Review: The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels

The Amazon Blurb: A reclusive bookstore owner hoped shed permanently buried her family's sensational past with a new name. But when the novels she once shared with an old crush begin appearing in the mail, its clear her true identity is about to be revealed, threatening the new life she has painstakingly built.

The Words Between Us was an automatic yes because there were books on the cover. Isn't that awful? Oh, well. Such is life. But the more I read it, the more I wondered, why did I let a cover sway me so much? The story was a first person time-slip with a really cool plot which I really liked. However, the story contained a bajillion slangy uses of crap and heck, as well as a ton of alcohol and one character who was pretty sleazy. For a Christian book, I felt like there wasn't a ton of great content that would make me want to recommend this to my friends. I enjoyed reading it, and it was a captivating story, but it just wasn't for me, and I don't think I'll be reading it again. The ending, too, was iffy, as the MC and her boyfriend-but-not went to live on an island together doing research. Maybe I missed something, but overall, I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. Which makes me sad, because I was so down for this book! I wanted it to be the best thing since sliced bread, and it wasn't. (I feel awkward writing a not-good review, but I'm supposed to be honest, right?) It was a good distraction from homework, but I didn't feel elated at the end. I did really enjoy all the literary references throughout the story/stories. That was really good. And Sarah's project at the end was pretty neat. Bottom line: This is the first 3.5 star book I've had in ages. But who knows, it may be what you like. Everyone is different.

I received a copy of this book from Revell Reading Program.

Review Promo Blast: Sword of Forgiveness by Debbie Costello

Blurb: After the death of her cruel father, Brithwin is determined never again to live under the harsh rule of any man. Independent and resourceful, she longs to be left alone to manage her father’s estate. But she soon discovers a woman has few choices when the king decrees she is to marry Royce, the Lord of Rosencraig. As if the unwelcome marriage isn’t enough, her new husband accuses her of murdering his family, and she is faced with a challenge of either proving her innocence or facing possible execution.
     Royce of Hawkwood returns home after setting down a rebellion to find his family brutally murdered. When all fingers point to his betrothed and attempts are made on his life, Royce must wade through murky waters to uncover the truth. Yet Brithwin’s wise and kind nature begin to break down the walls of his heart, and he soon finds himself in a race to discover who is behind the evil plot before Brithwin is the next victim.

Sword of Forgiveness was not what I was expecting. I don't know what, exactly, I expected, but not this. Obviously, I anticipating liking it, but I didn't realize that I would sit down with it and not move for hours until I had finished it. The characters were the shining point of this story. The setting was great, but I'm not really that big on Crusades-era stories unless its Robin Hood or King Arthur. But Sword of Forgiveness... I enjoyed it a lot! Seeing the growth in the characters was crazy good. Of course, there's plenty of conflict, and it comes from all sides! You feel bombarded on all sides. (That is... if you've allowed yourself to fall into the book. If you haven't, well, that sounds like a you problem.) One thing that keeps you going is the fact that every time you think the story is gonna stop spinning for a second and start running, you get smacked upside the face with a plot-twist! Literally, if it had been a print book instead of a book I was reading on my laptop, I would have chucked it across the room more than once. Especially towards the end. If you're looking for a romantic, inspiring, medieval story that is easy and fun to read without needing seven years to read, well, look no further. I don't feel bad for giving this book 4.5 stars. They were well-deserved.

About the author!

Debbie Lynne Costello is the author of Sword of Forgiveness, Amazon's #1 seller for Historical Christian Romance. She has enjoyed writing stories since she was eight years old. She raised her family and then embarked on her own career of writing the stories that had been begging to be told. She and her husband have four children and live in upstate South Carolina with their 5 horses, 3 dogs, cat and miniature donkey.

PURCHASE SWORD OF FORGIVENESS ON AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2X2uGSD

You can follow Debbie Costello on social media! Check out the links below.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/debbielynnecostello

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DebiLynCostello

WEBSITE: https://www.debbielynnecostello.com/

NEWSLETTER:

https://mailchi.mp/276616916748/debbielynnecostello

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright

The Shepherd of the Hills is the classic story of the stranger who takes the Old Trail deep into the Ozark mountains, many miles from civilization. His appearance signals intellect and culture, yet his countenance is marked by grief and disappointment. He is a man with a mission, yet one which no one understands. What is his purpose in taking on the lowly work of tending work of tending local sheep? And how is it that he befriends these simple hill folk, despite his coming from the world beyond the ridges?

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars. I don't know why I let this sit on my shelf for so very long. It's such a compelling story, and while you're reading it you feel transported back to that time. Although, now that I've finished it, it seems to be an almost passive book.... but I think that's only because of the writing style. It's written in the same tone as Christy and Not My Will. The style that is so simple, yet so deep at the same time. It's an emotional book, and the mystery of who Dad Howitt really is slowly unfolds throughout. The ending is sad, so sad, but fitting. The last several chapters are so.... I think poignant is the word I'm looking for, but I'm not sure. While I wanted to cry a couple times while reading, I didn't . Then I finished the book, closed it, and promptly started crying. I honestly have no doubts why this book is considered a Christian classic. The characters are wonderful, the dialect is familiar to this Southern gal, and the truths timeless. Yes, this was definitely worth the read. And now looking at what I've written it's almost as passive as the book itself, and I'm not sure that I've done a good job describing it. I hope I have, and I hope you read this book.

(If you can't read the print on the cover it reads "The stranger who had stepped out of civilization and into the mountain wilderness of the Ozarks was destined to become...

The Shepherd of the Hills" and of that isn't a statement that makes you feel the pull of this book... then you've got problems I can't fix ;) ) 

Review: Dear Grandchild, This Is Me

This isn't a typical book. In fact, it's more scrapbook than anything. With a beautiful cover, you can't help but want to open it right up. There are places to fill in lots of stories, when you were young, when you were a teenager, when you passed all these milestones. There's a section to write about your heritage. Places to write crazy stories to thrill the readers. There are blank pages to put pictures on, and stickers to mount them with. (Who doesn't love stickers?!?!) My favorite feature are the built in envelopes that allow you to write letters to be opened at certain times of need. There's an awesome map where you color all the places you've been. Slots for those favorite, secret family recipes. Crazy cool pages where you weigh in on major historical events. The last part of the book is for you to share your faith, as well as a "me then and now" page. It's actually the perfect book to give your grandkids. I highly recommend getting this, whether you've been a grandparent for years or you're just getting started.

I received this book through the publisher, but I was not required to post a positive review.

Cover Reveal and Guest Post with Kandi J Wyatt

Hold onto your hats! Long post ahead!

First, we'll start with the cover reveal and blurb. Pretty cool cover, yeah?

Cover Designer:  Amalia Chitulescu

Kandi is doing a giveaway for those who pre-order the book on Amazon! http://bit.ly/preordergiveaway The link to the book itself is after the blurb.

Protect a mythical realm or his family?

Sixteen-year-old Franklin follows a Sasquatch through a portal to the realm of Shinwano and discovers a world full of mythical creatures he never expected to actually exist. Upon returning to Myrtle Beach, Oregon, he vows to protect the land, not realizing how difficult it will be to keep his promise, especially when a poacher, a NSA agent, and his friends are interested in the portal—and all for different reasons.

When the poacher threatens his family, Franklin must reconsider his vow to protect this new world to keep his family safe. The consequences of his decision reach further than just a rift in the space-time continuum.

Can Franklin live up to the trust placed on him and save this new world from an even greater danger?

Word count: 70,254

One reviewer said: Overall, I loved this book. A wonderful alternate world with such fantastic descriptions of the mythical creatures. I would love to go there myself.

Here's the link to this book! Link: https://books2read.com/mythcoastadventures3

Other books in the series:

An Unexpected Adventure: https://books2read.com/u/3yDLX6 

An Unexpected Escapade: https://books2read.com/mythcoastadventures2 

SUPER EXCITED TO HAVE KANDI DO A GUEST POST!

Bigfoot: Protector or Menace

The stories of bigfoot abound all across the world—not only in North America. I was first introduced to bigfoot when I moved to the Pacific Northwest as a third grader. No specific memory stands out to me, but I do remember vague stories as we trekked into the forests around Tacoma, Washington. It wasn’t until I was older and had moved to the Southern Oregon Coast that I really started to pay attention to the tales.

A trip to Eureka, California, almost twenty years ago, piqued my interest. We went off Highway 101 up to Willow Creek. The closer we drove to the settlement, the more signs we saw. By the time we arrived, we had to stop at the bigfoot museum. The little hole-in-the-wall stop was filled with newspaper clippings, footprint casts, and videos—some live and others news footage. The whole trip sparked my imagination.

Fast forward to 2016. I had an idea of a trilogy that I wanted to write which featured a different mythical creature for each book. A dragon and a unicorn had already been chosen for the first two books, but I was stumped as to what to feature in book three. That is until a student came up to me and said I should write a book about sasquatch. What he didn’t know was how perfect that would be for the Myth Coast Adventures trilogy. Yet, I had no idea of what the story should be, even after writing books one and two! What should I do? I did what I do when I don’t know something—I turned to google.

The amount of information out there on bigfoot is rather impressive. I learned that sasquatch and yeti are not the same creature. Yetis are larger, taller, and lighter colored than sasquatch. Youtube videos show encounters with bigfoot. All of the tales portray sasquatch as a large predator who wants to be left alone, but what if they’re actually trying to protect something? With that thought, the sanraksaka were born—the protectors of the portals. Imagine my surprise to discover a magnet in a tourist shop that says, “This forest protected by bigfoot.” I had to buy it! You can enter to win it at the release party on facebook on Tuesday, September 10. 

About Kandi: Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that's her own five or the hundreds of students she's been lucky to teach. When Kandi's not spinning words to create stories, she's using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.

You can find Kandi at these places:

Website: http://kandijwyatt.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/kandijwyatt/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/kandijwyatt/ 

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kandijwyatt

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13817774.Kandi_J_Wyatt 

Bookbub: https://bookbub.com/profile/kandi-j-wyatt

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kandi-J-Wyatt/e/B00ZTC4T10/ 

Other books by Kandi J Wyatt: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE DRAGON BOOKS!!!!

Dragon Courage series

Dragon's Future: https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpDq9 

Dragon's Heir: https://www.books2read.com/u/47YQE3  

Dragon's Revenge: https://www.books2read.com/u/b5qvGb   

Dragon’s Cure: https://www.books2read.com/u/47kxJa   

Dragon’s Posterity: https://www.books2read.com/u/4DA8og 

Dragon’s Heritage: https://www.books2read.com/u/3neVN6 

Middle Grade Fantasy:

Journey from Skioria: https://www.books2read.com/u/4AwJee 

Biblical Retellings:

The One Who Sees Me:  https://www.books2read.com/u/mdrRlb  

To Save a Race: https://www.books2read.com/u/49PG5k

I hope you've enjoyed the guest post, and please, leave a comment below on your thoughts for this cover! Can't wait to hear from you!

Review: The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

"Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe? 

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl's inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what. 

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts."
I'm going to start with the fact that this has to be one of the most gorgeous covers ever designed, simply because I can't get past that! As for the actual story, 4.5 stars for the best non-magical retelling of Snow White ever written. Melanie does an incredible job of taking notorious villains with special powers and making them over into regular people who are just as evil. Which... to be honest... is a little frightening! I especially loved her "Cottage of the 7" which gave a depth of character to the seven men that is simply astounding. The story became so much deeper and more wonderful under her hands and she does a great job of adding God to the stories while keeping the original fairy-tale feel. Sophie was a wonderful character, but I may be even more impressed with Gabe and his transformation. One of the strangest, flattest princes became a wonderfully round character who grows as a person and in his faith. Definitely worth your time to pick this up!

Review: Vow of Justice by Lynette Eason

Amazon blurb- FBI Special Agent Lincoln St. John is living his own personal nightmare. When the woman he loves, Allison Radcliffe, is killed, he devotes his life to tracking down the killers and making them pay for their crimes. He expected it to be a challenge. What he never expected was to find Allison very much alive shortly after her "murder." As his anger and hurt mix with relief, Linc isn't sure how he's supposed to feel. One thing he does know for sure: he and Allison will have to work together to stop a killer before she dies a second time--this time for good.

The Blue Justice series might just be my favorite yet. I've excitedly followed this series from the beginning and I'm sad to see it almost finished! Vow of Justice, though, is vying with Oath of Honor for favorite in the series. A change from the mostly PD themed series, we get to travel the intricacies of the FBI, especially of being a dead FBI agent. This time around, our bad guy is part of the Bratva, which I've totally been waiting for. The secondary character here is named Daria, incidentally that name of one of my closest friends. (Although she spells it Darya.) Allie had one of the most surprising plot twists I've ever read, and Linc just steals your heart. If you don't fall in love with them, then the problem is you. Of course, Chief Tabitha St. John makes her appearance, and she continues to be one of my favorite characters ever created by Lynette Eason. The twists and turns will have even the most well-read mystery reader gasping, and the revelation of the true bad guy, while not completely unpredictable after going through my recent Eason spell, was still horrific enough that it didn't matter. And then, you'll come to the epilogue and your eyes will bug right out of your head, and it will be the MOST perfect epilogue ever. (I say as someone who really judges a book by its epilogue more than its cover) It's a five star book, and I hope it just skyrocketed to the top of your TBR list.

I received this book from the publisher, but the opinions expressed are honestly my own.