Love and the Dream Come True by Tammy L. Gray

 Love and the Dream Come True by Tammy L. Gray is the third book in the State of Grace series. If you have been following along in the series this is Cameron’s story! He is now a struggling singer who is not doing well, and has decided to come home for his sister’s wedding. Lexie is the single mom who has had a crush on Cameron for years.

In this character driven story the backstory and chemistry between Cameron and Lexi had my heart from the beginning. As I watched them grow, change, and mature I was avidly rooting for them to have a happily ever after. The author does an amazing job tackling the big issues we all face without being too heavy. She touches your heart deeply while still making room for you to laugh and smile.

I was so invested in Love and the Dream Come True and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a story about genuine forgiveness, redemption, and the power of kindness. I am so glad I read this book and I highly recommend it to you.

“The only person you can control, Lexie, is you. Don’t spend your life as a grumbling spectator in someone else’s story.”

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Tammy L. Gray lives in the Dallas area with her family, and they love all things Texas, even the erratic weather patterns. Her nine modern and true-to-life contemporary romances include 2017 RITA award winning, My Hope Next Door, and show her unending quest to write high quality, culturally relevant stories with relatable and flawed characters.  

When not taxiing her three kids to various school and sporting events, Tammy can be spotted crunching numbers as the financial administrator at her hometown church. Writing has given her a platform to combine her passion with her ministry all while sharing the messy, yet remarkable journey that is a faith-filled life

Rookie Mistakes By Kelly Bandas

QOTD: What kind of Rookie mistakes have you made parenting or in a job?  When we were in the Honolulu airport while traveling to adopt our first son  I opened up a full baby bottle from the bottom and dumped it all over the airport and my new son.  I can still see myself sitting there thinking what on earth am I doing?  Why did I do that?  Definitely a rookie mistake as I was very new into the game.

I am so thrilled to be participating in the ROOKIE MISTAKES tour with @tlcbooktours. Thank you to @wpublishing @thomasnelson @kelly_bandas for the gifted book . You have to love this cover! My daughter helped me accentuate the heavenly vibe of the book cover. So why is that guinea pig in heaven? (you will find out when you read the book) 

Book Blurb:  In her highly anticipated nonfiction debut, comedian Kelly Bandas uses her trademark humor to recount stories of growing up and becoming a semi functional adult in a dysfunctional world.

 In this debut collection of essays, Kelly shares:

·         Funny, fast-paced, and uplifting stories

·         Encouragement for women who are tired of feeling like they will never measure up—and kind of don’t want to anyway

·         Inspiration to find your voice, your power, and your people

Kelly shares everything from laugh-out-loud accounts of Oregon Trail-themed first kisses to heartfelt insights gleaned from navigating life as a Christian feminist doing her best not to screw up being a parent of a child with a disability, in a trans-racial family.

Rookie Mistakes is the call-to-action millennial women everywhere have been waiting for.

My Book Review:  I laughed so hard as I read each essay.  The author has an enjoyable way of sharing a story that makes you laugh and ponder deep truths at the same time.   What a gift!   As the parent of seven children including three children through international adoption with disabilities, I enjoyed hearing her family's adoption journey in parts of the book.  She does a fabulous job here!  

In Rookie Mistakes the author shares her struggles, stories, and faith in a relatable way that speaks humorously  to women. This is a quick read with insight and truth that I greatly recommend.   

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Kelly Bandas is a writer and comedian best known for her popular Instagram and TikTok videos satirizing everything from millennial motherhood to social media culture. Whether she’s hosting her not-at-all Outlander support group or speaking up about things that really matter, Kelly’s mission is to always empower and lift up other women through community, inclusivity and laughter.

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes and narrated by Julia Whelan  was such a delight.  I am a new fan of audio books, and I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Whelan’s narration of the story.  I was so glad I listened to this story, it had a certain charm and there were parts I felt like I enjoyed more having it read to me.

 

The story was about a decoy duck that was taken and the process to get it back.  But, honestly there was so much more.  So many truths about life and figuring out who you are.  Reminding us that we only know a part of the people we love and the importance of really listening to understand them.   I was so invested in the characters in the story and found myself wanting to meet them in Maine.  I enjoyed the story and  highly recommend it.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

I'm a podcast host, novelist, culture critic, radio maker, interviewer, Twitter liker, Twitter fearer, dog owner, former lawyer, one-time college a cappella singer, occasional bread baker, photography dabbler, and very lucky weirdo. 
My dog’s name is Brian. He was rescued in Spain, where they have a surplus of speedy dogs like him, so he was brought to the United States where he had a better chance of being adopted. He was named Brian by the rescue (which seems to give all its dogs people names), and when I adopted him, it seemed like he’d had enough upheaval, so he kept his name. I take a lot of pictures of him. You can find them on Instagram at @primodogcontent.

Bayou Sweetheart by Lexi Blake

How can you not fall in love with that gorgeous corgi dog on the cover?  Bayou Sweetheart by Lexi Blake is the fifth in the series of the  Butterfly Bayou. I have not read the other books, but still was able to enjoy. I found this a Notting Hill type of story.  A movie star, Lexi Blake,  comes to the Bayou and falls in love with local deputy, Major Blanchard, after saving his life and his dog from a  bog. 

The story follows their journey as both characters soul search to find out what really matters to them and they both have to decide if they want the past to dictate their future.  The secondary characters are funny and add to the story including a cast of rogue racoons. 

Bayou Sweetheart  has small town charm, great characters, and the right dash of humor to be a good summer read.  A perfect beach read.    

Thank you to the publisher for my copy and I was not required to write a positive review.   

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she’s sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed The Bodyguard by Katherine Center! The story centers around Hannah who is a female bodyguard charged with taking care of Jack, a famous movie star. The story is told by Hannah in the future, and is delightful.

I loved every minute of this story with the amazing banter, relatable characters, and laugh out loud funny scenes. It was a pleasure to watch the characters grow and change and I loved being able to root for them. The epilogue was so funny I read it three times.

The author is a master story-teller who weaved marvelous life lessons into the story. I highly recommend and encourage you to make your 2022 better and read The Bodyguard.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Katherine Center is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of What You Wish For, How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire. She’s also written five other bittersweet comic novels about love and family, including The Bright Side of Disaster and Happiness for Beginners. Her fourth novel, The Lost Husband just became a feature film starring Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb. Katherine’s work has appeared in Redbook, O Magazine, InStyle, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Real Simple, Southern Living, and many others.

USA Today says, “Katherine Center writes amazing heartwarming novels.” The Dallas Morning News says, “Reading a book by Katherine Center is like having a long lunch conversation with an old friend you haven’t seen for a while — familiar, cozy and satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” And #1 NYT bestselling author Jodi Picoult says of Things You Save in a Fire, “Just read it, and thank me later.”

BookPage calls The Bright Side of Disaster, “beautifully penned and truly memorable.” People calls The Lost Husband, “A sweet tale about creating the family you need.” And InStyle says of Happiness for Beginners, “If you’re anything like us, you’ll read this book in one sitting.”

Katherine’s novels have been published in translation all around the world. Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads’ Best Books of the Year 2019, BookBub’s Best-Loved Books of 2019, the Indie Next Great Reads List, SheReads’ Best Women’s Fiction 2019, BookList’s Top Ten Women’s Fiction, and many, many more.

Katherine is also a speaker on writing, and reading, and how the stories we tell impact our lives—and she recently gave a TEDx talk on how stories teach us empathy. She lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her awesome husband, two sweet children, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog

This I Promise You by Mary Felkins

This I Promise You by Mary Felkins takes place in New Orleans and is the prequel Novella to her new series, The Heart of Moreland Manor. Adelyn is an elementary teacher whose tender heart worries about her students having enough to eat. Bryan Carlisle is a celebrity chef with a TV show, restaurant and elite cooking classes. One of his biggest regrets is leaving Adelyn at the altar and the absence of his family in his life.

I loved Adelyn and Bryan and was rooting for them to have a redeeming happily ever after. I enjoyed the food show spots and found myself craving gumbo as I wanted to head to beautiful New Orleans. This character driven story wonderfully combines thoughtful dialogue with real life issues such as food insecurity. I appreciated the depth of this delightful story.

This is a quick read I could not put down. It is the perfect opener to the author’s new series and I am excited to read the next book in the series. I recommend this great clean novella.

I was given a copy and not required to write a positive review.

I'm an inspirational romance author, blogger, and contributor to writer’s blogs.

A Lone Star girl at heart, I moved with my husband Bruce in 1997 from Houston to the splendorous foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. We have four young adult children.

My purpose in writing is to reclaim God’s intention and motivation when He created the world—to enable readers to know His heart and experience his love.
I can be lured from my writer's desk if presented with a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms®, a bouquet of gardenias, or an episode of Fixer Upper. A surprise appearance by my teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick—although I’d likely pass out.

If I like your first or last name upon introduction, expect to see it show up in one of my novels.

Rebuilding Hearts by Carolyn Miller

 Rebuilding Hearts by Carolyn Miller is part of the Independence Island series, but a stand alone novel. Bella moves to Sparrow Island to work in the library part time. Tim works at the landscaping business, Greener Gardens. The twist is they both survived the same bank robbery over seven year ago and do not know it yet. The question is do they have a future?

This wonderful character driven story takes place on Sparrow Island. Bella and Tim are humble and desire to do the right thing which makes them endearing and delightful. The secondary characters were delightful and added color to the story. They had me laughing out loud and wishing they were my friends too.

This story is filled with great romance, heart-felt reflections, and thoughtful dialogue. This is a wonderful series with characters that I wanted to invest in, and a story that made me smile. I highly recommend it.
I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food.

Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.

 

Learn more about Carolyn at www.carolynmillerauthor.com, or find her on Facebook (Carolyn Miller Author), Instagram (@CarolynMillerAuthor), and Twitter (@CarolynMAuthor). 

Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd.

 

We had so much fun with this picture. Each item in the picture plays a part in the marvelous story, Heirlooms, written by Sandra Byrd published by Tyndale.

Review:  Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd is a women’s fiction novel that takes place on Whidbey Island in Washington State. The book weaves together the story of present day Cassidy Quinn and her friend Grace Kim with Cassidy’s grandmother, Helen Devries, and friend Eunhee Roy from 1958. The story brings them all together through their home, plants, cooking, friendship, letters and their heirlooms.

This was one of the most delightful novels of 2022 for me. I loved the friendships shared, blending of cultures, support for people with disabilities, and seeing the changes in our world since 1958. The author built a wonderful community for her characters and I fell in love with the town of Whidbey Island. For me it was a very impactful story that I have pondered its lessons since finishing.

Heirlooms leads you to hope in the future, remember the value of each person you meet and it reminds you to make a difference in our world. Truly an inspiring read that I highly recommend.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Bestselling author Sandra Byrd continues to earn both industry acclaim and high praise from readers everywhere. The author of more than fifty books, her work has received many awards, nominations, and accolades, including the Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice award, two Christy Award nominations, Two Library Journal Best Book selections, and inclusion on Booklist’s Top Ten Inspirational Books of the Year list. Her traditionally published books include titles by Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Tyndale House Publishers, WaterBrook Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and Bethany House. She’s also an independent author.

Sandra loves walking, the beach, cooking and baking, photography, watching Escape to the Country, Fake or Fortune, and Chef’s Table, as well as spending time with family and friends – real and fictional!

Connect with Sandra at www.sandrabyrd.com, www.sandrabyrdbookcoach.com, or through social media platforms.

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