Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Summertime Lilies by LM Karen

Book: Summertime Lilies

Author: LM Karen

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction

Release date: Jan 30, 2021

A sweet and sentimental contemporary romance with a uniquely witty voice.

There are three things you should know about Brittany Masters:

She’s a single mom and a nurse manager at the local cancer clinic
She has big plans for a quiet summer
She’s convinced that fudge pops are the answer to almost all of life’s most important questions

A new neighbor, Matt, making friends with her son while simultaneously pursuing her blow plans for a predictable summer right out of the water. A chance meeting at the cancer clinic where she works renews a connection with an old friend and gives her the perspective she’s been missing. From quiet nights on her front porch swing in Matt’s company to long talks in the clinic with her old/new friend, Brittany’s summer is anything but routine.

Click here to get your copy!

I was very intrigued by the title and cover of this book. Summertime Lilies by L.M. Karen is the first book in the Oak Street Series. L.M. Karen is also a debut author, with this being her very first novel.

Brittany Masters is a busy, single mom, who enjoys Summertime and plans to enjoy the Summer with big plans. She also works as a Manager of Nurses at a Cancer Clinic. 2 things change the course of her Summer Plans. Matt, a new neighbor, begins to make friends with Brittany's son. Brittany thinks Matt is HOT and notices he has an interest in her. Brittany wants to take any new relationship at a slow pace due to past relationships and being hurt. The other thing that changes up her Summer Plans is that she runs into an old friend while at work one day. The friend and Brittany get to talking and something that the friend says really gives Brittany a new mindset about life and the future. Summertime now goes from "Fast and Busy" to "Relaxing and Enjoying life". Will Matt and Brittany dive into a romantic relationship? Does she maintain the connection with her old friend?

Summer is my favorite season as I enjoy the outdoors and all the busy times of Summer. It seems Brittany also enjoys Summer and all that it brings. I have to admit it took a couple of chapters to really get into the storyline of this book, but once I finally understood the author's writing, I enjoyed the book. Matt really respected Brittany and her wanting to take things slow due to past relationships. The sitting on the front porch is soo romantic and a great way to take a relationship slow. The one thing that I didn't see much of in this book, was Faith. The book is Christian Romance, but it seemed more focused on the Romance then Faith. GREAT Book!

LM Karen writes contemporary Christian fiction romance. As a longtime lover of words, she can generally be found behind her laptop or with a book in her hand. A graduate of Toccoa Falls College, her heart is in the mountains. She eventually made use of the voices in her head by putting them on the page.

More from LM Karen

I am not artistic. I’m not someone who can look at a space, or an item and see it’s potential. If you give me white space, I will have no idea what to fill it with. Even if I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, there is no way I could make it look like the picture in my head. My stick figures have always been lop-sided.

What I am pretty good at is making up stories in my head. At restaurants I enjoy observing other customers and giving them stories. In the grocery store I consider what a post-apocalyptic shopping experience might look like. On my drive home I might imagine the lives of the occupants in any given house I pass.

It became a hobby when I slowly began to write these stories down. If I considered a particularly interesting character the natural progression was to wonder what their story was. What started as a hobby quickly evolved into an obsession. Often times I consider myself a citizen of the world in my head more than reality (which has it’s pros and cons). I spent a lot of time quietly working on my stories, trying to become a better writer and honing my craft.

As an avid reader from a young age, I can’t count the characters that have influenced my life and the stories that have touched my heart. My deepest hope is to use my predilection for make believe to touch someone else’s life. That maybe a young girl would be positively influenced by one of my characters.