A Woman Overwhelmed

"So much to do. So little time."

So much can be said in those two statements and most of the moms, wives, sisters, women, and more can attest to how truthful it feels like for us on a daily basis. What about you? Feeling like at times your day can feel overwhelming? How can women handle the day to day stresses without falling apart? How can we hold it all together when it seems like it is all falling apart at the seams some days?  Where is God in all of this and how can He help?

You might want to pick up a copy of Hayley DiMarco's latest book, A Woman Overwhelmed: Finding God in the Messes of Life. It might just provide the encouragement we all need. What overwhelms you? Is it finances, trying to make ends meet when there simply isn't enough to go around? What about a health issue you've been diagnosed and it seems like prayer just isn't working and it's getting worse? What about your marriage that you've been struggling to hold onto knowing God can do all things? Do you ever wonder if the reason you feel overwhelmed is because we are NOT in charge? Tough question but one easily answered. If you were in charge of those situations, would they overwhelm you any longer? Not a chance.

Whatever is out of our control is what is overwhelming us. So often our goal in life is to find the best way to control, well, everything, including those around us. Especially the ones we consider our people, our kids, our spouses, our friends and family. In fact if you take any of the online stress surveys available, if four or more symptoms stress you out, they suggest a bigger problem. A problem with too much to handle. Let's see how you do. Do you struggle with any of the following, and be sure to be honest, at least with yourself.

Emotional eating
Insomnia
Digestive Problems
Ulcers
Anxiety
Tension Headaches
Weight Gain
Quick Irritation

When life is more than we can handle, just looking at it reveals our complete inadequacies, and failures and all we long to do it simply to go back to bed. We know we are overwhelmed and not in a good way. When our bodies are begging us for a straightjacket and a padded cell, and we start to at least consider it, we know its time to reassess our priorities and to look for the flaws in our logic and planning. Aren't you tired of being overwhelmed by life. Don't you want something more? Don't you?

I received A Woman Overwhelmed by Hayley DiMarco compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity. Almost every single woman can identify with feeling overwhelmed at some point in their life and she gives you the tools and encouragement you need, not only to realize you are not alone, but how to manage quickly through them and get to the other side of the issue. She opens up her own life and that is how I feel she wins readers over. We realize someone else has been there with us and the feelings she relates are exactly how we have felt. By the conclusion of this book, hopefully you can see the depths of God's love for you and maybe even the ability to catch a glimpse of the comedy of an overwhelmed life seen from the rearview mirror or the passenger seat of our car, and you will discover freedom. You will find grace to begin to close your worldly eyes to the messiness of life as you open your spiritual eyes to the beauty surrounding our messes. I easily give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars and plan on referencing it often along with prayer to get through my own issues that threaten to overwhelm me.

For more information about A Woman Overwhelmed, Hayley DiMarco or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

A Woman Overwhelmed by Hayley DiMarco

You can find Hayley DiMarco on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

To read more reviews on A Woman Overwhelmed, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.


"A woman overwhelmed"-is this a phrase you can relate to? If you answered yes, you need to read Hayley DiMarco's new book, A Woman Overwhelmed. The best-selling author shares biblical insights and personal stories to offer a glimpse at the comedy of an overwhelmed life while encouraging us to discover the depths and heights of God's love and power. Choose to bask in the abundance of the Father instead of the abundance of life as his unfathomable depths can surely replace our fathomable messes.

Become a woman less overwhelmed by life and more overwhelmed by God and enter to win Hayley's $75 Merry Maids Visa Card Giveaway to help lessen your daily load.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Woman Overwhelmed
• A $75 Merry Maids Visa Cash Card

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on November 3. The winner will be announced November 6 on the Litfuse blog.

A Fragile Hope

"Alone. It's a feeling. Not a destination or condition. God is especially near to those who think they're alone." ~ Seedlings and Sentiments from the "Faith" collection.

Too bad pieces of wisdom like this one came to Josiah Chamberlain a bit too late. One would hardly believe that the writer of such valued books on marriage, would fail to recognize that his own marriage was in trouble. But life can be like that sometimes, passing us by without us realizing it and we wonder why did all the time go. But now, Josiah will have to come to terms with an unknown future and the endless questions that have no answers. The only people who could answer them are either dead or in a coma. Was his wife really having an affair and leaving him?

Now faced with an uncertain future, not knowing if his wife, Karin would ever gain consciousness, he can only stare at her hopeless and wonder about the few clues left behind. A note left to her business partner Leah apologizing for leaving her and the mess that would come with it. A packed suitcase. Leah's husband Wade, driving her so far from her business and then subsequently losing control of her car and hitting a tree, killing him. What didn't he see? Why would she leave him after all these years?

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Josiah learns that Karin is pregnant and that the child has managed to survive the accident. The one thing Josiah knows is that the child isn't his. For many years Karin and him had tried unsuccessfully to have children and after all the tests came back, it appears that he is the one to blame. Even after learning of this and still wanting children, Karin was willing to adopt by Josiah was adamant that this wouldn't be an option. If God had wanted them to have children, they would be able. He now was comfortable with them living out their remaining years as a couple. Just how long had this affair with Wade been going on? Where did he go wrong in meeting her needs that she had to look someplace else? Then again, if she has to ask, then I'm doing it wrong.

I received A Fragile Hope from Cynthia Ruchti compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. The one thing I notice about Cynthia Ruchti's novels is that they take you to those uncomfortable places in life that no one wants to go. In fact people are relieved when it happens to someone else and not them. In this case the issue of infidelity is tossed in the face of a man who is considered an expert in marriage and finds that while he was busy giving his advice to everyone else, he failed to listen to any of it himself. Now face with the uncertainty of a future without his wife and a baby that isn't his, all he can do is struggle with the silence facing him. The only one who can explain things is in a coma that doesn't look like a great outcome and how will he deal with it if those answers remain unknown forever? For me this one was worth 5 out of 5 stars and includes discussion questions that make this perfect for book clubs.

For more information about A Fragile Hope, Cynthia Ruchti or where you can pick a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

You can find Cynthia Ruchti on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Fragile Hope, please visit Litfuse Publicity Book Tour Page.
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When your life's work revolves around repairing other people's marriages, what happens when your own marriage begins to fall apart? Find out what happens to Josiah Chamberlain in Cynthia Ruchti's new book, A Fragile Hope. Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what's left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

Celebrate the release of A Fragile Hope by entering to win Cynthia's Sign of Hope Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Fragile Hope
• A metal wall scripture hanging

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on May 3. The winner will be announced May 4 on the Litfuse blog.

Home At Last

You can't seem to go anywhere where race is not an issue. From our latest president to the news reports, race is an issue where is simply shouldn't be. All it is is a matter of skin tone and that is all. Yet in this final novel in the Chicory Inn series by Deborah Raney, the lone wolf of the Whitman family, Link finds love where he might least expect it. Tucked quietly away in the Coffee's On Bakery, Link is attracted to Shayla Michaels. I guess one could say it was love at first sight, but as most romance stories go, theirs will not be one that goes smoothly.

Shayla has a lot of things she would rather keep buried, secrets from her past that have earmarked her for a different future than one she might have imagined long ago. Since her parents married years ago, her mother, a white women of some affluence married Mike, a black man and with it came a separation between the families. Shayla's mother's family refused to acknowledge the relationship and left her and Mike to struggle and find a way to make it in the world. Even when a terminal cancer diagnosis was revealed, her parents still refused to budge. After watching her mother suffer needlessly in that regards, Shayla believes that the colors should not mix despite how one might feel differently. Of course, growing up under those stereotypes is bound to make one a bit hardened to it all.

That is why Link is determined to show her that love can transcend any barriers including race, and he is willing to overlook everything that Shayla tosses his way to discourage any attempts at a future for them both. She even has a younger niece, Portia, a wonderfully articulate and precocious five-year-old, that will undoubtedly be one she must care for the rest of her life while her father, Shayla's brother remains locked up in prison. But can love be that easy to accept when one has had to deal with these issues her entire life or will love be the one thing that saves them all and provides a way to change the world or just their part in it, one step at a time?

I received Home At Last by Deborah Raney compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press. This novel gives you an idea of what it is like dealing with all the stereotypes people of color must deal with without having the ability to change things or walk away from it. I love that Deborah Raney took this risk in making this a part of the Whitman story and conveys to us all that love really is the best gift of all. There are discussion questions that conclude the novel that makes for a great book club find and for me, this one was worth 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion. I love that you don't even realize that Shayla is a different color until you are well into the story and that is what love is all about, it never takes that into consideration when it unites people together.

For more information about Home At Last, Deborah Raney or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Home at Last by Deborah Raney

You can find Deborah Raney on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

About the author:

Deborah Raney's novels have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers' Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have three times been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken Raney have traded small-town life in Kansas-the setting of many of Deb's novels-for life in the city of Wichita.

Find out more about Deborah at http://deborahraney.com.

You can read more reviews on Home At Last by visiting Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.


Conclude Deborah Raney's Chicory Inn novels with the final book, Home at Last, a story of acceptance, trying to overcome differences, and love. Everything changes for bachelor Link Whitman one icy morning when a child runs into the street and he nearly hits her with his pickup-and then the girl's aunt Shayla enters Link's life. Can Shayla and Link overcome society's view of their differences and find true love? Is there hope of changing the sometimes-ugly world around them into something better for them all?

Join Deborah on Thursday, March 23, for a live author chat party in her Facebook group with fun prizes to be won! Click the graphic below for more details and to RSVP. Hope to see you there-bring a friend or two who loves to read!

Home To Paradise

It is hard to accept it when someone you love, simply doesn't love you the way you want. Even after you have grown up with them your whole life and at one point confessed their undying love for you. But after all these years of simply being away in the English world, Rose Anna Zook can't seem to forget the man she had hoped she would marry one day, John Stoltzfus. What makes matters even more complicated is the fact that both of her older sisters have married John's older brothers. They seemed to have found a way to bring them back into the Amish community and leave behind their English ways. So what can Rose Anna do to win back the man of her dreams?

Her parents would say that trying to manipulate a man to love you again would be completely wrong in many ways and in the very eye of their Amish community. But little does Rose Anna know about the relationship between John and his father that initially drove all three brothers from their childhood home. It might be easy for them to simply forgive and forget, but John can't and won't do that. The last thing he wants to do is be forced into a marriage to Rose even if he had plans to do just that before he left. Who wouldn't want to marry Rose Anna? She was the picture of what every Amish man would ever dream for in a wife and more. But since he can barely hold down any job much less three part time jobs, what kind of life could he offer her when he doesn't even know what he wants for his future? He isn't even sure that God has any hints that he can offer.

Rose Anna doesn't know what to do but she does trust her heart. She knows even though well-meaning Amish men might be worth courting, her heart has always belonged to John. She can't give up just yet. She only needs to find a way to convince him that coming back home and joining the church would be worth anything the two of them together can face. But if he learns she is trying to force him into marriage, all bets would be off. Oh how did life ever become so complicated for a simple Amish couple?

I received Home to Paradise by Barbara Cameron compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity. This is the third and final book in the Coming Home Series, the first being Return to Paradise and Seasons of Paradise where readers get a chance to see how each of the couples reaffirmed their love for one another and found the romance that was always waiting for them despite the struggles each had to face to get there. I absolutely LOVE Barbara Cameron's novels because she truly makes you care deeply about her characters and what motivated them to do what they do in moving the storyline forward. I absolutely love the chemistry between John's employer and mentor Neil and how their relationship deepens in a surprising way. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and even better is a handful of delicious Amish recipes and a discussion guide are included at the end of this novel.

For more information about Home to Paradise, Barbara Cameron, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Home to Paradise by Barbara Cameron 

You can find Barbara Cameron on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Home to Paradise, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page.


Home to Paradise, the final book in author Barbara Cameron's The Coming Home series, is not to be missed! Rose Anna Zook always thought she and John, one of Stoltzfus brothers, would marry, make a home together, and have children. But John, enjoying his Rumschpringe in the Englisch world, has other ideas. Rose Anna is determined to bring her man back into the Amish fold. John is equally determined to live his life free and unencumbered. Who will win this battle of wills? Will love prevail?

Join Barbara on Thursday, March 9, for a live author chat party on her Facebook page with fun prizes to be won! Click the graphic below for more details and to RSVP. Hope to see you there—bring a friend or two who loves Amish fiction!

A Fragile Hope

"Alone. It's a feeling. Not a destination or condition. God is especially near to those who think they're alone." ~ Seedlings and Sentiments from the "Faith" collection.

Too bad pieces of wisdom like this one came to Josiah Chamberlain a bit too late. One would hardly believe that the writer of such valued books on marriage, would fail to recognize that his own marriage was in trouble. But life can be like that sometimes, passing us by without us realizing it and we wonder why did all the time go. But now, Josiah will have to come to terms with an unknown future and the endless questions that have no answers. The only people who could answer them are either dead or in a coma. Was his wife really having an affair and leaving him?

Now faced with an uncertain future, not knowing if his wife, Karin would ever gain consciousness, he can only stare at her hopeless and wonder about the few clues left behind. A note left to her business partner Leah apologizing for leaving her and the mess that would come with it. A packed suitcase. Leah's husband Wade, driving her so far from her business and then subsequently losing control of her car and hitting a tree, killing him. What didn't he see? Why would she leave him after all these years?

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Josiah learns that Karin is pregnant and that the child has managed to survive the accident. The one thing Josiah knows is that the child isn't his. For many years Karin and him had tried unsuccessfully to have children and after all the tests came back, it appears that he is the one to blame. Even after learning of this and still wanting children, Karin was willing to adopt by Josiah was adamant that this wouldn't be an option. If God had wanted them to have children, they would be able. He now was comfortable with them living out their remaining years as a couple. Just how long had this affair with Wade been going on? Where did he go wrong in meeting her needs that she had to look someplace else? Then again, if she has to ask, then I'm doing it wrong.

I received A Fragile Hope from Cynthia Ruchti compliments of Abingdon Press and Net Galley. The one thing I notice about Cynthia Ruchti's novels is that they take you to those uncomfortable places in life that no one wants to go. In fact people are relieved when it happens to someone else and not them. In this case the issue of infidelity is tossed in the face of a man who is considered an expert in marriage and finds that while he was busy giving his advice to everyone else, he failed to listen to any of it himself. Now face with the uncertainty of a future without his wife and a baby that isn't his, all he can do is struggle with the silence facing him. The only one who can explain things is in a coma that doesn't look like a great outcome and how will he deal with it if those answers remain unknown forever? For me this one was worth 5 out of 5 stars and includes discussion questions that make this perfect for book clubs.

For more information about A Fragile Hope, Cynthia Ruchti or where you can pre-order a copy of this book that is due out in April of 2017, please click on the links below:

A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

You can find Cynthia Ruchti on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Fragile Hope, please visit Abingdon Press' website. 

Home At Last

You can't seem to go anywhere where race is not an issue. From our latest president to the news reports, race is an issue where is simply shouldn't be. All it is is a matter of skin tone and that is all. Yet in this final novel in the Chicory Inn series by Deborah Raney, the lone wolf of the Whitman family, Link finds love where he might least expect it. Tucked quietly away in the Coffee's On Bakery, Link is attracted to Shayla Michaels. I guess one could say it was love at first sight, but as most romance stories go, theirs will not be one that goes smoothly.

Shayla has a lot of things she would rather keep buried, secrets from her past that have earmarked her for a different future than one she might have imagined long ago. Since her parents married years ago, her mother, a white women of some affluence married Mike, a black man and with it came a separation between the families. Shayla's mother's family refused to acknowledge the relationship and left her and Mike to struggle and find a way to make it in the world. Even when a terminal cancer diagnosis was revealed, her parents still refused to budge. After watching her mother suffer needlessly in that regards, Shayla believes that the colors should not mix despite how one might feel differently. Of course, growing up under those stereotypes is bound to make one a bit hardened to it all.

That is why Link is determined to show her that love can transcend any barriers including race, and he is willing to overlook everything that Shayla tosses his way to discourage any attempts at a future for them both. She even has a younger niece, Portia, a wonderfully articulate and precocious five-year-old, that will undoubtedly be one she must care for the rest of her life while her father, Shayla's brother remains locked up in prison. But can love be that easy to accept when one has had to deal with these issues her entire life or will love be the one thing that saves them all and provides a way to change the world or just their part in it, one step at a time?

I received Home At Last by Deborah Raney compliments of Net Galley and Abingdon Press. This novel gives you an idea of what it is like dealing with all the stereotypes people of color must deal with without having the ability to change things or walk away from it. I love that Deborah Raney took this risk in making this a part of the Whitman story and conveys to us all that love really is the best gift of all. There are discussion questions that conclude the novel that makes for a great book club find and for me, this one was worth 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion. I love that you don't even realize that Shayla is a different color until you are well into the story and that is what love is all about, it never takes that into consideration when it unites people together.

For more information about Home At Last, Deborah Raney or where you can preorder a copy of this book today that is due out in February of 2017, please click on the links below:

Home at Last by Deborah Raney

You can find Deborah Raney on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can read more reviews on Home At Last by visiting Abingdon Press' website. 

Waiting for Wonder

Waiting.

No one that I know of like to wait for anything.

Even in our prayers waiting on the answer, seems like the hardest thing to do. Perhaps it is because we aren't sure of what the answer will be, or when that answer might even come. There have been some who have prayed and have their prayer answered years from the day they prayed and others have gotten the answer to their prayer on the other side of this life. So how does one learn to be patient in the waiting? How can we maintain our faith, knowing God is working it out on His end and on His timeline, which is not the same as ours?

Marlo Schalesky has written a wonderful book, Waiting for Wonder: Learning to Live on God's Timeline and the best way to describe this book is half Biblical fiction in a sense and Christian self help using Scriptures from the Bible to help us what we can do in the waiting. Using a character from the Bible, that I have to be honest, I glazed over without really considering her in a better light and digging deeper to see if there might be some spiritual treasure I overlooked. Marlo uses the life of Sarai who later became Sarah which all of us are familiar with. She was Abram's wife who was promised by God that her descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, yet in her old age, she failed to conceive.

I even failed to understand on how this was something as a failure in those times when a woman could not conceive and in most cases was merely property for a man with the sole purpose for procreating and having a family to care on the family legacy. Poor Sarai couldn't do any of that even though Abram had been told that God was going to bless Sarai with off-spring. So how long did Sarai have to wait? Was it just a few days, a couple of weeks, months or even years for that miracle to happen? What did she do while she was waiting? Maintain her faith in God's promises or did she take matters into her own hands when she thought God forgot about her?

Using what might have been an extended portion of what the Bible alludes to using what we know historically of women from that time in history, Marlo Schalesky gives us peeks at what Sarai might have had to deal with in her interactions with other women, how her husband might have viewed her, and even the secrets they both kept when Abram and Sarai went to Egypt and lied to Pharoah to save Abram's own skin.

Is there something we might glean from this story of Sarai, something we might learn in our own season of endless waiting like she did? Yes, there is and this book is a wonderful way to take the lessons of Sarai and teach us how to wait while God is working in our lives despite how long it might take. This would be perfect for a small woman's Bible Study to work on a chapter of this book each week. I know for me, it greatly increased my admiration that God has a purpose in the very people we meet in the Bible no matter how much or little is mentioned of them and has caused me to dig deeper in my own study. I love the duality of the way this book is written and will be referencing this one often as I find sometimes waiting can be the hardest thing in my own walk of faith, and for this reason I give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I received Waiting for Wonder by Marlo Schalesky compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity.

For more information about Waiting for Wonder, Marlo Schalesky or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Waiting for Wonder by Marlo Schalesky

You can find Marlo Schalesky on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Waiting for Wonder, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page.


Because God’s timing is so rarely our own and we lose the wonder in the waiting of life, desperation strikes, plans backfire, and we begin to wonder why God does not fill the emptiness. Be encouraged to find strength and hope in Marlo Schalesky's new book, Waiting for Wonder. Journey into the heart of God where you will wrestle with personal questions, think deeply about God’s true character, and learn to appreciate His divine work as you discover your own path to the promised land. Recapture your hope, restore your soul, and renew your vision of a wondrous Savior when you learn to live on God’s time.

Learn the true purpose of waiting on God and living on His timeline and enter to win Marlo's giveaway.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• Two copies of Waiting for Wonder (one for you and one to give to a friend)
• A KEEP Collective watch set (with a band and watch)

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on December 23. The winner will be announced December 27 on Marlo's blog.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It is easy to lose the real meaning of Christmas, as you enter into the end of November and December, with all the focus on the busyness of the season. From buying gifts, traveling, cooking, and making preparations, it seems it is over before we know it. I found a great new book, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Ace Collins, that incorporates some historical facts about Christmas traditions, amazing recipes, homemade crafts, the stories behind our time honored favorite Christmas carols, and of course the Biblical Scriptures for 30 days so you can keep Christ in Christmas all month long.

This is by far, one of my most favorite books because there is so much tucked into a small but precise book to help you understand not only why we incorporate certain things like Christmas trees, candy canes, the Yule Log, and even Santa Claus himself. All of these traditions had their basis in Christian foundations and not based on worldly values so that you can pass the historical facts along with your family and friends this Christmas season.

There are so many great recipes to add to your holiday baking that it makes gift giving a snap and gives you some fresh ideas that are simple and easy to make such as Pecan Snowball cookies, Gingerbread Hot Chocolate Mix, Snickers Cookie Bars, Eggnog Snickerdoodles and so much more. Along with that is the ideas for some homemade gifts that keep expenses down but add an entirely different element to your gift giving this year. Some ideas are Lavender Bath Salts in a Jar, Lime Mint Foot Scrub, Garlic Infused Olive Oil, Cookie Butter, Personal Photo Coasters, Lemon Beeswax Candles and so many more ideas that you can use these ideas not just at Christmas, but all year long.

Perhaps my favorite are the stories behind our Christmas traditions and songs, along with the Bible Scriptures that keep the element of Jesus in each day. This is not simply a retelling of the Christmas story we are all use to in Luke 2, but takes into consideration the reason for the wisemen's gifts to Jesus, how Christmas is tied to Easter, what the significance is to using X-mas over Christmas, and so much more.

I received The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Ace Collins compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity. This will now be part of my preparations of Christmas and in sharing all this historical facts with my family and friends through the month of December, all packed into a 30 day devotional or advent celebration. It gives you time to slow down some of the busyness of the Christmas season and reflect on what it really means to celebrate this time of the year but also the why's behind it all. I can't think of a better way to countdown this Christmas than with this book and it makes a great gift to give this year as well! I know I plan on picking up quite a few copies to tuck beneath our tree and to give to those who need some hope this Christmas. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars because there is so much packed into this book but also there is something for everyone. It will be hard to think of Christmas the same way again!

For more information about The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Ace Collins, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Ace Collins

You can find Ace Collins on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

To read more reviews on The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

Make this upcoming Christmas holiday a Christ-filled season of joy and wonder with the help of Ace Collins' new devotional, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. From December to New Year’s Eve, reawaken the Christmas season with daily scripture and inspirational readings of stories behind popular Christmas traditions, carols and movies. Enjoy a wealth of fun activities to help make the most of the season, including heartwarming holiday recipes and homemade gift ideas.

Join Ace's Christmas festivities by entering to win the Magic of Christmas Prize Pack. Create new traditions this holiday season with your family and friends with the goodies included in the giveaway.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• A button-wreath craft kit
• Pass the Ugly Christmas Sweater card game
• A gingerbread tree kit
• An advent calendar

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on November 21. The winner will be announced November 22 on the Litfuse blog.

God Bless Us Every One

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than a wonderful Christmas romance! Combining some of the best quotes from the Charles Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol at the beginning of each chapter, we watch a contemporary version of this being played out in God Bless Us Every One from Eva Marie Everson.

Charlie Dixon believes that classics are a bit outdated and like the play, A Christmas Carol, it has been done over and over again that it has lost its charm and appeal. So when she attempts to put a new twist on a high school Christmas play, she finds herself laid off and without any future attempts at employment. So she hightails it to her grandmother's house in Testament, North Carolina,  where she hopes she can stay until she finds a new job and perhaps help around the house during the busy Christmas season. Her grandmother has been tasked to work with the local high school drama teacher in preparation for the Christmas play and hopes Charlie might just lend a hand.

What Charlie doesn't know is that the meeting is scheduled with her old flame from school, Dusty Kennedy. He is more than thrilled to get a chance to work with her. The only problem is that Dusty's idea for the play is Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, which just seems to be a sign from above that there is a deeper message within it, if Charlie is only willing to look at the details surrounding why Charles Dickens wrote the play in the first place. She only hopes she might convince him that a new contemporary spin might just be the ticket to make this successful, but Dusty believes in keeping things traditional and classic. Now all Charlie has to do is find a way to deal with the fact that her father is back in town, a man she has vowed doesn't deserve anything less than a Bah Humbug this Christmas.

I received God Bless Us Every One by Eva Marie Everson compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from an eBook copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased and personal opinion. I really love the blend of both the traditional and contemporary that is scattered throughout this novel and it takes readers into the heart of what Christmas really means, a time for second chances and a time for new beginnings and forgiveness. There is a wonderful happily ever after tucked away but it might not be who you think it is for in the end. I'd rate this a 4.5 out of 5 stars and is perfect to get you in the mood for Christmas.

For more information about God Bless Us Every One, Eva Marie Everson or where you can pick up  a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

God Bless Us Every One by Eva Marie Everson

You can find Eva Marie Everson on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on God Bless Us Every One, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

Service Tails

Nothing can be disputed when it comes to the unconditional love and loyalty found in the hearts of dog lovers, for they know it's true because of their four-legged companions live it out in front of them every single moment of their days. So it should come as no surprise that Service Tails by Ace Collins reveals to us some amazing and heart-warming stories of man's best hero. Tucked inside the cover with a Golden Retriever found on the front, you will find 12 true stories that showcase both loyalty, unconditional love all wrapped up in the service to their owners who do it without a fleeting thought. From the first person to take on using a guide dog, to other ways in which service dogs have been utilized to use their eyes to help those out who no longer have that sense of sight.

The best part of these stories is the relationships that are built upon the owner and their dog, as if in some way they become one, one team working together to make more enjoyable and restoring self confidence in those who have had their sight taken from them. These dogs stretch the potential in which they can be used not just in helping to guide their owners from the perils facing them without sight, but creating an everlasting bond that goes beyond words and connects them to the heart of the reader.

You get a chance to discover the back story of the very first guide dog who came to the United States with her own in the 1920's to create the first Guide Dog training school that was originally established in Switzerland. This came at a time when it was hard for society to accept having dogs allowed in public places like restaurants, trains and in public buildings where most had been refused entrance. It would go to show how this man and dog paved the way for more than just a school to teach dogs how to guide their owners but in establishing policies to allow others to utilize their own service dogs in the same manner.

I received Service Tails by Ace Collins compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. Truly any dog lover would LOVE this book and would make an exceptional gift. There is already an unseen bond between dogs and their owners that this book truly brings to life in a remarkable and life changing world. I would easily give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and there are even links within the book that take the readers to the websites of some of the service dog organizations featured in this book.

For more information about Service Tails, Ace Collins or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Service Tails by Ace Collins

You can find Ace Collins on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

To read more reviews on Service Tails, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page. 


Fall in love with these remarkable service dogs and their stories of courage, faith, and loyalty in Ace Collins' new book, Service Tails. Their training was intense, their loyalty unquestioned and each step of the way they constantly adapt to better serve those they lead. These unforgettable dogs are more than heroes; they are models from which we can learn how to love and serve unconditionally.

Celebrate the release of Service Tails with Ace by entering to win the Take-Your-Dog-to-the-Park Pack!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Service Tails
• A copy of Man's Best Hero
• A dog blanket
• A dog leash
• A dog-cape towel
• A dog bandana
• A dog toy
• Dog treats

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 30. The winner will be announced August 31 on the Litfuse blog.

God Bless Us Every One

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than a wonderful Christmas romance! Combining some of the best quotes from the Charles Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol at the beginning of each chapter, we watch a contemporary version of this being played out in God Bless Us Every One from Eva Marie Everson.

Charlie Dixon believes that classics are a bit outdated and like the play, A Christmas Carol, it has been done over and over again that it has lost its charm and appeal. So when she attempts to put a new twist on a high school Christmas play, she finds herself laid off and without any future attempts at employment. So she hightails it to her grandmother's house in Testament, North Carolina,  where she hopes she can stay until she finds a new job and perhaps help around the house during the busy Christmas season. Her grandmother has been tasked to work with the local high school drama teacher in preparation for the Christmas play and hopes Charlie might just lend a hand.

What Charlie doesn't know is that the meeting is scheduled with her old flame from school, Dusty Kennedy. He is more than thrilled to get a chance to work with her. The only problem is that Dusty's idea for the play is Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, which just seems to be a sign from above that there is a deeper message within it, if Charlie is only willing to look at the details surrounding why Charles Dickens wrote the play in the first place. She only hopes she might convince him that a new contemporary spin might just be the ticket to make this successful, but Dusty believes in keeping things traditional and classic. Now all Charlie has to do is find a way to deal with the fact that her father is back in town, a man she has vowed doesn't deserve anything less than a Bah Humbug this Christmas.

I received God Bless Us Every One by Eva Marie Everson compliments of Net Galley and Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from an eBook copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased and personal opinion. I really love the blend of both the traditional and contemporary that is scattered throughout this novel and it takes readers into the heart of what Christmas really means, a time for second chances and a time for new beginnings and forgiveness. There is a wonderful happily ever after tucked away but it might not be who you think it is for in the end. I'd rate this a 4.5 out of 5 stars and is perfect to get you in the mood for Christmas.

For more information about God Bless Us Every One, Eva Marie Everson or where you can preorder a copy of this book due out in September 2016, please click on the links below:

God Bless Us Every One by Eva Marie Everson

You can find Eva Marie Everson on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on God Bless Us Every One, please visit Abingdon Press' website. 

Close To Home

When you lose the love of your life, how long will it take before you feel comfortable about dating again, or do you ever? What about the relationships you have built with the family after the death, do you maintain it or simply realize at some point that too will change? These are the questions running through Bree Whitman faces when it has been five years since she lost her Marine husband Tim in Afghanistan. She just can't even begin to imagine what that must be like, even though she is still young enough to begin again. Where does one even start? How will she ever be able to explain that to the Whitman family who feels more like her own family, than her real ones?

Since she has been on the receiving end of the attentions of her co-worker Aaron, who has expressed more than a passing interest in dating her, Bree just isn't sure what to do, but believes it may be time to see how it might work out with Aaron. While her job permits interoffice dating, she knows if it doesn't work out, it will be very uncomfortable to continue to work together and it may affect her working relationship with clients in the event planning business if her and Aaron can't work together. Still it is a risk she is willing to begin, but when Aaron gets too pushy on what he believes Bree should be willing to do at this point in her grieving process, she begins to wonder if she made a mistake, especially when he wants her to give up her Tuesday night dinners with the Whitman family at the Chicory Inn.

Drew Brooks find himself laid off from his job and with no prospects within town including with his brother Dallas' company that is at a hiring freeze, he opts to look outside for work in St. Louis. He just didn't expect it would mean giving up being a part of the family with the Whitmans. But since Grant and Audrey's mother, Cee-Cee is dealing with health issues including forgetting things and running the risk of getting injured living alone in her old age, they believe now is the time to begin building her a small cottage in the meadow on the land in which they run the Chicory Inn, a bed and breakfast so they can keep her close but still allow her to live independently. Now that Drew is looking for work, Grant offers him a job working on the cottage with him until he can find a more permanent job. That works out perfectly until he begins to spend Tuesday nights with the Whitmans and finds a friendship with Bree building into something much more more!

I received Close to Home by Deborah Raney compliments of Net Galley and Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free eBook of Close To Home in exchange for my unbiased and personal opinion. Since I have read the previous novels, this one was missing and was so glad I got the chance to see how Bree would deal with the loss of her husband Tim. I can only imagine how difficult the situation would be and dealing not only with your own feelings but that of your former spouses as well. This played out so well and I was rooting for Bree and Drew the whole time. I really didn't think she would work out with Aaron since their first interactions. A man who thinks Bree is ready but isn't willing to consider all the aspects of beginning again, certainly isn't worth anyone's time. I would easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and reader's even get a sneak peek at the 5th novel coming soon, Home at Last! Even though these are part of a series, you can read this one just fine, but the back stories of each of them are in subsequent novels including the first one that establishes why Grant and Audrey decided to start a Bed and Breakfast in their home.

The Chicory Inn Series
1 - Home to Chicory Lane
2 - Two Roads Home
3 - Another Way Home
4 - Close to Home
5 - Home at Last (Coming Soon)

For more information about Close to Home, Deborah Raney or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Close to Home by Deborah Raney 

You can find Deborah Raney on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can read more reviews on Close to Home at Abingdon Press' website.

Medical Judgment

Sometimes no matter how much we want to put the past behind us, it keeps rearing its ugly head. For Dr. Sarah Gordon, as much as she wishes each morning that her nightmare isn't real with the death of her daughter and husband, reality comes each morning when she realizes her bed will always remain empty. Work for now at the hospital is the only solace she can find to keep moving forward. She has all but given up on church, believing that God doesn't care enough about her, because if He did, why didn't he stop that accident that took her life from her? She is angry, and bitter even blaming her husband if that were at all reasonable, but that is what grief does. It keeps you in a senseless bondage at times and nothing seems rational.

She had thought perhaps the noise she heard and the subsequent smell of smoke, might just be in her imagination, but when she goes to investigate, she realizes that someone has attempted to set her house on fire, leaving behind some oily rags to be the catalyst. Good thing for her, quick thinking and a rapid response from her local fire department prevented any real damage from happening. She can't imagine not living in the house where so many memories of her previous life are still ingrained. But who could have deliberately set her house on fire? Those of the questions Detective Bill Larson has for her when he has her come into the station, but for the life of Sarah, she can't think of anyone who would want to do that.

Kyle Andrews, attorney and best friend to her former husband, understands what it is to lose someone you love. He vows in his mind that even if Sarah doesn't ask, he will step up and do the right thing and that means being there for her, when her husband can't. It is what he knows he would of wanted so as both her attorney he offers his legal and personal advice to keep Sarah safe. He helps makes arrangement with a local friend and contractor to help get her home restored from the smoke and fire damage so she doesn't have to move out. He offers to help with a security system and even a suggestion she might want to have a gun, but all those are not options Sarah is willing to consider. For now, she just wants the person/s caught so she can move forward in her life, without the attentions of two men who simply are looking out for her best interests. But things are about to escalate in the worst possible way and it will make you wonder who can you really trust in the end!

I received Medical Judgment by Richard L Mabry, MD compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside for a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased and personal review. I've been a huge fan of Richard L Mabry's novels for quite some time, because they are realistic in their core pertaining to medical procedures without being cheesy like Grey's Anatomy. There is always a mystery behind the facade and you just never know what you are in for each time, but you know it will be exceptional. I loved this one as well because during the entire novel, I kept trying to figure out who it might be. Richard does a great job at keeping it concealed until just the right moment and then you are hooked to the very end to see how it will all play out. Nothing like a great cat and mouse suspense thriller and this one garners a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my mind.

For more information about Medical Judgment, Richard L Mabry MD, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Medical Judgment by Richard L Mabry MD

You can find Richard L Mabry MD on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Medical Judgment, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.


Just what the doctor ordered: heart-thumping suspense and intrigue, courtesy of Richard Mabry’s new medical drama, Medical Judgment. Someone is after Dr. Sarah Gordon. They’ve stalked her and set a fire at her home. Trying to recover from the traumatic deaths of her husband and infant daughter is tough enough, but she has no idea what will come next. As the threats on her life continue to escalate, so do the questions: Who is doing this? Why are they after her? And with her only help being unreliable suitors in competition with each other, whom can she really trust?

Join Richard in celebrating the release of Medical Judgment by entering to win an e-reader!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Medical Judgment
• A Kindle Fire HD 6

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on June 21st. The winner will be announced June 22nd on the Litfuse blog.

Through the Shadows

"We all suffer our own chains. The Lord holds out the gift of new life, but many turn Him away, not trusting the offer." (pg 201).

In the latest and third novel in the Golden Gate Chronicles Series, Karen Barnett takes readers back into historical San Francisco just after the 1906 earthquake and fire that subsequently leveled most of the city, in Through the Shadows. Elizabeth King is the last and youngest daughter to leave home in order that she might get out from under her mother's controlling interest in her life. She is struggling to come to terms with all the property investments her father had made prior to his death, that has left them financially strapped. Now that the earthquake and fire leveled those investment holdings she can't understand why some insurance companies are offering to pay their claims on some, but interestingly enough not on any of her father's property. Without it, they will face financial ruin.

She involves herself in helping Donaldina Cameron with managing the Missions House, that takes in abandoned Chinese children that have found their way into prostitution and have no way out. She is hired to be their sewing teacher to enable them to learn a life skill that will offer them a future once they leave the home. She isn't sure she is ready to face her own shadowed past that caused her to leave behind her chance as a concert pianist. All she knows is that she must find a way to atone for her sins of the past in an effort to please God and sooth her own guilty conscience. No one must ever know.

Up and coming attorney Charles McKinley has a bright future ahead of him, working under his Uncle Silas' law firm. Unfortunately it will be starting at the bottom even though his name guarantees him a leg up in the firm. His first task is to bring the paperwork to the King family to ensure them that Silas has done everything but the insurance companies won't settle on the property claims Mr. King had purchased. He hopes to put an end to all their endless phone calls into the law firm for a meeting, something he has avoided doing. Now Charles hopes he can live up to the McKinley name. He just doesn't expect to fall for Elizabeth when she answers the door and the news he has to give her isn't something he is looking forward to doing. He only wishes he had better news for the King family.

https://promosimple.com/ps/99f1

I received Through the Shadows by Karen Barnett compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of the novel in exchange for my honest and personal evaluation. I have been waiting for this novel since starting the Golden Gate Chronicle series! I was not disappointed. The story surrounding Donaldina Cameron is based on fact and her mission to help the struggling Chinese orphans is admirable. Again it is something missing from our history books and one I delighted in learning more about through this novel. I love Elizabeth King who is afraid of dealing with her past, tries to work out salvation on her own through her good works, but she will discover, that is not what God intended when He offers true forgiveness. I'd rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and Discussion Questions are included that are perfect for book clubs.

For more information about Through the Shadows, Karen Barnett or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Through the Shadows by Karen Barnett

You can find Karen Barnett on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Through the Shadows, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 

Song of Silence

"There are moments in life, seasons in life, when it seems that God goes silent. We wait. We listen. Nothing. No movement. No stirring. No signs of hope or relief. In the silence, it's tempting to believe nothing is happening. Good musicians understand the crucial role silence plays in music. The pause creates tension. They give weight to what is about to come or what has just passes. These silences are not empty, dead space. They're the crucial, fertile silences that make a song what it is. Musically speaking, in the silence, something is happening.

"In your season of waiting on God to speak, don't be fooled into thinking that just because nothing's happening, nothing's happening. In the silence, a song is brewing. Even now, in the quiet pause, in the desperate waiting between what was and what is to come, a song is being composed. You are becoming, and this becoming is not empty and passive. It's active, fertile and alive no matter how hidden it may seem to your ears. Wherever you find yourself waiting...keep composing. Keep becoming. Keep hoping and listening. Somewhere beneath the silence that is your life, a faint chord is striking, a song is brewing. - Brad Nelson, Restoration Living" (pg 201-201).

Such profound advice for retired music teacher Lucy Tuttle who finds herself afloat in her life without a sure way to figure out what is next. Being forced into early retirement when the school board votes to eliminate the music program, she feels like she has no voice. No song left to sing. Her husband Charlie, who has been retired is looking forward to this chapter of their life where he has hopes of spending it with Lucy. Lucy realizes how much this early retirement will cut into their finances and can't seem to get her head above water long enough to figure out what she is going to do.

Her daughter Olivia, needs to move home temporarily while she finishes up school and at the same time, her son just announces that he is getting married to someone who he has barely known at all. Along with that relationship comes the fact of dealing with Sasha who is deaf and her son Evan who has Asperger's. Just how much more can one woman be expected to deal with at this stage in her life when age seems to play an imminent role in her finding another teaching position. The last thing she wants to do is hang out with her husband Charlie who is considering going into the worm farm business and Lucy would make the perfect partner.

I received Song of Silence by Cynthia Ruchti compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This is such a great novel as I find myself considering entering the work force at the same age as Lucy is and wondering how I will be received. I couldn't imagine dealing with all that she is faced with all at the same time. Love her HHATT group, her doctor has her meet with and can only hope I can form my own such group to share my inner most woman feelings with to those who can truly understand. For me, this one easily goes down as a 5 out of 5 stars and a Reader's Discussion Guide is included for those real book clubs to enjoy! I hope Cynthia decides to expand this into a series of the women we meet in Lucy's HHATT group! Would love to know their stories!

For more information about Song of Silence, Cynthia Ruchti or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Song of Silence by Cynthia Ruchti

You can find Cynthia Ruchti on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

For more reviews on Song of Silence, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.


As the music fades and a chasm separates her from the passion of her heart, will Lucy's faith song go silent, too? Find out in Cynthia Ruchti's new book, Song of Silence. The musical score of her life seems to be missing all the notes. When a simple misstep threatens to silence Lucy forever, a young boy and his soundless mother change the way she sees—and hears—everything.

Celebrate the release of Song of Silence with a blog tour and giveaway. Two winners will be chosen!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Song of Silence
• A $150 Visa cash card

One second place winner will receive:

• A copy of Song of Silence
• A music-themed prize pack filled with goodies hand-picked by Cynthia

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on May 9th. The winners will be announced May 10th on Cynthia's blog.

Another Way Home

I have to say, Deborah Raney, you had me! By the time I reached the end of this novel I could not see the way you guided the reader through what God's plans had been all along for the Brooks family. By the time I reached the end, it all made perfect sense and that is the way life is. It may not make sense for us while we are struggling with trials and adversity in our life, until we get much further down the road and can look back and clearly see the fingerprints of God unmistakably on what we just went through without knowing why.

Another Way Home from Deborah Raney is the third book in the Chicory Inn series, involving Grant and Audrey, who have decided in their golden years to turn their much beloved home of raising 5 children who have now grown and moved on, into an inn for guests. The family still lives in close proximity to their parents and every Tuesday night boasts family night at the Inn for the family to get together and simply enjoy being a family over a well planned and prepared pot luck meal. Now that fall is approaching along with the holidays, Dallas and Danae have been attempting to start their family for quite some time. While the older sisters are well on their way, it makes each month difficult with they remain childless.

The couple have now resolved to look at more options such as infertility and even that seems to be working against their best laid prayers to God from both them and their family and friends. It has also placed a huge strain on the couple marriage as each new treatment offers initial hope, but ultimately another month of still no child in their future. Dallas is opposed to adoption being the by-product of such an adoption and he doesn't want the same thing he dealt with to happen to their future child. His own mother rejected him as unwanted when he attempted to contact her at 18. As that appears to be the only option left for them to start a family, the Brooks decided to take some time off from trying and instead pursue other passions. Dallas returns to work and Danae takes up volunteering at a nearby domestic shelter for mothers and women in abusive relationships looking for an out. What neither of them say coming would tragically change their lives forever.

I received Another Way Home by Deborah Raney compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of the book to review, for my honest opinion. This is such a perfect title to sum up the entire scenario that Dallas and Danae have to walk through in their married life, and it was one that captivated this reader's attention from the time I picked up the novel until the very end. I am happy that this is not the conclusion of this amazing series and family and readers get a sneak peek at the upcoming novel, Close to Home, at the conclusion of this one along with a reader's discussion guide that is just perfect for book clubs. I had never considered how difficult it would be for a couple to try for a child only to not be able to get pregnant while everyone else in their family is able to do so without really trying. I love the way this one turned out in the end, not the happy ever after ending you would expect, but than again real life never goes according to our plans. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Another Way Home, Deborah Raney or where you can pick up this novel today, please click on the links below:

Another Way Home by Deborah Raney

You can find Deborah Raney on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Another Way Home, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

Miracle Drug

Richard L. Mabry has such an expertise at writing hardline medical suspense thrillers and his latest is exceptional. In Miracle Drug, we take a look at the world of a fictious pharmaceutical company that holds the only cure to a rare and fatal disease that has been launched against the former president of the United States as well as an innocent by-stander Rachel Moore. His only hope lies with his recently appointed personal physician Dr. Josh Pearson, who only obtained this position when his colleague passed away of an apparent heart attack. Now it's a race against time to figure out just what these two have been infected with before their symptoms quickly claim their lives.

But is it all really an elaborate assassination attempt, or it is a way to take an ailing pharmaceutical company and bring it back from the verge of going out of business by coming up with the only cure for the former president. What happens if they isn't enough of the antidote to cure them both. You might think it would be a no brainer until you realize that one is the former president and the other is the girl you have fallen in love with. Now the pressure is really on for Josh to figure out what to do as the body count begins to rise and the trail of clues begin to divide among quite a few possible theories.

I received Miracle Drug by Richard L. Mabry MD compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. Aside from a free copy of this book, I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions here are my own honest and personal ones. Because I have had the opportunity to read so many of Mabry's previous novels, I now automatically choose these because (1) based on his knowledge as a former physician, the medical terms and procedures will always be spot on without all the soap opera drama one might expect and (2) it will always take me to a place where you wonder just how true this could be, especially in light of the recent Ebola scare this year. It definitely gives the reader something to marinate about while you are reading this one. Most people don't have a clue to how far medical science has really advanced and the ways it can be used against others if it falls into the wrong hands. For me, another home room and a well deserved 4.5 out of 5 stars. There is a reader's discussion guide included at the conclusion as well as a sneak peek at the next novel coming out soon, Medical Judgement.

For more information about Miracle Drug, Richard L. Mabry MD, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Miracle Drug by Richard L. Mabry MD

You can find Richard L. Mabry MD on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Miracle Drug, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

Beyond The Ashes

In evolution of the medical field has always fascinated me and I love how we can see just how far we have come from such times as the early 1900s when a cure for cancer was still being sought after in a variety of ways. In the Golden Gate Chronicles by Karen Barnett, Beyond the Ashes is the second novel to debut in this series.

Dr. Gerald Larkspur is working diligently with Robert King to find a way to save those who are succumbing to the effects of cancer. Trying their hand at the merits of radiation, they have had some success are the prolonging of their patients lives, but unfortunately not saving them without the barbaric practice of limb and organ removal in an attempt to save them. Now they face the challenge of either proving their successes or risk losing the funding the hospital board has been providing.

Robert is engaged to Abby, Gerald's cousin and while preparing for their upcoming wedding, he has invited his sister Ruby Marshall to come stay with them. While still undergoing to rebuilding efforts since the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco has many places they can use Ruby's nursing skills including working at the hospital with them. She is still recovering for the loss of her husband who faced an accident with a horse and automobile that took his life before they could start a family of their own. Now looking for a potential fresh start, she is hoping a change of location might do her so good as well as reuniting with her brother in San Francisco. She is not looking to lose her heart again.

I received Beyond the Ashes by Karen Barnett compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review outside of a free copy of the novel and the opinions contained here are my strictly my own personal opinions. I absolutely loved being back in San Francisco during the rebuilding of the city's massive earthquake. The sense of realism you gain from Karen's research is amazing, from the unsanitary conditions from the evacuation camps that are prevalent within the city, to the rarely understood effects of using X-rays to combat cancer treatments. For me, this took me back to the BBC series, London Hospital, where you can see the early stages of medical treatments, as the impact of those experimenting with radiation and perfecting X-Ray usage. I absolutely love when a novel can take you back in time, and not only enjoy an amazing story but learn a bit about history at the same time and thus the reason for my 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for the sequel, Through The Shadows which readers get a sneak peek at in this novel as well as Discussion Guide questions, perfect for book clubs!

For more information about Beyond the Ashes, Karen Barnett or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Beyond the Ashes by Karen Barnett

You can find Karen Barnett on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Beyond the Ashes, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 

Two Roads Home

"We'll need to meet with HR and with Michaela. See if we can iron things out, I need you to think this through though. Is there anything else we should know? We don't want her springing something on us unaware."

He blew out a breath and raked a hand through his hair. "I guess you should know that I talked to her on Wednesday. She'd called my cell phone Tuesday night, and I just wanted to establish that I didn't appreciate getting calls after work hours."

"She called you at home? Where did the conversation take place? Wednesday, I mean."

"I tried to meet with her in one of the conference rooms but they were all in use, so we talked in my office."

"Please tell me you left your office door open."

" Of course. But the conversation did not go well. She implied that I'd made advances toward her, and she accused Corinne of being responsible for me ending things with her, which is ridiculous because there was absolutely nothing to end."

"Ah...Well, that makes sense. Hell hath no fury and all that."

Like a woman scorned. He'd never once thought that old adage would have any place in his life. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as the realization dawned: he would have to tell Corinne everything. Whether it ever became public or not, he didn't want a secret like that between them.

And he knew how she'd feel when she discovered he hadn't told her anything that led up to this nightmare. Shocked. Betrayed. Suspicious.

The same as he would have felt if the tables were turned." (pg 62).

In Deborah Raney's latest novel, Two Roads Home, the second in the Chicory Inn Series, we find Corinne and Jesse Pennington, coming to terms with the long hours that Jesse has had to work traveling for his job, leaving Corinne at home trying to handle three kids as if she were a single mom. It has created a gap that has drove a wedge of sorts between them and now it seems that Jesse's nature to be easy going and friendly was perceived by Michaela, his coworker as something more.

They will now face a battle on two fronts, one dealing with the legal implications of a possible sexual harassment suit against Jesse, and the suspicions that Corinne has about the innocent working relationship and the long hours away from home. Will they have what it takes to succeed at winning both battles, the one for Jesse' job and their marriage?

I received Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review aside from a free copy of this novel and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This has got to be every married couples worst nightmare. To wonder if your spouse is having an affair at work, especially when faced with long hours at the job and less than favorable conditions at home. To top if off dealing with the implications of a sexual harassment lawsuit at work, when your spouse tries to keep work boundaries intact.

I cringed as I felt myself quite literally in Corinne's shoes because I watched it happen in my own life, and no matter how many times you try to convince yourself nothing is happening, you can't avoid those nagging feelings in the back of your mind. I absolutely LOVE this series and Deborah Raney definitely gets to the heart of these matters in every one she adds to the series. It's the very reason why I don't have to read the premise of what her novels with involve, because I know I will already LOVE them. Another winner for me with an astounding 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. Readers are in for a surprise by getting a sneak peek at Another Way Home coming soon in this series!

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Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney

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