Saturday, September 26, 2020

Leading A Double Life: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of Miss Tavistock's Mistake

About the Book

Book: Miss Tavistock’s Mistake

Author: Linore Rose Burkard

Genre: Clean and Wholesome Regency Romance/Romantic Comedy

Release Date: June 4, 2020

Can Miss Tavistock’s mistake ever be undone?

Young Miss Tavistock is promised in marriage to Captain Rempeare by the wish of her dearly departed papa. But the captain’s been at sea for a decade. When she finally meets him, tempestuous sparks fly, and she impulsively adopts a daring false identity. Going by “Lady X,” she vows never to marry such an infuriating man.

Captain Gabriel Rempeare is prepared to fulfill his duty and marry Miss Tavistock—if only he can clap eyes on her. One circumstance or another keeps them apart, though he cannot seem to avoid the maddeningly lovely Lady X. When fate throws them together in London, Miss Tavistock discovers the real nature of the captain, and regrets her subterfuge. But can such a noble man forgive deceit? Or has her mistake already cost her everything?

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

If you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted read, I would certainly recommend this book. Miss Feodora (Or Margaret) Tavistock is a driven, independent woman. While I didn’t like that she lied to and kept a secret from Captain Rempeare for so long, she is a fun character. Captain Gabriel Rempeare is also a fun character. He’s a quiet, but respectful man, although he wasn’t my favorite character.

While I didn’t really like Miss Tavistock’s reasons for lying to Captain Rempeare, nor did I like her reasons for not telling him the truth, I think that the plot line made the book a very fun and enjoyable read. It’s definitely a romance novel that you can read when you just need to escape life for a brief period of time.

This author is quite talented, although there were some instances where the points of view jumped from person to person and it got a little confusing at times. But that’s something that is really very minor and doesn’t take away from the story.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

About the Author

Linore Rose Burkard is a serious watcher of period films, a Janeite, and hopeless romantic. An award winning author best known for Inspirational Regency Romance, her first book opened the genre for the CBA. Besides historical romance, Linore writes contemporary suspense (The Pulse Effex Series, as L.R. Burkard), contemporary romance (Falling In), and romantic short stories. Linore has a magna cum laude English Lit. degree from CUNY which she earned while taking herself far too seriously. She now resides in Ohio with her husband and family, where she turns her youthful angst into character or humor-driven plots.

More from Linore

Miss Tavistock experiences a frightening crush at the Prince Regent’s palace (Carlton House) toward the end of the book which leads to a romantically pivotal scene. But many readers don’t know that what happened that day at the palace really happened.

Here’s the scoop:

The fete in June of 1811 was the Prince of Wales’ first real chance to celebrate his becoming Regent in February of that year in the lavish style he loved.

Like Miss Tavistock, many in the haut ton anxiously coveted invitations. At first reserved only for the peerage and their offspring, by the time of the event, more than 2,000 invitations had been issued to all classes. The details in the story regarding the enormous preparations really happened, and much, much, more.

Since our heroine was not able to garnish an invitation to the actual grand banquet, the extraordinary magnificence of the décor, food, and costume of that night had to be excluded from the book. But it was an unprecedented display, and both amazed and perplexed the guests.

The prince was so happy with his lavish spectacle that he wished to share it with the public. The unruly crowd described in the book happened on the third day following the banquet. It was reported that more than 30,000 people tried to crowd their way in that day. Men and women lost hats, bonnets, coats, shawls, shoes, and even their under clothing. London papers afterwards claimed there were great tubs at Carlton House filled with all the lost items. Our beleaguered heroine escapes with only her shoes and bonnet missing, but her stockings and gown are torn. Perfect situation to be rescued from!

Contemporaries both praised and harshly criticized the affair. It was described as “an assemblage of beauty, splendor and profuse magnificence,” by admirers, but as one of the princes’ “greatest follies and extravagances,” by detractors.³

If you’re not previously familiar with the Prince Regent (later George IV), this might give you an idea as to why I sometimes find him too irresistible a figure to leave out of a Regency novel. His extravagance, flamboyance and tempestuous lifestyle are just too ripe fodder to ignore. Though he doesn’t appear in Miss Tavistock, I have numerous scenes in my first Regency series where he interacts with Phillip Mornay, ‘the Paragon,’ and hero of the books.

NOTE: This post is an abbreviated account of the event, which is included in more detail at the back of the book.

Question: Have you ever been trapped in a crowd? What was it like?

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, September 26

Rebecca Tews, September 26

Just Your Average reviews, September 26

Inklings and notions, September 27

Black ‘n’ Gold Girl’s Book Spot, September 27

Sara Jane Jacobs, September 28

Genesis 5020, September 28

Worthy2Read, September 29

Connie’s History Classroom, September 29

For Him and My Family, September 30

Betti Mace, September 30

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 1

Remembrancy, October 1

Artistic Nobody, October 2 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Blogging With Carol, October 2

Labor Not in Vain, October 2

Blossoms and Blessings, October 3

The Book Chic Blog, October 3

Ashley’s Bookshelf, October 4

deb’s Book Review, October 4

Simple Harvest Reads, October 5 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

CarpeDiem, October 5

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, October 6

HookMeInABook, October 6

Splashes of Joy, October 7

Reading Is My SuperPower, October 7

Godly Book Reviews, October 8

Romances of the Cross, October 8

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 9

As He Leads is Joy, October 9

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, October 9

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linore is giving away the grand prize of a $30 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/10117/miss-tavistock-s-mistake-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Amazing Grace That Saves Wretches Like Us: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of White Stick

About the Book

Book: White Stick

Author: Jacqueline Middler

Genre: Memoir

Release Date: May 13, 2020

When a positive pregnancy test upends her carefree coed life, Jacqueline Marie decides to end the life of her unborn child. That abortion and the one that followed not only destroyed two lives but also wrecked Jacqueline’s soul.

Unprepared for the emotional wounds abortion inflicts, Jacqueline turns to drugs and alcohol to mask her pain, but nothing she does assuages her deep-seated guilt. When staying with relatives in Florida—intended to give her a fresh start—she hears the gospel message, and while reading the creation story and promises of God, she encounters a God who loves her despite her choices.

As she experiences God’s grace and forgiveness, Jacqueline is able to finally forgive herself. Now a doula and a voice for the unborn, she shares her story to help other women who have had abortions know that healing and redemption are possible through Jesus.

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

I have to say, I am awe-struck that Jaqueline Middler was able to tell her story. She presented the bad and didn’t hold back. She didn’t sugar-coat. She told her story. She told the raw, painful truth of her past and how she came to God. And as I read her story-although I could never be able to comprehend the pain and suffering she went through, I was still able to feel some of that come off the pages. I hurt with her. I grieved with her. I cried with her. And I rejoiced with her when she came to that glorious part of the story where she gave her life fully to God.

This is one of those stories where you see God’s amazing grace. Middler often refers to herself as a “murderer”. Such a powerful word. Such a powerful name to place upon yourself. But she also calls herself “redeemed” and “saved”. These are even more powerful words. She recognizes the sins of her past. She is truly repentant. And she is able to receive God’s grace and be a child of God.

Middler is obviously pro-life. She encourages others to be, as well. She doesn’t shame other women for their choices. She understands and sympathizes because she also had to make that choice. She calls these women to repentance and to recognize fully what they are doing before they make that choice. Her goal isn’t to judge others. It’s to save lives. And save the mothers from a lifetime of regret.

I would suggest maybe having a box of tissues next to you as you read Middler’s story. I also would suggest reading this book slowly. It’s very emotional, and I couldn’t read more than one or two chapters at a time.

But I would HIGHLY recommend this book. Middler is an amazing example of what God’s love and grace can do.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

About the Author

An avid reader and devoted mother of three, Jacqueline Marie gives voice to the women who have had abortions and live with the regret and shame of that decision. White Stick is her debut work, birthed from the years-long journey to healing and redemption and her desire open the eyes of the world to the harm this choice brings to women. She has a degree from Johnson & Wales in marketing, with concentrations in English and psychology.

More from Jacqueline

White Stick was written in hopes of freeing women from the bondage of shame and guilt that comes with the choice of Abortion. This book’s purpose is to shed light on the after effects of what this choice does to a women’s soul and life. This choice is not the quick decision or the “easier choice” that the media portrays but can effect every one of your choices after for the rest of your life. Only Gods love and Jesus’s grace can free you. I was a Christian many years before I was able to forgive myself. Until you forgive yourself it is hard to walk in the plans God has for you. You the reader are able to walk with me through my abortion to redemption. This is a raw honest look at the devastation this choice brings.

Blog Stops

Artistic Nobody, September 22 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Rebecca Tews, September 23

My Devotional Thoughts, September 24 (Author Interview)

Maureen’s Musings, September 24

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 25

Texas Book-aholic, September 26

Inklings and notions, September 27

For Him and My Family, September 28

Stories By Gina , September 29 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, September 29

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 30

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, October 1

Ashley’s Bookshelf, October 2

Sara Jane Jacobs, October 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 4

Pause for Tales, October 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jacqueline is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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/10103/white-stick-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, September 19, 2020

The Example: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of Perfect

About the Book

Book: Perfect

Author: Nancy E. Wood

Genre: Contemporary YA Fiction

Release Date: September 1, 2020

Isn’t that something everyone wants to be?

Gina has done everything she could to please her parents, gain her friends’ approval, and get that one guy’s attention, but it never seems to be enough. There’s no pleasing everybody.

She’s struggling just to get through the year when a mysterious guy abruptly decides to become part of her life and disrupts everything she’s ever believed in.

Could he actually be right? Is perfection really unattainable? Or by listening to him will everything she’s worked for fall apart?

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

For any young, Christian teenager, I would highly recommend this book. It teaches that you don’t always have to be an example, that you don’t have to do everything perfectly, that you don’t have to say “yes” all the time, that you don’t have to be a people-pleaser. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you have to be “perfect”. Because as humans, we are not perfect. We are sinful and weak and nothing we do, no matter how hard we try, can change that. That is why Jesus was perfect for us.

Gina is a very relatable character. She wants to please her parents so bad, that she tries to do everything. She tries to get the good grades, do school activities, help her friends, be an active part of the youth group, etc. But in doing all of this, she loses herself and starts to break down.

Joel is such a sweet and encouraging character. He really, genuinely wants to help Gina through her issues. I hope he is an active character for the rest of the series.

I liked the addition of Gina’s friend, Alisa. She hurts Gina by spreading rumors and going behind her back. I liked her because it helps us as readers to see what the author was referring to when she says that you don’t have to be perfect all the time. She doesn’t mean that you can just go out and do whatever you want to get whatever you want. What the author is trying to get across here is that you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself. You aren’t going to please everybody or do everything perfectly, and that’s okay.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

About the Author

Nancy E Wood was born into a missionary family and lived in Hungary until she turned twenty. Her whole childhood, she loved reading and stories, writing some of her own, but never believing she actually had the talent to be an author. Speaking multiple languages, she never thought she would be good enough in any to become a wordsmith.

Her senior year of high school, she was encouraged to write short stories, one of which turned into Perfect, a novel that couldn’t stay short. After sharing it with a few people, she decided to get it published a couple years later. She went to college in Florida, where she studied English and Music. After graduating, she married and moved to California. She published her second standalone book, I’ll Take the Lie, in the summer of 2019 and is currently working on a sequel to Perfect. She also runs a blog for young women, where she writes relatable and motivational posts that point to God. She has also done some speaking in different Christian schools and youth groups, encouraging teens to pursue Christ through some of the most difficult years of their lives.

More from Nancy

You’re not good enough. No matter how much you do, you’ll never do enough. No matter how good you look, you’ll never be pretty enough. No matter how little you eat, you’ll never be skinny enough. No matter how kind you are, not everyone will like you. You’ll never be enough.

These words, or something very similar, have echoed in my head since I was a kid. I don’t know when it started, and I certainly don’t know when these words will fade away forever from my mind and heart.

I was born in Budapest, Hungary. My parents are missionaries, and they raised me to love God from the very beginning. I got saved really young, and church was my life. My parents reminded me many times that I was the example, and that my little sisters looked up to me, so I had to be careful about how I acted. My whole life, I was taught that I had to be good, had to please authorities, and had to do the right thing no matter what. But what was the right thing? And what if it didn’t please the authorities?

For much of my life, I was torn. I was told that something was not right, but to me it seemed perfectly fine. I wasn’t happy. I was confused. I was living my life according to other people’s expectations. I didn’t know what was right or wrong. I felt like a horrible person, even when I was doing “the right thing.” What was wrong with me? So many times I felt alone, even though I had many friends. Nobody could understand me.

Nothing about this lifestyle changed until my senior year, the year I had my first boyfriend. He was studying to be a psychologist and helped me change my thinking. Other than having constant conflicts with my parents, who weren’t too thrilled about my dating somebody, he opened up my eyes to how much people-pleasing had taken over my life. I realized I had so many masks for each person I was around, that I didn’t even know who I was underneath. Long story short, I thought a lot about who I was. I started questioning what I believed and why. I started writing “Perfect,” which has a lot of parallels to my life then.

God was there through it all. I didn’t know how to defeat it, but I took a step. I talked to my parents. I told them about all my bitterness, of trying to live up to standards I didn’t believe in, of all the things I did that I didn’t enjoy doing. I told them how much I wanted to please them, but how I felt like I always fell short. They were extremely surprised, and then supportive. We were able to work through years of hard feelings on my part that they hadn’t even been aware of.

More steps. I used to write and not share it with anyone. I was afraid of what people would say. When I finally decided to open up and show people, I was overwhelmed at the good feedback. Instead of judging me, people could relate! I wasn’t alone in my people pleasing. I take little steps all the time when I do something I’m not comfortable with; giving hard advice, telling someone something they don’t want to hear, going to other people for help, seeking mentors, opening up to people.

Am I completely free? No, not yet. There are times I still come under the icy grip of doubt and fear. What if people stop liking me? What would happen if I disappointed someone I love and they don’t forgive me? But I know that I am a lot farther along than I was years ago. I may never be perfect, (in fact, let’s just admit that’ll never happen), but I can keep taking steps, getting closer to God and farther from my perfectionism. And now I know that I’m not alone.

I may not be perfect, but I believe God can still use me.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 18

Rebecca Tews, September 19

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, September 20 (Author Interview)

The Book Chic Blog, September 20

Texas Book-aholic, September 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 22

Inklings and notions, September 23

For Him and My Family, September 24

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, September 25 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, September 25

Artistic Nobody, September 26 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Ashley’s Bookshelf, September 27

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 28

Sara Jane Jacobs, September 29

Batya’s Bits, September 30

Spoken from the Heart, October 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Nancy is giving away the grand prize of a $20 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/100e7/perfect-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, September 3, 2020

The Midnight Assassin and the Royal Pinkerton: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of the Black Midnight

About the Book

Book: The Black Midnight
Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo
Genre: Christian Historical Suspense
Release Date: August, 2020

Death Seems to Follow Harriet’s New Friend

Book 7 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Three years before Jack the Ripper began his murderous spree on the streets of London, women were dying in their beds as The Midnight Assassin terrorized the citizens of Austin, Texas. Now, with suspicion falling on Her Majesty’s family and Scotland Yard at a loss as to who the Ripper might be, Queen Victoria summons her great-granddaughter, Alice Anne von Wettin, a former Pinkerton agent who worked the unsolved Austin case, and orders her to discreetly form a team to look into the London matter.

The prospect of a second chance to work with Annie just might entice Isaiah Joplin out of his comfortable life as an Austin lawyer. If his theories are right, they’ll find the The Midnight Assassin and, by default, the Ripper. If they’re wrong, he and Annie are in a bigger mess than the one the feisty female left behind when she departed Austin under cover of darkness three years ago.

Can the unlikely pair find the truth of who is behind the murders before they are drawn into the killer’s deadly game? From Texas to London, the story navigates the fine line between truth and fiction as Annie and Isaiah ultimately find the hunters have become the hunted.

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

Learning about serial killers both fascinate me and frighten me. It’s kind of like riding a roller coaster ride-it makes me scared, but I love the thrill. Reading this book was very similar to that.

I did really like this book. I think it’s one of my favorites in the True Colors series. I really liked Annie and Isaiah and their love story. Could I have done without the love story in general? Yes. I could have done without the love story in each of the True Colors books. But I think that Kathleen Y’Barbo executed it well. She didn’t let it steal from the mystery. Instead, she used it to move the mystery forward.

I think what I loved most about this book was that it was about Jack the Ripper. It made it creepy and suspenseful. And I also really liked how Annie was actually a relation of the Queen of England. It made the story more interesting.

My only complaint would be that the ending seemed really rushed. The ending could’ve been great, but it just seemed to fall flat for me. Other than that, I really did enjoy reading this book and learning more about Jack the Ripper.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

About the Author

Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than sixty novels with almost two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad.

More from Kathleen Y’Barbo

I am a tenth generation Texan, but London has held a place in my heart for over ten years. You see, I have a son who has lived there for more than a decade. Thanks to him and his family of three—my granddaughter was born there on New Year’s Eve 2019—the city will always be special to me. There is absolutely nothing like walking those streets with a thousand years of history close enough to touch.

It was on a walk with my son through this great city that the stories of nineteenth century London came alive. With fog shrouding the rooftops of buildings that were hundreds of years old and our footsteps echoing on the cobblestones, I could imagine a time when lack of electricity and CCTV would make this place less than charming on a dark night. What reminded me of my favorite childhood movie, Mary Poppins, quickly became more reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. And then a story was born.

Only I just had half the story.

The other half came to me several years later when I stumbled across an article in Texas Monthly magazine about a serial killer who rampaged through Austin, Texas in 1884 and 1885 and was never caught. Some surmised this madman, called “The Midnight Assassin” by some, might have been Jack the Ripper honing his skills before he crossed the Atlantic to begin his famous crime spree in Great Britain.

But Austin? Ironically, my other two sons lived in Austin. So while part of my heart was in London, two more parts of that same heart resided in the Texas capital. I thought I knew Austin inside out. Between one of my sons getting not one but two degrees from the University of Texas (this Aggie grad is still proud of him in spite of what I jokingly call his burnt orange rebellion) and my other son living there and managing a restaurant at the time (and who just graduated from Texas A&M Galveston last month!), I had spent many years in the city. And yet I had never heard of the Midnight Assassin.
Research turned up a tale that sounds so close to fiction I had to write about it. Discovering the theory that the Austin killer might also be the Ripper just added to my interest—neither had been caught. And I like to write about Pinkerton detectives.

From there the story unfolded. If you’ve read any of my historical romances, you know that I love incorporating actual history into my stories. As you’ll see when you read The Black Midnight, this book is no exception. While I will continue writing the historical romances I love to bring to you, I will confess that writing this book has me itching to research another one like it.

What’s next in my foray into true crime novels? Maybe Houston. You see, I have a daughter who lives there…

In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy reading The Black Midnight as much as I enjoyed writing it!