Kristy Cambron

First Line Friday: Valentines Edition: The Lost Castle

February 16, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 15 Comments

Happy Friday and welcome back to a special edition of First Line Friday. This week, we’re focusing on romance.

Know what screams romance to me? Castles, Fairy tales, and three stories through the ages. You can find all of those and so much more in Kristy Cambron’s first book in her new series. You can check out my full review here.

First Line

About the Book

Launching a brand-new series, Kristy Cambron explores the collision of past and present as she discovers the ruins of a French castle, long lost to history.

A thirteenth century castle, Chateau de Doux Reves, has been forgotten for generations, left to ruin in a storybook forest nestled deep in France’s picturesque Loire Valley. It survived a sacking in the French Revolution, was brought back to life and fashioned into a storybook chateau in the Gilded Age, and was eventually felled and deserted after a disastrous fire in the 1930s.

As Ellie Carver sits by her grandmother’s bedside, she hears stories of a castle . . . of lost love and a hidden chapel that played host to a secret fight in the World War II French resistance. But her grandmother is quickly slipping into the locked-down world of Alzheimer’s, and Ellie must act fast if she wants to uncover the truth of her family’s history.

Sparked by the discovery of a long forgotten family heirloom, Ellie embarks on a journey to French wine country to uncover the mystery surrounding The Sleeping Beauty–the castle so named for Charles Perrault’s beloved fairy tale–and unearth its secrets before they’re finally silenced by time.

Set in three different time periods–the French Revolution, World War II, and present day–The Lost Castle is a story of loves won and lost, of battles waged, and an enchanted castle that inspired the epic fairy tales time left behind.

The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron (Review & Giveaway)

February 11, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 34 Comments

Guys, if you haven’t watched any of Kristy Cambron’s coffee chat FB live videos, you are missing out. I love this authors heart for God, His Word, her readers, and so much more. You can join Kristy Cambron’s Readers Corner here.

And if you’re around Tuesday evening (Feb 13), drop by the Facebook party to celebrate the new releases of not one, not two, but three authors! The Valentine’s Day Book Bash for conversation, prizes, and more!

Now that I’ve shared a couple fun ways to connect with the author of today’s highlighted book, let me tell you a little bit about The Lost Castle…

Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron

January 31, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 4 Comments

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

Can you believe it? Today is the last day of January! At least with the plethora of books releasing Feb 6, I don’t have long to wait for the book I’m looking forward to this week. A brand new series, a castle, split time (between 3 time periods), France…what’s not to like about this one?

Social Media Saturday: Kristy Cambron

May 27, 2017 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

Welcome to another Social Media Saturday. If you don’t already follow this week’s author online, you need to!!

Author Bio

KRISTY CAMBRON has a background in art and design, but she fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. She is the bestselling author of The Ringmaster’s Wife, named to Publishers Weekly Spring 2016 Religion & Spirituality TOP 10. Her novels have been named to Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books and RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards Best lists for 2014 & 2015, and received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations. The Lost Castle (HarperCollins, series debut in 2018) is her fifth novel. Her first Bible studies (DVD + study guides), The Verse Mapping series, will release in 2018.

Kristy holds a degree in Art History from Indiana University, and has 15 years experience in education and leadership development for a Fortune-100 Corporation. She loves storytelling from the stage and travels to teach about the intersection of story roads, faith-following Jesus, and her affection for Bible Verse-Mapping. Kristy lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, where she can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good read.

The last and most important thing? Jesus Christ is everything — let her tell you about Him sometime.

What I love about Kristy

Not only does Kristy write beautiful and moving stories, she opens my eyes to history like no one has before. Whether she’s showing readers the beauty that existed in German concentration camps during World War II (The Butterfly and the Violin and A Sparrow in Terezin) or delving into the lives of historical figures I’ve not thought of much (John and Mable Ringling in The Ringmaster’s Wife and Harry Houdini in The Illusionist’s Apprentice), she brings history alive through her stories.

In addition to her fabulous fiction, Kristy is working on some non-fiction books: verse mapping studies. I am so excited for these! If you want to learn more about verse mapping, check out Kristy’s Verse Mapping 101 Blog Post.

And if those two things alone don’t convince you, her Friday Cafe coffee chats on FB live will. These are informal chats in which you can see some of Kristy’s personality shining through. Her humor, her heart, and her passions shine through during these special author/reader chats.

Connect with Kristy

*Website: https://kristycambron.com/

*under construction this summer as the verse mapping Bible studies come together

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCambronAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcambronauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristycambron/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kcambronauthor/

Newest Release

Not all illusions happen on the stage.

Wren Lockhart, apprentice to master illusionist Harry Houdini, uses life on a vaudeville stage to

escape the pain of her past. She continues her career of illusion after her mentor’s death, intent on burying her true identity.

But when a rival performer’s act goes tragically wrong, the newly formed FBI calls on Wren to speak the truth—and reveal her real name to the world. She transfers her skills for misdirection from the stage to the back halls of vaudeville, as she finds herself the unlikely partner in the FBI’s investigation. All the while Houdini’s words echo in her mind: Whatever occurs, the crowd must believe it’s what you meant to happen. She knows that if anyone digs too deep, secrets long kept hidden may find their way to the surface—and shatter her carefully controlled world.

Set during one of the richest, most vibrant eras in American history, this Jazz Age novel of illusion, suspense, and forgotten pasts is perfect for fans of The Magician’s Lie, challenging all to find the underpinnings of faith on their own life’s stage.

“Prepare to be amazed by The Illusionist’s Apprentice.” —Greer Macallister, bestselling author of The Magician’s Lie and Girl in Disguise

Order online or pick up at your local bookstore

The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron

March 1, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

The Illusionists Apprentice

by Kristy Cambron

About the Book

Not all illusions happen on the stage.

Wren Lockhart, apprentice to master illusionist Harry Houdini, uses life on a vaudeville stage to escape the pain of her past. She continues her career of illusion after her mentor’s death, intent on burying her true identity.

My thoughts

One of my favorite things about Kristy Cambron’s books is they make me look at history and historical figures in a way I never have before. Sure I’ve heard the names John Ringling and Harry Houdini but other than a general knowledge of what they did to make a living, I’ve not thought about them too much more.

The Illusionist’s Apprentice made me take notice. In fact, it drove me to look him up online and learn a little more about his life, especially the part Cambron focuses on—his effort to reveal fraudsters.

But this book was about so much more than Houdini’s life. In fact, while he’s mentioned and has impact on some of the characters, he is not one in the book. This story is really about Wren Lockhart, Houdini’s apprentice and perhaps the only person who knows his secrets. A woman whose life has become an illusion in itself. While she puts on the trousers, stage makeup, demeanor, and confidence of Wren, she has another life she keeps well-hidden from the public.

Yet when FBI agent Elliott Matthews enters her carefully constructed life, he sees beyond the facade and desires to learn more about this intriguing woman. As the two work together to solve a mysterious death that occurred during another entertainer’s planned spectacular.

Cambron paints a vivid picture of the vaudeville life from the costumes to the stage, the acts to the competitiveness to be known as the best, and the convoluted relationships. While there, readers also get a glimpse into the newly formed FBI, the prohibition era, and Boston.

My Rating:

Disclosure statement:

I receive complimentary books for review 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.