Deadlock

GIVEAWAY

MILLS, DIANN
DEADLOCK

Two murders have rocked the city of Houston. Are they the work of a serial killer, or is a copycat trying to get away with murder?

That is the question facing Special Agent Bethany Sanchez, who is eager for her new assignment in violent crimes but anxious about meeting her new partner. Special Agent Thatcher Graves once arrested her brother, and he has a reputation for being a maverick. Plus, their investigative styles couldn’t be more opposite: he operates on instinct, while she goes by the book.

When hot leads soon fizzle out, their differences threaten to leave them deadlocked. But an attempt on their lives turns up the heat and brings them closer together, and a third victim might yield the clue that will help them zero in on a killer. This could be the case of their careers . . . if they can survive long enough to solve it.

My Review:

Jaw-dropping good. I mean seriously, I read it in one sitting. I think my house could have caught fire and I wouldn't have noticed. So, beware, you might want to clear your calendar and place small children into the hands of responsible caregivers before you start reading this one. It's that compulsive of a read.

The suspense is riveting. Intricate and complicated -- but not in a way that leaves a reader lost. Intense action. Plenty of pieces to try to put together. And the way Mills weaves seemingly diverse threads together is masterful. I just could not stop reading.

I love that the book starts on the first day Bethany and Thatcher are paired up as partners. Destined to clash since the way they work a case is very different. In fact, they are polar opposites in many ways. Thatcher sums it up pretty well at their first charged meeting, "We could fail or become a dynamite team." (p 5) Their romance is just as complicated as the suspense and all the more rewarding as a result.

A Velcro book -- you won't be able to shake it loose until you read that final glorious page.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Deadlock 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 January 10 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Chivalrous

GIVEAWAY

SLEIMAN, DINA L.
CHIVALROUS

Strong and adventurous Gwendolyn Barnes longs to be a knight like her chivalrous brothers. However, that is not an option for her, not even in the Arthurian-inspired Eden where she dwells. Her parents view her only as a marriage pawn, and her domineering father is determined to see her wed to a brutish man who will break her spirit.

When handsome, good-hearted Allen of Ellsworth arrives in Edendale searching for his place in the world, Gwendolyn spies in him the sort of fellow she could imagine marrying. Yet fate seems determined to keep them apart. Tournaments, intrigue, and battles--along with twists and turns aplenty--await these two as they struggle to find love, identity, and their true destinies.

My Review:

This Arthurian inspired story is a fitting sequel to the Robin Hood influences in the first book, Dauntless. You don't have to read the first book in order to enjoy this one, but if you have, you'll already be acquainted with Allen of Ellsworth. So glad he gets his own swashbuckling tale -- can you say swashbuckling in relationship to knights? Ah well, I did, and it's an apt description because there's plenty of action, a few nefarious characters and one truly reprehensible villain to be thwarted.

A good versus evil theme sets the backdrop for the inspirational thread about placing your trust in God. Now that doesn't mean you sit back and do nothing while waiting for a miracle to happen. Definitely not if you are a heroine like Gwen. She's determined to have a say in her future, despite the ominous grumblings of her domineering father.

Left to her own devices for much of her childhood, Gwen trained with her brothers and experienced untold freedom for a genteel female. That has shaped the woman she has become so is it any wonder culture shock ensues when her absentee father returns home with the intent of marrying her off to a most unsuitable suitor?

Talk about clash of wills. Mayhem ensues along with intrigue and dastardly deeds that threaten the fledgling love between Allen and Gwen. Remember what I said about placing your trust in God? What a challenge for this hero and heroine to desperately cling to. I love how the author conveys how they grow in faith and their determination to be true to it.

There are some darker threads in this tale as well. In particular, a secondary character, Rosalind faces a heartbreaking struggle which doesn't reach a conclusion in this novel. Thankfully, Rosalind is the heroine for the third and final installment in the Valiant Hearts series. Courageous comes out in July 2016. I can't wait!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Chivalrous 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 January 10 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

When Secrets Strike

GIVEAWAY

PERRY, MARTA
WHEN SECRETS STRIKE

In Laurel Ridge, Pennsylvania, a community once united must suspect one of their own

Amish quilter Sarah Bitler's dreams no longer feature a husband and family. Instead, she searches for success in the quilt shop within Blackburn House, a place once tarnished with deadly secrets. She refuses to let the past influence her future…until an ominous fire forces them to collide.

Firefighter Aaron King was the first to touch Sarah's heart—and the first to break it. Now a widower and father of two small girls, his return to Sarah's life brings her buried feelings to the surface. As a string of horrific incidents tears apart their community, an arsonist's wrath threatens to destroy them all. With Aaron as the only suspect, Sarah must follow her instincts to find the truth. But to protect an innocent man, she might risk her heart to Aaron again…and risk her life to an unknown killer.

My Review:

A compulsive read. A case of eyes wanting to skim conflicting with a heart wanting to savor. I'm loving this series -- so much, in fact, that I read book one and book two back to back. Check last week for my review of Where Secrets Sleep but no worries about needing to read it before you dive into When Secrets Strike. This reads beautifully as a standalone.

I love the community Perry has created. The mix of English and Amish and enough quirky characters to keep me on my toes. So many secrets for a small town to harbor. Such fun to puzzle things out along with Sarah. I totally got some things way before she did but that just created a frenzied anticipation that made it nearly impossible to wait for the big reveal that would put Sarah in the know as well. And there were other aspects of the suspense that I had to slowly piece together, like one of Sarah's artfully designed quilts.

Unlike the first book, which was mostly set in the 'English world', When Secrets Strikes is definitely an Amish read with both hero and heroine among the town's stalwart Amish members. Sarah has loved Aaron since her childhood. He has always looked upon her as a friend. Close proximity and encroaching danger cause their easy-going relationship to shift. Suddenly Aaron is noticing Sarah in a whole new way and she is second guessing every look and touch. Delicious romantic tension tightens the plot -- guaranteed to send a reader into a dizzying tilt-a-whirl of romantical delirium. :-)

And while not categorized as Christian Fiction, (published for the general market by HQN) there is a subtle inspirational thread on forgiveness that makes this read all the more satisfying.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  When Secrets Strike 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 January 10 2016 . Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

When Love Returns

GIVEAWAY

SAWYER, KIM VOGEL
WHEN LOVE RETURNS

Riddled with doubt and lingering regrets, will Suzanne and Paul find strength in God to explore a second chance at love?

It wasn’t easy to move back to the Old Order Mennonite community from which quiet, responsible Suzanne Zimmerman was shamefully sent away as a pregnant teen. Returning twenty years later to take care of her mother, Suzanne and Alexa—the daughter she raised as her own—have spent months rebuilding relationships with her family.

Now with the upcoming wedding of their biological daughter, Suzanne and Paul find themselves drawn to one another once again—but with new challenges to face. They have been single parents with painful pasts. Can Paul and Suzanne find the strength to rebuild the loving relationship that was torn apart by their teen pregnancy so long ago?

Suzanne must also let go of Alexa as she heads back to Indianapolis to visit friends--and as her chance to find her birth parents. Leaving the bed-and-breakfast in Suzanne’s apprehensive hands, Alexa embarks on a journey that will certainly change her life completely. Can mother and daughter trust God to restore all things in His timing?

My Review:

Stunning conclusion to The Zimmerman Restoration trilogy but, unlike the first two books, I really think When Love Returns will make more of an impact if you've read When Mercy Rains and When Grace Sings first.

This is a beautiful second chance love story with plenty of grit and emotional angst to leave a reader breathless. Suzanne and Paul have waited two decades to be reunited and there is all the delicious uncertainty, not to mention mistakes from their past, to over come. A lot for a romance lover to sink her teeth into.

But love returns in other unexpected ways as well -- like Alexa's quest to discover the mother who abandoned her at birth. It's an exceptional story thread -- real and raw and gutsy. Sawyer explores both sides of the volatile issue with compassion and grace and it made a powerful impact on me.

A host of beautifully flawed secondary characters bring a rich depth to this compelling novel. Somehow, they all come together for the good of the overall theme. In a way, this book is about choices -- whether to judge and condemn or forgive and accept. It's as simple...and complicated...as that.

A truly incredible read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  When Love Returns 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 January 10 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

January Giveaway - Week One

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 Memory Jar

GIVEAWAY

GOYER, TRICIA
THE STORY JAR

Every year, 30–40 young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive “resident” status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides!

Sarah Shelter has lived in West Kootenai for the last ten years and wonders if she will ever fall in love. Since the tragic death of her best friend, she carries her memories in a jar along with the small items connected to them. For just as long, she’s also been carrying around her emotions instead of allowing them to penetrate deep into her heart.

Now she’s met a kind and gentle man who may be able to break down the wall. But can Sarah risk her heart to finally achieve her dreams?

My Review:

Published in 2012, The Memory Jar  is the first book in the wildly popular Seven Brides for Seven Brothers series. I love the concept of a memory jar -- collecting tangible prompts for important memories. That's the way that Sarah chooses to hold tight to special moments. I really enjoyed the flashbacks that included her friend, Patty, as they were growing up. They reveal a lot about Sarah and the reasons for the way she is in the present day. She's somewhat tenuous, carrying a burden she can't bear to share with anyone...until Jathan.

He arrives in West Kootenai with his own share of troubles. Their friendship quickly hints at something deeper but Sarah and Jathan have a lot of growing to do before their happily-ever-after is secured.

"In math, two halves made a whole. But in life -- and with relationships -- two halves offered up from broken souls seemed a poor way to begin something wonderful." (p. 127)

These 'broken souls' struggle with family expectations and it isn't until they learn to trust -- in God and each other -- that their future becomes clear. In fact, the impossible dreams they have longed for don't become possible until they join forces and make them a reality together.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Memory 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 January 3 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Cowboy's Surprise Baby

GIVEAWAY

KASTNER, DEB
THE COWBOY'S SURPRISE BABY

Hometown reunion..

After years away serving his country, Cole Bishop finally returns home -- with a newborn baby in tow. As a single dad, Cole needs help. But the last thing he expects to encounter at his new job is his high school sweetheart -- all grown up and more beautiful than ever. Tessa Applewhite might have broken Cole's heart years before, but she's never forgotten him. And he can wrangle her heart like no one else ever has. But Tessa rejected him when the stakes weren't nearly as high. Can Cole trust her again -- and in the process, form a forever family?

Cowboy Country: Surprise babies lead to unexpected love in Texas

My Review:

Cowboys and babies is a genius theme for a romance, don't you think? And when the setting takes place in a town like Serendipity, Texas where it's  "too small even to warrant a dot on the map, and its residents had minds like elephants and considered gossip a national pastime." -- well, let's just say sweet perfection and leave it at that.

There's something so beguiling about daddy Cole determined to make a life for his son surrounded by family and life-long friends. He knew that would mean running into his high school sweetheart, Tessa, from time to time but he wasn't prepared for the emotional roller-coaster ride that would take him on. History is proof that these two aren't right for each other...at least they weren't when they were kids. Now that they're all grown up...blissful sigh...well, you'll just have to read The Cowboy's Surprise Baby to find out what happens.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  The Cowboy's Surprise Baby 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 January 3 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!