A Widow's Hope

GIVEAWAY

CHAPMAN, VANNETTA
A WIDOW'S HOPE

His scars are visible.
Hers are hidden...
And Indiana Amish Brides match

After tragedy claimed her husband's life and her son's ability to walk, Hannah King doesn't want a new man. She has her family, a home and mounting debts. Scarred Amish bachelor Jacob Schrock offers Hannah the job she desperately needs. But while Hannah helps Jacob resolve his accounting issues, can she and her little boy also heal his wounded heart?

My Review:

I've never met a Vannetta Chapman book I didn't love and here we go again with her latest Love Inspired romance -- and can I say how thrilled I am that she's writing for this line now? This is her first book in the Indiana Amish Bride series and I hope there are a whole lot more!

Hannah and Jacob's story is poignant and funny and little bit infuriating...in other words, sweet perfection. Love the contrast of their challenges with Jacob carrying his scars on the outside while Hannah nurses invisible ones. And oh, goodness, but does she ever give him a hard time. She goes into protective mama bear mode a lot. Totally understandable given what she and little Matthew have gone through but she definitely needs a Jacob in her life only he doesn't think he's husband material so....get ready for some angst and laughter and sweet getting-to-know you scenes which often end up with someone storming out of the room. Bwahahaha! This hero and heroine kept this reader on her toes right to the sigh-worthy conclusion!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Widow's Hope, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. 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 Sunday August 19 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

More Than Meets the Eye

GIVEAWAY

WITEMYER, KAREN
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

When her family is threatened, she doesn't expect falling in love to be their best defense.

Many consider Evangeline Hamilton cursed. Orphaned at a young age and possessing a pair of mismatching eyes -- one bright blue, the other dark brown -- Evangeline has fought to find her way in a world that constantly rejects her. Yet the support of even one person can help overcome the world's judgments, and Evangeline has two -- Seth and Zach, fellow orphans she now counts as brothers.

Seeking justice against the man who stole his birthright and destroyed his family, Logan Fowler arrives in 1880s Pecan Gap, Texas to confront Zach Hamilton, the hardened criminal responsible for his father's death. Only instead of finding a solitary ruthless gambler, he discovers a man not much older than himself with an unusual family. And when Hamilton's unique sister, Evangeline, insists on dousing Logan with sunshine every time they cross paths, Logan finds his quest completely derailed. Who is truly responsible for his lost legacy, and will restoring the past satisfy if it means forfeiting a future with Evangeline?

My Review:

Everything that is perfection in fiction wrapped up in one beautiful story.

I'm pretty much gobsmacked over this one. My favourite Karen Witemeyer novel for sure....and she's left me yearning for Zach's story so much so that I've searched the web trying to find a release date -- or anything about the next book in her Patchwork Family series -- but I've come up empty. Mournful sigh.

Thankfully I'm still giddy over More Than Meets the Eye so that's some comfort. Especially when I think about Zach...wait...Logan is the hero in this novel and he is scrumptious but, clearly Zach has caught my attention and I need his story right now!!!!

Okay, back to Logan -- Evie sums him up early on when she compares him to a snapping turtle! "Solitary. Hard shell to protect all the vulnerable areas. Adept at camouflage." Yep, that's Logan. He's a man driven to see justice served...or is it really revenge? He's spent years working on a plan to put things right...and then he meets Evie who helps him see that he's got it all wrong.

She's  all sunshine and light and the promise that happily ever afters are possible. Feisty and independent but so open and trusting and Logan quickly falls under her spell which complicates all those well-laid plans. For such a gnarly romance there's plenty of humour and tender moments too. I alternately laughed and swooned my way through to the end. (Wait until you meet Evie's pet -- wild boar Hezikiah!)

And Evie's relationship with her brothers -- the way she 'manages' them is hilarious. Love the idea for this series and the concept of creating a patchwork family. Add in a perilous mystery and an unexpected secondary love story and I am one euphoric reader. Characters you care about, a compelling plot and just enough toe-curling kisses to make a fainting couch a necessity to get through this read safely -- sweet perfection!

"People might try to hide their broken places and pretend to be whole, but the truth is that we all have failings. That is why we need each other."

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of More Than Meets the Eye, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you ladd 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 Sunday August 19 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Rescue Operation

GIVEAWAY

WORTH, LENORA
RESCUE OPERATION

Racing to rescue a child
Danger heats up in the Military K-9 Unit series

A little boy is missing and i'ts up to search-and-rescue K-9 handler Ava Esposito and her dog to find him...before the Red Rose Killer does. FBI special agent Oliver Davison is hot on the trail of the escaped convict and joins forces with Ava. But when the killer turns his crosshairs on them, Oliver must protect them all before time runs out.

My Review:

Things are heating up in the desperate search for serial killer Boyd Sullivan and his elusiveness is driving me mad!!!! This is the fifth book in the Military K-9 Unit continuity series and we are still no closer to nabbing this loathsome villain. These series usually run to six books but this one goes clear through until December so we are months away from any real resolution. Gah!

In this installment we get to know Ava and Oliver better...and wonder-dog Roscoe, of course, who does his canine team proud with his valiant service. I mean, seriously, he rappels out of a helicopter! (with a little help from Ava, but still.) I love how this series highlights the different kinds of service the K-9 soldiers provide.

You might think that FBI and Military don't mix, what with fighting over jurisdiction and all, but while Oliver and Ava might nitpick over some things, they are professional enough to put the monumental task of stopping the Red Rose Killer ahead of any disagreements. Love the way they come together for the greater good -- both strong in their chosen field but respectful of the other.

And unlike most heroes and heroines, these two talk to each other! I think that's my favourite part of the romance. They are upfront with their feelings -- both the attraction they feel for each other and the reasons they pull back. There's still lots of tension, but it's out in the open and we all understand what's at stake and why it's so hard for them to battle through their pasts. It was refreshing to see how they dealt with the knowledge -- their capacity to understand and eventually, move forward.

And now I'm on tenterhooks for book 6 -- Explosive Force by Lynette Eason -- which is teetering on the top of my TBR pile right now. Happy sigh.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Rescue Operation, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. 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 Sunday August 19 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Shattered Silence

GIVEAWAY

PERRY, MARTA
SHATTERED SILENCE

A woman on the run seeks sanctuary in a peaceful Pennsylvania Dutch community -- and finds a protector in the most unlikely of men...

One moment Rachel Hartline is secure in her career and community. The next, she's in the wrong place at the wrong time -- watching her ex-husband commit a crime that puts her in unfathomable danger. Fear and hurt send her home to an Amish farm and the family she's always trusted. But a private investigator is close behind -- and he may be a threat to her in more ways than one...

Cold, calculating Clint Mordan isn't convinced Rachel is as innocent in her ex-husband's schemes as she claims, but when her ex's enemies target Rachel, Clint is driven to keep her safe. Maybe the terror in her beautiful eyes and the target on her back aren't an act. But as his feelings toward her deepen, Clint realizes he's the only one who can keep Rachel alive in a game where only the killer knows the stakes.

My Review:

"Some secrets should never be kept." Isn't that a great shiver-up-my-spine tag line? I can't get enough of Marta Perry's brand of romantic suspense! And she delivers another stellar read in this conclusion to her Echo Falls series. No worries if you haven't read Echo of Danger and Sound of Fear (though you really should!) because Shattered Silence reads fine as a standalone. And aren't those titles perfect for this genre?

You might say a series of unfortunate events places Rachel at exactly the wrong place at the wrong time and thrusts her into  a world of danger and intrigue. Enter PI Clint -- cold, calculating and cynical. He's good at his job because he concentrates on just the facts...which are leading him to the conclusion that Rachel is up to her neck in her ex's illegal schemes. There's such a contrast between these two -- mild-mannered kindergarten teacher vs tough-as-nails cop. Let's just say their first encounter doesn't go well. :-)

When Rachel is threatened in her own home she flees -- heading for the one place that makes her feel safe -- her grandparent's farm. Although she was raised Englisch by her troubled mother, she spent carefree summers living Amish with her extended family. It is to them she turns to...and brings peril to their door.

Great suspense, an awkward, wary romance and plenty of action and tummy-whooshing moments as danger dogs their heals. And while not technically a Christian Fiction selection, Rachel's Amish family provides plenty of food for thought when it comes to faith and trust and living right. Like this sage advice from Grossmammi:

"Poor child. She spent her life looking for happiness. But happiness isn't something you find. It's something that comes along unexpected when you're doing the right thing." (p 151)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy Shattered Silence, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. 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 Sunday August 19 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Winning Miss Winthrop

GIVEAWAY

MILLER, CAROLYN
WINNING MISS WINTHROP

Catherine Winthrop has cried out to God too many times to count. Years ago, the man who stole her heart rejected her -- and she's never recovered. Now tragedy has brought him back into her life. This time it isn't her heart he's taking, it's her home and her family's good name -- and she has no one to share her grief.

Jonathan Carlew's life may look enviable from the outside -- wealthy, handsome, landed -- but the mystery surrounding his birth has shadowed his entire life. Now as he ascends to the barony, fresh challenges await, including a scheming mama who wants him to embrace power, even at the cost of losing love. How can he remain the kind, honorable man he strives to be and still meet the demands of his new society responsibilities?

These two broken hearts must decide whether their painful past and bitter present will be all they can share, or if forgiveness can provide a path to freedom for the future.

Set in the sumptuous salons of Bath, Regency England's royal breeding ground for gossip, Winning Miss Winthrop is the first volume in Carolyn Miller's new series won't want to miss this new set of characters.

My Review:

Jane Austen eat your heart out! There's definitely a Persuasion vibe to this incredible first book in a new series by Carolyn Miller. We're back exchanging banter and barbs in Regency England where appearances are everything and everyone must live by an exhaustive list of rules or be cut from polite society. And our hero and heroine -- Catherine and Jonathan -- are a pair of the most exasperating characters I have ever met within the pages of a book.

Misunderstandings based on assumptions and wounded feelings create havoc in their lives as they are thrown together by circumstance. Unlike most romance novels, this couple spends a lot of their time apart; but since readers are privy to their innermost thoughts we also have a front row seat to their deepest longings. These two dunderheads are in love and have been for some time but neither is willing to forgive the other and, until they do, they have no hope of unraveling the past and revealing the truth. I never wanted to knock two heads together more than with Catherine and Jonathan. And give them a good scolding while I was at it. Talk about a page-turning reader dilemma.

As in all Miller's stories, this one has a fascinating and infuriating cast of secondary characters. Catherine's mother -- like nails on a chalkboard! That woman grated on my nerves something awful even though she did provide some groan-out-loud laughable moments as well. Catherine has the patience of a saint to put up with her mother's histrionics, that's all I can say! And fans of Miller's previous series (Regency Brides : a Legacy of Grace) will be thrilled to discover some familiar faces in Winning Miss Winthrop which is a surprise bonus! (Though it isn't essential that you read the first series to follow this one.)

I'm in a euphoric tizzy of Regency proportions having just finished WMW -- and giddy with delight over the fact that the second book in the Regency Brides : a Promise of Hope series is already out. Miss Serena's Secret here I come!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Winning Miss Winthrop, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email, 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 Sunday August 19, 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

August Giveaway - Week Two

WON BY CHERYL BARKER

WON BY KATHLEEN E. NEWBERRY

WON BY DEBRA SHUTTERS

WON BY LUCY REYNOLDS

WON BY LISA HARNESS

WON BY TRIXI

You know the drill: winners will be contacted if they left their email address otherwise it's up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca with their mailing address. 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 thirty 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 YOUR EMAIL  OR IF I HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU.

Books are usually ordered within a week of receiving your mailing address but give it a full month before inquiring about the status of an order to allow for processing and shipping times. Thank you!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

Summer on Sunset Ridge

GIVEAWAY

MACLAREN, SHARLENE
SUMMER ON SUNSET RIDGE

Brought up on a Quaker farm near Philedelphia at the brink of the Civil War, plainspoken Rebecca Albright is expected to be charitable, peace-loving and submissive. However, those traits don't always come naturally to the feisty abolitionists. Spirit and spunky, Rebecca's chief ambition is to aid the Underground Railroad no matter the cost -- until her path collides with Sheriff Clay Dalton who is grimly fighting battles of his own. When tensions between the North and South escalate, the two find themselves propelled on a journey to discover just who God has called them to be -- and to determine whether their newfound friendship can stand up to a myriad of conflicts.

My Review:

published in 2017

I do so love a spirited and spunky heroine and Rebecca is all that and more! But she's also a devout Quaker and I love the contradictions...which aren't really contradictions if she's following God's leading in her life. MacLaren has included lots of fascinating details about the Quakers that has left me with a greater understanding and respect for the faith.

Great family dynamics within the Albright clan provide the perfect backdrop for Rebecca and Clay's unlikely friendship. Neither are free to act on the attraction that threaten to draw them into a forbidden relationship. Angst and yearning, laughter and hope -- it's all such a tangled mess of delectable page-turning.

"God is designing us, piece by piece like so many quilts. In the moment, it's difficult to envision what we'll look like in the end, but He sees the finished product, and it is our place to trust Him to put us together as He sees fit."

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Summer on Sunset Ridge, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. 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 Sunday August 12 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!