“Sanctuary” by Traci Hunter Abramson

Another amazing, thrilling “Guardian” novel by Traci Abramson! Great characters, fast pace, filled with suspenseful and drama. I liked that Renee and Kade from “Safe House” were a part of this novel as well. I really enjoyed the characters Kristi, Ace and Samson the dog. I hope there will be future Guardian novels because I really really enjoyed it!!

I highly recommend this clean, thrilling, suspense fiction by Traci Hunter Abramson! Once you pick it up and start reading, you won’t want to put it down!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
Kristi Hartinger has come to terms with her life as a single, thirty-something woman. She was in love . . . once. But following her boyfriend’s tragic death, no one else could capture her heart. And nothing else could fill that void, though the serenity of the ocean came close. Two years ago, Kristi left the craziness of her Wall Street career behind and embraced a simpler life on her family’s private island off the coast of Maine. As a resident of the small beach community, she anticipates a quiet future until she comes face-to-face with her past.
Ace Samson is dead, or so the world believes. As a member of a secret organization known as the guardians, he was forced to fake his death years ago, leaving everything behind when he became an agent. So when he is selected to offer a potential new recruit a job with the organization, Ace braces himself: for the first time in more than a decade, he must face the woman he loved and left.

Kristi’s world is rocked by Ace’s sudden reappearance, and she’s soon drawn into his world of danger and cover-up. But when Kristi herself becomes a target, Ace will do whatever it takes to protect the only woman he has ever loved.

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MY REVIEW:
It took me several chapters to get into this book because of the main character Luke. He is in his early 20 yrs and is stubborn, arrogant, rude, and seemingly unrepentant. It takes Luke most of the book to truly repent and apologize to all the local townspeople who he offended and hurt along the way while he was in his early youth. Most of the wrongdoings and apologizes were sincere and realistic but some were a little ridiculous. (meaning I felt he apologized for offenses that didn’t even need to be brought up again years later that were so minor that people didn’t remember them) Most of the book was spent with Luke helping out others and learning how his actions affected those around him. It was very eye opening to read both sides of the story.

Overall it was a good story and once I got into the flow of the book and characters, I enjoyed reading it. This is the start of the “The Deacons Family” series so I can’t wait to read more about Luke, Izzy, Jenny, Fern, Amos and the rest of the town.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book

Book: Mending Fences

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Christian fiction, Amish, Mennonite

Release Date: February 5, 2019

Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.

Luke Schrock is a new and improved man after a stint in rehab, though everyone in Stoney Ridge only remembers the old Luke. They might have forgiven him, but nobody trusts him. He has been allowed to live at Windmill Farm under two conditions. First, he must make a sincere apology to each person he’s hurt. Second, he must ask each victim of mischief to describe the damage he caused.

Simple, Luke thinks. Offering apologies is easy. But discovering the lasting effects his careless actions have caused isn’t so simple. It’s gut-wrenching.

And his list keeps growing. Izzy Miller, beautiful and frustratingly aloof, also boards at Windmill Farm, and Luke’s clumsy efforts to befriend her only insult and annoy her. Eager to impress, Luke sets out to prove himself to her by locating her mother. When he does, her identity sends shock waves through Stoney Ridge.

“A funny, heartwarming story of friendship, love, and the possibility of happily ever after.”—Amy Clipston, bestselling author of Seat by the Hearth

“Suzanne Woods Fisher has written a sweet and poignant story you won’t want put down. Definitely a must read!”—Kathleen Fuller, bestselling author of the Amish of Birch Creek series

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About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including the Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher.

More from Suzanne

A Friend in Need

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” –Walter Winchell

Luke Schrock was nearly friendless. He returned to Stoney Ridge in Mending Fences after a stint in rehab only because his bishop, David Stoltzfus, strongly encouraged him. And everybody knows you didn’t say no to your bishop.

But nobody else in town wanted anything to do with Luke. They forgave him for the trouble he’d caused in his last downward spiral, the one that went too far. The one that even scared Luke. Forgiving him was the easy part. The Amish of Stoney Ridge were intentional forgivers. It was their trust—that’s what he would have to earn. Trust was a fragile thing. Once broken, it wasn’t easily mended.

Somehow, David was still able to look past the behavior to see the best of Luke Schrock. He didn’t stop there. He found a family who was willing to take Luke in, and he spent hours with him—at times as a mentor, at times as a father figure, but mostly as a friend.

A loyal friend can have a powerful impact. Consider those friends in the town of Capernaum, who carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing—so determined to get to Him that they dragged his stretcher up onto a roof, broke through the roof tiles, and lowered him down. Can you imagine being in the crowd, listening to Jesus, as straw and tile pieces and branches and bugs started to drop down from the ceiling? A shocking display…of devoted friendship. And what a miraculous outcome for that paralyzed man!*

I won’t tell you how Luke’s story ends—only that he works hard to find ways to make amends to those he hurt, to regain trust. Especially the hard-to-earn trust of a brown-eyed beauty named Izzy.

Do you have a real friend like David Stoltzfus, who walks in when the rest of the world has walked out? Or maybe the better question, for you, for me, is to ask ourselves if we are friends to others like David Stoltzfus was to Luke Schrock. I know I want to be.

*This miracle is reported in three gospels: Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a grand prize of an Amazon Kindle!!

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/de7d/mending-fences-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Secret of Willow Inn (Willow Falls Series Book 1) by Pat Nichols

I enjoyed this story immensely and read it in one sitting. The small town, characters, and story line kept my interest from beginning to end. I really liked the main characters Emily and Rachel as they are introduced to each other because of a common friend and interest in investing in the town.

Several twists and turns, romance, tragedy, complicated relationships, and small town drama-all in this clean christian fiction novel. Great characters, great story-highly recommend reading it! I would love to read more stories about this town and their characters from this author!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
Two women fighting for their dreams—one who’s long lost hers—are united by tragedy and a long-held secret.

Pregnant with her first child, Emily Hayes is eager to help her mother finish transforming an estate into the Willow Inn and write a novel about Willow Falls’ colorful history. A tragic event threatens her parents’ plans to refurbish an abandoned hotel and transform the obscure Georgia setting into a tourist destination.

Sadie Lyles left Willow Falls a murderer who’d killed the town hero. She returns as a despised felon and seeks solace in the town’s café. Emily struggles to unite the close-knit community and becomes Sadie’s biggest advocate. She strives to uncover the truth about the crime and save her town from dying.

To appease her father, Rachel, a VP in his Atlanta real-estate-development firm, relegates her acting dream to secret performances for imaginary audiences. After meeting charming, flirtatious Charlie Bricker, manager for Willow Falls’ future vineyard, she vows to break free from her father’s control.

The tragedy and Willow Inn’s secret past launch Emily and Rachel on a collision course with destiny and truth.

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“When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams” by Jill Eileen Smith

I was absolutely drawn to how beautiful and peaceful this book cover is! If you look really close on the left-hand side you will see the 12 women listed who are included in this book. I have read many books by this author and have absolutely enjoyed all of them, so I was really excited to be a part of her launch team to promote this new nonfiction book.

“Life is full of twists and turns… We may be faced with choices we never wanted to make or have situations pushed upon us we never expected. Yet in all of it, God is at our side – even when he feels far away.”

The author uses 12 women from the old testament; like Eve, Rebekah, Leah, and Dinah; to give readers examples of what these women did right and what they did wrong, to help us with our daily choices and life expectations.

I’ve been taking time before work to read these stories and ponder the authors questions at the end of every chapter. I have enjoyed the biblical examples and the authors perspective on how we can relate them to our own daily life. Very well written- you can tell the author does her biblical research! This book would be absolutely great for a women’s book study group!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
Life is full of twists and turns. Relationships falter, careers fizzle, health fades. We may be faced with choices we never wanted to make or have situations pushed upon us we’d never expected. Yet, in all of it, God is at our side–even when he feels far away.

Drawing on her extensive research into women of the Old Testament, novelist Jill Eileen Smith turns her pen to the lessons in trusting God that we can learn today from women like

– Eve
– Noah’s wife
– Sarai
– Hagar
– Lot’s wife
– Rebekah
– Rachel
– and more

Readers will learn from what these ancient women did right–and even what they did wrong–when faced with dashed expectations and deferred dreams. And they’ll come away with the confidence that ours is a faithful God who loves us and is forming us through our trials into the women he longs for us to be.

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About the Author
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, The Loves of King Solomon, and Daughters of the Promised Land. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.