Women's Fiction

Grace & Lavender by Heather Norman Smith: Review & Giveaway

March 4, 2019 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Grace & Lavender by Heather Norman Smith, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Grace & Lavender
Author: Heather Norman Smith
Publisher: Ambassador International
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: March 1, 2019

Recently retired Colleen Hill is always busy, constantly on a quest to make life more interesting.

When the ladies’ group at her church partners with the local children’s home, Colleen jumps in as usual, volunteering to share her passion for cooking with a troubled teenager named Grace. But Colleen must balance the new project with her pursuit of becoming a contestant on a television game show, along with all the other ideas her brain continually spins out.

Colleen’s daughter Melody is quite different. She lives a calm, simple life and is content with who she is. That is, until an unexpected opportunity to work with Grace, too, pushes her to reevaluate life and dare to take on bigger dreams. The path starts with a newly-found interest in soap-making and leads her to responsibilities she didn’t even know she wanted, including helping Grace understand the meaning of her name.

Grace & Lavender is a book for all audiences—a heart-warming story that reminds us to seek God’s purpose for our lives.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository

The Secret of Willow Inn by Pat Nichols – Review & Giveaway

February 7, 2019 by Suzie Waltner 5 Comments

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Secret of Willow Inn by Pat Nichols, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Secret of Willow Inn
(Willow Falls #1)
Author: Pat Nichols
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Release Date: January 10, 2019
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction

Two women fighting for their dreams, one who’s long lost hers, are united by tragedy and a long-held secret.

Pregnant with her first child, Emily Hayes is eager to help her mother finish transforming an estate into the Willow Inn and write a novel about Willow Falls’ colorful history. A tragic event threatens her parents’ plans to refurbish an abandoned hotel and transform the obscure Georgia setting into a tourist destination.

Sadie Lyles left Willow Falls a murderer who’d killed the town hero. She returns as a despised felon and seeks solace in the town’s café. Emily struggles to unite the close-knit community and becomes Sadie’s biggest advocate. She strives to uncover the truth about the crime and save her town from dying.

To appease her father, Rachel, a VP in his Atlanta real-estate-development firm, relegates her acting dream to secret performances for imaginary audiences. After meeting charming, flirtatious Charlie Bricker, manager for Willow Falls’ future vineyard, she vows to break free from her father’s control.

The tragedy and Willow Inn’s secret past launch Emily and Rachel on a collision course with destiny and truth.

Swimming in the Deep End by Christina Suzann Nelson – Spotlight with Excerpt & Giveaway

November 9, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 5 Comments

Welcome to the Blog Blitz & Giveaway for Swimming In The Deep End by Christina Suzann Nelson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Swimming In The Deep End
Author: Christina Suzann Nelson
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: September 25, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

A moving novel entwining the many faces of motherly love

Jillian Connors has the perfect daughter: loving and smart, she’s an Olympic hopeful with a bright future. But when Gabby becomes pregnant, Jillian fears that future is lost. Worse, she must confront her own secret past and hope the decisions she’s made don’t drown their whole family.

Gabby can’t believe God let this happen to her. She knew the risks, but who thinks about that when they’re in love? Now she has to face the consequences–and the disappointed stares from everyone who thought she was the perfect Christian girl. At least she has the baby’s father, Travis. Nothing can tear them apart, right?

Margaret Owens had determined dreams for her son. She’s furious that Gabby’s pregnancy jeopardizes his college baseball scholarship and terrified that Travis will be trapped in a life of struggle and poverty–the life she’s tried so hard to save him from. She’ll do anything to protect him–even if it means forcing him to leave Gabby.

Stacey Meyers is aching for a child of her own. But the son she was meant to adopt was taken before she could hold him in her arms. It feels like she’ll never stop mourning; even the move to this new town hasn’t distracted her from the pain. How can she and her husband find peace? Is there any hope of a family in their future?

And in the midst of all this . . . an unborn baby. Whose arms will hold him in the end?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Christian Book | Book Depository

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton – Review & Giveaway

September 3, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 9 Comments

This summer, I have read several new-to-me authors and as a result, my authors-to-read list has grown. Better than the opposite results, right?

Even though Lauren K. Denton has a few books out, Hurricane Season was my first read of hers. And completely, one hundred percent worth the investment.

In My Opinion…

This is a book about family and giving up/holding onto dreams. Betsy and Jenna are sisters—the first happily married but childless, the latter with two little girls but no husband. When an opportunity arises for Jenna to spend a couple weeks at an artist retreat to work on her photography she’d all but given up on, she drops her girls off at her sister’s farm in coastal Alabama.

Where Hope Begins by Catherine West – Review

June 3, 2018 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

If you’ve read any of the conversations about Catherine West’s May release anywhere online, you’ve probably read phrases like “keep tissues near” or “ugly cry.” I just want to reiterate this because in Where Hope Begins, West writes about some of the ugliness of this life.

In My Opinion…

West doesn’t avoid difficult topics (which include broken marriages, suicide, adultery, and more). Readers are thrown into the trenches of life with the Barrington family. The way past events affected each member, the way they deal (or don’t deal) with their grief.