Category: Litfuse

In Love Arrives in Pieces, Stella was known for so long for her beauty. Now she must find herself.

About Love Arrives in Pieces

Former pageant queen, Stella, doesn’t trust beauty after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led her into brokenness, so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things but always falls short. She keeps her passion for art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. If she does not get another job soon, she will be stuck living with her parents for a long time.

Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancée. He lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down that he will fall apart. He returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town’s old theatre and is shocked to discover that the designer is his old flame, Stella.

Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and past as they struggle to compromise and work together. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their past and their unresolved feelings for each other, until Chase discovers the hidden parts of Stella while losing her trust in the process.

A near catastrophe, a fire and a small town gossip mill finally force them to realize that they have a choice, to hold on to their past or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from brokenness.

My Thoughts

Love Arrives in Pieces is a beautiful extension of another favourite book of my mine, All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes. In this novel, we get to meet Stella, Kat’s sister. She is a beautiful woman both inside and out but has been broken inside and no longer feels beautiful. She wants to hide her beauty as she feels as though that is all any one sees. No one sees the inside, the part that is less than pretty never less want to stay with her. They toss away the broken pieces because they are seen as ugly and not pretty enough to be kept around.

It was beautiful to watch Stella grow in this novel. She faces her fears sometimes head on and at other times she hides in denial. Stella needs to realize that in order to heal from the inside out, she must accept all the broken pieces of her life (her divorce, her pain, her pageant life) and move forward.

Love Arrives in Pieces is more than just a romance, it is a beautiful portrayal of how you can overcome the worst moments in your life if you can accept the broken pieces that make you who you are.

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

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

In Summer’s List, a dying wish alters the course of a young woman’s life.

About Summer’s List

Life has not always been easy for Summer Snow. Through acts of selflessness, caring for her ailing parents and running her Grandmother’s bookstore, she had forfeited her youth and dreams for others. The only tries she had at love did not work out. She had the bookstore, her Granny but she was missing something or someone.

Opportunity strikes when her Grandmother sends her on an unexpected adventure with Martin Langtree, a kind but gangly young man from her past. A childhood friendship is restored, a romance is kindled and a mystery is solved. Will Summer strike out in love or will this be her chance?

My Thoughts

Summer has definitely not had an easy life, losing those that she held dear to her. These losses, which could have changed her outlook on life, only encouraged her to be a kinder, loving and caring person. She loves her Grandmother with all her heart and held on to her dream of running her book store. This was no ordinary book store but a gift from God to the children who came in. This was where they could go to read, to learn and for guidance.

Throughout the novel, Granny provides us with important life lessons (some that are directed towards Summer but can be directly applied to your own life!). These were important reminders for me especially at this time in my life. The friendship that is rekindled between Summer and Martin is wonderful. Both of them need each other more than they would ever know and cling to each other for support throughout the novel.

A touching novel from start to finish, that will make a perfect read throughout the summer months! You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Anita Higman has over thirty books published for adults and children. She has been a Barnes & Noble Author of the Month. She has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas and brunch with her friends.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Young women long for connections with women further along their journey. Without realizing it we can sometimes tend to distance ourselves from those younger than us.

About A Friend in Me

Can we have close relationships with women who have different thoughts on church, different family experiences, and different ways of talking about God? Where do we start?

In A Friend in Me, Pamela Havey Lau shows you how to be a safe place for young women in your life to come to. She offers five patterns women need to internalize and practice for initializing relationships and talking about issues of faith, forgiveness, sexuality and vocation. She reminds us that there does not need to be a divide by generations. Together, we can have a global impact and experience a deeper faith.

My Thoughts

We all crave close relationships, it is just a part of human nature. We want to learn from each other, feel a connection, know we are important and that our feelings matter. Sometimes, it can be hard to be a good friend and it can be even harder to cross the generations gaps.

A Friend in Me teaches us how not only to build relationships with other women but how to cross that gap. For myself, I value my relationships with my older co-workers. When I need advice they are the first people I will go to and lay it all out for. They not always agree or understand my choices but they can provide me feedback and advice. This advice has been learned from being there and already doing it. This is why these relationships are so important to young women. We can learn and grow from these relationships, while realizing no matter what the age gap we are all the same and experiencing the same things. My favourite part of the book focuses on the tone of our voices, which I know I am guilty of. Are we relaying what we truly feel in the tone of our voice? How would this make you feel if someone spoke to you like this? Pamela provides plenty of real experiences to get her point across as well as provide opportunity for growth and education. This is a great resource for all women to come back to over and over again.

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

Rating: 5/5

About Pamela Havey Lau

Pamela is the author of Soul Strength and numerous articles. She has taught writing at George Fox University and speaks around the country at conferences and retreats. A graduate of Liberal University and Colorado State University, she lives near Portland, Oregon with her husband and three daughters. You can connect with her online and on Twitter.

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

How can a marriage survive when they are separated by thousands of miles and a prison wall?

About As Waters Gone By

Emmalyn and Max may have to endure the battle of their life to mend the tattered fabrics of their marriage. His actions ensured she would never become a Mother and saw him put in prison. This gave their relationship a five-year time out. On a self-imposed exile to a remote and beautiful island, Emmalyn has just a few months left to figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again.

Nudged along by the owner of the Wild Iris Inn, a circle of misfit community members and a young girl who desperately needs someone to love her, Emmalyn restores an island cottage and her heart by learning what it means to love unconditionally. Yet, even as hope begins to find a place in the cottage walls, Emmalyn wonders if she is ready for Max’s release. She may be able to rebuild a cottage but can she rebuild a marriage?

My Thoughts

A very powerful, thought-provoking and intimate novel. The novel is full of pain, hope and forgiveness as well as important lessons for us all to apply to our daily lives. Emmalyn and Max both know pain. They have seen more than their own fair share. When they were forced to live separate lives for a mistake Max made (we only find out the reason half way through the book), Emmalyn struggles. She struggles with her own beliefs, her trust and her faith in the future. She feels alone and hopeless. How does she keep her marriage safe? How does she trust? How does she tell people what happened. You feel her pain through every turn of the page.

At the same time we feel her pain, we see forgiveness and hope. We meet all of these wonderful characters that draw her out of her darkness and show her hope. Both Emmalyn and Max discover their own strengths and our transformed from the start of the book.

As Waters Gone By is a truly uplifting story that reminds us to always look for hope in every situation.

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

Cynthia has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with Heartbeat of the Home. She currently serves as the Professional Relations Liaison for the American Christian Fiction Writers. You can connected with her online, Twitter and Facebook.

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

Can she forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves?

About Hearts Made Whole

After her father’s death, Caroline has grown confident in her role running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, this is not a role that woman are supposed to have so it is only a matter of time before they remove her from this position. This is despite Caroline having nowhere to go and no job available to her.

Ryan is a Civil War veteran, who is still haunted by the war. He has secured the position at the lighthouse and a chance to hide from his past. He was never expecting the current keeper of the lighthouse to be a fierce and beautiful young woman. When his personal failings endanger others, Caroline realizes he is no shape to run the lighthouse alone. Caroline feels drawn to his wounded soul but with both of them relying on this one position, can they look past their losses to a future full of hope?

My Thoughts

This is an incredible and beautiful story. We witness struggle, addiction, sexism and in the midst of all of this is hope. Hope is always there in each of the darkest moments in this story. Despite all the strong topics covered, the novel itself carries a lighter tone that is perfect to read anywhere and at any time.

Caroline is an incredible woman, living in a time that independence in a woman was frowned upon. Despite this we see her strength to stand up for what she believes in and how she will go to battle for her family (she is raising her siblings). Her love of family is what keeps her going and fighting.

The romance that slowly builds between these two main characters is beautiful. Caroline wants nothing more than to help Ryan but her feelings stem far beyond helping and protecting him. Caroline makes Ryan want to be a better man, the type of man he was before the Civil War. Both of them need each other but it is difficult for both of them to admit this.

Hearts Made Whole is a lovely read 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

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling historical fiction author. She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, the 2011 Award of Excellence and was a finalist for the Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards. Jody makes her home in Central Michigan with her husband and five children. You can find her online, Twitter and Facebook.

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