Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts

Monday, April 21, 2025

Land of Dreams (Home to Green Creek Series Book One) By Lauraine Snelling with Kiersti Giron

 



In 1889 on the ship coming to America from Norway Amelia lost her parents to cholera. The people staying by them also died, leaving her as legal guardian to their little daughter. Her obligation as guardian took her to Iowa, to the girl's inherited boarding house which had fallen into much disrepair. Their lives had been changed on the ship and now they faced many new challenges, but good people came into their lives as well. Hard work and loving hearts make all the difference as they form a new family and make a new life for themselves. They're wonderful people you'll quickly love and yet there are some you'll mistrust. Struggles, some heart wrenching times. Melting warmth. People you'd love to know and be neighbors with. Leaves you wanting more to the 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.

#LandofDreams #NetGalley #LauraineSnelling #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #BethanyFiction #ChristianHistoricalFiction #KierstiGiron



About the Book

 

Book: Land of Dreams (Home to Green Creek Series Book One)

Authors: Lauraine Snelling with Kiersti Giron

Genre: FICTION / Christian / Historical

Release date: April 1, 2025

From Norway to America, they must strive for resilience amid unpromising new beginnings.

On the ship to America, Norwegian immigrant Amalia Gunderson makes a solemn promise to a dying mother, vowing to watch over her five-year-old daughter, Ruth. Together, Amalia and Ruth trek to Iowa to claim the farm and former boardinghouse that Ruth has inherited, despite opposition from a difficult cousin. Struggling with an empty house and scarce resources, Amalia resolves to return the boardinghouse to its former purpose, aided by the kindness of strangers and the resilient spirit of her young charge.

As Amalia and Ruth fight for their new home, a trail of orphans shows up on their doorstep, and Amalia makes a promising friend in Absalom Karlsson, the magistrate’s son. With each challenge they face, Amalia and Ruth find hope in believing that faith and determination can overcome even the most daunting of trials.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author



Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of more than 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

Different stories come about different ways.  One of the things I’ve learned through these years of writing is the value of slowly waking up and paying attention to what was going on in my mind. I saw a young woman standing at the railing of a ship tossing on rough seas. A gray day. And I heard the splash as her father’s body sank into the waves. I sniffed, mopped my eyes and settled back, hopefully to sleep awhile longer. But the dream, if that was what it was, continued. A little girl named Rut, or Ruthie, joined Amalia at the rail, slipped her hand into the young woman’s and asked if she could please come, her mother wanted to see her. And my internal game of what if continued for these people on a cholera attacked ship from Norway to Amerika.

I knew a new story had begun but had no idea where it was going. As I said, I treasure that time between sleeping and waking when I can part the curtains to my subconscious mind and see what it has been playing with. What a gift God has created in us.

Around about the same time, something brought a story that one of my aunts on my father’s side told me when I asked her what she remembered of her growing up years. Auntie Harriet chuckled and asked, “Have you heard of the rutabaga years?” I shook my head and settled in to listen. They were a family of eleven children, my dad being the eldest, they lived in a big two story house with a huge garden, a flock of chickens and bad weather. Late spring freeze, early fall freeze and much of the produce killed off. All but the root crops, and rows of rutabagas. Many were dug and stored in the cellar, lots left in the ground, to be dug up later. Rutabagas can be fried, boiled, mashed, grated, turned into soup and stew, mixed with other vegetables, added to pancakes, even turned into pie. Ah, yes, the rutabaga years, Auntie Harriet said she didn’t particularly care for rutabagas for a long time after that. But in the mean time, they became part of Amalia and Ruthie’s new life at a big house Ruthie inherited in Green Creek. North and West of Decorah Iowa in 1819. Come join a delightful cast of characters in Land of Dreams.

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Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Lauraine is giving away the grand prize of a $25 gift card to the Baker Book House website and paperback copy of the book!!


Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54198


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Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Whatever It Takes: A Split-Time Sisters in Arms by Sarah Hanks

 



A dual time frame story with two sets of sisters who are going through very tough times, centering around families. Believably told, you feel like you get to know them and at times wish you could talk to them. One set is in present time, the other during the Civil War. Henrietta signs up to fight in the Civil War disguised as a man because they paid a good wage to men, not women, and she had to support her sisters. Very interesting points of view for each timeline situation and lots to learn about. Great read where you really just have to know how things will end.

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

#WhateverItTakesNovel #SarahHanks #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout  #SonFlowerBooks #ChristianHistoricalFiction @SarahHanks

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Saturday, February 8, 2025

An Appalachian Summer by Ann H. Gabhart

 


1933 Piper is a young debutante who wants to get away from the arranged marriage her father had put into motion and do something different. So she volunteered to act as a courier for a small hospital in the Appalachian Mountains, as a helper to the nurses. She wrestled with the fact that she still loved Jamie, who follows her there, hoping to write an article about the hospital and its unusual set up. Beautifully told, pulling you right in. Constant movement between the characters, working it all out. With faith all things come about to our good.

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

#AnAppalachianSummer #NetGalley #AnnHGabhart #ChristianHistoricalFiction #Revell #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Thursday, January 23, 2025

Americans With No Address Documentary

 


Never look down on someone else unless it's to give them a hand up.

This film shows the complexity of the homeless situation in our country, what's being done and what can be done. It is definitely moving and is well made. They also give you some ideas where you might help too.

Watch Americans With No Address today - Now Streaming on Prime Video!

Synopsis: Americans With No Address is a documentary that investigates the homeless crisis in America and captures the untold stories of those experiencing homelessness while at the same time trying to find answers to the problem.

Our hope is that Americans With No Address will challenge preconceptions about homelessness, prompt viewers to confront their biases, and inspire broader conversations about policy reform, community engagement, and empathy toward those experiencing homelessness. 

Most importantly, people experiencing homelessness often feel invisible—even just one interaction, like saying hello, can change someone's trajectory of life; please begin to see the human side of homelessness. 

YouTube trailer: Americans With No Address - TRAILER

Website: Americans With No Address Documentary | The Documentary

Rent/Buy Now: Watch Americans With No Address | Prime Video

Many thanks to Robert Craig Films for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own. 

#AmericansWithNoAddressMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork 

Giveaway: $10 Amazon giftcard 


(Note: This is limited to US winners only. Please submit your full name and email address by 1/28 via comments below. We will not be able to accept winners submitted after this date.) 








The Americans With No Address team is on a mission to raise awareness and offer solutions to homelessness in America. Through a comprehensive five-production approach, including the documentary "Americans With No Address" and the feature film "No Address," which will be coming to theaters nationwide on February 28th, we aim to break the cycle of homelessness. These two films are part of a broader effort to build empathy and compassion for those experiencing homelessness. In addition to these powerful films, we have the novelization of the award-winning screenplay, a soundtrack, and an interactive study guide that guides people who want to be part of the solution in their own community.  

• The Documentary came about first to ensure the accuracy of the “No Address” feature film; our production team toured the country for several weeks, visiting and filming interviews in 20 major cities across 18 states facing various rates of homelessness and interviewed over 175 people. Those interviews inspired the documentary "Americans With No Address," which captures the essence of what is causing the homeless crisis and portrays what solutions have been implemented and proven to show positive changes. 

• In the making of this documentary, the team witnessed firsthand the unbreakable spirit that thrives in the face of adversity. It deepened our understanding of homelessness and its complexities. 

• If one story could change your perspective, would you listen? 

• What can people do to help with this crisis?

 First, watching the documentary provides solution-based suggestions, and we highly suggest everyone visit www.AmericansWithNoAddress.com.  

• Second, as you will see in the documentary, we visited hundreds of nonprofits and organizations on the frontlines, providing resources and services to those experiencing homelessness with proven successful outcomes. We suggest you connect with one of these organizations in your community to share your time as a volunteer or make a financial donation.  

 


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Sunday, October 27, 2024

Return To The Wilderness by Andrea Byrd

 



Muireall is a talented seamstress, living at a fort in Kentucky. She is driven to find her sister, and happens across Jude, who is travelling to where she needs to go in the wilderness. They marry for convenience, each searching for answers, each holding something back about themselves. They face dangers on their journey, and they both fall back on their faith to see them through. Very hard to put down, very easy to become attached to them both. Excellent quick read.  

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.

#ReturnToTheWilderness #AndreaByrd #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #CelebrateLit #ChristianHistoricalRomance #WildHeartBooks


About the Book

Book: Return to the Wilderness

Author: Andrea Byrd

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: October 22, 2024

Two outcasts. One marriage of convenience. A love story forged in the fires of adversity.

Muireall Blair has finally found a comfortable life at Fort Harrod—until she experiences a recurring nightmare that warns of impending doom for her sister. Unable to shake the weight of foreboding, Muireall cannot sit idle anymore and risk the dream becoming a reality. With her near-sightedness a closely guarded secret, she seeks the help of Jude, a man with his own hidden past, to reach her sister.

Jude Browne has been gifted with a life of fighting for survival, not one of finding acceptance. Half-blinded as a youth, the scars across his face and the knowledge of his illegitimate birth serve as a reminder of his worthlessness. However, when his mother falls ill, she finally lays bare all the secrets she has kept all his life. Secrets that point to his one chance of finding who he truly is.

Jude and Muireall soon realize that a marriage of convenience is the key to reaching Pitman Station safely. But when their secrets unravel and danger closes in, will they succumb to the shadows of their pasts, or will they find the strength to forge a new future together?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Andrea Byrd is a Christian wife and mom located in rural Kentucky, who loves to spend time with her family in the great outdoors, one with nature. Often described as having been born outside her time, she has a deep affinity for an old-fashioned, natural lifestyle.

With a degree in Equine Health & Rehabilitation gathering dust and a full-time job tethering her to a desk eight hours a day, Andrea decided it was time to show both herself and her children that it is truly possible to make your dreams come true. Now with over 1,000 contemporary Christian romance novellas sold, Andrea is pursuing her passion of writing faith-filled romance woven with a thread of true history. 

More from Andrea

I love to read books that have historical facts, especially little-known ones, woven into their pages. Within my books, I strive to do the same and Return to the Wilderness is no exception.

This book comes in after the unrest of what some call the “Indian Wars,” in Kentucky. During that time, attacks by the native were frequent and brutal. Many of the Station Masters and long hunters in the area lost family members. If you read, Rescue in the Wilderness, you have seen a glimpse of this time and how devastating it could be.

Due to these attacks, stations and settlements were often abandoned. Sometimes the families returned after this time period came to an end and sometimes the buildings were simply left to deteriorate and become shells of a past time. I do not want to give any spoilers, but if you decide to read Return to the Wilderness, you will find out just how this little piece of history impacts the main character, Muireall (the sister from Redemption in the Wilderness).

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Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Andrea is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5474/





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Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Cami: Crafted with Love, book 8 by Sharon Srock

 


Cami has had a rough time of it. After recently finding her mother and grandmother, they now have both died. But she has the support of the craft group and some new family members and is beginning a new real life in the area. She has issues that people will leave her but is learning how to deal with that and gain confidence, and faith. Hers is an agonizing journey of trust. Easton is also struggling - to be a pastor and whether to use his God given talent or disobey his parents. Very believable people, wonderful support group and faith lessons.

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

#Cami #SharonSrock #CleanWholesomeRomance #contemporaryChristianfiction #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

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Wednesday, September 11, 2024

God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust

 


A big high five! In God we trust. Wonderful film where people and their faith are tried by fire.
For those whose eyes are open, you can see the contrast between good and evil, played out beautifully.
Very well written, perfectly acted. This film will enrich your faith and hopefully prompt people to
exercise their right to vote. Over 40 million Christians don't vote, over 15 million aren't even registered.
Do what's right - vote!!

#InGodWeTrustMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Giveaway: $10 Amazon giftcard
(Note: This is limited to US winners only. Please submit your full name and email address by 9/20. We will not be able to accept winners submitted after this date)

Many thanks to Pinnacle Peak Pictures for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

This film is more crucial than ever, especially during this election year. Be part of the conversation that’s igniting hearts and minds everywhere. This is more than a movie; it's a movement!

• Don't miss your chance to witness the inspirational and powerful story of "God's Not Dead: In God We Trust"! Experience the faith, hope, and triumph of this must-see film and be moved by the message to stand up and be heard in the public square.

• Pastor Dave reminds us that we have the greatest blessing in that we are children of the Living God, and as Americans, the greatest title in the world: citizens of the United States of America.

• The film is engaging with a captivating story and has a renowned cast that keeps the whole family entertained allowing families and friends to discuss how to engage in this current political climate with courage. Most importantly, this film that demonstrates that Christians should be optimistic, excited, and hopeful about the future.

• The film stars David A. R. White (GOD’S NOT DEAD, Evening Shade), Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy) Dean Cain (Lois & Clark), Samaire Armstrong, (The O.C.), Ray Wise (ROBO COP), Scott Baio (Happy Days), Charlene Tilton (Dallas), with guest appearances by Governor Mike Huckabee and Newsboys.

• God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust is in theaters Sept. 12th in association with Great American Pure Flix and Fathom

• This film is uplifting and relevant just like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was 85 years ago in that Pastor Dave approaches politics with moral courage, loves his country, stands up to corruption, and represents the principles that made America great and continue to make America great.


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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!

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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




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