The Cedar Key

GIVEAWAY

MCGEE, STEPHENIA H.

THE CEDAR KEY

Could the key to Casey's future be hidden in someone else's past?

Casey Adams unexpectedly inherits an old Victorian house full of other people's memories. Stuck in a quirky little Mississippi town, Casey's hope for a fresh start died as soon as she had to lay the grandmother she'd just met to rest.

But Grandma Ida carried secrets beyond the grave.

Before her death Ida carefully planned a trail of clues to help Casey unlock the Macintyre family secrets and finally explain why they abandoned her. But each of Ida's letters will only come from Casey's handsome - and often frustrating - new neighbor. 

As Casey pieces together the stories behind the objects filling her grandmother's house, she embarks on a heart-stirring journey that rattles her foundations, ignites her faith, and leads her to a startling discovery that will reshape her future. But only if she can face the lies that have been slowly tearing her apart.

My Review:

Five tissue box alert. 

My heart feels like it's been pummelled to pulp and then stretched three sizes bigger. I hurt...in a good way. And am definitely better for having read The Cedar Key.

McGee has crafted the kind of richly layered story that a reader has no choice but to feel her way through -- and I think listening to the audible edition narrated by Bryn Austin made it that much more emotional for me.

Casey is a hot mess when we first meet her. Scrappy and prickly and barricaded behind an impenetrable wall of hurt. No one is going to get past her defences. She's been discarded one too many times in her life and she's guarding her heart from everyone and everything. Including God.

But then she finds herself in a quirky little southern town with a host of folks who just won't leave her alone -- for better or worse. Including her deceased grandma who has prepared an intricate trail of discovery through revealing letters and projects. The result is pure magic!

Deep, aching sorrow paired with the hope of new-found faith makes this the kind of stand-out novel we need in Christian Fiction. But there's also plenty of laughter amidst the tears as enduring friendships are made. Not to mention stomach churning angst as someone conspires against Casey. Add in some sweet (but complicated) romance and the result is pure bibliophile bliss! 

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is available in paperback or ebook format -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Cedar Key, 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 winners announced on Saturday June 12 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Lemon Drop Dead

GIVEAWAY

FLOWER, AMANDA

LEMON DROP DEAD

Murder always leaves a sour taste...

Though baby showers aren't an Amish tradition, Bailey King want to celebrate Emily Keim's forthcoming bundle of joy. It's the least she can do for her hardworking assistant at Swissmen Sweets, especially with Emily being estranged from her siblings. Everyone in Harvest, Ohio has gathered at the town gazebo -- decked out in lemon-themed decore to add some of Emily's favorite flavor to the festivities -- including Juliet Brook, Jethro the Pig, and in a last-minute invited, Emily's sister Esther Esh.

But Esther isn't the only surprise guest. A mysterious Amish woman confronts Emily claiming to know about her secret shame -- the child she had as a teenager who was given up for adoption. The stranger vanishes before Bailey can find out who she was and if she knew what happened to Emily's first baby. Later that evening, the woman reappears -- dead in Esh Family Pretzels, with a threatening letter written by Esther found on her body.

Emily knows her sister is not a murderer and convinces Bailey to help clear Esther's name and put the squeeze on the real killer.

My Review:

No one does cozy-quirky quite like Amanda Flower. Whether it's in the wilds of Scotland or a magical bookstore or the quaint Amish town of Harvest, there's bound to be interesting critters, charming (and not so charming) characters and an intriguing mystery.

Harvest, Ohio, the kind of small town you'd love to live in...except for their high murder rate. Bwahahahaha! And Bailey finds herself right in the middle of a very mysterious one. So many layers, so many plot twists, so many suspects! My sleuthing armchair got quite the workout. 

Of course Jethro the pig plays a central part in this sleuthing tale. With cameos from Nutmeg the cat and Puff the rabbit. :-) And we're even introduced to a horse named Cooper. Wherever Bailey goes, a menagerie is sure to follow.

This just might be my favourite Amish Candy Shop Mystery ever!

"Our hope is to make as few mistakes as possible and live a righteous life, but we will all fall short of the glory of Gott. When we do, he will be there to catch us and guide us back onto the right path." (p 298)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is available in paperback or ebook format -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Lemon Drop Dead, 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 winners announced on Saturday June 12 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

June Giveaway -- Week One

 

WON BY FREDAMANS

WON BY KAY GARRETT

WON BY WINNIE

WON BY ELIZABETH LITTON

WON BY LORAINE NUNLEY

WON BY KAREN SUE HADLEY

You know the drill: winners will be contacted if they left their email address in the comments, otherwise it's up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. (Please note it's ca as in Canada not com)

From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven't been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now so, please, DON'T BE SHY -- CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN'T LEAVE AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

Books will be ordered within a week of receiving your mailing address (or email address for ebooks) and I'll email you to confirm your book is on its way. Give it a full month before inquiring on the status of an order to allow for processing and shipping times.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Rising Danger

GIVEAWAY

AGEN, JERUSHA

RISING DANGER

It's up to a K-9 handler and her canine partner to stop a bomber before it's too late.

Someone's planting explosives on dams in the Twin Cities, and Bristol Bachmann and her bomb-sniffing dog must move quickly to find them before everything ends up underwater. That means relying on the dams' supervisor -- an ex-boyfriend Bristol never thought she'd see again. Hopefully Remington Jones has grown up from the rakish charmer she knew in her academy days. Because lives now depend entirely on them.

It's an environmental terrorist who wants the dams gone, and his bid to set the waters free has lethal consequences. When he sees Bristol and her K-9 working to stop him, he sets his sights on them. Can they evade him in a lethal game of cat and mouse and protect the cities from devastating destruction before the clock runs out?

My Review:

From the compelling opening scene to the hair-raising conclusion, Rising Danger delivers a page-turner (or compulsive listener in my case) triumph. 

Any K-9 story is always a lure for me and Labrador Retriever Toby is the true hero of this one. Loved the training details and getting the inside scoop on the day-in-the-life of a K-9 team. I fell in love with Toby's goof ball side as well as his focused on-the-job persona. His partner, on the other hand, took time to warm up to. 

That's because Bristol is hyper diligent when it comes to...well everything she does. She has a need to be in control, a compulsion actually. And an unforgiving nature. Which becomes all too evident when she's forced to work with her ex-boyfriend on the most important case of her career. My, but she gives poor Remington a hard time right from the get go and doesn't let up for the majority of the book.

Rem has changed since his police academy days. Back then, his devil-may-care, roguish ways got him expelled and caused him to lose the woman he loved. But Rem has become a Christian in the intervening years and his new faith has transformed his life. If only Bristol could let her guard down long enough to notice! There's plenty of angst in their romance and I was solidly on team Rem all the way!

Love how the author takes the time to develop solid faith threads that bring extra depth and meaning to the story. So many wonderful truths spoken (not preached) into the lives of these characters (and readers!)

Intense suspense, with tons of action and a hair-raising, doomsday kinda vibe from the environmental terrorist angle had me holding my breath through most of the read. But all that intensity is punctuated by lighter moments too and I especially enjoyed getting to know the  Phoenix K-9 Security and Detection Agency's diverse all-female team. (Yay, girl power!) I'm looking forward to reading their stories in future novels.

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Eleanor Caudill and enjoyed the way she captured the intensity of the suspense and the emotions of the characters. Really plummeted me into the heart of the story.

Side note: This is the second book in Love Inspired's new Love Inspired Trade line and I'm loving these longer, meatier reads. They are only released in ebook and audible format. I know the plan is to release one book a month but I can't figure out how to source them. They don't seem to have a series tag on the Harlequin site and I'm not sure how to check what's coming up next and when. Anyone have any inside scoops for me? I don't want to miss out!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for an ebook copy of this book

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Rising Danger, 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 winners announced on Saturday June 5  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor

    GIVEAWAY

WRIGHT, JAIME JO

ON THE CLIFFS OF FOXGLOVE MANOR

1885

Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove Manor -- a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior -- Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that make cost Adria her life.

Present day

Kailey Gibson is a new nurse's aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill. it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She'll have to risk it all to banish the past's demons, including her own.

My Review:

Whoa -- this might just be Jaime Jo Wright's best novel yet! Full of classic Gothic elements in both timelines that put both heroines in peril, On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor is a a shivery atmospheric delight.

First off -- the manor! Cue the creepy background music and be prepared to be chilled by its ominous presence. A fortress of secrets. Harbinger of death. And then there are the two heroines, a century apart, but both determined to solve it's mystery...or die trying. And did I mention the ghost? And Hidden treasure. Even some talk of pirates! Along with the sobering specter of a local history that just won't die.

Honestly, Wright is a master at weaving the threads of a dual timeline story. This one was more mysterious than any of her others -- chock full of surprises and so much heartbreak. And the way the author builds the suspense elements without ever giving too much away is sheer agonizing perfection. So many 'aha' moments for me. It got to the point where I stopped trying to figure it all out and just allowed the story to carry me away. And I listened to every word with bated breath! It was over way too fast.

By the by -- the audible edition is really well done. Narrator Leah Horowitz does crotchety old men exceptionally well. :-)

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor, 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 winners announced on Saturday June 5  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Night Moves

GIVEAWAY

SLEEMAN, SUSAN

NIGHT MOVES

If you're in his sights...

County social worker, Natalie Dunn discovers a horrible secret about the father of her juvenile clients. The man not only killed one woman, but Natalie suspects he's killed several others. She plans to go to the authorities, but before she can, the killer turns his sights o her. Fearing for the lives of this man's children, she removes them from their home and calls in former U.S. Marshal, Drake Byrd of Nighthawk Security to protect her and the children and help her prove their father is a ruthless killer.

You're as good as dead.

As they investigate, Drake learns the father is a former elite sniper and assassin, and he has done a professional job of hiding any evidence of his wrong doing. Drake vows to protect Natalie and the three children -- all of whom he has come to care for -- putting everything on the line for them. When bullets start flying, can he save them all from a certain death?

My Review:

My heart is all a flutter and my temperature still hasn't returned to normal because....Byrd Brother alert!!!!  Yes, Drake and Natalie are front and center in Night Moves but these Byrd brothers stick together so we get tons of opportunities to bask in the banter and teasing and heart-to-hearts while revisiting all that past swoonaliciousness! Mercy, that's five stealthy, protective types to face plant into your fainting couch over! 

Plus Mom and Pop are on hand to mete out wisdom and calm and feed the hungry hoards. And a whole lot more besides -- I am firmly on the Mom and Pop Byrd team forever after finishing this fourth book in the series! And this is where I need to reassure any new to the Byrd Brothers readers that their books can be read in random order. The author does a fabulous job of reintroducing characters and setting without making it tedious for die-hard fans. Nobody will be bored or lost. :-)

Especially not with all the adrenaline-pumping suspense and toe-curling romance to lose yourself in! Sublime and edgy and sometimes a little creepy -- eeek! I wanted to speed listen to get everything sorted but I controlled myself because I didn't want my time with the Byrd family to end. And yes, I listened to the audible edition of this book expertly narrated by Whitney Dykhouse.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Night Moves, 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 winners announced on Saturday June 5  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Friends and Foes

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

EDEN, SARAH M.

FRIENDS AND FOES

After five years of tracking and capturing spies on English soil, Philip Jonquil, Earl of Lampton, is in pursuit of his last quarry. But at a traveler's inn, he encounters an unexpected and far more maddening foe: Sorrel Kendrick, a young lady who is strikingly pretty, shockingly outspoken, and entirely unimpressed with him. 

Indeed, Sorrel cannot believe the nerve of this gentleman, who rudely accuses her of theft and insults her feminine dignity. Doubly annoyed when they both end up at a party hosted by mutual friends, Philip and Sorrel privately declare war on one another. But Philip's tactics, which range from flirting to indifference, soon backfire as he finds himself reluctantly enjoying Sorrel's company; and, much to her dismay, Sorrel finds Philip's odd manner to be increasingly endearing. 

In the midst of this waning war and growing attraction, Philip catches the wind of the French spy he's been tracking, and Sorrel inadvertently stumbles upon a crucial piece of the puzzle, making her indispensable to the mission. But can two proud hearts negotiate a ceasefire when cooperation matters most?

My Review:

published in 2012

Excuse me while I iron out my toe curls and re-pouf my fainting couch. I'll be with you in a sec.

Philip!!! Or should I say Lord Lampton...I'm a bit untutored in the aristocracy lingo so I'll stick with first names. After all he is my one true love now...er, Sorrel's true love actually and I'm not even all that miffed because I've already set my sights on the next Jonquill brother. I'm bibliophile fickle like that. Madly in love with the hero until I open the next book. Though, of course, Philip will always hold a special place in my heart...along with the gajillion others crammed in there. :-)

So, we have a spy who lurks behind his foppish disguise in order to fight for king and country and the heroine who holds him in utmost distain because...well...their meet cute is anything but cute. It's rather adversarial actually. And it goes downhill from there. Sworn enemies until they discover they enjoy sparring and sniping and goading each other. This is is one twisty, turny romance that packs an emotional wallop. Because...well, I can't really tell you why but it has to do with Sorrel. She gutted me. I was outraged and horrified and so in awe of her courage and fortitude.

And now we come to one of my favourite things about Regencies -- the banter. Philip and Sorrel engage in verbal swordplay like no other. Cutting edge and then some. But Eden delivers even more with the cleverness in her dialogue. The way they talk at cross purposes and muddy the waters so delightfully. Sublimely frustrating and funny and even laugh-out-loudable at times!

Throw in a mystery with more than a hint of danger and this swoonalicious Regency Romance has become one of my favourites. I don't know why I waited so long to get started on the Jonquill Brothers series but I aim to catch up fast. 

(I listened to audible edition of Friends and Foes. Luone Ingram's narration is the perfect match for Sarah M. Eden's storytelling. Hope she is the narrator for the rest of the series!)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is available in paperback or ebook format -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Friends and Foes, 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 winners announced on Saturday June 5 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!