All My Belongings | Enter to win a $200 Visa Card from @CynthiaRuchti & RSVP for 6/11 LIVE Webcast Event

Cynthia Ruchti asks what it takes to overcome your past and become who you were meant to be in her latest novel, All My Belongings. Cynthia has woven a heart-wrenching tale of forgiveness, grace, and learning what it means to truly belong.

Cynthia is celebrating the release of her latest novel with a fun giveaway and a live webcast event!

 
One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa cash card
• All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. Winner will be announced at the All My Belongings LIVE webcast event on June 11th. Connect with Cynthia for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Cynthia will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of All My Belongings and join Cynthia and friends on the evening of June 11th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!

OUT OF THE RUINS | Kindle HDX Giveaway & Facebook Party!

Don't miss the debut book, Out of the Ruins, in Karen Barnett's new series, The Golden Gate Chronicles. Set against the backdrop of early 20th century San Francisco, Out of the Ruins will remind readers that no matter who we are or what we’ve done, God is still as close to us as our next breath.

Karen is celebrating with a fun giveaway and Facebook author chat party.

  One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• Out of the Ruins by Karen Barnett

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 19th. Winner will be announced at the Out of the Ruins Facebook author chat party on June 19th. Connect with Karen for an evening of fun book chat, games, and prizes. Karen will also be answering audience questions and giving an exclusive look at the next book in The Golden Gate Chronicles series!

So grab your copy of Out of the Ruins and join Karen on the evening of June 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 19th!

CHILD OF MINE by Beverly & David Lewis

Flight instructor Jack Livingston has been raising his eight-year-old adopted niece, Natalie, since the accident that took her parents' lives. When he travels, Natalie is tenderly cared for by her Amish nanny, Laura Mast, who loves the little girl as her own.

Eight excruciating years ago, Kelly Maines's baby was kidnapped. Determined to find her child, Kelly has tirelessly pursued every lead to its bitter end. And now, with the clock ticking, one last clue from a private investigator ignites a tiny flame of hope: Just a few miles away lives a young girl who matches the profile.

Can this be, at long last, Kelly's beloved daughter?

My thoughts...

This isn't your typical Amish story, it's seen through the eyes of Englischer Jack Livingstone who is guardian over his young neice who adoptive parents were killed. Kelly's baby daughter was kidnapped and sold to black market adoption. She still hopes that someday she will find her young daughter. Kelly and Jack meet and all I can say is it's not what you think will happen.

Interesting storyline with enough twists and turns to keep you reading, some heartwrenching scenes, and a great ending. Well written, maybe a bit drawn out, but it's still a good book.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Bethany House through their Blogger program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

YOUR PERFECT LIFE by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Two childhood best friends wake up the morning after their twentieth high school reunion to discover that they’ve switched bodies in this hilarious and heartwarming debut by two childhood best friends.

With “a delicious, page-turning premise, and sweet and surprising insights” (New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster), Your Perfect Life perfectly illustrates that old adage: Sometimes, you have to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to see what’s in her heart.

Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover.

Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to face the broadcasting dreams she gave up when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the real reason why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did.

YOUR PERFECT LIFE: A Novel
A Washington Square Press/Atria Paperback Original
ISBN: 978-1-47673-057-8
Price : $15.00/Pages: 304
Publication Date: June 10, 2014



My thoughts...

When I was younger I wanted to be someone else because their life seemed more fun than mine, as time passed I realized things are not always as they seem. That's what happens in the lives of these two friends. Rachel and Casey are wonderful characters...warm and fun...perfect best friends! They wake up one morning and have switched lives. The adventure begins!

I had to keep reading and actually finished in two days with lots of smiles and head shaking along the way. This is one of those "I hate to see it end" novels. Take it to the beach with you or even on your back porch, as you read you'll forget where you are anyway.

I received a copy of this book free from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke’s Appearances for YOUR PERFECT LIFE

Sat/Sun June 7-8
Printers Row Lit Fest
Chicago

Monday, June 9, 7pm ET
BOOKTALKNATION
Virtual booksigning via Google Hangout
with Allison Winn
Booktalknation.com

Tuesday June 10, 7pm LAKE FOREST BOOKSTORE
at Sullivan Center
A conversation with Jen Lancaster
635 Aspen Drive
Vernon Hills, IL

Wednesday, June 11, 7pm
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP
A conversation with Tracey Garvis Graves
123 W. Jefferson
Naperville, IL

Thursday, June 12, 7pm
BOOK CELLAR
4736-38 North Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL

Monday, June 16, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE
7881 Edinger Ave. #110
Huntington Beach, CA

Tuesday, June 17, 7pm
PAGES BOOKSTORE
904 Manhattan Ave.
Manhattan Beach, CA

Thursday, June 19, 7:30 pm
WARWICK’S BOOKSTORE
La Jolla, CA

Friday, June 20, 6pm
LAGUNA BEACH BOOKS
A conversation with Anita Hughes
1200 S. Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA

Sunday, June 22, 2pm
LAGUNA NIGUEL LIBRARY
A conversation with Anita Hughes
30341 Crown Valley Parkway
Laguna Niguel, CA



About the Authors:
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have been best friends for 25 years and survived junior high, high school and college together. Liz lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show producer, now lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, daughter and two bonus children. Your Perfect Life is their first novel.

UNTIL I FOUND YOU by Victoria Bylin

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Until I Found You Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014) by Victoria Bylin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A word from the Author:

This may sound crazy, but I was driven to write romance by giant bugs and killer rabbits. I just couldn't take it anymore. My husband and two sons would be camped in front of the television watching a movie about spiders the size of bowling balls, and I'd be wondering when the handsome scientist would get around to kissing the spunky woman with the bug spray. When it didn't happen, I decided to write my own happy endings--without the giant bugs...

Known for her realistic, likable characters and vivid writing, Victoria Bylin writes both western and contemporary inspirational romance. Her books have finaled in the ACFW Carol Awards, the Rita Awards and RT Magazine’s Reviewers’ Choice Awards. She and her husband currently live in Lexington, Kentucky and have two grown sons.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Finding each other was only the beginning . . .

When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life.

It's Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate's rescue. Nick is handsome and confident, and he seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She's not planning to get involved with one of the locals.

Nick is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn't expect to be swept off his feet by the car's occupant. He's made a vow--no dating for a year--but keeping that vow is going to be a lot more difficult now that he's met Kate Darby. . . .

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Until I Found You, go HERE.

My thoughts...

In a nutshell... girl in car dangling off a cliff, handsome guy comes to her rescue and they fall in love. Sounds like a typical romance novel? Not on your life! I love the way the author makes this such an exciting and beautifully different story.

Love, hope, forgiveness, the start of a christian life and possibly the end of another but not until the story of the condors is told. "Until I Found You" is fiction at its finest.

DAISIES ARE FOREVER

Gisela Cramer is an American living in eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt. When the Red Army invades, they must leave their home to escape to safety in Berlin.

However, Ella is a nurse and refuses to leave, sending her young daughters with Gisela. During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards, an escaped British POW. She pretends she is his wife in order to preserve his safety among other Germans, especially one wounded German soldier, Kurt, who has suspicions about Mitch's identity. Kurt also has feelings for Gisela and tries to uncover the truth about her "marriage."

Their journey to Gisela's mother in Berlin is riddled with tragedy and hardship, but they strive to keep Ella's daughters safe so they can reunite with their mother. During the journey Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings for one another beyond friendship. They reach Berlin, but their struggles are far from over. Gisela and Mitch must learn to live for the day and find hope in the darkest of circumstances.

In this moving, historically accurate portrayal of WWII Germany, the characters learn that, even with destruction all around them, some things last forever.

New York Times best-selling author Liz Tolsma is the author of Daisies are Forever, Snow on the Tulips, and the contributing author of A Log Cabin Christmas. When not busy putting words to paper, Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and children, all adopted internationally.

Connect with Liz: website, Facebook, Twitter



My thoughts...

If you enjoy reading about WWII this book is a must read. Tolsma describes the setting and the characters perfectly and her writing style puts you right in the midst of what's going on.

"Daisies are Forever" is suspenseful, gripping, story about refugees fleeing from the war. The author's description of the events, the refugees, and their situations shows she did her research well. Gisela must get to Berlin where she believes is a safe place for her family. Little does she know what she is about to encounter is mortifying.

This is one that will stick with you for a while. Definitely a 5 star read!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

GATHERING SHADOWS by Nancy Mehl

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Gathering Shadows Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014) by Nancy Mehl

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and their dog, Watson. She’s authored thirteen books and is currently at work on her newest series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Wynter Evans is a promising young reporter for a television station in St. Louis, but even a bright future doesn't take away her pain over the disappearance of her brother nine years ago. So when she stumbles across a photograph of a boy with an eerie resemblance to him, she can't pass up the chance to track him down. With research for work as her cover, she sets out with one of the station's photogs for the place where the picture was taken: the town of Sanctuary. Almost as soon as she arrives, she meets the town's handsome young mayor, Rueben King, and together they begin to uncover long held secrets that could tear the small town apart and change everything Wynter thought she knew about her life. As the truth of her family's past hides in the shadows, it's clear someone will stop at nothing to keep the answers she's searching for hidden forever--even if the cost is Wynter's very life. If you'd like to read the first chapter of Gathering Shadows, go HERE.


My thoughts...

Love the way the book grabs you at the very first page, it makes you anxious to find out what was in the photo that stopped Wynter in her tracks. I like the characters (even annoying Zac... eventually) and love how the residents of Sanctuary sound welcoming until Wynter actually arrives in their secretive and dangerous town.

The mystery and suspense make this a top notch read. Also I enjoyed reading about my hometown and the surrounding places I'm so familiar with.