Bringing Maggie Home

“ It only takes one generation of neglecting God to turn a faithful family into a faithless one.” - Bringing Maggie Home - Kim Vogel Sawyer

Losing a child is probably one of the hardest things to deal with in life. For the parents, it seem unbelievable and impossible to try to move forward, but for one little girl, Hazel Mae, she would carry the burden of how she destroyed her family for seventy years and it would create ripples that would affect every relationship after that one. When her mom told her to take her 3 year old sister, Maggie with her to pick blackberries for a pie she was making for her daddy's birthday, she never imagined what would happen. When she went to scare off a snake that was ready to kill a family of baby bunnies for a moment, when she turned back around Maggie went missing. Even after all the searching only a handful of clues remained. A ribbon that was in her hair that day caught high in the branch of a tree, the birthday doll she received left right when Hazel had left her, and a shoe near a creek.

Some believed that Maggie fell into a rapidly moving creek that day. Others said a band of gypsies had taken her as they were run out of town. But Hazel believed that none of those answered the questions she held locked away in her heart. Now with her daughter Margaret Diane and her granddaughter Meghan, three generations of women will uncover the secrets that Hazel has been holding onto and perhaps find resolution as they work together to discover what happened to Maggie that fateful day, but also answering years of questions for both Margaret Diane and Meghan how her actions over the years are laid bare for them to see the many why's they couldn't understand until the pieces begin to fit together.

I received Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers and Litfuse Publicity. I really enjoyed this novel as readers get to understand how the actions of one person can have a life long affect on those that come after them. This is more than a family torn apart by the years but also leads to discovery, hope and reconciliation as they work together in hopes of finding the answers that will do more than heal them of their past hurts. A reader's discussion guide is found at the conclusion of this book that would be great for book clubs to enjoy. The novel toggles not only from past to present, but also between the different perspectives of the three women as they slowly unravel the past and work their way to a future none of them were looking for. Part mystery, part suspense, part historical, you won't want to put this one down until you too find the answers of what happened to Maggie that fateful day. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Bringing Maggie Home, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Bringing Maggie Home, please visit WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. 

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

Bringing Maggie Home

“ It only takes one generation of neglecting God to turn a faithful family into a faithless one.” - Bringing Maggie Home - Kim Vogel Sawyer

Losing a child is probably one of the hardest things to deal with in life. For the parents, it seem unbelievable and impossible to try to move forward, but for one little girl, Hazel Mae, she would carry the burden of how she destroyed her family for seventy years and it would create ripples that would affect every relationship after that one. When her mom told her to take her 3 year old sister, Maggie with her to pick blackberries for a pie she was making for her daddy's birthday, she never imagined what would happen. When she went to scare off a snake that was ready to kill a family of baby bunnies for a moment, when she turned back around Maggie went missing. Even after all the searching only a handful of clues remained. A ribbon that was in her hair that day caught high in the branch of a tree, the birthday doll she received left right when Hazel had left her, and a shoe near a creek.

Some believed that Maggie fell into a rapidly moving creek that day. Others said a band of gypsies had taken her as they were run out of town. But Hazel believed that none of those answered the questions she held locked away in her heart. Now with her daughter Margaret Diane and her granddaughter Meghan, three generations of women will uncover the secrets that Hazel has been holding onto and perhaps find resolution as they work together to discover what happened to Maggie that fateful day, but also answering years of questions for both Margaret Diane and Meghan how her actions over the years are laid bare for them to see the many why's they couldn't understand until the pieces begin to fit together.

I received Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. I really enjoyed this novel as readers get to understand how the actions of one person can have a life long affect on those that come after them. This is more than a family torn apart by the years but also leads to discovery, hope and reconciliation as they work together in hopes of finding the answers that will do more than heal them of their past hurts. A reader's discussion guide is found at the conclusion of this book that would be great for book clubs to enjoy. The novel toggles not only from past to present, but also between the different perspectives of the three women as they slowly unravel the past and work their way to a future none of them were looking for. Part mystery, part suspense, part historical, you won't want to put this one down until you too find the answers of what happened to Maggie that fateful day. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Bringing Maggie Home, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Bringing Maggie Home, please visit WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. 

Room for Hope

Imagine that the life you believed was truly yours was simply one built upon lies. The marriage and love you shared with your husband is not what you thought it was and the future you believed in was void and empty. That is just what Neva Shillings is coming to terms with. As the wife of Warren Shillings, a very successful traveling merchant, who leaves every other month to sell his wares on the road and pick up new items for their store in Buffalo Creek, Kansas. While she waits for him to return home along with their two children, she can't imagine a more perfect life. They never want for anything and Warren always insists that they have the very best.

When a wagon pulls up outside, she had hoped it was Warren, but it was simply another man with a wagon full of goods. Not unheard of since many were selling their wares now that the depression was hitting so many families hard in the area, so as she prepared to address his concerns, she wasn't as prepared as she had hoped. Deputy Jesse Caudel arrives with more than a wagon load of stuff for Ms. Shilling. He has news that Warren and his wife Violet are dead and the things in the wagon are what is left after everything has been sold to cover their debts including three of their children. He has been instructed to drop everything off to Neva, their aunt.

Neva is devastated to learn that all those business trips were simply an excuse to go back to Warren's illegitimate wife and family, one she had no clue about until today, along with the fact, they had three children. Knowing how kind hearted she is, Warren probably believed there was no way that Neva would turn them away to spend their lives in an orphanage, something she was familiar with, being an orphan herself. She is completely lost in how she will deal with these circumstances, and the aftermath of what the people of Buffalo Creek will think when they learn that Warren Shilling was far from being the man they all believed he was.

I received Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my personal and honest evaluation. I love novels that take the reader into a part of history that conveys a sense of hardship in the midst of dire circumstances. One in which Neva has relied on her husband to provide for their financially, even though she had helped out in the mercantile. She doesn't know how to order supplies, fill the inventory or even arrange for its delivery since it was all done by her husband. In addition to the three of them, she now has managed to take on the responsibility of three additional children, in the worst of times in the country. Just the fact of her husband's affair could leave her with more problems than she ever imagined in a world where morality and character counted for everything in a families name. Well worth all 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Room For Hope, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer 

You can find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Room for Hope, please visit WaterBrook Multnomah's website. 

When Grace Sings

To receive grace is to gain something you didn't deserve, much like a prisoner receives a pardon. They deserve punishment for committing crimes, but when they are pardoned, they are receiving something they didn't deserve. That is the definition for grace and also the theme in Kim Vogel Sawyer's second book in the Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy Series. In When Grace Sings, one could misinterpret what it really is about.

For Alexa Zimmerman, it is about coming to terms with the recent knowledge that she was adopted and left behind by her birth mother. It's wondering what your purpose is life is supposed to mean when you realize that all the people you believe in your life were your family, really aren't. So in order to find purpose for her life, she takes over running Grace Notes B and B on her grandmother's Mennonite farm. In fact just her appearance alone would beg to ask the question why she doesn't dress like all the others in the Old Order, but she isn't about to convey to anyone what the truth is just yet. Not until she comes to terms with it first.

Just beginning to take on guest after all the recent renovations, Alexa wants to prove she can make this business profitable and not have to rely on the finances from her grandmother. She gains a long term book from Briley Forrester, an up and coming reporter who wants the story of a lifetime. Convinced that the Mennonites and Amish aren't exactly as wholesome as they appear, his editor convinces him to stay for a couple months in order to find the story that will prove they are just like the rest of the world in their short comings. But will Briley be able to do that at the cost of hurting Alexa and the people who welcome him into their community with open arms?

I received When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. The one thing I took away from this novel besides its theme on what grace really is, is the quote, "Every man has two equal abilities - to build up or tear down. The challenge lies in knowing which is the right choice." I guess the hardest thing any of us has to master is ability to recognize how our words can either build up or tear down. The hardest thing comes in learning to control what comes out. Sometimes it takes quite a while to figure out God's plan in things when they turn out to not be so favorable in our own eyes and it's learning how to deal with it that shows true growth of character and a healthy dose of grace as well. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and readers will find a great recipe for peace and pecan pie as well as a Reader's Guide at the conclusion of this heartwarming novel.

For more information about When Grace Sings, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on When Grace Sings, please visit WaterBrook Multnomah Publisher's website. 

• Series: The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 17, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307731332
• ISBN-13: 978-0307731333

The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy
# 1 When Mercy Rains
# 2 When Grace Sings

Through the Deep Waters Giveaway

I don't know of anyone who doesn't like getting something for free and for me, that is free books!

So when I was approached to offer a giveaway of Kim Vogel Sawyer's book, Through the Deep Waters, I literally jumped at the chance.

For those who truly love historical romances that are Christian based, you will definitely want to take part in this one. I loved this novel and you can read my review about it here

To enter this giveaway is super simple. Just fill out the form by clicking on the link below in this blog post. That's all there is too it. You will be notified by Waterbrook Multnomah direct if you are the lucky winner of this book giveaway.

This giveaway opportunity has begun and it will end on August 20th. The winner will be chosen randomly on August 21st from those who have completed the form. That's all there is to it!

To complete the form and enter this giveaway, please click here.  

For more information about Through The Deep Waters, please visit Waterbrook Multnomah's website.

Through The Deep Waters

Sometimes the person we have a difficult time forgiving is ourselves. Sin has a way of doing that. Ingraining itself into your soul, tormenting you every minute of the day and night, reminding you of your mistakes over and over again. Yet nothing can free us from that feeling unless we are willing to turn it over to God first. Nothing we do, can erase that guilt and sin like He can.

In Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest novel, Through the Deep Waters, Dinah Hubley has lived every girls nightmare. Making a decision at 16 to save her mother from being thrown out on the streets when she became ill working at the Yellow Parrot, a brothel in 1883 in Chicago, she does the unthinkable. When the owner of the brothel, Flo, informs her that no one stays for free in her hotel unless she can pay, she offers Dinah a one time opportunity for just the man willing to pay her to settle her debts to care for her mother. She takes Flo up on her offer and suddenly realizes her mistake, But before she can leave, the man refuses to let her go and forces Dinah to fulfill her commitment.

Knowing that she will be forever scarred by that one act, she flees to Kansas to work as a Harvey Girl as a server in their hotel. She hopes with distance, she can leave her past in Chicago. Only the night terrors and guilt will keep her in bondage even at her new job. Since she isn't quite 18, she takes a position as a chambermaid, cleaning rooms with another girl, Ruthie, who hopes that they will become close friends. But since Dinah carries so much guilt with her, she can't even see the honest friendship that Ruthie is offering her. Instead she forces herself to remain alone in a self imposed prison hoping to do her work well enough to get hired as a server.

But Dinah's beauty will only serve as an invitation to many men who fancy her good looks, and none more so than the local chicken farmer, Amos Ackerman. He's been praying to God to send him and wife, but knows that the wagon accident he had a child living him with a limb, will likely live him living alone without the possibility of a wife or family. He can only hope that someday, someone like Dinah might see something more in him than the disability that limits what he can do! Will God find a way to answer his prayers or will be forced to live a life all alone with nothing but his chickens for company?

I received Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This is such a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption among the least of us that deserve it. It also highlights the awareness to childhood sexual abuse and the implications that can be carried throughout the lives of those impacted for years. Just the burden they have to carry with them can be more painful than the act itself and one they feel that they are to blame. Such a beautiful story of how happily ever afters can happen even in light of something so horrible! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. A reading discussion guide is included at the conclusion of this novel for book clubs.

For more information about Through the Deep Waters, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Through the Deep Waters, please visit Waterbrook Multnomah's website. 

What Once Was Lost

Just looking at the title makes me want to think of the lyrics from Amazing Grace and the missing part is what you'll find in the latest novel from Kim Vogel Sawyer, What Once Was Lost. My husband even commented when I got this novel that I sure do have quite a few from Kim Vogel Sawyer and he's definitely right about that. She truly gets to the reader's heart once you enter the world of her historical novels. This one is definitely geared for fans that love a western flair and takes you back to the late 1890's in Brambleville, Kansas.

Christina Willems has taken over the care of Brambleville Asylum for the Poor, a home for those who need a place to live and a safe haven from the world around them that sees them as the outcasts of society. She inherited the position after the death of her parents, most recently her father and was raised in helping out those less fortunate than herself. She offers comfort to a group of poor and displaced individuals until something better comes along. Tommy Kilgore is the only blind boy and it seems he receives the worst kind of treatment by the people of Brambleville, who see him as the burden to society since he was in a boiler explosion and lost not only his eyesight but also disfigured part of his body. His parents abandoned him long ago with Christina and she's been trying to find a way to reach the part of his soul that lies buried deep inside. If only she could find a way to help.

When tragedy strikes the home through a fire that destroys the kitchen, Christina is forced to find temporary housing among the town's residents until the mission sends her the required funds to repair the home. She has found housing for everyone except Tommy and the last person on her list is the most unlikely of people to ask, mill owner Levi Johnson who prefers to be left all alone. Thankfully she manages to convince Levi it will only be temporary until she can find something else and it's during this time alone with Mr. Johnson, that Tommy is able to finally feel something more than simply a burden on anyone. Just what is it that Mr. Johnson does that draws Tommy out of his shell and will he be able to keep him there long enough for him to turn his life around? Just what caused the fire in the first place? Is it possible the reason Tommy fears returning back to the poor farm is that he has a secret he doesn't want revealed?

To find out, you'll have to pick up this heartwarming and emotionally moving story of renewal and restoration by Kim Vogel Sawyer. I received What Once Was Lost by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. I whole heartily give this one a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion because the story is such a compelling one to immerse yourself in. You have to understand the timing in history in the late 1890's where a woman's place was not in running a business so the town isn't exactly thrilled that a poor farm in located in their small town and much worse that it is being run by a woman. Yet Christina is a fighter and a firm believer that God will give her whatever she needs to keep the poor house running and the family together despite whatever odds are against her, but can she fight the mission board as well? Is this God's true purpose in her life after all or one merely that Christina wants? You'll love exploring the answers in this wonderful novel.

For more information about What Once Was Lost, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

What Once Was Lost by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on What Once Was Lost on the Waterbrook Multomah Publishers website, please click here. 

Sweet Sanctuary

Dr. Hatcher,

     I'm sure by now you feel certain that your responsibility has been fully avoided, and this letter has come as a surprise. It has taken me some time to locate you. But this is a matter of extreme importance. A child's life has been impacted. As the child's grandfather, I cannot allow him to grow up wondering why his father has chosen to abandon him.

     Therefore I request that you honor your responsibility toward your child. He and his mother are living with me in Boston. I will allow you two weeks to contact me. If by the end of that time, you have not chosen to honor your duty to your son, I shall be forced to take legal action. I assure you I have the wealth and influence to see that you do not continue to neglect your responsibility. I encourage - no, I insist - that you come with all due haste to Boston to settle this matter in an honorable fashion.

                                                                           N. Allan Eldredge

No matter how much Micah attempted to reread the letter and search for some hidden meaning between the lines, he couldn't understand how this letter was for him. In fact, even though he contemplated heading to Boston, it would only show Mr. Eldredge that the accusation held merit. He did remember Lydia Eldredge. The nurse from Schofield Station Hospital. The one who had left Oahu early because of a mysterious emergency. An emergency that was no longer a mystery, thanks to the letter. That's when he decided he would go to Boston, confront Lydia and her parents, and insist that she tell the truth. Micah was not the father of this child.

Only when the doorbell rang, it was Lydia who was surprised. Apparently her father had taken it upon himself to locate the one and only man Lydia had truly loved, from stealing her diary. Now of course, Lydia had to set Micah straight and explain the motives for her father's letter. She only hoped he would understand.
Her childhood friend, Eleanor had gotten married to Nicolai Pankin, a man who worked at Lydia's father's crate factory and had gotten pregnant. When Nicolai learned that Eleanor was pregnant, he was furious and didn't want the worry or burden of children. He found someone who would terminate Eleanor's pregnancy. Since Lydia introduced them, she felt burdened that she was somehow responsible. When Eleanor feared for her unborn baby, she ran away from Nicolai and found comfort in Lydia. Unfortunately before Lydia could return home in time, Eleanor had died in childbirth but left the child to Lydia. Now Lydia has been trying to stay one step ahead of Nicolai to keep him from finding the child.

She only hopes that Micah will offer to marry her in hopes of securing a future for Nicky, who believes Lydia is his real mother. She wants to have a birth certificate created to show that Lydia is the natural mother and Micah is the boy's father. Unfortunately Micah's isn't about to go through with Lydia or her father's plans for marriage just to save the life of one little boy. But just how far with Micah go to save the women he is having feelings for and even the child that is finding a way into his heart even if he isn't his biological child?

In the novel Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer, the author takes us back to 1944 for the setting in this story. The struggle for survival is apparent as Lydia has to stay one step ahead of Nicolai Pankin who is a drug addicted father bent on finding his one and only son, no matter how many lies Lydia throws his way. If she could only have gotten Micah to agree to marry her long enough to create a birth certificate for Nicky, then perhaps they might be safe. Her father's influence and money can only hide them for so long, and soon despite the fact that Micah wanted to stay out of this mess, he's about to find he can't turn his back on people who truly need his help.

I received Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is such a compelling story to pick up and immerse yourself in. You are completely rooting for Lydia and Nicky the whole way despite the fact her father attempted to go about finding a solution the wrong way. You despise the character of Nicolai Pankin even before he is introduced in the story as seeing the option of selling his child as a way to support his drug habit. What's worse is knowing the Lydia is involved and with that comes the plot to gain more money than he ever though possible if he can only get his hands on his son. I rate this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars and love the details that Kim weaves together to make this such a believable story for the reader to feel like they are a part of it.

For more information about Sweet Sanctuary, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also follow Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

You can also find more reviews for Sweet Sanctuary on the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour.


To celebrate the release of  Sweet Sanctuary Kim Vogel Sawyer is giving away a Cupcake Club membership (monthly cupcake delivery!) from the amazing Magnolia Bakery in New York and hosting a Facebook Author Chat party {4/30}!

One "sweet" winner will receive:

• Cupcakes from NYC’s Magnolia Bakery delivered to your door every month. (Eat them all yourself or share!)
• Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer for you and four of your friends. (Start a book group — cupcakes and a "sweet" read!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 29th. Winner will be announced at the "Sweet Sanctuary" Author Chat Party on 4/30. Connect with Kim, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be fun giveaways - gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Sweet Sanctuary and join Kim on the evening of April 30th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!

Song of My Heart - Giveaway and Review

It's always a privilege when one of your favorite authors comes out with a new book and you get so excited because you just know it's going to be great! Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer is no exception. Taking the reader right back into the heart of Dalton, Indiana in 1895, we find ourselves in the home of the Wagner family, where their father has suffered a terrible accident and is now trying to recover. Feeling the financial burden of having their father out of work, Sadie is relieved when a letter arrives as an answer to their prayers.

Her cousin Sid has found work and a new life in Goldtree, Kansas and has sent word to Sadie that he has secured employment for her as well as a clerk in the General Store as well as an audition for a singer in the Opera House. A dream come true for Sadie and even more so, when her parents agree to let her go to help them out until her father can get well enough to return to work.

So Sadie sets out for what she hopes will be a life-changing experience in the heart of a small town of Goldtree! Arriving on the dirt filled streets, worn and weary she meets up with her cousin Sid, who introduces her to Melva and Shelva Baxter, the elderly twin ladies who run the General Store. It is their brother Asa who wants her to audition for a singer in the Opera House which is located just beneath the mercantile due to construction costs. But that's not all that's buried beneath the town of Goldtree as the new sheriff is about to discover.

Thad McKane has been hired to find out about an illegal bootlegging operation that threatens to undermine the growth of Goldtree and that's something the mayor does not want to see happen. Thad feels he has to make amends for his father's reputation and offers to take the job in hopes of saving the town, but will God have other plans in store for Sheriff McKane?

I received Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and LOVED it, right down to the dust covered streets and the wild bunch of characters found between the pages. This is a western romance with a twist that shows that nothing we can do short of asking God for forgiveness will make things right. It's a story about God's grace and mercy set in the heart of a western Kansas town. This one will make your heart sing with a 5 out of 5 star rating.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also find her on Facebook by clicking here.

Win a Nook Tablet from Kim Vogel Sawyer and RSVP for her "Song of My Heart" Facebook Party {3/29}!

Celebrate with Kim by entering to win a Nook Tablet and connecting with her at the Book Chat Party on 3/29!



One "songbird" winner will receive:

• A Nook Tablet


• Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/28/12. Winner will be announced at Kim's Book Chat Facebook Party on 3/29. Kim will be hosting an evening of chat, fun trivia and more! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more!

So grab your copy of Song of My Heart and join Kim and friends on the evening of March 29th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!

Song of My Heart

It's always a privilege when one of your favorite authors comes out with a new book and you get so excited because you just know it's going to be great! Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer is no exception. Taking the reader right back into the heart of Dalton, Indiana in 1895, we find ourselves in the home of the Wagner family, where their father has suffered a terrible accident and is now trying to recover. Feeling the financial burden of having their father out of work, Sadie is relieved when a letter arrives as an answer to their prayers.

Her cousin Sid has found work and a new life in Goldtree, Kansas and has sent word to Sadie that he has secured employment for her as well as a clerk in the General Store as well as an audition for a singer in the Opera House. A dream come true for Sadie and even more so, when her parents agree to let her go to help them out until her father can get well enough to return to work.

So Sadie sets out for what she hopes will be a life-changing experience in the heart of a small town of Goldtree! Arriving on the dirt filled streets, worn and weary she meets up with her cousin Sid, who introduces her to Melva and Shelva Baxter, the elderly twin ladies who run the General Store. It is their brother Asa who wants her to audition for a singer in the Opera House which is located just beneath the mercantile due to construction costs. But that's not all that's buried beneath the town of Goldtree as the new sheriff is about to discover.

Thad McKane has been hired to find out about an illegal bootlegging operation that threatens to undermine the growth of Goldtree and that's something the mayor does not want to see happen. Thad feels he has to make amends for his father's reputation and offers to take the job in hopes of saving the town, but will God have other plans in store for Sheriff McKane?

I received Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and LOVED it, right down to the dust covered streets and the wild bunch of characters found between the pages. This is a western romance with a twist that shows that nothing we can do short of asking God for forgiveness will make things right. It's a story about God's grace and mercy set in the heart of a western Kansas town. This one will make your heart sing with a 5 out of 5 star rating.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Song of My Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also find her on Facebook by clicking here.

A Whisper of Peace

Forgiveness sounds so simple to do yet so often becomes the hardest act for some of us to perform. Striving to show people what God's love is all about, Clay Selby and his step sister, Vivian set out for the Alaskan frontier in the late 1800's, as missionaries to the native people of the Athabascans, who have seen many white people by fear what their ways will bring to their small village.

Fueled by a desire to follow in his father's footsteps, Clay begins to build a school house within the village with the help of some of the people, that will not only help them learn English, but teach them about God in the process. The native people believe that learning English will help them in the ability to deal with other white people that pass through the village and with those that they trade furs with in the town of White Horse.

Upon entering the village, Clay and Vivian meet a young native woman, named White Feather but goes by the name of Lizzie, living alone just outside the village. She is curious to the music that Clay plays through his accordion and soon finds friendship with Vivian. Working together Vivian vows to teach Lizzie how to be more of a white woman and Lizzie promises to teach her how to trap animals and cook for her brother Clay. Lizzie's father Voss Dawson has left her behind at the age of 12, to make a life for himself in the white man's world. After her mother's death, Lizzie was left alone and ostracized from her mother's family in the tribe of the Athabascan people. Until she can find a way to bridge a gap that keeps her separated from her grandparents, Lizzie has vowed to remain an outsider with her only friends being a pack of sled dogs.

In the latest novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer, A Whisper of Peace, is the story of dealing with the loss of relationships and how actions can be perceived to mean far more than they were intended. Clay must find a way to reach the village with God's redeeming message of forgiveness and hope as well as show that same love for Lizzie, when the village asks him to choose between her and his church. Will Clay make the right decision? What is the true purpose in his calling to share God's love, does it mean to pick and choose who is more worthy?

I received this novel compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and LOVED how Kim got this message of redemption across the generations of people affected by the choices people made in the village. It also shows how the impact of waiting too long to make amends can alter how we live our life today. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and this makes the 4th book, I've read by Kim and anxiously await her next book. I am so excited when I am offered the opportunity to review anything she has written, because I know it's going to be GREAT!

For more information about this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

A Whisper of Peace by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also find Kim on Facebook, by clicking here.

Courting Miss Amsel

Edythe Amsel comes to the quiet small town of Walnut Hill, Nebraska searching for a new life for herself. After spending years raising her siblings after her mother died and her father slipped into a non-existent father, she is embracing a change that a teaching position will offer her.

Since graduating teaching school, Miss Amsel offers the children of Walnut Hill a different way of teaching than others that came before her. The first lesson is to rid the school room of the old switch used to punish children who make mistakes. The second lesson is to teach them that by making mistakes are the way to learning. There should be no fear in the classroom. Yet even when she tries to encourage her students, the Town Council isn't happy with her teaching things outside of basic reading, writing and arithmetic and they make their concerns known to her.

Joel Townsend has spent his time, farming and raising his nephews Robert and Johnny as best as he can since their parents both passed away. Yet despite his best intentions, he can see a change in the boys since the new schoolmarm has been teaching this year. They are more than eager and willing to attend school and once Joel meets Miss Amsel, he begins to once more have feelings for a woman he didn't think was possible.

Yet just what is it that Edythe is running from? Her landlady Mrs Kinsley, aims to find out and spends her time praying for Edythe to learn to let go of controlling things and let God take the lead. She also becomes a true friend for Edythe, especially when one boy in class aims to take his childish pranks to a whole new level to get rid of the teacher.

In the latest novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer, Courting Miss Amsel, is a delight to read. This novel is a classic in my opinion and I found it enjoyable to take my time reading. I loved the strong and independent thinking offered by the character of Miss Edythe Amsel, yet remaining soft and caring to the students that come to love and admire her. This is the third book I've read of Kim Vogel Sawyer and I savor each one of them that I get the opportunity to read. What a pleasure again and a perfection 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. For more information about the novel, the talented author and where to get a first chapter peek, please read on further:

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Courting Miss Amsel Bethany House (January 1, 2011) by Kim Vogel Sawyer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Edythe Amsel is delighted with her first teaching assignment: a one-room schoolhouse in Walnut Hill, Nebraska. Independent, headstrong, and a strong believer in a well-rounded education, Edythe is ready to open the world to the students in this tiny community. But is Walnut Hill ready for her?

Joel Townsend is thrilled to learn the town council hired a female teacher to replace the ruthless man who terrorized his nephews for the past two years. Having raised the boys on his own since their parents' untimely deaths, Joel believes they will benefit from a woman's influence. But he sure didn't bargain on a woman like Miss Amsel.

Within the first week, she has the entire town up in arms over her outlandish teaching methods, which include collecting leaves, catching bugs, making snow angels, and stringing ropes in strange patterns all over the schoolyard. Joel can't help but notice that she's also mighty pretty with her rosy lips, fashionable clothes, and fancy way of speaking.

When Edythe decides to take her pupils to hear Miss Susan Anthony speak on the women's suffrage amendment, the town's outcry reaches new heights. Even Joel isn't sure he can support her newfangled ideas any longer. And if he can't trust her to know how to teach the boys, how can he trust her with his heart?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Courting Miss Amsel, go HERE.

In Every Heartbeat - Review

Imagine growing up most of your life in an orphanage? Imagine that each time parents came looking for a child to adopt, you were not the one that they were looking for?

For Elisabet Conley this was her life. She spent time growing up in an orphanage at a time when most people came looking for strapping young boys that they could put to work, so hers was a time spent lonely and searching in desperation for a place to fit in. She did when she made friends with Bennett Martin and Pete Leidig, both boys in the same place as her, friends she made in the orphanage.

Pete Leidig is a cripple missing a leg that was ran over by a trolley when his parents needed money and sent him out to sell papers. Now missing a leg, his parents didn't know what to do with him so they had him sent to the orphanage as a way of solving a problem.

Bennett Martin is a muscle bound boy whose hopes and dreams in life is finally finding a place to fit in. He has always had a fondness for Elisabet or Libby as the boys have affectionately named her. Yet her caring and compassion seem to be only for Pete. Perhaps she feels overly protective of him due to his injury.

Yet when all three find themselves in the same college thanks to the orphanage sponsoring all three, each one has a goal in life to seek. For Libby it's becoming a writer, Pete wants to be a minister and Bennett, wants to join a fraternity and just have fun.

Just how will the trio survive the challenges that each will face in light of the coming World War. Will they seek what they hope to find or will this be the force that drives them apart? Find out by reading Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest novel, In Every Heartbeat

I received this amazing book compliments of Bethany House Publishers for my honest review and would rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars. This book is available in hardcover, paperback and eBook formats. For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy, click on the title below:

In Every Heartbeat

In Every Heartbeat

Imagine growing up most of your life in an orphanage? Imagine that each time parents came looking for a child to adopt, you were not the one that they were looking for?

For Elisabet Conley this was her life. She spent time growing up in an orphanage at a time when most people came looking for strapping young boys that they could put to work, so hers was a time spent lonely and searching in desperation for a place to fit in. She did when she made friends with Bennett Martin and Pete Leidig, both boys in the same place as her, friends she made in the orphanage.

Pete Leidig is a cripple missing a leg that was ran over by a trolley when his parents needed money and sent him out to sell papers. Now missing a leg, his parents didn't know what to do with him so they had him sent to the orphanage as a way of solving a problem.

Bennett Martin is a muscle bound boy whose hopes and dreams in life is finally finding a place to fit in. He has always had a fondness for Elisabet or Libby as the boys have affectionately named her. Yet her caring and compassion seem to be only for Pete. Perhaps she feels overly protective of him due to his injury.

Yet when all three find themselves in the same college thanks to the orphanage sponsoring all three, each one has a goal in life to seek. For Libby it's becoming a writer, Pete wants to be a minister and Bennett, wants to join a fraternity and just have fun.

Just how will the trio survive the challenges that each will face in light of the coming World War. Will they seek what they hope to find or will this be the force that drives them apart? Find out by reading Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest novel, In Every Heartbeat!

I received this amazing book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and would rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars. For more information about the book, the author and even a first chapter glance, then read on.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
In Every Heartbeat Bethany House (September 1, 2010)
by Kim Vogel Sawyer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren.

ABOUT THE BOOK

As three friends who grew up in the same orphanage head off to college together, they each harbor a cherished dream.

Libby Conley hopes to become a famous journalist. Pete Leidig believes God has called him to study to become a minister. And Bennett Martin plans to pledge a fraternity, find a place to belong, and have as much fun as possible.

But as tensions rise around the world on the brink of World War I, the friends' differing aspirations and opinions begin to divide them, as well. And when Libby makes a shocking discovery about Pete's family, will it drive a final wedge between the friends or bond them in ways they never anticipated?

If you would like to read the first chapter of In Every Heartbeat, go HERE.

A Hopeful Heart

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Hopeful Heart Bethany House (June 1, 2010)

byKim Vogel Sawyer





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Dowryless and desperate, Tressa Neill applies to the inaugural class of Wyatt Herdsman School in Barnett, Kansas, in 1888. The school's one-of-a-kind program teaches young women from the East the skills needed to become a rancher--or the wife of one.



Shy and small for her twenty-two years, Tressa is convinced she'll never have what it takes to survive Hattie Wyatt's hands-on instruction in skills such as milking a cow, branding a calf, riding a horse, and cooking up a mess of grub for hungry ranch hands. But what other options does she have?



Abel Samms wants nothing to do with the group of potential brides his neighbor brought to town. He was smitten with an eastern girl once--and he got his heart broken. But there's something about quiet Tressa and her bumbling ways that makes him take notice.



When Tressa's life is endangered, will Abel risk his own life--and his heart--to help this eastern girl?



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Hopeful Heart, go HERE

My Review:

Barnett, Kansas

May 1888

Curling her fingers around a leather handle of the battered carpetbag that held her carefully selected belongings, Tressa Neill fell in line behind the tittering row of young women disembarking the train. She didn't mind being last. In the homespun dress and outdated straw hat acquired by Aunt Gretchen, she felt dowdy and conspicuous. No matter that her attire matched closely that of her traveling companions - with the exception of Evelyn. She still harbored an intense desire to hide.

She peered out one of the trains car's dusty windows. A solitary thick-waisted woman wearing a calico bonnet and matching apron over a pale blue dress stood at the edge of the white-painted depot's wooden walkway. The woman cupped her hand above the bonnet's brim and stared at the train, obviously seeking someone. In the telegram that outlines Tressa's travel itinerary, her benefactor indicated she would meet her pupil's at the train station, so Tressa surmised this woman must be the school's founder, Mrs. Hattie Wyatt.

Then Tressa's gaze drifted over to a small crowd gathered in the slash of shade offered by the depot's overhanging porch roof. All men. All gawking with obvious interest. A bead of sweat trickled down her back. In the acceptance letter Tressa had received from the Wyatt Herdman School, Mrs. Wyatt had vowed the men of Barnett desired wives, but Tressa hadn't anticipated a welcoming band of prospective suitors. The sight of those sunburnt, cowboy-hat-topped-men sent Tressa's stomach into spasms of nervousness...(excerpt from pg 7-8)

In the book, A Hopeful Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer, Tressa Neill arrives in Barnett Kansas after applying to the Wyatt Herdsman School. The school's one-of-a-kind program teaches young women from the East the skills needed to become a rancher or the wife of one. But will Tressa have what it takes to survive Hattie Wyatt's hands-on instruction in skills such as milking cows, branding a calf, and cooking up a mess of grub for hungry ranch hands?

In the same token, Abel Samms wants nothing to do with the passel of potential brides his neighbor brought to town. He was smitten with an eastern girl once and got his heart broken. But there's something about quiet Tressa and her bumbling ways that makes him take notice. When trouble strikes, will Abel risk his life and his heart to help this eastern girl?

I received complimentary book from Christian Fiction Blog Alliance in return for my honest review. Being a lover of historical western fiction, this book rates a permanent home in my library and I would again rate this one a 10 out of 10. I stayed up til the wee hours of the early morning because I had to know how it ended once I started it. It keeps the reader immersed in the story from the first page to the last. I would love to see a sequel to this book from Kim Vogel Sawyer. This book is a definite must have!