Shattered Trust

GIVEAWAY

PARKER, SARA K.
SHATTERED TRUST

Protecting her was his job. Failure wasn't an option.

After Natalie Harper was left at the altar, enjoying her honeymoon alone is the best way to cope -- until she's attacked on the beach. Luke Everett, the bodyguard secretly hired by her federal judge father, arrives just in time to rescue her. It'll take all his professional skills to keep Natalie safe. One wrong move and they could fall prey to the enemy's deadly scheme.

My Review:

A whiplash stunner! Loved the exotic locale where the mayhem starts -- makes it all the more shivery. And that opening scene -- my goosebumps had goosebumps. Luke and Natalie make a dynamic duo as they try to stay ahead of relentless attacks. 

And, being truthful, I wasn't really keen on the idea of a romance coming hard on the heels of  a broken engagement. The idea of a bride left at the altar and then meeting someone else on a solo honeymoon didn't seem plausible so, (hangs head in shame)  Shattered Trust stayed in my TBR pile way too long. But guess what, people? I WAS WRONG!!!! And I promise to follow Parker wherever her creative mind wants to take me from now on. Natalie's backstory, her relationship with her ex, her attraction to Luke (along with her determination to do nothing about it) are all completely believable...and, more importantly, kept me immersed in the story. Brilliantly done (if a whole lot angsty!)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a gently used copy of Shattered Trust, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstreadATyahooDOTca.  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 June 22 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Almost Home

GIVEAWAY

LUESSE, VALERIE FRASER
ALMOST HOME

The things that tear us apart can also bring us together

With America's  entrance into World War II, the town of Blackberry Springs, Alabama, has exploded virtually overnight. Workers from all over are coming for jobs in Uncle Sam's munitions plants -- and they're bringing their pasts with them, right into Dolly Chandler's grand but fading family home turned boardinghouse.

A struggling young couple from the Midwest, unemployed professors from Chicago, a widower from Mississippi, and a shattered young veteran struggling to heal from the war are all hoping Dolly's house will help them find their way back to the lives they left behind. But the house has a past of its own.

When tragedy strikes, Dolly's only hope will be the circle of friends under her roof and their ability to discover the truth about what happened to a young bride who lived there a century before.

My Review:

"All we can do is the best we can do, and all we can see is what's in front of us. So there's no point in looking back and judging ourselves based on things we know now but didn't know then." (p 54)

Wow -- this is one of my favourite reads of the year! Everyone needs a Dolly and Si in their lives! And I want to live in Blackberry Springs at their boarding house because 'little mama's' house has a personality all of its own! Loved the magical feel that brought to this heartwarming tale brimming full of love and loss and the hope of second chances.

I enjoyed the home front perspective of this World War II novel. I hadn't realized the impact the war had on different occupations and the migration that caused as workers moved to areas where munition plants had been established. Loved the diverse gathering that ends up at Dolly's house and the way their lives intertwine. It's told from multiple points of view, which I know isn't every reader's favourite but I had no trouble connecting with these characters and their stories. Such a true-to-life illustration of how unconditional love can heal the sharpest of wounds.

Friendships blossom and love ignites (or reignites as the case may be) -- three romances, in fact! And one of them comes in the form of journal entries from 1844. Lots of toe-curling and euphoric sighing from this avid romance fan! And the way all the pieces of their individual stories come together is sheer poetry.

The author's richly evocative writing style reveals the kind of depth and emotion that makes a reader feel like she's lived inside the pages of this book right alongside Dolly and her friends. There's even a bit of a mystery! Spellbinding from start to finish! Highly recommended.

"We don't get to see the whole map. We just have to cover our stretch o' the road best we can." (p 189)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Almost Home, 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 June 22 2019. Offer open on International Readers. Good luck!

Running Target

GIVEAWAY

GODDARD, ELIZABETH
RUNNING TARGET

She escaped right into danger...A Coldwater Bay Intrigue novel.

A routine patrol turns deadly when marine deputy Bree Carrington's boat is sunk by men carrying illegal weapons. Fleeing a barrage of bullets, she's suddenly rescued by DEA agent Quinn Strand -- her ex-boyfriend. Quinn's return threatens more than Bree's heart...because he's the one the men are really after. As criminals hunt her to get to him, can Quinn and Bree take down a drug ring?

My Review:

Grab your oxygen tank (and a spare) before you dare start reading Running Target! Aptly titled as your pulse will be racing straight through to the end. Great opening scene! Fast-paced and action packed and it just doesn't let up. Love the wilderness aspect which adds even more tension and drama. And really loved that Bree is a kick-butt, never-say-quit heroine, even when she's scared out of her mind! And, believe me, she has plenty to be scared about! Including losing her heart...again...to Quinn Strand who is quite the heart-throb and another reason you might need that second oxygen tank. :-) Running Target is breath-snatching perfection!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a gently read copy of Running Target, 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 the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 22 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

A Silken Thread

GIVEAWAY

SAWYER, KIM VOGEL
A SILKEN THREAD

She had come along late in Mama's life. Her siblings always accused her of being the favorite. But must Laurel forfeit her own chance at love and a future?

Laurel Millard is eighteen years old when her siblings issue an ultimatum: she must waive the rifht to a husband and family of her own in order to care for their mother. Not wanting to leave her beloved mama alone, Laurel agrees, but she secretly harbors the hope that she will find someone who is willing to accept them both.

As the Atlanta Cotton Exposition of 1895 prepares for its grand opening, Laurel eagerly applies to be a silk weaver, believing the position will be her chance to capture the hear of a wealthy suitor who can afford care for Mama and allow Laurel the life she dreams of. She catches the eye of the dashing Langdon Rochester, the heir to his father's steam-powered-engine empire. But when disaster strikes the Silk Room, Laurel makes the acquaintance of Willie Sharp, the security guard posted to protect the exhibit.

Laurel gets to know Willie and his good friend Quincy Tate -- a black groundskeeper -- and witness first hand the destructive divisions based on race, education, and social class. Despite pervasive prejudices and further trouble at the exposition, will Laurel discover the courage to pursue the kind of love that will make her heart sing?

My Review:

An enthralling story featuring four protagonists who each get page time with their own personal point of view. Love the backdrop of the Atlanta Cotton Exposition -- the perfect place for lives and values to collide. Sawyer really brings this setting to life with vivid descriptions that stole my breath (and heart) away. Because....tumultuous doesn't begin to describe my state of mind during this read. I hate injustice of any kind and there's plenty of that here. Race, education, social class...even women's rights. My tummy was flip-flopping and my heart was hammering and it got to the point where I nearly ripped pages I was turning them so fast!(Metaphorically speaking, you understand.  I would never really rip pages from a book!)

Love Laurel's gentle strength and the way her faith grows as a result of her experiences working at the exposition. A Silken Thread is a coming-of-age story in that respect. And there's romance...two possible beaus (not really a love triangle because it's pretty clear who the 'good' guy is...well, at least, she ended up with who I wanted her to be with!) But there are so many layers to this story as Laurel, Langdon, Willie and Quincy become entangled in the division and strife of a city still trying to find its footing thirty years after the Civil War.

A moving story full of grit and heart that's sure to captivate the most discerning of historical fiction connoisseurs.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Silken Thread, 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 June 22 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

How the Light Gets In

GIVEAWAY

PETERSHEIM, JOLINA
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN

From the highly acclaimed author of The Outcast and The Alliance comes an engrossing novel about marriage and motherhood, loss and moving on.

When Ruth Neufeld's husband and father-in-law are killed working for a relief organization overseas, she travels to Wisconsin with her young daughters and mother-in-law Mabel to bury her husband. She hopes the Mennonite community will be a quiet place to grieve and piece together next steps.

Ruth and her family are welcomed by Elam, her husband's cousin, who invites them to stay at his cranberry farm through the harvest. Sifting through fields of berries and memories of a marriage that was broken long before her husband died, Ruth finds solace in the beauty of the land and healing through hard work and budding friendship. She also encounters the possibility of new love with Elam, whose gentle encouragement awakens hopes and dreams she thought she'd lost forever.

But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision: which path to choose if her husband isn't dead after all. 

My Review:

Well, I'm gobsmacked! Seriously speechless. This book was everything I didn't expect it to be and that ending!!!! I'm still coasting on the shock waves and it's been a week since I reached the end. A week of mulling over plot points and characters, wondering if I'd actually read what I...well, read! lol And how do I possibly compose a review without revealing spoilers? I'm stymied. 

How the Light Gets In is profound and moving. A raw and honest exploration of grief. And Ruth's grieving is all the more difficult because of her broken marriage. The agony of not being able to go back and change things or have the opportunity to go forward and fix things makes for a heart-wrenching read. But it's also a story that embraces the wonder and hope of new beginnings; of learning from the past in order to build a better future. 

But be forewarned -- there are plot twists galore and Petersheim delivers them with  the kind of impeccable pacing that left me reeling. Left hook after left hook until my head was spinning! So many rich layers -- from setting to characters to that wicked pummel-me-senseless storyline. Phew! Prepare to be caffuzled and addlepated by the time you finish!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of How the Light Gets In, 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 June 22 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Unnatural Causes

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

EASTMAN, DAWN
UNNATURAL CAUSES

Katie LeClair has finally settled down as the new doctor in Baxter, Michigan. After years of moving, schooling, and training, she wants nothing more than to find a place she can call home, and a small town outside of Ann Arbor seems perfect.

Katie quickly gets to work on building a life for herself in Baxter, and beyond reviving her love life, she also finds a pair of business partners in a team of father and son family practitioners. But that idyllic dream is immediately shattered when one of her patients is found dead. That wouldn't be the worst thing, except the death is ruled a suicide, and as evidence has it, the suicide was a result of the medication Katie had prescribed. But she doesn't remember writing it.

When a closer investigation reveals it was murder, Katie is catapulted into an off-the-books investigation that leads her down a dark path of past secrets. But someone is willing to kill to keep part of the town's history in the shadows, and Katie must race to find out who before it's too late.

My Review;

published in 2017
Thanks to my public library for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

Eeep -- I'm super excited about this new-to-me mystery series. This is the first book in the Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery series and I love the fresh angle. No bookstore in sight -- instead we have a hospital and clinic setting and a physician heroine. Katie is new to small town life but she's in the perfect position to gain the trust and confidences of the town folk...so, of course, when a suspicious death raises questions, Katie can't help but investigate on her own. Love her relationship with Baxter's seasoned police chief who isn't her love interest. But there is one and he is mighty fine! Engaging secondary characters, awesome setting and an intriguing plot make this an exceptional mystery...not quite a cozy since it's missing a quirky pet...but sublime in every other way. :-)

*Please note: this is not a Christian Fiction selection but it is squeaky clean and a great read!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like the chance to win a copy of Unnatural Causes, 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 June 22 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

June Giveaway - Week Three

Wooohhhheeeee -- that was a fun week, wasn't it? So many great new releases to make our summer reading a joy! Blissful sigh! Thanks for participating and helping my wish list to grow...and grow...and grow!!!!!

SIDE NOTE: last week winners -- it was so crazy this week keeping up with the blog that I haven't ordered your books yet. Will play catch up this week so look for your books in about three weeks from now!

WON BY SYLVIA

WON BY RACHAEL K

WON BY AGBOSS

WON BY LUCY REYNOLDS

WON BY KIM HANSEN

WON BY MELANIE BACKUS

WON BY KAY GARRETT

WON BY TRIXI

WON BY LIZ R.

WON BY LORI SMANSKI

WON BY PAULA S.

WON BY LANE HILL HOUSE

I'll contact winners who left their email, otherwise it's up to you to email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca with your mailing address. Books will be ordered once they become available and I'll email you to let you know when your book is on the way. I have a nifty flag system to keep me on track but if you don't hear from me within a week of your book's release feel free to give me a nudge via email. :-)

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAY: