Thursday, June 22, 2017

BLOG TOUR w/ GIVEAWAY: Mormon Girl: Incognito by Kari Iroz


ABOUT THE BOOK

Hilarious heroine Jacklyn Wyatt is back—this time in a dicey Vegas adventure! Jacklyn “Jack” Wyatt is just your average Mormon girl—other than her brief stint with the FBI, her subsequent brush with death, and her dreamy boyfriend, Special Agent Damon Wade. But in the eight months since she helped save a kidnapping victim, Jack’s life has returned to its mostly stagnant state. She’s still trapped in a dead-end job, and even her relationship seems to be stuck in a rut. These days, adventures are few and far between. So when Damon heads to Las Vegas on assignment, Jack sees the perfect opportunity to surprise her boyfriend and rekindle the spark in their relationship. But the surprise is on her: she has just landed herself in the middle of a high-stakes operation involving Russian criminals. Unwittingly drawn undercover once more, Jack is all too aware that the survival of Damon and his associates depends on the success of her charade. In the unfamiliar world of luxurious limos, exclusive nightclubs, and gambling, Jack must convince the high-rolling hustlers that she is a terrifying international arms dealer. If only she knew anything about poker. Or guns . . .

REVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed this follow-up to Iroz's A Date with Danger.  I loved Jack in the first back and it was great to read more about her.  In the first, book, Jack meets Agent Damon Wade when she's asked to help on an FBI investigation.  In this book, the two are dating and Jack is obsessing over the fact that not once during their eight months of dating has Damon told her he loves her.  She thinks he does but he's never said it.  So when he invites her to go on vacation to Las Vegas with him and meet his mother and sister, she's thrilled.  He'll have to work a couple of days but then it should be vacation time.  But her budget leads her to reluctantly say no.  After her parents step in to help, Jack is thrilled to be able to fly to Vegas and surprise Damon.  But things take a turn for the worse when Jack walks in on Damon working undercover.  After inadvertently ruining the operation, Jack feels obligated to step in and help fix things.  But playing the part of a gun-running criminal mastermind is harder than she ever could have imagined and it's not just her life on the line.  Meanwhile, she and Damon are still figuring out their relationship, and he gives her some upsetting news.  I had a really hard time putting this book down not only because of the suspense but because I wanted to see what would happen in Jack and Damon's relationship.  Admittedly, I was unable to predict some of the twists and turns that the story took, but that made the book that much more enjoyable.

GIVEAWAY

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TOUR SCHEDULE

*June 19th: 

*June 20th

*June 21st

*June 22nd

*June 23rd


Thursday, June 15, 2017

BLOG TOUR w/ GIVEAWAY: Love on Pointe by Tiffany Odekirk


ABOUT THE BOOK

Rhys Solario has a secret—one he plans to keep: he's a non-Mormon attending Brigham Young University. With only two semesters left before graduation, he just wants to keep flying under the radar. Then he meets Emmy in a Book of Mormon class, and for the first time, the idea of keeping to himself doesn't sound so appealing.

Emmy Jennings feels confident only when she's dancing ballet. With every plie and chasse, all her worries fade away. But when she fails to earn a coveted solo, her confidence on the dance floor disintegrates and the future she's worked so hard to earn stands in jeopardy.

Assigned to be study partners, both Rhys and Emmy face initial anxieties regarding who they really are. But slowly, their tentative friendship evolves into something more. Yet even as love deepens, the pair is faced with a disheartening truth: Rhys can't take Emmy to the temple, and the promise of eternity is not something Emmy's willing to give up. With everything on the line, the couple must decide if they're prepared to reshape their hearts—and their lives—for the promise of forever.

REVIEW

Some readers like 'bad boy' or 'bad girl' characters, but I've never been that kind of reader.  I've always preferred reading about basically good people doing the best they can with the challenges they face.  And both Emmy and Rhys fit that description.  Emmy loves to dance ballet, she even plans to be a professional dancer as soon as she graduates from BYU.  Rhys also attends BYU, although reluctantly.  When Rhys and Emmy meet in a Book of Mormon religion class they feel awkward, mostly because they are attracted to each other.  But Emmy has little dating experience and Rhys has found out the most Mormon girls don't want to date him seriously once they discover he's not a member.  But after ending up as study partners it becomes harder and harder for them to resist their growing feelings for each other.  But both of them are also struggling with other challenges as well, Emmy fears she's losing her twin sister, and isn't sure she knows how to dance without her sister by her side.  Rhys is struggling to take care of his mother, whose illness continues to worsen.  Things come to a head once Emmy finds out that Rhys isn't a member.  As the two struggle with their feelings for each other life sees fit to throw more trouble their way.  I enjoyed reading about the two falling in love, although it wasn't hard to figure out that Rhys's not telling Emmy he's not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church or Mormon Church) was going to cause problems.  Still, Rhys and Emmy were so good for each other, it was impossible not to root for them.

GIVEAWAY

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TOUR SCHEDULE

*June 12th

*June 13th

*June 14th

*June 15th

*June 16th


Thursday, June 8, 2017

BLOG TOUR w/ GIVEAWAY: Romancing Daphne by Sarah M. Eden


ABOUT THE BOOK

As her first London Season looms before her, the thought of the impending social whirl fills Daphne Lancaster's timid heart with dread. She hasn't her sisters' beauty nor their talent for conversing easily. Even her family's enviable connections may not be enough to prevent disaster.

But Daphne's misery turns to surprised delight when the first even of her Season brings an unexpected visitor to her door—James Tilburn, whose tender kindness stole her heart in her youth. When the handsome young gentleman expresses his desire to court her, Daphne is elated. Their feelings for each other quickly grow, and it appears that, much to Daphne's disbelief, her happily ever after is within reach.

Yet nothing is as it seems. The couple finds themselves caught in a tangled web of greed and deceit, leaving James and Daphne to determine whether they are willing to risk everything for true love.

REVIEW

I have loved every one of Sarah Eden's books and this one is no different.  I was delighted to read more about the Duke of Kielder and the Lancaster family.  After thoroughly enjoying both Seeking Persephone and Courting Miss Lancaster, I was thrilled to read about Daphne, the third Lancaster sister.  In fact, I found myself relating to Daphne more than I did her two sisters, much as I liked them.  Daphne is supremely shy, and self-conscious.  Growing up after her mother's death and being shunted aside by her father, Daphne has spent most of her life moving quietly in the background.  But after a brief encounter with James Tilburn at her sister's coming out ball, she decides that if she could meet someone like him she might like to marry someday.  But she doesn't expect to run into James again, when she does she's uncertain of his interest but longs to develop the relationship further. Slowly as they get to know each other Daphne starts to bloom into the flower she was always meant to be.  But an unfortunate piece of news sends Daphne running back into hiding and its up to James and the rest of her family to rescue her from herself.  Full of sweet encounters as well as amusing ones (these usually involve the Duke of Kielder, who tolerates almost no one, or Artemis, the youngest Lancaster sister, who can't keep her opinions to herself to save her life), Romancing Daphne is a wonderful book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

GIVEAWAY

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TOUR SCHEDULE

*June 5th: 

*June 6th

*June 7th

*June 8th

*June 9th


Monday, June 5, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: Under the Cover of Light by Carole Engle Avriett


ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1965, Col. Thomas "Jerry" Curtis's helicopter was shot down over North Vietnam. He was immediately captured and spent 71/2 years confined in a filthy 5′ x 7′ cell at the notorious Hanoi prison camp. Thousands of miles from home and unable to communicate with his wife and children, Jerry endured months of solitary confinement, suffocating heat, freezing cold, grueling physical and psychological torture, constant hunger, and unimaginable mental duress. And yet, time and again, the Light that darkness cannot overcome became his beacon of hope. Now, for the first time in print, Jerry shares the full story of his 2,703 days in captivity and what he learned about faith, hope, and the indomitable power of the human spirit.

REVIEW

There are some books that leave you pondering after you have read them.  This is one such book.  Admittedly this isn't always the easiest book to read.  Torture is never a pleasant topic and this book describes it plainly.  Those parts definitely made me flinch.  At the same time, the courage and determination of Jerry and his fellow prisoners was truly inspiring.  While all the prisoners had their breaking points, many still found the courage and the will to carry on through faith in God and/or their contact with each other.  Through tremendous hardships both physical and mental/emotional, Jerry turned to God to help him cope.  The tapping code he learned from other prisoners helped him stay in contact with other prisoners while he was in solitary confinement.  It still boggles my mind though that he spent 7 1/2 years moving from prison to prison, suffering physical torture, malnutrition, and emotional distress.  This is a powerful memoir that inspires with it's reminder of the power of faith in God and the love of family, friends, and country.  Highly recommended for those who can handle reading about the sometimes awful, sometimes wonderful things that people are capable of doing to each other.


Thursday, June 1, 2017

BLOG TOUR w/ GIVEAWAY: Winds of Change by Jean Holbrook Mathews


ABOUT THE BOOK

 The year is 1854, and change is in the air throughout India. Within the walls of her grand home in Calcutta, Sarah McCune anxiously awaits the future. After eighteen months at war, her husband, a sergeant in the Bengal Army of the East India Company, has made an extraordinary proposal: leave all the comforts of their life in Asia for an unknown future in America. As recent converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sarah and her husband are drawn to the promise of Zion. So, despite their fears regarding the dangerous voyage before them, they and their four children embark on a journey of faith that will test the limits of their conviction and define generations to come. This breathtaking saga based on the historical journals of one Latter-day Saint family invites readers to experience the sacrifices and perils of these early pioneers as they faithfully seek a land of promise.

REVIEW

I always find pioneer stories to be of interest.  First, because my own ancestors were among the pioneers to cross the plains to Utah.  Second, because of the courage and faith it took to come to a new land to build a new life.  What makes this story especially interesting is what the McCunes had to give up to do so.  Pioneering at it's heart is tremendously hard work and while Matthew is used to working, it's as a soldier, not a pioneer farmer.  And to a family used to having servants and living in a relatively humid climate, the plains were a shock. I found it especially interesting to read about the way the family lived in India before deciding to leave.  Such decisions can't be easy.

GIVEAWAY

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TOUR SCHEDULE