My Hope Next Door

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RANDOM RETRO READ

GRAY, TAMMY L.

MY HOPE NEXT DOOR

Can love grow in the shadow of a broken past?

Former bad girl Katie Stone can feel the weight of her reputation settle over her as she drives home for the first time in years. Feeling deeply guilty about her past mistakes, Katie wants to do the right thing for once. But the small town where she grew up is not nearly as forgiving as she'd hoped. Despite it all, she's determined to help her parents cope with her mother's recent illness, and Katie finds a surprise ally in the man next door.

Asher Powell never minded being the son of a small-town pastor until a recent breakup leaves him wounded by lifelong members of his church. He remember his new neighbor as a mean-spirited high school troublemaker, but he senses that her newfound faith and desire for forgiveness are sincere.

Through an unexpected friendship, two people from different worlds find peace, hope, and a second chance they never dreamed was possible.

My Review:

published in 2016

"You saw a person I hadn't become yet."

This book literally pursued me. It kept popping up on social media feeds and multiple times on random Christian Fiction podcasts where it made multiple top reads hit lists, all in a matter of a couple of weeks which is kinda funny since it was published five years ago. So, I took the hint, checked out audible and it was on sale! Clearly, The Hope Next Door was my reading destiny. :-)

What a powerful novel! it's realistic and gritty, even harsh in places as Gray deals with multiple social issues -- some uniquely connected to the church. My heart still feels stomped on and stretched out of shape from all the pummeling it endured. So, definitely not a light read. More the kind that has the power to grow a reader's faith...and her conscience.  And though it's a tough read, it's as hopeful as the title promises.

And there's toe-curling romance! The kind that grows from awkward friendship and sizzles into something charged and complicated. Something that can't fully blossom until all the secrets are laid to rest. And, oh my, are there ever a lot of secrets! The layers in this story are precariously balanced on even more layers and delving into the past is the only way for Katie and Asher to secure their future. But that takes courage. And grace. So much grace.

A stirring redemptive story wrapped up in faith and the hope of second chances. 

"Faith is a journey. It doesn't have a start and stop date."

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for an ebook or paperback copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of My Hope Next Door, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a 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 17 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Love and a Little White Lie

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 GRAY, TAMMY L.

LOVE AND A LITTLE WHITE LIE

There's a lot of irony in hitting rock bottom

After a hearbreak leaves her reeling, January Sanders is open to anything -- including moving into a cabin on her aunt's wedding venure property and accepting a temporary position at her aunt's church despite being a lifelong skeptic of faith. Choosing to keep her doubts to herself, she's determined to give her all to supporting Grace Community's overworked staff while helping herself move on.

What she doesn't count on is meeting the church's handsome and charming guitarist. It's a match set for disaster, and yet January has no ability to stay away, even if it means pretending to have faith in a God she doesn't believe in.

Only this time, keeping her secret isn't as easy as she thought it would be. Especially when she's constantly running into her aunt's landscape architect, who seems to know everything about her past-and-present sins and makes no apologies about pushing her to deal with feelings she'd rather keep buried.

Torn between two worlds that can't coexist, can January find the healing that's eluded her, or will her resistance to the truth ruin any chance of happiness?

My Review:

True confession: I am sooooo not a fan of love triangles. They make me edgy and nervous and, well, sad, because I have a very tender reader's heart. :-) 

So, second true confession: this book languished on my TBR pile for weeks as I patted her gently on her pretty cover and promised "next time" as I reached underneath her for another book -- any book as long as it was love triangle free. But then, finally, it was her turn and now it's time for my third confession:

I loved this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In spite of (or...shhhhhh...maybe because of -- I so did not say that out loud, did I?) the dreaded LT. Even though reading Love and a Little White Lie sent me into a paroxysm of want-to-read / don't-want-to-read fits. Because, these characters, this plot, the laughter and angst and heart-tugging romantical rollercoaster ride! 

But...I honestly felt like I was cheating on hero A...or maybe B...or possibly both at different times as they vied for my heart. (Psssstttt, Jan ends up with my first choice.) Is it weird that I feel guilty even thinking that? I've been accused of taking my fictional worlds more seriously than the real one, but these days how can that be a bad thing? Especially when authors create such beguiling worlds.

Great pacing. Lovely balance between funny and tender and the aforementioned angst. And January's journey into faith bears all the same descriptors. A fun and thoughtful contemporary romance.

And, in case you're wondering. Yes, I've learned my lesson...don't judge a book by its love triangle. :-)

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

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Love and a Little White Lie, 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 October 30 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

My Unexpected Hope

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GRAY, TAMMY L.
MY UNEXPECTED HOPE

He'll gamble everything on one last chance.

After a year of grieving her divorce and living a life permanently stuck on pause, Laila Richardson is finally ready to have her own happy ending. Then a listing for a quaint cottage in another town answers her prayers for a fresh beginning -- one that will bring her closer to her new boyfriend, Ben. Unfortunately, in her small town of Fairfield, Georgia, letting go of the past is virtually impossible. No one wants to see her move on, including the man who destroyed her heart to begin with.

Chad Richardson has spent years in misery but finally has his life on somewhat stable ground. When he learns his ex-wife is dating, he knows it's time to go back and fight for the life he abandoned. Bolstered by his new-found sobriety, Chad has every intention of winning back the woman he loves, even if that means facing old demons that are waiting for him fail.

Passions run deep as two souls searching for a second chance find the courage to let go of old patterns. Can they recognize that their dreams are still possible, even when forged from a broken past?

My Review:

published in June 2017 by Waterfall Press

A powerful and gritty second chance love story. Phew! This book deals with some heavy topics and Gray did an amazing job of sucking this reader into the emotional dysfunction of two lost souls who didn't stand a chance, given their childhood backgrounds. But they are adults now and ready to take back their lives. It's not easy, not always comfortable to read but having the courage to face the past so they can face the future - together -- makes for an inspiring read.

*Please note: some mild language

**An Unexpected Hope follows My Hope Next Door though I couldn't find any indication that this is a series. More like a sequel. There were some elements at the beginning of this book that led me to believe I was missing part of the story up to that point so I did some digging and discovered I was right. Katie's story comes first and while I never felt lost reading this one, I did feel like I was missing some important details in the connections and relationships Laila and Chad had with key friends as well as the town dynamics.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of My Unexpected Hope, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a 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 youre entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 13 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!