The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag

I give this newest book by Tami Hoag a five out of five. I love reading about Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska. They always worked good together and now they have to learn to work apart. Nikki is now in cold cases and bored with the 9-5 work day. She wishes for the adrenaline rush she had before in homicide. Kovac has to get used to a new partner while working a horrible double homicide. This is a great story that has a lot of twists and turns. This was hard to put down. I received this from Firsttoread for a fair and honest opinion.  Kovac and Liska take on multiple twisted cases as #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag explores a murder from the past, a murder from the present, and a life that was never meant to be. 

 

As the dreary, bitter weather of late fall descends on Minneapolis, Detective Nikki Liska is restless, already bored with her new assignment to the cold case squad. She misses the rush of pulling an all-nighter and the sense of urgency of hunting a desperate killer on the loose. Most of all she misses her old partner, Sam Kovac.

 

Kovac is having an even harder time adjusting to Liska’s absence, saddled with a green new partner younger than most of Sam’s wardrobe. But Kovac is distracted from his troubles by an especially brutal double homicide: a prominent university professor and his wife, bludgeoned and hacked to death in their home with a ceremonial Japanese samurai sword. Liska’s case-the unsolved murder of a decorated sex crimes detective-is less of a distraction: Twenty five years later, there is little hope for finding the killer who got away.

 

Meanwhile, Minneapolis resident Evi Burke has a life she only dreamed of as a kid in and out of foster homes: a beautiful home, a family, people who love her, a fulfilling job. But a danger from her past is stalking her idyllic present. A danger bent on destroying the perfect life she was never meant to have.

 

As the trails of two crimes a quarter of century apart twist and cross, Kovac and Liska race to find answers before a killer strikes again.

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig

Sometimes when a story is written in different time periods I can get lost but not in this story. It is so well done. I give it a five out of five stars. I loved all the characters in each time period. The story really begins with Lucy, then continues with Olive and ends with Kate. Each chapter goes through a little bit of each woman’s story so you only know a little of each at a time. It was impossible to put down. Would any of the three have happiness in the end. I received an ebook copy of this from Firsttoread for a fair and honest opinion.  

1945: When the critically wounded Captain Cooper Ravenal is brought to a private hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, young Dr. Kate Schuyler is drawn into a complex mystery that connects three generations of women in her family to a single extraordinary room in a Gilded Age mansion.
Who is the woman in Captain Ravenel’s portrait miniature who looks so much like Kate? And why is she wearing the ruby pendant handed down to Kate by her mother? In their pursuit of answers, they find themselves drawn into the turbulent stories of Gilded Age Olive Van Alen, driven from riches to rags, who hired out as a servant in the very house her father designed, and Jazz Age Lucy Young, who came from Brooklyn to Manhattan in pursuit of the father she had never known. But are Kate and Cooper ready for the secrets that will be revealed in the Forgotten Room? 

Karen White is the New York Times bestselling author of The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone, and The Time Between, among other novels.
Beatriz Williams is the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant, A Hundred Summers, and Overseas.
Lauren Willig is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lure of the Moonflower, That Summer, and The Other Daughter, among other novels.

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

I really loved this story. I loved the romance and the mystery in this book. Anna and Luke were so great together. They had many good things happen to them and some bad things that happen to them but will they overcome all of these. It is so interesting to see what really happened to Anna’s father on his last voyage. I received this book from book fun.org for a fair and honest opinion. 

 

The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate

This was a fantastic story. It has been one of my favorite books by Lisa Wingate. She blended the past and present in this book wonderfully. This was a great story that had a little mystery and a bit of romance. I really loved Whitney and all the characters that she interacts with. Will Whitney be able to save her restaurant or will she lose everything in her life?   I received this book from Tyndale Blog Network for a fair and honest opinion.

Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything? 

 

 Lisa Wingate

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Biography

Selected among BOOKLIST’S Top 10 of 2012 and Top 10 of 2013, Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable Southern settings with elements of women’s fiction, history, and mystery to create stories that Publisher’s Weekly calls “Masterful” and Library Journal refers to as “A good option for fans

Leveraging Lincoln by Stephenia H. McGee

This book was very interesting. It was a great book about the civil war and spies. i loved Annabelle and Mathew. I do look forward to the next book in the series. I received this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion.  Stephenia McGee is a wife, mother of two very active little boys, author, and lover of all things historical. Stephenia currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and sons where she writes stories of faith, redemption and life steeped in southern culture.

Love’s Sure Dawn by Naomi Rawlings

I really enjoyed this story and all the characters. This is the 3rd book in the Eagle Harbor series. I would recommend reading the first two in the series to really know what is going on with each of the characters. I received this ebook from the author for a fair and honest opinion.  

A Shenandoah Family Christmas by Lisa Belcastro

I enjoyed this novella. It was a good Christmas story. It was interesting to read that Rebecca came to the late 19th century by way of a portal from the future. I have not read any of the other books in this series but this one makes me want to read more of these stories to see what this portal is all about. I like all the characters and look forward to reading more of this series. I received this ebook from Celebrate lit for a fair and honest opinion.  A Shenandoah Family Christmas

By Lisa Belcastro
Release date: November 17, 2015
Welcome to A Shenandoah Family Christmas Celebration Tour! Thank you for the time and the effort you put into reading the author’s book and review. We appreciate your hard work!
If you have not received the book, please email celebratelit@gmail.com.
Information to share:
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Link to purchase book: http://amzn.com/B01789P77Q
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Tweets:
As the death toll rises throughout the Colonies, the Reed family prays for more than one Christmas miracle. A Shenandoah Family Christmas by Belcastro http://www.celebratelit.com
Check out A Shenandoah Family Christmas Celebration Tour. Read reviews and enter the giveaway. http://www.celebratelit.com
Book Information:
Where is Christmas?Ebook – A Shenandoah Family Christmas
Disease, freezing temperatures, and the Revolutionary War bring bitter reality to the Reed home in December 1777. Captain Benjamin Reed is ordered to sail a supply shipment south to General George Washington. Days before Shenandoah’s scheduled departure, Ben’s first mate succumbs to smallpox.
Rebecca Reed had never feared the dreaded disease until her one-year-old daughter Felicity breaks out in the telltale rash. In the cold, dark days of Advent, Rebecca, Ben, and the Reed family wait in prayerful hope as Felicity fights for her life and they wonder who could be next.
With the rest of the family at risk, they decide to obtain the forbidden cowpox vaccine. Ben’s brother Jonah, his uncle Isaiah, and Shenandoah’s cook Adam Greene venture off in search of the outlawed vaccine. A blizzard hits. A tree crashes. Jonah crumbles to the ground. A woman with the face of an angel aids Jonah, but is it too late? And where are Adam and Isaiah?
As the death toll rises throughout the Colonies, the Reed family prays for more than one Christmas miracle.
About the Author Author pic

Lisa Belcastro lives with her family on Martha’s Vineyard. She loves time with her family and friends, running, gardening, outdoor activities, cooking, chocolate, reading, traveling, a healthy dose of adventure, and her cat, Ben, who keeps her company while she creates fictional lives for the numerous characters living inside her head.
Lisa runs as an ambassador for TEAM 413 (www.team413.org), and has completed a marathon (26.2 miles) in all fifty states.
Lisa’s stories are set on the Vineyard amidst the magnificence of the ocean, the beauty of sandy beaches, rolling hills, and ancient cliffs, as well as the people and events that make the Island so very unique.
When she’s not at her desk, Lisa is living in paradise, volunteering at her daughter’s school, serving in her church community, planting and weeding her numerous gardens, training to run the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge in January 2016, walking the beach looking for sea glass, or enjoying a great meal while she pens the cuisine column for Vineyard Style Magazine.
Picture for Giveaway:
shenandoahprizememe

The Ancient Word Series: books 1 and 2 by A.M. Heath. Plus a rafflecopter giveaway

Book 1 is Where Can I Flee.  In this book we get introduced to Claire, Frank, Sally and Ralph.  This is a book about the civil war.  This one goes from the beginning of the war to about halfway through.  You will laugh and cry with the characters.

The second book is called In the Shadow of thy Wings.  This book continues the first book through the end of the war.  This one has less laughs but really makes you cry.  I look forward to the 3rd book that will continue on with their lives after the war. 

   Link to purchase book: http://amzn.com/B00MQ8KYI2 (Where Can I Flee)

http://amzn.com/B018RERANK (In The Shadow Of Thy Wings)
Grab HTML Code here: http://www.celebratelit.com/?p=264
Link to giveaway (This gives you HTML code for your blog): http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDBhZGNmNTQzZGFkMzUwNzcyZmIzY2U1NDc5MjA0OjU=/?
Tweets:
War is on the horizon during the spring of 1861. It will be an event that will change the lives of everyone in its path. The Harper family included. Check out A.M. Heath’s Where Can I Flee http://www.celebratelit.com
While the Civil War in the nation rages on, the battle within grows stronger. Can Claire learn that the only safe place to hide is in the shadow of Thy Wings? Check out A.M. Heath’s latest book http://www.celebratelit.com
Ancient Words series on tour with Celebrate Lit. Check out the reviews and enter the giveaway! http://www.celebratelit.com
Book Information:
Where Can I Flee
War is on the horizon during the spring of 1861. It will be an event that will change the lives of everyone in its path. The Harper family included.
Frank Harper is a young man full of dreams and ambitions. Even when the country is split and war breaks out, Frank will do whatever is necessary to see his dreams come true, even when that means putting on a uniform and leaving home.
For the first time, Claire Harper is forced to consider the reasons behind such a conflict. Should slavery be abolished? Which side should she be on, and what does God have to say about this? Claire is torn between her own opinions and those of her family. The struggle within her only increases when she repeatedly runs into a kind and handsome Union soldier. She longs to see her brother turn to Christ before it is too late. Desperate to reach her brother with the gospel, Claire pens a series of inspiring letters. Will she be able to handle all the obstacles of war and continue to be a witness to those around her?
How long can Claire last when her heart is torn in half and she is burdened for her brother’s soul? How long can Frank resist his sister’s urgent pleas or the gentle tugging from within? Can a man outrun a holy God?
In the Shadow of Thy Wings
Devastation sweeps across the land, and the families of Maple Grove cannot escape when war arrives at their front doors. After her father entrusts her with a new and dangerous task, Sally Chandler must find the courage to obey despite her fear. Meanwhile, her best friend, Claire Harper, is determined to serve others, even if it means putting herself in danger. But with a certain handsome Union soldier stationed nearby, Claire finds her heart in danger of falling for the enemy. Their differing loyalties create complications that neither could expect; her twin brother fighting for the Confederacy is only one of them. Frank Harper left home with one goal in mind – to become a prosperous plantation owner. Two years later, not only is he further from his goal, but he’s beginning to question his own desires–something that becomes more complicated when his heart becomes involved. The families of Maple Grove must learn how to survive the uncertainty of war and a country split in two. While the war in the nation rages on, the battle within grows stronger. Will they learn that the only safe place to hide is in the shadow of Thy Wings?
Author Information
Being raise in a small Tennessee town, A.M. Heath grew up with a love for southern history and nostalgia. She lives with her husband and four children in Southern Tennessee where they embrace the small town lifestyle. 

    

An Amish Christmas Sleigh by Kelly Long, Amy Lillard and Molly Jebber plus a rafflecopter giveaway

This is a book of three novellas of Amish Christmas tales that all surround a Christmas sleigh. These stories are A Sleigh Ride on Ice Mountain by Kelly Long, A Mamm for Christmas by Amy Lillard and An Unexpected Christmas Blessing by Molly Jebber.. Each story is great. They all revolve around at least one of the two people being a widow or widower or divorced and some children. These are wonderful Christmas stories and yet could be read at any time. I received this book from Celebration Lit for a fair and honest opinion.  Link to purchase book: http://amzn.com/B00RRT31E4
 

Link to giveaway (This is for you to grab the html code for your blogs): http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDBhZGNmNTQzZGFkMzUwNzcyZmIzY2U1NDc5MjA0OjY=/?

 

Tweets:

 

See what bloggers are saying about The Amish Christmas Sleigh! http://www.celebratelit.com

 

Can Charity Lantz and neighbor Luke Fisher settle their differences and receive an unexpected Christmas blessing? Find out in The Amish Christmas sleigh! http://www.celebratelit.com

 

What do Kelly Long, Amy Lillard and Molly Jebber have in common? The each wrote one of three heartwarming stories for Christmas in The Amish Christmas Sleigh. http://www.celebratelit.com

 

Book Information:

A SLEIGH RIDE ON ICE MOUNTAIN

Kelly Long 

For solitary toy-maker Sebastian Christner, hiring Kate Zook as his new housekeeper is simply the right thing to do. Now she can support her special-needs brother. But one taste of her independent spirit is showing him undreamed-of holiday joy—and making him long to give her a home for always . . .

 

A MAMM FOR CHRISTMAS

Amy Lillard

Bernice Yoder has far too much to do to entertain holiday dreams. Even if she can help Jess Schmucker outwit his three mischievous young daughters, it’s impossible to imagine the handsome widower can see her as anything but a scolding schoolteacher. He never guesses how a magical Christmas Eve will open his eyes to love or how Der Herr will awaken their faith and hope. 

 

AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS BLESSING

Molly Jebber

As much as Charity Lantz’s children need a father, the young widow isn’t sure her new neighbor Luke Fisher can ever be the right choice. They’re having more disagreements than snowflakes in December. Besides, he’s never given a sign he wants to be more than friends. Can Gott show them a way past their misunderstandings to a forever love?

 

About the Authors 

Molly Jebber is an educational, motivational, and Women’s Christian Connection speaker. She was raised in a small town in the Midwest, and insists if you had blinked twice, you would’ve missed it. She loves God, her family and friends, sunshine, swimming and traveling to the Amish communities. Creating historical Amish characters and throwing them into difficult situations and joyous times has been challenging and fun for her. The greatest reward she’s experienced in becoming an author is meeting wonderful people from all over the world who’ve been encouraging and supportive.

 

Kelly Long is the author of the acclaimed Amish Patch of Heaven series and has been a finalist for the coveted Carol Award from the American Christian Fiction Writers. Her novel Lily’s Wedding Quilt was a 2011 Goodreads Favorite Book of the Year. Born and raised in the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania, she’s been married for nearly twenty-five years and has five children. Please visit her at kellylongbooks.com.

 

Amy Lillard won the 2013 Carol Award for her first Amish romance Saving Gideon. She was also a Maggie Awards finalist. Born and bred in Mississippi, she now lives with her husband and son in Oklahoma. Visit her at amywritesromance.com. Link for giveaway:  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDBhZGNmNTQzZGFkMzUwNzcyZmIzY2U1NDc5MjA0OjY=/?

Blue Eel by Lorne Dixon

If you like Clive Cussler or Dean Koontz I think you will like Lorne Dixon. This is a bit thriller and a bit horror. Blue eel seems to be a psychedelic drug that makes you glow and go a bit crazy. Branson Turaco was accused of kidnapping his own daughter but the police could never prove it. Years later some of his daughters hair is found in a sexual predators trailer. This makes the police question Branson again and he wants to go after this man. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story. Branson meets up with two other people who try to help him. I received this book from Smith Publicity for a fair and honest opinion.  The horror genre has seen a significant shift in this generation: instead of misty castles and monsters that go bump in the night, today’s ‘progressive horror’ focuses on reflecting the anxieties manifesting in today’s society…and tomorrow’s.
           

Horror aficionado Lorne Dixon’s new book, Blue Eel, explores this genre subset in a thrilling, psychedelic world.

 

Long suspected of guilt in his daughter’s disappearance, Branson Turaco’s life takes an abrupt turn when he learns that a lock of her hair has been found in a child predator’s home. He buys an unlicensed handgun, enlists the help of a disgraced filmmaker and a desperate intern, and heads out onto the open road. Clinging to the faint hope that his daughter might still be alive, Branson follows a twisted path into an unknown world of terror within a post-human drug cult.

           

A notable voice in the horror genre, Dixon says the time is right for the progressive horror subset to expand and explore new avenues of storytelling.