5 Things Author Kathy Rouser is Thankful For

Hey readers! Today I am sharing with you another great guest post on thankfulness - this time, Kathleen Rouser, author of historical romance novel Secrets and Wishes(as well as Rumors and Promises). Be sure to check out this new release on Amazon, and read 5 Things Kathleen Rouser is Thankful For below!

1) Salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Once I understood that it was his sinless

life and death that took away all of my sins my life has been changed forever!

2) God's love and patience with me. Sometimes I marvel at how many times the 

Lord has to teach me a lesson over and over again. Yet, I know He is faithful and

loves me despite my human failings.

3) My husband, Jack. We have been through so much together through nearly

36 years! I am so grateful for a husband who loves God and does His best to

follow Him each day. Not only that, he is a loving and faithful husband, supportive

and a wonderful provider.

4) My children. My favorite "job" was bringing up my three sons and I miss those

days. I'm glad I've gotten a chance to be a mom. 

5) For Community Bible Study. It's given me a chance to study God's word in-depth

and given me a chance for fellowship with wiser women than I am!

There are so many more things I could say I'm thankful for; this is just the tip of

the iceberg.  

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About Secrets and Wishes:

Stone Creek, Michigan - April, 1901: Maggie Galloway and Thomas Harper clash after their sons collide in a fistfight. Both widowed, they're each doing their best as a parent to their children. Outgoing Maggie has dreams for a home of her own and a business to provide for her son as she searches for God's path for her life as a widow. Reserved Thomas struggles to establish his new pharmacy and take care of his four rambunctious children, while wondering how a loving God could take his beloved wife. 

When Thomas becomes deathly ill, Maggie is recruited to nurse him back to health. Taking the children in hand, as well, is more than she bargained for, but she is drawn to help the grieving family. Both nurse and patient find themselves drawn to each other but promptly deny their feelings. 

A baking contest sponsored by the Silver Leaf Flour Company brings former beau, Giles Prescott, back into Maggie's life. When Giles offers Maggie a position at their test kitchen in Chicago, he hints that, along with assuring her a good job, it will allow them to possibly rekindle their relationship. 

But then a charlatan comes to town, and tragedy soon follows. Maggie and Thomas discover the miracle potions he hawks aren't so harmless when an epidemic hits Stone Creek. Thomas and Maggie realize they must work together to save lives. 

Maggie finds herself caught up in battles within and without the battle to help the townsfolk in the midst of illness and chicanery, and the battle to know which man Thomas or Giles deserves to win her heart. 

A Shield in the Shadows by L.A. Racines Review

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have enjoyed the Thankful posts this week, and thank you for being so kind about my brief hiatus that school and my grandmother's passing brought upon the blog here. Today is my review stop on L.A. Racines A Shield in the Shadows Blog Tour! Read on to learn more about the book and follow along for more fun stops with guest posts, interviews, reviews, excerpts, and more! This was a really interesting read for me, a bit outside what I usually pick up but I'm truly glad I did. Thanks to my sister for pointing me in this book's direction!

 

Buy on Amazon US Buy on Amazon UK

In 405 AD, a raid from a band of marauding Huns destroys a Christian village in the heart of barbarian Germania. Among those forced to flee are the pastor and his strong-willed, sixteen-year-old daughter Theona.

They lead a tiny group of survivors on a quest to find a new, safer place to settle, and ultimately join a massive invasion into the Roman Empire assembling on the banks of the Danube River.

The invasion is led by Gothic king Radagaisus, described by ancient writers as “a worshipper of demons”. His drive to conquer the tempting lands across the river is fueled by his anger at Rome for abandoning the old pagan gods and adopting Christianity as the new state religion. What will he do when he finds that among the thousands of people joining the invasion, he is harboring Christians? And what will Theona do when she quickly draws the interest of Radagaisus’s impetuous son, Roderic?

Young Gallic aristocrat Marius Ausonius, unaware of the looming threat, joins the Roman Army to train as a tribune. Too soon after his training, he and his cohort are thrust into the eye of the storm when they must defend one of the key strongholds blocking Radagaisus and his hordes.

The lives of Marius and Theona become intertwined in incredible circumstances that will have far-reaching consequences for both of them and their people.

My Review:

I've always been a bit fascinated by this time period, and the Roman empire as a whole, so though I'm not usually one for historical fiction lately, this one really called to me. I get a strong sense of the work the author must have put into her research, and as someone who has freshly studied many of these topics myself during my senior year I have to say she really has a strong attention to detail. I was immediately caught up in the story and found myself entranced so much so that I was around a hundred pages in before I stopped to blink. 

The characters are all well fleshed out, something that I feel is often lacking in books set in the period that I've read, perhaps for fear of messing up details - not something Racines had to worry, as previously mentioned. 

I really enjoyed Theona's character, and her reactions with those arond her - Roderic included. If you're looking for a well written, entertaining historical romance  set during this time I strongly encourage you pick up this one. Five Stars! 

About L.A. Racines:

Cheryl(a.k.a. L.A. Racines) is a native of Quebec, Canada, and a graduate of Montreal’s McGill University with an Honour’s BA in Anthropology and Sociology. She worked as a teacher in rural Nigeria for two years during the Nigerian Civil War, and then worked for a number of NGOs and charities in Quebec and Ontario.  

Married to an Anglican clergyman, mother of two daughters and grandmother of four, Cheryl has, over the decades, written and published a number of freelance articles for various publications including Reader’s Digest (Canada), Decision Magazine, The Sower, Faith Today, Christian Week, and a variety of denominational and evangelical publications.   Cheryl loves research and studied broadly and deeply for eight years before beginning to write this novel. She has found great satisfaction in achieving a lifelong dream of writing a novel, and has been encouraged by the accolades she has received from readers from both Christian and non-Christian backgrounds. Her novel is published under the pen name L. A. Racines, which can be translated “Wings and Roots,” because Cheryl agrees with the old saying that “the greatest gifts we can give to our children are roots and wings.” She is a member of The Word Guild, an association of Canadian writers who are Christian, and very active in the Healing Rooms ministry in her home town of Uxbridge, Ontario.

What Author Lynn Cornell is Thankful For

Hey everyone, happy to be back here on the blog after my little hiatus. Today I have a guest post from author Lynn Cornell whose book The Color of Redemption is one you'll want to add to your TBR. This week is Thanksgiving, so he is going to be sharing with us a bit about what he is thankful for. After you read the post be sure to check out the book here. 

It’s always wonderful to express my gratitude to God for his many blessing he has bestowed on me. As I look back on my life, there are so many things to be thankful for:  

God has had mercy on me and watched over me my entire life. I don’t say that glibly. I wanted all the world had to offer. God protected me often from certain death that befalls so many black men. Most of the time, I wasn’t even aware of how he had snatched me from destruction.  

I’m thankful to God for bringing me to Christ, especially since I was in no way seeking him.  

I’m thankful for the gift of my first wife, which produced four healthy children. I'm thankful to God for opening doors that caused me not have been out of work for the last forty years.  

I’m thankful, that God saw me and my children through the painful home going of my first wife. She was a strength and witness of God’s love and grace through her suffering. Despite my immaturity that caused me not to be prepared for a tragedy of that nature, God supplied our financial needs as well as his grace that saw us through that horrible time.  

I'm thankful for God bringing my second wife, who accepted my four children, blending her child with our family. She actually prayed for a man with kids. I'm thankful how God considered every detail I would have never thought of. She entered our lives, hitting the ground running, bridging the gap left open by the death of my first wife. 

I’m thankful to God for bringing me through my own battle with cancer. I have so much to be thankful for.

*** 

Thank you again to Lynn for sharing your thoughts! Now readers, feel free to sound off in the comments and let me know what you're thankful for! I have quite a few things, but aside from the obvious family, friends, faith, and good health, I'm pretty darn thankful for good books!

Undiscovered Treasures by Carole Brown

So psyched to be a part of the tour for Undiscovered Treasures by Carole Brown. Today I'm going to be sharing an excerpt so that you can take a peek inside. We all like to try before we buy, right? Let me just say, you're definitely in for a treat once you one-click this book on Amazon!

Amazon

Co-owner of Undiscovered Treasures, Caroline Gibson particularly relates to the ballerina music box: forever spinning and never going anywhere. But when her dream prince appears, she's sure her prayers have been answered. Trouble is, even though family and friends hint that the local artist is the guy for her, Caroline forgets about trusting God and takes matters into her own hands. Andrew Carrington has loved Caroline since they were kids and knows he'll never measure up to what she wants. But when God—or is it?—suddenly sends contracts begging for his signature, Andy thinks this just might be the way to win the only woman he can ever love. And then there’s the hitch in both their plans. Someone is stealing Andy’s pictures, and why would they do that when he’s an unknown--so far? Is something deeper going on neither understand? Caroline must put aside her on-going battle to avoid Andy and his art so they can discover the art thief in Appleton before Andy loses the chance of a life time to ‘make it big.’

Excerpt:

Andy whistled as he poured coffee in his favorite cup, grabbed a Greek yogurt and headed to his studio. It was early, but not too much so. Perfect lighting to work on his latest painting.

He nodded at his new assistant, but didn't speak, and shoved open the door to his work area. His gaze circled the room—as it always did.

His favorite place in the whole world. He sucked in a deep breath, inhaling the faint smells of the paints and turpentine, but he kept moving toward the window in the back of the room and stopped.

It was already open.

Had he shut it last night?

There was nothing disturbed that he could see, so...he shrugged. Time to get to work.

Andy took a sip of his coffee and flipped back the cover from his latest—and best— painting of Caroline Gibson.

The painting leered at him, as if it was a caricature transformed into monster life. Slashed into ribbons, with dashes of red, jarring paint splattered over it, his work was ruined. Beyond saving.

Belatedly, Andy set his cup down on a nearby table, and with a shaking hand, reached toward the damaged picture. He Carole Brown  stepped back and wondered if this was the worst nightmare of his life. True, he could paint another one, but she'd never see the passion he'd put into this one, see his heart in every stroke, and see the love he'd painted in every color.

Ruined.

Why would anyone do this? It wasn't valuable—except to him.

Worse, who hated him so much he'd wreck this kind of havoc on him?

Was there a grudge-bearing individual in the small town of Appleton who had hoped he would hurt him by doing this?

If so, then they'd succeeded.

About Carole:

Personal blog - Facebook - Amazon Author Page - Twitter - Pinterest - Goodreads - LinkedIn - Google+ - Word Sharpeners - Stitches in Time - Barn Door Book Loft

Besides being an active participant of many writing groups, Carole enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance and whimsy into her books, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

Guest Post: Why Trina Bresser Matous Wrote the Christian Living Bible Studies Series

Hi guys! This week I am happy to be a part of the two week tour for the Christian Living Bible Study series by Trina Bresser Matous. You'll see my reviews of both books next, but first Trina has graciously agreed to tell us a little bit about why she decided to write the series.

Why Trina Bresser Matous Wrote the Christian Living Bible Studies Series

I did not actually set out to write a series of books. It is the result of a one door after another that God has opened and invited me to walk through.

The foundation for the journey was laid in my college days. Though I studied business, perhaps the most personally impactful thing I learned was that I could write. I didn’t do a lot of writing until 2006 when God opened a door. For about six years my church did a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program. At the end of the first year I was asked to write a series of notes to accompany each day’s readings.

For the next two years I wrote through first the Old Testament, then the New. The notes included background information, definitions, explanations of ancient cultural practices, cross-references to applicable scripture, historical context, and modern day application. Fifty to 100 copies were be taken off the racks every Sunday and people frequently expressed their appreciation when a reference helped them better understand the scripture they were reading.

After the two years, I thought I was done, but God had other plans. He opened a door to go to a writer’s conference and at the conference, opened another door that led to publishing the notes.

Because God repeatedly invited me to walk through doors He opened, I can’t say I decided to write this series. God invites us to join in His plan to spread His truth to the ends of the earth. He chose me to play a part and the series is the result.

Be sure to check out the books here and stay tuned for my review.

The Bonnie Isles Trilogy Blog Tour

YA Fantasy has always been a favorite genre of mine, but lately I've been reading a lot of different books so it was nice to get back "home" you know? I'm glad I did that with this trilogy because it's really good - thanks to Electively Paige for recommending. Today I will be sharing my thoughts on the first book in this trilogy, but I loved the other two just as much and will be sharing those reviews later in the week. You can buy the entire trilogy for one low price in a boxed set now so I really recommend going that route because once you start you're not going to want to stop.

A Young Adult Historical Fantasy the Whole Family Will Love.

A True Prince

A long time ago in a faraway island kingdom, two friends discover the key to a mystery that, once unlocked, will change everything. Enemies they didn't know they had unleash magical forces to make sure the secret never comes to light.

To Make a King

Dark magic undermines Sebastian’s succession, and Edward is encouraged to take action against his half-brother in a plot to usurp the crown. Before the sun sets on coronation day, brother will face brother and swords will be bared.

Should Monarchs Stumble

When the new king stumbles, an old enemy is quick to take advantage, conspiring to take the kingdom by force. The king’s jester must decide whether to back the usurper, or help the king choose to be a better man.

My Thoughts on A True Prince:

Being a big YA Fantasy fan this entire trilogy sounded like one I couldn't wait to read. I'm a senior in high school now, but I have a feeling that I will be reading YA well into adulthood. There is just something about the characters that amazing authors like Kristi L. Cramer create that will always be easy for me to relate to. Kristi's A True Prince was equal parts entertaining and descriptive. I really became a part of the story as I got swept up in the mystery of Sebastian's origins. I honestly finished long before I thought it should be over, not because it left me with a cliffhanger - far from it - simply because I wasn't ready to put the book down. I was quite thankful I could immediately pick up To Make a King and read on. 

If you like your YA Fantasy dipped in historical accuracy with top notch writing and characters that perfectly compliment the story give A True Prince a go. Let me know whether or not you liked it as much as I did, and stay tuned for my review of To Make a King! 

Perennials by Bryce Gibson

Today I am going to be sharing a bit about a new, thrilling YA novel - Perennials by Bryce Gibson. This was an awesome read so I hope you love it as much as I did. 

Summer in South Carolina—a time of ripe peaches, crackling bonfires, trips to the lake, and the rural legend of a creature known as the Lizard Man. This year, a very real monster is lurking about. The victims all have one thing in common—they share their names with plants. Soon it becomes apparent that seventeen-year-olds Dusty Miller and Nandina Bush may be next on the killer’s list.

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Add to Your Goodreads TBR List

“That was when I realized that the red I saw in the driveway wasn’t blood. It was a scattering of rose petals. Deep down, I knew, right at that very moment, that what all of us had been afraid of for the past several months had already happened. The serial killer had finally made his way to Crow County.” – Dusty Miller

My Thoughts: 

*I was provided a copy of this book for review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion on Perennials*

If you spend any small amount of time around my sister, you'll know she is absolutely obsessed with psychological thriller type books, and she's been begging me to try one for the longest time. The thing that kept me away from a lot of those is yes, the plot sounded great, but with the success of books by the likes of Mary Kubica, Gillian Flynn, and Paula Hawkins in recent years so many authors have, for lack of a better way to put it, taken the easy way out and followed different themes. So, I wanted something different. When I first read about Perennials, I had a strong feeling that I was going to love it and I'm glad to report I was right.

The blurb didn't give a lot away and it allowed me to go in a little blind, which I kind of like. I had no idea what kind of people the characters were going to be but with each page I got to know them a bit more as this sort-of mystery unravelled. There is nothing quite like a book that keeps you turning page after page because you just can't wait to finish reading it - you have to know what happens next and this was one of those. It's pretty hard for me to describe my enjoyment of the book without giving much away, so I'll just leave you with this: if you want a YA novel that keeps you guessing and questioning, a novel that really has you on the edge of your seat with nail-biting anticipation, Perennials by Bryce Gibson is for you.