a brotherhood honed on the battlefield. They can be deadly serious one second and tossing out quips the next. And, oh, how they love to tease Matthew about his lady love. So much fuss and fun and I can't wait until Jonah, Luke and Mark get their own romantical comeuppance. :-)

Have to say the prologue had me wondering what on earth I was getting myself into. Smack dab in the battlefield during a horrible time in American history. Absolutely gut-wrenching. But necessary to understand these men and their mission. But then we move on three years later when Matthew meets Dr Jo for the very first time...under dire circumstances. Only he thinks he's going to see a Dr. Joe. Great first meet!

"She stole a peek at the still fellow who had yet to reanimate after suffering rapid-onset paralysis. A condition commonly brought on by the pronouncement of her medical expertise. Josephine shook her head. The poor male brain. So susceptible to gender-oriented shock." (p 30)  Bwahahaha!

There's a kind of Dr. Quinn-ishness about this action-packed adventure romance which I loved.  The Wild West, a notorious gang of villains, danger and betrayal all woven together with brilliant flashes of humour. And Matthew and Josie falling in love in the midst of it all. I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next Hanger's Horsemen novel to release!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  At Love's Command, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 1 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Ready to Trust

GIVEAWAY

RADCLIFFE, TINA
READY TO TRUST

The woman he once loved is back...with the daughter he never knew he had.

Rancher Reece Rainbolt's shocked to learn he's inherited half of Claire Ballard's family farm -- and that he's a father. Now Claire's determined to break ties with the man who once left her behind. But Reece will buy her half only on one condition: she must stay int town to help with the harvest...and let him get to know his little girl.

A Hearts of Oklahoma Romance

My Review:

I might be a whole lot heartbroken because Reece (that's him on the cover) chose Claire and Zoe over me. I shouldn't be so disappointed...I mean I knew I didn't stand a chance going in but a girl can dream, can't she? About a Christian man with a heart for family who has learned from his tarnished past. The kind of guy who keeps his promises and cares about his community and is putty in a little girl's hands. I fell head-over-heels for Reece on page one...okay, maybe the cover had something to do with that too. In any case I was ready to dislike Claire on principle especially since....

Secret baby trope alert. I keep saying I don't like 'em and authors keep writing really good ones so here I sit, eating humble pie all over again. At first I was wary of Claire. I didn't understand why she'd keep their daughter a secret from Reece. That tarnished past I mentioned? Well, she met up with him then but even so, she didn't even give him a chance to turn his life around. To have a say in his daughter life. To even know her. And that got my back up. But the more I read, the more I began to see the bigger picture. It wasn't really about Reece at all. It was about Claire and her own brokenness. And then, I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay and I'd give up Reece for her and Zoe. (Snort -- as if that was ever going to be an issue!)  Luckily she has motherly Nan to help her out and set her straight.

"You simply need to call on the Lord when you feel that way. His compassion. His mercy. His love. They are new every morning...You can't whine that you're parched when the living water is right there for you to take." (p 100)

Gotta love plain-speaking, salt-of-the-earth secondary characters who speak truth into the lives of the hero and heroine. Radcliffe excels at creating communities filled with interesting folks always ready to share some sage advice or provide a good laugh. And this book is filled with both. Wisdom and humour anchored in faith and hope.

I seem to have a tendency for falling for the Rainbolt men. I was sure my life wouldn't be complete without Mitch (Book 1 - Finding the Road Home) but I bravely let Daisy have him in the end. Now I've sacrificed Reece for Claire and Zoe's sake and where does that leave me? Anxiously anticipating the release of Book Three -- His Holiday Prayer -- which is brother Tucker's story who happens to be a vet who rescues animals!!!! I might finally meet the right brother and get my own happily ever after -- if I can do away with the pesky heroine the author has written into his story. I guess we'll find out in December. Stay tuned.

My thanks to the author for gifting me with a copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Ready to Trust, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 1 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Under Scottish Stars

GIVEAWAY

LAUREANO, CARLA
UNDER SCOTTISH STARS

Recently widowed Serena MacDonald Stewart focuses solely on her children -- to the exclusion of career, artistic pursuits, and her sanity. When her brothers ask her to use her long-ignored business skills to oversee the family guest house on the Isle of Skye, she thinks it might be a chance for a new start. But her hopes for a smooth transition are dashed when, the current hotel manager, Malcolm Blake, turns out to be irritating, condescending...and incredibly attractive.

This is your invitation into a sparkling Scottish romance brimming with heart and heat.

My Review:

A rapturously romantical delight! Be ready to get your swoon on and give your fainting couch a workout because....that part in the synopsis where it says, "brimming with heart and heat." Which brings me to a reader alert:

Warning: This is pure romance -- the kind where hearts and minds mesh to create yearning. If you aren't a fan of passionate kisses, this might not be the book for you. It's always tastefully done, but this  thirty something couple have the maturity to recognize attraction and to appreciate the beauty of it while not taking things too far. It's flirtatious and teasing (fan-inducingly so!) and the banter is worthy of a Regency ballroom only with a 21st century twist. :-)

So, if you're still on board to give this book a try here's what else I loved about it:

The Isle of Skye!!! Seriously, take a moment and check out Google Images. Breathtaking!

Malcolm Blake -- a complicated man who has his priorities straight. Family comes first. Always. But since he's also a thick-headed Scot, that means he has a tendency to bulldoze his way through situations in a kind of Highland Warrior Protector Mode which isn't always well-received by modern day, independent women -- whether that be teenage niece or alluring new neighbour. But his heart is huge and that stubborn streak sure comes in handy when wooing a reluctant lady.

Phew! Give me a moment to grab my smelling salts, I feel a swoon coming on.

Then there's Serena -- and, oh, the irony of that name! She's in the midst of a healing process, reclaiming parts of herself that she thought were lost forever. I enjoyed her awakening and the fact that Malcolm isn't threatened by her transformation.

Adore her wee little family -- the perfect mix of rambunctious and carefree...and wounded. I laughed and I cried over these sweet kids.

Love, love, love when a title ties-in perfectly with a story and this one is brilliant!

And the way the author brings the MacDonald clan back together in this last novel -- well, it made me weepy.

I appreciated the subtle faith thread that grows along with Serena and Malcolm's relationship as they learn that trusting in God's plan beats messing up their own over and over again. :-)

Truly stunning and breath-taking and the romanticalist of romanticals.

Oh -- and I listened to the audible edition, narrated by Erin Bennett which increased my 'reading' enjoyment tenfold!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Under Scottish Stars, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 1 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Carol Award Finalists 2020 -- Novella Category

GIVEAWAY

First off -- what exactly are the Carol Awards?

They are awards given out by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in recognition of outstanding Christian Fiction in the previous calendar year. So these 2020 finalists are books published in 2019. You might have read them already. You might not. I've only read one in this category! I'll include a link to my review in the description.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the three Carol Award Finalist 2020 -- Novella Category novels you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in your comment (or an email, if you're entering that way.) If you win, that's the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the three finalists:

Always by Jody Hedlund, ACFW QIP (Qualified Independently Published), editors Leslie Peterson

A fierce elite guard. A loyal lady in waiting. They must work together to save three princesses from certain death.

On the verge of dying after giving birth to twins, the queen of Mercia pleads with Lady Felicia to save her infant daughters. With the castle overrun by King Ethelwulf's invading army, Lady Felicia vows to do whatever she can to take the newborn princesses and their three-year-old sister to safety, even though it means sacrificing everything she holds dear, possibly her own life.

Gravely wounded in battle and knowing all is lost to his enemy, the king of Mercia tasks Lance, one of his fiercest elite guards, to protect his family along with keys to an ancient treasure. As Lance makes plans to sneak the princesses out of the capital city, he doesn't need or want Lady Felicia's help.

With the dark enemy in pursuit, Lance and Felicia must put aside their differences to outrun King Ethelwulf and prevent him from killing the princesses. In a desperate attempt to hide the young girls, Lance and Felicia agree to a marriage of convenience, a decision that will change their lives -- and hearts -- forever.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2019/11/always.html

The Groom She'd Thought She Left Behind from the Runaway Brides Collection by Darlene Panzera, Barbour Publishing, editors Rebecca Germany and Ellen Tarver

Love is worth risking the unknown.

What is a woman of the 1800s to do when she feels pressured to marry without love in order to protect her family, to gain wealth, to fulfill an obligation, or to bend under and evil plan? Run! Seven women facing the marriage altar make the decision to flee, but who can they trust now?

Includes:
From This Day Forward by Rita Gerlach
Legacy of Love by Terri J. Haynes
The Elusive Heiress by Noelle Marchand
A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Vickie McDonough
The Groom She Thought She'd Left Behind by Darlene Panzera
The Flyaway Bride by Jenness Walker
The Irish Bride by Renee Yancy

Join in the escapades of seven brides who trust in faith alone. Will love find them on the run?

The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, editors Jean Bloom and Becky Monds

When three people take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, their lives change forever.

A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.
A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her sister's house before her niece's wedding.
And a young artist pursuing his father's dream so he can keep his own alive.

When David, Gillian, and Michael each take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they can't imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.

In this modern-day parable about the burdens that weight us down, David Rawlings issues an inspiring invitation to lighten the load.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  one of the Carol Award Finalists 2020 - Novella Category novels, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 1 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Crow's Call

GIVEAWAY

BRUNSTETTER, WANDA E.
THE CROW'S CALL

Mysterious events plague a greenhouse in Pennsylvania's Amish Country

When Vernon King, his on, and son-in-law are involved in a terrible accident, three women are left to cope with their deaths, as they become the sole providers of the family they have left. The women's only income must come from the family greenhouse, but someone seems to be trying to force them out of business.

Amy King has just lost her father and brother, and her mother needs her to help run the family's greenhouse. It doesn't seem fair to ask her to leave a job she loves, when there is still a sister and brother to help. But Sylvia is also grieving for her husband while left to raise three children, and Henry, just out of school, is saddled with all the jobs his father and older brother used to do. As Amy assumes her new role, she also asks Jared Riehl to put their courtship on hold. When things become even more stressful at the greenhouse, will Amy crumble under the pressure?

My Review:

There's something very similar in the way both Wanda Brunstetter and Beverly Lewis write. They are both classic storytellers who have a distinctive Amish flare both in word choice and cadence. So, definitely, if you're a Beverly Lewis fan, do give Wanda Brunstetter a try and here's a great place to start because The Crow's Call is the first in a new series. And a mystery at that!

Honestly, the first chapter is gutwrenching. I found it hard to catch my breath reading about the accident that irrevocably changed the lives of the King family forever. And I'm still reeling. In a way, their story is very much a grief journey depicting the various ways each family member copes (or doesn't!) in the ensuing months. Amy's at the heart of the story but the author brings in multiple points of view as she carries us through the day-to-day challenges of dealing with such a catastrophic loss.

And if that wasn't enough to cope with, Amy keeps discovering senseless acts of vandalism centered around their greenhouse business.  There are plenty of interesting characters I put on my suspect list -- both Amish and Englisch -- and while I think I might have it narrowed down a bit, I'm still not sure exactly who the culprit is or why they are being so cruel because....

Gah! Cliffhanger ending alert! It seems The Amish Greenhouse series is more of a serial style and the mystery definitely isn't solved by the end of this first book. I'm on tenterhooks waiting to see if my suspicions are correct! Thankfully I don't have to wait long because The Mockingbird's Song comes out in less than a week. :-)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Crow's Call, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 1 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

July Giveaway -- Week Four

WON BY KIM HANSEN

WON BY TRIXI

WON BY CARYL KANE

WON BY TIGHEFAN

WON BY CHERYL BARKER

WON BY RUBYNREBA

You know the drill: winners will be contacted if they left their email address. Otherwise it's up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca with your mailing address. From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven't been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now so, please, DON'T BE SHY -- CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN'T LEAVE YOUR EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU. Books will be ordered within a week of receiving your mailing address and I'll email you to confirm your win is on its way. Give it a full month before inquiring about the status of an order to allow for processing and shipping time. Thank you!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

Carrying on our Carol Awards Finalists 2020 with the Novella Category on Monday. Winner can choose between:



And the rest of the week...

The Amish Christmas Cowboy

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

BROWN, JO ANN
THE AMISH CHRISTMAS COWBOY

A cowboy for Christmas...or another year in the Amish Spinster Club?

Nanny Sarah Kuhns has her hands full with kinder, her overbearing brothers and her big dreams. And it only gets worse when she takes on the care of an injured cowboy. For Amish traveling horseman Toby Christner, tight-knit Harmony Creek represents everything he's run from. Until he heals, he can't leave...but will falling for Sarah make him want to stay?

My Review:

published in 2018

A cowboy for Christmas? Yes please! Even though it's July. Toby can rustle up a happily every after any time of the year as far as I'm concerned. :-) He's such an interesting Amish hero -- reluctant and wounded and living Amish in the Englisch world. He's used to keeping himself apart but when a work-related injury forces him to stay put for two months, his practiced reserve slowly crumbles. Thanks to Nanny Sarah's unorthodox bedside manner and her mischievous  charges. So many wonderful, heartwarming moments in this story. And laugh-out-loud funny ones. A charming light-on-Christmas  sweet romance.

I listened to the audible version of this book partly because Susan Boyce is the narrator and her delivery is spot-on when it comes to Jo Ann Brown's storytelling style. A great pairing -- and I see that they've partnered for the whole series. Eeep!

So, yes, this is the second book in the Amish Spinster Club series but they can all be read as a standalone. I read the third book first and then this one and I had no issues connecting with either story. Love that the series is based on four single friends who have formed a tongue-in-cheek spinster club in a new Amish settlement.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Winner's choice of EITHER an ebook OR a print 2-in-1 copy of The Amish Christmas Cowboy paired with An Amish Wedding by Carrie Lighte

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Amish Christmas Cowboy, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 25 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Standoff

GIVEAWAY

BRADLEY, PATRICIA
STANDOFF

The Hatchez Trace National Parkway stretched 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure frive. Unfortunately for Luke Fereday, it's also perfect for moving drugs.

Sent to Natvhez to infiltrate the organization at the enter of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of  his friend, park ranger John Danvers. John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder but soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her.

Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who's going to keep him safe when he realizes he's falling -- hard -- for the daughter of the man he failed to save?

My Review:
\
Wbiplash suspense paired with an angsty reunion romance are the foundation of the unputdownable first book in Patricia Bradley's new series, Natchez Trace Park Rangers. Gobsmackingly good!

Absolutely love the park rangers angle which is something fresh and new for a romantic suspense and Bradley brings out interesting details of the profession and training and the way multiple agencies come together to fight organized crime. The suspense plot is intense and complex with enough hairpin turns to throw an unsuspecting reader into a tailspin of bibliophile delight! We're even given terse, intermittent perspectives from a villain who has Brooke in his crosshairs. It got to the point where I suspected nearly everyone in the book except Luke!  And I like the way the short chapters created a sense of urgency. Each one ending on a high note that compelled me to read 'just one more chapter.' Like I said, Unputdownable.

Luke and Brooke were high school friends on the cusp of turning into something more when Luke did a sudden about-face and left town. Now he's back, deep undercover investigating a drug smuggling operation. Only Brooke, a newly minted law enforcement ranger,  keeps getting in the way. Their romance is all kinds of complicated. Sometimes funny, often frustrating and occasionally toe-curling...in between dodging violent attacks, of course. :-)

An incredible start to an exciting new series. Can't wait until Obsession comes out in February 2021!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Pub-lishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Standoff, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 25 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Secrets Resurfaced

GIVEAWAY

MENTINK, DANA
SECRETS RESURFACED

Searching for the truth could get them killed...

When new evidence surfaces about a tragic boating accident that put her ex-boyfriend's father in prison, private investigator Dory Winslow's determined to look into it. But now someone's dead set on silencing her. And working with Chad Jaggert -- the father of her secret child -- may be the only way to survive the treacherous truth about the tragedy that once tore them apart.

My Review:

Gah but I'm not a fan of the secret baby trope but when a fave author goes and writes one I can't resist. And you know what? Dana Mentink makes it work. I still don't like the decisions Dory made but I can understand them. There's real character growth as she comes to terms with their past and and how she handled things. Plus, five years ago was a gnarly mess complete with parental interference.

And, oh my goodness, what a heart-stopping reunion! Seconds in and Dory and Chad are sniping at each other while bullets fly and danger dogs their heels. Funny and traumatic rolled into one nail-biting scene! And the tension doesn't let up! It seems like they spend more time at the hospital than chasing down clues. lol Love the taut sense of urgency as the danger amps up. Phew, you might just need an oxygen tank on standby for this one!

I don't often listen to Love Inspired books but I couldn't resist trying Meghan Kelly's narration when audible recommended it as something I might like (how right they were!)  a Great author/narrator match that enhanced the storytelling enjoyment.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Secrets Resurfaced, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 25 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Love at Last : 3 Historical Romance Novellas of Love in Days Gone By

GIVEAWAY

HUNTER, KRISTI ANN
CAMDEN, ELIZABETH
DYKES, AMANDA
LOVE AT LAST : 3 HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVELLAS OF LOVE IN DAYS GONE BY


Three acclaimed, award-winning Christian historical fiction authors' romantic and intriguing novellas are combined in one Readers will be delighted by these inspiring stories of love in print for the first time.

Kristi Ann Hunter's A Search for Refuge tells of solictor Nash Banfield, hiding from society in a market town, and Lady Margaretta Fortescue, on the run from a mysterious threat and in desperate need of refuge.

Elizabeth Camden's Summer of Dreams follows the whip-smart daughter of an army general determined never to marry a man in uniform, and a charismatic West Point cadet just as determined to change her mind.

Amanda Dykes's Up from the Sea follows the granddaughter of a Southern lumber baron and the local lumberjack who helps her investigate the legend that could save her family's land.

My Review:

A trifecta of super authors make this a historical fiction reader's dream!

Please note: these novellas have all been published in ebook format but this is the first time they've been compiled into print format. Perfect for the discerning reader's keeper shelf.

A Search for Refuge by Kristi Ann Hunter -- I read this series inside out so it was nice to fill in some of the missing pieces through reading this novella. Loved being present at the inception of Haven Manor! Nash and Margaretta's love story is sweet and intense and threatened by a cruel, power-hungry man. Cue a page- turning frenzy and call me one blissfully happy reader!

Summer of Dreams by Elizabeth Camden -- It's 1886 and Evelyn's father considers her "biologically unsuited" for pursing an education in engineering but that doesn't stop her from creating some ambitious projects on her own. When a rakish West Point cadet lends assistance on a complicated electrical issue sparks fly! Only she's vowed to never become involved with an army man and he's already committed to the Engineering Crops. Yep, it's complicated. Camden packed a lot of emotional depth into this 'not so doomed' romance as both Evelyn and Clyde struggle with issues from their past threatening their future.

Up From the Sea by Amanda Dyke  -- "Lord, you created the dark just as you created the light. Help me find life there, and not fear." (p 252) A lyrical, evocative tale that explores what really matters. It's 1925  and Savannah is a displaced Southerner in the wilds of Maine trying to reconnect with her deceased mother's family. She's a farmer's daughter and they are nouveau riche thanks to the marvels of the stock market. But her mother has left her a story and a map and Savannah's determined to uncover treasure buried long ago with the help of a taciturn lumberjack. And yes, I swooned all over Alastair!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Love at Last, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 25 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Carol Awards Finalist 2020 - Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

GIVEAWAY

First off -- what exactly are the Carol Awards?

They are awards given out by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in recognition of outstanding Christian Fiction in the previous calendar year. So these 2020 finalists are books published in 2019. You might have read them already. You might not. I've only read one in this category! I'll include a link to my review in the description.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the three Carol Award Finalist 2020 Mystery/Suspense/Thriller novels you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in your comment (or an email, if you're entering that way.) If you win, that's the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the three finalists:

The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal, Revell, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, editor Andrea Doering

Talia Inger is a rookie CIA case officer assigned not to the Moscow desk as she had hoped but to the forgotten backwaters of Eastern Europe -- a department only known as "Other." When she is tasked with helping a young, charming Moldovan executive secure his designs for a revolutionary defense technology, she figures she'll be back in DC within a few days. But that's before she knows where the designs are stored -- and who's after them. With her shady civilian partner, Adam Tyler, Talia takes a deep dive into a world where only criminal minds and unlikely strategies will keep the Gryphon, a high-altitude data vault, hovering in the mesophere.

Even Tyler is more than he seems, and Talia begins to wonder: Is he helping her? Or using her access to CIA resources to pull off an epic heist for his own dark purposes?

In this Ocean's Eleven-meets-Mission Impossible thriller, former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot James R. Hannibal offers you a nonstop thrill ride through the most daring heist ever conceived.

Laynie Portland, Retired Spy by Vikki Kestell, ACFW QIP (Qualified Independently Published), editors Cheryl Adkins and Greg McCann

"Retirement" means something altogether different for a spy. It means someone in authority over you has decided that "coming in from the cold" is out of the question. It means you'd better run.

Laynie Portland has masqueraded as Swedish citizen Linnea Olander for close to two decades, the last seven years as the companion of Vassili Aleksandrovich Petroff, a reputable Russian scientist, former officer of the KGB and, at present,senior technology advisor to the Secretary of the Russian Federation's Security Council.

What Petroff doesn't know is that, during her time as his woman, Laynie (Linnea) has ferreted out and fed her handlers a treasure trove of political and technological intel.

However, Petroff is a man with a pathological need to control every aspect of Laynie's life. When Petroff's jealous rages worsen, Laynie had had enough and petitions her agency to pull her out. She is told, however, that she is too well-placed to decommission: she is too valuable an asset where she is - and she fears that someone, someone in her chain of command, would rather risk her death under Petroff''s hand than lose the value and prestige her intel engenders.

She is told, furthermore, that her request to withdraw poses a larger danger -- because the abrupt departure of Linnea Olander would trigger an avalanche of Russian suspicions, and those suspicions would extend to her company, Marstead International, the front for a joint US/NATO covert intelligence gathering venture.

But Laynie is desperate: She knows how close to the edge she stands. She has acted the part of Linnea Olander too long and her ability to maintain the facade she presents to Petroff is fragile at best. A single misstep could blow her cover.

Faced with no viable alternative, Laynie runs.

Petroff views Linnea Olander's disappearance as a personal affront. In his eyes, Linnea's disloyalty is the ultimate act of betrayal, and he swears to find and punish her. Simultaneously, Laynie's Marstead superiors brand her as a rogue agent, a loose cannon who can no longer be trusted -- and the "retirement package" they order for her includes a short walk off the deck of a ferry into the black, icy rollers of the Baltic Sea.

How can Laynie escape both the Russians and her own agency -- the very people she once trusted? Will no one help her? Or will the God in whom her sister Kari trusts extend his protection over her life?

But why would he do that, Laynie asks herself, given the life I have lived?

Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, editor Becky Monds

In this Gothic Regency romance Rebecca fears she has developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged, her brother's murderer.

After her brother's mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible: Mr. Lewis Browning -- known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian.

Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation among the darkened corridors of the mysterious Greybourne Hall. Yet Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca's restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother's prior descent into madness and wondering if she, too, will follow the same heartbreaking path.

Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Mr. Browning, Rebecca can't ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she fallen for the man she swore would pay for her brother's death? And , moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2019/08/midnight-at-river-grey.html

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  one of these Carol Award finalists -- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Category novels , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 25 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Kappy King and the Puppy Caper

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

LILLARD, AMY
KAPPY KING AND THE PUPPY CAPER

Content to be unmarried and plain-spoken, Kathryn "Kappy" King is an odd-woman-out in the Amish community of Blue Sky, Pennsylvania. But she's skilled at making the special kapps local women need to cover their hair. And she might be the only one who can unearth the danger hiding in this peaceful valley...

When Kappy's neighbor, Ruth Peachey, turns up dead in her yard, everyone in Blue Sky believes it's a tragic accident. Until the Englisch police find  the gentle dog breeder was deliberately struck down -- and arrest her mentally-challenged son, Jimmy, for the crime...

Jimmy's sister, Edie, returns to Blue Sky to clear his name, yet no one will speak to a shunned former Amish woman, much less give her information. Determined to help, Kappy starts digging for the truth among her seemingly-innocent neighbors. But suddenly a series of suspicious "accidents" threatens Edie and the Peachey farm -- property Edie is determined to protect for her brother's future.

Now, as danger looms large in the small community, Kappy must bait a trap for a killer snapping hard at her heels. And Edie must decide whether to make a home once more in the town she thought she'd left behind...

My Review:

published in 2017

Cracking good fun! Kappy is...unique. A misfit among her Amish neighbours but more out of habit than for any tangible reason. She was raised by an eccentric aunt and I think the community just let her slip into that position after her aunt's death. Which makes Kappy an outlier and she's fine with that. Especially after her broken engagement. Sort of. Love the things I don't know about this Amish community as much as the things I do. Looking forward to exploring why folks are so standoffish and what's up with the Bishop in future books in this series.

So there's Kappy, content to live a lonely existence until murder happens just down the road and somehow she becomes embroiled in it all. She spends most of this book trying to get back to peacefully sewing her kaps but Amish-turned-Englischer Edie keeps dragging her into the fray. These two make a great detective team, switching Holmes and Watson rolls along the way. Kappy, plain-spoken and calm. Edie, cagey and volatile. But a friendship develops nevertheless as they hone their sleuthing skills.

A solid mystery, with enough red-herrings and intriguing suspects to keep me befuddled right til the end. (I was almost right.) And the criminal take-down is hilarious! Yay Kappy! Shrinking Amish maidel she's not. :-) Plus there's potential romance for both our heroines -- definitely of the rom/com variety. I laughed myself silly.

A quirky cozy mystery that's lots of fun.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Kappy King and the Puppy Caper, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 25 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

July Giveaway - Week Three

WON BY BECKY
AND
LUCY REYNOLDS

WON BY ROXANNE CRUZ

WON BY PERRIANNE

WON BY JANA LEAH

WON BY AGBOSS

WON BY LADY SNOW ANGEL

You know the drill: winners will be contacted if they left their email address. Otherwise it's up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca with your mailing address. From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven't been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now so, please, DON'T BE SHY -- CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN'T LEAVE YOUR EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU. Books will be ordered within a week of receiving your mailing address and I'll email you to confirm your win is on its way. Give it a full month before inquiring about the status of an order to allow for processing and shipping time. Thank you!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

Carrying on our Carol Awards Finalists 2020 with the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller  Category on Monday. Winner can choose between:



And the rest of the week's lineup: