​Hannah Wright is the author of Hope In The Dark and Keeping Faith. She desires to write pure fiction that glorifies God. She is a graduate of Houston Baptist University, and in her free time, she loves reading, spending time with her family and friends, and listening to music and podcasts. To stay in touch with her, you can visit her blog at https://peaceinthechaos.org or follow her on instagram @_hannahsbooknook_

Before I begin, let me preface this review by saying how much I appreciate redeeming stories and an honest portrayal of people who grew up in the Christian faith and walked away due to outgrowing it, being stifled by the rules, seeing the hypocrisy and much like the Prodigal son parable coming home and being welcomed back to the love that once felt overbearing.
Let's be honest here. Everyone who grew up in the Christian faith have experienced their time in the desert without God and then found themselves on their knees to pray for forgiveness. At some point, we've all been there. Yes, our circumstances differ. Our deserts look different and our times spent wandering varies from person to person. 
This was such a sweet short story on that parable. Both Jenna and Max had their time in the desert. Both knew hypocrisy and pain. I appreciated and love the realness of doubts that author Joanna Alonzo paints. Did God just say that? What am I going to do? All these whys and hows remind us to be still and to discern His voice from the noise.  Well done and I can't wait to read about the other stories in this collection. 

​***I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I am not required to write a positive one. These thoughts and opinions are my own.***

​Joanna Alonzo is a walking paradox. She is a beautiful, albeit messy, mixture of thought and emotion, expressed in the form of hopefully readable - and relatable - stories. She is a kingdom kid, who looks forward to being a writer and storyteller even when she reaches heaven. She is passionate about the unreached, about those who have yet to know the Love she found in the arms of the Almighty. She is intrigued by the world and its people, who day by day, continue to convince her that God is the greatest Storyteller of all.
http://www.joannaalonzo.com/

Truly this is one of those "do not judge the book by its cover." The cover, for me at least, looks plain, a little lacking and something I would have passed over in a bookstore. But within these pages contains rich Italian languages and words that flowed so easily they were able to transport me to Italy in just a few short paragraphs. What a wonderful story of redemption, hope and faith amidst the destruction. Perhaps because of the recent devastation of Puerto Rico and seeing it in person after Hurricane Harvey, I could see the images so vividly. As a believer, all I could do during the storm was pray and my faith in God and His people continued to give me hope as I saw neighbors helping neighbors. God is there in the rubble. I was pulling for Giovanni  and hoped that I would read his testimony.....and Liz didn't disappoint. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. I can't wait to read both Giovanni  and Lucille's continuing story! This was more than just a slow budding romance, more than a look at societal norms in the early 20th century, more than just a tragedy......this was what hope and faith reads like in the devastation of Messina. 

***I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.***

Blurb:
 Megan Malone is the ultimate homebody. When her sister talks her into taking her place on the local version of the TV show Survivor called The Leftover, she isn’t sure she’ll make it past the first vote. Cane Trevino is nursing a broken heart by joining the show as a medic. With time away from his regular job and a host of contestants to distract him, he hopes he can finally get over the woman he thought was “the one.” As the contests ramp up, Megan faces her shortfalls as well as the bullies that hit the beach alongside her while harboring a crush on the show’s medic. How far will Megan get on the show? Will Cane get over his broken heart? Join a host of characters for contests filled with laughs, blind sides around every corner, and the ultimate showmance. Who will be The Leftover? ​

Buy links: 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pQ8Mm6
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-leftover-brooke-williams/1125815804?ean=9781945448041
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-leftover-1

Brooke Williams is a stay-at-home mom/freelance writer/author. Brooke is a former radio announcer and producer who also did a brief stint as a TV traffic reporter. Now, she writes novels as well as articles, blogs, and copy for clients on a freelance basis.
She has two self-published novels, "Someone Always Loved You" and "Beyond the Bars." 
Blue Ribbon Books has published four of her short novels, "Taxi Delivery," "God in the Kitchen," "Mending Fences," and "Mending Hearts." She writes daily blogs for GoodbyeCrutches.com

2012 Best Novel for "Someone Always Loved You" at the Heartland of America Christian Writing Conference.

Social Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbrookewilliams/
Twitter: @authorbrookew
Website: AuthorBrookeWilliams.com

Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Messina-Book-Casa-Bella-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B017DVVUEI/
https://www.amazon.com/Messina-Liz-Galvano/dp/1498453074/

​Liz Galvano has been writing since she was a little girl. Her stories combine old style adventure and romance with a dash of humor. She loves family, food, animals, and all things Italian. Liz lives with her husband Jeff, two rambunctious dogs, two entitled cats, and a horse who thinks she’s a princess.

To follow her on Amazon, click here. 

For those who enjoy saga-length Christian historical romance. Bitter Eyes No More is a single, complete story. It is book four in the Creek Country Saga.

A man of abiding honor, tested by a woman of ruinous passion. A woman of unspeakable sins, pursued by a God of unquenchable mercy.

Spanish Florida once sheltered Lillian McGirth from her fears. Now, it feeds them. Mercy is for the deserving; for Lillian, an unwed mother accused of treason, there is only battering and defeat, but her fall breaks softly in the arms of an unexpected arrival, a man too beautiful of soul to stain with her lost character.

Captain Marcus Buck sails in on a pledge to save Miss McGirth from herself and from her child's father, a ruthless don. All the while, he’s to regard her as virtuous and worthy of protection and to guard said virtue from pilfering. But the terms are flawed since he must first guard her from himself. Regardless, he is determined. He will free her, repair her name—simple labor compared to dodging the army’s noose, mending wounds three years deep, and navigating a host of rebel Natives bent on inflicting more.

Through the steady crumble of his pledge, their friendship becomes a consolation, for she knows his pain as no other can or will. Their scars are one; their paths, however, might irrevocably become two…

Buy Links:
Red Feather      http://amzn.to/2oKBRzE
Sacred Writings http://amzn.to/2oJtgi1
Ebony Cloak     http://amzn.to/2oJhep5
Untold Stories   http://amzn.to/2o0OB7V
Boxed Set         http://amzn.to/2pezHeI
Bitter Eyes        http://amzn.to/2okSK2A

​"The depth of this book is outstanding, not only did it read as though extensive research was done but it held such a high quality penmanship." ~Bibliophile Reviews
 
"An epic tale and swash buckling adventure that both educates and entertains." ~Christian Bookaholic
 
"Gardner has richly supplemented the story line with amazing details of the historical 1817 era, proving that taking time in  researching details turns an average story into an epic book." ~ Brice's Mice Christian Book Reviews

"Mrs. Gardner's thorough research shines throughout the novel and has encouraged me to want to know more about these famous forts and their history." --Reviews by Van Daniker

​From the Author
The Drawn by the Frost Moon trilogy consists of three standalones that are closely connected through a single historical event. It will take you on a three-layer journey through the incidents that kicked off the First Seminole War and whisked Spanish Florida toward its inevitable doom.

By three-layer, I mean that all the characters you'll come to know (and hopefully love!) in Bitter Eyes will be reappearing in the follow-on book and skipping backwards in time to show you this period from other angles. Tall Bull and Mink will give you the Red Stick perspective in Love the War Woman (2017). Through entirely fresh eyes, you'll learn where Mink went after she left Neamathla's lodge, what transpired while Marcus was outside Fort Scott, what becomes of Water Moccasin, why Tall Bull cannot see past Bitter Eyes to the war woman who adores him, and so much more.

War Woman will take you deeper into the historical events surrounding San Marcos and leave you excited to dig into Strong Bear and Pretty Wolf's adventures. Their romance will be told in Finding Pretty Wolf (2018), which will carry you through to the closing of this period in history. 

Why have I chosen to lay out the story this way? Because the setting is so rich and full I couldn't bear to do away with any part of it. It's tricky as all get out to braid these three plots together without revealing too much too soon, but I trust the finished product will be worth the effort.

APRIL W GARDNER is an award-winning author who writes Christian historical romance with a focus on our Southeastern Native Tribes. She is a military wife and mother of two teens who lives in Texas. In no particular order, April dreams of owning a horse, learning a third language, and visiting all the national parks.




​Social Media links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4456445.April_W_Gardner
https://www.pinterest.com/awgardner/?eq=April%20W%20Gardner&etslf=9066
http://www.aprilgardner.com/
https://twitter.com/AprilWGardner

April loves to hear from her readers at: [email protected]

***There is a giveaway happening over in Goodreads for 5 autographed prints for Drawn by the Frost Moon: Bitter Eyes No More (Creek Country Saga #4). The contest runs from June 6th - June 30th, 2017. To enter for your chance to win, click here. *** 

​Isn’t it always the case when we decide to ‘swear off’ something, like dating, or men, or giving up sweets to try a new diet/fad that suddenly, that which we swore off, comes by, looks up at us with its hopeful eyes, and we fall head over heels before we remember we swore off said thing, and the reason why we did it in the first place??

As was the case for Denie. She decided, after her last relationship completely drained her, that she was done. She didn’t want to fall in love and have her heart shattered all over again. Unless he was her “dream crush wearing a number 29 on the back of his hockey jersey.” And lo and behold, there he was, just as excited about the prospect of being with her.

This was such a cute little story! I love Debra Sue Brice’s writing.  She wrote out Denie’s internal monologues of fear, of love, of brokenness and conviction that I was rooting for Denie’s happy ending. She was real to me. And I wanted her goodness recognized, and her happiness realized. In fact, I almost wanted to maim a certain hockey player but goodness, you’re just going to have to read through this one to understand the level of anxiety I had!

I have met very few people that matched Denie’s goodness and love for her friends and family, and her amazing faith in Christ. That’s the thing when we try to move forward knowing that pain is inevitable but it’s the love that Christ has for us that we know we are also equipped with support, and strength that we didn’t realize we had. Very few of us understand the gravity of Grace.
​
This is a beautiful and simple story about a girl and a guy in a chance meeting and falling in love. It’s a story about a girl finding peace in God’s grace. It’s about a guy who finds God and what his newfound faith could become. And to top off the fact that this story has cupcakes?? Which are a favorite of mine, fyi. Well, that’s just the Icing on this sweet romance.

I don't remember where, when, and how I fell in love with Liz Bennett and Mr. Darcy. But does it really matter? Austen's Pride and Prejudice is much more than a classic love story. I think any romance story that pairs a "high spirited" heroine that goes against the societal grain, with a cool, arrogant and handsome man should owe their thanks and beginnings to Jane. 

At least, that's what this book made me think about from the moment I pictured Lavinia Ellison. Her in her haughty gray eyes, her wit, her goodness, and her unfailing stewardship to her neighbors in need. This one is a keeper. Of course, her intelligence and her less than subtle ways of not wanting to fit in does not sit well with the 1800s high society crowd. 

There were a few moments in this book that brought tears to my eyes. Lavinia was faithful in her worship, and prayer to God, but her pride and anger kept her from forgiving her 'enemy.' 

The enemy being Earl Hawkesbury. He is haunted with memories of war, conflicted with what is expected of him, and what to make of his Elusive neighbor. But something more is offered within these pages than just a reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice. Something so much more beautiful than a love story. 

Carolyn Miller weaves faith, salvation, God's grace into this book. I have never read a Christian historical fiction, and I can tell you this is not going to be my last book of Ms. Miller's. 

I love the Earl's marvel at how 'simple' it is to follow the cross. How simple God offers salvation with nothing more than a prayer, a want and need for Him to live in us. I was moved by the tug, and pull of him trying to do right by God, by his overbearing mother, and by Lavinia.....and failing. And only by coming to understand who he is at the foot of the cross - a sinner, who is loved beyond measure - does he become more real for me, and dare I say, much more than Mr. Darcy could ever be.

This man, Nicholas Hawkesbury, with all his faults, and arrogance, and charm, and wit, and handsomeness could make women around him swoon, but it is his heart, his discovery of faith, and belief in forgiveness and grace that caught the eye, and heart of the Elusive Miss Ellison. 

*I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Handsome appearance counts for naught unless matched by good character and actions.
That's the firm opinion of not-so-meek minister's daughter Lavinia Ellison. So even though all the other villagers of St. Hampton Heath are swooning over the newly returned seventh Earl of Hawkesbury, she is not impressed. If a man won't take his responsibilities seriously and help those who are supposed to be able to depend on him, he deserves no respect from her. In Lavinia's pretty, gray eyes, Nicholas Stamford is just as arrogant and reckless as his brother-who stole the most important person in Livvie's world.
Nicholas is weighed down by his own guilt and responsibility, by the pain his careless brother caused, and by the legacy of war he's just left. This quick visit home to St. Hampton Heath will be just long enough to ease a small part of that burden. Asking him to bother with the lives of the villagers when there's already a bailiff on the job is simply too much to expect.
That is, until the hoydenish, intelligent, and very opinionated Miss Ellison challenges him to see past his pain and pride. With her angelic voice in his head, he may even be beginning to care. But his isn't the only heart that needs to change.
These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society's opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.
Fans of Georgette Heyer, Lori Wick, and Julie Klassen will enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister's daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God's grace and the true strength of love.
Learn more and purchase a copy.

Carolyn Miller lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of Regency romance, Carolyn's novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.
Website: https://www.carolynmillerauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolynMillerAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarolynMAuthor

Regency romance fans have another must-read novel to add to their lists: Carolyn Miller’s The Elusive Miss Ellison. Enjoy the spirited exchanges between the bluestocking minister’s daughter and the bruised war hero as they move past pride and presumption to a humbled appreciation of God’s grace and the true strength of love. These two lonely hearts may each have something the other needs. But with society’s opposition, ancestral obligations, and a shocking family secret, there may be too many obstacles in their way.
Settle in for a cozy night of reading with a cuppa and a Kindle from Carolyn!

​One grand prize winner will receive:
A copy of The Elusive Miss Ellison
A Kindle Fire
Two William Morris mugs (winner’s choice)
A box of tea

Information about the book, and the author go here: ​http://litfusegroup.com/author/CMiller

​Set in the backdrop of the most romantic places on Earth – and one of the reasons I heartily agreed to review this book –  college grad, Ashley Coratini sets her sights on Florence. For three weeks, she immerses herself in her dream of living, breathing, sketching; all things Florence. And bless, Marianne Evans, her words catapulted me to the city of my dreams. I have always wanted to go to Italy, with Florence, the Vatican, and Rome on my itinerary. I can tell you years have been spent reading romance and watching movies that show off Florence and Italian life. Evans painted the city for me, in her lovely words. I imagine myself walking along side Ashely; seeing what she sees, falling in love with both the city, and widower Luca DeRosa.

Conflicts arise, of course, like every romantic story, out there. But this one takes it a bit deeper. One of the biggest theme is Faith. It’s trust in His offers. If you’ve prayed for your dreams, and ask God to bless your heart, but let His will in all of it be done, and then one day you wake up and realize that it is possibly staring at you in the face, do you jump in, or do you hesitate?

Isn’t it always the case that when our entire dreams come true, we wonder how it’s possible that it is even better than what we could ever hope for? We pray, we live, we dream; we pray some more and our dreams slowly start realizing and aligning themselves. I think, in spite of all our prayers and faith, we all have a bit of cynicism, a bit of doubt woven into our fabric.
​
And I love that Christmas is right around the corner to remind Ashley and Luca to not be afraid; to trust in the Lord, always. This was such a wonderful “swoon” worthy Christian novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I was in love the second I turned on my kindle. Of course, it helps, if you’re already in love with Florence and Christmas!
 
*I received this book in exchanged for an honest review.