Week in Review 3/26/23 to 4/1/23 & Giveaway

April 1, 2023 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

Happy April, friends! I finished my edits this past week and now wait for round two. In case you are curious, I thought I’d share how edits work (at least with my publisher). I send in my manuscript, and then my editor reads through it and sends me a general overview of a few things to work on while I go through the story one more time. For me, these have been things like timeline and incorporating the title into the book a little more (this is called the developmental edit). After I sent those come the content (or line) edits. This is where my editor goes through the manuscript line by line asking questions, catching grammatical errors, pointing out things like telling vs. showing, things happening in the wrong order, and much, much more. These are the edits that take a good month to go through. Once I’m finished with those, I send them back and my editor goes through the manuscript one more time and I make the new updates. When we’re both satisfied with the story, it moves to another editor who reads through it for copy edits. This is more grammatical, looking for anything that may be considered stereotyping, and anything that is unclear. Once I’ve made those corrections, the book is formatted and send to me for one final proofread.

And that is why books take a while to reach you.

*Click on any image to go to that review/giveaway post.

Book Reviews, Spotlights & More

Book Reviews, Spotlights & More w/ Giveaways

First Line Friday: Windswept Way by Irene Hannon

March 31, 2023 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

It’s the last day of March, do you know what that means? It means we’re only a few days away from new release Tuesday!! by Irene Hannon is one of the books you can pick up on April 4.

About the Book

Buying a haunted house was never in Ashley Scott’s plans, but when an intriguing opportunity drops into her lap after a major setback, she finds herself trekking cross-country to Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast to launch a new life.

Wounded warrior Jonathan Gray isn’t sure what to make of the attractive woman on his reclusive older neighbor’s isolated property, but her presence is none of his business–until she enlists his help with an ambitious project. When Jonathan finds his interest in the new arrival becoming more personal than professional, however, his defenses go up. There’s no room in his life–or his heart–for romance.

Yet, as these three hurting people join forces to restore life, laughter, and love to a historic estate that has known too much sadness, they may also find healing, hope, and happiness for themselves.

Bestselling author Irene Hannon invites you back to Hope Harbor, where hearts heal and love blooms.

Join the fun by leaving the first line of your current read in the comments then head over to Reading Is My Superpower to read more opening lines.

The Last Chance Cowboy by Jody Hedlund – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

March 30, 2023 by Suzie Waltner 4 Comments

About the Book

Book: The Last Chance Cowboy

Author: Jody Hedlund

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: February 14, 2023

With danger drawing ever closer, their only hope of saving their futures lies in each other.

As a midwife, Catherine Remington is successful in bringing new life into the world, but she’s failed one too many times in finding true love. When she’s accused of a murder she didn’t commit, she’s forced to flee to Colorado to honor a patient’s dying wish by delivering a newborn infant to his father.

The repentant prodigal Dylan McQuaid is finally back in Fairplay. As sheriff, he’s doing his best to prove to the town he’s a changed man and worthy of their trust. When a woman shows up with an infant son he didn’t know he had, Dylan is left with only complicated choices on what to do next.

Having grown attached to Dylan’s son, Catherine doesn’t want to part ways with the infant, but what she doesn’t bargain for is how easily she’ll fall for the charming sheriff, or how quickly the past will catch up with her and put their love and lives in danger.

Click here to get your copy!

Fields of Bounty by Lauraine Snelling – Spotlight with Excerpt and Giveaway

March 30, 2023 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for Fields of Bounty by Lauraine Snelling, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Fields of Bounty
Series: Leah’s Garden #3
Author: Lauraine Snelling
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: March 21, 2023
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

They must set aside their own plans and rely on their faith to bring their true destiny to light.

Lilac Nielsen’s dream has come true: handsome young Reverend Ethan Pritchard has finally noticed her. Yet she must balance this new courtship with the pursuit of another dream–the publication of her artwork in a New York paper. She has secretly been submitting a series of drawings under a pen name, and if anyone traces the drawings back to her and finds out where Lilac and her sisters settled, the entire Nielsen family could be in danger.

As their family farm expands and Lilac’s relationship with the reverend grows, it’s a time of new beginnings. But when a family crisis back in Ohio shakes the Nielsen sisters, can they continue to build the new life they’ve begun in Nebraska? And will Lilac be prepared for what God has in store for her future?

“A tender story. I know my readers will enjoy these stories and look forward to the books yet to come.”–TRACIE PETERSON, bestselling author of the Pictures of the Heart series

More Books in this Series

The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green – Review

March 27, 2023 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

About the Book

Bestselling author Jocelyn Green sweeps you away in a dazzling novel of secrets, betrayal, and romance within one of New York City’s most esteemed museums.

For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she’d accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations.

The first is her repentant father’s offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York’s wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.

With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York’s high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger’s identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime.