Thursday, May 25, 2023

~ FRIDAY FICTION LOVING THE RANCHER'S CHILDREN ~

πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ
 
~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~
--  'LOVING THE RANCHER'S CHILDREN'  --
AUTHOR MINDY OBENHAUS
  
πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ
 

Loving the Rancher's Children JustRead Takeover + Review Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Loving the Rancher's Children 

by Mindy Obenhaus, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ
 

About the Book

 

Loving the Rancher's Children TitleLoving the Rancher's Children 
Series: Hope Crossing #3 
Author: Mindy Obenhaus 
Publisher: Love Inspired Books 
Release Date: May 23, 2023 
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

A short-term solution

Could lead to long-term love

When Alli Krenek returns to her hometown, she’s surprised to find herself agreeing to become a nanny to Jake Walker’s children. Seventeen years ago, Jake betrayed Alli’s trust, and she’s avoided him ever since. But the more time she spends with Jake, the more his two little ones melt her heart and Alli begins to see the man Jake has become. Is this their chance to finally heal old wounds? 
 
 
πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ
 
 
EXCERPT:

The cup toppled before Jake could take hold of it, sending tea and ice cubes racing across the table, straight toward Alli.

 
With a gasp, she shot to her feet, staring at the tea-soaked spot on her dress. 


While both Francie and his mother scrambled to sop up the mess, Connor let out a loud wail and burst into tears.

 
Alli looked from her dress to his son, her shocked expression softening. Before Jake realized what was happening, she reached across the table. 


“It’s okay, sweet boy.” She wiggled her fingers. “Come here, Connor.”

 
To Jake’s surprise, his son readily went to her. She sat down, ignoring the mess before her, and rubbed the boy’s back, whispering soothing words while Jake and everyone else did their best to wipe up the tea that remained on the table.

 
The crying soon diminished, and Connor found his fingers.

 
“Connor,” his mother said beside Alli, “would you like some of Mimi’s banana pudding?”

 
The kid practically threw himself at her. He had his daddy’s sweet tooth, all right.

 
Standing, Alli glanced around the table. “If you all will excuse me, please.” With that, she continued to the back door and disappeared into the house. 


But not before Jake realized his mother might be on to something. Alli would be the perfect nanny. She loved kids and, more importantly, he knew he could trust her.

 
If only she didn’t hate him.

 

πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ
 

MY REVIEW:  

 πŸŒŸ 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

 

A touching story of healing, bonding, and hope . . .       

This is the third book in the author's outstanding 'Hope Crossing' series. I have been fortunate to read and review all three of these books.

Alli Krenek is at a crossroads in her life. She has recently left her emotionally-draining career and moved back home to Hope Crossing to find herself and to heal. She knows exactly what she wants to do in the future, but she has some college coursework to complete before she can step into her new role.

Jake Walker is the single father of two children who is trying to find his footing after the floor drops out from underneath him and his children. Four-year-old Maddy and two-and-a-half year old Connor are inquisitive, active children who immediately bond with Alli when she is their substitute nursery worker at church.

Awkwardness blooms for both adults when Jake and Alli are forced together as he arrives to pick up his children at the nursery after the church service. The author alludes to what ignited the uncomfortable tension between these two childhood neighbors and best friends, but the entire story is not revealed to readers until the author is ready to share it.

Gradually, the pair begins warming up to each other; and as they grow closer, Alli becomes more involved in the Walker family's daily life. She brings order to chaos by setting up routines, organizing the home, and stimulating the two children with creative activities such as reading, crafts, and gardening. Connor and Maddy soon grow to absolutely adore Alli.

An element of this author's writing that I appreciate is how she includes characters from her past books in her subsequent stories. This gives readers an opportunity to keep up with those memorable characters and observe how they grow in love and personally develop into the people God intends them to be.

With patience and kindness, Jake and Alli overcome many past regrets and pain to find the hope of a brighter future together. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this delightful, meaningful, and realistic story!

Highly recommended to fans of this genre. The book is completely clean in language and content.

I received a copy of this book from the author as a member of her launch team. All of my thoughts and opinions shared here are solely my own.

 

πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ
 

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Christianbook | BookBub

More Books in this Series

The Cowgirl's Redemption A Christmas Bargain


About the Author

Mindy Obenhaus 

 

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching the Hallmark Channel.

Connect with Mindy by visiting MindyObenhaus.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Loving the Rancher's Children and $20 Amazon gift card!

Loving the Rancher's Children JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight May 24, 2023 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on May 31, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

 

πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌ πŸŽπŸ’•πŸŒΈπŸŒΌπŸŽ

 

 

Sunday, May 21, 2023

~ MONDAY MYSTERY EARL GREY & SHALLOW GRAVES ~

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~ MONDAY MYSTERY FEATURE ~

--  'EARL GREY AND SHALLOW GRAVES'  --

AUTHOR VICTORIA TAIT

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Earl Grey and Shallow Graves: A British Cozy Murder Mystery 

with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) by Victoria Tait

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About 'Earl Grey and Shallow Graves'

 


Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting – England  
Kanga Press (May 19, 2023) Number of Pages c. 240  
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BXQL5YS5  
GoodReads Link Coming Soon
 
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A 30-year-old skeleton. A missing girl. Can a community police officer read the tea leaves or will a deadly secret remain buried for ever?

Sergeant Keya Varma is delighted with her new part-time role as the Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer. She’s also fulfilling her dream of opening a small neighbourhood cafΓ©. But she gets herself into a stew with renovation works when builders unearth a young girl’s remains.

While Keya and her police colleagues gain ground reviewing the unsolved disappearance of a local girl, her brief taste of success turns to dust when a friend is found dead at her tea shop. Confusion over identities threatens to bury the investigation and our junior police officer is worried that justice won’t be served.

Can Keya dig into the mystery and uncover the real culprit?

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel CafΓ© series. If you’ve enjoyed the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, then you’ll love meeting some of your favourite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.

Buy Earl Grey and Shallow Graves and unearth a killer today!

 πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§

About Victoria Tait

 

I was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. I’ve drawn on my experiences following my military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. My determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

I hope you enjoyed Keya’s first book. Why not join her and her friends as they solve more mysteries in my Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also based in the Cotswolds. Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L

Do you like tea, cakes and books? Then why not join our TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and receive your free book gift at VictoriaTait.com

Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?  

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Keya Varma

 

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in my own series, which I’m super excited about.  But I wasn’t sure whether to name it after the tea or my favourite chocolate chop cookies.  Both are included in the book.

Earl Grey won but I still want to share my simple cookie recipe.  It’s so good that you can swap the chocolate chips for oats, raisins and chopped apricots, or substitute some chocolate chips with cherries, cranberries, or chopped walnut or almonds.

As I know many of you reading this are from the US, I’ve tried to convert the quantities to ounces and cups, so I hope I have the measurements right. 

I had to double the quantities to make this work, but do you know what’s so great about this recipe? You can make half and freeze the other until friends announce they’re popping round, when you defrost the mixture in the microwave and cook and serve freshly baked cookies.

πŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺ  Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe  πŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺ

 Ingredients

240 gms 8.5 ozs 2 ¼ Sticks     Butter

150 gms 5.25 ozs 1 ½ Cups    Brown Sugar

200 gms 7 ozs 1 ½ Cups         Self Raising Flour

200 gms 7ozs 1 ¼ Cups          Chocolate Chips (milk, dark white or combination)

Method

1. Set the oven to 180o C/355o F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Grease 2 baking sheets

3. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until soft and creamy.

4. Sieve the flour into the bowl and fold it into the mixture with a wooden spoon.

5. Add the chocolate chips and mix until it forms a rough ball.

6. Divide the mixture into two.  Chill one half.

7. Flour your hands

8. With the remaining mixture, using a dessert spoon to take spoonfuls of it and roll them into golf ball sizes.

9. Place the golf balls on the baking trays leaving plenty of room between them to spread.

10. Flatten the golf balls slightly.

11. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

12. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack.

13. Repeat with the second half of the mixture.

 πŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺπŸͺ

Author Links:  
 
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Purchase Link - Amazon  

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:  
May 19 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT  
May 19 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW  
May 19 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW 
May 19 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT  
May 20 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST  
May 20 – Indie Author Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
May 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT 
May 21 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT 
May 22 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT  
May 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST--RECIPE
May 22 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW*  
May 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
May 23 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW 
May 23 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT 
May 24 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT  
May 24 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
May 24 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT  
May 25 – Novels Alive – REVIEW  
May 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW  
May 25 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
May 26 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT 
May 26 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW  
May 27 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT  
May 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT 
May 28 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW  
May 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
 
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Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!

                                                     

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Thursday, May 18, 2023

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE WHERE PROMISES REMAIN ~

 πŸŽπŸŒ³πŸ 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎
 
 
 ~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~
--  'WHERE PROMISES REMAIN'  --
AUTHOR HEIDI CHIAVAROLI

 πŸŽπŸŒ³πŸ 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎

 

Where Promises Remain JustRead Takeover Blitz

Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for Where Promises Remain by Heidi Chiavaroli, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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About the Book

 

Where Promises Remain Title:   Where Promises Remain 
Series:  The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series #7 
Author:  Heidi Chiavaroli 
Publisher:  Hope Creek Publishers 
Release Date:  May 16, 2023  
Genre:  Contemporary Christian Fiction 

Hannah Martin thought she was about to have an empty nest . . . until the illegitimate daughter of her late husband shows up on her doorstep. 

Five years after her husband’s death, Hannah Martin runs a successful inn and serves the needy in her community. Despite a house full of guests, she’s worried about the loneliness that will come with an empty nest. Now that no one needs her for anything other than serving her famous five-course breakfasts and retrieving fresh towels, she throws herself into winning Camden’s Hospitality Grant. With the help of the grant, the bed and breakfast will bring in even more customers and Hannah won’t have time to think about what she’s missing. 

But when a handsome lumberjack named Kevin moves in next door, Hannah’s attraction to the widowed bachelor knocks her off-kilter. Just as she begins to think about dating again, a young woman arrives at the bed and breakfast claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of Hannah’s late husband. 

When the Orchard House’s chances at the Hospitality grant is threatened, Hannah's children oppose her "new" daughter moving in, and Kevin’s problems start to bleed over into her own, she must decide what matters most—before she loses the grant, the bed and breakfast’s reputation, and perhaps, her second chance at love. 

This is Book 7 in The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series, a contemporary twist on the well-loved classic, Little Women. Readers will fall in love with the Martin family—Maggie, Josie, Lizzie, Bronson, Amie, and their mother Hannah—each trying to find their own way in the world and each discovering that love, home, and hope are closer than they appear.
 
 πŸŽπŸŒ³πŸ 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎
 
EXCERPT:

            He smiled, and it was a nice smile. A little worn and rugged around the edges, but warm and genuine, spreading all the way up to his eyes which crinkled at the corners. He held his hand out to me. “Hello. My name’s Kevin. Kevin Williams. I just moved in next door.”

            “Oh!” I placed my hand in his, the large warm fingers enveloping mine. “I’m Hannah. It’s nice to meet you.” The Perry home had sold only a few weeks ago. If I’d known our new neighbors were moving in so quickly, I would have planned to reach out—at least bring over a coffee cake. Then again, with Amie and August’s wedding fast approaching and my increase in volunteer hours at Amos’s mission, I’d been a bit out of sorts. Not at the top of my planning game.

            He squeezed my hand and a flush worked over my body. Huh. Now that was new. Unless it was simply a hot flash. Those certainly were becoming more and more commonplace.

            I released his hand. “How are you enjoying Camden?”

            “Great town. I’m looking forward to the fishing.”

            “Be sure to try Penobscot River. It’s famous for its landlocked salmon. The best I’ve ever had.”

            His eyebrows raised. “You a fisherwoman?”

            I laughed. “Good grief, no. But I try to know a little bit about everything to help our guests find their adventures.”

            He nodded, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “A woman who knows a little bit about everything. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 πŸŽπŸŒ³πŸ 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

 πŸŽπŸŒ³πŸ 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎

More Books in this Series

Where Grace Appears Where Hope Begins Where Love Grows Where Memories Await Where Dreams Reside Where Faith Belongs


About the Author

Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli is a hope-inspired storyteller writing from the deep curiosity of her own heart. Her debut novel, Freedom's Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick, and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Her second Carol Award-winning novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott's life and led her to write The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, a contemporary twist on Little Women. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Heidi by visiting heidichiavaroli.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive the complete Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series (7 books) plus $25 gift card to winner's choice bookstore!

Where Promises Remain JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight May 17, 2023 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on May 24, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

 πŸŽπŸŒ³πŸ 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎🌳🍏 🍎


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours
 
 
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~ NEW SEWING PATTERN FABRIC FLOWER TOWELS ~

~ NEW SEWING PATTERN FABRIC FLOWER TOWELS ~