Last Chance Hero

GIVEAWAY

ARMSTRONG, CATHLEEN
LAST CHANCE HERO

What happens when your heart is intercepted before you even know it's in play?

The folks in Last Chance, New Mexico, could not be more pleased. Dr. Jessica MacLeod has opened an office right on Main Street and Any Ryan, the best athlete the little town ever produced, has come home from the NFL to coach the high school football team. Unfortunately, Dr. Jess immediately gets off on the wrong foot with the football-obsessed town when she admits that she's never seena a football game, isn't really interested in doing so, and in fact doesn't know a first down from a goalpost.

Despite having little in common, Jess and Andy find themselves drawn to each other. But when a disagreement over the future of an injured player puts them both on the defensive, it begins to look like this game is over.

My Review:

Heartwarming conclusion to the A Place to Call Home series. Back in Last Chance one more time to catch up with plenty of quirky characters and former heroes and heroines. You don't need to read the other books first to enjoy this one but I got a kick out of revisiting some old favourites.

I timed the reading of this novel perfectly since I'm not a football fan and I was desperately trying to distract myself from all things football during Superbowl week.  So, yes, I did end up reading a book where football was practically a secondary character but I was right there, cheering Jessica on. We bonded over our lack of interest in this crazy sport that takes over the nation every year. So many funny scenes as residents realize that Jess really doesn't know a thing about the game. And worse -- she doesn't want to. Scandalous!

So of course the hero is a former NFL player and the high school football coach who can't comprehend anyone not loving the sport. I won't hold that against Andy though because he's kind-hearted and chivalrous and well...kind of a hunk. His small-town friendly doesn't quite jive with Jessica's big city reserve. Great learning curve for both of them as they adjust to their differences.

Sweet romance with small-town heart.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Last Chance Hero please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 12 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Sarah's Orphans

GIVEAWAY

CHAPMAN, VANNETTA
SARAH'S ORPHANS

Orphaned...but never abandoned by God

Sarah Yoder belongs to a Plain community in Oklahoma, but her days are far from simple. Life suddenly gets complicated when a series of tragic events unfold, leaving her in charge of the household.

Alone with her younger siblings, Sarah is exhausted but finally at peace. Then she nearly runs over a small Hispanic boy with her buggy...and somehow finds herself sheltering two more orphans.

Paul Byler moved to Cody's Creek to help his brother in a time of need. But now that Joseph has recovered from his heart attack, Paul's ready for a quiet place of his own. The only problem? His new property lands him next door to the orphaned Yoder family -- and a calling from God he can't seem to ignore.

A story of extraordinary grace and love in the face of desperate need, Sarah's Orphans is the third standalone novel in the Plain and Simple Miracles collection by Vannetta Chapman.

My Review:

The kind of story that grabs your heart and challenges your mind. I'm just a bundle of emotions at the completion of this read. There were teary moments and tender moments and laugh-out-loud moments -- a slice of real life. And what is really spectacular is that Chapman touches on issues that aren't normally associated with Amish fiction.

There is so much meat to this story, I hardly know where to begin. At it's heart is a fractured family struggling to survive. Sarah Yoder has borne the weight of heavy burdens her whole life. In her early twenties, she has already endured more than most young women have. When tragic circumstances create even more havoc within her family she finds herself taking charge in ways she never imagined.

This is a story that celebrates the strength that comes from living in community -- the unique connection different relationships bring. From family to friendship to romance and all the nuances in between. I laughed over the antics of Sarah's brothers, rejoiced in the kind wisdom of Bishop Levi and thrilled over the gentle attentions of Paul Byler.

A memorable story full of honest (and sometimes hard) truths that will inspire and convict.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Sarah's Orphans please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 12 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Rescue at Cedar Lake

GIVEAWAY

BLACK, MAGGIE K.
RESCUE AT CEDAR LAKE

Snowbound with a killer

Called in to work with a patient, therapist Theresa Vaughan didn't anticipate being held hostage by a killer in a snowbound lake cottage...or rescued by her former fiancé. But now bodyguard Alex Dean is the only thing standing between Theresa and certain death, and her patient -- who was supposed to be under Alex's sister's protection -- has disappeared. Alex can't fail on this mission, or in the eyes of the woman he once loved, so he has to convince her to trust him. With sister's client missing, a blizzard raging and a killer closing in, he must make a choice. Will he look to the future and focus on locating the missing charge...or remember the past and save Theresa?

True North Bodyguards: Keeping Watch

My Review:

A chilling winter suspense. I read this in the middle of a ferocious blizzard and I kept jumping every time I heard the wind howling around my little house. Perfect ambiance even though it made the read creepier. Theresa and Alex are thrust together in a relentless game of cat and mouse as they battle the elements to stay a step ahead of their pursuers.

Love the solid romance -- both haven't forgotten their love...or the crushing pain of their break up. And both have very different memories of how their perfect world imploded. A realistic second chance love story rises from the ashes. Sweet and tender and full of promise.

Nail-biting suspense, a gripping mystery and the rush of love rediscovered make this the perfect blizzard read.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Rescue at Cedar Lake please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 12 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Reluctant Guardian

GIVEAWAY

DIETZE, SUSANNE
THE RELUCTANT GUARDIAN

Under the spy's protection...

When Gemma Lyfeld inadvertently interrupts a dangerous smuggling operation in her English village, she's rescued by a mysterious Scottish spy. Now with criminals after her and her hopes for an expected marriage proposal recently dashed, she will make her society debut in London. But not without the man tasked with protecting her...

Covert government agent Tavin Knox must keep Gemma safe from the criminals who think she can identify them -- a mission he never wanted. But as he escorts her and her rascally nephews around London, the lovely English lass proves braver than he ever imagined. Suddenly, the spy who works alone has one Season to become the family man he never dreamed he'd be.

My Review:

Squuueaaallll!!! Regency, romance and intrigue all wrapped up together in one splendiferous story! I'm swoony and giddy and heart-palpitating over it all. Handsome, brooding hero who adopts his Scottish brogue when his emotions are deeply stirred. Be still my heart and scrape me off the floor! Phew! And his lady love also known as the irksome woman he has been charged with protecting. An independent heroine with a compassionate heart. Banter galore (and we all know how much I love witty dialogue -- especially in a Regency!) Intrigue and danger and a sweet faith thread about the true meaning of grace. It just doesn't get any better. Really.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of The Reluctant Guardian please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 12 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Silver Suitcase

GIVEAWAY

TODD, TERRIE
THE SILVER SUITCASE

On the brink of World War II, a young girl makes a choice that echoes through generations.

It's 1939, and Canada is on the cusp of entering World War II. Seventeen-year-old farm girl Cornelia has been heartbroken since the day her mother died five years ago. As a new tragedy provides Cornelia still more reason to reject her parents' faith, a mysterious visitor appears in her hour of hopelessness. Alone and carrying a heavy secret, she makes a desperate choice that will haunt her for years to come. Never telling a soul, Cornelia pours out the painful events of the war in her diary.

Many decades later, Cornelia's granddaughter, Benita, is in the midst of her own crisis, experiencing several losses in the same week, including her job and the grandmother she adored. The resulting emotional and financial stress takes its toll on her and her husband, Ken, who is unemployed. On the brink of divorce, she discovers Cornelia's diary. Now the secrets of her grandmother's past will lead Benita on an unexpected journey of healing, reunion, and faith.

My Review:

What an exceptional debut novel! It has so much going for it. Canadian author. Dual timelines. Solid inspirational thread. Quality storytelling. I was completely captivated from page one.

The story flips between decades -- the past both from Cornelia's viewpoint and from her diary entries -- and the present from her granddaughter, Benita's perspective. The author fuses this generational story through tragedy and triumph as Benita begins to put unexpected pieces of her grandmother's past together. And in the process, she learns a lot about herself and her own relationships.

The faith thread is strong and moving and anchors both women in the midst of life struggles. The epilogue gave me goosebumps -- the way the author reveals the fruition of an inspired promise in the most unexpected of ways.

Though I'd label this as 'Women's Fiction' there are a few pivotal romance threads that flush out these women's lives in various ways. A truly inspiring and captivating story.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of The Silver Suitcase please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 12 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The Mark of the King

GIVEAWAY

GREEN, JOCELYN
THE MARK OF THE KING

Life in this new world requires more strength than she ever imagined

After the death of her client, midwife Julianne Chevalier is imprisoned and branded, marking her as a criminal beyond redemption. Hoping to reunite with her brother, a soldier, she trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling French colony of Louisiana. The price of her transport, however, is a forced marriage to a fellow convict.

New Orleans is nothing like Julianne expects. The settlement is steeped in mud and mosquitoes and there is no news of her brother, Benjamin. When tragedy strikes, she turns to military officer Marc-Paul Girard for help, but does he know more about her brother than he will admit?

With her dreams shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous land, where only grace -- and love -- can overcome the stigma of the king's mark upon her shoulder.

My Review:

Wickedly intense. Enthralling. There were times I had to set this book aside because I just couldn't take any more. But I always returned to it after a few fortifying breaths because how could I leave Julianne in that predicament? Or the next one? Or the next?

Mercy, but I'm amazed that this area got settled. Still confused as to why the French wanted to claim it in the first place when they didn't support their troops. The historical information is intriguing and frustrating and unbelievable. How did women survive childbirth? (beware to the faint of heart -- the midwifery details are...detailed!) Only the strong survived -- and then by the grace of God! And don't get me started on the lack of women's rights and the barbaric actions of some of the soldiers. Goodness, but my emotions were all over the place as I devoured this book.

Marc-Paul stands out as a man of dignity and honor. Strict, legalistic, he serves his country devoutly. But he also learns the true meaning of grace as he draws closer to the Lord. And that softens him in delightful ways.

Julianne is strength personified. Defiant. Determined. Unstoppable. She is a survivor -- and the things she survives -- truly unimaginable. How a loving author could treat a heroine so...it's shameful, that's what. :-)

Rife with drama, heavy with sorrow but lifted by faith, The Mark of the King a sweeping tale of love and loss and second chances.

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

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of The Mark of the King please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 12 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

February Giveaway - Week One

WON BY REBECCA



WON BY LIBRARY LADY

WON BY LUCY

WON BY LISA BROWN

WON BY MINDY

WON BY LINDA MOFFITT

As always I will contact the winners by email, however, thanks to the nefarious ways of the Internet, my email might land in your spam folder so keep your eyes peeled! :-) If you haven't heard from me by Monday evening, please email me your snail mail address at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. From time to time the winners and I don't seem to connect, so I have a month time frame. If I can't reach you within four weeks your win will be forfeited. 

 LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS: