From Now 'Til Forever + Giveaway

What a charming tale!

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from Reveries Co. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

This story might be short, but it's well worth the time it took to read it. From the characters to the plot to the atmosphere... it was a delight all the way around.

The Kees & Colliers series (this is book three, not including the two prequels) builds from story to story, so I highly recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate the growth and development of each of the characters. This is a special series, truly unique, and I hope to own a set of paperbacks someday soon. The covers are gorgeous, and the stories hit all my emotional buttons.

I loved how this installment of the series was a culmination of the journey each character had gone on through the previous books. Things were wrapped up so beautifully that this could easily be the last in the series, but of course there is plenty of room for Miss Roth to give us additional adventures of the Kees and Colliers if she so chooses. Personally, I would love to see the girls grow into amazing women and see where their paths take them into their working and/or family lives. As it stands now, though, I'll just have fun imagining the vast possibilities.

Flowers in Her Heart + Giveaway

FTC Disclosure: Reveries Co. gave me a complimentary electronic copy of this book. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

Emotional journey to make the heart sing!

Amazing emotion filled this four-star book. The author dug deep and didn’t shy away from the difficult questions her characters asked. The journey Adele muddled through built beautifully upon the previous book in the Kees and Colliers series (The Lady of the Vineyard).

The rich combination of dialogue and narration created a fabulous atmosphere. Tension, war worries, and family issues enhanced this and, at times, made me want to weep. The further into the plot I got, the quicker I wanted to read—not to be done faster, but rather to see how things would turn out for the dear characters who had secured places in my reader heart.

This story was lovely and beautiful and swept me away into the world of the Kees and Colliers.

Content: one expletive

Giveaway!

Prize One: THE LADY OF THE VINEYARD and FLOWERS IN HER HEART in paperback & a cool FLOWER NECKLACE.

Prize Two: THE LADY OF THE VINEYARD in paperback & FLOWERS IN HER HEART and FROM NOW ’TIL FOREVER in ebook

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About the book:

Flowers in Her Heart

Can Adele change her entire lifestyle to be a mother to her babies?

When her husband goes off to war, Adele feels lost and confused. In a new, less-than-ideal place in a frightening, less-than-ideal time, she flees to the garden with her daughters, determined to make their new house a home, even if it is from the outside in.

Battered by her own inner turmoil and scoffed at by those close to her, Adele seeks to make something beautiful amidst chaos. But can even the most beautiful flowers cover the years of scars?

“So sweet, so true, and so downright good.” ~Angela R. Watts, author of Seek

“A fantastic story about family, faith, and a search for beauty and truth.” ~Goodreads Reviewer

There are more books in this series!

About the author:

Kellyn Roth, Author: insightful fiction, unhesitating truth

Kellyn Roth is a Christian & historical author from North-Eastern Oregon. Kell is a ranch girl, homeschool graduate, proud sister of four, proud auntie of five, and owner of two goofy border collies, two presumptuous cats, and a very active betta fish. Check out her website, kellynrothauthor.com, for more info.

Author Website: http://kellynrothauthor.com/

Blog: http://kellynroth.blog/

Reveries Co: http://reveriescompany.com/

Coach Kell: http://coachkell.com/

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest: @ReveriesofRuby

Leave me a comment with your Kees & Colliers book title!

Troy Kee's collage.

The Lady of the Vineyard + Giveaway

FTC Disclosure: Reveries Co. gave me a complimentary electronic copy of this book. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

What an emotional journey.

It all began with the characters.

Little Judy stole my heart despite sometimes sounding older than six. Her plight was easy to connect with and empathize over. Adele was harder to love, but her growth was, perhaps, the most noteworthy. She did grow on me, carving out space in my reader heart for herself. Troy was lovely in how he adored his little girl. That parent’s love he displayed and the lessons he taught his daughter were worth reading this book. These characters were messy with raw hearts and feelings, yet they learned so much about life and love and hope. Somehow they wriggled their way into my happy place and left me wanting more of their story.

Characters Who Are... Food Industry Professionals

Hello, friends! It's time for another reading challenge.

This one was requested by Rebekah Morris, one of my writing buddies and a frequent participant of Writing to Inspire's reading challenges. Thanks for the idea, Rebekah!

Ready?

For July, we'll be reading books that feature characters who are food industry professionals. This includes bakers, chefs, restaurant owners/managers, etc. It does NOT include parents baking/cooking for their children, spouses baking/cooking for their significant others, etc. They have to be earning money for their talents in the food industry.

The character can be a lead or supporting cast member. Just let us know what type of food industry professional the person is.

Talk to Me {Reader Input Required}

Hi, friends! The last couple of weeks have seen me making huge progress in recovering from a couple of physical-pain trials (including a locked-up lower back). After over two months of taking things super easy to avoid getting further injured and to properly heal, I was finally able to go see a couple of movies this past weekend, which means I finally got to hang out with my sister and friends again. I missed them so much! (Thankfully, that feeling was mutual.)

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day last month and Father's Day yesterday. I can hardly believe I forgot to wish you fantastic ones! How did you celebrate? I'd love to hear your stories (post a comment below to share).

All right. So here's what's up:

I've got a few book reviews and articles planned for the next couple of months of blog articles, but I'm already thinking ahead to the second half of the year.

I need YOUR help to decide what I should feature.

Which of these do you like best? (Feel free to name more than one in your comment.)

Living Lies by Natalie Walters

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and a complimentary electronic copy from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

Living Lies by Natalie Walters

What an important book for mental health awareness!

I was quite impressed by the author’s handling of depression, suicide, PTSD, and the support (and lack of support) various characters encountered and lived with. I’m eager to see how Mrs. Walters builds on these topics (or introduces us to new ones) in book two of her Harbored Secrets series.

The only characters I truly despised were the leading lady’s parents. Their controlling personalities were written so well that I struggled to get through their scenes because of previous personal experience with that type of people. Not fun memories! But I must applaud the author for nailing it, even if it made the book a bit challenging to get through. (The second half was easier for me to fly through, and I doubt this issue will slow down most readers.)

Plot twists aplenty kept me riveted to my seat and flipping the pages quickly, particularly in the back half. The pace was fairly decent for a suspense novel, though it read much more like a police procedural than the thriller sort of suspense book the cover implied I was getting into. As much as I enjoyed this book, there were spots where characters randomly thought about (and for too long on occasion) about potential romance, and this ground things to a halt in a few scenes.

The faith thread was sprinkled in very lightly. When it showed up, it was strong. I would have liked this to have been a more important aspect of the plot rather than almost as an afterthought.

Content: one expletive, drugs, alcohol, tattoos, dysfunctional family, depression, suicide

Note: There is violence associated with the suspense genre. Nothing I wouldn’t expect.

The King's Mercy by Lori Benton

I'm terribly sorry this article comes to you so late in the day. My weekend was busy, as was this morning, and I hadn't finished the book I was meant to review by today. It's done now, but it's been a read-read-read sort of a day. I'll be taking a watch-hockey break soon, before I begin my next review book. Be on the watch for my thoughts on Living Lies by Natalie Walters, coming your way soon.

The King's Mercy by Lori Benton

FTC Disclosure: WaterBrook Multnomah gave me a complimentary copy of this book. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

The waves of grace wafting throughout this book were beautiful. Each of the characters had choices to make that either gained grace or refused it, and their inner peace was so dependent upon those crucial decisions. This was an exquisite depiction of the choices people today have at their feet and the consequences—good or bad—of how each of us decide.