Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Book Review and Giveaway - Queen of the Rockies Author: Angela Breidenbach On tour with Celebrate Lit

About the Book

Book: Queen of the Rockies

Author: Angela Breidenbach

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: September 1, 2021

What will her courage cost?
1889 (Helena, MT): As the gold rush era ends in the most elegant and modern city in the world and Montana emerges as a state, one woman must decide if social pressure will prevail over her own beliefs. Calista Blythe enters the first Miss Snowflake Pageant celebrating Montana at Christmastime to expose the plight of street urchins. But hiding an orphan could unravel Calista’s reputation, and her budding romance with pageant organizer, Albert Shanahan, if her secret is revealed. Will love or social pressure prevail? Courage is choosing to do the right thing regardless of the cost… Romantic, comedic adventure set in picturesque Helena, Montana written by a bestselling author who is also a professional genealogist.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Angela Breidenbach is a professional genealogist, media personality, bestselling author, and screenwriter. She’s also the Christian Authors Network president. Angie lives in Montana with her hubby and Muse, a trained fe-lion, who shakes hands, rolls over, and jumps through a hoop. Surprisingly, Angie can also. Don’t miss her show and podcast, Genealogy Publishing Coach! Find her on social media: @AngBreidenbach

More from Angela

Queen of the Rockies captured my imagination and my interest in the originality of Montana’s entrance into the United States of America. The people of Montana are quite varied, a true but much unknown fact. People here come from around the world, completely different genealogical origins as well as backgrounds. The influence of gold mining, transportation, and entrepreneurship as well as the exploration of the wild and beautiful lands inspired amazing creativity for both survival and communities.

From completely uncivilized mining camps to stunning old world know-how of the native peoples to about 100 different immigrant nations brought Montana to statehood. Today, many of those descendants still are here farming, mining, doing business. Many of those languages are still spoken. We have immigrant populations that have continued to come. So though Montana is thought to be nearly all white Americans, that’s not anywhere close to the real Montana. Don’t believe everything you see on TV 😉 Come see for yourself.

Vibrant wildlife, dangers of the wilderness and weather, and the opportunity partnered with intensely hard-working conditions created more millionaires in one place than had ever been before. But that didn’t mean everyone knew how to handle that new wealth. Vigilantes, including a sheriff who robbed those he was supposed to protect, ran the ranges for years. The women who brought civilization tamed the men who couldn’t quite keep themselves under control. It’s these incredible women who braved the elements and the hardships that are the stars in my books. Come and meet them. They continue to inspire me today!

Touring and researching through Montana and especially the three original capitals (finally ending up with Helena) fascinated me. There’s so much to do year-round here. I enjoyed it so much that I wrote short travel articles at the back of each book for my readers. I really hope those articles will intrigue people to come and visit the ghost towns, living history towns, hot springs, mountains, and small cities. Each book in this 6-book series will share something special that may not be well-known but will be unforgettable for you as a tourist.

I hope the stories are fun, full of historic entertainment and romance, but also that you’ll have a fresh view of Montana that fires you up to come and visit our beautiful state.

Please remember to pop over to my website and send me a note through the contact page if you’d like an autographed bookplate for all of your copies of the Queen of the Rockies series. If you’re an eBook fan, I’ve heard of the brilliant idea to keep an album of your favorite authors bookplates. I’d be happy to send you those for an album as well.

Best wishes,

Angela Breidenbach

My Thoughts

I am a huge fan of learning while reading a story. Especially one that is fiction. I love that in Queen of the Rockies Angela Breidenbach has done just that. I learned so much about Montana and it's start as a state. The author takes us on a journey of those who have lived in the territory for awhile. I love in the beginning of the story that the author points out that she did research and her story is based on real people. I appreciate that about her. Bringing real people into her story makes the story come alive.

Calista enters a pageant. It's the first Miss Snowflake Pageant that celebrates Montana at Christmas time. Her goal is to expose the plight of children on the street. She has a budding romance with the pageant organizer, Albert could prove to put Calista in a predicament. However, she has a secret she has been keeping could also damage her reputation. Calista is bound and determined to help these orphans, even if it costs her everything. Albert, who is very likeable, wants to see Helena become a bustling town. The gold is drying up and people want to move on. He wants to create a livable, bustling town. He wants to marry Calista. What will he think of her hiding an orphan?

I love all the historical facts in this book. The book is well written. It's short read, at about 150 pages, but there is so much that is packed into that 150 pages. I am looking forward to continuing to read this series. Thank You to the author and Celebrate Lit for allowing me to read this story, all thoughts are my own.

Blog Stops

lakesidelivingsite, January 17

Austen’s Angle: Jane Austen’s Influence in Modern America, January 17

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 19

Joanna Bair Author, January 19

Texas Book-aholic, January 20

Betti Mace, January 20

Inklings and notions, January 21

Connect in Fiction, January 21

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 22

For Him and My Family, January 22

deb’s Book Review, January 23

Blossoms and Blessings, January 23

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 24

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 25

Pause for Tales, January 25

Connie’s History Classroom, January 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 27

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 27 (Spotlight)

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, January 28

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, January 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 30

Mary Hake, January 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Angela is giving away the grand prize 20-minute genealogy consultation to a winner via Zoom!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/17c5b/queen-of-the-rockies-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Book Review and Giveaway - Crown of the Warrior King Author: Henry O. Arnold On Tour with Celebrate Lit

About the Book

Book: Crown of the Warrior King

Author: Henry O. Arnold

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: December 1, 2021

The desire of Israel…

the first to wear the crown is the warrior king

For decades the nation of Israel had no rest from her enemies. The people cried out, “Give us a king to lead us, to go out before us, to fight our battles.” And Yahweh hears the cries of the chosen. He plucks a king out of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes—Saul, son of a herdsman. The prophet Samuel anoints him as Israel’s first warrior king.

Under the banner of the wolf, the symbol of his tribe, Saul rises to prominence, winning the hearts and minds of the people of Israel with his success on the battlefield and benevolent leadership.

But when the nation of Israel cries out, “For the love of Israel. For the glory of Yahweh. For the honor of the king,” the praises of the people turn the humble heart of the warrior king into one filled with pride—a pride that has fatal consequences.

In this tale of triumph and tribulation, deepest love and burning rivalries, the new epoch is given a voice…and it is a Song of Prophets and Kings.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Henry O. Arnold has co-authored a work of fiction, Hometown Favorite, with Bill Barton, and nonfiction, KABUL24, with Ben Pearson. He also co-wrote and produced with Steve Taylor (director) and Ben Pearson the film The Second Chance starring Michael W. Smith, the screenplay for the authorized film documentary on evangelist Billy Graham, God’s Ambassador, and the documentary film KABUL24, based on the book which is the story of western and Afghani hostages held captive by the Taliban for 105 days. He lives on a farm in Tennessee with his lovely wife Kay. They have two beautiful daughters married to two handsome men with three above-average grandchildren. For more information please visit: www.henryoarnold.com

More from Henry

After the golden age of theatre in the Greek and Roman times, the theatre went dark, very dark as in Dark Ages, and for centuries it was thus. But it was the church that brought the theatre back to life by staging passion plays on biblical subjects. Since most people could not read at the time, it was a great way to tell the folks some Bible stories. The world has certainly improved its literacy skills since then. The delight I have in reading and writing stories from the Bible or on biblical themes has been with me for a long time.

When I formulated the concept of retelling the stories of the first three kings of Israel and matching them with the leading prophets of that age, the title of the series, The Song of Prophets and Kings, was a perfect match for the biblical/historical fiction genre. The first volume in this series, A Voice Within the Flame, was released last year and features the life of the prophet Samuel up to and including the anointing and coronation of Saul as the first king of Israel. Now it is time for the second volume, Crown of the Warrior King. This second novel picks up where the last one left off.

Whether the reader or listener is familiar with the biblical stories or not, I have written these novels in such a way that makes these ancient stories come to life in the modern world. When the reader/listener dives into stories that are 3,000 years old, it will be surprising how we all can see ourselves in these characters.

These are biblical stories that I grew up with and have read and studied all my life. It is a joy to get to share them with you in this series, The Song of Prophets and Kings.

My Thoughts

Crown of the Warrior King is book two in the Song of the Prophets and Kings series that is written by Henry O. Arnold. This is a Biblical Fiction book. I have read book one in the series. This book we look at Saul as King. As we can remember from the Bible, not everyone was pleased when Saul was King. The book follows along with 1 Samuel. The first book in the series was loosely based on the Bible, this one seemed to align more with the Bible.

We sometimes forget that those in the Bible are real people. They had feelings, families, personalities, struggles and goals. I love that the author created those in his work. The author puts a lot of details into his story so that you can visualize everything that is going on around you. I really enjoyed seeing Saul come to life - complete with battles.

I hope to see more from this author. I normally don't read Biblical Fiction stories - but the author has a way of bringing Biblical characters to life right before your eyes.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit blogging program - all thoughts are my own.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 13

Texas Book-aholic, January 14

Beauty in the Binding, January 15 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 15

For Him and My Family, January 16

Inklings and notions, January 17

deb’s Book Review, January 18

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 19

Splashes of Joy, January 20 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 21

Connie’s History Classroom, January 22

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 23 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 24 (Spotlight)

Cats in the cradle blog, January 25

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 26 (Author Interview)

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, January 26

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Henry is giving away the grand prize package of a signed copy of the book and a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/17c58/crown-of-the-warrior-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, January 17, 2022

Book Review and Giveaway - Harmony on the Horizon Author: Kathleen Denly On Tour with Celebrate Lit

About the Book

Book: Harmony on the Horizon

Author: Kathleen Denly

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: January 4, 2022

Her calling to change the world may be his downfall.

On the heels of the Great Rebellion, Margaret Foster, an abolitionist northerner, takes a teaching position in 1865 San Diego—a town dominated by Southern sympathizers. At thirty-seven years of age, Margaret has accepted spinsterhood and embraced her role as teacher. So, when Everett Thompson, the handsomest member of the School Board, reveals his interest in her, it’s a dream come true. Until her passionate ideals drive a wedge between them.

After two decades of hard work, Everett Thompson is on the verge of having everything he’s dreamed of. Even the beautiful new teacher has agreed to his courtship. Then two investments go south and a blackmailer threatens everything Everett has and dreams of.

As Everett scrambles to shore up the crumbling pieces of his life, Margaret unwittingly sets off a scandal that divides the small community and threatens her position as teacher. With the blackmailer still whispering threats, Everett must decide if he’s willing to risk everything for the woman still keeping him at arm’s length.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Kathleen Denly lives in sunny California with her loving husband, four young children, and two

cats. As a member of the adoption and foster community, children in need are a cause dear to her heart and she finds they make frequent appearances in her stories. When she isn’t writing, researching, or caring for children, Kathleen spends her time reading, visiting historical sites, hiking, and crafting.

More from Kathleen

Who Invented Romance?

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but romance novels are sometimes viewed as the black sheep of the fiction industry. For various reasons, some people view romance stories with a disdainful eye. Knowing this, I still choose to write romance stories and some may wonder why.

First and foremost, I’ve had a passion for romance for as long as I can remember. I was absolutely one of those typical little girls who played dress-up in her mother’s clothes (or in my case, her lingerie. Eek! I had no idea. LOL) and planned my future wedding day. For reasons I can’t explain, the idea of a man and woman falling in love and pledging their life to one another has always enthralled me.

Or perhaps I can explain.

You see, I was raised in a Christian family and have always been exposed to the Bible. Have you ever looked at your Bible from a romantic perspective? When you stop to consider it, there is more than enough romance in God’s Word to justify placing it on the Romance Novel shelf in a bookstore. At least there would be if novels weren’t inherently fiction and the Bible wasn’t entirely true. (And aren’t we grateful that the Bible is completely true?)

So, in a way, one could say that God is the first romance author. After all, what is more romantic than a groom sacrificing his life for his bride? It even has the requisite happy ending, because He rose from the dead and will return for His bride.

The thing is, God isn’t just a romance author, He’s the inventor of romance. He was the first to demonstrate what love truly is. He is the one who defines it and describes its fruits so that we can recognize it when we see it. It’s His love that gives us life.

And the thing about romantic love is that it has a unique power to change people, to break down their emotional walls in ways that might not happen otherwise. There is a reason God designed man and woman to be together. Many reasons, in fact. But I am convinced that one of them is His ability to use that beautiful relationship to draw His children closer to His own heart.

So yes, some may look down on romance novels and those who read or write them, but I stand tall and proud, because I know that true romance–the kind God authors–is something to cherish and honor. I am blessed to be able to share God’s truths through the wondrous stories of two hearts joining together as one.

My Thoughts

Harmony on the Horizon is book three in the Chapparall Series. I have read all three books and have enjoyed all of them. This series is written by Kathleen Denly. One of the things that I really appreciate about this author is the fact that she does a lot of research to ensure that her story is as accurate as possible. She also takes real world issues/problems of the time period that she is writing about and tackles them with God's Grace.

This story, took me about 3 chapters to get fully invested into the story. The author introduces a lot of characters and point of views. Once you get them sorted out, it's smooth sailing from there. This book is set in California in July of 1865. The Civil War has just ended and Margaret Foster has gone west in search of a job. Margaret is from Boston. Being in California is much different then what she is used too. Margaret favors more of abolitionist views. San Francisco and San Diego has more of Southern sympathizer views. This an potentially affect her teaching position that Everett Thompson has helped her get.

Everett Thompson is a business man with multiple investments in San Diego and San Francisco. He brings Margaret to San Diego for a teaching position, however he is worried that her abolitionist views will cause an uproar with the parents of the students. He is also drawn to her, despite her being older then him.

There is also the point of views of Fletcher and Katie. Katie has a hard time keeping her job, and Fletcher works in gambling hall that Everett manages. Fletcher has acquired skills as a forger. He wants to try and help Katie get a better position. Katie daydreams and makes mistakes. Fletcher I had mixed feelings about. He wanted to change the world one bit at a time, but some of the ways he did them were questionable.

Overall, this was a good book. I enjoyed the history of the book. I loved the way the author handled post-Civil war western tension. The characters are well written, the storyline is intriguing and this is a great addition to the series.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit Blogging Program, all thoughts are my own.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 6

Bizwings Blog, January 7

Austen’s Angle: Jane Austen’s Influence in Modern America, January 7

Texas Book-aholic, January 8

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 9

The Christian Fiction Girl, January 9

Inklings and notions, January 10

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 11

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 11

deb’s Book Review, January 12

For Him and My Family, January 13

Mary Hake, January 13

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 14

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, January 15

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 16

Blossoms and Blessings, January 16

Connie’s History Classroom, January 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 18

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 19

Book Butterfly in Dreamland, January 19

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a Kindle Fire HD8 Plus, a custom Harmony on the Horizon Kindle case, a Harmony on the Horizon altered notebook, a Chaparral Hearts pen, a pair of earrings, a pin, and a scripture keychain!!

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

https://promosimple.com/ps/17190/harmony-on-the-horizon-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, January 14, 2022

Book Review and Giveaway -Elinor Author: Shannon McNear On Tour with Celebrate Lit

About the Book

Book: Elinor

Author: Shannon McNear

Genre: Christian/Historical/Romance

Release date: December 1, 2021

A Journey Full of Hope…
Escape into a riveting story based on the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

Author Shannon McNear portrays history with vivid authenticity.

In 1587, Elinor White Dare sailed from England heavy with her first child but full of hopes. Her father, a renowned artist and experienced traveler, has convinced her and her bricklayer husband Ananias to make the journey to the New World. Land, they are promised, more goodly and beautiful than they can ever imagine. But nothing goes as planned from landing at the wrong location, to facing starvation, to the endless wait for help to arrive. And, beyond her comprehension, Elinor finds herself utterly alone. . . .
The colony at Roanoke disappeared into the shadows of history. But, what if one survived to leave a lasting legacy?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, grammie of two, and a member of ACFW and RWA. Her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® finalist. When she’s not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies. Connect with her at www.shannonmcnear.com, or on Facebook and Goodreads.

More from Shannon

Why did I write this story? Well, God shoved the opportunity under my nose, and I didn’t want to be guilty of taking the easy way out, by saying no. 😊

Really, while the concept was fascinating, the execution was daunting, and sometimes terrifying. The Elizabethan Era—before the King James Bible and even before Shakespeare was popular! As a student of the Revolutionary War and surrounding times, I felt very much out of my depth.

Though the research sucked me in, it was also daunting. Sifting through various interpretations of the primary accounts and their own speculations on why they felt things must have gone a certain way. Trying to “find” my story amongst all the theories and opinions. Above all, getting to know my characters and letting them come alive in my own imagination.

And come alive, they did—in full color, with a vividness I did not expect. I hope I was able to translate even a portion of what I envisioned to the page, so that you also can see them!

My Thoughts

Elinor is a Christian Historical Fiction story that is written by Shannon McNear. This book is set in 1590 and is based off the lost colony of Roanoke. This is a time period that I do not get to read about usually - and I felt like the author did a lot of research to make the story realistic. Elinor Dare is the daughter of John White, who is the appointed governor for the new colony. I love how the author took a realistic character and created a tale that will captivate you. The author did a great job laying the ground work of the history, then you get to know the characters. The story has mystery, adventure, sadness, suspense, hardship and so much more wrapped into this story.

Well written characters and intriguing storyline. I cannot wait to read the next book in the Daughters of the Lost Colony Series.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit Blogging Program, all thoughts are my own.