Love's Refuge by Sandra Leesmith: Blog Tour

About the Book:

Skye Larsen loves her peaceful life on Leeza Island in Puget Sound – the tranquility, the friendly neighbors, and especially the safety from big-city dangers. So when cruel pranks start to escalate and changes threaten to overtake the island, Skye is determined to fight for her haven. The presence of a handsome vacationer and the unexpected feelings he awakens can’t distract her from her goal.

Danny Fraser doesn’t realize how desperately he needs a rest until he meets Skye. By allowing him to glimpse her simple way of life, she helps him reorient his priorities – and steals his heart in the process. But his work and home in Seattle keep Skye at bay.

An isolated island girl with painful memories. A dedicated city boy with a wild past. What will it cost for them both to find a refuge from their storms?

About the Author:

 

Sandra Leesmith loves to travel in her RV and explore all of nature’s beauty, discover America’s history, and fellowship with the wonderful people she meets while on the road. She enjoys reading, writing, hiking, swimming, and pickleball. Learn more about Sandra and her books at www.sandraleesmith.com. 

Where to Connect With Sandra: 

You can connect with Sandra on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. You can also find her and her talented writing buddies at the Seekerville blog.   

My Thoughts:

I thought Love's Refuge was a sweet romance. I really liked Danny's character from the very beginning of the book. I had no patience for Skye! While realizing that she had a lot of hurdles to overcome, and having a great reason to cut herself off from the world, I found after a while that instead of feeling sympathy for her I just wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip on reality! And you know what? Eventually she did get a grip on reality! I liked her slow move in faith towards God and how she reached outside of herself and helped a troubled young girl. Both characters grew throughout the book and I enjoyed seeing how they helped each other. Danny definitely needed the relaxation and calmness that Skye and her  island were able to bring him and Skye needed Danny's strength and patience to help her overcome her fears. I liked that faith played a much more prominent roll in Love's Refuge than it did in Love's Miracles. And yet it didn't venture into preachy, but showed that God is our ultimate refuge. I also have to give some cover love here! The picture on the cover of the book depicts the couple so well! As I read the book and would read about Skye's braid or Danny kissing her forehead I had the cover image right there to help with the mental picture I had. 

Giveaway:

Enter to win a basic Kindle loaded with Sandra Lesssmith's books!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love's Refuge will be available for purchase through Amazon for .99 during the blog tour. For more information on the tour make sure to visit:

Blog Tour Page

 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice is now 16 and must choose which faction she will be a part of. Will it be Abnegation where she was raised or will she forsake her family and turn to another faction. Each 16 year old is tested and told which faction best suits their personality, yet each person is able to choose for themselves where they will go. Beatrice's test results are inconclusive, but the person giving her the test warns her not to tell anyone as the results will surely lead to her death.

At the choosing ceremony Beatrice, now Tris, chooses the Dauntless faction. A group of people devoted to testing their fears. During the initiation Tris and the others that have chosen Dauntless are pushed to the limits. Only a certain number will get in. If a person doesn't make it then they will become factionless which means a life on the streets. Their instructor is Four and he answers to Eric. Four is not happy with what Dauntless is becoming. The initiations have become brutal contests among initiates. 

With the Erudite faction waging a smear campaign against the Abnegation faction, Tris and Four learn of a plan so evil that they both know they must somehow put a stop to it or many people will lose their lives. But will they succeed before the enemy catches them and labels them "Divergent" enemies of all factions?

My Thoughts:

Everyone kept telling me that I needed to read this book! Well everyone was right! I loved it! While I would never have chosen to be Dauntless I loved how Tris grew in that faction. Even though she is small she gained strength throughout the initiation period. Being Divergent helped, but still she is one strong and independent girl character. Loved the relationship that developed between her and Four. They complement each other, where he was weak in fighting some of his fears she was strong and where she was weak physically he helped her with his strength. One pet-peeve: **SPOILER ALERT**

It really gets old for me when the whole family unit is destroyed. So when Tris makes her decision to leave Abnegation she leaves her parents behind. Later on in the book they are conveniently killed off so now no more relationships for her to worry about. Well, except for her brother who is practically the same age. But it works for the book because they are considered adults at the age of 16. Why 16? I don't remember it ever saying. I think that is an awfully young age to make such a decision(which faction to choose). But fiction is fiction and so yes, I enjoyed the story very much and look forward to reading the other two books in the series soon.

A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman-CONTEST

 GET IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WITH JULIE LESSMAN'S "A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW" VIDEO & CONTEST TO HAVE A CHARACTER NAMED AFTER YOU IN HER NEXT BOOK, A SIGNED COPY AND A $50 GIFT CARD. HERE'S THE LINK: http://www.julielessman.com/journal-jots1/

Check out my 5 star review of the book HERE
Check out my fun interview with Julie Lessman HERE

Check out the video for A Light in the Window:







Check out Julie's blog HERE for information on how to enter the contest!

Purchase your e-copy of A Light in the Window Here
Purchase your paperback copy Here

I loved the book and I absolutely love this book trailer produced by Julie's husband Keith. What a talented couple they are!!

The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine

Gussie and Adam are finally engaged and the Widows are busy planning the wedding. But before the wedding can take place there needs to be an actual date set. In the meantime Adam’s sister Hannah comes to town. Hannah has been in Kenya and is worn out from all of her doctoring. Hannah has never been one that knows how to relate to others. When the Widows see her as a potential for their matchmaking skills Hannah’s social barrier goes up even more. Gabe has always found Hannah’s picture to be very attractive. He hardly recognizes the shell that Hannah has become. Still there is some spark between them that Gabe would love to explore. Gabe’s looks take Hannah’s breath away. No man has ever done that to her before. Hannah’s faith has been shaken, but in Butternut Creek she has been able to recover from her illness and rediscover her faith. Will Hannah also be able to discover love? If the Widows have their way the answer is YES! 

I really enjoyed this story! It was filled with humor and quaint small-town comfort. The Widows are quite the characters. Especially Miss Birdie, who as always is stubborn to a fault but cares deeply for those around her. I found Adam to be a very wise pastor when dealing with the Widows as well as caring deeply for his sister and those in his care. He and Gussie continue to grow in their love for one another in the midst of all of the Widows antics. I think they will make a great team as they care for the town of Butternut Creek. I look forward to the next installment in the series which I hope will find the Widows finding a mate for Mattie Patillo the young female pastor in town. 

TBR Stacks~Do you have any?

I have to admit that TBR(To Be Read) stacks of books cause me great stress! Seriously! I'm the type of person that likes to complete a project before moving on to the next. As a reader/reviewer I have found that the TBR stack NEVER gets smaller! NEVER! This has really messed with my "finish the project" mentality over the years. Usually I end up going through my TBR stack and weeding out books once a year.

Here are a stack of books that I have really really wanted to read. Some have languished on the shelf for years, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of them because I really want to read them!! I just somehow manage to find other books hot off the presses that I want to read more:

Here are my "next up" books to read:

They aren't in any particular order, I know Divergent comes first ;)...speaking of which, my daughter Joy just finished it. In one day!! She's been in a reading slump because of some rough hours at work(graveyard shift really sucks!), so she needed something to kick start her into reading again. Divergent did it! She's moved on to Insurgent now. I hope it is as good so she can move through that one as well. Anyway, after my current book(Beowulf by Ronie Kendig) I will pick something from this stack.I'm hoping to finish this stack before the end of the year.


Here are a couple of books that a friend loaned me. While I really love John Grisham books, admittedly I just don't have time for them now so they will probably go back to her unread. She keeps all of her books so someday maybe I will have a chance to borrow them again:

And lastly there is my Kindle. I can't even fathom how many books are currently on there waiting for me to delve into as it would make me hyperventilate!

So is there a solution for the TBR stack? I doubt it! As it is even with all of these books waiting for me(and a few more residing in my daughter's bedroom) I have 3 books on pre-order from Amazon!

How about you? Do you have a large TBR stack or a small TBR stack? How do you tackle that stack of books? How much time do you devote to reading a day? As much as you want or are you like me and wish there were more hours for reading? How many books have your read this year? Do you keep track? I like to keep track and challenge myself. This year I challenged myself to read 125 books. Unfortunately I'm not going to make that goal. Next year I will lower that expectation. Do you have responsibilities that take you away from doing the reading you would like to do? I have a hobby that takes my time, especially around this time of year. Check out My Other Pastime to see what, besides family, takes my time.