The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – Review

October 16, 2018 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

I’ve been looking forward to this installment of the Daughters of the Mayflower installment for a couple reasons. (besides the fact I am loving this series). First, while the story is set near my current residence, I knew very little about the Wilderness Trail. Another reason I wanted to read The Cumberland Bride is that Shannon McNear is a new-to-me author.

About the Book

Thomas Bledsoe and Kate Gruener are traveling the Wilderness Road when conflicts between natives and settlers reach a peak that will require each of them to tap into a well of courage.
A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.

Love and Adventure Are Discovered on the Wilderness Road
In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas’s job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate’s inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas’s story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster?

Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd Blog Hop with Review & Giveaway

October 15, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

Welcome to Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd Scavenger Blog Hunt with an awesome giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! On each stop, there will be:

special content by the blogger, plus
a clue
then head back to the launch post on JustRead or straight to the main crossword puzzle to fill in the words and get the special phrase to enter the giveaway!

Before we begin, there’s a bit about Lady of a Thousand Treasures.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Lady of a Thousand Treasures
Series: Victorian Ladies, Book 1
Author: Sandra Byrd
Publisher: Tyndale House
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical/Gothic Romance

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan – Review

October 14, 2018 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Around February of this year, several authors shared they were reading this book and raving about it, so it quickly landed on my TBR list. Now it’s here and I have to say while it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was a wonderful story of C. S. Lewis and the woman he loved (who I knew very little about previous to this read).

About the Book

In a most improbable friendship, she found love. In a world where women were silenced, she found her voice.

From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C. S. Lewis called “my whole world.” When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.

In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.

At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.

Amazon // B&N // Book Depository // Christian Book // Goodreads

A Duel for Christmas by Roseanne E. Lortz – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

October 14, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 6 Comments

About the Book

Book Title: A Duel For Christmas
Author: Rosanne E. Lortz
Genre: Regency Romance, Romantic Suspense
Release date: October 1, 2018

After seven long years in Devon, Lady Maud Worlington returns to London to reclaim life on her own terms, but a nefarious shadow and the prospect of financial ruin dog her steps. An impulsive and unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe creates a connection with Geoffrey, the handsome, young Duke of Tilbury. Yet as pleasant as it is to have a suitor, Maud is not sure how a boy of one-and-twenty can prove an equal partner in life and the equal of all the forces mounted against her.

The Duke of Tilbury considers himself as adept at managing matters as he is at swordplay, but his beautiful new acquaintance Lady Worlington has other ideas about how to manage her complicated life. Intrigued by their stolen kiss, Geoffrey pursues Lady Worlington’s affections, only to be foiled by the lady’s own doubts, by rivals for her hand, and by a sudden death that affects both their families. When Jacob Pevensey, the investigator from Bow Street enters the scene, the duke becomes a prime suspect in the murder case. Truths are unearthed that Geoffrey would rather keep hidden, and the twelve days of Christmas race toward a perilous end.

Click here to purchase your copy!

Week in Review 10/7/18 – 10/13/18 – Recap & Giveaway

October 13, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 7 Comments

Happy Saturday! It has FINALLY cooled down here in Tennessee and actually feels like October. I am loving it! Great weather for snuggling under a blanket and reading (as if I need another excuse!)

It’s been a busy week with reviews, spotlights, giveaways, and even a cover reveal! And we’ll do it again next week. Let’s call this trick-or-treating for book lovers! If you missed any of the giveaways, be sure and enter to win some great books, gift cards, and more!

Reviews, Spotlights, and More

Reviews, Spotlights and More with Giveaways

A Tale of Two Hearts — Hosted by Celebrate Lit
Giveaway ends 10/15/18

Sweet Home Montana — Hosted by Prism Book Tours
Giveaway ends 10/17/18

Fallen Leaves — Hosted by JustRead Tours
Giveaway Ends 10/15/18

Delayed Justice — Hosted by Celebrate Lit
Giveaway Ends 10/13/18

Santa's Dog — Hosted by Singing Librarian Books
Giveaway ends 10/15/18

Rhapsody & Rebellion — Hosted by I Am A Reader
Giveaway Ends 11/2/18

More Giveaways around the Web

Hosted by JustRead Tours
Giveaway Ends 10/16/18

Hidden Peril — Hosted by JustRead Tours
giveaway ends 10/17/18

True Nobility — Hosted by JustRead Tours
ends 10/18/19
Enter on Instagram

Wow, there are a lot of FANTABULOUS giveaways going on right now. But I’ve got one more just for my blog visitors!

Weekly Giveaway

Friends, I am well over the adolescent age, but I absolutely love reading books in the YA genre. And this week I’m giving one winner four print copies of some YA reads (these are all hard cover too). The books are: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow and Reclaiming Shilo Snow by Mary Weber, The Orphan’s Wish by Melanie Dickerson, and White as Silence, Red as Song by Alessandro D’Avenia. And if you don’t read YA, these would make great Christmas gifts for a teenager in your life!

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