Tag: Women’s Fiction

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Tangles and Tinsel by Jennifer Sienes Review and Giveaway

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Tangles and Tinsel

Author: Jennifer Sienes

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance, Christmas Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Southern Fiction

Release Date: November 21, 2023

Why didn’t her life get the memo regarding Christmas being about peace on Earth and goodwill to men?

For the first Christmas in years, Kimberley Saint John may actually get that peace on Earth she’s been dreaming of. Daddy has been sober for going on two years (a record), and if he stays that way, she might have a chance for a life of her own. Maybe even a family. And between you, her, and the fence post, she’d love it if that family included her childhood friend Jax Jenson and his kids.

Except he’s still mourning the loss of his wife.

Jax doesn’t understand why no one has snatched up sweet, beautiful, and funny Kim. Then again, the way she carries hurt and betrayal around like battle gear might have something to do with it. And he is not knight-in-shining-armor material. His wife could’ve told her that.

Kim’s dreams are shattered when Mama shows up, after a twenty-year absence, sending Kim into a tailspin of worry for her daddy. Desperate, she turns to the one man who gets her—Jax.

What will it take for Kim and Jax to untangle emotions that keep them from trusting in God’s sovereignty and find purpose through the pain?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jennifer Sienesholds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in education but discovered life-experience is the best teacher. She loves Jesus, romance and writing–and puts it altogether in inspirational contemporary fiction. Her daughter’s TBI and brother’s suicide inspired two of her three novels. Although fiction writing is her real love, she’s had several non-fiction pieces published in anthologies–two in Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.

Enjoy An Excerpt from the Book!

Why was it people made such a fuss over the holidays? Seemed to me, even if you had a perfect family, which I surely didn’t, it was still a crazy time when everyone one-upped each other. It was kind of like playing holiday poker. I’ll take your worries over how to seat twenty of your closest relatives and raise you one need to order a pre-cooked meal because I can’t even find time to shop. Of course, the shame of not having a homemade Thanksgiving supper raised the ante quite a bit, so I generally won.

Because Daddy and me would have a couple of kids with us this year, I vowed things would be different. I was even willing to shop, cook, and bake, which was the trifecta of disaster as far as I was concerned. I had nothing against shopping—it was part of my everyday life. Hunting down great deals on vintage furniture was in my job description. But food? Only as a source of survival. Spent too many years cooking for Daddy after Mama left us, and baking was downright messy and time consuming. I’d never be held up as a great example of a Southern lady. But I’d push through it for Nora and Chandler. And if I was going to be completely honest, maybe a little for their daddy, too.

Never could see myself with my own children. For one thing, though it might stretch the imagination of most to believe it, I was a traditionalist. Even if I hadn’t stepped foot into a church since I was fifteen, there was an order to life and love that shouldn’t be forsaken. Since I hadn’t been on a date for more months than I could count on both hands, it wasn’t likely I’d be getting married anytime soon. Might be my lack of culinary skills played into that some.

For another thing, I’d heard a couple of the older ladies in my apartment complex refer to me as a spinster. It would appear, unless God miraculously plopped Mr. Perfect-for-me on my doorstep this very day, I’d be too old to have kids even if I ever did get married. At thirty-five, I was already stretching the limits of my biological clock. Add to that a year or two of dating, then a proper engagement, and I might as well accept my lot in life—once I figured out what that was exactly.

My Impressions

“The real dream is the people we have in our lives, you know? And of course, the love of the Lord is the glue that holds it all together.”

Kimberley (Kim) has watched her life dream pass her by, as she has been her father’s support since his wife and her mother left when Kim was 15. Going to school, working, taking care of the house, and trying to keep track of her rarely sober father has exhausted Kim. She feels she has missed her life’s purpose, and anyone who tries to get close is shut out, until Jax, the last few years.

Jax is a close family friend, a widower, with two children who adore Kimberley.

Just when it seems Jax and Kimberley might take s chance on each other, major upheaval hits Kimberley’s life.

Many of Kimberley’s friends offer godly advice. Kim has just been starting to think about returning to her Heavenly Father. But now?

I loved this book for its southern flare mixed with simplicity. The faith challenges Kimberley and Jax face are very real. So much emotional trauma, balanced out by wonderful, healing humor. You won’t get very far before you are roaring out loud. One example: Jax says of his office full of women, all looking out for him, “had me more mamas than a blended family twice removed.”

I highly recommend Tangles and Tinsel by Jennifer Sienes if you want a contemporary Christmas romance chock-full of suppressed emotions that need healing and laughter that will help you remember the story for a long time to come.

I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own ebook. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“regret’s not gonna get you very far.”

“It was a powerful thing, being touched. For healing. For comfort. For loving.”

“Mistakes could be redeemed if we were willing to learn from them and let go.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! I really enjoyed this feel-good Christmas read

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 5

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 6

An Author’s Take, November 7

lakesidelivingsite, November 7

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 8

She Lives To Read, November 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 10

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 11

Exploring The Written Word, November 11

The Lit Lady, November 12

For Him and My Family, November 13

Karen Baney Reviews, November 14

Texas Book-aholic, November 15

Holly’s Book Corner, November 16

SusaniLovesBooks, November 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card & a copy of the book!!

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/28b2d/tangles-and-tinsel-celebration-tour-giveaway

BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Kindle

Voices in the Sanitorium by Amy Lynn Walsh Review and Giveaway

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Voices in the Sanitorium

Author: Amy Lynn Walsh

Genre: Historical Mystery, Women’s Fiction

(This is not horror or paranormal.  Readers will have no trouble falling asleep after reading this!)

Release Date: October, 2022

Relocating from Manhattan, teenage Aislyn must adjust to life near the abandoned West Mountain Sanitarium. One night, Aislyn joins new friends in the old ruins — and seems to return home with a different personality. Not long after Aislyn purchases a diary written almost a century ago by Bridget, a young patient recovering from tuberculosis on the sanitorium grounds, strange things begin to happen.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Amy Walshwrites historical and contemporary romance, mysteries, speculative fiction, and women’s fiction.  She  is a 5th-grade writing teacher in an urban public school.  Amy and her husband, Patrick, have three children. Amy considers herself greatly blessed in the roles God has given her as an earthling, including aspiring wordsmith, teacher of youngsters, nature appreciator, tea aficionado, avid dessert fan, book fanatic, lover of family and friends, and Christ follower.

More from Amy

Mam’s Apple Cinnamon Scones with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

These are the scones Katherine’s mother makes the morning their new friend Cadence comes for an Irish tea.  This time of fellowship marks a turning point in the plot of Voices in the Sanitorium.

The dough:

2 3/4 cups flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick of softened butter

1 diced small apple

3/4 cup cinnamon chips (optional)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup applesauce

For best results, follow the steps below.  However, if you are as busy as Katherine is with four children and a thriving Irish textile business, you can just melt the butter in the microwave and throw all the ingredients together at once, and these scones will still be delicious.

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.
  • Mix in the butter just until the mixture is crumbly
  • Stir in the chopped apple and cinnamon chips.
  • Mix the eggs, vanilla, and applesauce in another bowl, then add these to the dry ingredients.
  • Make sure you have parchment paper or have floured your baking sheet.
  • Drop scoops of the dough onto the baking sheet. (about ¼ cup scoops)
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees or until golden brown

Notes:

If pressed for time, Mam just makes drop scones.  When guests are coming, she forms the dough into a circle about ¾ inch high, cuts the dough into pie pieces on the parchment paper, then gently pulls the pieces apart and uses her fingers to form them into perfect isosceles triangles.

Sometimes Mam puts the dough into the freezer after forming it on the baking pan.  She says freezing dough for a half hour makes them softer.  Katherine has never noticed a difference.

Glaze:

  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar,
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 ½ Tablespoons maple syrup

If the glaze needs to be thickened, add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add more syrup, cream, or milk. You can put it in the microwave for about fifteen seconds if it starts to get firm while you wait for the scones to come out of the oven.

My Impressions

“Kat–ren,” Aislyn butchers my name, “I know you think I am trying to be a brat. But this place gives me bad vibes. We are all going to really regret moving here.”

In 2009, a family from Manhattan moves to rural Pennsylvania hoping to rebuild a damaged marriage. Bringing with them the beloved mother-in-law and their four children, elementary-age to a new high school senior, problems emerge as Aislyn, the senior, begins to exhibit troubling signs of mal-adjustment and depression. To make matters worse, the family has moved right next to an old TB sanitarium from the 1930s, purported to be haunted.

I loved this book because of the elements of a dual timeline. So much history of tuberculosis and sanitarium treatments before there was an actual cure. The novel has quite a spooky element without venturing into the supernatural. Bravo! Also, it is fun to read about thrifting, exploring, and treasure hunting. Plus, reading about working through family issues. Very identifiable for many readers.

I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Great! One of those books you will want to keep reading through a slower start to get to more intense ending.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, October 17

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 18

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, October 19 (Author Interview)

Avid Reader Nurse, October 19

Texas Book-aholic, October 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 22

Connie’s History Classroom, October 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 24

Denise L. Barela, October 25

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, October 26

Blogging With Carol, October 27

For Him and My Family, October 28

Tell Tale Book Reviews, October 29 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, October 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Amy is giving away the grand prize package of $40 Amazon card, a hardcover copy of the book, and historical memorabilia related to the West Mountain Sanitarium in 1931!!

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/28796/voices-in-the-sanitorium-celebration-tour-giveaway
BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle, Purchase

A Mountain Too Steep by Robin Patchen Review and Giveaway

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: A Mountain Too Steep

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Suspense

Release Date: July 18, 2023

A car accident that might not be an accident at all. A murderer bent on revenge. And a woman desperate to keep her family together. 

She’s already lost her soul mate. She’ll do anything to protect her children.

For the sake of her kids, Camilla Wright managed to survive after her husband’s murder. When she’s awakened in the night with the news that her teenage son and nephew have been in a horrific car accident, she rushes to the hospital in a haze of shock and panic.

The boys were supposed to be skiing in the mountains east of Salt Lake City. What were they doing so far west? More alarming, the wreck might not have been an accident at all.

While Jeremy fights for his life, Camilla is running out of time to discover who lured her son and her nephew into the desert. With each new clue, the terrifying truth becomes clearer.

Her husband’s killers are closing in…

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

More from Robin

It was Monday, July 16, 2018, at about nine-thirty at night.

I was home with my husband and daughter, watching TV, when my sister called. Since my son was visiting her family in Utah, I rushed to pick up.

“Robin,” my sister said. “The boys have been in a terrible accident. They’re being life-flighted to Salt Lake City. They’re both alive. That’s all I know.”

My knees hit the floor. Then I was lying prone on my kitchen tile. Ninety-nine percent of me was thinking, Oh, God. Please, please…

Nine-tenths of one percent was thinking, Why am I on the floor?

And I’ll be honest. About one-tenth of a percent was thinking, When was the last time I mopped? 

Such are the inner workings of a human mind in the midst of tragedy.

The next twelve hours were chaos. We needed to get from our Oklahoma home to Salt Lake as soon as possible. We found a flight that left at eight a.m. and booked it.

And then we waited.

While the minutes ticked past in slow motion, we got occasional updates on the boys’ condition. Joshua, my nephew, had a head injury and trauma to his gut.

Jacob, my son, had severe lung damage. Severe enough that, as soon as he arrived at the ER, they intubated him.

Both boys were transferred to the ICU and pronounced stable.

When my husband and I arrived the following morning, we saw Jacob. A tube down his throat. Tape across his face. Scrapes and cuts and bruises all over his upper body. One arm in a plaster cast from his biceps to his fingertips. Unconscious.

And then the hard part began.

The boys’ accident was such a unique and life-altering event in our lives. Watching a cherished child battle for his life, not knowing if he’ll win or lose, is like nothing you can imagine.

Or maybe you can. Maybe you’ve experienced something similar. People are in car accidents every single day. And motorcycle accidents. And other accidents.

And there are illness and addictions and mental health struggles. The list goes on and on.

If you’ve dealt with any of those, then your trauma was probably very different from ours. And yet, you and I could probably find a lot in common. The fear. The surreal moments. The pendulum swinging between hope and helplessness.

The constant litany of prayers.

We were fortunate. Our son and our nephew both survived and recovered. When we were on the other side, I knew I’d write about the experience someday.

And so…I did.

A Mountain Too Steep tells the story of two boys in a car accident in the middle of the Utah desert. The physical trauma the boys experienced is almost exactly what our boys endured.

The rest of the story is purely fictional, thank God. I like a little danger in my life—safe danger. Let’s leave the vengeful gang members in the realm of fiction, shall we?

I cried throughout the writing. And the editing. And the rereading. Even though five years have passed, the memories are still fresh.

Tears aside, I love this story. It’s about a woman whose husband was murdered, a widow who’s endured her own nightmare and who’ll do anything, anything, to protect her children.

I think you’re going to like it.

My Impressions

didn’t want goat feet. She didn’t want to scale mountains. She wanted a lush valley with tall grass and a pretty, meandering stream where she and her children would be safe. Was that too much to ask?”

What a soul-challenging book! A Mountain Too Steep by Robin Patchen is classified as Christian Women’s contemporary fiction with a side of mystery. Hmmm… How about romantic suspense, even though a marriage is involved?! From the opening paragraph, you know you’d better buckle your seat belt and hang on for dear life- because you’re in for the ride of your life!

Camilla Wright and her two children have suffered the loss of her husband and their father four years ago after he testified in a gang-related killing. Then, Jeremy, the 17-yr-old son and his cousin, are in a life-threatening car accident in the desert. When they were supposed to be in the mountains. Rev up for non-stop emotions, plus plenty of action!

I loved the realism. Many times Camilla realizes that this horrible new reality she’s been catapulted into, is too much for her. She’d like to curl up and give up, but then realizes that is not the choice she will make. She will continue the hard, tortuous journey, step by step, with God strengthening her as she goes. “Lord, help me go from strength to strength until I reach the end of this battle.”

Indeed, she finds hope in the fact that one day she will look out and see that she has crested the mountain. She knows where her power has to come from. “Scriptures she’d memorized over the years came back to her. She recited them silently, hanging onto God’s Word, the only solid thing in her life.”

I really couldn’t envision as I read how this terrifying mystery-light romance would end. Kudos for the way Patchen ties it together.

I also loved the way we learn about Daniel, the absent husband. Bit by bit we read his letters penned to his wife just before his death.

I also loved that though the viewpoint originally seems to place the failure of the marriage squarely on Daniel, slowly

Camilla surmises she contributed greatly to her marriage’s decline.

The ultimate underlying theme is doing the right thing, then trusting God with the results. So hard! We don’t always get the results we want.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Anybody who tells you sin isn’t fun is lying. It is. At least at first.”

“In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.”

“You, Miss Camilla, are a strong woman, not because you wield your own strength but because you know the One who strengthens you.”

“I was valued at work. I made a difference there. You didn’t need me. You managed our home with ease.”

“Jesus had carried her sins to the cross. She was meant to leave them there.”

“Justice matters. When we choose selfishness over justice, we’re lost as a community, as a society. Ultimately, I know my God is a God of justice. To deny justice is to deny Him.”

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Magnificent! I just pre-ordered the next two Wright brothers novels, The Wright Heroes of Maine, books 1& 2, ( If they’re this powerful, I can’t afford to miss them!!)

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 25

Betti Mace, July 26

Texas Book-aholic, July 27

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 28

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 29

Blossoms and Blessings, July 29

The Book Club Network, July 30

Christina’s Corner, July 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 31

The Lit Lady, August 1

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 2

Lily’s Book Reviews, August 3

JESUS in the EVERYDAY, August 4

For Him and My Family, August 5

Books Less Travelled, August 5

Holly’s Book Corner, August 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of Vengeance in the Mist and a $75 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/26d50/a-mountain-too-steep-celebration-tour-giveaway

BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour, Favorite, Kindle

Spines and Leaves by Chautona Havig Review and Giveaway

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Spines & Leaves

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: FICTION / CHRISTIAN / WOMENS FICTION / ROMANCE

Release date: July 8, 2021

Spines-Leaves

♥ Books are the strings that tie hearts together. ♥

With a month to get from Orange County, California to Delaware for his next corporate challenge, Milton Coleridge decides to spend a week at Joshua Tree National Park.

He never expected to find a floundering bookstore in need of his particular business skills. Will his methods of saving companies from bankruptcy or takeover work on such a small scale? And can he convince two people to risk their hearts?

Step into the Spines & Leaves, Tamarisk, California’s oldest (and only ever) bookstore. Come in out of the harsh, desert sun and wind and peruse all the store has to offer. It might just be more than you think.

One man, one store, thousands of books.  What’ll it take to keep this bookstore from becoming a book ghost town… and what’ll it take for Milton to tie two heartstrings together?

Spine & Leaves is the introductory novella to the Bookstrings series.

Click here to get your copy!

My Impressions

Whew!! Spines and Leaves by Chautona Havig is a not-to-be missed, fun ride involving a barely surviving, desert bookstore. The town of Tamarisk has almost nothing going for it, with several defunct stores and a few residences in the middle of Joshua Tree National Forest. But, wait! There’s a bookstore! Only a reader would understand how strong that pull is to Milton Coleridge as he enters with his parrotlet. We meet Mercedes, the daughter of the owner, who is managing the store until her ill father can get back on his feet. We see Marcus Mendez, a police officer who hides his feelings for Mercedes as he strives to protect his heart. We begin to see the makings of a love triangle between Marcus, Mercedes, and Milton.

Chautona Havig plays this triangle up well. I wanted to choose one man over the other, but couldn’t. Just as I would choose “Team Marcus” or “Team Milton,” the other would pull ahead by some act or word.

If you’ve never read Havig’s work before, this book is a good place to start. Havig brings her signature style with literature allusions, a touch of romance, plenty of snark and wit, faith lessons, and surprising twists that will keep you reading till the last word.

I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“‘Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?’”

“Just reminding myself that God’s goodness doesn’t disappear when things seem like they’re going all wrong.”

Mercedes’ heart sighed. I could have fallen for a guy like that… if stupid Marcus hadn’t been here first. Her head said she could choose to love whoever she wanted. Her heart stuck out its tongue and went, “Ptttthtt.” Heart won. Again.

Book people understand each other. There are special connections between bookworms that might exist between football fans or movie buffs, but I doubt it is the same.”

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent!! Book Lover’s Paradise- both the Story and the Store!!

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author of Aggie and Past Forwardseries, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the Bookstrings series is a process rather than an idea. Each time I saw an indie bookstore close, each time I went in one with no one else in there for the hour or two I browsed, and each time I heard book lovers lament the lack of a store in their town… Yeah. Those experiences slowly grew into a wish—one where I knew how to rescue those stores from extinction. So maybe that’s a bit melodramatic, but that’s how it felt.

Somewhere in the midst of all that, Milton appeared—a business genius who, along with his faithful parrotlet, Atticus (not Finch), travels the country saving corporations from takeover or bankruptcy.

Milton went through several iterations. Older, balding, mustache, and always wearing a golfer’s cap. Then I had him as a young hipster dude who got sick of the rat race on Wall Street and took off on his own, using what he’d learned. That just felt too cliché.

Instead, I have a forty-ish guy who wears chinos and oxford shirts with topsiders, shorter than most men, and with a nonchalant air about him. And charm. The quiet guy with serious business skills just oozes quiet charm.

After deciding on Milton, I had to choose where to put the stores. I’ve been watching out for towns for years—using trips different places as research times. Would I create places that felt like real towns or use actual small towns? Though drawn to real towns, I had an idea for where to end the series, and, doing that meant a fictional town. Would it be weird to have four or five books set in small towns across America followed by a final fictional one?

The solution came to me as I learned that the Mosaic authors were doing a summer collection in 2021. If I started with a novella and ended the series with both in a fictional town, at least that fictional bit wouldn’t be out of the blue!

So, the Bookstrings series has two novellas and five full-length novels. (I couldn’t resist a Christmas “noella” in the charming town of Noel, Missouri—the “Christmas City.”) We’ll be off to other small towns around the country—one in Red Wing, Minnesota, another in Berne, Indiana, and one somewhere between Kingsport, Tennessee and Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina. If I can find a place in New England, that’d be great, too. Or maybe down in Mississippi… I’d love to visit my sister down there.

The Bookstrings series books all have one very important thing in common (aside from Milton and Atticus, of course). They all illustrate that books truly are the strings that tie hearts together.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, April 26

Texas Book-aholic, April 26

Lots of Helpers, April 27

Mary Hake, April 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 28

By the Book, April 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 29

The Avid Reader, April 30

Vicky Sluiter, May 1

For Him and My Family, May 2

Miriam Jacob, May 2

Inklings and notions, May 3

Blogging With Carol, May 4

deb’s Book Review, May 4

She Lives To Read, May 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 6

Simple Harvest Reads, May 6 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 7

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 8

Pause for Tales, May 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of the book!!

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/1d0b3/spines-leaves-celebration-tour-giveaway

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On Sugar Hill, #2 Georgia Magnolias, by Ane Mulligan

Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Title: On Sugar Hill

Series: #2 Georgia Magnolias

Author: Ane Mulligan

Publisher: Heritage Beacon Fiction

Released: May 2021

To make ends meet, the Fitzgerald women must open their home as a boardinghouse, but will the secrets they uncover prove their undoing?
The day Cora Fitzgerald turned sixteen, she fled Sugar Hill for the bright lights of New York City, leaving behind her senator father’s abuse. But just as her career takes off, she is summoned home.
The stock market has crashed. The senator is dead. Her mother is delusional, and her mute Aunt Clara pens novels that expose the town’s secrets. Then there’s Boone Robertson, who never knew she was alive back in high school but now manages to be around whenever she needs help.

And the Fitzgerald women need a lot of help, indeed. They are forced to find a way to make ends meet, whether it s mining for gold or doing what Southern women have done for generations in times of need turning their home into a boardinghouse.

But will the people of Cora’s past keep her from returning to a brilliant future? 

My Impressions

Ane Mulligan has been an author whose works I buy immediately upon release ever since I met her Chapel Hill characters. The Georgia Magnolia series is set around the Great Depression. The female characters “have iron in their veins.” They are stronger than they know as they face insurmountable odds together. It is not necessary to read the books in order, as they are connected by theme, not characters.
But how I learned to love those characters! Fitzie, the Senator’s wife, and mother of Cora and sister to mute Clara. Just how sane has reality left Fitzie? And yet, she is such a blessing to those around her and retains a wonderfully positive attitude despite her life.
Clara is quite the enigma. Mute, but not deaf. She has strong opinions and contributes much to the solutions that will rescue the ladies from their troubles.


Pearl is just wonderful! She is loving and beneficent to those around her, when she has every reason to be hateful and resentful instead.
Poor Cora! She is easy to identify with, and one wonders if she’ll ever escape the mental prison others have made for her.
Boone is drawn in such a way I wanted to trust him and wanted Cora to fall for him, but what if he’s hiding more than can be seen?
Try to read this when you’re not hot or hungry. Every time I read about Cora’s wonderful support group, the Dillies, I pictured ice cream bars! Seriously, they are some truly refreshing friends.
To wrap this up, if you liked Steel Magnolias, you’ll love On Sugar Hill, #2 The Georgia Magnolias.
Notable Quotables:

“You can forgive the person and still hate what they did.”

“Some voices are harder to turn off than others.”

My Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Magnificent! Southern Fiction at its Best, Imbued with Hope!

About the Author

I’ve been a voracious reader ever since my mother instilled within me her own love of reading at an early age. Together we would escape together into worlds otherwise unknown.

A new love entered my life when I saw Mary Martin in PETER PAN. Struck with a fever from which I never recovered, I submerged myself in drama through high school and college, but, alas, Broadway never found my phone number.

While a large, floppy straw hat is my favorite, I’ve worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that’s a fancy name for a lobbyist), business manager, creative arts director and writer. My lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for my Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast).

I wrote and published my first script in 1996 and to date have over 4-dozen scripts in print, nine books, and numerous articles on various aspects of Christian drama and the craft of writing. In Jan of 2003, having quit my job with my husband’s encouragement, I began to write full time. I reside in Sugar Hill, Georgia with my artist husband and a rascally Rottweiler. 

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In High Cotton by Ane Mulligan

Babbling Becky L

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About the Book

Title: In High Cotton

Author: Ane Mullligan

Publisher: Heritage Beacon Press

Released: August 3, 2020

While the rest of the world has been roaring through the 1920s, times are hardscrabble in rural South Georgia. Widow Maggie Parker is barely surviving while raising her young son alone. Then as banks begin to fail, her father-in-law threatens to take her son and sell off her livelihood—the grocery store her husband left her. Can five Southern women band together, using their wisdom and wiles to stop him and survive the Great Depression?

My Review

This title puzzled me from the get-go. What could Ane Mulligan mean by “In High Cotton”? I quickly discovered that this is the story of single mother, Maggie Parker, and her seven-year-old son who live in the small Georgia town of Rivers End in 1929. (Points to Ane Mulligan for the town map at the front of the book.) I was relieved to see Ms. Mulligan capture my attention almost against my will, since the Depression is not one of my favorite historical eras.
But present it well, she did. The small town has some big-hearted people, like Sadie and Mama Faylene and Wade, and even little Barry. It also has some small-hearted people, who can’t see beyond the color of one’s skin, one’s gender, or their own ambition. Mulligan balances out the town’s population with enough of these that Maggie must constantly watch her back and her store.

In High Cotton 1


But this is a novel to be loved for so many things. Maggie’s story is one of most unique and compelling voices I’ve read in 2020!! I loved how Maggie keeps reaching out to help people, because they have needs apparent in front of her, even as her store is struggling. As Sadie would say, “Southern women may seem as delicate as flowers, but we’ve got iron in our veins.” The metal (mettle) of these ladies is truly glorious to behold, whether it is Maggie or Sadie challenging Cal;
the transformation of a surprising character; or Mama Faylene quietly standing up to the worst of the lot.

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Reminiscent of the movie, Steel Magnolias, you will want to have your tissues ready, but also keep an eye out for the wonderful humor, funny sayings and colloquialisms of the time. By the time you close the book, your heart may feel like you, too, are In High Cotton! Mine did.
Themes include finding true family, trusting God, and standing tall against evil, together. If only Ms. Mulligan’s map had shown how to get to River’s End.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher. This in no way affects my opinions, which are solely my own. 

 

My Rating

5 Stars- Hits My Reading Sweet Spot

About the Author

8061216I’ve been a voracious reader ever since my mother instilled within me her own love of reading at an early age. Together we would escape together into worlds otherwise unknown.

A new love entered my life when I saw Mary Martin in PETER PAN. Struck with a fever from which I never recovered, I submerged myself in drama through high school and college, but, alas, Broadway never found my phone number.

While a large, floppy straw hat is my favorite, I’ve worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that’s a fancy name for a lobbyist), business manager, creative arts director and writer. My lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for my Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast).

I wrote and published my first script in 1996 and to date have over 4-dozen scripts in print, nine books, and numerous articles on various aspects of Christian drama and the craft of writing. In Jan of 2003, having quit my job with my husband’s encouragement, I began to write full time. I reside in Sugar Hill, Georgia with my artist husband and a rascally Rottweiler.

You can connect with Ane at

https://www.anemulligan.com

https://goodreads.com/anemulligan

 

 

Celebrate Lit Tour

Hugo: Inspiring Southern Ambiance for Christian Readers (Painter Place Saga #2) by Pamela Poole

Babbling Becky L

tag for Hugo

About the Book

 

                                                                               

                                                                               Title: Hugo: Inspiring Southern Ambiance for Christian Readers (Painter Place #2)36538480._SY475_

Author: Pamela Poole

Publisher: Southern Sky Publisher

Released: October, 2017

September 21, 1989: Some monsters in the dark are real. Can Painter Place survive?

Hurricane Hugo came in the dead of night, slamming Category 4 power into Charleston, South Carolina at the worst possible time–high tide. Painter Place is scoured by the writhing Atlantic storm surge, forcing Caroline Painter Gregory to say goodbye to a life she loves and face a future that may hold the worst that can possibly happen. On the devastated South Carolina coastline of 1989 and then in Arles, France during the centennial of Van Gogh’s life there, Hugo continues the saga of Painter Place.

My Review

So, I wanted to see what the hype was about The Painter Place novels by Pamela Poole. Hugo, the novel I read, is the second in the Painter Place Saga.
I was excited to see a map at the front. Kudos! The forward, which many readers skip, was fascinating. The novel is set in September of 1989, a year I well remember.
“Saga” is a good word for this series, as it obviously involves quite a few people and their extended families. No two-dimensional characters here. Although, I rather wish there had been. There are so many people the story whips around and in between, I had trouble keeping them straight. By fleshing out so many characters so well, it was hard to focus on who the main characters really were.
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This is a very turbulent narrative of a family in tumultuous times. At times I could identify with the characters, but many times their solutions made me feel like the average person would have not had those options, and would have been required to slog through those times without getting away. Would the characters still have come out as stronger survivors?
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Poole packs a boat-load of truth into her book. I think I might have preferred only a few problems to be solved than several that meant there was an abundance of philosophizing and Bible explanation throughout the tale. Trying to balance story and truth, that is a hard feat to accomplish.
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Quotable:
“That’s always the bottom line, isn’t it? No matter what a person accomplished, it has to end, and it turns out that the most important thing wasn’t what they left behind. It was where they’d spend eternity.”
As I finished the book, I wondered if it might appeal most to twenty-something readers. Or I may be one of a few who is not a huge fan. Try Hugo for yourself and let me know your thoughts.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required and all opinions are solely my own.

My Rating

golden-stargolden-stargolden-star

About the Author

“Inspiring Southern Ambiance”  pamela poole

Pamela Poole is an artist and author currently living in Raleigh, NC with her husband Mark, but they dream of moving back to the coast someday. Pamela’s love of living in the South is lavished into her creative subject matter. She believes that art and stories are only worthwhile when they are filled with beauty and hope that survive in spite of all life’s challenges.

Pamela is a member of various author and artist organizations. Her FREE painting demos can be found on her YouTube channel, and FREE coloring pages can be downloaded from her websites. Stay up to date with Pamela Poole Fine Art and Southern Sky Publishing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and Pamela Poole Art on YouTube.