Finding Her Christmas Family

 

GIVEAWAY

HERNE, RUTH LOGAN

FINDING HER CHRISTMAS FAMILY

She's the last living relative these girls have...But he's the only family they've ever known.

Just in time for Christmas, Sarah Brown has located her long-lost family her late sister and orphaned nieces. Now she intends to claim custody of the little girls. But one person stands in the way -- their guardian, Detective Renzo Calloway. As the girls draw them closer, building a family together might just bring Renzo and Sarah everything they ever wanted.

A Golden Grove Book

My Review:

A Christmas romance with a sleighful of angst makes for another emotional Ruth Logan Herne epic holiday read. 

Adorable orphan triplets are at the heart of this tear-inducing love story. This author knows how to write kids who are sweet and funny...and sometimes sassy. These girls are all that and so much more. Though they've lost their mother they have been lovingly raised by Renzo's family and everything is near perfect...until it suddenly isn't thanks to some family turmoil and Sarah's unexpected arrival. 

Love Renzo's gentle reminder to the kids -- "But sometimes things don't go our way and God wants us to do our best to be big and brave and bold." (p36) 

That's something he has to remind himself of over and over again as Sarah complicates their lives. Honestly, I couldn't see how Herne could bring about a happily ever after in the midst of this mess. Thankfully, it is the season of miracles when love and grace and good will abound...once Renzo and Sarah jump a hurdle or two...or three or four!

A heartwarming romance that realistically showcases the joys and challenges of faith and family.

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback copy

If you would like a chance to win a gently read copy of one of the  Finging Her Christmas Family, 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 winner announced on Sunday October 23 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Line by Line

GIVEAWAY

 DELAMERE, JENNIFER

LINE BY LINE

Alice McNeil resolved at a young age to travel through life unencumbered by love or marriage, free to make her own decisions. A seasoned telegrapher, she's recently acquired a coveted position at an important trading firm, but when the company's ambitious junior director returns to London, things begin to change in ways Alice could never have imagined.

For Douglas Shaw, years of hard work and ingenuity enabled him to escape a life of grinding poverty. He's also determined to marry into high society -- a step that will ensure he never returns to the conditions of his past.

He and Alice form a friendly relationship based on mutual respect, but anything deeper is not in their plans. However, when Alice accidentally raises the ire of a jealous and vindictive coworker who's intent on ruining her life, Alice and Douglas are forced to confront what is truly important in their lives. Will their growing bong give them the courage to risk finding a better way?

My Review:

The first book in Jennifer Delamere's Love Along the Wires series is chock-full of history, a bit of mystery and, of course, romance.

Douglas and Alice are alike in their professional ambition and both have a clear vision of the trajectory their lives will take. He's intent on climbing up the social ladder and finding a wealthy, well-connected wife is the next step. Alice has put aside thoughts of marriage for the satisfaction of a career and she's not about to get foggy-headed over any man...even if Mr. Shaw is an assault on all her senses! 

Lots of scope for angst and upset along with a bit of humour. Douglas is beguiled by the insightful, intelligent woman who comes to work at his company. Alice, in turn, is smitten by the easy way Douglas accepts her proficiency and business acumen. It should be a match made in heaven but they are too driven by their own notions of success to notice. Gah!

Throw in a book entitled 'The Spinsters Guide to Love and Romance' and some well-meaning (and not so well meaning) secondary characters to stir things up even more and the result is a page-turning reading binge. 

I listened to the audible version of this book narrated by Bianca Amato who did an amazing job of bringing these characters to life -- especially Douglas's Scottish burr (my toes may never fully uncurl!)

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications.

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway if for a paperback copy

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Line by Line, 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 winner announced on Sunday October 23 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Dangerous Deception

 

GIVEAWAY

HILL, EVELYN M.

DANGEROUS DECEPTION

Nothing is what it seems...

Rachel Garrett has the ideal life: a job in a small town surrounded by people she trusts -- until a stranger arrives and insists it's all a lie. Michael Sullivan's claims that she's been brainwashed and drugged can't be right. But why is someone trying to kidnap her? Now Rachel must decide if she believes her closest friends...or the one man who makes her feel truly safe.

My Review:

Not your run-of-the-mill amnesia story.

Squeeeppp! Another fantastic fresh voice in the Love Inspired Suspense line. And -- whoooheeeeee -- but this is one crazy amazing read. It starts out all foreshadowy -- "The stranger was trouble. Rachel knew that the moment she saw him." but then it seems kinda more mysterious than suspenseful as the author lulls us into a cozy reading place and then...WHAM...reader whiplash.

And there's so many things I want to say but I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't. There are twists and turns and some lovely romantical pacing culminating in a toe-curling, furious-fanning frenzy that made me dizzy with delight. Happy, happy sigh. Meanwhile the mystery just gets curiouser and curiouser. A very clever spin on a classic suspense trope.

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Eeeep -- two winners for this one because Harlequin accidentally sent me two paperback copies. So, one gently read and one brand spanking new.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Dangerous Deception, 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 winner announced on Sunday October 23 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Relative Silence

 

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART

RELATIVE SILENCE

A powerful family with lots of secrets. A forensic artist with his own tragedies. And a hurricane bearing down on their private island.

Fifteen years ago Piper Boone's only child died in a boating accident, and Piper's almost perfect life came to an end too. After living through a divorce and losing her job, she retreats to Curlew Island and her childhood home -- a secluded mansion for the politically powerful Boone family, who are practically American royalty.

But Piper's desire to become a recluse is shattered when a mass shooter opens fire and kills three women at a cafe where Piper is having lunch. The crisis puts her family in the spotlight by dredging up rumors of the so-called Curlew Island Curse, which whispers say has taken the lives of several members of the Boone family, including Piper's father and sister.

Forensic artist Tucker Landry also survives the shooting and is tasked with the job of sketching a portrait of the shooter with Piper. They forge a bond over their shared love of movies and tragic pasts. But when police discover a connection between the shooting and two more murders on Curlew Island, they face a more terrible lineup of suspects than they could have imagined: Piper's family.

Unraveling the family's true history will be the key to Piper's survival -- or her certain death.

My Review:

Groping for words to use in a review again. This was one thrilling, mind-boggling, emotional roller-coasting, gah-there-are-too-many-suspects kind of suspense. My brain is still addled and I'm feeling bereft because I've now read all of Carrie Stuart Parks' books. Someone please tell me she has a new release coming out soon!

One of this author's strengths (and she has many) is the way she brings broken characters to life. They are real and raw and hurting -- and, as my friend is always saying, 'hurt people hurt people.' Love the gritty honesty portrayed in both Piper and Tucker. They are wounded and scarred, limping through life as they grapple with the enormity of overcoming. But they are brought together for such a time as this and the way they connect is thrilling. There is so much depth to the emotional and spiritual aspects of their lives that I'm still reeling from it all.

And pay attention to the details, readers. Because that's another of Parks' strengths -- the way she weaves together seemingly random bits of flotsam until you suddenly see something solid taking shape. 

The suspense is compelling -- the kind of edge of your seat stuff that transform a good plot into something exceptional. I'm still a little light-headed from all the breath-holding! :-)

A definite must-read for the discerning suspense aficionado who loves intense suspense with a side of romance.

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Winner can choose between a paperback copy or an ecopy

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one Relative Silence, 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 winner announced on Sunday October 23 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Christy Awards Finalists 20202 -- General Fiction

GIVEAWAY

 What are the Christy Awards?

"The Christy Award is designed to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview and showcase the diversity of genres." (from the Christy Awards website.)

These 2020 finalists are books published in 2019. You might have read them already. You might not. I've read one in this category. I'll include a link to my reviews in the descriptions.

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the three Christy Award General Fiction 2020 finalists you would like to receive if your name is drawn. Mention the title in your comment (or an email if you're entering that way.) If you win, that's the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy. Here are the three finalists.

All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner (Revell / Baker Publishing Group)

When Annie Jacobson's brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he hands her a piece of paper with the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know.

In Mike's absence, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding an extra measure of complication to an already tense time. As they work toward healing and pray fervently for Mike's safety overseas, letter by letter the Jacobsons must find a way to pull together as a family, regardless of past hurts. In the tumult of this time, Annie and her family grapple with the tension of the holding both and grief in the same hand, even as they learn to turn to the One who binds the wounds of the brokenhearted.

Author Susie Finkbeiner invites you into the Jacobson family's home and hearts during a time in which the chaos of the outside world touched their small community in ways they never imagined.

Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes (Bethany House / Baker Publishing Group)

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose...and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Sawyer is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea.

My Review: https://bestreads-kav.blogspot.com/2019/08/whose-waves-these-are.html

The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels (Revell / Baker Publishing Group)

Robin Windsor has spent most of her life under an assumed name, running from her family's ignominious past. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary in her rather unremarkable used bookstore just up the street from the marina in River city, Michigan. But the store is struggling and the past is hot on her heels.

When she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the long-lost summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. That book - a first edition Catcher in the Rye -- is soon followed by the other books she shared with Peter nearly twenty years ago, with one arriving in the mail each day. But why would Peter be making contact after all these years? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

All three books are available in either paperback or ebook format (Amazon.com account) -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Christy Awards Finalists in the General Fiction Category, 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 winner announced on Sunday October 23 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

The Christmas Table

 

GIVEAWAY

VANLIERE, DONNA

THE CHRISTMAS TABLE

From Donna VanLiere, the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays.

In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother's recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.

In June 2012 Lauren Mabrey discovers she's pregnant. Gloria, Miriam and the rest of her friends at Glory's Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. 

Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written one each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.

The story continues to switch from 1972 to 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook, preparing for the baby's arrival. As Christmas nears, can Lauren unlock the mystery of the table, and find the peace she's always longed for?

MY REVIEW:

This is my first Donna VanLiere book and I can see I've been missing out on a lot! The Christmas Table is the tenth book in The Christmas Hope series and, while it can definitely be read as a standalone, I did feel a bit overwhelmed at first with all the folks at Glory's Place. I got the distinct impression that their stories have been told in previous books. But I caught on to their quirks pretty quickly and I'm now hungering for more. Luckily, my library has the whole series so I've just put a bunch of them on hold. :-)

This shorter length novel packs an emotional punch as it embraces the true meaning of friendship and love and living in community with one another. And the way faith draws them all together. I got teary at the end.

And I loved the dual timeline aspect and the way the recipes almost write their own story. In fact, the author has included full recipes at the end of the book which is an added bonus.

A heartwarming faith and family feel-good holiday read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Please note: this giveaway is for an ebook edition.

If you would like a chance to win an ebook copy of The Christmas Table, 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 winner announced on Sunday October 24 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

October Giveaway -- Week Three

 

WON BY TIGHEFAN

WON BY TAMMIE E. SHAW

WON BY RUBYNREBA

WON BY ROSES

WON BY TRIXI

WON BY KAY GARRETT

You know the drill: Winners will be contacted if they have left their email address in the comments, otherwise it's up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (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 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 will be ordered within a week of receiving your mailing info (or ebook preference) and I'll email you to confirm your book is on its way. Give it a full month before inquiring about the status of an order to allow for processing and shipping times. Thank you!

SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING DELIVERIES:

For Book Depository deliveries: I've had a few cases of books not reaching their destination or taking a crazy long delivery time to  the US. Not many issues in the grand scheme of things but more than usual. In fact, BD now provides tracking info for USPS. So I'm going to start forwarding the tracking info on to the winners so y'all can keep an eye on things. :-) That means an extra email from me -- sorry about that. :-( 

Postal deliveries (for gently read books or extra copies I have on hand) seem to be all tickety-boo, though with the Christmas season approaching delivery might take a bit longer. Right now it seems to be 1 - 2 weeks from the date I ship from Canada to the US.

OH -- AND ONE MORE THING -- ABOUT GIVEAWAY BOOKS -- SORRY FOR BEING SUCH A BLABBERMOUTH TODAY!

So...I am such a 'real' book lover that I've neglected all the readers who prefer ebook to hard copies. Sorry for making the assumption that y'all feel as passionate about 'book' books as I do. So, from now on I'm going to specify under the "Giveaway Opportunity" banner the exact format for that giveaway. Most will say 'winner's choice of either ebook or paperback copy" but there will also be: "gently read copy" or "ebook only" or even "paperback only" depending on what is available. So give that info a quick scan so you're in the know for what kind of edition is being offered.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAYS:

On Monday you'll have a chance to choose between titles in the Christy Awards General Fiction Category:

And the rest of the week looks like this: