Spotlight on Contemporary Fiction — Grandma Ruth Doesn’t Go to Funerals

13 Feb

Grandma Ruth Doesn't Go to Funerals JustRead Takeover + Review Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Grandma Ruth Doesn’t Go To Funerals by Sharon Mondragon hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Grandma Ruth Doesn’t Go To Funerals

Title: Grandma Ruth Doesn’t Go To Funerals
Author: Sharon Mondragon
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Something is brewing in Raeburne’s Ferry, Georgia–and it’s not sweet tea.

In a small town where gossip flows, bedridden Mary Ruth McCready reigns supreme, doling out wisdom and meddling in everyone’s business with a fervor that would make a matchmaker blush. When her best friend has her world rocked by a scandalous revelation from her dying husband, Mary Ruth kicks into high gear, commandeering the help of her favorite granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth, in tracking down the truth. Finding clues in funeral condolence cards and decades-old gossip dredged up at the Blue Moon Beauty Emporium, the two stir up trouble faster than you can say “pecan pie.”

But just when things are starting to look up, a blast from the past waltzes in with an outrageous claim. But as Grandma Ruth always says when things get tough, “God is too big.” With him, nothing is impossible–even bringing long-held secrets to light. Grandma Ruth and Sarah just might have to ruffle a whole mess of feathers to do it.

Excerpt

“Goodness, Charlotte,” Mrs. Morgan said, losing patience. “He was eighty-five years old and not in the best of health. Surely you weren’t surprised.”

“No.” Mrs. Harrington sniffed into the tissue Mrs. Fogarty pressed into her hand. “I’ve known for weeks it was coming. I just wish I knew what he meant. His last words to me, his very last words, were—” Her voice caught. I saw her fight to gain enough control to get the words out. At last, she sat up straighter, took a large swallow from the glass of chardonnay she held in her other hand, and said, “His last words were ‘I loved you more than Millie.’” She gripped her glass so tightly I thought it might shatter. “Who’s Millie? I never knew he loved anybody named Millie. I thought I was the only one he ever loved. How could he say something like that and then just up and die without explaining?”

How indeed, I thought. Sure, he’d say he loved her more than Millie, but to even mention another woman in his dying breath was just plain . . . well, I told you he was mean.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Kregel Publications | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook

About The Author

Sharon Mondragon

Sharon J. Mondragón is a Southern girl at heart, having spent most of her adult life where tea is sweet and mac and cheese is a vegetable. Settled in Midlothian, Texas, she writes, facilitates the prayer shawl ministry at her church, and teaches at the local yarn shop. She’s the author of the Purls and Prayers series, and her work has earned recognition from The Saturday Evening Post, ACFW, Foreword INDIES, and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.

Connect with Sharon by visiting sharonjmondragon.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Grandma Ruth Doesn’t Go To Funerals and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Grandma Ruth Doesn't Go to Funerals JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight February 12, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on February 19, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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

JustRead Publicity Tours

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Mini-Book Review — After Anne

12 Feb

My book club read After Anne by Logan Steiner, a biographical novel centered on the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery author of Anne of Green Gables. This book is very literary-y 🙂 . It has a very complex structure — time periods mixed throughout combined with a series of flashbacks not dated. My book club felt that the structure interfered with the story, taking them completely out of the narrative. It is also more about Montgomery’s personal life, rather than writing life. She did not have a happy marriage, and the reader is treated to all the disfunction. A supremely successful author with a clergyman husband with mental illness combined with one very oppositional son made this a depressing read. I hate to say it, but no one in my group liked this book. I’m not sure the life of Montgomery could have been treated in any other way, but the writing style did nothing to make us want to continue reading a sad and tragic story. This one is for only hardcore Montgomery fans.

(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

A stunning and unexpected portrait of Lucy Maud Montgomery, creator of one of literature’s most prized heroines, whose personal demons were at odds with her most enduring legacy—the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables.

“Dear old world,” she murmured, “you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.” —L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908

As a young woman, Maud had dreams bigger than the whole of Prince Edward Island. Her exuberant spirit had always drawn frowns from her grandmother and their neighbors, but she knew she was meant to create, to capture and share the way she saw the world. And the young girl in Maud’s mind became more and more persistent: Here is my story, she said. Here is how my name should be spelled—Anne with an “e.”

But the day Maud writes the first lines of Anne of Green Gables, she gets a visit from the handsome new minister in town, and soon faces a decision: forge her own path as a spinster authoress, or live as a rural minister’s wife, an existence she once called “a synonym for respectable slavery.” The choice she makes alters the course of her life.

With a husband whose religious mania threatens their health and happiness at every turn, the secret darkness that Maud herself holds inside threatens to break through the persona she shows to the world, driving an ever-widening wedge between her public face and private self, and putting her on a path towards a heartbreaking end.

Beautiful and moving, After Anne reveals Maud’s hidden personal challenges while celebrating what was timeless about her life and art—the importance of tenacity and the peaceful refuge found in imagination.

Logan Steiner is a lawyer by day and a writer by baby bedtime. Her writing explores motherhood and the creative life.

After graduating from Pomona College and Harvard Law School, Logan clerked for three federal judges, spent six years in Big Law, and served for three years as an Assistant United States Attorney. She now specializes in brief writing at a boutique law firm. Logan lives in Denver with her husband, daughter, and the cranky old man of the house, a Russian Blue cat named Taggart.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Love Freebie

11 Feb

Happy Tuesday! Today book bloggers celebrate Valentine’s Day early with a Love Freebie! I’ve chosen to highlight books with symbols of Valentine’s Day in their titles — love, hearts, and roses — and one that generally leads to the culmination of all that romance! It’s an eclectic list, for sure. I hope you find one to whet your interest.

For more lovely book lists, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Titles Featuring Love, Hearts, Roses, And . . . A Wedding!

The Key to Love by Betsy St. Amant

The Love Script by Toni Shiloh

To Love A Viking by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore

Change of Heart by Courtney Walsh

Heart Echoes by Sally John

Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh

Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd

The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden

Yellow Roses by Suzie Waltner

A Gardin Wedding by Rosey Lee

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Mini-Book Review — The Women of Chateau Lafayette

10 Feb

My book club chose The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray as our February selection. It was with some trepidation that I approached this novel mainly because of its length. At over 500 pages I feared I would never finish it in time for our meeting. I was so busy with a book festival I help host and a trip to Norway, I just knew I would never complete it. But with several plane rides and airport layovers, I managed to get the necessary reading time in. Thank goodness for a Kindle! At first the book dragged for me (book festival hangover and travel lags), but as I became immersed in the stories of three determined women, I couldn’t get enough. The chateau of the Marquis de Lafayette (yes, that one) connected each time period and story thread. Dray chose to tell the valiant stories of Adrienne de Lafayette, Beatrice Chanler, and fictional Marthe Simon, as they fought for love, freedom, and country. Dray does a wonderful job of creating riveting stories for each of the women. The time periods are the American and French Revolutions, WWI, and WWII — all important in the history of both France and he United States. With extensive research and wonderful plotting, the women’s stories are told against the backdrop of history. I cannot really say which character I liked best — all were intriguing. Perhaps Marthe was my favorite as she found her purpose and place in the world.

If you are fan of historical fiction based on fact, then The Women of Chateau Lafayette is definitely for you. Please note that this is a general market offering.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Most castles are protected by men. This one by women.

A founding mother…
1774. Gently-bred noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband, the Marquis de Lafayette’s political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France and the guillotine threatens everything she holds dear, Adrienne must renounce the complicated man she loves, or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come.

A daring visionary…
1914. Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Chanler is a force of nature, daunted by nothing—not her humble beginnings, her crumbling marriage, or the outbreak of war. But after witnessing the devastation in France firsthand, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime: convincing America to fight for what’s right.

A reluctant resistor…
1940. French school-teacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone has an orphan’s self-reliance and wants nothing to do with war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is, and more importantly, who she is willing to become.

Intricately woven and powerfully told, The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope, love and courage, and the strength we take from those who came before us.

Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into ten languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. She lives in Maryland with her husband, cats, and history books.

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First Line Friday — Frankly, My Dear Clara

7 Feb

Kristi Ann Hunter is one of the funniest people I know. So it’s a real treat that she has written one of her trademark Regency historical novels with a fun rom-com twist. I picked up a copy of Frankly, My Dear Clara at the Turning A New Page Book Festival in Perry, Georgia two weeks ago. I can’t wait to dig in!

Here’s the first line:

London, 1816

Miss Clara Woodbury was in possession of the customary solitary head which could only reasonably wear one hat at a time.

Every little boy grows up imagining he will one day be called upon to save the damsel in distress, but Mr. Hugh Lockhart is certain the enemy in his imagination has never been a kite. He knows that support from a wealthy aristocrat is all he needs to get his own clock-making shop, but rescuing Viscount Eversly’s cousin from a child’s toy isn’t how he thought he would gain that attention.

Miss Clara Woodbury knows she should be thankful her aunt is willing to sponsor her for a London season, but she doesn’t want to have any part of the decadence and dissolution of London. Knowing she must marry and wanting to please her family, she sets her sights on a younger son bound for the church.

As life continues to throw Clara and Hugh into each other’s paths, their conversations begin to challenge everything they thought they knew about what they wanted in life. When they finally discover that what they need is each other, will it be too late to change decisions already put into motion?

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Mini-Book Review — The Choice

6 Feb

I read The Choice by D. L. Wood in anticipation of her attendance at the 2025 Turning A New Page Book Festival in Perry, Georgia two weeks ago. This romantic suspense poses the question — if you could find out the answers you crave about the past, what would you do? Main character, Sadie Miles, has always wanted to know the identity of her father. Her mother would never tell her, believing that the truth was worse than not knowing. But faced with answers to long-held questions, Sadie takes a chance. The result puts her in the crosshairs of a killer. Wood puts Sadie in a lot of dangerous situations! And kept her off-balance. As a reader, I felt as lost as she, though I did have glimpses into the mind of the bad guy. But my guesses were wrong! I never saw the ending coming. This novel is definitely a twisting reading ride. The book is faith-based and clean — no worries over content. If you are a fan of this genre, then I recommend you check this one out. The book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

What if a single letter could change everything you thought you knew about yourself?

Sadie Miles has built a life she can be proud of in Nashville, raising her best friend’s young son and pushing through every struggle that comes her way. But when an unsigned letter arrives at her door, she’s faced with a decision: ignore the letter and continue as is or take a risk to uncover the truth about her past—a truth she’s been chasing her entire life.

Following the letter’s cryptic instructions, Sadie finds herself aboard a luxury yacht, sailing down the eastern seaboard with strangers who share only one common goal: claim the fortune that awaits at the journey’s end. As the waves churn, so does the tension and when tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that someone will do anything to ensure they’re the last one standing.

Amidst the growing threat, Sadie’s only possible ally is the enigmatic lawyer, Liam Forrester—a man whose loyalties are as uncertain as the stormy seas around them, and who is as much of an unknown as the rest.

With Sadie on course to be the next victim, she must navigate treacherous waters both literally and figuratively. Can she survive until the end of the journey, or will she become another casualty of the deadly undertow of deceit and danger?

Buckle up for a suspenseful, slow-burn thriller that escalates to a heart-pounding conclusion—where every choice could be your last.

D.L. Wood is a USA TODAY and Amazon bestselling author who writes thrilling suspense laced with romance and faith. Her books have won multiple awards and her novel Unintended Target was selected as the May 2019 American Christian Fiction Writers Book Club book.

D.L. writes CleanCaptivatingFiction™- fiction that entertains and uplifts. In her novels she tries to give readers the same thing that she wants: a “can’t-put-it-down-stay-up-till-3am” character-driven story, full of heart, believability and adrenaline. She lives in North Alabama, where, if she’s not writing, you’ll probably catch her curled up with a cup of Earl Grey (light milk, one sugar) and her Westies, bingeing on the latest BBC mystery series. You can stay apprised of D.L.’s releases and promotions (including free and discounted books) and receive a free gift by subscribing to her newsletter on her website at dlwoodonline.com.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Books I Didn’t Read in 2024

4 Feb

Happy Tuesday! This week’s TTT topic is books anticipated, but not read in 2024. I am sure there are plenty of books I have missed, but the ones on my list today are those I have NetGalley copies of, but failed to read. A loser’s list with me being the loser. 😉 Have you read any of them? Tell me what I missed.

For more unread books, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books I Wanted to Read in 2024 But Didn’t

Between The Sound And Sea by Amanda Cox

Bitter And Sweet by Rhonda McKnight

Her Part to Play by Jenny Erlingsson

Love on A Whim by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Meet Me at The Starlight by Rachel Hauck

Over The Edge by Irene Hannon

The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche

The Sisters of Corinth by Angela Hunt

The Vanished by Cara Putman

What We Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

Spotlight on Contemporary Romance — Misgivings

3 Feb

Misgivings JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Misgivings by Anne Gibson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Misgivings

Title: Misgivings
Author: Anne Gibson
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: September 2, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Desperate to avoid the turmoil that now engulfs her, Dee would do anything for a chance to turn back time. Wracked with regret and paralyzed by fear, she is forced to hide halfway across the world, all in a bid to safeguard the one person she holds most dear. If only she could undo the past and prevent this disastrous situation from ever unfolding.

After waiting five long years, Luke thought he was finally making progress in his relationship with Dee. But just as she begins to open up and trust him, she suddenly vanishes, leaving him bewildered and determined to uncover the truth behind her sudden disappearance.

Excerpt

Stepping forward, Dee wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his strong chest. “Just be careful,” she whispered. Though she didn’t know the exact nature of Luke’s job, she suspected that it was dangerous. Why else would he be so secretive about it? Luke wrapped his arms around her and held her for a few moments. He liked the fact that they could stand there in silence and not be uncomfortable. Gathering his courage, Luke tilted Dee’s chin up.  Leaning in, his warm lips met hers. His kiss was soft and gentle, not forceful or demanding. When Luke started to pull back, Dee leaned in and kissed him deeper and longer. He gently caressed her cheek, longing for this moment to last forever. When she finished kissing him, he allowed for her to pull back and he stared into her eyes.

“I’ve wanted to do that for over five years,” he murmured. His voice was deep and husky, causing Dee’s spine to tingle with excitement. He continued to stare at her, unable to tear his eyes away from her beautiful face.

“I’m glad you finally did.”



PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

About The Author

Anne Gibson

Award-winning author Anne Gibson is blessed to call the stunning Canadian Rockies home. When she isn’t penning her stories, she relishes time in nature—hiking, paddling, and basking in the sun at the beach alongside her family and beloved furball. A true romantic at heart, Anne often finds herself curled up with an engaging book, dreaming up her own captivating love stories.

Connect with Anne by visiting authorannegibson.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Misgivings as well as a $25 Amazon gift card!

Misgivings JustRead Tours blog tour giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 3, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 10, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

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February Book Club Pick — I Think I Was Murdered

1 Feb

What a title! I can’t wait to see what Colleen Coble and Rick Acker have in store in the suspense novel I Think I Was Murdered. See all about it below.

Just a year ago, Katrina Berg was at the pinnacle of her career. She was a rising star in the AI chatbot start-up everyone was talking about, married with an adoring husband, and had more money than she knew how to spend. Then her world combusted. Her husband, Jason, was killed in a fiery car crash. Her CEO was indicted, and, as the company’s legal counsel, Katrina faces tough questions as the Feds take over and lock her out of her office. The final blow is the passing of her beloved grandmother.

Her most prized possession is the beta prototype for a new, ultra-sophisticated chatbot loaded onto her phone. The contents of Jason’s email, social media backups, pictures, and every bit of data she could find were loaded into the bot, and Katrina has “talked” to him every day for the past six months. She has been amazed at how well it works. Even the syntax and words the bot uses sound like Jason. Sometimes, she imagines he isn’t really dead and is right there beside her. She knows it’s slowing her grief recovery, but she can’t stop pretending.

On a particularly bad day, she taps out: Tell me something I don’t know. The cursor blinks for several moments and seems frozen before the reply flashes quickly onto the screen: I think I was murdered.

Distraught, Katrina returns to her cozy Norwegian-flavored hometown in the Northern California redwoods and enlists the help of Seb Wallace, local restaurateur and longtime acquaintance, to try to parse out the truth of what really happened. They must navigate the complicated paths of grief, family dynamics, and second chances, as well as the complex questions of how much control technology has. And staying alive long enough to do that is far more difficult than either of them dreamed.

Bestselling authors Coble and Acker deftly combine a high-concept plot with gripping intrigue and closed-door romance in I Think I Was Murdered. Don’t miss it!

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If You Liked . . . Indigo Isle

31 Jan

Indigo Isle by T. I. Lowe is billed as a contemporary romance novel, but it is so much more! Complex, flawed, and lovable characters, a strong faith element, and an HEA that had my whole book club smiling, make this book highly recommended. If you liked it too, check out the following books. They have thought-provoking themes and compelling plots perfect for buddy reading.

Before I Saw You by Amy Sorrells

An injured athlete with a chip on his shoulder. A single mom with a devastating secret. Will history haunt them, or can love set them free? 

Once a strong Christian, third baseman Shane Riley lost his faith the night he injured his knee in a freak car accident. Determined to return to professional baseball and to find the sister he treated badly, Shane retreats to Refuge, Wyoming. There he meets Melissa June “MJ” Townsend, a single mom with an adorable son and a troubled heart.

MJ wants nothing to do with the handsome athlete—no doubt a womanizer considering the stories in the news. But when a mistake results in Shane renting her garage apartment, they become friends. That friendship blossoms into something deep and pure, leaving MJ with a painful secret to tell. Even more complicated, MJ discovers an unexpected tie to Shane’s missing sister—a wounded woman facing a life-or-death decision of her own.

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace by Amanda Wen

Is Siobhan too far gone to respond to the song of a God who’s calling her back to him?

When a new customer brings a badly damaged violin into Siobhan Walsh’s shop, it is exactly the sort of challenge she craves. The man who brought it in is not. He’s too close to the painful past that left her heart and her faith in shambles.

Matt Buchanan has had a rough start as the new worship pastor. A car accident on his way into town left him with a nearly totaled truck, and an heirloom violin in pieces. When he takes it to a repair shop, he’s fascinated with the restoration process–and with the edgy, closed-off woman doing the work.

As their friendship deepens and turns into more, they both discover secrets that force them to face past wounds. And the history of the violin reveals more about their current problems than they could have ever expected.

On the nineteenth-century frontier, a gruesome tomahawk attack wiped out most of Deborah Caldwell’s family. Her greatest solace after the tragedy is the music from her father’s prized violin. Given her horrendous scars, she’d resigned herself to a spinster’s life. But Levi Martinson’s gentle love starts to chip away at her hardened heart, until devastating details about the attack are revealed, putting their love–and Deborah’s shaky faith–to the ultimate test.

Full of forgiveness and the message that no one is too damaged for God’s healing touch, the final book in the split-time Sedgwick County Chronicles will thrill fans of Rachel Hauck, Lisa Wingate, and Kristy Cambron.

When He Found Me by Victoria Bylin

An injured athlete with a chip on his shoulder. A single mom with a devastating secret. Will history haunt them, or can love set them free? 

Once a strong Christian, third baseman Shane Riley lost his faith the night he injured his knee in a freak car accident. Determined to return to professional baseball and to find the sister he treated badly, Shane retreats to Refuge, Wyoming. There he meets Melissa June “MJ” Townsend, a single mom with an adorable son and a troubled heart.

MJ wants nothing to do with the handsome athlete—no doubt a womanizer considering the stories in the news. But when a mistake results in Shane renting her garage apartment, they become friends. That friendship blossoms into something deep and pure, leaving MJ with a painful secret to tell. Even more complicated, MJ discovers an unexpected tie to Shane’s missing sister—a wounded woman facing a life-or-death decision of her own.

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