First Line Friday — The Glass Bottom Boat

23 Jun

Happy Friday! I have returned from the cool temps of Alaska and am enjoying the hot and humid days of a southern summer. 😉 Today I am featuring a book that is on my TBR shelf, The Glass Bottom Boat by Laura Thomas. The cover suggests a trip to paradise. The back cover blurb states otherwise! If you need a suspenseful getaway, check this one out.

Here’s the first line:

Life will never be the same again.

Join Madison Grey in the romantic paradise of her sister’s destination wedding on the tropical island of Jamaica, where she must confront her fears and mend her broken heart to start living again. As she navigates the turquoise waters of the ocean, she meets Luke Alexander, the charming brother of the groom, who ignites a deep connection in her.

As their personal connection intensifies during the wedding festivities, a stalker emerges, playing dangerous games and triggering haunting memories of Madison’s past. When Madison mysteriously disappears and a ransom note is received by the newlyweds, Luke springs into action to find her and save her from her worst nightmare.

The Glass Bottom Boat is a gripping destination wedding romance novel that will captivate you with its lush setting, heartfelt emotions, and thrilling suspense. Join Madison and Luke as they navigate love, danger, and the depths of a glass bottom boat, in a tale that will leave you breathless.


A published Christian author, Laura Thomas writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul and is a hope*writers certified writing coach.

Laura’s Christian romantic suspense books are published by Anaiah Press: The Glass Bottom Boat, The Lighthouse Baby, The Orphan Beach, and The Christmas Cabin.

She also has a Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, and middle-grade short novel published by Dancing With Bear Publishing, as well as several anthology books, devotionals, articles, Sunday school lessons, and stories published in magazines and online.

Laura is a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they live in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, as audacious empty-nesters.

Find all her books, blog, bio, and writing coaching, and sign up for her free monthly newsletter at: http://www.laurathomasauthor.com.

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Spotlight on Romantic Suspense — Blue Ridge Mountain Escape

21 Jun

Blue Ridge Mountain Escape JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Blue Ridge Mountain Escape by Loretta Eidson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Blue Ridge Mountain Escape

Title: Blue Ridge Mountain Escape
Series: Mountain Rescue
Author: Loretta Eidson
Publisher: Love Inspired / Inspirational Mountain Rescue Collection
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

The firefighter rescued her once…

But can they outrun the dangers?

A peaceful vacation is what Haley Gordon needs to put her troubles behind her. Instead, she finds herself fighting for her life against a raging forest fire. Forest Service firefighter Kendall Simpson vows to protect Haley—although he has questions about her story. But with the firestorm out of control and news of escaped convicts on the mountain, can Haley and Kendall trust each other enough to survive?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub

Excerpt

She yawned. Why did it feel like those men were in her cabin? Sound must travel in the forest. Tomorrow she’d request a cabin far away from her noisy neighbors. She sighed and willed herself to forget all the negatives in her life and go to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day.

Another creak too close to ignore.

Her eyes popped open, and fear sent goose bumps skittering all over her body.

Someone’s in my room.

She slid her sweaty palms out from under the cover as she lay in the pitch black. Her breath stalled. She listened intently for movement. Only the sounds of crickets and the hoot of an owl filled the silence. Another creak closer. A pungent stench hit her nostrils. Body odor? Her breath released and came out in short huffs. Would she hyperventilate? She bolted upright. A large hand covered her mouth, muffling her scream. His hand smelled of nicotine.

She grabbed at the brawny arm and kicked the cover off. The ceiling light came on, illuminating three men in prison-orange jumpsuits. Adrenaline shot her pulse into overtime.



Also Available

Pursued in the Wilderness

About The Author

Loretta Eidson

Loretta Eidson is an award-winning author who loves writing romantic suspense. Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency is her agent. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Faith Hope, & Love Christian Writers, Sisters in Crime, Heart of Christian Writers Network, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and attends the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.

She loves chocolate, caramel, and coffee. Loretta lives in North Mississippi close to her family.

Connect with Loretta by visiting lorettaeidson.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Blue Ridge Mountain Escape JustRead Tours giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 20, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 27, 2023. 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

JustRead Publicity Tours

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Top 10 Tuesday — Summer TBR

20 Jun

Happy Tuesday! Have you gotten your Summer TBR planned? If not (or even if you have 😉 ), I have some new releases for you to add. Don’t worry they are spread across the summer, so you will have plenty of reading time. LOL!

For more Summer TBRs, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Books for Your Summer TBR

The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner

Always by My Side by Iola Goulton

He Should Have Told The Bees by Amanda Cox

The Lies We Believe by Lisa Harris

The Love Script by Toni Shiloh

Pixels And Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter

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Mini-Review — The Bookshop at Water’s End

19 Jun

My book club chose The Bookshop at Water’s End by Patti Callahan Henry as a recovery read following our discussion of a particularly difficult and emotional novel. It looked like a fun summer-y read featuring our favorite — a bookstore. It is summer-y, since its setting is a vacation home — the River House as it is known to those who spent summers there. This Southern women’s fiction explores mother-daughter relationships, dreams both fulfilled and unfulfilled, and romantic relationships within and outside marriage. The opinions on this book were mixed — some loved it, others said it was okay, while I am in the really didn’t enjoy it camp. For those who have read Surviving Savannah or Becoming Mrs. Lewis, this book is a departure from faith-based themes. Henry’s writing style is easy and her descriptions of emotions are beautiful. I just didn’t care very much for any of the characters. Was it my mood? I don’t really know. I just found them tiring. 😉 I also didn’t care for the adult language and situations used and described. It has an overwhelming favorable rating on Amazon, so you need to judge it for yourself.

(I purchased the Kindle version of this novel from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

The women who spent their childhood summers in a small southern town discover it harbors secrets as lush as the marshes that surround it…
 
Bonny Blankenship’s most treasured memories are of idyllic summers spent in Watersend, South Carolina, with her best friend, Lainey McKay. Amid the sand dunes and oak trees draped with Spanish moss, they swam and wished for happy-ever-afters, then escaped to the local bookshop to read and whisper in the glorious cool silence. Until the night that changed everything, the night that Lainey’s mother disappeared.

Now, in her early fifties, Bonny is desperate to clear her head after a tragic mistake threatens her career as an emergency room doctor, and her marriage crumbles around her. With her troubled teenage daughter, Piper, in tow, she goes back to the beloved river house, where she is soon joined by Lainey and her two young children. During lazy summer days and magical nights, they reunite with bookshop owner Mimi, who is tangled with the past and its mysteries. As the three women cling to a fragile peace, buried secrets and long ago loves return like the tide.

Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times, Globe and Mail, and USA Today bestselling author of seventeen novels, including her newest, The Secret Book of Flora Lea. She’s also a podcast host of original content for her novels, Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

​She is the recipient of The Christy Award “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly online Friends and Fiction live web show and podcast. Patti also was a contributor to the monthly life lesson essay column for Parade Magazine. She’s published in numerous anthologies, articles, and short story collections, including an Audible Original about Florence Nightingale, titled Wild Swan narrated by the Tony Award winner, Cynthia Erivo. 

​A full-time author, mother of three, and grandmother of two, she lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband, Pat Henry.

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First Line Friday — 26 Below

16 Jun

Happy Friday! This week I am in Alaska! Our plans include visiting Fairbanks, so I thought it would be fitting to feature 26 Below, the new suspense novel from Kimberly Woodhouse. I can’t wait to read this book!

Here’s the first line:

The warmth of the summer wouldn’t last.

In her new role as Emergency Operations Center director for Fairbanks, Alaska, Darcie Phillips prevents disasters. But none of her training can prepare her for the terror that’s coming. 

As a cybersecurity specialist, Jason Myers is determined to ferret out any threats to the town he now calls home–and that includes his reckless brother and his ecoterrorist friends.

When an old woman’s wild prediction–widespread destruction as soon as the Fairbanks temperature falls to 26 below–hits national headlines, neither Darcie nor Jason sees a real risk to anything but tourism.

Then the bodies start dropping.

Darcie is relying on her experience and intelligence to stop a killer; Jason is relying on God to guide the way. They’ll have to work together to find the truth and prevent their Alaskan town from becoming a city of nightmares. The first in a thrilling new suspense series from best-selling author Kimberley Woodhouse, 26 Below will delight fans of Lynnette Eason, Irene Hannon, and Lynn Blackburn.

Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than two dozen books. She is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she’s shared at more than 2,000 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family’s story have garnered national media attention for many years including ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, Discovery Health channel’s Mystery ER, The Hour of Power, The Harvest Show, and over 1,000 other TV appearances and radio interviews. She lives and writes in the Poconos with her husband of thirty years. kimberleywoodhouse.com

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Spotlight On Contemporary Romance — Always By My Side

14 Jun

I am so pleased to spotlight the new book by my book friend from New Zealand, Iola Goulton. Though we have never met in person, I think we have kindred bookish hearts. We almost always agree on what we like (or don’t) about books. Iola wears a number of hats — she blogs and edits — and now she has her brand new published author hat to wear! Congrats Iola!

A hardworking introvert meets a handsome adventurer longing to settle down.

Tabitha Thomas longs to leave Trinity Lakes and travel the world in honor of the beloved grandmother who raised her and her siblings. But she’s needed at home—she’s the responsible triplet, the one who stayed home to run the family inn while her brother and sister left to live their dreams.

Kiwi Logan Wylde doesn’t call any place home. When an injury frustrates his travel plans, he accepts an invitation to return to Trinity Lakes and recuperate at the Lakeview Inn, where he hopes to rediscover his purpose in life.

When Tabby and Logan find a property deed while cleaning out Gran’s rooms, Tabby embraces a new challenge—to solve the mystery of the floodplain and renovate the old boatshed. Working with Logan reignites long-suppressed feelings, but will their differences drive them apart?

An opposites-attract, friends-to-more, small town contemporary Christian romance.

Welcome to Trinity Lakes, a warm and welcoming small town in east Washington, filled with charm, family, and friends, where fresh starts, second chances, and romance abound. You’ll meet swoony bachelors, cowboys, and adventurers, sweet and sassy ladies, and your new best friends. This series of standalone Christian romances will warm your heart, inspire your faith, and bring a smile to your soul.

Iola Goulton is the empty-nest mother of two who lives with her husband in the sunny Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, and writes contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi connection. She works part-time for a local company, wrangling spreadsheets by day and words by night. Find Iola at iolagoulton.com.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Book Wishlist

13 Jun

Happy Tuesday! Do you keep a wishlist of books to pass to family and friends for your birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day? Or do you keep one for yourself when you need a little bookish pick-me-up? I really am not a wishlist gal, but with a little prodding I could be. 😉 When it comes to books I buy them whenever, that’s why my shelves overflow. So today I am sharing books that I’d be pleased to receive. It was a little tricky to compile, since in the coming weeks we are asked to share Summer TBR and Most Anticipated Books of The Second Half 2023. These are a bit of a throwback — books that have already released and I want to read, but do not have.

For more bloggers’ wishlists, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Wishlist Books

Afraid of The Light by Cynthia Ruchti

Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon

Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks

Free Fall by Nancy Mehl

Finders Keepers by Sarah Monzon

Impending Strike by Lynette Eason and Sami A. Abrams

The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green

Paint And Nectar by Ashley Clark

The Rose And The Thistle by Laura Frantz

To Win A Prince by Toni Shiloh

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Mini-Review — Veiled in Smoke

12 Jun

I am traveling to Chicago in August to attend Jocelyn Green‘s Windy City Saga Tour. Yipee! So I knew I had to do a little bookish research before I got on that plane. Reading the books featured in the tour is a must, so I started at the beginning with Veiled in Smoke. Veiled in Smoke is set in the days leading up to the infamous Chicago Fire and in the months after during that city’s rebuilding. It is a great backdrop for the story of two sisters caught up in the wreckage of not only the flames but a war over a decade before. Meg and Sylvie are the grown daughters of Steven Townsend, Civil War veteran and bookseller. Their days are filled with keeping the business alive and their father calm and sane. The war may be over, but Steven relives it with every nightfall and loud sound. A POW in Andersonville, Steven has been wounded by the horrific treatment and the hard decisions he made there. I really enjoyed the history explored within the novel. The griefs of the past are all too real and the future of Chicago looked bleak, but Green infuses the story with hope. The story of the Townsend family could have been set anywhere — their struggles are common to all generations. There’s also romance and mystery and a very suspenseful ending — all of which kept me turning the pages.

If you are a historical fiction fan, then Veiled in Smoke is for you. I learned so much from this book. The novel is both fascinating historical fiction and a touching family drama.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: Adults and Older Teenagers.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago’s business district, they lose much more than just their store.

The sisters become separated from their father and make a harrowing escape from the flames with the help of Chicago Tribune reporter Nate Pierce. Once the smoke clears away, they reunite with Stephen, only to learn soon after that their family friend was murdered on the night of the fire. Even more shocking, Stephen is charged with the crime and committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum.

Though homeless and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life, but prove her father’s innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad.

Jocelyn Green is a former journalist who puts her investigative skills to work in writing both nonfiction and historical fiction to inspire faith and courage.

Her books have finaled in the Christy Awards and Inspirational Readers Choice Awards, and have won gold from the Military Writers Society of America and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Complex and nuanced characters, rich historical detail and twisting plots make her novels immersive experiences. Her fiction has been praised by Historical Novel Society, Romantic Times, Library Journal, historians specializing in her novels’ time periods, as well as popular and acclaimed authors Laura Frantz, Lori Benton, Jody Hedlund, Sarah Sundin, Joanne Bischof, Julie Lessman, and more.

Jocelyn loves Broadway musicals, the color red, Toblerone chocolate bars, Mexican food, and well-done documentaries. She lives in Iowa with her husband, two children, and two cats she should have named Catticus Finch and Purrman Meowville.

Visit her at jocelyngreen.com, and receive a free gift when joining her e-newsletter mailing list at jocelyngreen.com/subscribe.

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First Line Friday — Muddy Waters

9 Jun

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring another author I met at a literary festival a few months ago. Candace J. Carter is the author of a Western-inspired mystery, Muddy Waters. While I haven’t read this book yet, a friend of mine has and loved it. Give it a look!

Here’s the first line:

Henry Smith paused in the sparse shade of a juniper.

Range detective Henry “Whispering” Smith returns to his North Carolina hometown to be best man at his uncle’s wedding. After years of tracking livestock rustlers in the desolate Colorado Plateau country, Henry still isn’t prepared to face the two things that drove him away—a pig-headed father he doesn’t like and an unfaithful ex-girlfriend he does. 

When a close friend is murdered, Henry’s plan for a brief visit falls apart. Local police suspect cattle theft gone wrong, but it doesn’t add up. When police ignore his suspicions, he’s determined to use his own detective skills to hunt down a killer. Struggling with reconciling his past, can Henry follow a trail that leads too close to his heart?

From growing up in a one-horse town (literally) to working for the National Park Service, Candace J. Carter has walked many paths in life. She’s always shared a love of western movies with her father. Muddy Waters is her first traditional mystery, featuring former range detective Henry “Whispering” Smith. The novel received a Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award and was a finalist for the 2020 Indies Today Awards.

She’s now retired, and reconnecting with her inner cowboy.

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Author Interview — Laine Lawson Craft, Author of The Parent’s Battle Plan

7 Jun

About The Book

Book: The Parent’s Battle Plan: Warfare Strategies to Win Back Your Prodigal

Author: Laine Lawson Craft

Genre: Non-fiction

Release date: March 14, 2023

You are not alone–there is hope and healing for every hurting heart.

Today’s technology has made sinful experiences and deadly choices accessible to our teenagers and young adults with just a click. And parents are left with the disappointments–and devastating fallout–of their children’s choices.

Through sharing her own story of praying three very wayward prodigals home, Laine Lawson Craft offers not only hope and insight, but also a practical, tried-and-true battle plan for parents walking this heartbreaking season of life. You’ll discover how to

  • handle the emotional roller coaster of trust
  • deal with your children’s self-destructive choices
  • pray emboldened by God’s promises
  • fight for your child’s destiny
  • and more

You can win the war of darkness over your children–even when you don’t get the miracle you asked for.

Click HERE to purchase.

About The Author

Laine Lawson Craft (www.lainelawsoncraft.com) is a best-selling and award-winning author, popular media host, and in-demand speaker. The founder and publisher of WHOAwomen magazine (2010-2018), she regularly hosts online challenges and masterclasses as well as Facebook and Instagram Live events that reach thousands. Her Warfare Parenting podcast encourages parents of adult children. Laine and her husband, Steve, have three children and live in Florida.

More from Laine

I would love to introduce my friend, best-selling and award-winning author, whom you may not know yet with a little of the behind the scenes insight. She’s a mom, wife, and partners with God making impossible things become possible not only in her life but for thousands of others. She has a unique perspective because she had a seventeen-year-old marriage resurrect, a financial breakthrough after almost filing bankruptcy, a daughter healed from life-threatening illnesses, and three prodigal children delivered that are now free, whole, and healed. In 2006, she realized that what she was doing as a parent was not working. It seemed that her emotional pleas, rules, and religion weren’t helping her bring her prodigal back home. So she decided and made it my mission to partner with God at a whole new level and created a new way of parenting – one that would bring peace to her life, help millions of other parents, and bring their prodigals back home too. Her newest book, The Parent’s Battle Plan: Warfare Strategies to Win Back Your Prodigal is a must-read book to help parent’s with wayward teens and young adults.

Q & A with Laine Lawson Craft

Many authors say that they have always been a writer. When did you come to realize this?

I wrote early on in my early 20s laid it down for over twenty years and picked it back up in my early 50s.

Was there a special someone, such as a teacher, parent, or other relative, who encouraged you to pursue writing?

My husband read some of my first words and fell in love with them and actually had no idea they were my words! So he has been my number one cheerleader and fan.

Were there any obstacles you faced in your journey to publication?

I had a major advantage because I had published a national magazine circulated to every bookstore in America and Canada named WHOAwomen Magazine. Therefore, I had a lot of experience, and then God connected me to the right people.

What types of research did you pursue?

Not too much, but mainly on families’ health and children in distress and hurting.

What does a typical writing day look like? Are you structured or informal in
your writing schedule?

I am very structured. I work best with a plan and a schedule of goals to reach in my writing,

How long does is it take for you to write a book?

Less than a year.

Can you tell us what inspired your book?

Desiring to help other parents who were struggling with wayward children no matter how old they were, to find hope and ways to win their prodigals back home and heal their families

What do you want your readers to take away with them after finishing reading your book?

After reading the book, The Parent’s Battle Plan: Warfare Strategies to Win Back Your Prodigal will help parents who are struggling with wayward children, no matter how old they are, find the hope that with one touch from God, their prodigal can be delivered and everything can change instantly and that these tried-and-true tools and applications found in this book can initiate the shift in their family win their prodigals home and give the victory!

Readers always want to know what is next for an author. Do you have any works in progress you can share about?

Yes, I would love to publish a daily 365 Day devotional book I have been working on with daily scripture, devotional, and prayer for every day in the battle to keep parents strengthened and encouraged.

Please include any personal information you would like to share (family, hobbies, etc.)

Yes, I love walking, praising and worshiping, cooking, and being with my family! The beach is my favorite place to be!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 25

Vicky Sluiter, May 26 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 27

Simple Harvest Reads, May 28 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 29

Guild Master, May 30 (Author Interview)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 31

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 1 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, June 2

An Author’s Take, June 3

Artistic Nobody, June 4 (Author Interview)

The Life We Build, June 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 5

Vibrant Wings, June 6

By The Book, June 7 (Author Interview)

Walking Fruitfully, June 7

Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Laine is giving away the grand prize of $100 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/26267/the-parents-battle-plan-celebration-tour-giveaway

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