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. 

Swept Away

Lucas Stone had spent several years fighting in the War Between the States and living off the land afterwards. He was boiling with anger as he made his way home to avenge his father's death. Those things combined to make him a careful, knowing man. A dangerous man. And now a man wanted in connection with stagecoach robbery and a man being murdered. Funny how things like that just seemed to happen to him when he had least expected it. Now all he had to do was convince the local deputy that he was innocent despite what he might find in his saddlebags. Come to think about it, they did look different but now was not the time to attempt to convince the deputy of that fact. He had to stall for time to figure out who'd tried to frame him and only one name came to mind. The same man who was responsible for the murder of his father, Flint Greer.

Greer was the only one who knew he was coming back home. He had just sent Greer a legal document accompanied by a letter telling Greer to get off Stone land. Greer didn't want Luke to make it home. He knew a set up when he saw one. Which meant there was little or no chance he could talk his way of this one. Now if he could only figure out a way not to hurt a lawman - at least not too bad. That's how all the trouble began on what was supposed to be a simple trip home to reclaim what was his and to find justice for the man who killed his father. Luke wondered how much Greer had paid to kill Pa. Top dollar most likely, because the job had been done right.

Pa dead.

His S Bar S Ranch stolen.

Luke was headed home to set things right.

Ruthy MacNeil was looking for a way out. Any sign from God that showed her a different path than the one she saw herself on now. "Shut up and do as you're told." That seemed to be the theme that the Reinhardt family attempted to instill in her. That was the way of things in this family she'd been dragged into. Ma resting her aching back. Pa yelled and doled out punishment. Her dear brother, Virgil, leered. Ruthy worked. They'd be married when they reached California - Pa and Ma declared it so. Virgil was willing. How Ruthy felt about it had never come up. This would be her life forever if she married into this family. She'd been looking for a chance to runaway and beg for protection and hadn't found one. And she feared greatly what tactics Pa, Ma, and Virgil might use to force her to say, "I do." The only way to stop the marriage was to be gone from the family and never be found.

God was about to provide such an opportunity when the wagon train she was part of attempted to cross a ford during a thunderstorm. Despite Ruthy's protests that even though it wasn't raining here, it might be further up river and cause a flash flood to occur. Yet her standard reply came from her Pa, "Shut up and do as you're told". Halfway across the river was when trouble occurred and suddenly the wagon Ruthy was driving began to float downstream as a rush of water was headed their way. Soon the entire wagon train was in danger and the last thing Ruthy remembered as she hit the granite bank and the floodwaters pulled her down was darkness.

Swept Away by Mary Connealy introduces the reader to the first book in an exciting new series, Trouble in Texas just as things are about to get interesting for our main characters Lucas Stone and Ruthy MacNeil. Seems as if life has handed them both a challenging situation with a unique twist on how to get out of it as well. Will life get interesting for both of them when they intersect? You'll have to find out by picking up this one that is guaranteed to get your heart racing in many different ways. It is bound to be an unforgettable book geared to keep the reader guessing and literally on the edge of their seat. There is even a sneak peek into Fired Up, the second book in the Trouble in Texas series to wet your appetite for more western romance and adventure.

I received Swept Away by Mary Connealy compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Bethany House Publishers for my honest review. Having read The Kincaid Bride series, I was already a solid fan of Mary Connealy's work and knew I would be interested in more. She creates such unforgettable and real characters you have a difficult time believing they are not real. The premise behind this unique story creates a strong and determined female character you can truly come to appreciate and admire. There still remains a sense of femininity and softness to her but she can definitely hold her own. One of the most amazing facets I love when reading a western romance. I don't like the stereo typical women in distress that has to have a man rescue her. Mary does an exceptional job at pulling out all the stops and giving you something real in this one. I rate this a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next book in this exciting and unforgettable series.

For more information about Swept Away, Mary Connealy or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Swept Away by Mary Connealy

You can also find Mary Connealy on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Swept Away from the Litfuse Book Tour, please click here. 


Mary Connealy is celebrating the release of Swept Away by giving away a $250 "Swept Away" Vacation Package and hosting a Facebook Author Chat Party! 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A $250 Visa Cash Card (Get away for the weekend or use it to buy an eReader for a relaxing ‘Staycation’!)
• A copy of Swept Away (For you AND a friend!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 27th. Winner will be announced at the "Swept Away" Author Chat Party on March 28th. Connect with Mary, get a sneak peek of the next book in the series, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be many fun giveaways -- gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Swept Away and join Mary on the evening of the March 28th 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 28th!

Belonging

As a girl, Felicia had asked God why her adoptive parents couldn't love her. Why had they taken her into their home if they hadn't really wanted her? She would never know the answer to that question, not in her lifetime anyway. But it was time to let go of the wound it had left on her heart. Now as Felicia Brennan Kristoffersen prepares to leave one life behind and begin another, she knows God will be by her side the whole way.

Boise, Idaho - 1887

Felicia's newest venture in life after leaving behind the life of caring for her adoptive parents, Britta and Lars Kristofferson who died hours within each other in their older years, is moving to Wyoming and taking on the job as the new school teacher for Frenchman's Bluff. It hadn't been an easy decision to make ever since learning that the only reason the Kristofferson's adopted her was because they had been childless, in their 60's and were looking for an older girl to help Britta in the kitchen with chores and to be a comfort to them in their old age.

After Felicia's mother died when she was a young girl and their father left them, she and her younger sister and older brother were placed in Dr. Clay's Asylum for Little Wanderers until they were each adopted and went their own separate ways. Now with the Kristofferson's deaths, Felicia is finally able to begin a path in her own life that doesn't have anyone telling her what to do. Her only desire is to pour forth her passion into teaching and forget all about love and romance.

Colin Murphy, proprietor of Murphy's Mercantile in Frenchman's Bluff isn't looking forward to the towns new teacher. He was one of two that voted against hiring Felicia Kristofferson and instead wanted a man to come and teach. The past teachers had been more concerned with finding husbands that they were in the welfare of the children they were teaching. Now he finds just caring for his young daughter, Charity and running the store will keep him from ever searching for love again. His wife Margaret died at an early age of 26 when Charity was only 3, so she really never knew her mother, but Colin couldn't forget her. But will God have different plans for Colin and Felicia?



In the novel Belonging by Robin Lee Hatcher, the reader is taken back to a simple time back in the 1800's and the story is here is one of belonging. For Felicia, it's trying to find not only her siblings that have been long separated through adoption, but also trying to find her own place in the world. For Colin, it's trying to find out what God's calling is in his own life, he faces being a single father that is often frowned upon by the wealthy Summerville family, who sees that Charity can use a mother's influence in her tom-boy like ways and they have the perfect person picked out for him, their own daughter, Kathleen, who also is widowed with two young girls.

As the story builds, you can see the town's people coming together in a variety of different ways and even using Felicia's own experience being adopted to help two boys that are being adopted by the Carpenter family that are being difficult at trying to fit in as well. Through it all, God's love always comes shining through and soon the town will see that each person is needed to make a body complete. This novel is part of the Where The Heart Lives Series and one I received compliments of Zondervan Publishers and Net Galley for my honest opinion. I absolutely LOVED this one and rate it a happily ever after, 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information on Belonging, Robin Lee Hatcher or where to pick up this book today, please click on the links below:

Belonging by Robin Lee Hatcher

You can also stay up to with the latest from Robin Lee Hatcher, by following her on Facebook.

Sixty Acres and A Bride

Prejudice is still the order of the day in the small town of Lockhart, Texas in 1878, especially when you're a Mexican woman. It doesn't even matter if you married into a prominent family because the women and men already have formed their own personal opinion of you. Not only that, women for the most part are still considered second class citizens by some men of the town, but gentlemen however still exist.

When Rosa Garner returns with her mother-in-law Louise back to their ranch that they left more than five years ago and now learn that the previous renters never paid the taxes or rent on the land. Checking with the courts, they learn they have three months to come up with $166.00 or the land will be sold at auction. Three months hardly seems like enough time, but Louise believes God will provide for the widows just like He has in the past.

When Weston Garner returns to his land, he is trying to find a way to resolve the guilt he's been carrying around since his wife, Cora died unexpectedly and he feels responsible. Not knowing what awaits him back at his ranch, he believes that God will provide Him a second chance at a new life and that he can find a way to let go of the past. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love again, this time with the new help at Louise's farm.

I received Sixty Acres and A Bride by Regina Jennings compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. This is a debut novel for Regina and I think she did a fantastic job! This book teaches the reader through the story of Weston and Regina how God can repair anything in someone's life and ultimately provide a new chance at life, if they are willing to be open to let go of guilt that isn't theirs to carry and are willing to forgive. This also teaches the dangers of letting pride get in the way. For fans of western romances, this will hit home for you! I personally rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Sixty Acres and a Bride Bethany House (February 1, 2012) by Regina Jennings

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word from Regina:

See me laughing. That’s what I do when someone calls me an author. Yes, it’s always been my dream, but I still can’t keep from giggling over it.

Other things I am – a Christ-follower, a wife, a homeschooling mother of four, a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, and a voracious reader.

Getting reading time isn’t easy. Seems like my family does more than our share of traveling. My husband is an insurance adjuster (I know, save the hate mail) and travels with the catastrophe team often. That’s allowed us to see a lot of the United States. True many times it’s in the middle of a hurricane or blizzard, but after spending three weeks in a hotel room with six people, you’ll brave anything to get out and see the sights – no matter how damaged they might be.

We also serve on the Missions Team at an amazing church, so we break out the passports frequently. Highlights include singing at a leper colony in India, holding church inside a Mexican prison and showing the Jesus film to a tribe in Senegal who’d never heard the gospel.

But I don’t have to go far away for unusual. My family provides plenty of colorful material with their love for practical jokes, pithy observations and strong agricultural roots. Because of the family business, a significant chunk of my life has been spent at sale barns and auctions – often behind the scales where I weigh pigs. I like to think of myself as a “redneck bluestocking” but I brought an entire marketing team’s discussion to a screeching halt when I said those words, so you didn’t hear it from me.

When I have spare time I love to talk books and quirky characters (real and fictional).

ABOUT THE BOOK

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to Texas and the family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have only three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa can't keep herself from falling in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. Learning the American customs is not easy, however, and this beautiful young widow can't help but catch wandering eyes. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, to what lengths will Rosa go to save her future?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Sixty Acres and a Bride, go HERE.

A Texan's Promise - Giveaway and Review

"Vanessa, honey, why you crying?"

Clayton! He stood in the doorway to the stables, his presence both a soothing balm and a source of panic.

Vanessa gingerly leaned back against the wood behind her, willed herself to relax, but it was no good. It was going to be some time before she could calm down again. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"You didn't." His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. "It's midnight. Isn't it awfully late for you to be out of bed?"

Yes. Yes, it was. It was too late for a lot of things now. Wiping her eyes with the side of her fist, she shook her head. "I'll go in soon."

Clayton crouched beside her, his knees brushing her skirts. A puff of dust flew up, mixing with his scent, all bay rum and horses. "Care to tell me what happened?"

She was thankful for the darkness. "No."

She hated being nineteen and unmarried. Too old to ask for help; too innocent to be self-sufficient. She knew the moment he saw the bruise on her cheek. Ever since her pa had died, she'd felt alone except for Clay. If he turned away from her, she'd have no one left.

In the latest novel by Shelley Gray, A Texan's Promise, brings to light just how far a promise can go in the lives of Clayton Proffitt and Vanessa Grant. Clayton has promised her father that he would look after her and when he learns that her stepfather, Price has beaten her, he knows that he must take Vanessa and leave the Circle Z Ranch in Texas and find a safe place for her. Only by taking Vanessa and leaving, Clayton will soon be an outlaw himself in the eyes of the law once Price demands that a posse be formed to search for Vanessa and have her returned. The punishment he has in store for her leaving will be unmatched to what he did the first time.

I received this book compliments of Abingdon Press for my honest review and found myself once more swept away by the writing style of Shelly Gray. She has a way of hooking you from the beginning and make you love and care for the characters she brings to life in the pages of her novel. You'll be rooting for Clayton and Vanessa happiness while eluding the hunt for them by Price. Once more I have to give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating and can't wait to read more in the The Heart of A Hero Series!!! She's got me hooked now.

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

A Texan's Promise by Shelly Gray

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Abingdon Press, they are offering a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines to enter the giveaway.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. You can even enter a friend in this giveaway if you want. Please remember No P.O. Boxes.

3. Leave a comment and let me know what your idea of a true hero is along with your email address. Remember you can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. I need a way to contact you if you're the winner.

The giveaway will end on October 17th and I'll notify the winner via email at that time. Please spread the word, this is an amazing story and series to get hooked on.

She's Gone Country - Giveaway and Review

What do you get with a New York fashion model who finds herself recently on the verge of a divorce after finding out her husband of 17 years is gay?

You do what Shey Lynn Darcy does, you take your three teenage boys and leave New York for the comforts of moving in to your old ranch house in Texas and figure things out. Here you have the love and comfort of your older brothers Brick and Blue who want nothing more than to help you out and make sure that you are well taken care of.

However what complicates things even more besides trying to raise three teenage boys on her own, is the fact that the one man she has loved her entire life, has moved back to town, now recently divorced and looking far better than he does at 45 than when you were 16.

Twenty two years have passed since Shey and Dane Kelly have seen one another. When she does happen to run into him at the local diner, this one rugged three time championship bull rider, now walks with a limp and a cane after a horrible accident in the ring one night ends his career as a pro bull rider on the circuit.

Yet despite his injury, Shey still has the passion once more to realize that even though so much time has passed her feelings for Dane have grown more stronger in their absence. The only thing preventing her from falling for him once again, is the fact that her brothers Blue and Brick are feuding with Dane since the death of their younger brother Cody, whom they feel Dane is to blame in his death.

Will Shey be able to handle working out the differences with her brothers and Dane? Will she fall for Dane again even after all these years? Will her ex husband John Darcy take sole custody of her kids unless she moves back to New York?

The answer to these questions and even more are found within the pages of a great new romance story by Jane Porter called She's Gone Country. I received this book compliments of Hachette Book Group for my honest review and being a country girl at heart, I fell in love with all the characters of the book from Shey to even her sister's in law.

This book rates a solid 5 out of 5 stars and makes you realize that love isn't really gone if you are willing to give it a second chance. This book is available in paperback and eBook formats. For more information on this book, the amazing author and a first chapter glimpse, click on the title below:

She's Gone Country

For 3 lucky followers of my blog, Hachette is generously offering you the opportunity to win a copy of this newly released book. Here are your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of this blog.

2. Must live in the US or Canada, and No P.O.Boxes please!

3. I will contact the winner via email so please include it with your comment. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. The giveaway will end on September 4th, and the winners will be notified by email. You will have 5 business days to respond. If I don't hear from you, I will select another winner(s).

5. Leave me a comment and tell me if your a country girl or city girl and why.