To Win Her Favor

Take the love of horses and combine it with the love of history in America and you have the new Belle Meade Plantation series from Tamera Alexander. In the second novel to debut in this series, To Win Her Favor, the reader is transported to Tennessee in 1869. We find the discrimination of the Irish is just as predominant as it is for black slaves. With signs up all around town, the fresh start that Cullen McGrath was looking for in buying some land to begin a new life in America seems to be against him. It doesn't matter that he has plenty of money, no one will do business with him. Armed with the auction listings for farms, he sets out with hope he might be able to convince the owner to sell the property to him before an auction begins and thus secure a home for himself.

For Maggie Linden and her father Gilbert, they need to find a way to pay off the debt on their property or face watching it being auctioned off in the next two weeks. Since the end of the war, families like hers that have owned their land for generations are now watching northerners move in and buy up all the farms leaving them without a way to make a living. Maggie knows if she can convince her father to give her one more shot at racing Bourbon Belle, her thoroughbred mare, she might just win enough to save their property. But with his health failing, Maggie doesn't believe she'll have the time left to do it before the auction or before her father passes on.

When Cullen McGrath appears, her father believes that he is the answer to his prayer. Knowing a good man when he sees him, Cullen offers to pay off the debt on the property and allow Maggie and Gilbert to remain for all long as they have need. But Gilbert knows that once he passes away, Maggie's reputation as a single woman living with a single man would be called into question. The only solution is to have Cullen marry Maggie and offer him a huge reduction in what he was planning on selling the land for. Perhaps they both might benefit if they can only find a way to convince Maggie that their plan is what is best for her. But life isn't that easy!

I received To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander compliments of Zondervan Publishing and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of the book for my honest review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This is such a beautiful novel because of all the elements that come together to show how much animosity was still prevalent into the nineteenth century and provide historical insight on prejudice. It shows how prejudice will affect not only our lives but our choices  and we see from the characters in this novel how each of them deals with them differently. Well written from a historical perspective I can't wait to see how Tamera will continue this theme in her future novels in the Belle Meade Plantation series to come. Well worth each of the 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about To Win Her Favor, Tamera Alexander, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander

You can find Tamera Alexander on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on To Win Her Favor, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page. 

Can Maggie prove that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America? Find out in Tamera Alexander's To Win Her Favor. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Celebrate the release of To Win Her Favor with a Kindle Fire and book giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD 6
• A copy of To Win Her Favor

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced May 11th on Tamera's blog. Plus stay tuned for more opportunities to win after May 11 with a special Pinterest contest—more details coming soon!

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Thick as Thieves

For girls 14 to 18 that are looking for a great series set back in the late 1800's that involve horses, you'll want to pick up Thick as Thieves, the first book in the Circle C Milestones Series, from Susan K. Marlow. As a young girl myself growing up there is such a connection with the love of a girl and her horse and that is why I absolutely recommend this book to your young readers as well.

Andrea Carter, who just turned 14, is the youngest on the Circle C Ranch but is about to get the surprise of her life when her Palomino, Taffy gives birth to two twin colts, Shasta and Sunny. As she tries to keep up training them, she still has to deal with attending school. Her mother is less than pleased when she brings  home less than favorable marks, which her mother suspects is caused by all her free time being used for training horses instead of studying. So until she can bring up her marks, she will have very limited time with them. Running a cattle and horse ranch is extraordinary busy but none more so than when suspected cattle thieves are slowly thinning the herds from the local ranchers.

Andi thinks things will go fine with the extra study time, until she is assigned as a seat mate at her desk in school with Macy Walker who will be the straw that breaks the camel's back at school. Before the end of her first day, Macy has given Cory, a classmate, a black eye, pulled more than one girls hair and has challenged the teacher to punish her if he dares. It will be all she can deal with if Macy gets her suspended from school for hitting her, then she will have even less time to work with her colts than she does now and forget raising her marks if she is kicked out of school. How can one girls life get so complicated?

I received Thick as Thieves by Susan K. Marlow compliments of Kregel Publications for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. If you have a young adult who loves horse adventures, trust me, pick up this entire series. While this is the first in the Circle C Milestones, readers will enjoy learning more about Andi's life on the ranch with the Circle C Adventure Series and Circle C Beginnings as well. For me, this was an easy 5 out of 5 stars because I grew up loving books like this one. I only wish there were more to read when I grew up as there is now. This is such a great adventure and shows how difficult it is for Andi to maintain her Christian upbringing in the face of adversity and that just makes it all the more enjoyable because it is so real for teens in those situations!

For more information about Thick as Thieves, Susan K. Marlow or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Thick as Thieves by Susan K. Marlow

You can find Susan K. Marlow on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Thick as Thieves, please visit Kregel Publications book tour page. 

PUP: A Novel of Accidental Heroism

Sometimes a great novel can be summed by the extraordinary gift of storytelling by a talented writer. One that simply makes you forget your reading a book, but makes you feel like you stepped into real life. For me, that is simply, Christopher Slater and his novel, PUP: A Novel of Accidental Heroism. He was the winner of the authors first novel contest and after reading this book, you'll know with certainty why it was chosen.

I can saw it almost feels like a Forrest Gump story, of a young man PUP who has just graduated high school and has his future set on college. Knowing the Second Korean War has begun along with the draft he feels confident that he will not see combat based on his ability to have someone take one look at him for a likely candidate to be drafted and simply look the other way. But that is not what happens. In fact, PUP finds himself heading toward the South Sea along with many other soldiers who have begun to join the fight, but for the life of him, can't understand why he has been chosen, while many of the others have been chosen based on their ability to bench press most of the weights in a gym, PUP resembles the bar alone. Not to mention that he is prone to motion sickness, and takes just about everything on the market for it. He didn't plan on it making him nauseous and gains him an immediate dislike by a muscle bound soldier who insist that if PUP is going to throw up, he is going to rip off his nose and eat it. He later learns that this man is his squad leader with the nickname Hannibal. Wonder why?

The novel follows the coming of age that PUP will have to endure as he finds himself the FNG on the squad and will have to find ways to make himself useful to those who are on their second and third tours. Thinking he will be assigned to completing paperwork and requisitions, he is assigned infantry duty and soon learns the true meaning of pain when he heads out, fully loaded with no idea of how he will handle what war requires for someone like him. This one is a true trial by fire story of what so many of our young men had to endure on their first enlistments into fighting a war no one wanted to be a part of.

I received PUP: A Novel of Accidental Heroism by Christopher Slater by The Story Plant Publishing for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This is such a great novel because I feel it has a sense of realism to it that is lacking in many military novels. Like I stated above it feels like a Forrest Gump story of how one unlikely soldier suddenly finds himself an unlikely hero and learns the meaning of what it is to lay down one life for another. There is humor, humility and a sense of growing up too soon when war comes calling that must be experienced by reading this book. For me, it is a 5 out of 5 stars and one I would LOVE to see brought to the big screen. It's the story of one man being in the wrong place at the right time to make a difference in the lives of those he serves with!

For more information about PUP: A Novel of Accidental Heroism, Christopher Slater or where to preorder a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

PUP: A Novel of Accidental Heroism by Christopher Slater

You can find Christopher Slater on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

To preorder a copy of PUP: A Novel of Accidental Heroism from Amazon due out in June, please click here.

BASH and the Chocolate Milk Cows

Spending time on the farm is what most kids would dream would be a time of untold imagination and unlimited fun. Where the sky is the limit and staying outside lasts well past the time the sun goes down. When Raymond William Boxby, known fondly as Beamer arrives to hang out with his third cousin, twice removed, but not far enough in Beamer's mind, Sebastian "Bash" Hinglehob. Their adventures are only beginning when reports of a robber being spotted in town, leaves Bash wanting to capture him and Beamer, trying to stay as far away as possible.

Things begin as most would expect adventurous boys would, building boats large enough for them to fit in to gain access to catching frogs in the small creek on the edge of the farm, to helping set the stage for the largest April Fool's Day joke even on Bash's father. It will be the day that the dairy cows will give chocolate milk for the first time, and as every kid knows there is no better milk to drink than chocolate milk. Beamer isn't sure how Bash is going to pull this off, and he knows based on all his other pranks they have been attempting to pull off, they are likely going to be reaping the consequences of those actions for a long, long time.

In the book, BASH and the Chocolate Milk Cows by Burton W. Cole, young readers will gain an true appreciation to what life was like before technology kept kids from being outside and letting their imaginations run wild. What Bash and Beamer do along with all the other kids from surrounding farms, is redefine what fun really is. From blasting off in a pretend chicken coop to galaxies far, far away, to smashing eggs on the dairy cows noses as they attempt to win the battle of the Moovarians versus the Cluckorians. Even the names the boys give to the frogs that they raise from tadpoles are completely hilarious and remind us all once more of the precious days of childhood.

I received BASH and the Chocolate Milk Cows by Burton W. Cole compliments of B and H Publishing Group and Shelton Interactive for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. I love the amazing illustrations that accompany the opening of each chapter. Just when you think the boys will finally stay out of trouble, they hatch another creative plot. It truly takes me back to my childhood days of catching frogs and trying to keep them at home, not a successful venture by the way, when they escape, and the unlimited ideas that come when two boys put their heads and imaginations together to fill their days when chores are done. The chocolate milk prank had to be my favorite one they manage to pull off but how they did it, will remain a secret until readers find out for themselves. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and reminds me a lot of the Beverly Cleary series of books I read growing up.

For more information about BASH and the Chocolate Milk Cows, Burton W. Cole, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

BASH and the Chocolate Milk Cows by Burton W. Cole

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For more reviews on BASH and the Chocolate Milk Cows, please visit B and H Publishing Groups website. 

The Desperate Diva Diaries

For anyone who loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, but with a Christian twist, then you MUST pick up a copy of The Desperate Diva Diaries from Angie Spady. Written in similar format of the Diaries of the Wimpy Kid series, these are written from the perspective of Catie Conrad and her life in Middle School. Struggling with the same issues our teens face from secret crushes, bullying by the popular girls, struggling with school and life with her brother Jeremy who she refers to as Germ, the pest. it provides an outlet that teens can feel comfortable with.

This is the second novel, Catie Conrad: How to Become the Most Unpopular Girl in Middle School from Angie Spady. You don't have to read the first one to jump into this one and gain a true sense of appreciation from the things Catie struggles with. It's almost like a Christian version of Lizzie Maguire! Catie's help comes from her BFF, Sophie who is super smart and part of the Academic Team, who offers biblical advice when Catie has come to the end of her rope. While being far from perfect herself, Sophie struggles to deal with Miranda Maroni, the popular girl at school who never has anything nice to say to anyone who isn't in her click.

Even though Catie dreams of one day being a fashion diva through her many sketches of outfits and designing things from shirts to purses, she is your typical teen who has to deal with so many things on a daily basis. Her biggest challenge in this book is dealing with her younger brother, his pet skunk Rosie and just when she thinks it can't get any worse, he takes on the responsibility for caring for Dylan's bearded dragon when his family leaves to China to bring back their adopted sister. Now Catie has to deal with more pets than she can handle including her brother. Is there anyone who can understand?

I received The Desperate Diva Diaries: How To Become The Most Unpopular Girl in Middle School by Angie Spady compliments of Shelton Interactive and B and H Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions included here are strictly my own. I LOVE this series and have enjoyed reading them. I can see how young teens would benefit from sharing in the real life situations that Catie experiences, from failing a quiz, dealing with bullies, and trying to make a positive impression in her school and at home. This one even addresses volunteering and contributing to supporting the Compassion International program of helping out kids with monetary donations, but will the kids be able to part with their allowances? You'll have to read this one and see how it all turns out. The best thing I love about this is the Scripture references that Catie refers to when life is more than she can handle and how she attempts to live it out through her friends and family. Well worth a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Desperate Diva Diaries: How To Become The Most Unpopular Girl in Middle School, Angie Spady or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Desperate Diva Diaries: How To Become The Most Unpopular Girl in Middle School by Angie Spady

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To read more reviews on The Desperate Diva Diaries, please visit B and H Publishers website.

Tiffany Girl

I love when authors use historical facts as the basis for their novels and in Tiffany Girl the latest novel from best-selling author Deeanne Gist, I got to learn a bit more about the wonderful women who were called upon by Louis Tiffany to help complete his stained glass chapel that he had planned on debuting. When the men went on strike, Mr. Tiffany relied upon the most unconventional help at that time, employing women to help cut and assemble the fantastic pieces of stained glass. It helped them during the struggles of single women in 1893 who often times found themselves working to hand over their money to the men in their lives, be it there fathers or husbands.

Often times had it not been for the money women made doing odd jobs like sewing or in this case working at the Tiffany Glass Company, many of them would be out on the streets. Work was becoming difficult for men and with the demands to work longer hours for very little money, some of them went on strike. But when women were called to take their places temporarily, many of the men made sure the women knew that they were less than pleased.

Florence Jayne is one of those young girls who has seen how the money her mother and her work so hard to bring in, is being gambled away by her father. Her mother is unwilling to stand up and demand that the money remain theirs, so Flossie takes it upon herself to become a "New Woman." A title designated for the women who believe in more than simply staying at home, marrying and starting their own families. Flossie feels that the only way that will happen is if she moves into a boarding house as she works for Mr. Tiffany.

While she is staying at the boarding house, she finds a family she never dreamed of having and sets to work to ensure that the people who live at the boarding house, feel just like family, so she incorporates various seating arrangements so people are forced to talk with someone new, she prepares questions to leave under their plate to help them get to know one another and encourages them to come together in the evening in the parlor. Reeve Wilder is an up and coming reporter who is tasked at sharing his time in the boarding house with the people who live there in a fictionalized story that is geared to help the newspaper continue to sell papers. Reeve is also a stanch advocate of women remaining at home and not part of the New Women movement. Soon sparks begin to fly in various ways as Flossie stays determine to not let men have the upper hand in everything she has to deal with, but will Mr. Wilder be able to tame the wild beast inside?

I receive Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. Seeing as I have a Tiffany Lamp on my desk, it was a great journey into the history behind how these lamps came to be and the history behind the working conditions for women in the late 1800's. For fans of Deeanne's others novels, It Happened at the Fair and Fair Play, you will definitely want to add this to your collection. There are so many great individual stories within this novel that it is hard to figure out which was my favorite, from Reeve's fictional stories, to Flossie's love of art that winds up virtually everywhere in the story. There are so amazing pictures that open much of each chapter that give the reader the essence of what is happening in this novel. Well done and a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. There is a great Author's Note section that defines what is historical fact from fiction and a Reader's Discussion Guide as well.

For more information about Tiffany Girl, Deeanne Gist or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist

You can find Deeanne Gist on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Tiffany Girl, please visit Howard Book's website. 

Miracles From Heaven

The hardest thing for any parent is watching your child suffer and knowing there isn't anything you can do to help. That is the life that Christy and Kevin Beam witnessed for years as their daughter Annabel was diagnosed with a devastating digestive disease for which there is no cure, and would likely claim her life in the very near future. So for them, they never knew when Annabel's final day would come, so they did what most parents would do, is to try and make the remainder of those days the very best they could be.

Annabel's faith in God was always strong, despite the many tests, trials, medications, surgeries and lengthy hospitals stays she had to endure, she remained as strong as any child could. She held on to her faith in God. Being the middle daughter, her life was challenging at best. Sitting back watching others enjoy food was a luxury Annabel couldn't afford. Just taking a bite of food could set her in the hospital for obstructions in her intestines, and as you know, people celebrate life with food as part of life. How hard for a child to watch people open their stockings filled with candy and have to hand it over to others to enjoy.

But the Beams would never know how a seemingly innocent day turned into a nightmare and would forever change the outcome for Annabel's life. An aging cottonwood tree on their property with a gaping hope thirty feet up in the air would trap Annabel as she fell head first into the black hole while her sisters watched in horror. Had they not been present, who knows if anyone would have found her. Annabel's claims that during the time she remained trapped into the darkness of the tree, she went to Heaven where Jesus assured her, it was not her time to come home despite her many pleas to her parents to "let me got to Heaven with Jesus where there is no pain." What follows can only be a series of miracles for the lives of the people who were a part of this life changing rescue.

I received Miracles from Heaven by Christy Wilson Beam compliments of Shelton Interactive and Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions found here are strictly my own. I've read quite a few books about visitations to Heaven, and we may never know what exactly happened in Annabel's life, but what happened afterwards is truly miraculous. This is the memoir of Annabel's life up to the point where this accident happened and how God worked in the life of this family is bound to make even the harshest critic a believer. A truly inspirational true story of one little girl and her journey to heaven and her amazing story of healing. Well worth 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Miracles from Heaven, Christy Wilson Beam, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Miracles from Heaven by Christy Wilson Beam

You can find Christy Wilson Beam on Facebook to stay up to date with her family. 

To read more reviews on Miracles from Heaven, please visit Hachette Book Groups' website.