Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The Simple Soul of Susan Blog tour


About the Book



Title: The Simple Soul of Susan  
Author: Noel Branham  
Genre: Romance, YA, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary  
Release Date: October 11, 2017

Susan Combs had long ago found the love of her life. The only problem was the other party still didn’t know he had been found. Every day Susan saw Calder Hurtz, her next door neighbor and childhood best friend. They always enjoyed the short drive to school down the dusty streets of their small Texas town. She was happy in those perfect moments, for her life at home was most imperfect. The challenging homestead she inhabited was also the favorite subject of local gossip. But one autumn day she overhears Calder and another boy having a conversation. This occasion of accidental audience sets Susan’s life on an unforeseen path. In the seasons to come, her future will be changed by two hospitalizations, two confessions of love, and one betrayal. Compulsively readable, The Simple Soul of Susan is an engaging, soul-endearing romance and a mesmerizing debut.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author



Born and raised in a small Texas town, Noel Branham started her career in digital communications after graduating with a degree in English. An award-winning communicator, she now writes from her residence in Florida about things closest to the heart: home, family, and love.

Guest Post from Noel Branham

Fictional Romance: A Real Relationship Killer? You’ve heard it before… All romance novels give readers unrealistic expectations of relationships. Yep. They totally do. But I think most of the time, with life in general, we have unrealistic expectations not only of others but of ourselves. We live in a world where there is always something else to try, buy or satisfy our ever-evolving aspirations of happiness and fulfillment. So here are three things to remember while reading romance novels that will lead to having deep, meaningful, romantic, relationships in real life:
  1. Happiness isn’t fulfilled expectations. When you expect yoursignificant other (SO) to see you and romantically sweep you off your feet while pulling flowers from behind your back and force feeding you chocolates… you may have some unrealistic expectations. Would it be nice? Sure! But there is always something more they could do to make you happy, feeling loved, satisfied, etc. It’s a bottomless pit of desire and implied anticipated actions. We have to realize that no matter how many things we want out of a relationship, we can never receive them all… because realistically, we could never live up to the things expected of us either. Romance is a two-way street.
  2. Happiness is the unexpected, fulfilled. Wait… how can you fulfill something that isn’t expected? You can’t. And that’s what makes it so great. Your SO fills your car up with gas, takes you out for a date for no particular reason, watches that Victorian-era PBS drama with you even though they can’t understand the accents… When we get rid of expectations for ourselves and others we are able to really enjoy the things and people we already have and anything else is simply adding to lovely life that we already possess.
  3. Happiness in relationships is what you make of it. Just not feeling the love anymore after five years together? Was it that you chose the wrong person? Was it something they did? Something you did? Love can be a feeling and an action. Your relationship doesn’t have to be defined by feelings. Feelings fade. They aren’t realistic. They change with time as people change with time because all people change. But actions… actions are what you choose to do on a regular basis. They are a daily intentional choice (made by you) to care for another person. You can control your actions, but not so much your feelings. Funny thing is often times your actions create feelings you never thought you could have.
If you are looking for a romance novel with a bit more realism to test out these principals, check out The Simple Soul of Susan. You can have the realistic expectation that you won’t be disappointed 🙂


My Review:

 Calder and Susan were best friends, and neighbors. She was in love with him but he does not realize it. Set during high school senior year. Susan is caring for her disabled dad and going to school. At times I really felt bad for Susan, I really could feel her emotional pain. Her and Calder had some interesting outings. Loved how Calder mom was so close to Susan and was kinda like a mom to her. Love how Susan was such a caring person, she visited the local nursing home, I really enjoyed that part. Noel is a new author to me, I will read more of her books. As I was reading the book I could really relate to the characters. I received an complementary copy of the book through Celebrate Lit. 

Blog Stops

Multifarious, May 11
Remembrancy, May 11
Artistic Nobody, May 15 (Spotlight)
Mommynificent, May 16
Carpe Diem, May 19
margaret kazmierczak, May 20 (Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, May 21 (Guest post, Mindy Houng)
Reading is my Super Power, May 21 (Interview)
Bigreadersite, May 22

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Noel giving away

Grand Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card
First & Second Place Prize: eBook copy of the Simple Soul of Susan!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
https://promosimple.com/ps/cee4/the-simple-soul-of-susan-celebration-tour-giveaway
at 1 comment:

Monday, May 14, 2018

The Amish Teacher’s Gift


About the Book



Title: The Amish Teacher’s Gift, Book 1 of the Love & Promises Series  
Author: Rachel J Good  
Genre: Amish Romance  
Release Date: April 24, 2018

Widower Josiah Yoder wants to be a good father. But it’s not easy with a deaf young son who doesn’t understand why his mamm isn’t coming home. At a loss, Josiah enrolls Nathan in a special-needs school and is relieved to see his son immediately comforted by his new teacher, a woman whose sweet charm and gentle smile just might be the balm they both need. With seven siblings to care for, Ada Rupp wasn’t sure she wanted to take on teaching too. But the moment she holds Nathan in her arms, she realizes she’ll do all she can to help this lost little boy. Plus, it gives her a chance to spend more time with Josiah. Falling for a man in mourning may be against the rules, but his quiet strength is the support Ada never knew she needed. Yet with no time to court and a family secret holding her back, how can she allow herself to fall in love?



Click here to purchased your copy!

About the Author



Rachel J. Good grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for her Amish novels. Striving to be as authentic as possible, she spends time with her Amish friends, doing chores on their farm and attending family events. Rachel loves to travel and visit many different Amish communities. Rachel is the author of several Amish series in print or forthcoming – Sisters & Friends series, Love & Promises series, and two books in the Hearts of Amish Country series – as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Books and the contemporary novella, Angels Unaware, part of the Hope Chapel series. In addition, she has stories in the anthologies Springs of Love and Love’s Thankful Heart. She’d love to have you visit her website, or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Bookbub. Rachel also enjoys meeting readers and will be doing talks and booksignings around the country this year. To find out more about Rachel and her books, you can sign up for her newsletter: http://bit.ly/1qwci4Q



Guest Post from Rachel J. Good

Heart-Tugging Research Sometimes as an author, stories call to you and beg you to write them. This story first tugged at my heart after I spent time with an Amish friend’s special needs child. I thought about writing a book to show how the Amish treat each child as a gift from God. After meeting a hearing-impaired teen girl with Down’s syndrome and seeing how she was encouraged to live up to her potential, the idea grew stronger. This girl later became Martha in the book. Then at an auction, I watched a young Down’s syndrome boy help the auctioneer by delivering the goods to the bidders. His straw hat tilted a little crookedly, but with a broad smile on his face, he carefully matched items with the correct bidder. He looked so proud of himself and proud to be able to do such an important job. I sat there at the auction and jotted notes for the novel. Once I knew the topic of the novel, I began my research by visiting Amish schools for special needs, attending auctions to support them, and touring the Community Care Center, where Amish and Mennonite children and adults with special needs get amazing help. The young man in the wheelchair who showed us around was an awesome guide. We peeked into an exercise room, a therapy room, a craft room, several classrooms, a cafeteria, and my favorite—a multi-sensory environment. This room with dark walls lit only by a small row of twinkling Christmas lights had a ball pit (with the plastic balls like some fast food restaurants have in their play areas), a plush recliner, blankets, headphones, and a hammock. Autistic children at the center found this room a great calming atmosphere. I knew this room had to have a place in the book. I visited a teacher who taught autistic children and learned a lot about programs, therapies, and teaching techniques. After learning the cutting edge techniques she used, I was surprised to realize that the Amish had adopted quite a few of them for their classrooms. I chose a hearing-impaired boy for the hero’s son because I had a nephew with hearing problems, so I could incorporate some of the struggles he had into the story. I wanted this series to be about the healing power of love, so each book will deal with a different type of healing. When something touches my heart like this, I always pray it will touch the readers’ hearts too.



My review:

 Such a special story. Ada is teaching a class with children that has special needs. It does take a special person to do that. She is also taking care of her family. She also has some special helpers in her class. Josiah is a widower with a son in her class. Nathan is five and is deaf and doesn’t understand what happened to his mother. All he knows that she is gone. I really admired Josiah and how he stood by his believes on his job. He was a good father but just needed a little help with figuring out Nathan needs. All the children in the book made it really fun, enjoyable, inspiring. A little suspense surrounding Ada dad and what happened to him. Love having some suspense in books. I definitely recommend this book. I received an advanced copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. 

Blog Stops

Carpe Diem, May 8
Mary Hake, May 15
Artistic Nobody, May 18 (Spotlight)
margaret kazmierczak, May 18 (Interview)
Quiet Quilter, May 19
Bigreadersite, May 20
Simple Harvest Reads, May 20 (Spotlight)
Vicky Sluiter, May 21


Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a grand prize package of a tote, an autographed copy of The Amish Teacher’s Gift, and an autographed copy of Hearts Reunited!!


Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/cee3/the-amish-teacher-s-gift-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Love Inspired Blog Tour





About the book:

The Rancher's Secret Child 
by Brenda Minton

Marcus Palermo's simple life gets complicated when he meets the son he never knew he had---and his beautiful guardian. Lissa Hart thought she'd only stick around long enough to aid Marcus in becoming a dad---but could her happily-ever-after lie with the little boy and the rugged rancher?



About the Author:  


Brenda Minton lives in the Ozarks with her husband, three children and a few too many pets. She's a pastor's wife as well as children's ministry worker.

Her hobbies include sitting on the porch drinking coffee and going out to eat with friends.

If you enjoy her Love Inspired Cooper Creek series, you can find Brenda most days drinking coffee and hanging out on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/COOPERCREEK?fref=ts 




My Review:

It always enjoyable to have a child in a book and also makes it good with animals. This book has both. Marcus finds out he has a five year son. Definitely a surprise. He has a twin that seems like the book before was about so definitely need to read more of the bluebonnet springs series. There is excitement in the book when the flood happens. This was one of those books that was hard to put down. I received an complementary copy of the book from the publisher. 



 https://gleam.io/gLe4I/love-inspired-blog-tour-sweepstakes

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Monday, May 7, 2018

Loving Brock Blog tour and giveaway


About the Book




Title: Loving Brock  
Author: Joan Deneve  
Genre: Contemporary Christian Women’s Fiction & Romance  
Release Date: April, 2018

For years, Brock Whitfield served God with joy and contentment at the mission hospital he founded in Angola. When Joy Stockman joined their team as a surgical assistant, he found a woman whose zeal for God and heart for people equaled and in many ways surpassed his own. Before he knew it, his admiration and respect for her blossomed into love. After years of serving alone, Brock began to hope that God was giving him another chance to love and be loved in return. A crisis arose within the family causing Brock to put his personal plans on hold. As he prayed for guidance, Brock’s faith and obedience were put to the ultimate test as God brings the perfect person into his life and then asks him to give her up.


About the Author





Joan Deneve enjoys being a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and author, but her favorite role and defining title is that of Christian. Joan teaches English in a Christian school and has a passion to help young people fall in love with Christ and equip them to become all God wants them to be. Joan shares her life with Rene’, her husband of forty years. Together they reside in Prattville, Alabama, a quaint city with southern charm and hospitality. Joan loves to laugh and spend quality time with family and friends.


My Review:


Joan Deneve is a new author to me and definitely will more by her. This is a 3rd in the series so will have to read the first two books. Even though the 3rd book and continue series there was enough background of the characters to know them. When I started reading the book I didn’t know what it was about but was pleasantly surprised by the story-line. Brock is in his sixties and a doctor/ missionary in Africa, Joy is also in her sixties. Can they find love again? Loved all the family members especially Ellie and her twins babies. It was long book but it needed to be, after starting reading it I was very interested in it. The characters felt like friends to me. Very inspiring book. I received an complementary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. 

Blog Stops

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Joan is giving away a grand prize of the entire The Redeemed Side of Broken Series, African blend coffee, coffee mug, a magnet from Angola, and a personalized message from the author on a special card from Angola!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
 https://promosimple.com/ps/cc63
at 1 comment:

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Presumption and Partiality Blog Tour


About the Book



Title: Presumption and Partiality  
Author: Rebekah Jones  
Genre: Historical Christian Fiction
 Release Date: November 27, 2017
Among the cotton fields and farmland of Gilbert, Arizona in the early years of the Great Depression, Mr. and Mrs. Bailey live a simple, but happy life with their five daughters on a cotton farm. When the wealthy Richard Buchanan moves to town, bringing his family, a friend, and a desire to learn about cotton, Matilda Bailey is convinced that he is the perfect candidate to marry her eldest daughter, Alice. Richard is cheerful, friendly, and likable. His friend Sidney Dennison doesn’t make such a good impression. Eloise Bailey decides he’s arrogant and self-conceited, but when Raymond Wolfe comes to town, accusing Sidney of dishonorable and treacherous conduct, Eloise is angered at the injustice of the situation. When the Buchanan household leaves town, Alice must turn to the Lord and face, perhaps, her most difficult test in trust, while Eloise takes a trip to visit her friend and may well discover a web of deceit that she doesn’t really want to believe exists.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author



Rebekah Jones is first and foremost a follower of the Living God. She started writing as a little girl, seeking to glorify her King with her books and stories. Her goal is to write Bible-Centered, Christian Literature; books rich with interesting characters, intricate story lines, and always with the Word of God at the center. Besides writing, she is an avid reader, songwriter, pianist, singer, artist, and history student. She also loves children. She lives with her family in the Southwestern desert.


Guest Post from Rebekah Jones

Why is he a Navajo? I’ve had more than one person ask me why I chose to make Sidney Dennison, the “Mr. Darcy” of my novel Presumption and Partiality, a Navajo Indian. When I commenced planning and research for placing a retelling of Pride and Prejudice in the 1930’s United States, I found myself drawn to the desert of Arizona rather early on. Specifically, the tiny farm town of Gilbert. I knew, however, that few rich people lived in that area; certainly not enough to create social rifts large enough to recreate the social differences of the original novel. I experimented in my head with a few different ideas, but the idea of Sidney as a Native American came to me one day and just clicked. I knew that I couldn’t fully pull off a Navajo who lived on the reservations. As much as I researched, I couldn’t quite get the feel. Yet, a man whose ancestry included a white man as a grandfather, who lived outside the reservations, though with relatives who clung to some of the old traditions, I thought I could do. I used to wish I were an Indian, in part because I wanted to have great tracking skills, live in a tee-pee, possess superb bow and arrow abilities, and I wanted to ride a horse. True, most of that did not enter a 1930’s novel, despite my Navajo cowboy, because the eras are different. Though, Sidney did get a horse. Or technically, several. Further, something about the silent, good-looking Indian appealed to me, much as I tend to shy away from writing about handsome and beautiful people, since they feel so common in fiction. The minute I began imagining the man with his Navajo ancestry, he just felt perfect. By the end, Sidney turned out to be one of my favorite characters. (I can’t ever pick just one in my novels.) I think I made a good choice and I hope my readers will agree!



My Review:

 The Bailey family has several five daughters and the mother of the family tries to play matchmaker. Of course she wants them to have a wealthy husband. The book is set in the year 1932 and in Arizona. The Bailey family had a cotton farm which was very hard work. It was mainly about three of the daughters. Alice, Eloise and Junie which was the youngest. Then there is is Richard, Raymond and Sidney. A lot of misunderstanding between them. That was very interesting. It wasn’t a real exciting book but it kept me interested so made it a fast read. A lot of surprises. I received an complementary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. 

Blog Stops

Karen Sue Hadley, April 25
Remembrancy, April 26
Mary Hake, April 29
A Greater Yes, April 30
Carpe Diem, May 3
Simple Harvest Reads, May 5 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
Artistic Nobody, May 6 (Spotlight)
By The Book, May 7

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Rebekah is giving away a grand prize of the complete set of the Vintage Jane Austen Collection!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
https://promosimple.com/ps/cc8f
at 1 comment:
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