Tuesday, February 4, 2025

BOOK REVIEW - Beautiful Evil Winter By: Kelly K. Lavender

About the Book

Armed only with a homespun plan, a desperate American couple travels to corrupt crime-infested Russia to adopt a baby boy. What can wrong? Honestly, what won't go wrong?
"...It took the readers breath away due to the truth of the story, and humans being treated as fodder for violence and money. We are so used to freedom that the reader kept behind Sophia, pushing her to get up and fight for that freedom and Zack. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book, and gladly give it five stars and recommend it for reading by everyone. Opens the eyes." Top 500 Amazon Reviewer Robin Hansen
After the USSR collapses, a time reminiscent of the unforgiving gun-slinging days of the frontier west, mild-mannered Ethan and fiery Sophia board a plane bound for Russia. They hope to prevail with their homespun plan to secure their son's safe passage to America. What can go wrong? Maybe, an innocent ill-fated encounter with the Mafia or maybe, being marked as a target for mob revenge. Perhaps, having to rely on a first-time adoption coordinator to complete the process and shelter them from harm. Honestly, what won't go wrong?
Inspired by a true story, Beautiful Evil Winter resonates as epic Historic Fiction about the human capacity for hope, the traumas that shape our lives and the hardships we'll endure for love. Beautiful Evil Winter has earned a list of accolades including an Eric Hoffer Award for "...writing of significant merit" and a Readers' Favorite International Book Award. Beautiful Evil Winter holds special appeal for resilient, smart, resourceful women who rescue themselves and the proud, grateful, unburdened men who love them.

About the Author

Kelly K. Lavender profile image

My fascination with fiction began in middle school when I entered a book-reading contest and won. As an ardent fan of the resonating narrative and the cliffhanger, I decided to dedicate myself to becoming a skilled writer. When college professors spotlighted my writing in the classroom, it anchored my interest in becoming a novelist. I continued to pursue my education at UCLA, via the UCLA Writers' Extension Program, where my writing earned praise from a professor, also an Award-Winning Author. As a lifelong bibliophile, that event prompted me to dream bigger dreams.

Along my journey, negative feedback has become kerosene that fuels my creative fire to be more skillful, to prove the critics wrong, to be more stubborn essentially - to persist anyway.

Trusting my gut has led me to Best-Selling, Multi-Awarding-Winning, Debut Author status. My second novel also has earned Award-Winning status. Polishing my third novel now. My fourth book will write itself as my second book did. My fifth book - another one that'll write itself.

Of equal and enduring importance, in my life, is a passion for horses. As an avid, lifelong equestrian and horse owner, I live on a ranch with my family in Texas which we share with a menagerie of four-legged friends.

For more information, see my website: https://kellyklavenderauthor.com

MY THOUGHTS

Beautiful Evil Winter is written by Kelly K Lavender. This is a new to me author and I am glad that I got a chance to read this book. This was a fairly quick read at 245 pages, and I found myself drawn into the story as soon as I started reading. I had no idea it was based off a true story. I also know that reading this story cements not wanting to EVER visit Russia.

An American couple goes to Russia to adopt a little boy. They have wanted to become parents for so long. However, things do not go as they want them too. The amount of action and suspense that is packed into this story will keep you reading late until the night.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Goddess Fish Promotions for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

Please use the following Rafflecopter code on your

"http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f5044

Monday, February 3, 2025

My Thoughts - When the Avalanche Roared (A Day to Remember Book Five) Author: Lauralee Bliss

About the Book

Book: When the Avalanche Roared (A Day to Remember Book Five)

Author: Lauralee Bliss

Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Release date: January, 2025

The Day Hope Seemed Swept Away

Enjoy a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.

Lillian Hartwick has been in the small railroad town of Wellington, Washington, caring for her cousin and assisting the postmaster when February snows bring all train traffic to a halt. Slow-witted but kind Griffin Jones, who works odd jobs for the railway while enduring taunts from other workers, has tried his best to gain Lillian’s interest, but she is engaged and waiting her fiancé’s arrival from California. Predawn thunderstorms on Tuesday, March 1, 1910, trigger a devasting avalanche, sweeping two trains down Stevens Pass. Lillian and Griffin work together to help survivors, including Griffin’s tormentors. In the midst of the catastrophe their feelings for each other grow. But is it enough when Lillian’s fiancé finally arrives in the spring, ready to claim her as his own?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Lauralee Bliss has always liked to dream big dreams. Part of that dream was writing, and after several years of hard work, her dream of publishing was realized in 1997 with the publication of her first romance novel, Mountaintop, through Barbour Publishing. Since then, she’s had twenty books published, both historical and contemporary. Lauralee is also an avid hiker, completing the entire length of the Appalachian Trail both north and south. Lauralee makes her home in Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family.

More from Lauralee

Pure Joy

Lauralee Bliss, Author of “When the Avalanche Roared”

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds… James 1:2 NIV

How does one equate a scripture like this with the death and destruction inherent in natural disasters? It seems an oxymoron to expect joy when faced with twisted metal and broken lives, such as in the deadliest avalanche in American history depicted in When the Avalanche Roared. Even now I think of the natural disaster of the hurricane that just recently destroyed mountain communities in western North Carolina, with homes and lives swept away in an avalanche of water and mud. So it was back in March, 1910 when a mile wide bank of snow detached from Windy Top in the northern Cascades of Washington State, slamming into three parked trains near Wellington, sending cars and sleeping passengers tumbling into the ravine. Over ninety lives were lost.

This could be considered a trial of supreme magnitude. Yet scripture commands we consider joy in the midst of it. The word joy evokes smiles and laughter, peace and satisfaction. It brings to mind Jesus resting in the boat in the midst of a raging storm, tossed about on high waves while the disciples huddle together in abject fear. After He calms the seas He asks them, “Where is your faith?” It demands the human mind look away from apparent destruction to something higher. To look beyond what one sees to the unseen. To trust God even when nothing appears trustworthy.

When the Avalanche Roared delves into the flames that spark, not from smoldering locomotives in a ravine, but within a small rail town that banded together in the wee hours of a frigid morning to rescue others. The destruction is evident. But the grit and determination of those who dug out people from heavy snow solidified by rain and cared for the suffering while their town remained isolated from the world speaks of a picture far greater than the picture of destruction. So it is today with communities swallowed by mud and trees and splintered fragments of homes as reminders of a destructive hurricane. Beyond the visual are the outpouring of help and compassion and holding the hands of those weakened by disaster in gestures of hope and resolve. And in this, a new birth of joy is realized.

God created us to find joy in struggle, to develop perseverance to achieve a goal despite what is thrown our way, to realize that when we do, we truly lack nothing. And therein we find lasting peace even in the midst of catastrophe.

Strangers unite to help the hurting.

A friend flew from Florida to North Carolina and arranged with this store owner for a free truckload of water for communities devastated by the hurricane.

My Thoughts

When the Avalanche Roared is the fifth book in the A Day to Remember series. The series is based off historical events. This story is written by Lauralee Bliss. I have really enjoyed this series. Some of the events I have read about, but some, like this one is new to me. I always love when I can learn.

Lillian Hartwick is engaged. She is waiting for her fiancé to come from California. She has been in the small railroad town of Wellington, Washington, caring for her cousin and assisting the postmaster. However they experience a lot of snow and everything comes grinding to a halt. Griffin Jones, who works odd jobs for the railway has been trying to catch Lillian's eye. Griffin is made fun of because he is not the brightest crayon in the box.

On March 1, 1910, a devasting avalanche happens. Griffin and Lillian rush to help those affected. What I love is despite how bad Griffin has been made fun of, he jumps right in to assist even those who hurt him. I love how the author not only wrote about a literal avalanche, but life that was changing for those in the story. They have real struggles. I thought the author captured the time period beautifully.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Celebrate Lit or allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 30

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 30

Stories By Gina, January 31 (Author Interview)

Pens Pages & Pulses, January 31

Texas Book-aholic, February 1

Blossoms and Blessings, February 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 2

Simple Harvest Reads, February 3 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

Life on Chickadee Lane, February 4

Connie’s history classroom, February 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 5

Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 6

Betti Mace, February 7

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 8

Cover Lover Book Review, February 9

Holly’s Book Corner, February 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 10

For Him and My Family, February 11

Pause for Tales, February 12

Leslie’s Library Escape, February 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lauralee is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon eGift Card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54145

Tour Reminders

Friday, January 24, 2025

My Thoughts The Train That Took You Away is written by Catherine Hokin.

Book Description:

Berlin, 1938. I wipe the tears streaming down my darling son’s face, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “I promise I will find you, my love. No matter what…”

Ever since the Nazis came to power, violence has spread through the city Esther Spielmann once called home. Each night she prays her family will be spared. But when her husband and father are murdered alongside fellow Jews during Kristallnacht, she has no choice but to send her beloved son, Sascha, to safety.

Esther’s heart breaks as she watches his thin legs trembling in the cold as he is ushered with the other crying children towards the Kindertransport. As the train leaves in a cloud of smoke, she thinks of the painting of the two of them hanging in their house. In it, they are tightly embracing and laughing, everything just as it should be. She vows that she will hold him like this once again. But has Esther made a promise she can’t possibly keep?

Each day the hope of finding Sascha burns like a flame in Esther’s chest. The war has taken everything from her, including the painting of her and her beloved son. Then one day the guards come. This time it is Esther who must get on a train. But unlike Sascha, Esther is not being carried to safety. She has heard whispers of the horrors of the concentration camps. But knows she must do everything in her power to survive…

When Esther hears word that her painting might have been found, hope of finding Sascha blooms once more in her chest. In the ashes of war, can she make her way back to her beloved son? And if they do meet again, will either of them be prepared for what they find?

An absolutely devastating, heartbreaking page-turning story of a family torn apart by war – and the hope that can sustain us in the darkest of places. Perfect for fans of The Book of Lost Names and The Nightingale.

Author Bio:

I seem to have followed a rather meandering career, including marketing and teaching and politics (don't try and join the dots), to get where I have always wanted to be, which is writing historical fiction. I am a story lover as well as a story writer and nothing fascinates me more than a strong female protagonist and a quest. Hopefully those are what you will encounter when you pick up my books.

I am from the North of England but now live very happily in Glasgow with my American husband. Both my children have left home (one to London and one to Berlin) which may explain why I am finally writing. If I'm not at my desk you'll most probably find me in the cinema, or just follow the sound of very loud music.

I'd love to hear from you and there are lots of ways you can find me, so jump in via my website https://www.catherinehokin.com/ or on my Cat Hokin FB page or on twitter @catherineh66267.

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DK99YTT3social

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

My Thoughts

The Train That Took You Away is written by Catherine Hokin. This is a new to me author and I enjoyed being transported back to World War II era in this heartbreaking story.

Esther has been saddened to see the destruction that has been caused since the Nazis came to power. She’s hoping that everything will return to normal and then her husband and father are murdered she realizes that she needs to protect her young son. I can’t even imagine the heartache that she must have felt when she had to make a difficult decision.

She decides to sent Sascha on the Kindertransport to England. She knows that his chances of surviving are better this way. The author wrote Esther’s emotions so well you could feel them coming off the pages.

There’s a parallel story in here. We meet Amalie. She’s a British Art Conservator and has come to Berlin to protect the art. Esther’s had her gallery looted with precious things stolen. However it becomes apparent that Amalie can’t stay put with the worsening environment around her. This is a part of the war that you don’t think about. The loss of historical pieces.

The author has done a wonderful job in transporting readers back in time. The characters are well written. The storyline is packed full of rich historical details.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Monday, January 20, 2025

My Thoughts - Emma’s Engagement Author: Susan G Mathis

About the Book

Book: Emma’s Engagement

Author: Susan G Mathis

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: January 21, 2025

A lighthouse. A new wife. A jealous daughter. Can love shine through the darkness?

Emma Row yearns for a fresh start and a chance to build a loving family. But as she steps into her role as the Rock Island Lightkeeper’s wife, she finds herself navigating the treacherous waters of isolation and the bitter rejection of her new stepdaughter, Ada.

Michael Diepolder, the widowed lightkeeper, had hoped securing a companion would brighten his life and be a needed mother figure to his eleven-year-old daughter. Yet, as Emma struggles to adapt to the challenges of her new life, Michael realizes that the path to happiness is far more turbulent than he ever anticipated.

As a storm brews on the horizon, Emma and Michael must confront the tempestuous waves of doubt, jealousy, and isolation that threaten to extinguish the light of their love. Can they weather the storm and find the strength to keep their family together, or will the darkness consume them all?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has thirteen in her Thousand Islands fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise,Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment,A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, and Julia’s Joy, and Emma’s Engagement.

My Thoughts

Emma's Engagement is book three in the Love at a Lighthouse series that is written by Susan Mathis. This is a fairly quick read at 222 pages. While this is part of a series, this can be read as a stand alone. The author has done a great job in transporting readers back in time.

Emma, a librarian marries Michael and son assumes the role of wife of a lighthouse keeper and step mom. Michael's daughter, Ada is quite the challenge to start with. Ada has been at boarding school, and is now home for the summer. Seeing the new family navigate the new normal was heart warming to watch.

We see God at work when a near tragedy rocks the three of them. Emma and her faith help to heal and bond. I enjoyed all the sweet moments that the author wrote in.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

Saturday, January 11, 2025

My Thoughts -What I Left for You (Echoes of the Past Book Three) Author: Liz Tolsma

About the Book

Book: What I Left for You (Echoes of the Past Book Three)

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction

Release date: December 1, 2024

A Family’s Ties Were Broken in Poland of 1939

1939
Helena Kostyszak is an oddity—an educated female ethnic minority lecturing at a university in Krakow at the outbreak of WWII. When the Germans close the university and force Jews into the ghetto, she spirits out a friend’s infant daughter and flees to her small village in the southern hills. Helena does everything in her power to protect her family, but it may not be enough. It will take all of her strength and God’s intervention for both of them to survive the war and the ethnic cleansing to come.

2023
Recently unengaged social worker McKenna Muir is dealt an awful blow when a two-year-old she’s been working with is murdered. It’s all too much to take, so her friend suggests she dive into her family’s past like she’s always wanted. Putting distance between herself and her problems might help her heal, so she and her friend head on Sabbatical to Poland. But what McKenna discovers about her family shocks everyone, including one long-lost family member.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Liz Tolsmais the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping.

More from Liz

I stared at my computer screen in front of me. For years, I had been searching for my great-grandmother, Anna. I got no good information. Census records in the US weren’t helpful. Some listed her birthplace as Czechoslovakia, while others had it as Austria. I had heard before that she might have been born in Czechoslovakia before, but never Austria. There were no records that I had come across that listed the city or town where she was born.

Until that one day. While searching for my great-grandmother, I ran across a passport application recorded in Warsaw, Poland, for an Anna with the same last name, though spelled differently. Her birthday was listed as 1903, which matched the birth year I knew for my great-grandmother’s niece. As I read through the application, my heart was pounding. This Anna was born in the United States but went to Dubne, Poland, with her family in 1906. It was now 1923, and she wanted to return to the US, and she would be living with…

I started to cry when I saw who her sponsor was. My great-grandfather. The name and address were correct. There could be no doubt about it. It had taken me years, but I finally made the jump to Europe and discovered that my great-grandmother was not born in Czechoslovakia but in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is now Poland.

Of course, good little researcher that I am, I had to find out all I could about Dubne, the town they were from. That’s when I first came across the term Lemko. What on earth was that?

Lemkos are a Slavic people that settled in the Carpathian Mountains of Southern Poland, Northern Slovakia, and Western Ukraine. They are also known as Lemko Rusyns, Rusyns (especially those born in Slovakia, like my great-grandfather), and Carptho-Rusyns. The mountains kept the world at bay, and they developed their own language, customs, and form of Christianity. For the most part, they were very poor, many of them eking out a living from the rocky ground.

They lived in “black houses,” called that because the poorest people couldn’t afford to have a chimney built. The smoke from the cooking and heating fires stayed inside the house and covered the walls with black tar. If you look at the cemetery records from Dubne, you would be old if you lived into your fifties. Conditions were brutal.

The most the average Lemko could afford was one sheep or one pig. Since this was their most prized possession, they couldn’t take the chance of a wild animal or a neighbor taking it away, so it lived in the house with them.

With all of them. Up to eleven people would live in a two-room house. When I mentioned that in What I Left for You, my editor questioned if I had made a mistake. No, I didn’t. I have no idea how they fit all those people in there, but they did. As I was tracking one branch of our family tree, I kept coming up with people living in house 43. Over and over and over. They stuffed that house full. Grandparents, parents, and children all lived together. They may not have had much, but that forged the Lemkos into strong and resilient people.

I’m proud to be Lemko-Rusyn, and I’m thrilled to share this story with you. I infused Helena, the historical heroine, with as much of the Lemko spunk and spirit as I could. Last October, my daughter and I had the privilege to travel to Poland and Slovakia and see the Lemko homeland for ourselves. It helped me to write a better, richer story because I now understand where they came from and who they were. Enjoy Helena’s story and her journey during WWII and beyond. I hope you come to understand and appreciate the Lemko people as much as I have.

My Thoughts

What I Left for You is book three in the Echoes of the Past series that is written by

Liz Tolsma. This is a dual time line Christian Historical Fiction. This book took me in an emotional journey that I wasn’t prepared for. One of the most amazing things about this author is that she does careful research and while you’re reading you’re also getting a history lesson that you may have never learned in school.

Readers are transported back to 1939 Poland. We’re sent to a world where we see right before the invasion. Helena Kostyszak is an oddity—an educated female ethnic minority lecturing at a university in Krakow. When the Germans close the university, she sees the Jews be forced to ghettos. So she takes her friends infant daughter and hides in her small town. Her courage and strength to save friends and family is inspiring.

Blended and woven together with 2023 we meet a woman McKenna who has always wanted to learn her families history. She takes a break after a case that she was the assigned social worker on goes wrong. She finds more than she ever would have imagined.

While this is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone book. I learned so much that I didn’t know before because of it. I love that the author brought Poland to life through the pages. I may or may not have cried a few times while reading.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Celebrate Lit for allowing me to read such an amazing story. All thoughts are my own.