About the Book

Title: Charming the Troublemaker

Author: Pepper Basham

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 1, 2017

Troublemaking never looked so good…

When Dr. Alex Murdock is demoted to a university in rural Virginia, the last thing he expects to find is a future. But country charm never looks as good as it does on Rainey Mitchell.

Rainey Mitchell doesn’t need a high-class flirt in her wounded world, but trouble and temptations wafts off the new professor as strong as his sandalwood-scented cologne.

When circumstances thrust them together to save her tutoring clinic, can the troublemaker find the hero inside and encourage the reticent Rainey to open her heart again.

Click here to purchase!

In My Opinion (Review)

I love Pepper Basham’s books. She has a knack for getting to the heart of human nature with grace and a few laughs along the way.

In Charming the Troublemaker, readers get to return to Ransom and the Mitchell family (first introduced in Twist of Faith). This time Rainey Mitchell gets the spotlight.

And Rainey has some issues she’s held on to ever since discovering her ex-husband’s infidelity. Now she gets to deal with the flirty Dr. Alex Murdoch. The last thing she wants is this man showing interest in her or her daughter. Yet it doesn’t take long for Rainey to discover the man beneath the façade.

With moments that had me giggling out loud to ones that had me on the edge of my seat, Basham delivers the promise of second chances, the truth of discovering someone’s true character, the draw of acceptance, and the bonds of family in a story that captured me from the first pages.

Here’s hoping Trigg and Emma get their opportunities to shine soon.

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.

About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, releases in April 2016. You can get to know Pepper on Facebook, or over at her group blog, The Writer’s Alley, or Instagram.

Guest Post from Pepper Basham

I have a thing for underdogs.

Misfits.

Lots souls who desperately need to find where they belong.

I can’t help it! Call it a ‘fix-it’ mentality or an awareness that God rescued me and now I want to rescue other people…even fictional characters, but I’m definitely a softy for those characters that people are less likely to root for. Catherine from The Thorn Bearer/Keeper became my first rescue…and I just HAD to find another.

I guess that’s how Charming the Troublemaker came into existence.

Dr. Alex Murdock desperately needed to be rescued.

In a bad way.

If you’ve had a chance to read my first book in the Mitchell’s Crossroads series, A Twist of Faith, you’ll know that Alex doesn’t seem to be made up of much hero material. He’s a flirt, a little arrogant, and…well, kind of like a lost puppy.

As book 1 grew and came to a close, I knew Alex and Rainey’s story would be next…but I immediately ran into a real problem.

Who in the world was Alex Murdock? We really didn’t get to know him very much in book 1. He zoomed in a few times, ruffling feathers and then finally showing off some interesting kindness/compassion in the end, but…he was still a big-time flirt.

So the question emerged: Can a flirt be a hero?

What is Alex hiding behind that ready smile and sense of humor? Why does he seem so lost?

The answers were surprising!! Just wait.

The Mitchell family draw him right in, as they did with Dee, and his world is forever changed.

And then there’s Rainey. Strong-willed and independent, she is deeply wounded by her ex-husband’s betrayal. Though she gives off all these ‘confident’ vibes, she hides her insecurities behind a tough exterior in a desire to keep people at a distance – well, everyone except her family.

Alex rocks her world with his ready charm.

And she sees beyond the plastic grin to recognize another wounded soul.

Throwing them together into a book has been a hilarious and heart-stirring adventure, I wasn’t prepared to encounter. They’re so much fun!

AND…he’s ADORKABLE!! Seriously!! He is SUCH a dork, but makes me grin. And…he looks like Armie Hammer 😉

Let me just give you a hint to some of my favorite scenes:

Anything with Sarah!

Underoos

All of the scenes in Rainey’s house

And those in Mama Mitchell’s

Okay, I like the WHOLE STORY…and I can’t wait to see what you think too.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Pepper is giving away a grand prize of a paper copy of A Twist of Faith, a mug from the Blue Ridge Parkway, one driftwood scented candle, one mango scented candle, and a Troublemaker snickers 😉 highly appropriate. Chocolate with a nutty personality :)!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c1f1

Blog Stops

By The Book, November 14

Just the Write Escape, November 14

Avid Reader Book Reviews, November 15

Reading Is My SuperPower, November 15

Moments Dipped in Ink, November 15

Fiction Aficionado, November 16

autism mom, November 16

Fiction, Faith, and Fun, November 17

Inklings and Notions, November 17

Faithfully Bookish, November 18

Radiant Light, November 18

Reflections From My Bookshelves, November 19

The Power of Words, November 19

Cordially Barbara, November 20

Red Headed Book Lady, November 20

Smiling Book Reviews, November 20

Kat’s Corner Books, November 21

A Greater Yes, November 21

100 Pages per Hour, November 22

Splashes of Joy, November 22

Carpe Diem, November 23

Bookworm Mama, November 23

A Baker’s Perspective, November 24

The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate, November 24

Daysong Reflections, November 25

Rachel Scott McDaniel, November 25

Remembrancy, November 26

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 26

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, November 27

Karen Sue Hadley, November 27

Have you ever dwelt on the poor choices and mistakes you’ve made in your past? Perhaps the affects of those sins were far reaching. Despite receiving forgiveness from those you’ve hurt in the process (family, friends, innocent bystanders) and God’s grace, you don’t feel deserving of any of it. In the second book of her Penned in Time series, The Thorn Keeper, author Pepper Basham explores the power of God’s grace and love.

In the midst of World War I, Catherine Dougall walks a fine line between the woman she was a year ago—one who flirted with every eligible man who might secure her fortune, one who brought pain to those who loved her in an attempt to find the approval she never received from her own father—with the one she is now—someone who desired nothing more than to serve. Her family home in Ednesbury, England has been turned into a makeshift hospital and orphanage, and Catherine tirelessly spends her day helping wherever she can, often beside her friend, Dr. David Ross.

There are more hurting people than those with her home, and Catherine finds injustice in the way so many less fortunate are shunned by David’s aunt, the patroness of the town. Her resolve to better the circumstances of the lower social class brings her face-to-face with her own situation and where she could be in months if not for the family and friends surrounding her.

As Catherine brings hope to the soldiers hospitalized in her home and the women in town who need some hope and encouragement, she struggles with her feelings toward the doctor and how her past can ruin the kind, caring, man she’s grown to care for deeply.

By the end of the second chapter of this book, I was both enchanted and endeared by Catherine Dougall. She makes no apologies for the woman she is, the decisions she makes, her stubborn streak, or her tenacity in bettering the lives of those around her. David’s steadfast and caring personality is the perfect complement to Catherine’s fiery one.

The theme of this book is grace and forgiveness—especially forgiving oneself for those past choices. Basham does an excellent job of handling the balance of a renewed life lived for God with a past life lived in self ambition and the lasting consequences of the latter. For those who read the first book in the series, reading The Thorn Keeper will be like visiting old friend and for those who have not, you will still feel like part of the Dougall family as you settle in with this group of people.

***Vinspire Publishing provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pepper Basham

Charming the Troublemaker by Pepper Basham (Blog Tour w/ Guest Post, Review & Giveaway)