Wyoming Christmas Peril

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RIDINGS, KATHIE

WYOMING CHRISTMAS PERIL

Can they survive the cold of Cougar Mountain with a killer on their trail?

Bailey O'Keefe is excited about her first Christmas in Wyoming -- until she's taken hostage by a homicidal bank robber. When he escapes from custody, his only goal is killing Bailey. Now her life depends on FBI negotiator Sean Hanson and his remote cabin on Cougar Mountain. But in the icy Wyoming wilderness, their relentless pursuer is the least perilous danger they face...

My Review:

Great debut from a new voice in Love Inspired Suspense!

Despite the title, this is more of a wintery read rather than a holiday one. And brrrrrr but it's chilly setting and wilderness survival scenes begs to be paired with a cup of hot cocoa. And comfort marshmallows. :-)

I found it refreshing to read about a heroine who isn't all kick-butt savvy for a change. (Not that I don't like the strong, confidant, take charge heroine...but I've been meeting her a lot in the pages of my books so Bailey was a nice break.) She starts out very overwhelmed which is understandable since she was held at gunpoint in a bank heist! She's also hesitant, even timid when she's taken into protective custody which is so relatable! And I love how she grows in confidence as the story progresses. That's partly because of Sean's belief in her. He's an older (35 to her 25) somewhat jaded ex-FBI agent charged with keeping Bailey safe. Which proves quite the challenge thanks to the relentless pursuit of one escaped felon. Cue murder and mayhem and a wilderness chase!

And speaking of Sean...he has three brothers! All Wyoming ranchers sharing the family land on Cougar Mountain. Pretty please let this be the first in a series about the Hanson brothers! 'Cause I'm enamoured with them all!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Wyoming Christmas Peril, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

One Thing I Know

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RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

ISAAC, KARA

ONE THING I KNOW

A fresh, heartfelt romance involving a case of mistaken identity when a ghostwriter masquerades as a relationship expert and the man who is determined to expose her holds not only the key to her success, but also her heart...

Rachel Somers is America's #1 relationship coach -- American just doesn't know it. Rachel writes the books, but her Aunt Donna plays the face of the operation. Afraid of their secret being exposed, Rachel has no choice but to keep up the charade or lose the big money required to care of her father.

Lucas Grant is a star of late night radio and set on achieving his dream of syndication. When a big-time producer calls, it looks like his hard work is about to pay off. But the offer comes with a catch -- the producer is convinced Dr. Donna is not what she seems and he wants Lucas to discover her secret. To do that, he needs to win over her tight-lipped assistant who holds the key to his success and -- he begins to suspect -- his heart. Can love find a way through the lies that force them apart?

My Review:

published in 2019

Rom/com with a twist of angst. Complicated characters with difficult backstories caught up in deceptions of their own making. All while falling in love... 

It's a richly layered story that highlights the very real struggles of broken people. I'd be laughing out loud one minute and tearing up the next. Because Rachel and Lucas are on a collision course that's destined to rattle their lives in a messy heap of real, raw emotion. They can either free themselves from their pasts and look towards a fulfilling future together...or they can continue on in the same dysfunctional patterns. And I love the way the author provided this hero and heroine with Christian friends/family who could speak truth into their lives. 

I did struggle with the amount of deception -- just the premise made me antsy. Rachel's been living a very public lie for a decade! There's definitely growth and freedom by the end but it just made me so anxious all the way through. And then Lucas's duplicity just made it that more difficult for me. So, not a huge fan of parts of the plot but I still enjoyed the read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of One Thing I Know, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Opening HIs Holiday Heart

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RYAN, RENEE

OPENING HIS HOLIDAY HEART

With a little boy's help, can he let go of painful memories?

Casey Evans wants no part in the holidays, which is a major problem for Mayor Sutton Wentworth. Sutton has her heart set on their town winning a national Christmas contest, and Casey's refusal to decorate his coffee shop could ruin everything. Thankfully, her precious son has worked his charms on Casey. But can one little boy -- and his mother -- change the mind of the local grinch?

A Thunder Ridge Romance

My Review:

Everything that I want in a Christmas story times 100!

This is only my second Thunder Ridge Romance I've read (there are three) but I'm a fan of this town and these people and the way Renee Ryan portrays them all! A rom/com with heart. 

We've got a cute kid (and lots more sprinkled throughout) and dogs! A bulldog couple named Winston and Clementine. :-)  (and puppies!) A reunion romance that kept me in stitches -- seriously lethal one-liners courtesy of Casey. Love, love, love the verbal sparring and the way he can always coax an almost grin out of Sutton even when she's in a gnarly mood. 

And a town that's exploding Christmas -- except for one grinchy corner -- the coffee house owned by "Ebenezer Grinch" himself. :-) I was on tenterhooks trying to figure out what his bah humbug reason was and how these high school love birds messed up their romance the first time 'round. Love the way the author drew out those reveals, kept me turning pages, that's for sure.

Equal parts laughter and swooning with enough angsty stuff to make me nervous. And tons of festive touches that definitely make for one truly exceptional holiday read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Opening His Holiday Heart, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Paris Dressmaker

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CAMBRON, KRISTY

THE PARIS DRESSMAKER

Based on true accounts of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazi occupation in World War II -- from fashion houses to the city streets -- comes a story of two courageous women who risked everything to fight evil they couldn't abide.

Paris 1939. Maison Chanel has closed, thrusting haut couture dressmaker Lila de Laurent out of the world of high fashion as Nazi soldiers invade the streets and the City of Lights slips into darkness. Lila's life is now a series of rations, brutal restrictions, and carefully controlled propaganda while Paris is cut off from the rest of the world. Yet in hidden corners of the city, the faithful pledge to resist. Lila is drawn to La Resistance and is soon using her skills as a dressmaker to infiltrate the Nazi elite. She takes their measurements and designs masterpieces, all while collecting secrets in the glamorous Hotel Biz -- the heart of the Nazis' Parisian headquarters. But when dashing Rene Touliard suddenly reenters her world, Lila finds her heart tangled between determination to help save his Jewish family and bolstering the fight for liberation.

Paris, 1943. Sandrine Paquet's job is to catalog the priceless works of art bound for the Furrier's Berlin, masterpieces stolen from prominent Jewish families. But behind closed doors, she secretly forages for information from the underground resistance. Beneath her compliant facade lies a woman bent on uncovering the fate of her missing husband...but at what cost? As Hitler's regime crumbles, Sandrine is drawn in deeper when she uncreates an exquisite blush Chanel gown concealing a cryptic message that may reveal the fate of a dressmaker who vanished from within the fashion elite.

Told across the span of the Nazi occupation, The Paris Dressmaker highlights the brave women who used everything in their power to resist darkness and restore light to their world.

My Review:

True confession: I tried reading this book twice in both print (first try) and audio book (second try) and ended up DNFing both times because I found it really confusing. The timeline jumps around within the span of the war but in no logical order and I had a really hard time making sense of it.

I hated giving up though, so I decided to try again -- this time listening to the audio book while following along with the paperback and that helped a lot! 

At first I had to keep referring to the book in hand but eventually, once I got used to the non-chronological date hopping from two different characters' POVs I was able to anchor myself in the story and could leave off reading along and just listen. I've read a few reviews from readers who had the same struggle but many more reviews from readers who didn't. I guess it's just a preference thing? 

But if you're hesitant like I was, I'd suggest keeping an open mind and giving yourself a chance to settle into the rhythm of the storytelling (I didn't get very far my first two tries) because this really is a remarkable story -- harrowing and beautiful and sad and stirring and...gah...so many emotions and so many talking points for discussion. Would definitely make a meaty choice for a book club selection.

Cambron's historical details are exacting. She really brings this era to life. It's gritty and raw and hopeful and inspiring. Two heroines who had the courage to sacrifice everything in order to make a difference. I've come away with an appreciation for the women who found ways to fight the Nazi occupation by drawing upon their unique talents to aid the resistance. 

There's more I want to say, but it would be better left for a book discussion instead of review, since I'd have to post spoilers. Let's just say that The Paris Dressmaker highlighted some aspects of the war that I wasn't aware of as well as exposing some surprising (to me) dissensions among the Parisienne women. Does that have you intrigued? :-) And I was touched by the enduring romances and the day to day struggles of life at one of the most horrific times in history. Puts our 21st century North American struggles to shame. 

A book that I found both enlightening and thought provoking.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Paris Dressmaker, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Blizzard Showdown

GIVEAWAY

MCCOY, SHIRLEE

BLIZZARD SHOWDOWN

A missing-person case...turns into a rescue operation.

After months of searching for Violet James, Gabriel Runyon and his K-9 partner finally track her down -- just in time to rescue her from her ex-fiance. Now they must safeguard the single mother and her newborn daughter. Leaving Violet's Alaskan hideout is the safest option, but with a winter storm rolling in, it's not just a murderer they have to escape.

Alaska K-9 Unit

My Review:

"He'd never been a baby kind of person. He preferred puppies." (p 78) Bwahahahaha! And we're off and running with the last Alaska K-9 Unit novel! McCoy has crafted a stunner of a series conclusion, with lots of cameos from some of our favourite K-9s and their handlers. 

Speaking of which, that's Bear on the cover. He's my first St. Bernard hero -- what a big lug of a fur ball! His specialty is finding people in the snow with a sideline in bowling people over. :-) Which comes in handy during the course of this story.

This is the culmination of the series' over-arcing suspense plot and it's a page-turner. Oh -- and can easily be read as a standalone if you haven't dived into any of the other books yet. There's wilderness trekking and plenty of action with a diabolical killer in hot pursuit of Violet and her adorable little Ava. They are admirably protected by Gabe and Bear which leads to romance, of course, 'cause this is a Love Inspired Suspense book after all. And ends with the best Thanksgiving epilogue ever!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Blizzard Showdown, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Shadows of Swanford Abbey

GIVEAWAY

KLASSEN, JULIE

SHADOWS OF SWANFORD ABBEY

Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this atmospheric Regency tale brimming with mystery, intrigue, and romance.

When Miss Rebecca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favour: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Feeling responsible for her brother's desperate state, she reluctantly agrees.

The medieval monastery turned grand hotel is rumoured to be haunted. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past -- including her own. For there she encounters Sir Fredrick -- magistrate, widower, and former neighbour -- who long ago broke her heart.

When the famous author is found murdered in the abbey, Sir Fredrick begins questioning staff and guests and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the man, including Miss Lane and her brother. Haunted by a painful betrayal in his past, Sir Fredrick searches for answers but is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something...

My Review:

Sqqquuuueeeeaaaaaapppppp alert!!!! I am in an ecstatic swoon of bibliophile delight! Regency! Atmospheric!! Julie Klassen!!! Definitely the kind of novel to sweep a reader off her feet, so have a fainting couch handy!

My first 'grown-up' reads were romances by Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney and Mary Stewart...and that's when I fell in love with historical romance and this gothic-y, atmospheric kind of mystery style. I've been smitten ever since. 

Shadows of Swanford Abbey brought back that old delicious thrill of history and mystery that has left me feeling quite nostalgic. And enchanted because I'm overflowing with bookish euphoria -- the kind that comes from reading a story that speaks to your heart, engages your mind and just plain makes you feel good.

I love the leisurely pacing of a complicated plot that has so many intriguing elements to tie together, including stirring faith threads that have the power to change lives. I love the atmospheric vibe right from the start. Struggling orphaned heroine's dedication to her brother. The conflict that presents for her. The fraught moments of indecision and angst. Reuniting with a man she once loved and never forgot. And the spooky Abbey -- an inn that holds so many secrets! Including a mysterious figure that flits in and out of sight -- ghost, intruder or prankster?! And then...murder!!!!

That tag-line pretty much sums it up -- Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen! And what a divine pairing that is!

I listened tot he audible edition narrated by Elizabeth Jasicki who did a marvellous job of conveying the era and atmosphere to stunning perfection.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

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

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Shadows of Swanford Abbey, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Christmas K-9 Protectors

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WORTH, LENORA

BLACK, MAGGIE

CHRISTMAS K-9 PROTECTORS

Danger awaits in the icy winter shadows in two Alaskan K-9 Unit Christmas novellas.

Forensic scientist Tala Ekho and K-9 state trooper Ian McCaffrey investigate a thief whose deadly agenda begins with jewels...and ends with murder in Maggie K. Black's Holiday Heist. And in Lenora Worth's Alaskan Christmas Chase, criminal psychologist Mallory Haru, tech whiz Eli Partridge and a traumatized K-9 must keep a teen out of the hands of a robbery gang.

Alaska K-9 Unit

My Review

I'm all about the cover love when it comes to this book. I mean, really, what's better than one dog on the cover? Two, that's what! And I was super excited to see that these novellas feature two members of the support team we've encountered in the other books. While these novellas bring us to the end of Alaska K-9 Unit series, they can easily be enjoyed as standalone reads so if you're looking for something short and snappy during these hectic festive times this would be a good fit.

Tala rocks in Holiday Heist -- Black did an amazing job of capturing all the idiosyncrasies that make Tala so great at her job as a forensic scientist. I was yo-yoing between hearty guffaws and stunned admiration all the way through. Cadaver dog Aurora (perfect Alaskan name but almost too pretty for a dog who finds dead people.lol) makes for a stalwart secondary heroine who definitely won my heart with her dedicated K-9 zeal and winsome fluffy empathy. And, of course, Ian, dunderhead though he might have been in high school, definitely screams hero material now. So -- eeepppp -- an almost second chance romance because Ian and Tala were best friends from kindergarten until that fateful day their senior year in high school....

Solid suspense, a stuttering romance and a light touch of Christmas makes for a satisfying read.

Then we have Alaskan Christmas Chase - Happy sigh, there's something about a nerd hero with hidden depths that ups my heartbeat every time. :-) Eli rocks as a tech whiz and a wilderness survivalist and both talents come in handy when he and Mallory wind up on a villainous gang's hitlist. Loved the unique twist of both hero and heroine not being law enforcement officers and even their K-9 partner is 'on leave' as he recovers from a traumatic incident so Worth upends the usual tropes in this nail-biting suspense. There's tons of action, lots of danger and some nifty twists as Eli and Mallory face down relentless adversaries with quick wit and quirk...and a little help from the Alaska K-9 team. Very light on the Christmas angle, so could easily be read as a cozy winter read too.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Christmas K-9 Protectors, 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 December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck