Category: Litfuse

In Through the Shadows, as we see San Francisco rise from the ashes, an age-old battle looms between corruption and the promise of new beginnings.

About Through the Shadows

The devastating earthquake is just two years past, but the city of San Francisco is still trying to recover. Destruction of this magnitude is not so easy to overcome—and neither are the past regrets shadowing Elizabeth King’s hopeful future.

Hoping to right her wrongs, Elizabeth dedicates herself to helping girls rescued from slavery in Chinatown brothels, even if it means putting her own life at risk to sneak through the gloomy alleys and rooftops where dangers lurk.

Putting her life on the line for a worthy cause is admirable. But opening her heart is even more terrifying. So when Elizabeth meets attorney, Charles McKinley—a man who dreams of reforming San Francisco’s crooked politics—Elizabeth begins to doubt: Can she maintain her pretense and hide her past? Or will her secret jeopardize both their futures?

My Thoughts

After having read Karen’s other two novels, Beyond the Ashes and Out of the Ruins, I could not wait to get started on Through the Shadows. In this novel, we meet two new characters who are tied to our familiar favourites from the previous two novels (I LOVE this the most – you get to see how their lives evolve while being introduced to two new characters you fall in love with).

The novel takes place two years after the devastating earthquake that destroys most of San Francisco. Many of the citizens have lost everything and are trying to just stay a float, this is true for Elizabeth. Her father’s investments were lost both in the earthquake and the fire that followed. It is this combined with her love of making a difference, that sees her travel to San Francisco. She wants to put her past behind her, join her siblings and make a difference in the lives of young girls who are sold into slavery. She meets up with Charles, a young man who wants to make a positive difference in politics and the lives of the people he meets.

Charles is a character of strong convictions. He senses something is not quite right at his Uncle’s firm and works hard to uncover the details. What he finds is unbelievable and heart breaking. What he does with this knowledge, is mind blowing.

Through the Shadows is an amazing tale of forgiveness, healing and love against all odds. Our characters fight against the social constraints of society towards women, men and even foreigners, corruption that goes unpunished and the societal norm. It leaves you with hope and understanding. A fantastic read from start to finish, that leaves you craving just a little bit 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

Karen Barnett is the author of Beyond the Ashes, Out of the Ruins, and Mistaken. Named the 2013 Writer of Promise by Oregon Christian Writers, Karen lives in Albany, Oregon, with her husband and two kids. When she’s not writing novels, she loves speaking at women’s events, libraries, and book clubs.

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

In Someone Like You, Single mom Julia Dare has a lot on her plate: her son, her failed relationship, her new found relationship with God as well as her own personal business.

About Someone Like You

A brand new Christian, Julia is busy trying to run her own business, spend time with her widowed mother, and raise her young son, Max, despite his father’s less-than-ideal influence on him. When a big account from her event-planning business sends her to the Caliente Springs resort, she’s shocked to come face-to-face with Zeke Monroe, the resort’s general manager and her college sweetheart.

With his faith in tatters, Zeke Monroe is determined to keep the historic Caliente Springs resort running despite financial difficulties. But when Julia walks back into his life, he can’t ignore the feelings she stirs up. As they work together on an important client’s dream wedding, the fate of the resort soon depends on their success. When Zeke and Julia are pushed to their limits both personally and professionally, will their history put up walls between them or bring them together.

My Thoughts

What would the chances be that you meet up years later with the man you loved but ran away from? Even more so that you came out to do business with him! Pretty slim right? But this is what happens in this novel.

Our two main characters were once very much in love but it was faith that pushed Julia away from him and sent him into the arms of a man who did not love her but loved the idea of her. Several years later, they have almost switched in their faith beliefs. Zeke is holding onto pain from his past that is difficult for him to forgive and move on. Julia has found God and puts her faith (and child) first.

Throughout the novel their feelings are ignited but tested many times by not only each other but their faith, others around them and financial uncertainty. You want to be able to guide the two of them together because you can see how wonderful they would be together but at the same time both of them have so much growing to do that you don’t know if they can be together. A fantastic novel about faith, forgiveness and hope, you will love every moment of this novel!

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

Victoria Bylin writes contemporary and historical romances known for their realistic, relatable characters. Her work has finaled in contests such as the Carol Awards, the RITAs, and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award. A native of California, she and her husband now make their home in Lexington, Kentucky.

Enter now here! Good luck!

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

Hope is not an accident. Sometimes it has to be hunted, and hunting it takes courage.

About Hunting Hope

Hope hunters know how to excavate hope from hardship. There is dirt underneath their fingernails and sweat on their shirts. They rake through the rubble of an unwanted situation, digging into difficult circumstances because they have come to expect that adversity will produce good. They believe that light always triumphs over darkness. They have learned to walk through winter with their eyes on spring.

Nika Maples became a hope hunter after suffering a massive brainstem stroke that left her quadriplegic in her twenties. Doctors warned that she had as little as 48 hours to live, and—if she lived at all—she would never walk or talk again. There was no hope on the horizon. So Nika started to hunt for it. Today, she not only walks, but she speaks to audiences everywhere about the power of hunting hope when a situation appears hopeless. She says hope remains camouflaged in the daily mundane. If we are not looking for it, we will miss it, though it is right before our eyes.

Whether you or someone you know is going through a situation that feels hopeless, you will find encouragement in Hunting Hope. Whether you are experiencing a medical trauma, a financial hardship, or a relational crisis, you will find empowerment in Hunting Hope. As you read, you will cling to 20 truths about God’s character and practice 5 daily disciplines that will develop your own character in crisis.

Maybe it doesn’t matter what causes suffering in our lives as much as it matters what suffering causes in our lives. Maybe we were all meant to be hope hunters.

My Thoughts

An amazing, thoughtful, inspiring read that encourages you to look at your own life and see comparisons. While I may not have suffered a stroke like Nika did but the courage she had to face the physical complications and how she overcame this was inspiring. She took something that could break most people but her faith in God helped her through this time. I love how she was not scared to show us her faith. She let us in to her emotions, her life and those whom she had touched to show us God’s words.

At first, I struggled a bit at the beginning of the book but each turn of the page inspired me to continue to read. I saw myself in those pages, I saw the emotions, the struggles, the fears and how I sometimes pull away from my faith at those times. She taught me how to re-examine my relationship with God, how to understand and look at situations differently and gave me renewed hope.

Nika writes brilliantly and personally. You feel as though this book is a conversation with her and she already knows what your next question will be and is already answering it. You can immediately start applying the knowledge into your daily lives and it will help you on your faith journey. A brilliant book to add to your library.

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

Nika Maples is the author of Twelve Clean Pages, the memoir of her survival of lupus and a stroke that left her quadriplegic at age 20. After learning to walk and talk again, she became a public school teacher, winning 2007 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. She holds an MA in English Education from Columbia University and currently is pursuing an MDIV from The King’s University. When she is not traveling to speak, she lives, writes, and laughs as much as possible in Fort Worth, Texas.

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

In Her One and Only, after ten years in the NFL, super star Gray Fowler is accustomed to obsessive fans but this all changes when he begins to receive death threats.

About Her One and Only

But when Gray starts receiving death threats from a stalker, his team hires an executive protection agency to guard him until the culprit is caught. Dealing with bodyguards 24/7 is a headache, especially when one of them is a young, beautiful woman. How can a female half his size possibly protect him better than he can protect himself?

Dru Porter is a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt—none of which saved her from disaster on her last assignment. In order to rebuild her tarnished reputation, she’s determined to find Gray’s stalker and, since relationships between agents and clients are forbidden, avoid a romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past.

Yet every secret that leads Dru closer to the stalker leads her even close to Gray. They will only survive if they can learn to trust their lives and hearts in each other.

My Thoughts

I love, love, love this novel! In this novel, we have a super strong female character who is responsible for guarding a rough football player. Now if that alone doesn’t make you want to read it to see what happens lets dive more into the story!

Gray is a very popular football star, women want him, kids want to be like him and men are jealous of him. He seems to have it all, the wealth, the fame and everything a person could want. But slowly, piece by piece we find that he is truly quite lonely. When Dru is charged with his life, he takes it as a joke. How could the big, strong football player possibly be guarded by a woman? She shows him she is much tougher and smarter than she looks throughout the novel. Together they face almost impossible odds as Gray has no idea who could possibly hate him so much that they would want to kill him.

Slowly they unravel the mystery at the same time as they learn to put trust in each other. It sometimes felt like one step forward between them and two steps back but it is the trust and growing love between them that they need to solve the case.

A truly beautiful and unique story that will make you laugh, cry and your heart melt. A fantastic read for the upcoming summer months!

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

Becky Wade is a native of California who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and now lives in Dallas. A favorite among readers of Christian contemporary romance, Becky has won a Carol Award, an Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, and an INSPY Award.

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