Friday, August 30, 2024

Weaving Roots (A Gathering of Mercies Book 1) by Heather Wood

 



I fell in love with these characters in the first chapter. They're Irish, you have to. I felt comfortable with the deep faith foundation of the story. Betha and her brother spin and weave flax into linen in their own home, a generational skill handed down. Colm is a teacher for boys where they follow strict guidelines. These are people who are deeply rooted in their faith and His guidance in their lives. They have personal struggles with family, raising a young man and where their professions would take them, infused with love. Excellent read, fully developed.

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.

#WeavingRoots #HeatherWood #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistorical #WoodmarkPress



About the Book

Book: Weaving Roots

Author: Heather Wood

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction with Romance

Release date: June 25, 2024

Baltimore, 1828

Spinning. Turning flax to fine linen thread for her family’s weaving business keeps Betha’s hands occupied all day, but it’s the concerns spinning in her heart that never truly rest. How can she give her nephew Henry a secure, loving home when his father remains indifferent? How can she guide the boy who calls her “Ma” to know and follow the Lord for himself? And when past secrets and future changes collide, will she lose Henry altogether?

Colm Gallagher is passionate about teaching boys using innovative educational methods. But is his kind and thorough instruction enough if he is not allowed to give his students the ultimate truth of God’s Word? Confronted by his student Henry Young and the boy’s lovely but determined aunt, Colm considers if he has allowed practical considerations to outweigh his deepest-held beliefs.

Even as Betha and Colm are drawn to each other, family loyalties, financial pressures, and personal uncertainties push them further apart. Will the threads of their lives unravel or become knit together into something stronger?

Weaving linen is her family’s legacy. Weaving roots of truth and grace is her calling.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Heather Wood grew up in the Chicago suburbs, loving history, classic literature, writing stories, and Civil War reenacting. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Bible/Theology from Appalachian Bible College, she settled in Virginia with her husband David. Her early passions fuel her writing today, although she spends most of her days now working to infuse her love for God and good literature into the hearts of her four children.

 

 

 


More from Heather

I’ve gone through a lot of phases in my life. I’ve been involved in different hobbies and activities, only to have them fizzle out after a few years. So when I started writing, I thought it was the same thing—that it was another short-lived hobby and soon I would get back to my regular life.

My third book was about to be released when one day, it felt like God turned a light bulb on in my mind: This is what I’ve been preparing you to do all along. When I look back at my parents, my education, and the experiences of my life, I realized that God had specially equipped me to do exactly what I was doing: write Christian historical fiction about real American church history.

The epiphany was more scary than exciting. I’m a “one idea at a time” kind of author. I don’t have multiple projects going at once. I had no idea, as I went to publish my third book, if I would even be able to come up with a plot and characters for a fourth. Would I announce to my friends that this writing thing was here to stay only to find I never got another story idea? What about the sacrifices it would require of my husband and kids?

That was just in 2022. Releasing this summer is Weaving Roots, my fifth book and the first in a whole new series with entirely new characters. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series unfolds from the idea seeds God has planted! I regularly offer my writing up to God, willing to walk away if He were ever to ask me to do so. Until then, I will work diligently and trustingly at the work He has given me to do.

You see, while each book does start with an idea seed, it’s watered by real history. As I take my spark of inspiration to the history books, I delight in finding out what God was doing in the time and place I’m writing about. My plots grow up around the real people He used and the work He was doing (although I usually make people who really lived into minor characters at best. Most often, I merely refer to them off the page while using what I do know about them to inspire my characters). I always try to drop vivid characters into the world as it really existed and watch and see how they respond. I dig into Scriptures and the theologians and Christian thinkers of their era or the one before to round out my themes and take the book’s message deeper. As a result, I am always the first one who is convicted and challenged by the message God brings to my stories.

Weaving Roots introduces us to the father of the siblings in my Finding Home series when he was just ten years old in 1827. He’s a second-generation Irish immigrant in a family of linen weavers in Baltimore, more than a decade before the Irish Great Famine. To the best of my knowledge, no one in either Christian or general market fiction has written about this time, place, and people group. Not everything on the page will be what you expect, as this generation between Colonial and Civil War/ Victorian Americans was very unique in their beliefs, struggles, and priorities. Henry Young is brought to Baltimore by his father, who is looking for a fresh start for his son and himself. Henry soon finds that his new schoolmaster is not what he expects and his father has more major changes coming into his life.

I can’t wait to share Weaving Roots with you and see how God uses His words to bless and encourage you!

Blog Stops

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Heather is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback of Weaving Roots, a special handstitched bookmark and a sticker designed especially for Weaving Roots, a copy of The Virginia Housewife, an 1820s cookbook referenced in Weaving Roots, and a $15 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/2ddab/weaving-roots-celebration-tour-giveaway




My reviews

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

White Bird movie trailer

 


Wow looks like a powerful and important film! "You forget many things in life, but you never forget kindness." So true. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only the light can do that." Keeping the truth of the atrocities that happened in WW2, making it visible, may help to prevent it from happening again.

Synopsis: 

From the best-selling author of Wonder, the book that sparked a movement to “choose kind,” comes the inspirational next chapter. In WHITE BIRD, we follow Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman. To transform his life, Julian’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage — during her youth in Nazi-occupied France, a boy shelters her from mortal danger. They find first love in a stunning, magical world of their own creation, while the boy’s mother (Gillian Anderson) risks everything to keep her safe. From director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin), screenwriter Mark Bomback, and based on R.J. Palacio’s book, WHITE BIRD, like Wonder before it, is an uplifting movie about how one act of kindness can live on forever.

Release Date: 10/4

#WhiteBirdMIN #MomentumInfluencers #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iInOdzyBikw

Website: https://whitebird.movie/

Monday, August 26, 2024

Meeting Her Match by Jen Turano

 

A lovely laughing out loud story to keep you company as well as any friend. Wonderfully endearing characters. Camilla has taken on more than she realized when she agrees to help Owen. After an attempted kidnapping she travels to his home in Virginia and his not-so-formal family. A lady of the Four Hundred meets a family still in touch with its roots, and learns a bit along the way. Fabulous read!! 

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#MeetingHerMatch #JenTurano #BethanyHousePublishers #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #FiveStarNovel #ChristianHistoricalFiction #ChristianHistoricalRomance

Description: Miss Camilla Pierpont, a renowned matchmaker and influential member of the New York Four Hundred, has vowed never to marry after suffering a devastating heartbreak during her debut years ago. However, when she is nearly abducted along the Hudson River, she finds herself rescued by an annoyingly outspoken, albeit fascinating, gentleman who challenges her in a manner she wasn't expecting.

After learning that Camilla Pierpont has enjoyed success with taking wayward young ladies in hand, Mr. Owen Chesterfield travels to the Hudson River Valley determined to convince Camilla to sponsor his sister, who is in desperate need of social rehabilitation.

Knowing her life is in danger, Camilla agrees to Owen's proposition and travels with him to West Virginia, finding herself charmed by the less-than-formal attitude of his small hometown, as well as by Owen himself. But danger waits in the shadows, disrupting what she knows would be the most spectacular match she's ever made--her own.

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/ or visit her on the web at www.jenturano.com. She is represented by the Natasha Kern Literary Agency.



My reviews

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Average Joe tickets on sale now

 

This is a powerful film about the importance of believers standing up for our freedoms as Christians in America!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

About Average Joe
High school football coach Joe Kennedy had no other choice but to fight. A childhood in foster care followed by 20 years in the Marine Corps was nothing compared to his biggest battle: his commitment to stand for God publicly by taking a knee in prayer after each game. When he was fired, Joe and his wife Denise knew this battle for religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the rights of all Americans was one they would have to fight—no matter the cost.

From the director and producers of God’s Not Dead and the producers of The Blind comes AVERAGE JOE, in theaters beginning October 11.

Buy Tickets: https://momentuminfluencers.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fa294e9cfc078eecabbec8f4&id=89595c318f&e=8178308bbe

hashtagaveragejoemin hashtagMomentumInfluencerNetwork hashtagBooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

The Enchanting of Miss Elliot (Aprons and Veils: Book Three) by Grace Hitchcock

 


The Harvey Girls, the ladies who tamed the Wild West with fine china, good pie, and exceptional service with complete propriety.

I really like the Harvey Girl stories. This one is about Lorna, a tough ranch girl who has had a crush on Gaston (who is now a sheriff) for some time. She a accepts a dare from her brother to become a Harvey Girl and sets out to become independent as well as distance herself from unrequited love. The Death Rider gang has escaped and is out for revenge. As usual a tumultuous tale with sweetness, danger, conflict and love bundled in. Lorna finally finds friends that she never had before. Beautifully wrapped up with openings for continued stories. A story where you can fall in love with the characters and sigh over. 
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.

#TheEnchantingOfMissElliott #GraceHitchcock #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalFiction #ValmontHousePublishers




About the Book

Book: The Enchanting of Miss Elliot (Aprons and Veils: Book Three)

Author: Grace Hitchcock

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: July 29, 2024

She thought he was her forever—he had other plans.

Of all the dares Lorna Elliot had accepted, becoming a Harvey Girl waitress was by far the dumbest—and she’d pulled some pretty foolhardy antics. Her back was sore. Her feet were swollen. And she had done it to herself in a fit of pique over a Texas Ranger who was mooning over another woman. Lorna had longed for distraction at the time, but after weeks of training, she might keel over and die in the middle of the dining room floor with a plate of apple pie in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. But, she’s an Elliot. And Elliot’s never quit. The only thing she’d ever quit was attempting to win Ranger Reid and now that he’s the new sheriff in her hometown, it’s going to be impossible for her to move on unless she takes control of her heart—for better, or for worse.

Sheriff Reid had never wanted to settle down until he had fallen hard for a runaway mail-order bride turned Harvey Girl who chose another. When news of an outlaw’s escape lands on his desk, he eagerly rides out in pursuit all the way to Topeka and overhears the outlaw’s plans that revolve around the wealthy Elliot family and their daughter, Lorna. It’s up to Reid to see his childhood friend safe . . . despite Lorna insisting that she can protect herself without him.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple his­torical novels and novellas, including the American Royalty, True Colors, and Aprons & Veils series. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives on the Northshore of New Orleans, with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter in a cottage that is always filled with the sounds of sweet little footsteps running at full speed. When not writing, or chasing babies, she’s baking something delightful and can usually be found with a book clutched in her fist.

 

 

 

More from Grace

Q & A with Grace Hitchcock

Q: What is your favorite trope to read? Which of your books have that trope?

To name a few, I love stories about marriage of convenience, fake dating, mail-order brides, runaway brides, and enemies to lovers. In my books, I do have some of those tropes, but I adjust them to fit my story

My Harvey Girl books by tropes:

Runaway Bride: The Finding of Miss Fairfield

Mail-Order Bride: The Pursuit of Miss Parish

Friends to Lovers/Fake Dating: The Enchanting of Miss Elliot

I’d love to write an enemies-to-lovers trope in the future!

Q: Have you ever been asked to spice up, or down, a kissing scene? How did you do it?

For my May release, To Catch a Coronet, the editor challenged me to make the kissing scene longer and more romantic. Haha it took me my entire writing session that day to make the short scene two paragraphs longer in order to make the kissing more swoon-worthy, while still staying true to the level of affection I have in my books. With that critique in mind, I attempted to add a bit more “swoon” in The Enchanting of Miss Elliot as well.

Q: What historical novel has most impacted you? How?

Grace: I feel like every season, there is a novel that touches me. The one that stuck the longest has to be Tracie Peterson’s Westward Chronicles (a Harvey Girl series). They are moving, unique tales that inspired me to write my own Harvey Girls series! I re-read the Westward Chronicles every few years.

Q: How does your faith integrate into your writing in practical ways? 

Grace: No matter how subtle my theme or short the verses, my stories will always point the reader to the Lord. Usually, whatever I am personally learning spiritually while writing impacts my heroine/hero in some way.

For The Enchanting of Miss Elliot, the heroine, a firm believer, is despairing that God will not give her the desires of her heart and sets out to find a new future and a re-directing of her heart. It’s a very realistic struggle, and the reader can see through the story the beauty of trusting God in our daily walk and with our biggest dreams.

Q: What’s your life like outside of writing?

Grace: Besides reading at least one to two books a week, I love to take long walks to the park with my family, exercise on my bike, plan the family’s next travel adventure, and try new baking challenges. As a wife and mama of three, I usually have some happy recipients for the new recipe.

Q: Will there be more Harvey Girl books from you?

Grace: Yes! I am currently working on Book Four in the Aprons & Veils series, The Vanishing of Miss Victoria. It will release mid-2025.

About The Vanishing of Miss Victoria:

Love got her into this mess—never loving again would get her out.

Corinna Victoria Roberts had never been lucky—not in her choice of husband, or her lot in life after the man she’d eloped with had promptly abandoned her, taking her gold and jewels with him. When her husband’s thieving, lawless relatives show up at her door announcing his death and demanding that her late father’s restaurant empire be signed over to them, her life is in danger. She flees to take a position no one expects of her—as a Harvey Girl waitress in New Mexico.

Tanner Sterling has hunted his last bounty. As the new foreman on his friend’s ranch, he wasn’t expecting to rescue a Harvey Girl from a raging river his first day. He is intrigued by the shy beauty and becomes friends with Corinna over many meals at the Harvey House. But, when a picture of her on a wanted poster with a massive bounty arrives in Tanner’s mail, everything he knows about Corinna shifts. If he doesn’t claim the bounty on her head, he knows far less honorable men who would love to ride off with the stunning Harvey Girl. Despite wanting to hang up his past along with his gun belt, Tanner will do anything to protect Corinna from the coming storm.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 16
Pens Pages & Pulses, August 16
Melissa’s Bookshelf, August 17
Karen Baney Reviews, August 17
Bizwings Book Blog, August 18
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 18
Texas Book-aholic, August 19
Devoted To Hope, August 19
lakesidelivingsite, August 20
Hannahbandanarama, August 20
Locks, Hooks and Books, August 21
Happily Managing a Household of Boys , August 21
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 22
Books You Can Feel Good About, August 22
Betti Mace, August 23
Book Looks by Lisa, August 23
Simple Harvest Reads, August 24 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
For Him and My Family, August 24
Jeanette’s Thoughts, August 25
Mary Hake, August 25
Connie’s History Classroom, August 26
Labor Not in Vain, August 27
Cover Lover Book Review, August 28
Holly’s Book Corner, August 28
Pause for Tales, August 29
Lights in a Dark World, August 29

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving to two winners an autographed copy of The Pursuit of Miss Parish each!!

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/2ddaa/the-enchanting-of-miss-elliot-celebration-tour-giveaway






My reviews

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Average Joe movie trailer

 


"Guess you know where this is going . . ."
Another great movie coming out about how we can all make a difference. Joe Kennedy is berated for praying on the football field, and stands up for himself, for his freedoms and rights. This brings on hate messages and makes their lives miserable. It's also another of God's twists for his life considering how he started out. Looks like a really good movie for everyone to watch and share about.
#AverageJoeMIN #MomentumInfluencers #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #FathomEvents

Tickets on sale now at: www.AverageJoeMovie.com Official Website: www.averagejoemovie.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/averagejoemovie Instagram: www.instagram.com/averagejoemovie X: www.x.com/averagejoe_film TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@averagejoemovie #AverageJoe #AverageJoeTheMovie #AverageJoe2024 #CoachKennedy #PrayingCoach #Faith #FirstAmendment #ConstitutionalRights #AverageJoeTrailer #AverageJoeMovieTrailer #movietrailer2024 #MovieTrailer

Synopsis: 
High school football coach Joe Kennedy had no other choice but to fight. A childhood in foster care followed by 20 years in the Marine Corps was nothing compared to his biggest battle: his commitment to stand for God publicly by taking a knee in prayer after each game. When he was fired, Joe and his wife Denise knew this battle for religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the rights of all Americans was one they would have to fight—no matter the cost. From the director and producers of God’s Not Dead and the producers of The Blind comes AVERAGE JOE, in theaters beginning October 11.

Release Date:
10/11
  • Official TrailerLINK
  • Please LIKE and COMMENT ON the Official Trailer: LINK 

Friday, August 9, 2024

The Women of Wynton's: A Classy 1950s Mystery by Donna Mumma

 


What a great story to get wrapped up in. I love the 1950s setting. 3d characters, women who work at the store, each with different backgrounds, who see each other's gifts and strengths and come together to solve a mystery that has impact on them all. Murder and subterfuge surround them, yet they are all grateful for the store and the support they receive from each other. So hard to put down. The mystery snowballs until you just have to know what happens next, all while rooting for these girls. Another fave story!

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.

#TheWomenOfWyntons #DonnaMumma #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianMystery&Suspense #BarbourFiction 



About the Book

Book: The Women of Wynton’s

Author: Donna Mumma

Genre: Mystery/Christian Fiction

Release date: July, 2024

Mid-Century Glam Meets Murder Mayhem

Get swept away to the glamor of a 1950’s department store where four women’s loyalties, vanity, friendship, and detective skills are put to the test.

Audrey Penault once led a glamorous life as a model but now works as devoted secretary to Mr. Wynton. To her fellow employees, she is too vain and uppity.

Mary Jo Johnson, a wife and mother, longs to find her worth in the cosmetics department, but it may take a while for the shy housewife to discover her voice.

Vivian Sheffield owns and runs the bridal salon within Wynton’s. She is proud of her accomplishments and won’t let anyone take them away.

Gigi Woodard dislikes her job as waitress in the store’s lunchroom, but she is determined not to let her secret shortcomings cause her to lose the position.

These four women have much to dislike about each other, but they unanimously agree that Mr. Wynton is the best of employers and must be protected at all costs from someone who seems determined to see him gone for good. When other employee deaths occur, can the women band together to solve the murders, or will they discover it is one of their own bent on destroying Wynton’s from within?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Donna Mumma perfected storytelling in her first grade classroom, spinning tales exciting enough to settle a roomful of antsy six-year-olds. She is an award winning author who loves to blend history, mystery, and a dash of hope in stories that explore ordinary people who learn extraordinary life lessons. Donna is an active member of Word Weavers International, serving as president for the Tampa chapter as well as a mentor for chapters around the country. She was recognized as the Word Weavers traditional groups president and mentor of the year in 2022. She also serves as a line editor and contributor for Inskpirationsonline.com, a site featuring devotions written for writers by writers. An avid believer in education, Donna earned her M. Ed in elementary education and writes educational blogs and articles to assist teachers overseas for the International School Project. A native Floridian, she loves sharing life with her husband and her energetic collie, Duke.

More from Donna

Two models posed in red, flowy iconic 50’s dresses, white gloves, and classy hats. Perfect makeup and hair. Years ago, this picture hung in the dressing rooms of my favorite clothing store.

I was hooked.

Every time I entered the store, I’d walk to the dressing rooms to stare at the picture whether I had something to try on or not. There was something about that image that drew me in.

A few years later, I happened upon the same picture from the store on a social media page I’d joined featuring fashions from the 1950’s. I discovered my beloved photo came from a cover of Vogue magazine issued in 1955.

Then my imagination started churning. Every movie I’d watched with Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Kim Novak came to mind. I pictured four women, wearing the classy, tailored suits, full-skirted dresses, and the beautiful gowns from the 50’s. They were going to work in a department store because I grew up on a dairy farm, way out in the country of central Florida, and the big department stores like Burdines, Maas Brothers, and Robinsons were the most glamourous, luxurious places I’d ever seen.

These women were going to have to deal with a few murders. And the fact they don’t care much for each other.

As I researched, departments stores, history, fashion, and life in Florida in the 1950’s these characters came alive. First was Audrey, a former fashion model and the personal secretary to the owner of Wynton’s Department Store who may be the most hated woman around town. Miss Vivien, the owner and designer for Wynton’s bridal salon, who fights being set aside because she’s growing older. Mary Jo, a young wife and mother who longs to be at home but must take a job at Wynton’s to save her family. Lastly, Gigi, a girl who’s tired of the tough breaks in her life and hopes a new job at Wynton’s will bring her better fortune.

I wanted their experiences in the story to be true-to-life for that period and drew from stories and memories my own mother shared with me when I was growing up. I had so much fun writing about The Women of Wynton’s as they worked their way through mayhem, murders, and a Christmas parade, but also learned much about the women in this period of history. It is my hope my readers will too.

Blog Stops

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Donna is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and a print 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/2d090/the-women-of-wynton-s-celebration-tour-giveaway





My reviews