January Giveaway -- Week Five

WON BY PATTY

WON BY PAM W.

WON BY TERRILL

WON BY TRIXI

WON BY SYLVIA

WON BY CAITLIN M.

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

Following the Trail

GIVEAWAY

EASON, LYNETTE

FOLLOWING THE TRAIL

Tracking leads in her sister's disappearance could make a K-9 handler the next victim.

Lacey Jefferson's search for her missing sister quickly turns into a murder investigation -- thrusting Lacey and her search-and-rescue K-9, Scarlett, into a killer's sights. Now teaming up with her ex-boyfriend, Sheriff Creed Payne, is the only way to discover the murderer's identity. But can they survive long enough to dig up the truth?

K-9 Search and Rescue

My Review:

Breathtaking action, intriguing suspense and a reunion romance -- can it get any better than that? Why, yes it can, as a matter of fact, when you factor in search-and-rescue K-9, Scarlett. All written to sweet perfection by one of my fave suspense authors. 

So -- the romance -- beautifully developed. I love the way Lacey and Creed deal with their past with compassion and forgiveness, but that doesn't make a romantic rekindling a given. In fact, they are both committed to futures apart from each other and determined to keep their relationship professional and cordial. Which works out as well as you might expect when Lynette Eason is calling the shots. :-) Speaking of which...

There's no end of danger and sharp hairpin plot turns to thrill the discerning romantic suspense aficionado. But punctuated with quieter moments where Creed and Lacey have time to remember how good it felt to be a couple. :-) This is me grinning silly because it's that kind of a romance!

And, woohoo, I listened to the audible edition (and am beyond thrilled that we're getting some of the Love Inspired books in audio format!) Emma Lysy did an amazing job of bringing this story to life.

Goal Update: #6 stay current with 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 Following the Trail, 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 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Debutante's Code

GIVEAWAY

VETSCH, ERICA

THE DEBUTANTE'S CODE

Jane Austin meets Sherlock Holmes in this new Regency mystery series.

Newly returned from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents, and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they disappear, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies -- and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.

Now Lady Juliette is determined to continue their work. Mentored by her uncle, she plunges into the dangerous world of spy craft. From the glittering ballrooms of London to the fox hunts, regattas, and soirees of country high society, she must chase down hidden clues, solve the mysterious code her parents left behind, and stay out of danger. All the while, she has to keep her endeavours a secret from her best friend and her suitors -- not to mention nosy, irritatingly handsome Bow Street runner Daniel Swann, who suspects her of a daring theft.

Can Lady Juliette outwit her enemies and complete her parents' last mission? Or will it lead to a terrible end?

Best-selling author Erica Vetsch is back with a rollicking, exciting new series destined to be a hit with Regency readers who enjoy a touch of mystery in their love stories. Fans of Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd and Anne Perry will love the wit, action, and romance.

My Review:

Squeal!

Eeeepppp!!

Squeeeeeeppppppp!!!!!!

I'm in such a dithering tizzy-fit of epic Regency spyness that I can barely catch my breath let alone type! My bookish anticipatory state was at such a high that I woke up in the wee hours of the audible release date and started listening and was hard pressed to stop and go back to sleep.

Right off the top let me exude accolades upon the narration of The Debutante's Code. Kim Bretton delivered a captivating performance and increased my already over-the-top enthusiasm for this book tenfold. She portrayed each character brilliantly, capturing all their nuances from accents to temperament with such skill -- well, it was joy to listen to. Highly recommend the audible edition for maximum enjoyment of this story (if you are an audio book kind of reader.)

What an exceptional start to this new series. And (plug your ears for another round of squueeeping) the Thorndike and Swann Regency Mysteries is the continuous kind -- where these same characters will be featured in future books. Which means the romance is barely more than the inkling of an ember but holds oh-so-much-promise!!!!

Loved our introduction to Juliette and Daniel and their back stories and the way their paths cross...and keep crossing until they are hopelessly entangled in intrigue and danger. I loved being right about some things (I think I might make a good spy!) and the way Vetsch spins a clever plot with enough hairpin turns to keep me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. 

Readers of her first Regency series, Serendipity and Secrets, will discover some familiar faces in this one. I've only read the first book but I'm itching to get my hands on the second and third ones as well. It will give me something to do while I impatiently wait for the next Thorndike and Swann book to come out. I'm desperate to find out more about Daniel's mysterious benefactor and I have my suspicions about a few secondary characters. I need to know if I'm way off base or intrepid spy material. Bwahahaha!

Goal Update: #5 Diversify my reading, London setting

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 The Debutante's Code, 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 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Smoky Mountain Ambush

GIVEAWAY

KIRST, KAREN

SMOKY MOUNTAIN AMBUSH

Someone's hunting her in the mountains...

An unknown enemy's dead set on killing Lindsey Snow by Christmas -- and  she doesn't know why. And the only person she can trust to shield her is the man she betrayed, mounted police officer Silver Williams. Now there's nowhere to hide...from danger or their feelings. But can they find the killer before this holiday season becomes Lindsey's last?

My Review:

Well...this is a first for me: being happy to hand the hero over to the heroine at the end of the story. Why, you ask? Isn't Silver dashing enough? Sigh, incredibly so -- with his unusual looks and strong sense of justice. And he's a mounted police officer -- I mean...really...thud! So, it must be his lackluster personality then? Uh, no...cue all my brooding hero yearnings -- this man has a tragic past and while he's risen above so much, he's still given to some inner turmoil. Surely it can't be his 'cornucopia of animals' 'cause we all know how much I love critters... 

Weeellll....I ike the fur or feathered kind but when they come encased in scales...as in....SHUDDER...boa constrictors (gasp!)...I am so outta there. I could have any number of villains shooting arrows at me and I still wouldn't set foot in Silver's house if it was the last safe haven available to me. So...yes, Lindsey you are welcome to Silver and all that involves though I advise you to rehome the (insert S word here) before the babies start coming. Just google 'New Brunswick' and 'Boa constrictors 'and '2 boys' killed if you want to know why. That news story amped up my (insert S word here) phobia to the outer limits. 

No worries if you are like me in that regard no -- reptiles who shall not be named -- actually made an appearance in this story, though I was on edge all the way through waiting for one of them (yes, more than one, ewwwww) to show up in a scene. Thankfully that didn't happen so consider this a public service spoiler announcement. You're welcome. :-)

Okay, now on to what really matters -- the plot! Amazing suspense, really well paced with enough red herrings to hijack my sleuthing conclusions and the mystery doesn't let up until the very end. Loved the balance between action and down time where Silver and Lindsey get to work through their issues. Also love that, while this isn't a reunion romance, these two have a year+ of a working/friend history that brings depth and eventually angst to their relationship.

Another stellar Love Inspired Suspense novel (in spite of...you know.) I'm still a Karen Kirst fan. :-)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Smoky Mountain 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 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

All My Belongings

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

RUCHTI, CYNTHIA

ALL MY BELONGINGS

Jayne Dennagee has spent her life running from the doctor death legacy of her father. His Kervorkian-copycat methods of euthanasia ruined her childhood, covering it in shame. She won't let him steal her future, too. After changing her name to Becka, she assumes a new life and new job caring for the ailing mother of a handsome young businessman, Isaac Hughes. Becka struggles to sort out her feelings for her new boss just as her patient passes away under unusual circumstances. Suddenly, her past catches up with her and the unnerving details of her heritage make Becka look like a murder suspect. Worse, all sense of home and all hope for love vanish.

My Review:

published in 2014

Well, this cinches it: I haven't met a Cynthia Ruchti book I haven't loved -- and I still have a lot of catching up to do! This one came to me courtesy of Audible Plus and I was beyond thrilled to discover the familiar voice of Bernadette Dunne as narrator so this definitely makes my top ten audible list!

An incredibly stirring story where faith plays an integral part of it all. Love the way the author shines light into the dark corners of Becka's complicated life. She's been broken by her neglectful upbringing but is hoping to put the past behind her by creating a fresh start for herself...new name and all. Only lies, no matter how well intentioned, are never easy to live with. 

I don't want to give too much of the plot away by saying much more other than that the twists and turns punctuated by beacons of grace make for a compulsive read. And I love Isaac -- his unwavering faith which doesn't mean he gets everything perfect all the time, but it does mean he turns to God when he doesn't. So much depth to explore -- in his relationship with his mother, the friendships cultivated in his men's group and, of course (!) his attraction to Becka. 

And then there's the unexpected mystery! Eeeeep!!!! And that isn't the only unexpected plot point to challenge this heroine and her hero! I was spellbound to the very last word!

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 All My Belongings, 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 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Winter Rose

GIVEAWAY

DOBSON, MELANIE

THE WINTER ROSE

In this gripping WWII time-slip novel from the author whose books have been called 'propulsive' and a 'must-read' (Publisher's Weekly), Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker who works tirelessly in Vichy, France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrenees, Grace returns home to Oregon with a brother and sister whose parents were lost during the war. Though Grace  and her husband love Elias and Marguerite as their own, echoes of Grace's past and trauma from the Holocaust tear the Tonquin family apart.

More than fifty years after they disappear, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake hoping to find the Tonquin family. For Addie, the mystery is a matter of life or death for her beloved mentor Charlie, who is battling a genetic disease. Though Charlie refuses to discuss his ties to the elusive Tonquins, finding them is the only way to save his life and mend the woods from his broken past.

My Review:

I do so love an artfully crafted dual timeline story and Melanie Dobson has a special knack for creating the impossible to put down kind. I particularly love how well this genre suits WWII stories. There's something so hopeful that comes from the partial redemption of such evil -- even if it is decades later.

The historical timeline starts in 1943 and carries a few years past the end of the war while the present day timeline is set in 2003. I was drawn to both stories and the heroines who struggled to live out their faith when faced with impossible odds.

Grace's story is harrowing, as you would expect, and it takes so many startling twists and turns and downright detours that I am left kinda speechless. And I love the way Dobson meshed present day Addie's story into the mix. Her search for Grace or her descendants has an edge of desperation to it and kept me riveted. Not only was I anxious to find out what happened to Grace, but the mystery of Addie's back story kept me on tenterhooks too. And the author takes her time, carefully placing the big reveals at just the right places for maximum impact. I could not stop reading this book!

My heart hurt by the end and I may have ugly cried a time or two during the course of the read. But there's so much promise and hope by the end that my sadness mellowed out into a contented deep rooted feeling of satisfaction.

Exceptional storytelling infused with faith and the promise of redeeming love.

Goal Update: #5 Diversifying my reading -- Set in France

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 The Winter Rose, 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 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Broken Together

GIVEAWAY

ANDERSON, BRENDA S.

ANDERSON, SARAH S.

BROKEN TOGETHER

How do you persevere when you have no more will to fight?

Jennifer and Chad Taylor had dreamed of opening a coffee and cocoa shop since before they said, "I do." When Chad is sent to prison for murder despite claiming innocence, that dream -- along with their family -- is shattered.

After years of fighting for Chad's release, Jennifer finally breaks free from her shame, anger, and hopelessness, and forges ahead with the dream the two of them once shared. With the help of their college-aged twins, she begins to move forward.

Without Chad.

When their lawyer arrives with news of evidence that may prove Chad's innocence, a strange mixture of emotions overtakes her. Does she want Chad to return home? He isn't the same man he once was, and she certainly isn't the same woman. She's worked hard to piece the remnants of their family back together, and the coming home could fracture the family once again.

It all comes down to one question. She loves her husband enough to fight for his release from prison, but does she love him enough to fight for their marriage?

My Review:

Brenda Anderson delivers another heartfelt, thought-provoking family drama steeped with faith and the hope that comes from welcoming second chances. And this time she's teamed up with her barista extraordinaire daughter to create the kind of coffee/chocolate shop I want in my neighbourhood! 

Absolutely loved that angle of the story and the way the shop becomes an important part of the community. There's all kinds of interesting parallels between it's growth and the changing lives of the Taylor family. (This would make a great book club read 'cause there's so many important talking points -- you'd have no end of discussion material!)

And the way the authors deliberately centre Christ through it all -- touching the lives of characters who might be angry or rebellious or even not interested -- well, it's so moving and soul satisfying. They don't shy away from the tough questions or the raw emotions of very real lives gone awry but they also shine light into that darkness. 

And what a premise! A loving couple's happily-ever-after preempted by a wrongful conviction! The backlash that has on the their family and friends and the stress of relentlessly fighting to have that conviction overturned. I don't want to give away any spoilers but the plot development, the unexpected twists, the deep characterization...well, it all makes for one compelling unputdownable read!

My thanks to the author for gifting me with a copy of this book.

Goal Update: #1 Read more indie authors

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for an ebook copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Broken Together, 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 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck