Review: Starting Over at Steeple Ridge by Liz Isaacson

Starting Over at Steeple Ridge by Liz Isaacson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

STARTING OVER AT STEEPLE RIDGE: A brand new contemporary romance novella from Liz Isaacson

Tucker Jenkins has had enough of tall buildings, traffic, and business meetings to determine the next app that will change the world. He's sold his technology firm for billions and traded it for Steeple Ridge Horse Farm in rural Vermont.

Missy Marino has worked at the boarding stable and farm since she was a teen, and she's always dreamed of owning it. But her ex-husband left her with a truckload of debt, making her fantasies of owning the farm unfulfilled.

When she meets Tucker, she starts having a new kind of fantasy—one where they work with the horses together. Tucker didn't come to the country to find a new wife, but he supposes a woman could help him start over in Steeple Ridge. Will Tucker and Missy be able to navigate the shaky ground between them to find a new beginning?

More Timeless Romance Singles:
FROM CAIRO, WITH LOVE by Nancy Campbell Allen (my review)
SOPHIA'S LEAP-YEAR COURTSHIP by Kristin Holt (my review)
THE MATCHMAKING GAME by Donna Hatch (my review)

Blog Tour Review: Driver Confessional by David L. Winters

Driver Confessional by David L. Winters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

About The Book

Ride share driver Antonio cruises the streets of Washington, D.C. looking for his next fare.

He has an unusual gift for relaxing his customers and stimulating their desire to reveal more than they planned. By the completion of their ride, many feel so comfortable that they confess their sins great and small. Antonio's faith guides his discussions and points him in new directions. Suddenly, his peaceful world is turned upside down by a mysterious business woman. As she heads to a midnight rendezvous, she confesses more than Antonio can handle. Her story sends him into a world of espionage, international terrorism and danger.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Review

Review: Brave Is the New Beautiful: Finding the Courage to Be the Real You by Lee Wolfe Blum

Brave Is the New Beautiful: Finding the Courage to Be the Real You 

by Lee Wolfe Blum

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

About the Book:

Our culture bombards women with "thinspiration" messages and pressure to "do it all" while wearing the mask of perfection. 

Women are left feeling alone and overwhelmed. How can they stop comparing themselves to others? How can they live out who they really are?

Lee Wolfe Blum offers stories from everyday women who have answered these questions with their lives-and found true beauty in the process. In Brave Is the New Beautiful, Blum weaves reflections from her own journey with inspirational stories from everyday women who chose to take off their masks and live authentically. Through call-to-action questions and ideas, she encourages readers to be brave enough to be who they really are and the beloved that God knows they are.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: True to You by Becky Wade

~Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY below!~

True to You by Becky Wade

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

About the book: It's the exciting start of a brand-new series by a contemporary romance fan favorite! After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now. Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when he's diagnosed with an inherited condition, he's forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother. The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, John's already dating someone and Nora's not sure she's ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers they're seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another. Learn more and purchase a copy.  My Review:

Review: Life After by Katie Ganshert

Life After by Katie Ganshert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.

A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest. 


Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.

In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.

This was an amazing book! This is the first full length book I have read of this author (I've read a few of her novellas) and I really like her writing style.  The emotions and struggles that Autumn and the other characters go through are so well written that they grip your heart and you HAVE to keep reading to find out how it all turns out. 

The angst of turning teenager Reese and the emotions she's going through and the anxiety she's causing her father is so heart-breaking.  And then there is Paul's secret about Vivian and how his guilt is eating at him.  Paul and Reese have to learn to be open and honest with each other and those around them in order to start the process of healing.

Autumn's guilt about being the only survivor has totally changed her life.  She has so many issues to work through but she slowly opens herself up to her family and those around her again.  I love how her family is there for her even though they overwhelm her sometimes.  Autumn's interaction with the victim's families for the video is precious and helps further the healing process for all involved.  

This is a complex story with a depth of emotion that will take you from sorrow and guilt to healing and hope and leave you with the beautiful truth that God doesn't always give us the miracle but he will always comfort us if we let Him (Jesus wept!). 

*Thanks to the author and publisher for a complimentary ARC copy of this book. I was not paid or required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Swagbucks: Summer Travel

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: For Love and Honor by Jody Hedlund

~Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY below!~

To purchase your copy, click here.

For Love and Honor by Jody Hedlund

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book: For Love & Honor
Author: Jody Helund
Genre: Young Adult Historical
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?

Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have?

As Lady Sabine and Sir Bennet are thrust together under dangerous circumstances, will they both be able to learn to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets? Or will those secrets ultimately lead to their demise?

Swagbucks: May Referral Bonus

The May flowers are here, and Swagbucks has brought a $5 bonus! Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash.

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a $5 bonus! Here's how:

1. Sign up using this link
2. Earn 300 SB total before 6/1/17. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it!
3. If you spend at least $25 through Swagbucks Shop* you'll get another $2 (200 SB) bonus on top of the cash back you'll get from shopping. If you have some shopping to do online, just go to Swagbucks first and visit the store through them. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but you'll get SB points for every dollar you spend (on top of the bonus)!

That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned as much as $100 a month. *You must receive your shopping SB before July 1st

Swagbucks really works!

I've earned as much as $100 a month. It really does work!

I usually get Amazon gift cards because they don't expire and you can

save them up and have several hundred dollars for special occasions!

www.swagbucks.com

Swagbucks: Swag Wars Team Challenge