Category: Litfuse blog tour

In Keeper of the Stars, it’s not always love at first sight, sometimes we have to heal ourselves and forgive the past to feel love.

About Keeper of the Stars

When her mother died from pneumonia, Penny Cartwright was heartbroken. But now, after burying her younger brother just 12 years later, she is devastated. Anger, guilt, and sorrow cloud Penny’s mind, and the last thing she wants is to be reminded of her pain–but that’s exactly what happens when a stranger comes to town.

Trevor Reynolds has been chasing fame for more than a dozen years, but his musical career can’t get off the ground. While on the road, an accident kills his young drummer, Brad Cartwright. Trevor wasn’t behind the wheel, but he still blames himself . . . and so does Brad’s sister, Penny. Now Trevor finds himself in Kings Meadow, determined to follow through on his final promise to his friend.

Still feeling the pain of Brad’s death, Penny and Trevor must learn that forgiveness is the only thing that can heal their hearts. And if they do forgive, something beautiful may rise from the ashes of heartbreak.

My Thoughts

An extremely powerful, touching story of faith, forgiveness and healing. My heart was so sore for Penny, the pain she must have felt going through so much loss. She carries so much resentment and pain in her heart and lashes out at certain people who she feels are the cause of her pain, such as Trevor.

Trevor, who made a vow to visit Kings Meadow to his dying friend, has no idea what he is doing in Kings Meadow. He doesn’t feel like he belongs and doesn’t know quite how to act in such a different environment the small town of Kings Meadow is. He finds that he is more at peace in this small town then he has ever been in Nashville. He actually becomes close to God and finds his faith, not the faith that he grew up with (going to Church for show) but the faith that you feel deep in your heart, a faith of love, trust, hope and belief in God.

Their characters evolve and continuously grow throughout the novel. They may take two steps forward and one step back but we see this constant test of faith, hope and small acts of love. Keeper of the Stars was an awesome book from start to finish.

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

Rating:5/5

About the Author

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heart-warming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, two RT Career Achievement Awards, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over sixty novels.

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

In Beyond The Silence, the shadows over this olive grove hide more than just the truth.

About Beyond The Silence

Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother’s dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. Murky rumors swirl around Woodward Colton, her new employer, but the gossip doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know.

Still, something dark did happen in the family’s past. Lillian’s seven-year-old charge hasn’t spoken in over a year. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he’ll one day feel safe enough to share what scared him. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. When the housekeeper is brutally attacked, the town once again suspects the worst. Will discovering the truth help Lillian clear the name of the man she has come to love–or will it endanger her even more?

My Thoughts

In this story we have several key characters and stories woven around them. We have Lillian who yearns for independence and freedom – to follow her parents dream. This dream forces her to defy the only family she has known and head out on her own (something not heard of much in those days!). She is forced to learn about herself and simple life skills she never had to deal with being from a wealthy family.
Woodward Colton her new employer has been plagued by vicious rumours and a terrible tragedy. The small town he lives in is awful to him and we witness this through out the story and how he holds his head above it all. The worst tragedy for him is that his son will no longer speak due to the family’s past tragedy.

It is this history that is brought to the forefront of the story as the novel progresses. We learn more about the past and how it is woven  into the future. We watch our characters grow in emotional and spiritual strength as they cling together in order to make it through the most difficult times that they have ever faced. Beyond The Silence was a fantastic story from start to finish, that I just could not (and did not want to!) put down.

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

Rating: 5/5

About The Authors

Kimberley Woodhouse is a multipublished author of fiction and nonfiction. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared her theme of Joy Through Trials with over 150,000 people at more than a thousand venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two awesome teens live in Colorado.

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

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

In Mermaid Moon, Mallory’s Mom may have died fifteen years ago but her Father’s last words to her were, “find your Mother”.

About Mermaid Moon

Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point.

Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart and left without a word, years ago.

When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie, their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye.

As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer, it is also about finding herself again and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

My Thoughts

Exciting and spine tingling adventure awaits you in Mermaid Moon! I could not put this book down once I started reading it because I did not want to miss anything!

The novel starts off slower as we find out about Mallory’s Dads passing and how her relationship was somewhat strained between Mallory and Kevin as well as her family. Mallory had left Mermaid Point with no intention of ever coming back. Her Father’s death opens up almost a can of worms! Some were so shocking that I couldn’t stop reading because I just couldn’t believe how the story was developing. Every turn of the page was exciting and adventure full! This novel does not disappoint at all. It is full of suspense, adventure, romance and more.

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

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including Tidewater Inn, Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies.

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

In At Love’s Bidding, she sells priceless antiques. He sells livestock by the pound. Is he really the man to make a bid for her heart?

About At Love’s Bidding

After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she’s accidentally sold a powerful family’s prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the people who could ruin them forever, they track it to the Missouri Ozarks and make an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house and all its holdings before the painting can move again.

Upon crossing the country, however, Miranda and her grandfather discover their new auction house doesn’t deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And it’s frustratingly handsome manager, Wyatt Ballentine, is annoyed to discover his fussy new bosses don’t know a thing about the business he’s single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more heads of cattle than they can count but no mysterious painting Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try to prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

My Thoughts

A historical novel set in a time where a young lady such as Miranda, had very few options for her future. Her interests lie in her family’s auction business but this is not a position that society would see her in. She is not quite wealthy enough to be accepted by ‘polite’ society but too far above the lower class. What sets Miranda above others though is her compassion and kindness, she would do anything for anyone even at the expense of her own pride and happiness.

When she tries to set right an accident that her Grandfather made, she meets the frustrating and mysterious Wyatt, whom we later learn has many more secrets than she would believe. Together they find a partnership and friendship but could it ever be anything more? If society had its way, they would never be together but can they truly break these bonds?

At Love’s Bidding is romantic, sweet, funny and heartbreaking (with the slow decline of Miranda’s Grandfather). It is hard to know whether their story will be one of happiness or of a heartbreak but every minute is worth it!

You can find more reviews on At Love’s Bidding on the Litfuse Blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She is the author of A Most Inconvenient Marriage, Sixty Acres and a Bride, and Caught in the Middle, and contributed a novella to A Match Made in Texas. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She now lives outside Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with her husband and four children.

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

In Whispers in the Reading Room Lydia’s job at the library is her world, until a mysterious patron catches her eye and perhaps her heart.

About Whispers in the Reading Room

Just months after the closure of the Chicago World’s Fair, librarian Lydia Bancroft finds herself fascinated by a mysterious dark-haired and dark-eyed patron. He has never given her his name; he actually never speaks to a single person. All she knows about him is that he loves books as much as she does.

Only when he rescues her in the lobby of the Hartman Hotel does she discover that his name is Sebastian Marks. She also discovers that he lives at the top of the prestigious hotel and that most everyone in Chicago is intrigued by him.

Lydia and Sebastian form a fragile friendship, but when she discovers that Mr. Marks isn’t merely a very wealthy gentleman, but also the proprietor of an infamous saloon and gambling club, she is shocked.

Lydia insists on visiting the club one fateful night and suddenly is a suspect to a murder. She must determine who she can trust, who is innocent, and if Sebastian Marks-the man so many people fear-is actually everything her heart believes him to be.

My Thoughts

Our two main characters in this novel are so very different but at the same time so much alike in their fondness of books and the escape they provide. Sebastian is not all he appears to be but at the same time there is such a sweet side to him that wants to come out. He wants to be what Lydia needs him to be but he is just not too sure how he can this way. He allows his past to predict his future and couldn’t be more wrong.

I love Lydia’s character, she is strong but so unsure of herself at the same time. She is refreshingly kind-hearted and open. She would do anything for those around her, even at the expense of her own happiness. Her story is not a sweet, kind life but one of hardships and an upwards battle.

Whispers in the Reading Room is a fantastic read from start to finish that will leaving you hoping and praying for Lydia to have strength and to finally receive all that she deserves for her kindness.

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

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Colorado and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.

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