EmpowerMoms

“Beyond the Silence” by Tracie Peterson & Kimberley Woodhouse

Sometimes I have a hard time reading historical fiction because the time period is hard to relate to, but I did not have any problems reading and finishing this book!

It was very well written and suspenseful, along with some clean romance. There is also a religious element to this story as the characters learn forgiveness and brotherly compassion.

The main character Lillian, is a strong character in this book and knows how to stay focused on the job and take pride in what she does. She didn’t give up on her charge Jimmy or his dad even when things got intense.

Although readers will know right away who the killer is, it doesn’t detract from the book or make the story line predictable.

I don’t think I’ve read anything by these two authors before, but I will be looking for more books to read from them in the future! I would highly recommend this book and will be sharing it with my family members to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

EDITED TO ADD: Although this is a clean, religious fiction; I personally would not allow young adults to read this book because there are chapters where you read what the killer is thinking and doing and he is just evil. It’s not descriptive, but you know he has killed and will kill again. For that reason I would not allow my 14 year old to read this book.

Book Description:
Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother’s dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. There are rumors in town that her new employer, Woodward Colton, caused the death of his wife. This accusation doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know–and Mrs. Goodman, Woody’s long-time housekeeper, is decisively on Woody’s side–but many in town stay far away from Lillian because of her association with the Colton family.

Lillian’s six-year-old charge, Jimmy, was there when his mother died, and he hasn’t spoken a word since. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he’ll one day feel safe enough to tell her the truth about what happened. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. Will Mrs. Goodman and Jimmy be able to speak what they know in time to save Lillian from tragedy?

You can purchase a copy of the book here:

About the Authors:
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over 100 novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit Tracie’s website at www.traciepeterson.com to learn more.

Kimberley Woodhouse is a multi-published author and a popular speaker and teacher who has shared the theme of “Joy Through Trials” with hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Kim is a pastor’s wife and is passionate about music and Bible study.
She lives in Colorado with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two kids.

Lillian Porter takes a chance on a new job and a new future . . . but rumors surrounding her job make Lillian begin to wonder if she made the right choice in Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse’s Beyond the Silence. There are rumors in town that her new employer, Woodward Colton, caused the death of his wife. This accusation doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know . . . but soon the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. Will Mrs. Goodman and Jimmy be able to speak what they know in time to save Lillian from tragedy?

Tracie and Kimberley are celebrating the launch of Beyond the Silence with a Loaded Fire Prize Pack giveaway (details below) and an author chat party on February 11!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• One copy of Beyond the Silence
• A Kindle Fire 7
• A $50 Amazon gift card to load your Fire with books

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 2/11. The winner will be announced at the Beyond the Silence Facebook party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Tracie, Kimberley, and other readers, as well as for a chance to win other prizes!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!

Mermaid Moon (A Sunset Cove Novel) by Colleen Coble
Book 2 of 3 in the Sunset Cove Series

By chapter two my heart was pounding from all the action and suspense! This is not a book that you want to start reading towards the end of the night because you won’t want to put it down! I absolutely LOVE books by Colleen Coble, especially because they are suspenseful and “clean”.

Mermaid Moon is book 2 of the Sunset Cove series and mentions previous characters from book 1, however, it has it’s own story plot so it can be read alone or out of order. I like to mention that in case readers like to read books in order.

I really like the main characters Mallory, Kevin and Kevin’s daughter the best. Even though Mallory’s daughter is 14 and I can relate to the teenage drama and emotions (I have a 14 year old at home too!); I felt like her attitude and disrespect was a little over the top in this book. I would not have put up with that kind of behavior from my child!

The suspense, drama and romance were thrilling from chapter 1 to the very end of the book. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for book number 3 of Sunset Cove novel to be released later this year.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
Mallory’s mother died fifteen years ago. But her father’s last words on the phone were unmistakable: “Find . . . mother.”

Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point.

Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart—and left—without a word, years ago.

When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life—and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie—their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye.

As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

You can purchase a copy here:

About the author:
USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including Tidewater Inn, Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies.

To move forward past a life of shame and confusion, Mallory Davis must go back to Mermaid Point to find out who murdered her father in Colleen Coble’s new book, Mermaid Moon. As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer—it is also about finding herself again . . . and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

Celebrate the release of Mermaid Moon with Colleen and a mystery e-reader prize pack giveaway!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Mermaid Moon
• A Kindle Fire
• A mermaid necklace
• A pair of mermaid earrings

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on February 1st. The winner will be announced February 2nd on the Litfuse blog.

About FIRST LIGHT:
Seventeen-year-old Adrielle doesn’t believe in magic; she merely possesses it, though no one has ever mentioned that her unusual gifts—exceptional speed, a flair for fire, and an intimate knowledge of flora—aren’t things she was born with. When Adrielle starts a fire that burns down the family home, she must deal with both her grief and her siblings’ hurtful rejection.

While journeying to far away Tallinyne, in search of her older, estranged sister—the only relative who might take her in—Adrielle is separated from her escort when the carriage is beset by thieves. Alone, she is thrust into a dangerous and unfamiliar world where she encounters fairies and gypsies, a wild boar, a drunk cook, and an evil queen whose curse is sweeping death across the land. Adrielle also finds love, falling hard for a kind, funny, handsome—and completely unavailable prince.

From the glowing pearls tucked beneath her mattress and keeping her awake at night, to Queen Nadamaris’s curse that seems to thwart Adrielle’s every effort, Adrielle struggles to navigate a world of magic she never imagined, where people she knows and loves are not always what they appear to be. With the glowing pearls—and her fondest desire—within her grasp, she is forced to make a choice no girl should ever have to—satisfying her own heart or saving the kingdom.

Pre-order here from Amazon:
(Release Date: February 25, 2015)

Add to your Goodreads list:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28669109-first-light

The Captive (Griffin Force #1) by Julie Coulter Bellon

Commander Jake Williams gets assigned to a special team along with a woman named Mya, to rescue an American diplomat who has been taken hostage.

This is the first book in the Griffin Force series, and I hope there will be several more!

This story has a fast pace plot, great drama, suspense and clean romance. I couldn’t tell who was working together as a team and who was the enemy some of the time. Nothing was predictable or boring.

My 14 year old really enjoyed it as well! We both finished the book in a short time because we were so enthralled with the characters and story line.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

Book Description:
Former Navy SEAL Jake Williams is the newly appointed head of a task force assigned to rescue a kidnapped American diplomat. Their only hope is Mya Amari, the daughter of a notorious Algerian hostage negotiator, but she is full of secrets and complications-something Jake takes as a personal challenge. As they grow closer, the threat to the mission escalates and time runs out for the hostages. Can Jake unravel the web of deception to save them all without getting caught in the crossfire?

Mya Amari has been in hiding nearly her entire life to escape her father’s enemies. But when her sister is kidnapped along with an American diplomat, she’ll do anything to bring her home-including walking into the enemy’s lair. She doesn’t trust anyone, especially the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Commander Williams, but when all her careful plans explode out of control, he’s the only one she can turn to with the truth about her family. Is it too little, too late?

You can purchase this book in paperback or ebook form here:

Biography
Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of more than a dozen romantic suspense novels. Her book All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense and Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense.

Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she’s visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle, Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

Julie offers writing and publishing tips as well as her take on life on her blog ldswritermom.blogspot.com You can also find out about all her upcoming projects at her website juliebellon.com

Fe Fit Women’s Workout Program – All Skill Levels – 28 Videos – Includes NEW 21 Day Program – Fitness Tools + Custom Nutrition Guide

I CAN NOT believe they are having a sale on this set! Its basically 86% off!! I don’t know how long this sale is going to last, so if you’re interested in it, I wouldn’t wait!

You can buy it here:

DESCRIPTION:
28 workouts on 8 DVDs, Created by women, for women. More than any other program. Lose weight, shed fat, tone up and feel attractive and sexy.
Transform your body with varied 21-day, 6-week, and 13-week programs 7 fun fitness genres: Cardio Circuit Core Lower Body Upper Body Total Body Toning Barre and Stretch Flow
Designed for women to: Flatten stomachs. Firm and tighten glutes. Push yourself to the NEW YOU. Bonus tools for measuring and tracking success.
Fe Fit gives you fun and trendy workouts that are empowering and high energy. All fitness levels.
Our program won’t bulk you up like other workout DVDs that aren’t designed for a woman’s body.

Last year I participated in a 28 day FeFit online challenge. I really liked these videos! Below are my recaps:

Week 1
http://empowermoms.net/2015/02/fitness-recap-week-1-of-race-training-and-fefit-fitness.html

Week 2
http://empowermoms.net/2015/02/fefit-28-day-challenge-week-2-recap.html

Week 3
http://empowermoms.net/2015/03/week-3-fe-fit-fitness-challenge-recap-with-pictures.html

week 4
http://empowermoms.net/2015/03/exercise-recap-for-last-week-week-4-of-fefit-28-day-challenge.html

You can buy the basic package here for less than $25!

Let me know if you have any questions about this set!