Author: cvegnad

May 22, 2017

True to You Book Review

True to You is the exciting start of a brand-new series by a contemporary romance fan favorite!

About True to You

After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.

Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when he’s diagnosed with an inherited condition, he’s forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother.

The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, John’s already dating someone and Nora’s not sure she’s ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers they’re seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another.

My Thoughts

I absolutely fell in love with this charming novel! We have sweet and kind Nora, who has given up on romance but still feels the tug at her heart for someone to love her and love them back. She just lacks the confidence in herself! Then she meets the handsome, strong, adventurous John – who is her complete opposite but who attracts her in every way.

He confides the tip of an important secret with her and together they set out to find his birth mother in a race against time. While working together both develop feelings for each other! They are both shy and unsure about these feelings and it was heart warming to watch them realize their feelings and how it developed throughout the novel. We watch as they struggle, learn to accept and try to learn to move forward.

I loved watching Nora blossom as both a person and a woman. She started off shy and so unsure of herself. As the novel continues, she becomes more confident in herself and fights to get over her fear of romance. It was so lovely to see her grow and I found myself keeping my fingers crossed for her! You can’t just help but fall in love with her.

This was a truly lovely novel that had me giggling, praying and hoping for the best. A great weekend read!

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page here. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Becky Wade is a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance! She’s the Carol Award, INSPY Award, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 22, 2017

Deceiving Bella Book Spotlight

Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

About Deceiving Bella

Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.

Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.

Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iTunes.

About the Author

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full length novel.

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Disclosure: This is a spotlight post, I did not receive compensation for this post.

May 18, 2017

Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet

Since moving into our home four years ago, I have found a love of gardening. There is something so satisfying about growing your own vegetables! My only trouble? The limited space we have! Which I am sure so many of you can relate to. We have had to learn how to take advantage of every space and planter I can get my hands on. Grow All You Can Eat in Three Square Feet is all the help you will ever need to achieve your gardening goals!

About Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet

Want to grow your own vegetables and food, but don’t have enough space for a garden? Don’t let lack of space get in the way of growing healthy, organic foods at home. Apartment dwellers, schoolteachers, and anyone else who wants to grow a lot of food in a little space will find a great small garden resource in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet.

Small-space gardeners, find your start in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet, packed with information on window boxes, potted plants, patio gardening, raised beds, small square-foot gardening, container gardening, and everything else related to growing your own small garden. Whether you want to grow a full garden, grow tomatoes, grow a herb garden, or just pick up great tips for small gardens, Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet is the resource you need.

My Thoughts

This is an excellent guide for those new to gardening and want to maximize their space – either in an urban setting or those with a smaller outside space. The book covers all the basics (and most important aspects): know your plot, know what you want to grow and how to maximize your harvest.

The basics are covered in the beginning: knowing your soil, how lights affects your crop, watering and what you grow your harvest in. My favourite part of this book is how to maximize your space. I was always nervous about not having space to grow enough of my vegetables so I always stuck to tomatoes and spinach. This book showed me how to take advantage of pots (which to be honest I was always cautious to use) and how to arrange them in a visually appealing way. The bonus? What to plant in spring/summer in pots so that you can fully utilize your pots to grow harvests throughout the best months! They have taken the hard work out for you and matched the crops to grow in each period. That is one of the best parts in this book – they help you with the planning of what to grow and what plants grow well together and in what spaces. Planning your crop appropriately is just as important as how you take care of it! I still remember the first year I planted too many tomato plants and a zucchini plant right next to it – it looked like a jungle! The back of the book contains a resource of common crops, pests, diseases and weeds as well as how to deal with them.

This book is a great resource for those starting to plan out their garden and want to maximize all of the available space to them. It helps you plan, organize and continue to grow a great harvest all through the spring and summer months. A must have for gardeners!

You can purchase a copy of Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet here.

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 15, 2017

Sovereignty Book Review

I used to think I knew all the answers; now I no longer even know the questions. – Goro

About Sovereignty

Under the totalitarian reign of the 23rd century’s world’s government- The Sovereign Regime- control is made possible by the identity chip implanted in every human being, recording everything that is seen, done, and experienced.

No more bank accounts.
No more smart phones.
No more secrets.

When Goro inadvertently overhears an exchange of sensitive information, causing him to confront the truth about his world and prompting him to choose his true loyalties, his dream of revolution kicks into high gear. Goro doesn’t know he has covert intel in his possession both the SR and the resistance movement are desperate to acquire.

Determined to attempt the impossible task of bringing down the world government, he and his closest friends gain access to the key to ultimately deciding who has sovereignty.

But who will get to Goro first: The resistance or the Sovereign Regime?

My Thoughts

Welcome to a whole new world in the future, where the government has complete control. They can track your every step, every purchase, every intimate moment of your life all with a little chip in your arm. No conversation is safe – not even in your own home. Scary right? Even scarier that the people have no control to stand up as harsh military punishments await any person who breaks the rules (no matter how small).

It is in this backdrop, we meet Goro. Goro is a young man who seems to have what any teenager needs – just not the freedom to live the way he wants to. He is full of spunk, adventure and quick to act without sometimes thinking. In one horrific moment, his life is changed forever – he becomes a wanted man both by the government and by the resistance. Without realizing it, he carries the key to possibly defeating the government. This was a plan set in motion long before his birth.

The intensity steps up at this point in the novel and we are introduced to the world of the resistance: training, intelligence and new relationships. Goro has to face his past and decide what his future will be.

The novel is well written and while slower paced at the beginning, the novel really takes off about halfway through the book. There is some mild language and violence so I would definitely recommend it for an older youth and adult.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 4/5

Book Trailer

About the Author

With master’s degrees in education, special education, and counseling, Anjenique “Jen” Hughes is a high school English and math teacher who loves teaching and mentoring young people. She enjoys traveling and has worked with youth on five continents. Saying she is “young at heart” is an understatement; she is fluent in sarcasm, breaks eardrums with her teacher voice (students have complained when they were within earshot), and cracks sarcastic jokes with the best of her students. Her work with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse youth has inspired her to write books that appeal to a broad variety of students seeking stories of bravery, perseverance, loyalty, and success.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 15, 2017

Waves of Murder Book Spotlight

School’s out for the summer!

About Waves of Murder

Kindergarten teacher, Fiona Quinn is looking forward to spending some quality time in her yard and with her boyfriend, Detective Nathan Landry. However, Fiona’s plans get squelched when her mother volunteers her to edit a manuscript for famous romance author, Wyla Parkes.

What’s so bad about that? The author insists Fiona must work on the manuscript at her beach cottage on Presque Isle–three hours away from her yard and Nathan. Spending six weeks in an adorable cottage on a private beach doesn’t really seem all that bad until people start turning up dead—beginning with the author! Fiona’s summer of sun and sand is instantly transformed into a murder investigation. Can Fiona and Nathan crack the case or will the murderer get away on a wave of deceit?

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. She was a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. Now she adds the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series for her young granddaughters, and has found that so many adults love them too.

Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: This is a spotlight post, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.