Tag: Five Stars

Barbour, BLOG, Favorite, NetGalley

The Golden Bride, #8 The Daughters of the Mayflower Series by Kimberly Woodhouse

Babbling Becky L

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About the Book 

Title: The Golden Bride (#8 DoM)

Series: The Daughters of the Mayflower

Author: Kimberly Woodhouse

Publisher: Barbour

Released: April 1, 2019

Can Olivia survive the crime and Gold Rush fever of 1849…and the countless marriage proposals?
A series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.

The Daughters of the Mayflower series continues when Olivia Brighton finds herself widowed and working her brother’s restaurant in San Francisco during the height of the rush for gold. Even though she receives at least twenty marriage proposals a day, she will never marry a gold miner. Her brother’s friend Joseph Sawyer has gotten caught up in local politics and the plight of Chinese in forced labor. The more Joseph gets pulled into investigating crime in the city, the less Olivia sees of the compassionate man. And just when she thinks she could love again, a fire threatens to steal all hope.

Click here to purchase the book!

My Review

At last! Kimberly Woodhouse strikes gold with this volume. My emotions were greatly moved by The Golden Bride by Woodhouse! A clear picture of the smutty town of San Francisco during the gold rush emerges from the pages of The Golden Bride, # 8 The Daughters of the Mayflower, crafted by Kimberly Woodhouse. This is Ms. Woodhouse’s finest offering to the series yet. While each book stands alone, Ms. Woodhouse ties the other two books of the series she authored to this by some special objects that change Olivia’s attitude towards her life. Also, I was very impressed by the way I was drawn into the narrative while consuming history. This time, the time period presented seamlessly melded with the beauty of the romantic, yet tragic story being revealed.
How many times have we repeated about someone, “He’ll never change”? Yet, The Golden Bride is a great example of less-than-wonderful people who decide to follow God, and who then find themselves walking a different path.
I loved the way Olivia refused to be forced into society’s mold but instead chose to see people through God’s eyes. So often we as Christians are afraid to be different from the world, then we wonder why the world doesn’t want our God.
A reminder we should be careful not to judge each other, but instead be encouragers:
“We’re all sinners, Olivia. All of us. We all struggle. But your brother told me when I first came to town to exhort one another. We’re all going to feel beaten down at some point and we’re all going to lose our confidence. It’s our job to help each other through the muck and mire.”
Evil in San Francisco was like an iceberg; while a great deal was visible, yet a huge, majority of it lay unseen beneath the surface.
A quote as true today as it was in 1849:

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“People are afraid to stick their noses where they don’t belong, and so evil facts face no resistance.”
A great book crafted by Kimberly Woodhouse, I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

My Rating

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About the Author

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Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling author of more than twenty books who loves the JOY of story. A lover of history and research, she often gets sucked into the past and then her husband has to lure her out with chocolate. She’s spoken to more than 800,000 people at more than 2,000 venues and has taught the craft of writing around the country. Married to the love of her life for twenty-five plus years, she makes her home in Montana. You can connect with Kimberley at: www.kimberleywoodhouse.comwww.facebook.com/KimberleyWoodhouseAu…

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A Caffeine Conundrum, #1The CafFUNated Mysteries by Angela Ruth Strong

Babbling Becky L

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About the Book:

Title: A Caffeine Conundrum,

#1 The CafFUNated Mysteries

Kindle Edition, 227 pages
Expected publication: September 1st,2018 by Mountain Brook Ink
ASIN
B07FRXWSVM
Solving a murder mystery is harder when you don’t trust your partner…or their taste in beverages.

Sassy city girl Tandy Brandt moves to the small town of Grace Springs to start a coffee shop, never imagining she’ll be competing with local beauty queen Marissa Alexander and her dream of running a tea house. Unfortunately, the current store owner dies before selling the location to either of them, and they both become murder suspects.

The unlikely pair team up in an attempt to discover the real killer, though with the secrets in Tandy’s past and Marissa’s infamous clumsiness, they could be their own worst enemies. Despite their differences, they follow clues to question a sweet, apple pie baking antique store owner, a GQ Santa in the retirement center, and a hipster millionaire with no social skills. Will they be able to figure out whodunit and prove their innocence before one of them goes to jail…or worse?

MY REVIEW:

Warning: laughter will come easily as you read this Christmas-themed cozy by Angela Ruth Strong. When paired with coffee or tea, there may be some liquid spouting or spewing as you work to hold the mirth in.

Indeed, the trouble begins with both coffee and tea. Marissa, a bumbling, almost-beauty queen who loves tea, can’t decide whether Tandy, a grunge-wearing, toy dog lover and coffee aficionado should be her enemy or her friend.

This novel is more than just a barrel of laughs, however. While I laughed my way through the whole thing, howling out loud at the ridiculousness of the characters’ situations, they also presented with very real problems: jumping to conclusions prematurely, taking others for granted, and needing to put up façades of perfection.

I love Angela Ruth Strong’s humor, her word pictures(ex: “blizzard of thoughts”), similes(ex:”as subtle as a snow scraper”), and references to pop culture. But most of all, she points to the answer that every soul needs-grace in Christ.

Quotables:

“She needed to work on being kind rather than being nice.”

“We all need grace. Even if it’s for harm caused accidentally.”

“If people could change, then it was ok to make mistakes and grow from them. It was ok not to be perfect.”

“By accepting that she needed grace, her shame had been wiped away.”

I gratefully received an e-copy of this book from the author. This in no way affects my opinions, for which I am solely responsible. I was not required to leave a positive review.

About the Author:

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Angela Ruth Strong
Angela sold her first story to a national magazine while still in high school and went on to study journalism at the University of Oregon. Her debut novel LOVE FINDS YOU IN SUN VALLEY, IDAHO released in 2010 to a four-star review from Romantic Times. Angela loves connecting with fans and mentoring aspiring authors, which led her to start IDAhope Writers. She currently lives in Boise with her husband and three kids.

 

 

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Stalking Willow by Fay Lamb

Babbling Becky L

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About the Book:

Title: Stalking Willow, #1 Amazing Grace Series

Intense, Clean, Romantic Suspense

paperback   978-1-938092-36-7 $13.99; 5.5 x 8.5; 300 pages

e-book $3.99

August 2013 by Write Integrity Press

Bitterness, stalking, and a neighbor to die for.

What’s a girl to do?

Trailed by a stalker in New York City, Willow Thomas, a young

ad executive, scurries back to her small North Carolina

hometown and the lake house where ten years earlier a scandal

revealed her entire life had been a lie, and a seed of bitterness

took root in her soul. The cocoon of safety Willow feels upon

her arrival home soon unravels when she meets opposition from

her family, faces the man she left behind, and the stalker reveals

he is close on her heels. Can Willow learn to trust God to tear

out her roots of resentment, reunite her family, ferret out a

deadly stalker, and to rekindle the love she left behind?

MY REVIEW:

Great books start with a first sentence that is irresistible. Stalking Willow, by Fay Lamb, definitely does. “In the growing darkness, a maniac waited for Willow Thomas.” Yikes! I’m in!!

Mystery characters, missing treasures, MIA parents, and a stalker who cannot wait to enact his heinous plan. All make for a very fast-paced romantic suspense novel that will have you turning the pages as fast as possible. The downside is, the book has an ending. I hope to read more by Fay Lamb.

Willow Thomas flees the big city and her job in advertising to get away from a stalker. Returning to the North Carolina home she shared with her grandmother, she finds old friends and enemies who stir up her painful past. If that is not bad enough, the stalker moves with her and becomes more and more of a threat. Will Willow lose her sanity before she loses her life?

The characters are very three-dimensional. I was happy to see that several persons had changed since high school. Several found strength through Christ, without being preachy, to alter the trajectory of their lives.

I loved the great love Willow’s grandmother had for both her granddaughters as evidenced by what Willow finds upon returning home. She is the grandparent everyone wants to have or be.

Quotables:

“I’ve learned beauty blooms on the inside. I’m pouring in the water and the fertilizer, but I’m not there yet.”

“Then I realized I was never the one in control. God was. And still is.”

I gratefully received a complimentary copy if the book from the author and Celebrate Lit. This in no way affected my opinions, for which I am solely responsible. I was not required to leave a positive review.

 

About the Author:StalkingWillowauthor.jpeg

Fay Lamb

Fay Lamb has always taken joy in forming words that tell stories that will enrich the lives of others. She tackles issues that she has had to face. She isn’t afraid of the hard issues and takes delight in weaving humor into the lives of her characters, even in the direst of circumstances.

Fay and her husband, Marc, reside in Titusville, Florida,where multi-generations of their families have lived. The legacy continues with their two married sons and six grandchildren.

For more information or to schedule an interview or a workshop, contact Fay Lamb at Faywrites@cfl.rr.com.