Thursday, February 29, 2024
The Chosen, Season 4 Episodes 7 & 8
Monday, February 26, 2024
Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New: Stitch and Embellish Your Stashed Treasures
A treasure of a book. Very beautiful and creative ideas for new or vintage items that you can make yourself. Great ideas and suggestions for using items that you have on hand or what to look for. Includes many embroidery stitch designs. Buttons, ribbons, old handkerchiefs, treasured items that might be worn or tattered that can be made into useable and decorative treasures.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
A Cherished Betrothal by Denise Weimer, Scouts of the Georgia Frontier #3
A powerful story! Survivors of an Indian massacre, Elspeth and her father, a preacher, forgave them and are missionaries to the Cherokee in the area where they live. Alex is a Patriot soldier and doesn't recall the details of when he and Elspeth attacked even though he bears the scars. A story of love, forgiveness and redemption as well as a story of America. Very real, I found myself wanting to tell my husband when things happened in the story, and could clearly hear their Scottish brogues, nearly slipping and speaking that way myself. Excellent story with strong Christian lessons and faith, beautifully applied. Bravo Alex! I only wish there was a bit more to their tale, that the story had lasted longer.
I received this book free from the author, publisher and CelebrateLit book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#ACherishedBetrothal #DeniseWeimer #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FiveStarNovel
About the Book
Book: A Cherished Betrothal
Author: Denise Weimer
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: January 23, 2024
He rescued her once, but a chance at love will require the ultimate sacrifice.
Alexander Morris bears the childhood scars of the Long Canes massacre that killed his brother and father. Forced by his dark past into the lonely life of Georgia Ranger, Alexander joins the bordering South Carolina Rangers in their revolt against the Crown. When he’s posted to the fort erected to defend the community once decimated by the massacre, duty demands he court the loyalty of his sworn enemies, the fierce Cherokee warriors.
Elspeth Lawrence never forgot the boy who sacrificed himself for her at Long Canes—any more than she forgot the younger sister taken captive. She’s learned not only to forgive, but also to help minister to the Cherokees at her father’s mission. When Alex Morris arrives at nearby Fort Charlotte, Elspeth finds her memories—and her emotions—stirred. He doesn’t even remember her…or the long-ago attack. But the bitterness that simmers just beneath his stoic exterior—as well as her courtship by a local landowner—challenge their undeniable bond.
When Alex uncovers a long-held secret and a plot to sabotage patriot talks with the Cherokees, he must choose between his desire for revenge and his love for the girl he rescued long ago.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
North Georgia native Denise Weimer has authored over a dozen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
More from Denise
That Event That Changed You Forever: The Backstory Catalyst of A Cherished Betrothal
Most of us can pinpoint it—a moment in time that forever altered us and the course of our lives. Maybe it was a place. Or a person. For good or bad, we can never go back to who we used to be. The good or bad depends on how we react to that moment, place, or person, doesn’t it? Whether we allow God to make us more like Him because of it.
Both the hero and heroine of my third novel in the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier, A Cherished Betrothal, live with such a moment. Experts in book plotting say our characters should have a dark moment in their backstory. For Alex Morris and Elspeth Lawrence, the Long Canes Massacre of 1760 is that dark moment. Together, they survived the attack of around a hundred Cherokee braves on a group of settlers fleeing across the South Carolina border into Georgia. Alex lost his father and brother, Elspeth her mother while her younger sister was taken captive. With the resilience of the Scots-Irish who formed a barrier between the colonies and the Native Americans, the Long Canes settlers returned to the border of South Carolina later that same year.
A Cherished Betrothal actually begins in 1775, with the South Carolina backcountry on the brink of revolution. Since the childhood attack, Alex has lost his sense of home. He draws his identity from his service as a Georgia and South Carolina Ranger (yes, this tale veers over the border into South Carolina and the fascinating history around the town of Ninety Six) and waits for the opportunity for revenge. He keeps his anger carefully banked, just as Elspeth hides her fear—especially when she has to face warriors who visit the mission for Cherokee children she runs with her minister father. She’s forgiven her enemies, but she can no more prevent her knees knocking upon sight of the braves than she can forget the boy who saved her life fifteen years ago.
It seems God has answered her prayers when Alex shows up at nearby Fort Charlotte. Only…he doesn’t remember her…or the dark moment that shaped both of their histories. Between Elspeth’s not-so-gentle pressure, a Cherokee boy Alex can’t shake as a shadow, and his commanders’ determination to court the Cherokees as allies for the Patriot cause, Alex is forced to look his past in the eye.
Pivoting between Fort Charlotte, the mission school, and the town of Ninety Six where Elspeth’s wealthy Loyalist admirer helps stir conflict, including the first battle of the Revolution in South Carolina, A Counterfeit Betrothal is a tale of unshakeable love and soul-deep healing. I loved this story so much when I was writing it, I wanted to move into Colonial Ninety Six. I hope you will too!
Blog Stops
Blossoms and Blessings, February 14
Pause for Tales, February 15
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 15
Texas Book-aholic, February 16
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 17
Holly’s Book Corner, February 18
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, February 19 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, February 19
Life on Chickadee Lane, February 20
lakesidelivingsite, February 20
Cover Lover Book Review, February 21
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 22
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 23
Books You Can Feel Good About, February 24
Simple Harvest Reads, February 25 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
For Him and My Family, February 26
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 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/2a0cd/a-cherished-betrothal-celebration-tour-giveaway
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Ordinary Angels movie
Secrets and Wishes by Kathleen Rouser
I received this book free from the author, publisher and CelebrateLit book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#SecretsAndWishes #KathleenRouser #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FourStarNovel
About the Book
Book: Secrets and Wishes
Author: Kathleen Rouser
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: January 30, 2024
She only wants a fresh start, but her past might be the only hope to save his life—and the lives of countless innocents.
Determined widow Maggie Galloway dreams of a peaceful life and a successful business. And winning the Silver Leaf Flour Company baking contest could be the key to that success. She even has a chance at a prestigious position through a dashing former beau. But when her son gets into a fight with the local pharmacist’s son, Maggie’s peaceful life is derailed.
Reserved pharmacist and recent widower Thomas Harper is also looking for a fresh start for himself and his four children. But when Thomas falls gravely ill, his only choice is to enlist the help of the local baker with a knowledge of concocting remedies. He’s even more reluctant to admit that Maggie may also be the remedy for his grieving heart. And when a traveling medicine man’s medicines beget tragedy, Thomas and Maggie must overcome their differences to save the children of Stone Creek—and face the growing attraction between them—before it’s too late.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.
More from Kathleen
Maggie Galloway’s Prizewinning Recipe
Maggie Galloway was a secondary character in my first Stone Creek Brides novel, Rumors and Promises. As the older sister and housekeeper of hero, Ian McCormick, she liked to have her say. I enjoyed getting to know Maggie as I created her character. She was so much fun to write I knew she needed her own story.
She has a knowledge of remedies from working with her pharmacist husband in the past, but Maggie is also a prizewinning baker because of her creative and cherished recipe for pecan snickerdoodles. I hope you’ll enjoy her recipe.
Increasing the vanilla in her favorite snickerdoodle recipe while adding toasted chopped pecans to the dough and the cinnamon sugar made for the delightful crunch and a nutty taste, which had won her second place in the recipe contest. (From Maggie’s musings in Secrets and Wishes.)
Maggie Galloway’s Pecan Snickerdoodles
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup flour
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Cinnamon sugar mixture:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease cookie sheet.
Beat butter until creamy. Add 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar, mixing well.
Beat egg and vanilla into the mixture. Slowly add flour and chopped pecans to the mixture.
Set dough in the refrigerator (or the icebox in Maggie’s day) for at least a half an hour to make it easier to handle.
While you’re waiting, mix the cinnamon sugar ingredients together with the 1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans.
When the dough is ready, roll into small balls and roll in cinnamon sugar/nut mixture.
Place a couple of inches apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes, only until slightly golden brown along the edges. Yield is approximately two dozen cookies.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 20
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 21
Books You Can Feel Good About, February 22
Life on Chickadee Lane, February 22
Devoted To Hope, February 23
Vicky Sluiter, February 23
Texas Book-aholic, February 24
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 25
ABBA’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 26
lakesidelivingsite, February 27
Betti Mace, February 28
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 29
Cover Lover Book Review, March 1
For Him and My Family, March 2
Holly’s Book Corner, March 3
Pause for Tales, March 4
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 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/2a256/secrets-and-wishes-celebration-tour-giveaway
Friday, February 16, 2024
Finally His Bride by Jody Hedlund
I became fully invested in the characters right away, and their lives growing up together in Manchester, England. Things got especially tough there and Willow's father signed her up to leave for a bride ship to Vancouver Island the next morning. Caleb couldn't take being separated from her so found a way to follow. I cared so much that I would have written them a story myself from there if necessary. But their story is beautiful as they both learn to grow and make a new life. Some very tense and dangerous times; can be hard to put down. Such a beautiful place to start over, with great opportunities to start a new and better life if you want to work hard. Excellent read. I highly recommend reading the Bride Ships series.
I received this book free from the author and Just Read Publicity Tours book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
While the City Sleeps by Elizabeth Camden
Friday, February 9, 2024
A Season of Harvest by Lauraine Snelling
About the Book
Book: A Season of Harvest
Author: Lauraine Snelling
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Can her dreams for the future–and a budding romance–survive the trouble that comes calling?
Larkspur Nielsen is determined to keep her family homestead running and to fulfill their dream of starting a seed catalog, with or without her siblings’ help. With Isaac McTavish back in town, Lark finds herself at odds with her own heart and her determination to shoulder the burden of carrying her responsibilities alone. But Isaac is set on convincing her that he’s here to stay and she doesn’t have to carry everything by herself.
As a new romance blossoms between Lilac and an old schoolmate and the other Nielsen sisters are busy caring for their families, Lark bears more and more responsibility on the farm. When a long-feared threat returns and Lark approaches the breaking point, the life she has always dreamed of is in danger of disappearing forever.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of nearly one-hundred books, fiction and nonfiction, for adults and young adults. Her books have sold more than five million copies. She makes her home in Tehachapi, California.
More from Lauraine
Please provide a brief summary of your new novel, A Season of Harvest.
Lauraine Snelling: With her three sisters all finding their own paths of life and love, Larkspur Nielsen determines to shoulder their family farm and business dream herself and stay single—even if drifter Isaac McTavish, claiming he’s back in town for good, now seeks her heart. When danger from the past comes knocking, Lark must choose whether to insist on going it alone or accept the love and support God—and Isaac—hold out.
Each of the previous books in your current series, Leah’s Garden, follows a different Neilsen sister as the main character. What led you to save Larkspur’s story for the series conclusion?
LS: I’d actually planned Larkspur’s story to be first since she’s the oldest. However, once The Seeds of Change started coming together, Forsythia took over the story! So the first book became hers.
Loyalty plays a key role in A Season of Harvest. Without giving spoilers, can you hint at why loyalty is at the core of the story?
LS: Loyalty threads through the whole series. These sisters are loyal to each other, to their friends, and to everyone they know. Through all the books, they take care of each other so faithfully. Even their initial departure from Ohio stems from drastic action they take to protect each other and their family. Loyalty then streams over into other characters in the series, especially Isaac McTavish, who really grows into loyalty in this book. Even our villain stays loyal to his purpose all the way through.
Which of the four Neilsen sisters do you personally resonate with the most?
LS: Truth be told, I resonate with each of them. But really, I tend to identify with whichever one I’m writing at the moment! 😊
A Season of Harvest returns to a major conflict from the first book in the series, The Seeds of Change. Was it always in your plan to circle back and address that conflict again in the series conclusion?
LS: It wasn’t always in our plan, but as the book came together, it became inevitable. One benefit of a great editor is that they sometimes contribute ideas, and my editor, Jessica Sharpe, pointed out how key it would be for Ringwald to confront Larkspur at the end of the series. As the book went on, it became so important to resolve that conflict, and we kept the villain in the stories just enough to keep readers from forgetting about him.
What do you hope readers learn or take away from this series?
LS: A reminder of how important our families are. The Nielsens stood by each other in so many crises, and that’s what I would hope readers take away—just a reminder of how important your family is and how absolutely critical faith in Christ is. Salton becomes a place of healing, a place for people to recover joy. That we have so many joys and things to learn in this life is a theme that weaves through all my books.
What led you to set these stories in the homesteading period? How was the setting important to the story you wanted to tell?
LS: It’s one of my favorite periods! The homesteading era was such a time of change and adventure. As for why Nebraska, I hadn’t set stories there very much yet. For Kiersti, it was special to join in on The Seeds of Change and get to write about Nebraska homesteaders living in a soddy because her great-grandfather, a son of Danish immigrants, was born in a soddy in Nebraska in the late 1800s.
Is this truly the last your readers will see of the Neilsen sisters and the rest of their community?
LS: As far as we know!
Now that you’ve wrapped up the Leah’s Garden series, what are you working on next?
LS: A series set in 1889 near Decorah, Iowa. Six-year-old Ruth and twenty-one-year-old Amalia are thrown together on a ship crossing over from Norway when their families die of cholera. Ruth’s dying mother gives her daughter into Amalia’s custody, and the two orphans travel to Iowa to take over the family boardinghouse Ruth will inherit. They must battle a greedy relative trying to claim the property and somehow make ends meet for the motley band of orphans who gather under their roof, while finding a way to make this new land home.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 5
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 6
Texas Book-aholic, February 7
The Avid Reader, February 7
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 8
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, February 9 (Author Interview)
Books You Can Feel Good About, February 9
She Lives to Read, February 10
Jeanette’s Thoughts, February 11
Mary Hake, February 11
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 12
For Him and My Family, February 13
Splashes of Joy, February 13
Holly’s Book Corner, February 14
Cover Lover Book Review, February 15
Connie’s History Classroom , February 16
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, February 16
Live. Love. Read., February 17
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, February 17
lakesidelivingsite, February 18
Pause for Tales, February 18
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Lauraine is giving away the grand prize package of a $15 Amazon gift card and a paperback set of all four books in the Leah’s Garden Series: The Seeds of Change, A Time to Bloom, Fields of Bounty, and A Season of Harvest!! (US Only)
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/29c4f/a-season-of-harvest-celebration-tour-giveaway