More Than Meets The Eye by Karen Witemeyer

Evangeline knows her share of heartache. Orphaned as a child she has been raised by her two "brothers." Zach and Seth are very protective of Evangeline. Outsiders have never understood her unusual eyes. One brown and one blue. Evangeline usually tries to hide her eyes from people so she doesn't scare them and they won't have a reason to torment her.

Logan is a man bent on "justice" and will stop at nothing to make things right for his mother. Logan knows that Zach cheated Logan's father out of his farm and Logan is determined to use any means possible to get it back, including befriending Evangeline in order to find out Zach's weaknesses. What Logan doesn't bargain for is his attraction to Evangeline, but he can't let that stop him from his purpose.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I loved Evangeline's character. She was honest, she was pure, she was happy and she was carefree. Even after all that life had thrown at her and her brothers. People were cruel to her and yet she still found a way to forgive them and be a happy person. I love the life that her brothers had made for themselves in order to protect Evangeline. Zach was a crusty, cantankerous soul, but he softened whenever Evangeline was around. Seth was just as protective even though his health was limiting. I love how the whole family and Logan stepped in to help another person in need too! And Logan! Oh man! I loved his character! I love the fact that he wasn't startled by the unusualness of Evangeline's eyes. He definitely had a skewed idea of justice, but it all worked out in the end. Karen Witemeyer is always a must read for me, but out of all of her books this one reminded me a bit of author Lori Wick. I loved the innocence of Evangeline and the chivalry of the boys wanting to protect her from the world. I love stories like that and I'm so glad that they are still being written! And since I am a suspense/romance fan I love how Karen Witemeyer adds a bit of suspense to her stories to spice things up. I love old-timey/prairie romances and this one fit the bill perfectly!

A Time For Adventure by Miranda Atchley: Blog Tour

About The Book

The year is 1921, and after years of dreaming, Abi Hensley has set out to travel through
Europe. Along with her friend Meg Clery, Abi travels from the rich historical sites in England,
to the gorgeous green landscapes of Ireland, visits an abandoned castle in Scotland, and
roams through the chic streets of Paris. Along the way, they meet a myriad of interesting
people, encounter familiar faces, and see things they’ve only ever dreamed of.

Yet their time in Europe isn’t without its challenges. While in Ireland, Abi joins Meg in
spending time at her family’s farm. There, they find that the Clerys are overwhelmed by the
demands of their farm. In light of this, the family must make some hard decisions; choices
that could change the course of their lives forever.

One thing is for certain; Abi’s tour of Europe will most definitely be a time for adventure.

Pre-order the e-book edition of A Time For Adventure for a special price of only 99 cents! |
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About The Author

Miranda Atchley loves books of all sorts, but has always had a special place in her heart for
historical fiction. Writing is her favorite thing to do and she has published four historical
novels and three contemporary young adult novels. Her novel A Castle in the Sky was a
finalist for Read Free.ly’s The 50 Best Indie Books of 2016. She also writes the blog
A Real Writer's Life. When she isn't writing, you can usually find Miranda with her head
in a book, taking a walk, or watching Downton Abbey at her home in Arkansas.
Read Miranda’s blog and subscribe to her mailing list at: arealwriterslife.blogspot.com

Follow Miranda Atchley at:

Goodreads

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of A Time For Adventure, Miranda Atchley will be giving away three Kindle editions of the book! The giveaway is open internationally. Must be 18 or older to participate. Ends at 12:00 A.M. June 26th.

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Free Book

Also in celebration of this release, the Kindle edition of Of Things To Come (The Abi Hensley Series Book 3) will be free to download June 22-26.

Hunting Charles Manson by Lis Wiehl with Caitlin Rother

One thing for sure is the fact that Charles Manson, even when he is dead, has fascinated people for years. Where Helter Skelter focused on the crimes of Charles Manson and his Family, HUNTING CHARLES MANSON focused on the investigation and background of Charles Manson. It amazes me how much bungling happened and law enforcement was still able to finally make arrests. Not sharing information with other agencies, ignoring parole violations, walking through blood at the crime scene, handling evidence with bare hands. It was one giant mess after another with the whole investigation! Another thing that amazes me is how this thug still manages to draw people to his defense and to his person. It boggles my brain! This was an interesting read, but did get a bit preachy at the end. Summing up how history can repeat itself and the author's views of what causes societal break-downs, while I may have agreed with some of those thoughts, I didn't think it was consistent with the premise of the book which read like a non-fiction, factual telling of events and ended with author opinion. 

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

For years Scarlett has written to Legend, the master of Caraval, hoping that someday her dream would come true to be able to be a part of his games. Scarlett would love to escape her Father's cruel reign over she and her sister.

When Scarlett's sister Tella arranges for the girls to be "kidnapped" and then disappears Scarlett is frantic to find her. Scarlett is set to be married and now she must find her sister before their father finds them.

From the moment Scarlett arrives at this year's Caraval she is told that it is only a game. Things seem so real though that Scarlett doesn't know who to believe nor if she can trust her heart to a stranger she has just met. And what about Legend? Is his motivation for bringing Scarlett and Tella to Caraval steeped in old family legends and revenge? Will Scarlett be able to find Tella before it is too late for both of them?

Caraval was an interesting page-turner. I enjoyed the other-world setting and the twists and turns that the game took. Scarlett's love interest definitely seemed worthy to be the hero of the story. At first I thought Scarlett's sister Donatella was just a spoiled-rotten child that didn't deserve Scarlett's devotion, but by the end of the book she turned out to be quite devious in her plans. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book holds for the sisters. Legend still seems to be an unknown character working his puppet strings through his players so I definitely hope that more is revealed about him in the next book. Definitely an interesting read that held my attention and endeared the characters to me.

In The Presence Of Mine Enemies by Debbie Viguie

Wow! Seriously I think that the Psalm 23 Mysteries just get better and better! IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES was a thrill ride a minute! So many bad things happening, that make the whole story so good! I am totally a fan of Cindy and Jeremiah and I hope their story ends happily, because their courtship/dating/crime-solving has certainly not been conducive to a long-lasting relationship. As with most of the books in the series this one hops in right where the last book ended. Oh so exciting and always leaving the reader crying Noooooooooooooooo! I love the family that Cindy and Jeremiah have formed with their friends. Because we certainly know that Cindy's mom and sometimes even her brother are a pain in the butt! In this installment Cindy's mom shows her true colors and they are not pretty. I wanted to smack that woman!! I love that the author puts some levity in a rather intense story by giving the characters such wonderful senses of humor! I laughed out loud several times and had to read different snippets to my husband for him to know why I was laughing. As the author's fans keep begging for more I will add my plea as well; Come on Debbie! Hurry up and finish ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL, I can't wait!!

Love's Silver Lining by Julie Lessman

It's been 17 years since Liberty O'Shea walked out on Finn and their marriage. Now she is back to take care of her parents. What she doesn't count on is being forced to move in with Finn and his family while she and her parents wait for their home to be rebuilt after a fire. Sparks fly from the moment they lay eyes on each other, proving that not much has changed in 17 years.

Maggie is the daughter of Libby's best friend. She has traveled with Libby. While applying for a job at the local hospital a cowboy dressed only in a bedsheet catches her attention. He is determined to escape the hospital no matter what his state of undress is. Fuming that Maggie won't help him find his clothing he takes off anyway. Blaze Donovan is known for his ways with the ladies. Maggie is determined not be be one of his conquests. What happens when she falls for this man that has become her best friend?

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! If you think sparks were flying between characters in Julie Lessman's Daughters of Boston  novels, then you have GOT to get a load of her new Silver Lining Ranch  novel! Between the sparks that fly between Libby and Finn(and there are plenty folks!), and Blaze and Maggie's attempt to "just be friends" this readers heart was constantly in a flutter!

One of the things that I enjoy most about Julie's books is that there is always a lesson on redemption. No matter how far a character strays, there is always that point where they realize their need to repent and turn. I loved the lessons that the characters learned in Love's Silver Lining. Forgiveness, repentance, faith, trust. All of those and so much more.

The characters were endearing, from the head nun at the hospital(a jolly soul!), to Blaze's younger sisters Sheridan and Shaley. Shaley's antics crack me up and I love her exuberance in explatives, "Holy frog spit!" being one!

In true Julie Lessman style Liberty was quite the handful. A suffragist who has been hurt by men in the past, she is determined to never be ruled by any man, including the one she married. Headstrong and stubborn she causes quite a few scenes trying to exercise her right to be her own woman. Some of those scenes made me laugh, and some made me want to reach through the pages and shake her!

A wonderful read, with strong female characters and handsome swoony men and great spiritual lessons. Check it out!

Where Trains Collide-REVIEW and Giveaway

I really enjoyed Where Trains Collide. It was a story of self-discovery, lost love, and the hand of God working in the lives of two people who are meant to be together.

Trisha and Paul were both likable characters. I have to say Paul was the more mature of the two. Having broken up 3 years before it seems that Trisha is still that lost young woman that caused Paul to break up with her before.

I loved the settings of the story. The train ride was fun and interesting since I have never taken a train ride before(it is on my bucket list though). I absolutely love lighthouses and so when Paul and Trisha stay at a B&B near a lighthouse I was thrilled! The author has a way of describing a scene that makes the reader feel as if they are there enjoying the scenery just as much as the characters.

Where Trains Collide was a sweet novella that kept me interested throughout and hoping that maybe there might be more to be heard from Trisha and Paul.

Author Amber Stokes thought it would be fun if some bloggers shared their own travel story and so I thought I would share my honeymoon story:

The more I sit here and think about my story, the more I realize that I am a bit like Trisha in Where Trains Collide! Where Trisha and Paul were only about 3 years apart, my husband and I met when I was 18 and he was 25. So we are almost 8 years apart. Even though I thought I was mature, compared to a 25 year old former Marine I was definitely on the young side. One of the first issues we had was my inability to make a firm decision...just like Trisha! I also was unable to express my own opinion, mainly because I was influenced by the opinions of others! I had my own opinion, I just deferred to others because I was quiet and shy. One thing I did know for sure though was that I was going to marry this man! My parents requested that we wait a year after we got engaged. In that year(well, 11 months) we planned our wedding and our honeymoon trip. My husband-to-be thought it would be fun to take me to meet family and friends. So our plan was to drive east to visit all of these people I had never met before. My husband-to-be thought it would be fun to camp while we traveled. He was all about saving money! And I was all about pleasing him. Now two things you need to know, I was not a big fan of camping. As a kid we had always camped in trailers and had easy access to a bathroom and shower. And I was not a fan of meeting new people(shy and quiet!). Why in the world I agreed to this arrangement is beyond me, but with love-struck eyes I agreed to travel all over with this man for a honeymoon trip! To this day neither one of us know how we stayed married. The first day of travel I was ready to turn around and go back home to my parents! First off I had no idea it would be so hard to leave home. I had never been gone for more than a week or so and our planned trip was for 3 weeks. Secondly, I had no idea how stubborn this man could be! When he said camping, he meant camping whether it took us all night to find a campground or not! So as we passed miles and miles of motels we drove on and on. At one point I was so tired and a bit scared(lightning people! I had never seen anything like it! The lightning was touching the ground, it was zig zagging out of the sky TOUCHING THE GROUND!!!), I finally started crying. My new husband tried to comfort me, but I was huddled up against the door crying my eyes out! We finally stopped around 11 at night in a campground. It was so dark that we didn't even set up the tent, we just climbed in to the covered back of the truck we were driving. My husband learned that night that there would be no camping on this honeymoon trip. If he wanted his wife to be comfortable and if he wanted any intimacy then he would get a hotel from then on! He was a quick learner! Honestly after that as we drove Hwy 80 all I could think about was how far each mile was taking me from my family. Our first stop at friends' was in Wisconsin. We stayed with them for a week. Honeymooning and visiting friends is honestly not very comfortable. And I'll leave it at that! Our next stop was in Ohio to visit more friends. My husband was born and raised there so he wanted to show me his old stomping grounds. We then moved on to Kansas to stay on "the farm" that my husband's aunt, uncle, cousins and grandmother lived on. Now this farm was out in the middle of nowhere! About 15-20 miles from the nearest town. My husband plopped me in the trailer that his grandmother lived in(she was back in CA visiting my husbands parents after the wedding), and then he spent the week we were there out haying with his cousins and uncle. His aunt worked all day. So I was stuck in the middle of nowhere all by myself. The first morning we were there I went to make the bed and a mouse went running across my feet! I was ready to pack it up and leave! There were HUGE horseflies that decided that I was a prime candidate to dive bomb every time I stepped a foot outside, and did I mention I was all alone?! For hours and hours! And the icing on the cake was the night my husband came back and stuck his head in the door and wanted me to come over to the house his uncle and aunt lived in and make them all dinner! Yep, the man almost had mutiny on his hands! I was so happy when we started heading back home to CA and my family! That truck couldn't move fast enough for me! Looking back we both laugh at our honeymoon mis-adventures. From the time we started dating my husband encouraged me to voice my own opinion. It took awhile, but eventually I learned that he really did want to hear what I thought, or what I wanted to do. We did take our daughters camping when they were young and we enjoyed it tremendously! We have traveled countless times across country, in fact as this post goes up we are either on our way home from CA or have just arrived home from there after a month long visit with family. After almost 33 years of marriage and much maturing on my part,and patience on my husbands, we have learned that life is the greatest adventure and doing it together is the most fun!

Do you have a fun or adventurous travel story? Share in the comments, I would love to read them!

GIVEAWAY!

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Interview with Author Amber Stokes

Today I am interviewing Amber about her new release WHERE TRAINS COLLIDE. So let's just jump right in!

Julie: You had the idea for this story over 3 years ago. What process of development did it go through? Did it change very much from your original idea?

Amber: I want to say that when I first started working on the story, the first few chapters came together fairly smoothly. I've gone back over them with feedback in mind and making minor necessary changes to fit how the story evolved. But it's the second half of the novella that eluded me for so long! 

Originally, I took the characters in a different direction. They went on an outing to Silver Falls State Park, and as I was closing in on the end, I brought them down to the redwoods. But I guess you could say I was about as lost as Trisha. Things just didn't feel quite right or come together clearly.

But then I stayed at the Heceta Head Lighthouse B and B. And it was after the second stay that I checked to see if it would be all right to use the B and B as a story setting. Still, it took me another couple years to finally bring it all together and really explore how things might turn out in a different direction. :)

Julie:You mentioned in your author note that you took a spontaneous train ride to get away from it all at one time. Did you take the same route as Trisha, or was your trip different? Were you seeking answers to something or having a bit of adventure?

Amber: I was going to college in Salem, Oregon, at the time, and I took the train north into Washington. If Trisha hadn't gotten off the train in Eugene, she would have eventually ended up on the same route. ;) However, at another point in college, I took most of her route, from Eugene (Oregon) to Redding (California) and back. And at different times I've taken a shorter section of the route, between Eugene and Chemult. The views on that ride are truly beautiful! I recommend starting in Chemult (or south of there) and heading north, so you get the views in daylight instead of in the evening. :)

To answer the second part of your question, I'd say I was seeking both adventure and peace. I felt overwhelmed with classes and activities...and the uncertainties still before me. I wanted to get away, find some perspective, and do something "adult" and exciting. :) As I wrote in a blog post from 2011, "I just wanted to go somewhere where it would be just me and God."

The trip was only a day outing, there and back. But it was a great experience, and I had a sweet friend who was willing to take me to the station and pick me up again. It was during that trip that I wrote the poem which inspired my blog title, "Seasons of Humility." 

Julie: I love the settings of your stories. Do you do a lot of research for each setting? Have you visited all of them?

Amber: Most of the settings I write about are places I've been. :) It's just easier that way for me to write with any authority or detail! One of my historical novels, Forget Me Not, was partially set in places I haven't been, and even though I looked up pictures and such for inspiration, I don't think the story was as accurate in that way as it probably should have been. I would love to visit Colorado someday, though! 

One of my contemporary stories, While You're Awake, doesn't really have a concrete setting. I left it ambiguous. ;) But for the most part, all my other published stories feature places I know...and places I really love. Virginia City, Nevada. Humboldt County, California. Eugene and Florence, Oregon. They're all incredible places in their own way!

Julie:The Heceta Head Lighthouse is featured in Where Trains Collide. It seems to be a favorite place you have found. What draws you to it?

Amber: Initially, it was the nearest lighthouse to where I was living in Oregon, one of the sights people have to see on a coastal outing. So, I was bound to visit there at some point! But I fell in love with the location...the way the lighthouse is both tucked among the trees and standing out on the bluff. The trail to the lighthouse is lovely. And when I discovered that you could stay in one of the former lightkeeper's buildings...well, I had to! I fell in love even more then. It started to become not just a neat place I had been once, but a familiar, cherished spot. The first time my husband and I met in person, we visited the lighthouse. And, knowing how dear it is to me, he proposed to me there too. :) 

Thanks Amber for letting me interview you! Come back tomorrow everyone for my review of Where Trains Collide and for a travel story of my own, and a giveaway!

Where Trains Collide by Amber Stokes-Spotlight

About the Book

Inspirational Contemporary Romance Novella

Two hearts racing in different directions will meet where trains collide.

Burned out and disillusioned with her chosen career path, Trisha Knolane gives in to impulse and hops on a train bound for Oregon, eager to escape the stress of college for a few days. But what begins as a fun little adventure takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that her ex-boyfriend is also on board.

All her hopes and dreams had once centered on Paul Benson. Now, when Trisha doesn't know where her current track will lead, Paul’s reappearance in her life only complicates matters and sparks difficult questions.

Questions that could change the course of her life.

A heartfelt and thought-provoking contemporary romance novella, Where Trains Collide faces the uncertain season of new adulthood head on and shows that sometimes a path of broken dreams can lead to life’s best destination.

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Author Bio

Amber Holcomb (Stokes) is an indie author and freelance editor living below the majestic mountains of Montana with her adventurous husband. Previously, she worked in marketing for a Christian publisher for nearly three years. Her passion for books compelled her to earn a bachelor’s degree in English and now fuels her work with words in this new season of life.

You can learn more about Amber’s books, sign up for her author newsletter, join the Amber’s Gems street team, and more at www.SeasonsofaStory.blogspot.com.

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Come back tomorrow for my interview with Amber!