January Giveaway -- Week Four

 

WON BY KAY GARRETT

WON BY SARAH P

WON BY JACKIE SMITH

WON BY KAREN SUE HADLEY

WON BY TRACEY HAGWOOD

WON BY KIM HANSEN

You know the drill: winners will be contacted if they left their email address in a comment, 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:

Please read the giveaway options written in red noted under "Giveaway Opportunity" in each blog post as formats will vary.

Paperback or ebook -- winner can choose either format

Paperback -- I have a new physical book on hand to give away

Gently Read Paperback -- It's the actual book I read to review

ebook -- that's the only format option available, often because it's an indie book where a paperback copy is either unavailable or exorbitantly priced. Or when a physical edition is out of print.

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Searching for Home

GIVEAWAY

WEATHERHOLT, JILL

SEARCHING FOR HOME

Can three little matchmakers lasso a cowboy father?

When injured professional bull rider Luke Beckett returns to his hometown to recover, he doesn't expect his B and B host and physical therapist to be his first and only love, Meg Brennan. He's also unprepared for Meg's adorable triplets to steal his heart. Luke's past has him doubting he's good enough for Meg and the children, but they might be just what the doctor ordered to help him heal.

My Review:

Be prepared for cuteness overload times three in this heart-tugging reunion romance. Between the abandoned kids, a wounded cowboy and the love of his life who is determined to remain single forever well, whooeeee...there's  a lot of emotions brimming to the surface in this page-turner of a contemporary romance. 

Little Tucker stole my heart and the way Luke works with the kid is all kinds of endearing. And swoon worthy. I mean, cowboy plus mentor to grieving children plus rescuer of damsels in distress (though don't let Meg know I said that) well, that spells hero in my book!

And I love the way the author brought the rodeo community to light. I've read books that have highlighted the more negative aspects of the shows, but Weatherholt has really captured its heart.

A sweet read packed full of hope and faith and love and laughter.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Searching for Home, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 22 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Laurel's Dream

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO RE-READ DAY!

BASHAM, PEPPER

LAUREL'S DREAM

Journey into the Blue Ridge Mountains of 1918 where Laurel McAdams endures the challenges of a hard life while dreaming things can eventually improve. But trouble arrives in the form of an outsider. Having failed his British father again, Jonathan Taylor joins his uncle's missionary endeavours as a teacher in a two-room schoolhouse. Laurel feels compelled to protect the tenderhearted teacher from the harsh realities of Appalachian life, even while his stories of life outside the mountains pull at Laurel's imagination. Faced with angry parents over teaching methods, Laurel's father's drunken rages, and bad news from England, will Jonathan have to leave and never return, or will he stay and let love bloom?

My Review:

published in 2019

A reread for me and it's just as good the second time around.

---

"Dream, girl, but trust God to take better care of your dreams than you ever could." (p 139)

Sometimes you come across a book that defies description and this is one of them. I've been grappling with words that won't come because I don't think anything I say can do justice to the depth and breadth and overall bookiliciousness of Laurel's Dream.

I wish I had Laurel's 'lyrical phrasing' to help me. "She's always got the mullygrubs but down deep she's as soft as fresh biscuits." (p 113) But any attempts to wax poetic have fallen embarrassingly short so I'm not sharing them here! Just know that this is the kind of story you live through with all your senses. The kind that carries you away so completely that it's hard to pull out of. And, if someone or something does manage to haul you back to your sorry 21st century reality, you will be utterly discombobulated for awhile...in fact the disorientation will likely last until you can slip back to Basham's mountain setting again.

This is such a sublime read I can't even...head thunking on desk...I have no words!

Laurel charmed me -- she's bewitching and beguiling and exuberant and hopeful. Steadied by her faith and a mountain folk practicality that captivated me. And she loves books!!! "If a book comes by, any book, I'm obliged to give it my attention." (p 72) How can you not love a heroine like that?!

And Jonathan is an intriguing mix of noble and broken and searching. He comes to this Appalachian community with an open heart and the desire to not only teach, but learn as well. And then the story unfolds -- only you forget it's a story -- you feel like you are living their lives right along with them and every day is an adventure so epic and elemental and true that it takes your breath away.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback. (it's been carefully resting in a glass-fronted bookcase but now that it's on audible ...)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Laurel's Dream, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 22 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Colorado Ambush

GIVEAWAY

STEFFEN, AMITY

COLORADO AMBUSH

Gunmen behind them, water in front of them...and only a boat to save them

The mystery surrounding her sister's death puts Paige Bennett and her niece in harm's way with killers closing in. Cornered at a lake, they jump into a boat...and meet a protector. Deputy Jesse McGrath pledges to help them, but as every clue leads them deeper into danger, uncovering the truth could be the last thing they do...

My Review:

This new-to-me-author has made an impression! Whoa, opening scene starts things off with an intense pursuit riddled with action and suspense. Love the way the author catches us up to speed from both Paige and Jesse's points of view while craziness is happening all around them. And a clever meet-cute to boot!

And then things intensify even more. The mystery is excellently paced with enough twists and turns to have me second guessing the whodunnit. And there's enough hair-raising scenes to accelerate blood pressures to critical levels! Made for the perfect snowmageddon escape read!

Goal Update: #4 Read more new-to-me authors

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Colorado Ambush, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 22 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Crosshairs

GIVEAWAY

BRADLEY, PATRICIA

CROSSHAIRS

Investigative Services Branch (ISB) ranger Ainsley Beaumont arrives in her hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, to investigate the murder of a three-month-pregnant teenager. While she wishes the visit was under better circumstances, she never imagined that she would become the killer's next target -- nor that she'd have to work alongside an old flame.

After he almost killed a child, FBI sniper Lincoln Steele couldn't bring himself to fire a gun, which had deadly and unforeseen consequences for his best friend. Crushed beneath a load of guilt, Linc, is working at Melrose Estate as an interpretive ranger. But as danger closes in on Ainsley during her murder investigation, Linc will have to find the courage to protect her. The only question is, will it be too little, too late?

Award-winning author Patricia Bradley continues her Natchez Trace Park Rangers series with a story about how good must prevail when evil just won't quit. 

My Review:

Another taut suspense with a blockbuster ending from a favourite suspense author. Honestly, my head was spinning from all the twists and turns. It seemed like when Ainsley and Linc were making headway something would throw a spanner in the works and they were flung off in another direction. Finding answers leads to more questions and I really enjoyed the investigative field work that builds the suspense. There's so much going on I was on the edge of my seat right to the very end. 

And I loved this reunion romance. It's paced well amidst all the intrigue and danger. Both hero and heroine made mistakes in their past that they need to own up to but does that mean they can have a future together now? So complicated and emotional but written very realistically from both points of view. Solid faith threads bring added depth to these characters and enrich the story overall. 

Crosshairs ticks all my romantic suspense boxes and then some! And I'm beyond thrill that the fourth book in the Natchez Park Ranger series comes out this summer! Each book can easily be read as a standalone by the way, but, oh....they are sooooo good you'll want to read them all!

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Rachel Dulude who manages to bring an air of urgency to every word she reads! Really added to my enjoyment of the story.

Goal Update: #6 Stay current with a series

   

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Crosshairs, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 22 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

A Midnight Dance

GIVEAWAY

POLITANO, JOANNA DAVIDSON

A MIDNIGHT DANCE

The best moments in dance are the unscripted ones.

At their core, all theatre romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most  -- and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theatre.

After a chance encounter with one of the ballet company's handsome dancers late one night, Ella is swept off her elegantly pointed toes. The dance they share and the promise he makes to her feel like a new beginning. Yet as she faces mounting challenges in the ever-shrinking ballet company, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the ghostly ballerina.

Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own disastrous end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the unyielding grip of the past?

My Review:

Well now,...just...whooosh! That's me letting out a pent up of breath of equal parts astonishment and frustration. I don't quite know what to say about this novel except to offer a bit of friend-to-reader-friend advice:

Keep reading. Don't second guess yourself. Shake off the feeling that you've missed some critical plot point and resist the temptation to go back hunting for it. Truly, you likely haven't missed a thing. The author is that clever at her craft that all the reveals, both big and small, come at exactly the right time...and it won't be fast enough for you but at the same time it'll seem like the story is full of sudden revelations. So many 'aha' moments and a few 'shut the front door -- whaaaaaattttt?!' ones too. 

Atmospheric in a classical gothic way. There's a heaviness at times, and so many layers of mystery to wade through! And if you're a fan of the ballet, you'll be disillusioned over it's sordid beginnings. Really, I had no idea! I love Ella's determination to avoid all that and let her pure love of dance be her motivation, but it's when she discovers a way to incorporate her deeply rooted faith into her performances that her life really begins to change. And I was touched and encouraged by God's pursuit of one particular character. So much reluctance met with infinite grace. 

Astoundingly brilliant, really.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Midnight Dance, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 22 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

A Harvest of Love

 

GIVEAWAY

PERRY, MARTA

A HARVEST OF LOVE

A determined widow and a single father learn that love is about taking chances and turning over new leaves.

When widowed shop owner Dinah Hershberger is unceremoniously charged with safely escorting an infant to his uncle, she finds herself torn. Jacob Miller is everything Dinah could want in a partner -- he's kind, handsome, strong -- and nothing she can ever have. As much as she yearns to help the new family adjust, each minute Dinah spends with Jacob and the baby leaves her heart more vulnerable and her head more certain that the secret she hides makes a future with the Miller men impossible.

Jacob has long admired Dinah for her stength and independence, but it's her generosity of spirit that tempts him like never before. With Dinah at his side, Jacob opens himself up to the daunting new world of fatherhood, but how can he pursue his feelings for her when his life is in such disarray? After the disappointments of her first marriage, she deserves better than what Jacob can offer.

But Love has a surprise in store for these two troubled hearts, and happiness is within reach if only they can grasp it, making Promise Glen their own promised land.

My Review:

Happy, happy sigh. There's just something about a Marta Perry story that satisfies every nook and cranny of my bibliophile heart. And that this book takes us back to Promise Glen makes it all the sweeter. No worries if you haven't read A Christmas Home or A Springtime Heart, because A Harvest of Love is easily enjoyed as a standalone too, though it was fun to catch up with some of the characters from the previous books! And, given the seasonal theme of this series, I'm really hoping there's going to be a summer story in our reading futures too!

Dinah's first marriage wasn't all she'd hoped it would be and Jacob knows a thing or two about life's disappointments. Neither is looking to further complicate their lives but when they bond over an abandoned baby it becomes even harder to keep emotions out of the mix. 

Love the very real struggles these characters wrestle with and Perry writes in such a way that it's easy for a reader to become emotionally engaged. And the Amish community -- both family and friends -- rallying around them to help and tease and offer sage advice makes the read all the richer. 

A delightful mix of angst and laughter and the hope of second chances.

Goal Update: #2 Catch up on series I'm behind in

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Harvest of Hope, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. 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 to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 22 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck