*Inspirational and clean reads to remember and see
Have you ever read a blurb for a book and thought to yourself, not interested. But then when you hear that book talked about, your mind is totally changed? That book for me is The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell by Kelly Flanagan. When I first saw and read about this book, I was going to skip it …until I heard the author talk about it, then it became a book I totally wanted to read.
[Read more…] about First Line Friday: The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell by Kelly Flanagan
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Holding on to Hope by Janet W. Ferguson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
Title: Holding on to Hope
Series: Coastal Hearts
Author: Janet W. Ferguson
Publisher: Southern Sun Press LLC
Release Date: April 1, 2023
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
A fun road trip romance to the Grand Tetons!
Always the wedding planner, never the bride.
Hope Rodriguez loves planning weddings. There’s nothing more special than helping a bride become a princess for a day, but she’s not sure that’s her calling in life anymore. If only she had her own special someone. Her only current prospect leaves her with more questions than answers about where she falls in his list of priorities. Yet, when a lifelong friend asks her to plan a destination wedding across the country in only two weeks, she’ll have to figure out how to pull off the impossible…alone.
After being burned as a child and deserted by his family, Caleb Donnelly has an intimate relationship with pain. Despite all he’s endured, one ache refuses to leave him—the throbbing in his heart where Hope is concerned. So when Hope needs help with their friend’s wedding, he can’t stop himself from volunteering to travel two thousand miles to Jackson, Wyoming. As long as he keeps his feelings in check, he might not ruin their friendship. Because a beautiful woman like Hope could never love a scarred man like him.
When Hope and Caleb’s plans go up in flames, it’s their hearts that might never recover.
Grab your copy of Holding on to Hope…a Southern Contemporary Christian Romance novel from the Coastal Hearts Series.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
You don’t have to read too far into my reviews to discover how much I love a good friends-to-more romance. Well, let me tell you, Janet W. Ferguson has raised the bar on this trope with Holding on to Hope.
First there’s Caleb. Sweet, endearing, heartsick Caleb who isn’t blind to Hope’s faults and desires the best for her even if that best causes his heart pains worse than his scars. And Hope adds a brightness to Caleb’s melancholy.
Ferguson expertly balances the heavy parts in this story with some wild, laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book. But at the heart is the truth of how God loves us—perfectly despite our sins and our scars. He sees past our skin and masks to the heart.
Holding on to Hope is a story I will be coming back to again and again because I am a superfan of this couple.
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
Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after.
Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space.
Connect with Janet by visiting janetfergusonauthor.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
(1) winner will receive a print copy of Holding on to Hope, a throw, a Hope rock & a Hope cross knickknack.
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 17, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 24, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Welcome to the Blog Blitz for The Christy Award Finalists organized by ECPA and hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! We extend our sincere and enthusiastic congratulations to The Christy Award 2022 Finalists!
How many of the finalists’ books have you read? Are you adding any to your to-read list?
All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong (Kregel Publications)
All That Is Secret by Patricia Raybon (Tyndale House Publishers)
Recorder by Cathy McCrumb (Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media)
Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom (She Writes Press)
The Letter Keeper by Charles Martin (Thomas Nelson Publishers)
The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox (Revell/ Baker Publishing Group)
Under the Magnolias by T. I. Lowe (Tyndale House Publishers)
Between the Wild Branches by Connilyn Cossette (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Drawn by The Current by Jocelyn Green (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
The Widows of Champagne by Renee Ryan (Love Inspired)
Yours is the Night by Amanda Dykes (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham (Barbour Publishing)
Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin (Revell/ Baker Publishing Group)
Aftermath by Terri Blackstock (Thomas Nelson Publishers)
The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
A Texas Christmas Carol (in Under the Texas Mistletoe) by Karen Witemeyer (Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group)
Mr. Nicholas: A Magical Christmas Tale by Christopher de Vinck (Paraclete Press)
False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert (WoodHaven Press)
A Time to Seek by Tracy Higley (Stonewater Books LLC)
Dark Intercept by Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson (Tyndale House Publishers)
Recorder by Cathy McCrumb (Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media)
Windward Shore by Sharon Hinck (Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media)
A Gentle Tyranny by Jess Corban (Wander, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers)
Realms of Light by Sandra Fernandez Rhoads (Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media)
Shadow by Kara Swanson (Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media)
(1) winner will receive print copies of The Christy Award finalist titles from one category of their choice!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight November 3, 2022 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on November 10, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Art of Writing on November 17, 12:30-5 pm at Lipscomb University in Nashville $99
A conference for writers, storytellers, and publishing curators.
The Christy Award Gala on November 17, 7-9 pm at Lipscomb University in Nashville $89
Celebrate this year’s finalists and winners with authors, editors, publishers, and readers!
Bundle the Art of Writing Conference & The Christy Award Gala $139
The Christy Award® is a program of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999. For more information about ECPA, visit ECPA.org. For more information about the Christy Awards and Art of Writing conferences, visit ChristyAwards.com or email TheChristyAward@ecpa.org
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
I’m in St. Louis right now for Storyfest and the ACFW conference. I’ve had an amazing time on this trip, starting with driving from Nashville to St. Louis with Tabitha Bouldin (a fellow contemporary romance author who also is my roommate this week). I’ve met up with so many author friends and met new ones as well as new reader friends (even a couple from Tennessee) here.
We’re headed back home tomorrow and while this has been an amazing trip, I have to say I’m ready to sleep in my own bed.
Needless to say, it’s been quiet here on the blog, but I’m squeezing in some time to share some giveaways with you!
*Click on any image to go to that review/giveaway post.
[Read more…] about Week in Review 9/11/22 to 9/17/22 & a Giveaway
Book: To Bring You Back
Author: Emily Conrad
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Release date: August 16, 2021
He’s determined to confront the past she’s desperate to forget.
Broke in more ways than one, the last thing Adeline Green can afford is for her now-famous high school crush to descend on her quiet life.
People in the small town of Lakeshore, Wisconsin, think of her as the hard-working church secretary or as the local food truck’s lunch-hour cashier. They’d never suspect the shame she’s hiding.
She attended high school with both the lead singer and the drummer of the rock band, Awestruck. In fact, she used to play in the band herself, but that was back before Awestruck made it big—and before her relationship with lead singer Gannon Vaughn took a turn that ultimately led to tragedy and heartbreak.
She’s living a different life now, but when Gannon shows up, he brings with him a public spotlight that threatens to expose her deepest regret. The closer she gets to him, the more she risks the carefully curated life that’s finally brought her a measure of peace.
Gannon Vaughn and his rock band, Awestruck, have conquered the music industry, but he can’t overcome his feelings for Adeline.
She may have been right to cut off contact between them years ago, but thanks to the grace of God, he’s a changed man. When he hears Adeline’s struggling, he sets out to turn her life around and win back the love he lost to poor choices eight years ago.
But when Gannon’s fame and their mutual regrets jeopardize their relationship anew, will grace be enough to bring them back to God and each other?
A meaningful Christian romance with a side of fame and fortune for readers who enjoy faith-filled escapes and happily-ever-afters where no one is beyond hope of redemption.
Click here to get your copy!
[Read more…] about To Bring You Back by Emily Conrad – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway
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