Sunday, January 12, 2020

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Duke's Refuge by Lorri Dudley

Book: The Duke’s Refuge
Author: Lorri Dudley
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: January 7, 2020

When love comes in a tempest, who knew it would wear pink?

Georgia Lennox has traded in her boyish ways for pink gowns and a coy smile to capture the eye of the Earl of Claremont. However, on the day she’s convinced the earl will propose, Georgia is shipped off to the Leeward Islands to care for her ailing father. But when she arrives on Nevis, the last thing she expects is to learn that her abrupt departure was not at her father’s bidding but that of the infuriating, yet captivating, island schoolmaster. And now her plans may well be shipwrecked.

Harrison Wells is haunted by the memories of his deceased wife and hunted by the subsequent women who aspire to be the next Duchess of Linton. Desiring anonymity, he finds sanctuary in the Leeward island of Nevis. He’s willing to sacrifice his ducal title for a schoolmaster’s life and the solace the island provides. That is until unrest finds its way to Nevis in a storm of pink chiffon—Miss Georgia Lennox.

As Georgia and Harrison’s aspirations break apart like a ship cast upon the rocks, a new love surfaces, but secrets and circumstances drag them into rough waters. Can they surrender their hearts to a love that defies their expectations?

Click here to get your copy!

WOW, I was reeled into this book from the first few pages. I started reading and just couldn't put the book down. I finished the entire book in about 2 1/2 hrs!

Georgia is the main character of the book. She gives up her tomboyish ways to lure a local Gentleman that she has her eyes on. She never gets the opportunity with that gentleman as she has to move away to care for her father. Her new residence her heart is captured at the sight of Harrison, a gentleman who sought the calmness of the island after his wife's death. I really LOVE how Georgia and Harrison befriend each other and help each other get acquainted to the island. Georgia has a SPUNK and Attitude about her, which I LOVE because I am similar. Both Georgia and Harrison have "secrets from their pasts". Can they overcome their "secrets" and move forward with a relationship?

WONDERFUL BOOK! I HIGHLY recommend this book! Lorri Dudley is a new to me author and I am excited that this is Book #1 in The Leeward Islands series as I am excited to read more!

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. Find her online at www.lorridudley.com.

More from Lorri

After being buried under the largest snowfall in Massachusetts history, I wrote The Duke’s Refuge as an escape to warmer tropical climates, and what better respite than a romantic Caribbean isle with a mysteriously missing Duke? In the process I fell in love with the beauty of Nevis, it’s rich culture, and history. My heroine Georgia lured me in the moment I realized she only wore pink. My psychology background had me digging deeper. I needed to know why. Why the obsession? What was the root behind the hurt? Why pink? How did she go from being a Tomboy to a dignified, Regency socialite? And how did she wind up in the Leeward Islands? Enter her beloved, sick father who always saw Georgia’s potential even when it was hidden under boy’s clothing and often smelled of marsh. Although, he held the best of intentions, his relocating to Nevis left Georgia with deep abandonment issues. Harrison was a completely different beast. After reading about Mudlarks who trolled the Thames River searching for treasure and even picking the pockets of dead people washed up on the shores, I knew Harrison’s would wind up caked in the Thames’s thick mud and devastated at the loss of his wife. The Leeward island became not only a reprieve from his grief but also from the women who snuck into his carriage or cornered him at parties clamoring to become the next Duchess. Oddly enough, part of the story formed when a friend of mine spoke of their family trip to visit his mother. She happened to own a parrot, and after a week of the kids yelling each other’s names, the parrot imitated their shrieking. Even long after they returned to the U.S. the bird still screeched out their names. I couldn’t resist adding a mimicking parrot to add a comical element and harass my main characters. The Duke’s Refuge is meant to be a fish-out-of-water, case-of-mistaken-identity, love triangle romance with a happily-ever-after. It demonstrates how God’s love fervently pursues us, no matter how far we run, and that sometimes, something we would never have chosen can bless us in a way we would never have expected. To learn more, check out my website at lorridudley.com or click here to watch The Duke’s Refuge’s book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D65yeAhswnI&feature=emb_logo

Batya’s Bits, January 9

Genesis 5020, January 9

Texas Book-aholic, January 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 10

Betti Mace, January 11

KarenSueHadley, January 11

janicesbookreviews, January 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 12

Remembrancy, January 12

Reading Is My SuperPower, January 13

Through the Fire Blogs, January 13

Reflections From My Bookshelves, January 14

Kat’s Corner Books, January 14

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 15

Books, Life, and Christ, January 15

She Lives to Read, January 16

Blessed & Bookish, January 16

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 16

Daysong Reflections, January 17

Mary Hake, January 17

Inklings and notions, January 18

April Hayman, Author, January 18

For Him and My Family, January 19

Britt Reads Fiction, January 19

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, January 20

Hallie Reads, January 20

Pause for Tales, January 20

deb’s Book Review, January 21

Life of Literature, January 21

Just the Write Escape, January 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 22

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, January 22

To celebrate her tour, Lorri is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f468/the-duke-s-refuge-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Thursday, January 9, 2020

JustRead Tours Blog Tour and Giveaway: On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for On Wings of Devotion by Roseanna M. White, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: On Wings of Devotion
Series: The Codebreakers #2
Author: Roseanna M. White
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: January 7, 2020

Against Every Warning, She's Drawn Ever Closer to the Man Known as "Black Heart"

All of England thinks Major Phillip Camden a monster--a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But he would have preferred to die that day with his men rather than be recruited to the Admiralty's codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved.

As nurse Arabelle Denler observes the so-dubbed "Black Heart," she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their families and paths twist together unexpectedly, she realizes she has a role to play in his healing--and some of her own to do as well.

With Camden's court-martial looming, an old acquaintance shows up, intent on using him in a plot that sends the codebreakers of Room 40 into a frenzy. With their fragile hopes for the future in the cross hairs, Arabelle and Camden must hold on to hope--and to each other--if they want to survive.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Christianbook

Making sure his usual smirk was in place, Camden moved to his host with a hand outstretched. “Thank you for having me, Your Grace. It wasn’t an entirely wretched evening.”

Stafford laughed and clasped his hand. “The highest of compliments from the likes of you. But why are you off so early?”
“Things to do.” He had to find someone with an auto to lend him tomorrow. And petrol enough to drive it out of London, where he could intercept Arabelle Denler on her way to visiting her friend. And determine a way to get said borrowed vehicle back to whomever he ended up borrowing it from.

He could just show up at the Denler residence and lay his case before her. But if he was going to disrupt someone’s entire life, he might as well give her a story to tell about it. And who else could claim to have been kidnapped by the infamous Black Heart? With her father’s permission, but no one needed to know that part.

“Stay out of trouble, Camden.” Perhaps with some, it would have been a teasing farewell. But the duke was serious.
Cam grinned. “What fun would that be?” He backed up a step, two, and raised a hand in farewell to the collection at large. “Good evening, gentlemen. Give the ladies my regards.”

A few minutes later, he had coat and hat and was back out in the frigid night, whistling his way to the nearest tube station.
It was going to work. It was. He had some details to sort out yet, true, but they’d fall into place. Or be wrestled there. His mind flipped through the puzzle of it during the ride home. There were a few chaps at the office with automobiles. He hated to owe any of them a favor, but . . . well, desperate times and all that.

He hurried to his flat, let himself inside—it was much tidier after Mother’s visit—and stopped dead in his tracks. Someone was here. The lights were on, the scent of tea drifted over him, and a hum came from the sofa that he’d recognize anywhere. He let a curse slip out, largely because he knew it would put an end to the humming. “What the devil are you doing here?”
The intruder rose from the couch with a smile. “Trying to chase the devil out of you, Phillip.”

He snorted and moved to give his kid brother a crushing hug. “Good luck with that one.” He grinned as he pulled away. “Actually . . . your timing couldn’t be better. You’re going to help me kidnap a girl tomorrow, Jer.”
His brother didn’t wince. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t moan. He just sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Heaven help me. What have you got us into this time?”

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award-nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

CONNECT WITH ROSEANNA: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

(1) winner will receive a On Wings of Devotion inspired prize pack including a Recreation RFC Pilot Wings pin, a mini globe, Cadbury Chocolate, Caddie the Cocker Spaniel (handmade by Roseanna), and One Seat and Tea Package for an Online Tea Party Book Club with Roseanna (Winner's choice of scheduled dates. Includes treats, loose-leaf tea, and book club goodies. A $25 value! For more information, visit http://www.roseannamwhite.com/tea-party-book-club/.)!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 7, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on January 14, 2020. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

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Thursday, January 2, 2020

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: A House with Holes by Denise Mast Broadwater

Book: A House with Holes
Author: Denise Mast Broadwater
Genre: Christian Memoir, Marriage
Release Date: October, 2019

Seasoned renovators Greg and Denise Broadwater dream of owning and restoring a historic home in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. What follows are six years of unimaginable challenges and successes concerning the renovation of their condemned 1920s Charleston Cottage, their place in a transitional neighborhood on Congress Street, and their thirty-year marriage.

In a community that struggles to feel like home, alongside normal stressors of full-time work and family weddings, the heightened tension taxes the Broadwaters to the brink. Nothing is left untouched in their hundred-year-old cottage full of architectural and historical details, from the rotted floorboards to the hole in the roof and the knob-and-tube wiring that causes a fire. But through Denise’s fascinating memoir, A House with Holes, the Christian author and therapist shares how she and her craftsman-architect husband strengthened the holes in both their home and their relationship during this wearying time in order to survive and thrive.

Using Broadwater’s counseling experience, marriage principles have been woven seamlessly into the text, demonstrating ways to maintain relationships in the midst of struggles. Reflective questions close each chapter so that readers may ponder their own relationships with growth and understanding.

Click here to get your copy.

WOW, just WOW!! I enjoy reading memoirs, but this memoir is really though provoking and speaks volumes.

Denise Broadwater and her husband Greg, set upon an adventure to renovate a Historic Home in Charleston. Renovations on a home can be a long and draining process. During the process of "patching up holes in the walls", Denise and her husband discovered they had many "holes in their marriage". They set about to not only work on the home, but work through the struggles on their marriage, the ones that had been there even before the Home Renovation.

I really enjoyed reading about the Home Renovations, but more importantly the Marriage Advice contained within this book is just AMAZING. Denise was very open and honest about the struggles in their marriage and has some great advice for those also struggling in their marriage. I felt many times, as I was reading, that I was right there as many of the situations were things that I have seen in my own marriage. I couldn't stop reading once I began, it really digs deep and has some GREAT info about marriages.

Just as an "Old Home" needs Renovations, Marriages also need "Renovations", no matter how long you have been married!

I HIGHLY recommend this book for Married Couples! GREAT BOOK!

Denise Mast Broadwater is a licensed professional counselor in South Carolina, treating anxiety, depression, life adjustments, and marriages. She began her career as a family therapist working with at-risk families and youth. Previously, she was an elementary teacher in private education. She is a wife and the mother of three children and recently became a grandmother. She enjoys rowing at the gym, cooking new recipes, sewing quilts, and blogging at Life Lights Blog (emptynestmarriage.com) and Charleston Renovator Blog (www.freedmanscottagerenovation.blogspot.com).

More About A House With Holes

Marriage comes with the struggle of making life work—but with a promise of home, a place to rest, to be who we are in all our mess, to feel loved and accepted in the truth of who we are. Opening up our mess means adjusting to our anxieties, habits, and struggles. We all know marriage can be tough. Marriage requires commitment and flexibility, allowing for each spouse to develop his and her own gifts, to work together through challenges, and to communicate in a way that draws the couple closer through any issues that arise. The same can practically be said for renovating a house—especially an old house. In A House with Holes: One Marriage Journey in a Charleston Renovation, author and therapist Denise Broadwater shares the challenges and successes of the restoration she and her craftsman-architect husband embraced after their purchase of a 1920s Charleston Cottage that was slated for destruction. Oddly enough, the project began to mirror the ups and downs of their empty-nester marital relationship. Through this intriguing memoir describing the architectural style and details of their historic home on Congress Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, Denise shares her struggles and disappointments during the six-year upheaval. They lived with open holes in the floors and roof, wild critters, and in an old neighborhood that was unsure of their intentions. As her attitude changed with her living situation, Denise discovered her marriage rising to meet the challenges they faced and this struggling community opening to become a place of belonging. “All marriages have holes—that’s a given,” Denise says. “The holes are places you disconnect: a container for selfishness, for disappointment, and for addictions as people try to find alternatives for unmet needs. Intimacy opens up the holes. Growing means making small movements toward each other, coming together to reduce friction.” Principles and questions about marriage have been worked seamlessly into each chapter so that readers can “shore up” their own relationships and grow in understanding while vicariously watching the progress of the Charleston Cottage through the eyes of a seasoned DIY renovator. The Broadwaters’ experience of doing life in the midst of a major house renovation demonstrates marriage recovery, and her expertise as a counselor shapes lessons for married people everywhere in an honest, easy-reading, and relatable telling. I have read more than my share of books about relationships, but A House with Holes is refreshingly different. Reading this book feels like binging on a Netflix series because you have to see what happens next. Denise is a therapist who has an in-depth understanding of relationships, and she has invited you to have a front-row seat to view what it took to create an amazing marriage while undertaking an almost impossible renovation. —Dr. Larry Wagner, PhD, professor of counseling, Columbia International University, Columbia, South Carolina.

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 30

Cultivating Us, December 31

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, January 1

Artistic Nobody, January 2 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 4

janicesbookreviews, January 5

Through the Fire Blogs, January 6 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, January 6

All-of-a-kind Mom, January 7

Lots of Helpers, January 8

Texas Book-aholic, January 9

A Reader’s Brain, January 10

For Him and My Family, January 11

Just the Write Escape, January 11

Inklings and notions, January 12

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a framed piece from a famous Charleston artist, Jim Booth!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f389/a-house-with-holes-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Sunday, December 29, 2019

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Abraham by Jennifer Beckstrand

Book: Abraham
Author: Jennifer Beckstrand
Genre: Inspirational Amish Romance
Release Date: November 26, 2019

Things at the Petersheim house are getting too crowded for eight-year-old twins Alfie and Benji. As if things weren’t bad enough with three older brothers hogging all the bacon at breakfast and using more than their fair share of toilet paper, Mammi and Dawdi Petersheim have to move in because of Dawdi’s stroke. If Alfie and Benji have any hope of getting their own bedrooms, they have to get rid of their annoying brothers, and the only way to convince their brothers to move out is to make each of them fall in love. What could be so hard about that?

Abraham Petersheim is known as a man of few words. He’s painfully shy and doesn’t see the need to prattle on like other boys in the community do. That’s why he can’t understand his unexpected attraction to Emma Wengerd. For sure and certain she’s pretty, but she also has five or six boys buzzing around her all the time, and she seems to be constantly annoyed with Abraham and his little brothers. Emma would never be interested in someone as boring as Abraham, and he could never set his sights on someone as wunderbarr as Emma.

Click here to get your copy.

I LOVE reading books in the Amish Fiction Genre and Jennifer Beckstrand has become a new Favorite Amish Fiction Author. I discovered her about a year ago and her books are just AMAZING!

Abraham is book 2 in The Petersheim Brothers series. I read the first book earlier this year and I was excited to read Book 2. Book 2 is just as AMAZING as Book 1. I started reading the book and before I knew it 3hrs had passed.

Abraham is the second oldest of the Petersheim Brothers and he is single. His 9yr old twin brothers, Alfie and Benji are the youngest of the Brothers. Abraham in very much an introvert and has remained single, though he has an interest in Emma, a neighbor a few doors down from the family. Alfie and Benji are pranksters and are sneaky. Their bedroom is currently in the basement with the spiders, as the bedrooms on the main level are full. They desperately want to move to the main level, but the only way to do that is to get Abraham's bedroom if he were to ever move out. The twins decide to play matchmaker and get Abraham and Emma interested in each other. Will the twins succeed in their matchmaking? Will Abraham overcome his shyness and begin a relationship with Emma? Grab a copy of the book and you will LOVE IT!!

Abraham is a GREAT book that will bring lots of Belly laughs and smiles! It will also warm your heart to see relationships taking off. I am looking forward to more books from Jennifer Beckstrand!

Jennifer Beckstrand is the two-time RITA-nominated, #1 Amazon bestselling Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series, The Honeybee Sisters series, and The Petersheim Brothers series for Kensington Books. Huckleberry Summer and Home on Huckleberry Hill were both nominated for the coveted RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America. Jennifer has written twenty-one Amish romances, a historical Western, and the nonfiction book, Big Ideas. She and her husband have been married for thirty-five years, and she has six children and eight adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

More from Jennifer

Alfie and Benji Petersheim will do just about anything to get their brother Abraham to fall in love with Emma Wengerd, even adopt a stray dog. But to catch that dog, they’re going to need Aunt Bitsy’ help. Alfie and Benji are about to get in a lot of trouble. I hope you enjoy this excerpt from Abraham. Benji pushed his coffee cake around his plate with his finger. “Maybe we could keep that stray dog.” Maybe they could keep the dog. Alfie’s heart started pounding. A dog could find them if they ever got lost in the woods. A dog could fetch sticks and bring Dat his slippers. A dog would eat crumbs off the floor. Mamm would never have to mop again. Bitsy shrugged. “That’s up to your mamm.” Alfie’s heart sank to his toes. “Mamm would never let us have a dog. She won’t even let me have a goldfish.” “I have a pet spider,” Benji said. Alfie popped a small bite of coffee cake into his mouth. “He’s not your pet. He just lives in the corner of the cellar and kills other spiders.” “You tried to spray him,” Benji said, “and I saved his life. He’s my pet now.” Bitsy nodded. “Spiders are gute pets. They feed themselves and don’t poop on the carpet.” Benji sat very still before wrinkling his forehead like he did when he was upset. “We need to help that dog.” Alfie wanted a dog as much as anybody, but they had to be sensible. They’d been asking Mamm for a dog ever since they could talk. “Mamm won’t let us.” Benji started crying. “But he’s going to get gassed.” Bitsy reached over and patted Benji’s arm. “He might not get gassed. The pound might find a nice family that wants to adopt him. People like chocolate labs. I’m told they’re cute.” Benji caught his breath and suddenly stopped crying, as if someone had turned off a faucet. “Do girls like chocolate lamps?” “Chocolate labs?” Bitsy folded her arms. “Well, I’m a girl and I don’t think he’s cute, but most girls love dogs. Do you remember Vernon Schmucker? Poor fellow had a face like a potato, and the girls ignored him. One night he brought a puppy to the gathering, and he was surrounded by girls all night. That’s how he met his wife.” Benji jumped from his chair and threw his arms around Alfie, making Alfie spill milk down his new shirt. “Hey. Watch it.” “Alfie, girls like dogs!” Benji was a good partner, but sometimes he made no sense. “So?” “If Emma Wengerd saw us walking our chocolate lamp down the street, she’d run out of her house to pet him.” Alfie’s heart started pounding. Benji was the best bruder in the world. “We could bring Abraham with us.” Benji got more and more excited with each word. “And they could talk about dogs and chickens and maybe start kissing.” Alfie set his milk on the table. “We’ve got to catch that dog.”