Katie's Way

GIVEAWAY

 

PERRY, MARTA
KATIE'S WAY

A quilt shop brings Amish and Englisch together, and trouble follows...

Hoping for a distraction after a personal heartbreak, new arrival Katie Miller sets up her quilt shop on Pleasant Valley’s Main Street, where Amish and Englisch intermingle. It’s not long before a quilting circle forms and women from both worlds are crafting together and sharing their secrets, turning the store into a lively spot for socializing…much to the consternation of the furniture craftsman next door. Caleb Brand has kept to himself since he lost his betrothed under scandalous circumstances, and he could do without all the feminine chatter—and Katie Miller’s carefree attitude.

When Katie becomes involved in promoting Pennsylvania Dutch Days, some in town appreciate the new business it brings. But others are upset about the flood of outsiders it attracts. Katie turns to Caleb for comfort, and despite his resistance, a fragile friendship forms. Then, when acts of vandalism suddenly threaten Katie’s shop—and the peace of Pleasant Valley—Caleb must decide whether to stand by the young woman who has brought a spring thaw to his frozen heart, and Katie must question whether her cherished independence may deprive her of one more chance at love…

My Review:

Published in 2011 and part of the Pleasant Valley series. This one is Book Five but you (thankfully) don't need to read them in order, though I imagine certain character overlap will be more rewarding for readers who have.

Love all the minute details of Amish life that Perry puts into her stories. Text is peppered with Pennsylvania Dutch words easy to understand in context, but she also includes a glossary of words and phrases as well as some mouth-watering Amish recipes at the end of the book. Definitely a read to tease all the senses!

It wasn't long before I became totally engrossed in this character-driven story. Both Katie and Caleb are independent people with a clear view of what the future holds for them...and that's not each other! Their relationship begins with barely suppressed animosity on Caleb's part that makes their eventual wary friendship hard won. But the possibility of 'like' turning into 'love'? Not possible...at least that's what they both tell themselves. Meanwhile their hearts are following along an entirely different path. Such rich romantic development! Thrilled me to my toes.

But there's enough angst to keep a reader on edge too, between a malicious bit of gossip traveling along the Amish grapevine and the sometimes complicated interactions between Amish and Englisch. Lots of fodder for turmoil and Perry doesn't spare her characters (or her readers) until the very end. I'll definitely be catching up on the rest of the Pleasant Valley series so stay tuned.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Katie's Way 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 March 22 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You?

CARMAN, RACHEL
HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?

“I remember the day you were born.”
“Turn down the music!”
“This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.”
“Hold my hand.”

You’ve probably said these things to your kids, but have you listened to
what you’re saying? In fact, your heavenly Father wants to tell you many
of these same things. Rachael Carman knows how noisy it can be when
you’re raising children—she has seven! But this lovely devotional book
will help you to hear God’s still, small voice amid the chaos of carpools,
cut fingers, and carpet crawlers. You’ll learn how to recognize God’s
instructions for you, even as you seek to follow His example as a parent.

My Review:

A unique book among the many parenting themed ones out there. I love the perspective twist -- the idea that those same questions (sometimes asked in exasperation) that we ask our kids can be applied to our own faith journey. Divided into sixty-eight short chapters -- each dealing with a 'mom' saying like Follow the Directions, Life isn't fair, Don't panic, and the all too unpopular, No. The author shares a brief personal story to set the scene, flips it so it applies to a faith principal and then follows up with a few reflective questions called A Moment for Introspection at the end. Pretty impactful stuff and would be great to use as a devotional. And though the target audience is parents, I think it holds a universal appeal.

My thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group and Apologia Educational Ministries for supplying me with a review copy of this book.  http://litfusegroup.com/author/rcarman

Coast Guard Courtship

GIVEAWAY

CARTER, LISA
COAST GUARD COURTSHIP

A Seaside Romance

Coast Guard Officer Braeden Scott's life is all about freedom and adventure. Being assigned to a tiny Virginia coastal village is the last thing he wants. But thanks to a feisty redhead, he's soon discovering the charms of a small-town life. Amelia Duer is all about home and hearth. Taking care of others is her whole world. As Braeden spends more time with her and her nephew, his hopes for a family begin to resurface. Could Amelia prove to be the anchor this charming Coastie needs to stop wandering and create a home for good?

My Review:

I'm a fan of Lisa Carter's romantic suspense novels so I was eager to read her debut Love Inspired book. If I had to sum it up in one word I'd have to go with...awesome! Carter creates vivid images of a captivating seaside town and the salt-of-the-earth characters who live there. I swear an occasional spray of salt water misted up off the page a time or two. Love becoming so immersed in a setting.

Amelia is an intriguing (and frustrating) heroine. I've never met one with such a huge chip on her shoulder -- more like a boulder, actually. It's there for a reason as she's lived through a number of tragedies but sometimes I just wanted slap her upside the head and tell her to give poor Braeden a chance. Mind you he has a few stubborn characteristics too. If you like a good dose of grit mixed in with your romance, liberally peppered with laughter and laced with toe-curling moments, then Coast Guard Courtship is the book for you.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Coast Guard Courtship 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 March 22 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Keys of Heaven

GIVEAWAY

SENFT, ADINA
KEYS OF HEAVEN

Sarah Yoder is learning to help the people in her Amish community as a Dokterfraa, creating teas and tinctures from the herbs she grows. But her latest patient seems to have a problem that can't be resolved with Sarah's remedies-a woman who, in Sarah's mind, would flourish anywhere other than where she lives. Meanwhile, as Sarah's relatives attempt a little matchmaking between her and a visiting Amish man, she struggles to let God show her His choice of partner and not allow her friendship with her neighbor, Henry Byler, to grow into anything more.

Henry has seen some success as a potter since a major store commissioned his work for their catalog. But the trouble is they want to market him as Amish. Though he was raised in the faith and lives in Amish country, Henry has never joined church and doesn't plan to. Which also means, despite the attraction between them, he must keep his distance from Sarah. But what will happen when Sarah and Henry are called upon to help a runaway whose Englisch family is blind to how lost their son has become? The plant Sarah calls Keys of Heaven can grow in impossible places, but it's hard for people to find their own place, which creates quite a temptation for Sarah to take matters into her own hands...

My Review:

The second book in A Healing Grace series and, while you could read this one as a standalone, there are some plot threads that will make more sense if you've read the first book, Herb of Grace. Like the gnashing-of-teeth and stomping-of-feet  romantic thread...and that's all I'm sayin' 'bout that...except I'm yearning for book three in the worst way now.

Sarah is back working with her healing herbs. She's getting more comfortable being a Dokterfraa -- maybe too comfortable as she presses for what she feels is best for her patients...and her friends. There's lots of Amish community shenanigans to keep things hopping and a troubled Englisch boy to make things even more interesting. And then there's this not to be spoken of connection between Sarah and Henry. Impossible. Improbable. Insert a heartbreaking sob here.

Like most continuous type series, this middle book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. We still need to rally around the Yoder family and light a fire under Henry and hopefully smooth out poor neighbour Priscilla's love life (unless she gets her own book later on.) Not to mention sister-in-law Amanda. Sarah's on the look out for the perfect suitor. I am definitely looking forward to more of this heroine's well-intentioned meddling and the complications that will ensue when book three, Balm of Gilead comes out this summer.

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Keys of Heaven 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 March 22 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Presumed Guilty

GIVEAWAY

LYNN, DANA R.
PRESUMED GUILTY

"I'm innocent!"

After four years in prison for a crime she didn't commit, Melanie Swanson's finally free. Yet starting over brings a heavy load of challenges. Nearly everyone believes she's guilty—including police lieutenant Jace Tucker. Jace's certainty cracks only when Melanie is repeatedly attacked, and when the people around her are picked off one by one. Melanie's clearly innocent—and terrified. Someone wants her dead to keep her shattered memories from recalling the crime she witnessed rather than caused. She lost her friends, her fiancé and her freedom when she was found guilty—but proving her innocence could cost Melanie her life.

My Review:

One of the most thrilling opening scenes I've read in a Love Inspired Suspense! Lynn pulled me right into the turmoil and I felt an immediate connection with the heroine. She's survived four years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and, upon her release, the worst should have been behind her. Not so much. Scary stalking scenarios, the harsh judgements of the community and fighting off assailants is fast becoming the same old same old.  Jace and Mel are thrown together in a wicked game of cat and mouse with plenty of twists and turns and enough surprises to keep me guessing until the very end. Awesome debut novel!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Presumed Guilty 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 March 22 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

How To Catch a Prince

GIVEAWAY

HAUCK, RACHEL
HOW TO CATCH A PRINCE

She caught her prince once. Can she catch him again?
American heiress Corina Del Rey's life was devastated by war. Every thing she loved was lost. But after five years of grief, she's shed her grave clothes and started over in the sunshine along the Florida coast.

But some things are not so easily forgotten. When a secret from her past confronts her face to face, she realizes she must follow her heart. Even if it cost her everything.

Prince Stephen of Brighton Kingdom is a former Royal Air Command lieutenant turned star rugby player, trying to make sense of his life after the devastation of war.
When his brother, King Nathaniel, discovers Stephen's pre war secret, he must deal with an aspect of his life he longed to forget. But how can he do so without exposing the truth and breaching national security?

Yet, true love has a destiny all it's own. As the cathedral bells peal through Cathedral City, Corina and Stephen must chose to answer the call of love on their hearts. Or let it be lost forever?

My Review:

How can you not love a book that has exquisite lines like: "With a smile, Daisy pulled Corina into a hug. And for a fleeting second, Corina cradled her cheek on her friend's shoulder and left a piece of her burden there." Honestly, Hauck's eloquence takes my breath away. Her words speak directly to my heart and I find myself emotionally invested in the lives of the characters she brings to life. There's just no way I could have stopped reading. And when the end came, I didn't want it to be over.

How to Catch a Prince is clever and witty and heartrending. A tumultuous mix that had me alternately laughing and crying and shouting scathing comments at ne'er-do-well characters that had no business giving Corina such a hard time. Not to mention swooning over some lovely romantical bits too. And yet it also has an ethereal, fairy tale quality with enough inspiration to touch my soul. That astounding combination equals sheer reading delight.

This is the first novel I have read by Rachel Hauck and I'm left wondering what took me so long!

My thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group and Zondervan for supplying me with a review copy of this book.

http://litfusegroup.com/author/rhauck

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of How to Catch a Prince 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 March 22 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

One grand prize winner will receive:

A royal-themed Brighton charm bracelet

2 tickets to see the new Cinderella movie

The Royal Wedding series (Once Upon a Prince, Princess Ever After, and How to Catch a Prince)

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 23rd. Winner will be announced March 24th on Rachel's blog. {NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

March Giveaway - Week Three

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 time frame. If I can't reach you within four weeks your win will be forfeited.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS: