The Sea Keeper's Daughters

GIVEAWAY

WINGATE, LISA
THE SEA KEEPER'S DAUGHTERS

Wingate's third Carolina book follows the highly reviewed, The Prayer Box and The Story Keeper as well as related three novellas.

From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. . .

Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at The Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a depression-era love story change everything.

My Review:

A masterful tale so profound that I'm still reeling. Talk about compelling! I couldn't read fast enough. My eyeballs were tripping over each other in a race to the finish. I knew I should slow down, spend some time savoring artfully crafted gems like this: "Sometimes, even when you've spent years ignoring God, there are places where his fingerprint and his intentions seem absolute." (p.170) But I was so eager to find out what happens next I barely remembered to breathe.

This novel surprised me. Not because I enjoyed it so much -- I'm acquainted with Wingate's work so I knew that was a given. What surprised me was the incredible story within a story that I discovered within these pages. I knew nothing about Roosevelt's WPA folklore writers but I'm definitely going to follow through with the reference links the author provides at the end of the book and learn more.

An emotional read, I wept at the end. Great gasping sobs -- a mixture of sorrow and joy. The power is in the legacy of family -- the heart of this story. Whitney sums it up beautifully. "Despite the lack of answers, I know I've found the truth of who I am and where I come from. The path isn't straight. It winds and bends in magnificent ways, its course shepherded by strong women who've left their footprints behind." (p.403) Her journey of self-discovery makes for a truly mesmerizing read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Sea Keeper's Daughters 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 November 22 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

November 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:

The Story Jar

GIVEAWAY

HATCHER, ROBIN LEE
HUNT, ANGELA E.
BEDFORD, DEBORAH
THE STORY JAR

While cleaning in a tiny old church, Beth Williams finds a gallon-sized mason jar filled with an odd assortment of items. "It's a story jar," explains Mrs. Halley, the newly widowed pastor's wife. "Every item in it represents a mother's story and a miracle of God."

Curious, Beth listens as the tale behind each object unfolds: a blue hair ribbon and the mother who faces her greatest fear...a silver ring and the woman who finally sees into her daughter's heart...a tiny, yellow sock and the adoption that tests a young mother's patience and faith.

In addition to three heart-wrenching, heart-warming novellas, The Story Jar features true-life tributes to their mothers from Jerry Jenkins, Francine Rivers, Debbie Macomber and others. This is a book that will lift your spirit and lead you to new faith in the Father as it honours mothers everywhere.

My Review:

A charming collection of powerful mother-love novellas.  These are stories as much about faith and trust in God as they are about motherhood. Three mothers face different life-changing challenges -- cancer, teenage rebellion and infertility. All heavy issues that could burden a reader however each author infuses such hope and spirituality into each story that I came away uplifted instead.  A compelling read that was over way too fast.

Added bonus: a variety of authors have written sweet tributes to their own mothers including Debbie Macomber, Francine Rivers, Lori Copeland, among others.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Story Jar 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 November 15 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

A Husband for Christmas

GIVEAWAY

MARTIN, GAIL GAYMER
A HUSBAND FOR CHRISTMAS

Spending her holidays in picturesque Lilac Circle, Michigan, is the perfect place for Nina Jerome to start anew. She's determined to put her painful divorce in the past and focus on the future. She hadn't planned on being distracted by her sweet neighbor, Doug Billings. The successful businessman and temporary dad is clueless when it comes to taking care of his little niece. Getting help from Nina is the perfect setup—but something about the pretty new nanny makes him think about the unthinkable: having a wife and a family of his own. Can he convince Nina that she's worthy of a second chance at love—just in time for Christmas?

My Review:

This book has all the makings of a Hallmark movie  -- two solitary adults fumbling their way towards romance, a capricious little girl who isn't above helping things along, a relentless matchmaking neighbour and a Christmas miracle. The perfect sweet romance to herald in the holiday season.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  A Husband for Christmas 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 November 15 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Another Way Home

GIVEAWAY

RANEY, DEBORAH
ANOTHER WAY HOME

Grant and Audrey are adding grandchildren to their family left and right, but middle daughter, Danae, and her husband, Dallas Brooks, have been trying for years with no baby in sight.

Though Danae is ready to consider adoption, Dallas will not even discuss it. Despairing of ever having a family of her own, Danae decides to pour her passion and energies into volunteer work with a newly opened women’s shelter in town. Looking for a good cause to fill her lonely days, she never expects to give her heart to the hurting women she meets there. She’s finally learning to live her life with gratitude, but then heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil—and leave them all forever changed.

My Review:

Another addition to the stunning Chicory Inn series. Definitely reads fine as a standalone, though I think you'll get the most out of the story if you've read the first two books, Home to Chicory Lane and Two Roads Home.

Another Way Home is a multigenerational tale told from the viewpoints of Audrey and Grant Whitman and their daughter Danae and son-in-law Dallas. Love the complexities in this family's life and the special relationship that bridges four generations. Audrey and Grant are the anchor, their steadfast faith standing in the gap whenever it is called for. 

And this time it is Danae and Dallas who need help navigating the complexities of married life. I am a huge fan of reading a married couple's love story. Too often romance readers are left hanging at the 'and they lived happily ever after' end of a book. No mention of the gnarly bits and life messes that  make up our everyday reality. Raney invites us into the imperfect world of Danae and Dallas. There's no question that these two love each other but their struggles with infertility have brought division into their marriage.

Rife with stress, full of heartache and indecision, their story touched me deeply. I was at odds, championing them both, wishing I could wave a magic wand and fix it all for them. Raney does better than that. She sets them on an incredible journey of discovery. There's plenty of twists and turns and gasp-out-loud moments. But then, there it is, the 'aha' moment that gave my goosebumps goosebumps. Because Dallas and Danae's story proclaims that God always has a plan, even in the midst of our darkest hour. And that plan far exceeds even our most outrageous imaginings.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group and Abingdon Press for providing me with a copy of this book.

http://litfusegroup.com/author/draney

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Another Way Home 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 November 15 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Murder Under the Mistletoe

GIVEAWAY

REED, TERRI
MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Agent undercover...

DEA agent Tyler Griffin must stop a drug cartel that's using an Idaho Christmas tree farm to smuggle narcotics across the Canadian border. But to do his job, Tyler needs the cooperation of farm owner and widowed mother Heather Larson-Randall—whose informant brother died on Tyler's watch. Tyler knows a crucial piece of evidence is hidden somewhere on the property. But getting the protective mother to trust him is the hardest part of his mission. As threats against Heather mount, he vows to keep her and her child safe…and clear the farm of danger before Christmas.

Northern Border Patrol: Keeping the US-Canadian border safe..

My Review:

Hello -- murder and mayhem on a Christmas tree farm?! Count me in! You can't get more Christmasy than that! Loved the fresh angle and the way the author incorporated Christmas and suspense with a liberal dash of romance into this absorbing read. The perfect book to practice your armchair sleuthing techniques. Hot chocolate with marshmallows and shortbread cookies optional (but highly recommended.)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Vendetta 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 November 15 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Luther and Katharina

GIVEAWAY

HEDLUND, JODY
LUTHER AND KATHARINA

Katharina von Bora has seen nothing but the inside of cloister walls since she was five. In a daring escape, Katharina finds refuge with Martin Luther and seeks his help to pair her with the noble, wealthy husband she desires.

As class tensions and religious conflicts escalate toward the brink of war, Martin Luther believes that each day could be his last and determines he will never take a wife.

As the horrors of the bloody Peasant War break out around them, the proud Katharina and headstrong Martin Luther fight their own battle for true love, in one of the greatest love stories of history.

My Review:

Hedlund brings history to life in this fascinating fictional biography. I trust this author with her research and I think she did an amazing job of blending fact and fiction in order to create a captivating story that highlights the incredible drama of the Reformation. Yes, she has taken some literary license but she distinguishes actual history from fictional embellishment in an author's note at the end of the book.

Stark and gritty at times, this isn't a tale for the faint of heart. I was completely enthralled. The danger -- the corruption of the Church of Rome -- the oppression of the nuns -- class unrest -- such a dark time in history and yet the hope of the Reformation burns brightly.

While Hedlund doesn't shy away from the heavy subject matter, there are surprising light moments as well. I chuckled my way through Martin and Katharina's first meet and the subsequent days afterwards. Barbed comments and snappish comebacks galore! Lady Katharina is very much aware of her noble lineage and just as aware of Martin's lack thereof. As much as this is a fictional account, the author has taken pains to capture their personalities. Exceptional details that make this a gripping and complex read.

I was overwhelmed with a feeling of awe by time I finished this book,  Realization slammed into me -- this is my history as a Christian. Martin Luther is the reason I have the freedom to worship. I don't ever want to take that for granted! Bless Jody Hedlund for reminding me of that fact.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Luther and Katharina 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 November 15 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!