Take Your Pick – Mountains or Sea (or Both) with Lin Stepp – Review and Giveaway

Welcome to the Blog & Review Tour, plus Giveaway, for two books by Lin Stepp – The Interlude and Claire at Edisto, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

With Spring Break upon us, author Lin Stepp wants to know: Where do you love to go on vacation – the mountains or the sea? Don’t worry – she’s got a book for you, no matter what you decide! Both books release on April 2, 2019, so pack your virtual bags and head to the destination of your choice. And the beauty of travel-by-novel is you can do both!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Interlude
Series: Smoky Mountains #12
Author: Lin Stepp
Publisher: Mountain Hill Press
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2019

In this gentle, inspirational romance, Lin Stepp reveals the healing touch and deep peace the beauty of the Smoky Mountains can bring to a hurt and troubled heart.

Too much work, too much pressure, and too much heartache can lead even a strong young woman like Mallory Wingate to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Now her doctor and employer have insisted she take a space to heal and rest—so like it or not, she’s heading to her grandparents’ resort in the Smoky Mountains. Hoping to sleep and rest on the flight home, Mallory is entertained instead by an unexpectedly charismatic stranger, making her forget many of her problems and even making her feel deliciously female again.

Lucas James, flying home from a pro golfing event, hadn’t expected to enjoy an interlude of flirting with a pretty stranger on the plane. A stranger he never expected to see again but who turns out to be the granddaughter of his boss at The Millhouse Resort. Worse, he quickly learns she’s passed through a recent history of emotional problems that remind him all too painfully of his past wife. The last thing Lucas wants is to get involved with anyone like Cecily again. Surely it won’t be too hard to keep his distance while Mallory is at the resort.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

IN MY OPINION

A chance meeting on a plane and a lively conversation is exactly what Mallory needs after the trauma and drama of the past several months. On her way to her grandparents’ home in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee for some doctor-prescribed R&R, Mallory doesn’t expect to ever see Lucas again.

Lin Stepp gives readers a wonderful mountain escape. From the gorgeous scenery to the resort crowds and busyness of Gatlinburg during the summer, I could picture it all. And then there’s the well-paced plot from the first meeting on the airplane to the perfect ending, Stepp hits every high note with memorable characters (especially five-year-old Suzannah), mysteries to unravel, a good balance of danger, romance, and internal conflict.

If you’re looking for a bit of an escape within the pages of a book, you can’ be an interlude (see what I did there?) to the beautiful Smoky Mountains with a story that welcomes you to the family.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Claire at Edisto
Series: Edisto Trilogy #1
Author: Lin Stepp
Publisher: Mountain Hill Press
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2019

Set against the alluring backdrop of coastal South Carolina, CLAIRE AT EDISTO takes the reader on a sweet and gentle journey showing that love and new beginnings can often bloom from the deepest sorrows.

Standing in grief and shock at the grave of her young husband, Claire Avery wonders what she and her young daughters will do now. They live in the church parsonage they need to vacate. She hasn’t worked since her marriage twelve years ago. Old issues and complications hinder relationships with her family. Struggling for answers, Claire accepts her brother-in-law’s offer to stay at his beach house at Edisto to give her a season to heal and think. But even the peace and beauty of the coastal island bring new problems along with unexpected joys as Claire seeks to find her way.

Parker Avery always promised his brother Charles he would look after Claire if anything happened to him. Charles stood by him three years ago when his wife Ann died and Parker is determined now to be a help to Claire and the girls. As time passes, instead of feeling like a hero, he feels like a heel instead as he realizes he’s developing feelings for his own brother’s widow. To make things worse, he watches with pain and jealousy as Miles Lawrence waltzes into Claire’s life. What can he expect though? It hardly seems right that Claire, even after a season of mourning, would ever fall in love with her own brother-in-law.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

IN MY OPINION

Doesn’t a quiet vacation where you are part of a close-knit beach community sound wonderful? Well, you may not be able to physically get to Edisto, South Carolina, but Lin Stepp’s descriptions and details will definitely put you there mentally.

Claire and her girls are such a joy to spend time with as they settle in at Edisto. Through the eyes of Mary Helen and Suki, we get to explore the beach and the island while Parker’s excursions take us further inland to some of the surrounding areas such as Beaufort and Charleston. And through Claire, we get to watch the transformation of a grieving, hurting woman to one who is ready to grab all life has to offer.

This is a story of healing, of finding and exploring our potential, of reaching for unrealized dreams, of friendships formed, and a touch of romance. And while the romance has an extremely light touch in Claire at Edisto, it’s perfect for this particular story. It shows the patient side of love that’s willing to wait for the right time and how love can unfold in the gentle presence of persistence and presence.

Now that I’ve read both The Interlude and Claire at Edisto, I’m not sure which place I want to visit first in real life.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lin Stepp is a native Tennessean, businesswoman and educator. A New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon best-selling international author, Lin now has sixteen published books, including her twelve beloved Smoky Mountain novels set in different locations of the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains, as well as a Smoky Mountain novella in one of Kensington’s Christmas anthologies. In addition, Lin’s first novel in a new Edisto Trilogy recently released, set on the South Carolina coast. Lin and her husband also write regional guidebooks, including a Smoky Mountain hiking guide and a Tennessee state parks book.  Stepp’s latest 2019 releases are The Interlude, set in the Greenbrier and Pittman Center of the Great Smoky Mountains and Claire at Edisto set at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Lin enjoys keeping up with her readers on Facebook, Twitter, and through her monthly blog on her website at: www.linstepp.com

CONNECT WITH LIN: website | Facebook | Twitter

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win:

• your choice of The Interlude OR Claire at Edisto (print, US only)
• $10 Amazon gift card

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 24, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm March 31, 2019. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Which do you like best – the mountains or the sea?