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In this new coastal series, Lin Stepp transports her readers into the rich, colorful lives of Burke and her sisters, Lila, Gwen, and Celeste, who grew up at the Deveaux Inn and Lighthouse on a windswept island, accessible only by boat. Get ready to be introduced to the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, challenges and adventures of a Lighthouse Keeper.
Life had grown hard for Burke Deveaux at the family inn and lighthouse since her father died. She missed his warmth and still expected to see him walking into a room, his big laugh booming. Burke and her mother were gradually adjusting to the change, and Lila had come home this winter to help, but the workload was heavy. With spring coming and tourism picking up in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Burke welcomed Hal Jenkins’ request for his son Waylon to work for them. Waylon, retiring early from the Navy, knew the island and the lighthouse, having grown up nearby. Burke also knew Waylon well since they’d grown up together. He’d always been older, and she wondered how he’d see her now.
Waylon had been away from Edisto Island for over twelve years now, traveling around the world in the military, but it felt good to be home. He’d hated learning Lloyd Deveaux was gone, the warm-hearted Lighthouse Keeper he’d followed around as a boy. But he liked the idea of coming to stay at the lodge at Watch Island to help the Deveaux family with the inn, lighthouse, and nearly five-hundred acres of land the Lighthouse Station occupied. He knew Burke had picked up many of her father’s old tasks and he looked forward to seeing her again. He’d kept feelings for her clamped down for years but one look at her brought them surging back. How would he handle that with them working together?
“This book feels just as tranquil as Edisto and has a wonderful, laid back flow, like beautiful ocean waves lapping up on the shore … you can’t help but fall in love with every facet of this novel.” – Christ F. JUST READS Review
“From the stunning backdrop of the South Carolina Lowcountry … this book was like going home.” – Kim Standridge Boykin, Bestselling Author of Palmetto Moon
“Each book showcases Lin Stepp’s natural gift as a novelist for originality and narrative driven storytelling.” – MIDWEST REVIEW
My Thoughts
Tour Giveaway
Ends April 6, 2022
About the Book
Author: Marguerite Martin Gray
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: February 15, 2022
Something sinister lurks in Pitti Palace.
Despite having spent eight years as companion to her cousins, Ana Geovani still questions her role and place in the Medici household. This uncertainty compounds and alarms as her cousin’s marriage approaches and a marriage is arranged for Ana.
With no say in her own future, fear and despair dulls even the splendor of the gardens she holds so dear.
As the newest under gardener at the palace, Marco Rossi should have everything he’s dreamed of–beautiful gardens to tend and master architects and gardeners to learn from. Yet a secret mission threatens his peace of mind, his position, and even the love of Ana. Although God is always with him, reminding him of a bigger plan, Marco feels the weight of the consequences he will face if he challenges a Medici member.
The desires of men and women, both royal and common, create costly dilemmas and potential disasters of hearts and souls. What will it take for Marco and Ana to prevail against everything driving them apart?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Author
Marguerite enjoys the study of history, especially when combined with fiction. An avid traveler and reader, she teaches French and Spanish and has degrees in French, Spanish, and Journalism from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and a MA in English from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. She has two grown children and currently lives with her husband in north Louisiana. She writes historical fiction.
More from Marguerite
Are you a gardener? My mom calls me the accidental gardener. Is there such a thing? Well, I threw a pumpkin off my deck into a flower bed in December. By March, I had a garden full of beautiful, big pumpkins and luscious vines.
I love the idea of gardening, although I’m not very successful with my planting and grandiose plans. I stick with zinnias, potatoes, and onions. But I admire all kinds of gardens—flower and vegetable. Gardens are full of surprises—zingers in my ordinary life.
From the beauty of organized formal gardens like Versailles and Boboli to quaint, colorful English gardens, I relish the assault to all the senses. I’m refreshed, renewed, and relaxed just by being in a garden.
The birth of my Gardens in Time series arose from my travels. Labor of Love, set in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, springs from memories of wonder and beauty as I roamed the avenues and paths as a child and then an adult. I never had the adventures of Ana as she struggles and grows in the court of the Medici, but I walked in the Medici’s steps and let my imagination journey with Ana. She now has her own story.
I hope that you can experience some of the awe and amazement through Ana’s wanderings. I invite you to roam the Boboli Gardens with Ana.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 19
Texas Book-aholic, March 20
Inklings and notions, March 21
For Him and My Family, March 22
Betti Mace, March 23
deb’s Book Review, March 24
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 25
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 26
Connie’s History Classroom, March 27
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 28 (Spotlight)
Mary Hake, March 28
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 29
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 30
Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 31 (Author Interview)
Paula’s Persuasion, March 31
Blossoms and Blessings, April 1
Inside the Wong Mind, April 2
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Marguerite is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 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/1bc99/labor-of-love-celebration-tour-giveaway
About the Book
Author: Angela Breidenbach
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance
Release Date: November 1, 2021
1892, Helena MT: Delphina O’Connor believed God-given dreams for women didn’t stop at marriage and children. Hers might not include a husband or family at all. So when Hugh Thomas rescues the new swimming instructor at the elegant Broadwater Natatorium from near drowning in the Victorian-styled resort pool, how can anyone believe the freedom to enjoy swimming, competition, and a healthy body is an appropriate activity for a proper lady? Hugh is about to find out status quo is the starting line for a courageous woman with a dream!
Elaborate true history of the Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium in romantic fiction. You’ll meet several iconic people from Montana’s true history in these pages. What do you do when you think differently than the world around you?
Lovely story sharing the early days of women in synchronized swimming nearing the turn-of-the-century when traditional sensibilities battle modern ideas. How does a traditional man learn to love a modern woman?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Author
Angela Breidenbach is a professional genealogist, media personality, bestselling author, and screenwriter. She’s also the Christian Authors Network president. Angie lives in Montana with her hubby and Muse, a trained fe-lion, who shakes hands, rolls over, and jumps through a hoop. Surprisingly, Angela can also.
More from Angela
I toured Helena, MT for the research that kicked off my passion for the Queen of the Rockies series. While there, I searched for more on the history of the Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium. Visiting the now empty fields, staring through the fence where the resort once stood, I missed the elegant beauty even though I’d never known her. The way the mountains swooped up from the valley with the hot springs at the base created a dramatic sense of place. I had to write a story set at the Broadwater!
While volunteering with a non-profit for children, the executive director asked why I’d gone to Helena recently. Bubbling over with enthusiasm, he started telling me everything he knew, saw, and experienced at the resort area while growing up near the Broadwater in Helena. His wife and he had even attended the final auction in the 1960s before the grand lady lost her battle with time and damages from the major earthquakes of 1935. She was demolished after the auction! The ornamental elements of the hotel and natatorium took record auction prices from doorknobs to copper bathtub rings. Even what was left of the stained-glass windows sold. What I hadn’t found in history books, online, or at the local history museum/society my friends shared with misty-eyed memories. The sweetness of hearing their stories and being able to use them in my book was pretty miraculous. I had a front seat to history.
The Broadwater Hotel had an interesting feature in their bath/shower rooms. If you’ve ever heard of a “needle” shower, it sounds painful. But it was a revolutionary new therapy treatment in the 1890s. I saw a few black and white faded photos. Those pictures in history books and online couldn’t do justice to the real invention. Want to see a little more before you read Heart of the Rockies? Here’s a link to visit on the Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium. I think you’ll want to immerse yourself (pun intended) in a story set in her extravagant, elegance. See what you think…
http://www.helenahistory.org/Broadwater_1.htm
One weekend, my husband and I took a trip to Butte to stay at the Copper King Mansion. The stay included a tour and use of their facilities. (Don’t pass that bed and breakfast overnight up. It’s really amazing and closely preserved through the families that lived there!) The original owner, William A. Clark, had a needle shower installed to help his sickly son. What do you know? It still worked! I tried it that night. Because the tiny sprays are in a circular design all the way around your body, the shower rings you. The experience, minus the issue of one ring being right at face level causing a lot of battles to breathe, was exhilarating. More so because of the unique nature. But when the water pressure is all the way on, the water can sting with the force on your skin. I fully understood the name! Adjusting the spickets brought the water pressure under control, but I had one further difficulty. The pipes that ringed my neck and head sprayed water into my face no matter what direction I moved. They’d been built to the height of a young man. Let’s just say it was a near-drowning! Super fun to try though.
Besides visiting Helena, make sure to stop in for your weekend in Butte, MT at the Copper King Bed and Breakfast. Take the tour. Then when you’re free of the museum visitors, and the house is all yours for the night, step into the needle shower (maybe really bring a waterproof step) and be swished back in time to the Gilded Age. Hmm, maybe I should be writing a time travel novel??
Come plunge into the pages of Heart of the Rockies with me.
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 18
Texas Book-aholic, March 19
Christina’s Corner, March 19
Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 20
Betti Mace, March 21
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 21
Inklings and notions, March 22
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 23
For Him and My Family, March 23
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 24
Blogging With Carol, March 25
deb’s Book Review, March 25
Connie’s History Classroom, March 26
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 27
Miriam Jacob, March 27
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 28
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 29 (Spotlight)
Pause for Tales, March 29
Spoken from the Heart, March 30
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 31
Blossoms and Blessings, March 31
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Angela is giving away the grand prize of a a set of gemstone earrings handmade by Thai Hill Tribe (made of sterling silver with amethyst Swarovski crystals)!!
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/1bc98/heart-of-the-rockies-celebration-tour-giveaway
About the Book
Author: Melissa Wardwell
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Wedding bells are ringing on the islands, but more than romance is in the air.
Seth Mikels experienced a fulfilling marriage with his wife until her sudden death left him alone to raise their two daughters. As they approach their teens, it’s obvious that they need a woman’s influence. He’s not looking for love, but he could use the partnership of a wife. Between his handyman business and playing Mr. Mom, time is fading fast.
Sarah Reid has spent the last four years caught in the middle of one island drama after another. Following the most recent fiasco, she hopes to find refuge on Sparrow Island with her two little boys. Climbing bills and a dwindling bank account leaves her no choice but to sell out and move to the mainland. Enter Seth’s handyman skills and an unexpected romance.
With Beth and Scott planning their own Merriweather wedding (complete with a Momzilla), will wedding bells ring out on Sparrow, too?
Read the next Sparrow Island novel in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
About the Author
Melissa Wardwell doesn’t mind alternating between the world of writing and the reality of being a mother, but she would rather sit with a good book or a good friend and a cup of coffee.
When she isn’t penning works of fiction, she is busy reviewing books for her blog, Back Porch Reads.
To see more from Melissa Wardwell, visit www.melissawardwell.com
More from Melissa
I want to thank you for taking the time to follow this tour. This book was written during one of the most difficult times in my life but, as Beth said, God has turned the mourning into gladness. We are never promised the next breath we breathe or the freedoms that we enjoy, but He does promise that will be with us through every change in our lives.
Sarah and Seth’s stories are tragic and unimaginable for many. They have been brought to the lowest points in their lives but must continue to move on for their children.
Writing this story helped me work through some of my own struggles. Some areas of my life were burning to the ground and I found myself looking for answers as to how to pick up the pieces. Instead, God taught me some pretty important lessons.
I learned to be a woman who spoke clear and true. I learned to show the people around me how much I love them and appreciate them. I learned that only God could fix those broken pieces of our lives and stitch them back together. And lastly, I learned of the beauty of friendship and how important it is in our daily lives. Even though I am glad that journey is over, I will forever cherish the lessons.
I think Gram summed it up nicely for me though.
“When we blend our lives with others, whether in marriage or friendships, we open the door to carry each other’s burdens in life. God gives us certain friendships to help us through tough times to teach us how to be a shoulder for others.”
Fiction is a reflection of reality, so expect some of the lessons I learned to be reflected in Blended Lives as Sarah and Seth figure out how to navigate the changes I put them through.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 11
Texas Book-aholic, March 12
Simple Harvest Reads, March 12 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Inklings and notions, March 13
For Him and My Family, March 14
Library Lady’s Kids Lit, March 15
deb’s Book Review, March 16
Connect in Fiction, March 16
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 17
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 18
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 19
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 20 (Spotlight)
Blogging With Carol, March 20
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 21
Blossoms and Blessings, March 22
Aryn the Libraryan, March 23
lakesidelivingsite, March 24
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Melissa is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 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/1b8b7/blended-lives-celebration-tour-giveaway
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Where Wild Roses Bloom by Angela K. Couch, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
ALSO AVAILABLE
My Thoughts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
To keep from freezing in the Great White North, Angela K. Couch cuddles under quilts with her laptop. Winning short story contests, being a semi-finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest, and a finalist in the International Digital Awards also helped warm her up. As a passionate believer in Christ, her faith permeates the stories she tells. Her martial arts training, experience with horses, and appreciation for good romance sneak in there, as well. When not writing, she stays fit (and warm) by chasing after five munchkins.
CONNECT WITH ANGELA: Website | Facebook | TwitterTOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 14, 2022 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on March 21, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
About the Book
My Thoughts
I don’t know about you but my kids love Jesus and they love Science too so finding these devotional books by @louiegiglio has been a godsent! They always take us on these rabbit trails as we explore more of what the Science topic is about that ties in with the Science lesson! I even use the Bible Verse as our copywork in the morning.
If you are looking for devotional for your science loving kiddo I definitely recommend these! We are currently on the second one and enjoying immensely!
Check them out here 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/IndescribableKidsBooks
(Yes, I’m missing a kiddo in the photo he didn’t want to partake in the photo taking 😂)
Thank you @tommynelsonbooks for the copies of these books for review!
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