These Healing Hills

GIVEAWAY

GABHART, ANN H.
THESE HEALING HILLS

Francine Howard has her life all mapped out -- until the man she loves announces his plans to bring home an English bride from war-torn Europe in 1945. Devastated, Francine seeks a fresh start in the Appalachian Mountains, training to be a nurse midwife for the Frontier Nursing Service.

Deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed at war, Ben Locke has never thought further ahead than making it home to Kentucky. His future shrouded in as much mist as his beloved mountains, he's at a loss when it comes to envisioning what's next for his life.

When Francine's and Ben's paths intersect, it's immediately clear that they are from different worlds and valure different things. But love has a way of healing old wounds...and revealing tantalizing new possibilities.

My Review:

This book cast a spell over me. Enchanting. Captivating. Riveting. And the word-crafting! Sheer beauty! No skimming allowed -- you'll want to savor every single sentence.

Gabhart celebrates the life and culture of a proud mountain people with reverence and respect. Francine is just as enthralled as I am! Never mind that her nurse midwife mentor expects her to remain apart (really 'above') these simple hill folk. But Francine can see the beauty in that simplicity -faith, family and service. It brings her a unique sense of belonging which is a stark contrast to her sterile upbringing.

And then there's Ben. He's spent his years in the war aching to feel the mountain back under his feet but once he's home he finds himself yearning for something more. Especially when a certain 'brought-in nurse' keeps getting lost on his mountain. Sigh. Their love story is the perfect blend of laughter and uncertainty and oh-so-sweet-and-tender hope.

Some of my favourite parts in the book are the snippets of wisdom we get from the sage elders who played a significant role in Ben and Francine's lives. Things like this: "What was it his pa used to say when Ben started worrying a problem like a dog licking a sore? You don't have to know the last step. Just the first one. You and the Lord can figure out the rest of it on the way." (p 218) I've got that written out on a card and taped to my wall now -- I'm in desperate need of enough faith to trust that 'the Lord and I can figure out the rest' in many areas of my life. And this book is full of sage takeaways like that.

There's a quality in the storytelling that stays with a reader long after the last page has been read. Definitely one of my favourite novels of 2017.

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

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of These Healing Hills, 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 easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 12 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Christmas on the Run

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MCCOY, SHIRLEE
CHRISTMAS ON THE RUN

"Do what we tell you or your son will disappear..."

Master gemstone cutter Carly Rose Kelley will do anything ti keep her son safe...but with blackmailers insisting she forge priceless antique stones, she needs help. With Christmas days away, the desperate widow has only one hope -- the brother-in-law she never met. Hostage rescue specialist Dallas Morgan never knew about his nephew or his estranged late brother's wife. Now their lives are in his hands. But the sweet child and vulnerable woman remind Dallas of the family he once had and lost. And he can't afford distraction. Now that they're trapped in the sights of ruthless blackmailers, nowhere is safe...but Dallas won't let anyone stand in the way of him saving Carly and her little boy.

Mission Rescue -- No job is too dangerous for these fearless heroes

My Review:

There is such a desperate sense of urgency from the very first page that I think I held my breath through the whole read! Carly is in an impossible situation but she's a scrappy fighter and she's concocted a plan that just must save her son...if she can bring herself to hand the controls over to Dallas, a man she's never met. But she's done her research and he's definitely hero material. Trouble is Carly has trust issues when it comes to men and she second guesses involving Dallas at every turn. These two butt heads as they grapple for answers and dance around the unexpected attraction that arcs between them.

Fans of the Mission Rescue series will be happy to connect with some of the previous heroes -- particularly Chance and Boone who step in to provide some much needed backup. No worries if you haven't read the other books in this series (there are eight -- four of them Christmas stories) as each book is written as a standalone. It's just comforting to meet old faces in the midst of all the mayhem! Kinda made me feel relieved to know that Dallas and Carly weren't stuck facing these ruthless blackmailers all on their lonesome!

Heart palpitating action meets tentative romance in this blockbuster romantic suspense.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Christmas on the Run, 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 for me to spot your email. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 12 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

November Giveaway - Week One

WON BY CONNIE LEE

WON BY TAMMIE EDINGTON SHAW

WON BY LUCY REYNOLDS

WON BY LEA

WON BY CAITLIN MCCUTCHEON

WON BY BECKY

As always, I will contact the winner via email (if one has been provided otherwise it's up to you to contact me) but sometimes, thanks to the nefarious ways of the Internet, my email will end up in your spam folder, so keep your eyes peeled! If you haven't heard from me by Monday evening, please email your snail mail address at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. From time to time a winner and I don't seem to connect so I have a one month time limit. If I can't reach you within 4 weeks your win is forfeited.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK: (and I even found a retro Christmas story!)

Their Mistletoe Matchmakers

GIVEAWAY

GWYN, KELI
THEIR MISTLETOE MATCHMAKERS

A Christmas Match

The best Christmas possible -- that's what Lavinia Crowne intends to provide before taking her orphaned nieces and nephew home to Philadelphia. But carrying out her plan may be harder than she expects, with their handsome, stubborn uncle, Henry Hawthorne, insisting on raising the children in rough-and-tumble Sutter Creek, California. Lavinia can't bear to lose her late sister's children, though, or go against her father's demand to bring them home.

Henry believes his nieces and nephew need affection and security more than a lavish lifestyle. But as the children conspire to bring their aunt and uncle together, a new vision fills his head -- of future Christmases spent with sweet, determined Lavinia and their growing family. Can three little matchmakers, and the spirit of the season, bring the gift of a very happy beginning?

My Review:

Three cute-as-a-button matchmakers don't take any prisoners when it comes to romance in Sutter Creek. They are out to ensure a family-size happily ever after, even if their aunt and uncle aren't on board. 'Tis the season when all things become possible and Lavinia and Henry don't stand a chance. They are both so stubborn -- though I have to admit to siding with Henry right from the start.

Lavinia was just sooooooo...well, wound tight, over-the-top ladylike and seemingly unable to see anything from anyone's perspective but her own. But as I got to know her I began to understand exactly why and this story is about her struggle to find the courage to make a stand. Henry helps...and infuriates...with his devotion to their nieces and nephew. Suddenly matters don't seem as clear as she thought -- especially when three conniving children are determined to orchestrate a very different outcome.

An inspirational holiday romance guaranteed to get readers into the Christmas spirit.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Their Mistletoe Matchmakers, 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 easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 5 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

An Alaskan Christmas

GIVEAWAY

CALHOUNE, BELLE
AN ALASKAN CHRISTMAS

Her Christmas Match

After inheriting a gift shop in Love, Alaska, single mom Maggie Richards is ready for a new beginning -- while her little boy is ready for a new daddy! But Maggie has no time for love -- she wants to open the shop in time for Christmas, something she'll do with help from childhood friend Finn O'Rourke. Finn's on board to help Maggie -- but not with the romance rumors that swirl around them like snow. Like Maggie, he's hiding too many secrets to ever wed. So why do Maggie and her little boy make him dream of finding an unusual gift under the tree -- a ready-made family?

Alaskan Grooms: Meeting their matches in Love, Alaska

My Review:

Woohoo -- back in Love, Alaska, this time with a holiday love story that has all the earmarks of the perfect Christmas tale. A small town chock full of friendly folks who believe in love, a hero and heroine who don't -- at least not for themselves, and a little boy who desperately wants a dad. And there's plenty of Christmassy stuff to make things extra festive. Loved the glimpses into the lives of past heroes and heroines (this is the sixth in the Alaskan Grooms series but all read as a standalone too.)  A heartwarming tale brimming with seasonal magic and second chances.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of An Alaskan Christmas 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 via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 5 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

A Matter of Trust

GIVEAWAY

WARREN, SUSAN MAY
A MATTER OF TRUST

It's those we love who have the power to hurt us most...

Champion backcountry snowboarder Gage Watson has left the limelight behind after the death of one of his fans. After being sued for negligence and stripped of his sponserships, he's remade his life as a ski patrol in Montana's rugged mountains, as well as serving on the PEAK Rescue team. But he can't seem to find his footing -- or forget the woman who betrayed him.

Senator and former attorney Ella Blair spends much of her time in the public eye as one of the youngest senators in the country. But she has a secret -- one that cost Gage his career. More than anything, she wants to atone for her betrayal of him in the courtroom and find a way to help him put his career back on track.

When Ella's brother goes missing on one of Glacier National Park's most dangerous peaks, Gage and his team are called in for the rescue. But Gage isn't so sure he wants to help the woman who destroyed his life. More, when she insists on joining the search, he'll have to keep her safe while finding her reckless brother -- a recipe for disaster when a snowstorm hits the mountain.

Book Three of the Mountain Rescue series.

My Review:

Nail-biting adventure high on a mountain top makes for a page turning read. You'll want to bundle up before you start in reading A Matter of Trust because most of it takes place in the frigid outdoors. Brrrrr. Mind you, having Gage around to keep you warm is a real plus. :-)

If you're familiar with this series, you've already met Gage and I have to admit to being really anxious for his story though surprised that it turned up in Book 3. I really expected Pete and Jess to take centre stage this time, based on the lead in from Book 2, but Warren delivers us some more foreshadowed angst where those two are concerned in this story. As well as even more romantic angst involving Ty. Oy, I will be on pins and needles until every member of the PEAK Rescue Teams finds their happily ever after. Lot's of delightful reading anticipation for me! And you -- hopefully.

Having said all that -- you could read A Matter of Trust as a standalone...but this series is so awesome with its realistic characters and action-packed adventures and toe-curling romance that you should really read the books in order. Plus there's a bit of a mystery that has been on the back burner in these first books that is going to amp up as the series progresses. Might as well get in on the emotional roller-coaster from the very start!

As in the other books in this series, Warren has woven an exceptional inspirational thread throughout her characters lives. Both Gage and Ella struggle with the need to be in control. It affects their lives in different ways until their journey in the wilderness leads them to face some hard truths. "And suddenly, despite the cold, a knot began to unravel in his chest. He could almost feel it -- the full breath of grace filling his lungs." (p 280) There are always so many great takeaway quotes in Susan May Warren's books and that one shot a thrill right through me.

This winning combination of romance and adventure makes for the kind of book you don't want to put down until you reach the end...which is kind of a cliffhanger...and whatever you do, don't read the teaser for the fourth book that comes at the end of this one -- not if you want to sleep from now until Troubled Waters releases in January!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Matter of Trust, 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 at the title to your subject line so it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 5 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Bread of Angels

GIVEAWAY

AFSHAR, TESSA
BREAD OF ANGELS

Purple. The foundation of an influential trade in a Roman world dominated by men. One woman rises up to take the reins of success in and incredible journey of courage, grit, and friendship. And along the way, she changes the world.

But before she becomes Lydia, seller of purple, she is simply a merchant's daughter who loves three things: her father, her ancestral home, and making dye. Then unbearable betrayal robs her of nearly everything.

With only her father's secret formulas left, Lydia flees to Philippi and struggles to establish a business on her own. Determination and serendipitous acquaintances -- along with her father's precious dye formula -- help her become one of the city's preeminent merchants. But fear lingers in every shadow, until Lydia meets the apostle Paul and hears his message of hope, becoming the first Christian in all of Europe. Still, Lydia can't outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide, she must either stand firm and trust in her fledgling faith or succumb to the fear that has ruled her life.

My Review:

Outstanding! I'm still marveling over the way this author brings events in the bible to life. Once I finished I had to rush to my bible and read the brief account of Lydia in Acts. Here's where the marveling comes in -- because Afshar has created an enthralling story around Lydia that seems so real, so plausible and completely honors scripture, though it obviously embellishes it. But in doing so, the author shows how the hand of God can work evil for good in the most spectacular way.

I was totally captivated by Lydia -- felt a connection with her right from the start because we share a similar weakness -- the fear of making a mistake, the worry of subsequent consequences and the shadow of doubt that accompanies both. I am so encouraged by Lydia's story -- she faces tremendous trials but she learns and grows and becomes a woman of means. A woman who favors kindness and fairness over bitterness. And then she meets Paul and her life takes a dramatic turn.

I think I loved this part of the story the best. The way the author weaves scriptural accounts of Paul into Lydia's life. And though forgiveness plays a major part in a portion of this tale, I will admit to reveling in triumphant exultation when certain characters finally get their comeuppance. Guess that means more spiritual work is needed in my life! Which is exactly why I crave books like this one!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Bread of Angels, 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 easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 5 2017. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck.