Thursday, November 15, 2018

Love's Christmas Blessing

My first book of Christmas stories in 2018 and I enjoyed every minute of them.  There were two stories in this collection and both were excellent.

I was thrilled to be able to read a story by two authors I have read before.  Both deliver with these two sweet stories of love and how it can change the way you look at things.

WINTER'S TREASURES
The first story is about the love of a family and giving someone a second chance.  I loved that it was based in Michigan as that is where I live.

MISTLETOE AND MIRACLES
The second is about opening your heart to friendship and maybe just maybe something more.  At times, I could feel a few pulls of my heart strings.  Loved it!

I received this free to review from Celebrate Lit.


About the Book

Book: Love’s Christmas Blessings
Author: Laura V Hilton, Rachel J Good
Genre: Christian Fiction, Amish, Christmas
Release Date: November, 2018
Publisher: Celebrate Lit Publishing
Winter’s Treasure
Paris Kauffman believes she is about to embark on her family-tradition birthday treasure hunt, but for the first time ever, her daed is sending her to various businesses and homes in the community. Little does Paris expect that when she enters the bakery to collect her gift, the bus will drop off none other than her old crush, Aquila Stutzman, the man she’d done everything except cartwheels and handstands to get his attention. And failed. Of course, Quil doesn’t remember her.
Quil was offered employment working on his grandparents’ new tree farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Since he’s recovering from a broken heart when his longtime girlfriend Priscilla up and married his cousin, a move Quil never saw coming, he decides to take the job. This will give him time to separate himself from the hurt and maybe, eventually, move on.
Paris and Quil have sparks from the beginning, especially since his appearance causes a vicious rivalry between friends. But who can resist when a chance meeting beginning with donuts and coffee ends with a missing person, puppies, a skunk, and a sleigh ride—not to mention a trip the Amish young people plan to Niagara Falls. Could it also involve falling in love?
Mistletoe and Miracles
Daniel Graber has spent years caring for his aging parents. Now Daed’s in rehab with a broken hip and a bad case of irritability. He snaps at the workers and complains about doing physical therapy, so Daniel is grateful for the new aide, Fern Chupp, who uses her sweetness and charm to convince Daed to cooperate. Turns out, Daed isn’t the only one she charms.
As a widow, Fern is grateful for her new job at Fairview Rehab Center, even though it meant relocating to Ephrata, Pennsylvania, with her nine-year-old daughter, Lyddie. But Lyddie is grieving the recent death of her grandfather and dislikes leaving her Ohio home. Lyddie’s shyness also makes it difficult to make friends or recite school lessons.
When her class goes to the rehab center to interview patients, Lyddie’s too scared to do her assignment, so she runs away. During the hunt for her missing daughter, independent Fern learns to accept and appreciate Daniel’s help and support. By the time they discover Lyddie, she’s made a very unusual friend, and Fern and Daniel have developed a . Can four lonely heart create special bonds to make it a Christmas to remember?

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Authors

Laura pictureLaura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with over twenty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs, and writes devotionals for blog posts for Seriously Write.
Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.
When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.
rachel goodInspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. The author of several Amish romance series, she grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for many of her stories. Striving to be as authentic as possible, she spends time with her Amish friends, doing chores on their farm and attending family events.
Rachel’s Amish series include Sisters & Friends (Charisma House & Harlequin), Love & Promises (Hachette/Grand Central), Hearts of Amish Country (Annie’s Book Club), and the forthcoming Surprised by Love (Kensington). She also has several anthologies in print as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Book.
To learn more about Rachel, visit her at www.racheljgood.com.

Coconut Potato Fudge Recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain, mashed potatoes, either instant or one medium potato, cooked
1/8 cup finely chopped (or crushed) almonds (optional)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
give3 tablespoons butter
Instructions:
Beat powdered sugar and coconut into warm potatoes; then add the vanilla extract and almonds.
Press into a lightly-greased 8-inch square pan; set aside.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally. When melted, pour over top of the potato mixture.
Refrigerate until set and then cut into squares.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Blog Stops

Vicky Sluiter, November 11
The Avid Reader, November 11
BigreadersiteNovember 11
Among the Reads, November 12
Wishful Endings, November 12
Britt Reads Fiction, November 13
Maureen’s Musings, November 14
Quiet Quilter, November 15
Blossoms and BlessingsNovember 15
Jeanette’s Thoughts, November 16
Bibliophile Reviews, November 18
Splashes of JoyNovember 18
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, November 19
Mary Hake, November 19
Just the Write Escape, November 20
Moments, November 21
Bukwurmzzz, November 21
Blogging With Carol, November 22
Texas Book-aholic, November 22
Janices book reviewsNovember 23
Carpe Diem, November 24


Giveaway:

Love's Christmas Blessings Celebration Tour Giveaway

  • BEGINS

    Nov. 10
  • YOUR ENTRIES

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Grand prize of $25 Amazon gift card

1st place: Paperback copy of Love's Christmas Blessing

2-4th place: eBook copy of Love's Christmas Blessing
This promotion has not yet started.
Please check back soon.

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Debbie Macomber's Alaskan Holiday

An annual tradition for me is to read the New Christmas book by Debbie Macomber.  This year's story is based in the town of Ponder in Alaska.  Cute name for a town in the middle of nowhere. 

I love her books.  It is a cute story where I turned the pages so quickly that I was finished in two days. 

Love or career?  City or wilderness?  Big decisions that Josie must make.  What will make her truly happy? 

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a trip to Alaska.  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a romance.  I recommend you pick this up!


https://youtu.be/GaShPEo-tHI

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

The Light Before Day by Suzanne Woods Fisher

What a wonderful story that Ms. Fisher wrote.  I was swept along in her story and traveled to the past in Nantucket.  Each character was gloriously written and I loved Hitty and her journey.  Henry learned some valuable lessons that made him a richer man.

This is  Book 3.  Each book can stand alone but it a wonderful series to read.

 Ms. Fisher writes so vividly that I felt that I was living within the story.  I wanted to be Hitty's friend.  I wanted to share my thoughts with her.

The title of this book conveys a deeper meaning.  This Book was everything I could ask for.  I felt privileged to be able to read let alone review it.

I received this free to review from Celebrate Lit.  

About the Book

Book: The Light Before Day
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: October 2, 2018
The Light Before Day-Book Cover“Henry, this . . . fortune, this sudden wealth . . . I fear it will change our lives. And I don’t want my life to change.”
After three years on a whaling voyage, Henry Macy returns to Nantucket to news that his grandmother has passed, bequeathing her vast fortune to him and his sister, Hitty. And it was truly vast. But Lillian Coffin was no fool. The inheritance comes with a steep cost, including when each should marry and whom—a Quaker in good standing, of course. But if they relinquish the inheritance, it all goes to Tristram Macy, their father’s thieving business partner.
As Hitty and Henry seek a way to satisfy the will’s conditions, they’ll be faced with obstacles on every side—and it may be that Lillian Coffin will have the last word after all.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

suzanne woods fisherSuzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Phoebe’s Light and Minding the Light, as well as the Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She has also written several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. Fisher lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow her on Twitter @suzannewfisher and Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor.

Guest Post from Suzanne

The Mortgage Button
In each story of the ‘Nantucket Legacy’ series, there’s a reference to a mortgage button in the newel post of a stairway. Phoebe Starbuck, the main character in Phoebe’s Light, made a point to notice it in the captain’s house on Orange Street, the famous residences of sea captains. In Minding the Light, Daphne Coffin touched the mortgage button on the newel post of her horrible mother’s grand house each and every morning. Hitty and Henry Macy were well aware of the absence of their childhood home’s mortgage button—and all that its absence symbolized—in The Light Before Day.
Mortgage buttons meant something to each of those characters. It made a statement to anyone who walked into a house.
Have you ever seen a mortgage button? It’s a very Nantucket-y tradition. In fact, some say the mortgage button originated on Nantucket Island, thirty miles out to sea.
Supposedly, when a house’s mortgage was fully paid and there were no liens against the property, the homeowner drilled a hole in the newel post of the main staircase, rolled up the mortgage document, put it inside, and capped the hole with a decorative plug of scrimshaw.
Scrimshaw is a term for an American folk art developed during the 18th and 19th centuries. Whaling in New England was an industry that lifted Nantucket Island to become the world’s wealthiest port. After a whale’s oil was rendered, the ship’s captain would give his crew the sperm whale’s teeth or bones to carve during long tedious hours at sea. Whaling had its exciting moments, but they were far and few between. As a pastime, sailors carved all kinds of useful gifts to bring home to their loved ones: needles, combs, games, clothespins, busks…and mortgage buttons.
But let’s jump back to the mortgage button. Some legends say that the actual mortgage papers were ceremoniously burned and the ashes stashed inside the drilled hole before sealed with the button. However, as appealing a thought as that might be, it is most likely a myth. There’s never been any evidence of ashes or even hidden mortgages found in salvaged newel posts. Still, mortgage buttons are common among Nantucket homes, and the tradition has spread to other parts of the country. In southern states, for example, they’re called brag buttons. Whether myth or truth, today it’s more a matter of a charming nostalgic custom than a nod to your healthy (or…not so healthy) net worth.

Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, November 4
Texas Book-aholic, November 5
Godly Book Reviews, November 5
Among the Reads, November 8
Blogging With Carol, November 9
Mary Hake, November 10
Carpe Diem, November 11
Simple Harvest Reads, November 12
Janices book reviews, November 13
Captive Dreams, November 14
Bigreadersite, November 14
By The Book, November 15
Pause for Tales, November 16
Book by Book, November 16
Have A Wonderful Day, November 17
Bibliophile Reviews, November 17

Giveaway

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To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!


Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d773/the-light-before-day-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Pick-Pocket Orphans

  A sad but inspiring story of two young people who made the best of their unfortunate circumstances. Alice couldn't live with her fathe...