A Passion Redeemed:The Blog Tour

If you like romance in epic proportions-and I'm not just referring to the heroines incredible figure- you will like A Passion Redeemed.

However, I didn't bond with the bodacious protagonist, Charity O'Connor-mainly because I'm not a Scarlett O'Hara fan. To be really fair to her I should read book one in this series, but from what I understand, Charity was really baaad in book one-so it's unlikely that I would root for her more that I did in A Passion Redeemed...

That said, I don't think that you have to love the main character in order to enjoy this book or glean some insight into the power of seduction and jealousy. Julie Lessman weaves an interesting tale about life, love, lust(heavy on the lust),forgiveness, dire consequences, and ultimately some human redemption.

Spiritually, there is no question that this book addresses some of the problems resulting from misused passion and it's affects on friends and loved ones.

I am truly glad that this series is available for the true romance aficionado.

God bless Julie Lessman and may the ink keep flowing from her quill pen!!


Julie Lessman is a debut author who has already garnered writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She is a commercial writer for Maritz Travel, a published poet and a Golden Heart Finalist. Julie has a heart to write “Mainstream Inspirational,” reaching the 21st-century woman with compelling love stories laced with God’s precepts. She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. A Passion Most Pure was her first novel.

Blog Tour:Twice Loved by Lori Copeland

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder as a girl, but it's been a long time since I've read an "old west historical" novel and I'm really honored to have the opportunity to discuss the book here. (OK, I know that Laura was technically a prairie girl)...

Twice Loved is the second book in the Belles of Timber Creek series. The story picks up at the end of the Civil War, where our heroine, Willow Madison, has defended her home town, fought the Yankees- along with her best friends Copper and Audrey, and in the process lost just about everything in the burning rampage of the cruelest war in American history.

When her widowed uncle Wallace down in Texas writes her a letter outlining a plan that could solve all of their problems she is willing to give it a try. It seems that Silas Sterling, a wealthy gentleman in Thunder Ridge, has decided to settle down and is seeking a wife. Uncle Wallace is sure that Willow has what it takes to capture the rich Mr.Sterling's heart- she does- but would it mean selling out her own dreams of marrying for love or is this God's divine plan for her life? Silas is a nice man but happens to be thirty years her senior- I think Richard Gere would make a decent Silas Sterling...

Willow arrives in Thunder Ridge with a bang and sets of a chain of events that will involve forgiveness, love, faith, and buttermilk pie... Oh, and a really handsome sawmill owner with some fireworks of his own...

I think that Laura Ingalls Wilder would have really enjoyed this gentle saga with Lori Copelands signature characters and timeless themes.

Signs

What is it about us humans that makes us crave the out of the ordinary thing- the unusual arrow that unequivocally points to the direction that we should go? I get comfort from the little bits that seem like confirmations or affirmations that I am on the right track. Like when David and I were driving back from a law conference and I was pondering the promises that God makes to believers and a giant truck passed us with "Covenant Moving" plastered on the side like a heavenly banner. Or recently I was getting out of the mini van and looked down on the ground at a pamphlet that said-"I wait for the Lord" on the cover.

When we were in Kennebunkport I read the "Recent Storm Damage" sign on the beach over and over. "Help the healing dune grass", it admonished. I thought of the body of Christ and how it would be nice to have some kind of gentle urging for people going through hard situations. "Please keep back from rope". People in process of healing.

Beloved let us love one another.

Blog Tour: That's (Not Exactly) Amore by Tracey Bateman

Laini Sullivan is a somewhat unlikely heroine, but a thoroughly likable one none the less. For one thing, while not overweight, she has a healthy aversion to cruel workouts just for the sake of being thin. She also has an ability to create mouthwatering goodies that would put Little Red Ridinghood's grandma to shame.
After enduring an eight year career as an accountant, she is on the verge of completing a degree in interior design only to question if that is really her hearts desire (or gift). To complicate matters further, two gorgeous men are vying for her attention. One of them could be the man of her dreams and the other? Just another big bad wolf...
Tracey Bateman paints a believable yet humorous picture of the struggles a single (or married) woman can face in search of personal fulfillment in career and relationships.
This book will have you craving canolli and humming "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..."

All Through the Night- Blogger Tour

Award winning bestselling author Davis Bunn takes us on a wild ride (in a red Ferrari no less) in his action thriller All Through the Night. This was my first Davis Bunn read and as a John Grisham and James Patterson fan I am pleased to say that Mr.Bunn did not disappoint.

The hero, Wayne Grusza is a tough as nails special ops veteran with scars that go much further and deeper than than those acquired on the battlefield. He's tired of running from his pain but to even hope for a second chance at life and love seems like a moonshot. That is until he meets a group of senior citizens in need of a guy with his special skills and a lady with beauty equal to a modern day Ingrid Bergman in need of some healing of her own.
I thought it would be fun to imagine this bit from the book being narrated by Humphrey Bogart- so think Casablanca as you read the following:
"The voice was all burr and rough music, the words slanted at the edges like her eyes. Wayne thought it was silly getting a tingle in his gut, just hearing this woman finally speak. He saw in her gaze the message he had come to know all too well. The one that said, I'm not going to give you anything like what you want. Not now, not ever."

Pretty great huh?