Love By The Numbers

Caleb couldn't get Lydia out of his mind after seeing her at a wedding.  She stood out-she glittered.  He had to forget about her.  She was dangerous.

He agreed to do the bookkeeping for a friend's shop.  He never expected to see Lydia there.  Lydia agreed to help her friend in Jamesport, Missouri.  This was the perfect opportunity to escape the falsehoods said about her in her hometown.  But even going to Jamesport doesn't save her from the embarrassent and doubt she feels.

This story is about how Caleb and Lydia learn how to conquer their fears and trust that the Lord is right there with them.

I was surprised how Caleb and Lydia kept putting themselves at risk sexually when they were so physically attracted to each other.   They knew that it would only lead to trouble and heartbreak.  They both experienced poor choices in the past and had to live with the consequences.

I enjoyed the book and was happy with the ending.

I received this free to review.

Giveaway

In honor of the tour, Whitaker House is giving away

Grand Prize Package: Love By the Numbers, Healing Love (Amish of Webster County #1), and The Snow Globe (The Amish of Jamesport #1) by Laura Hilton; “The Angels Cry Holy” scented candle in tin with lid from Abba Jerusalem

1st Place Package: Love By the Numbers, The Snow Globe (The Amish of Jamesport #1) by Laura Hilton, and Whitaker House/Anchor Coloring Book with Colored Pencils

2nd Place Package: Love By the Number by Laura Hilton and Whitaker House/Anchor Coloring Book with Colored Pencils!!!

Click the link to enter! https://promosimple.com/ps/c6ca

About the Author

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with almost 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 and Putting on the New.

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.

Guest Post from Laura V. Hilton

Story Behind the Story – Love by the Numbers

Caleb was a minor character in couple of my Amish books – I think he first made a by name appearance in Amish Wanderer and Christmas Admirer. A minor character. Lydia was a very minor one-time appearance in those stories, too, a girl who happened to be in the room with Bethany and Susanna at a wedding. (This story is stand alone!) But I knew when Caleb first saw Lydia that they would end up together by the way he reacted to her presence. I wondered what their story was.

March and April is tornado season in Arkansas (and in many other states) and in 2011 we had a bad one. I was out and about that day, driving to the county seat with my five children, and there was something in the air. It was heavy, hard to breathe, and the sky was black off to the west. I’m sure I broke speed limits racing to Melbourne, and then home again so we wouldn’t be out in the storm.

Later that afternoon, tornado sirens went off. One went over our house – even from the basement we could hear the sound of a train roaring overhead. Scary. And still thanking God it didn’t touch down. Highland, Ash Flat, and Evening Shade, Arkansas were hit hard. Buildings completely gone. When we drove out that way later in the week there were pickup trucks in the tops of trees. Other things in odd and unusual places. I always wondered how they got the treetop pickups down. I would’ve stopped to watch if I’d been out there when it was done. I did hear that some of those trucks weren’t damaged at all. Unreal. My two sons and my husband both helped with clean up and my oldest son went with a crew to Joplin, Missouri, to help with clean up there.

There has been other occasions I’ve been out in tornados. Once I was in the Walmart parking lot when a tornado went through a town west of it. We could see the funnel touching down from where we stood. It did hail when we were on our way home, praying our house was still standing. It was.

On a different note, in 2016 my oldest son came home with a kitten. She was the sweetest thing ever, and he named her Rosie. Sadly, I was highly allergic to her. I couldn’t even be around the children after they played with her. They’d have to go change clothes and wash their hands, otherwise I couldn’t breathe. Rosie was full Siamese, blue eyes and all, and she was so adorable. I allowed my son to keep her in the shed. I was about four chapters into the story when Rosie found some poison (I think, not sure) and died. We all cried.

Also about the time I was writing this, a very dear friend of a lot of writers died. I told my street team I was going to name a character after her, and was told a lot of writers would be. I agreed. And a lot of their books were released already. But Aenti Judith in this story is named after Judy Burgi. I still miss her and pray for her family.

One of the verses my daughter had to memorize in Sunday School was 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. ‘We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.’ Perfect for the faith message in Love by the Numbers! I love how God always provides the perfect verse for my characters’ faith messages. I’m pretty sure this verse is one I never memorized, and I never would of thought of it on my own, but God put it in my daughter’s lessons for Sunday School, so she had to memorize it – and thus I did too since I help my daughters learn their verses every week.

I hope you’ll enjoy the story!

Because of Him,

Laura V. Hilton

Mayflower Bride - Kimberly Woodhouse

I was instantly intrigued when I saw this book and the books that are to follow in this new series.  I love historical fiction and this book was everything I hoped for.

It is amazing what these people risked to come to the New Land.  They struggled and suffered but they had dreams.

Mary Elizabeth was quite content to stay home. She had no desire to leave.  Her journey and the obstacles she had to overcome - changed her.  She became stronger.  She was more confident.

William felt that he needed to leave his home.  He had a past he was fleeing from.  What he didn't know was that God had a plan for him.

Their faith in God was necessary for survival.  I can't even imagine going across the ocean on the Mayflower.  Cramped quarters, seasickness, etc.s

God gave them strength.  God gave them courage.  God gave them comfort.

Wonderful book.  I am ready for the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

More to come in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:
The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)
The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)?
The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)
The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018)

The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano

Title sounds inviting.  The cover looks delicious.  New author.  I'm in.  The book is a journey into the world of cooking and running a fine restaurant.  I never realized the sacrifices that are made by the chef and staff.  This is a perfect position that Rachel Bishop can hide in.  Until Alex Kanin wrote an article that ruined her career.  He never thought that something he wrote would cause so much damage.

Alex was determined to help Rachel reach her dreams.  But Rachel starts to question what she really wants.  Is it her own restaurant?  Meeting Alex has confused her  thinking.......

This also is a story of letting go of your past.  Both Rachel and Alex needed to do this before they can move forward.

This was a delightful story.  Alex and Rachel deserved happiness.  Will they find it together?

I received this for free to review.

About the Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carla is giving away a grand prize of a $200 Visa Card for the winner and a friend to attend a cooking class!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c9b4

About the Author

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

Guest Post From Carla Laureano

I’ve got a confession to make: I have a cooking problem.

It started early and innocently enough, flipping through my mom’s cookbooks and marking things I wanted to try. Making cakes and muffins from a mix. Flipping frozen steak patties. Doctoring canned spaghetti sauce.

It wasn’t long before I got into the hard stuff: muffins from scratch, slow-cooked marinara, cast-iron seared and oven-finished rib eyes. Over the years, I tried to kick the habit numerous times, but every time things got tough, I found myself falling off the wagon and heading back into the kitchen. Even hosting dinner parties. Yes, dear reader, I pulled my hapless friends into my madness. To my shame, I even got some of them hooked with their own addiction.

Before I knew it, my obsessions started creeping into my day job. No longer was it enough to write contemporary romance about normal people who order take-out. No, I had to write chefs and passionate home cooks and describe the food in the books just as lovingly as I did a first kiss. And then the final straw—a book series centered entirely on food and the culinary profession, beginning with The Saturday Night Supper Club.

All joking aside, cooking really is an addiction that I haven’t been able to kick. As a writer, I spend hours locked in my own imagination, creating things out of words and ideas. And while it’s immensely fulfilling, it’s a long, painstaking process that takes months, even years, before I can release the final product into the world. While there’s a large amount of planning and analysis involved in creating a book, the work is still mostly in my head.

Which is why I find cooking to be such a relaxing creative pursuit. Dicing a pile of vegetables into perfectly uniform cubes may take the same concentration and precision, but it’s concrete and measurable. It becomes a personal challenge to do something better than last time, improving by tiny, nearly imperceptible increments. It’s the closest to meditation that my always-on brain ever experiences, clear of all thought except for my activity at the present moment.

And yet, simultaneously, food is ephemeral. Mistakes last only as long as it takes to eat them or toss them directly into the trash can, depending on the nature of the mistake. If a sauce breaks, I toss it and start over. If I burn something, I either cut off the burned part or I order takeout and try again the next day. There’s an element of experimentation and instinct and whimsy that isn’t hampered by the pursuit of perfection. Let’s face it, a mediocre chocolate chip cookie beats a perfect celery stick any day of the week.

It was natural, then, to write a chef heroine who had dedicated her entire life to the pursuit of culinary perfection and explore all the ways that food makes our lives and relationships richer. How it anchors our memories. How we nurture others by feeding them. How a simple meal becomes meaningful not because of the food, but because of the connections we form with others over the dinner table.

In the end, I guess my cooking problem isn’t that much of a problem after all. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.

Misty Beller - A Sweetwater River Romance

Torie and Opal were fleeing from evil.  They didn't know that they were running towards a new life:  a life filled with GOD's love and protection. Torie never met a man like Ezra.  Could she trust him?  Could she open her heart?

Ezra didn't expect Torie and Opal to show up at his front door.  He especially didn't expect to fall in love.

I loved this book.  It had all the elements that I love: the location, the time period, mystery, romance, danger and the promise of GOD'S neverending care and love.


I received this free to review.

Misty Beller:

I love books. I always have, and my love affair only grows stronger.

There's something about immersing myself in a story - becoming an intimate part of new lives, feeling their struggles. The desperation, the elation, the emotions, the love.

I don't know about you, but my life can get crazy...busy...chaotic. Historical fiction gives me a haven, allowing me to immerse in a simpler time and place. And add in remote mountain settings - log cabins and horses and snow...what could be better?

As a Godly woman, Christian romantic fiction is even more of a draw because it provides a place where I don’t always have to be concerned about inappropriate language or too-graphic love scenes.  It’s a “safe zone” where my imagination and emotions can run wild and free, living out exciting times and experiencing God-orchestrated happily-ever-afters – without having to clean-up at the end of the day.  

I hope you'll spend some time with me, releasing yourself into the abandon of a great book.

Phoebe's Light - Suzanne Woods Fisher

What?  I have only a few chapters left.  I was not ready for this to end.  But it didn't stop me from turning page after page....getting closer and closer to the conclusion of Phoebe's journey.

What a journey she had!  Phoebe's Journey was one of self discovery.  She thought she knew what she wanted.  But She made a terrible mistake.  What can she do?  

Phoebe had the "Light" of GOD shining within her.  HE was THE ONE that she needed to turn To.  GOD will lighten her load.  HE will guide her steps.

I loved the writing style where there were two stories being told and how the one story had an impact on the other.  

This is book one of The Nantucket Series.  I will make sure I get this one, too.

I received this free to review.

About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Anna’s Crossing, The Newcomer, and The Return in the Amish Beginnings series, The Bishop’s Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a grand prize of a Kindle!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c9e0

2/22/2018 If He Only Knew by Michelynn Christy and Brandi Gabriel

I just received this for free to review.  I finished this story the very same night.  I couldn't put it down.  I was completely surprised how the book turned out.

It was so sad that Donna couldn't talk to her Dad about what happened.  If she did she would have been saved years of guilt, shame and sorrow.  Donna tried so hard to be the "good" girl as though that was the way to heaven.  Jesus died on the Cross for our sins.  GOD is a forgiving GOD.  She didn't have to deal with her pain all alone.

This book dealt with loss, relationships, faith, trust, guilt, fear and forgiveness.  I loved the story and how it all came together in the end.

Five Stars!

I received this free to review.

About the Author

Author Michelynn Christy resides in the Midwest and enjoys creating romantic stories that point to Jesus. Her faith in God shines through the pages of her writing. Michelynn’s debut novelette A Christmas to Remember launched in late 2015. While this pen name and genre are somewhat new to her, she has penned over twenty titles under another pseudonym, has won awards for her works, and has earned best-selling title status. With that said, all glory goes to God!

Brandi Gabriel is co-author of twelve Christian fiction books, including this one. Her first solo novel, The Orphan Bride, released in 2016 and she has since added a sequel in the same series. Her goal in writing is to touch readers’ hearts in some special way and to glorify Jesus Christ, her Lord and Saviour.

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Michelynn and Brandi are giving away the following:

Grand Prize: ONE themed book box, (this will contain small items that relate to the story
1st Place Prize: ONE $25 Amazon gift card,
2nd Place Prize: ONE signed paperback copy of If He Only Knew
3rd Place Prize: ONE signed paperback copy of If He Only Knew!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c601

Dinner Ready?

Okay......another day at the Fallons.  My stepdaughter, Ashley, made us a weekly meal plan.  She printed the recipes, bought the groceries.   She was making it very simple for Mike and I. 

We cut up the ingredients.  We prepared the sauce.  The next step was to place all the ingredients in the crockpot. We turned it on HIGH.  It was to cook for one hour and a half.  Mike stirred the pot half way through.  Ashley came home just in time for dinner. 

Dinnertime!    But there is a problem......the rice is not done....the squash is hard as a log.  What Happened?

WE FORGOT TO PLUG IN THE CROCKPOT!!!

P.S. Ashley quickly put a different  dinner together after she remembered to turn on the burner.

P.S.S.  Mike has a glass of wine already and is ready for bed!

Amish Cooking Class - The Celebration

Amish Cooking Class - The Celebration

This is the third book in this delightful series by one of my favorite authors, Wanda E. Brunstetter.

I am not a cook so taking a class under Heidi's tutelage would be a treat.

Heidi shares so much with all of her students.  She is a blessing to all.  In turn, Heidi is blessed by her new friends and two small children.  This is the reason to celebrate.

Wanda's books are a reason to celebrate.  The message I receive is giving of ourselves.  With love and thoughtfulness, lives are changed.

I treasure each and every book by Ms. Brunstetter.  Thank you for enriching my life with each book you publish.  I eagerly wait for the next book.

I received this free to review.

I survived!

I'm tired!

What Dreams May Come by Alana Terry

God did have plans for Susannah and Scott.  Susannah tried to remain faithful but she was discouraged and disappointed.  She thought GOD wanted her to stay in Orchard Groves to care for her sister and to forget her dreams.

But that wasn't the plan.  Inspirational story.  You can't help but want a happy ending but not sure it will happen.

I was pleasantly surprised that part of the story was based on the author's story.

I received this free to review.

About the Author

Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Alana is giving away a $50 CBD gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c600

Busy Saturday!!

How busy can a Saturday be when you are retired?  I can't stand setting an alarm but I must on Saturdays.  I start my Saturday at 8:30 am every week at my local Weight Watcher's group.  If you know me, this has been an ongoing struggle my whole life.  I feel that at age 60 it is time to reach goal and keep it off!!

I arrive home to eat breakfast and to get ready for Round 2.  Day with grandkids!!!!!  I have 3 grandchildren- age 9, 7 and almost 5.  I love them to bits but they keep me on my toes.  Today will be interesting as I' m taking them to a birthday party at Zap Zone.  A Saturday at Zap Zone with numerous kids running everywhere sounds like fun!

I will survive!  Keep you posted when I get back to my comfortable recliner and a cup of tea!!