Friday, May 25, 2018

Three Strand Cord by Tracy Krauss




May 2018
Kindle book $2.99

About the Book

Tempest. Stella. Cherise. Fate brought them together, but can their friendship survive the tangled web of danger and deception that threatens their very lives? 

Tempest Ross dreams about moving back to California some day – both the place of her birth and her parents’ tragic death. When she agrees to pretend to be her friend Cherise for an afternoon, a tangled web of lies develops from which she can’t escape. Complicated by the unwelcome advances of Cherise’s playboy brother and her own attraction to a mysterious man, Tempest’s faith in God is tested to the limits.

Stella Crayton has high ideals about saving the planet and plans to start with her father’s ranch. Then she finds out her father has been keeping a dangerous secret. At the same time, her own errant emotions take over as she falls in love with two brothers at the same time. Add to this her best friend’s disappearance, and questions about God set this no-nonsense Texas girl in a tailspin.

Cherise Hillyer just wants to have fun, which in her books means having a good looking man in tow. The typical rich girl, she usually gets what she wants, even if she has to lie to get it. Desperate for her latest flame who has left for Rome, Cherise convinces her friends to cover for her while she takes off after her Italian lover. She doesn’t know she’ll soon become embroiled in an international conspiracy of lies and deceit that will threaten her life.

Three Strand Cord is a story of intrigue and romance told from three different points of view, all coming together to prove that when it comes to true friendship, ‘a three strand cord is not easily broken.’

10 Fun Facts About Tracy Krauss:


I’ve moved more than 30 times
I’ve lived in several locations north of the 60th parallel
I homeschooled for nine years
I’m a peanut butter-a-holic
I’m also a playwright and my stage plays have been performed across N.A.
I was once stampeded by a herd of wild buffalo
I’ve been inches away from a polar bear in the wild on more than one occasion (with something like a car window in between, of course!)
I’m a Sci-fi nerd and used to be a ‘Trekkie’. (Maybe I still am… )
In my ‘spare’ time when not writing, I like to paint
I majored in Intaglio printmaking at University (Fine Art Department)

My Review of Three Strand Cord


Tracy Krauss gives her fans a new novel of friendship that takes her readers on a tumultuous ride across the United States and across the ocean to Italy.

Three friends who met at boarding school come from very different backgrounds. Tempest, the naïve orphan, Stella the cowgirl, and Cherise the spoiled rich daughter. All have secrets, weaknesses and strengths that draw them together and, as iron sharpens iron, helps make them want to be better.

The first half of the book is divided into three segments as each girl shares current events. Tempest wants to reconnect with her past, and when an unexpected opportunity falls in her lap, she reluctantly pushes aside her conviction of newfound faith to participate in a lie. She becomes an unwitting pawn in a game perpetrated by her friend Cherise’s equally spoiled brother. Stella, having completed a masters degree in environmental science, returns home to the Texas ranch where she was raised. Her complicated relationship with her stepmother and her best friends, the foreman’s sons, create tension, exacerbated when she stumbles on the not-too-subtle secret shame of the land she’s loved all her love. When Stella realizes her friends have grown up and no longer consider her a kid, either, all’s fair in love and war. The ranch becomes both battleground and haven when Tempest needs a safe harbor. Both Tempest and Stella’s devout housekeeper help Stella to reexamine her absent faith. Cherise lives in the moment, doing exactly what she pleases and forcing everyone around her to bow to her wishes. When she follows her Italian lover, she gets a rude awakening. But going home is impossible when she’s caught up in international intrigue. A secret phone call to Tempest sets up a risky rescue attempt.

Although there will be more stories in this series of friendship adventures, A Three Strand Cord is a complete story. Initially told from the three friends’ viewpoints, the second half of the story comes together beautifully as each of the three learn to rely on dependence and trust in each other and the Lord.

While inspirational, some of the situations in the story portray sexual situations and violence, as well as pet death. A Three Strand Cord is a big story, from the east to west coast US and Texas, as well as Italy, and covers a lot of action. With three very different personalities in the main characters, readers of contemporary romance with suspense and action will find the book a breathless read.

About the author:
Tracy Krauss is an award winning author, artist, playwright, speaker, teacher, mother, grandmother,

and pastor’s wife – not necessarily in that order! She writes contemporary Christian romance with a twist of suspense and a touch of humor. Her books strike a chord with those looking for a hard hitting yet thought provoking read – no sugar added. Her work has won multiple awards and has been on Amazon’s bestsellers’ lists.  She also writes stage plays tailored to a high school audience, and has contributed to several anthologies, devotional books, and one illustrated children’s book.



She is on the executive of ICWF (Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship), a Canada wide organization for writers of Christian faith. She is also an active member of The Word Guild, The Playwrights Guild, and ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). An avid reader, Tracy reviews books and posts most of these online at amazon, goodreads, and on her blog. She is also a regular contributor to several other blogs.

Originally from Mossbank, Saskatchewan, a small prairie town, Tracy received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and teaches Secondary School English, Drama and Art – all things she is passionate about. She has been involved in local theatre as a director, playwright and actress for more than thirty years and has written and directed dozens of stage plays, several of which have found homes with well known US play publishing houses.

Apart from her many personal creative pursuits, she leads worship at her local church. She and her husband, an ordained minister with the PAOC, have lived in five provinces and territories including many remote and unique places in Canada's far north such as Churchill, Manitoba – polar bear capital of the world; the Yukon – home of the Klondike Gold Rush; and the North West Territories. They have four grown children and now reside in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, waterfall capital of British Columbia, where she continues to pursue all of her creative interests.

For more information visit her website http://www.tracykrauss.com  “Fiction on the edge – without crossing the line” 

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

New Romance from Jennifer Trethewey

Betting the Scot by Jennifer Trethewey

Betting the Scot
Jennifer Trethewey
C. 2018
Entangled
Historical Romance

3.99 eBook
20.99 Print
Buy on Amazon 

About the Book
Declan Sinclair is a Highlander who believes his dreams never lie. When he spots Caya at a public house, he knows instantly she is the woman in his dreams—his future wife. Though her brother had promised never to gamble again, he engages Declan in a card game—and the prize is the lovely Caya.

Caya Pendarvis has no time for childish things like dreams or fairy-tales or love. She’s the sacrificial lamb on her way to the far north of Scotland to wed a wealthy merchant in exchange for settling her brother’s gambling debts.

Winning at cards is one of the many things Declan Sinclair does well. Unfortunately, the ability to court a woman—a talent he lacks—is the only skill he desperately needs to win Caya’s heart.

My Review
Trethewey’s Balforss house books are a delight to those who adore hunky historical bawdy but fun and fairly clean romance. I know, I needed to hide the cover from my hubs, too. There’s just no comparison. As mentioned in the description, it’s a family saga of stand-alones, tied by setting and characters.

Who doesn’t love a guy who buys a bathtub for a wife he has only dreamed about? I admit I fell for Declan in the first book, his sweetness and cluelessness, but braver than brave and true-hearted beyond belief.

At a time period where women, even those who’ve reached the great age of twenty-five and orphaned but under the “care” of a destructive sibling, Caya is at the bottom of the well of opportunity. She seems pretty resigned to her fate, the truth of which is only hinted at through her naiveté. The horror of it comes at a terrible price and sets up the next story beautifully, which makes me yearn to read it. In the meantime, first sight of an eager and yummy dark-haired Scot who keeps staring at Caya with a too-familiar ogle makes her look back. And again. And so begins a truly epic love affair, pirates and all.

Held at bay by wise Uncle John, Caya and Declan weather issues such as unbearable longing, accusations of witchcraft, and a quasi-amorous vicar contending for Caya’s hand. While it might have detracted from the romance, I would have been interested to see more of the effects of the gossiping nearby villagers after Caya performs a heroic task.

Nevertheless, the Sinclairs are a lovely family and a few hours in the Highlands with men of virtue and their dynamic lasses is truly a delight.

About the author:
Trethewey claims to have fallen in love with the Highlands and all things Scottish: the people, their language, cuisine, customs, idioms, humor, history, intense sense of pride, and, most of all, the land--the perfect setting for sweeping romantic tales of love, strife, and glory. As they say, Scotland is pure dead brilliant! She’s an actress, former co-artistic director of a professional theater company, and she and her husband operate an improv comedy club. They live in the Midwest. 

Friday, May 4, 2018

Bookaholics Unite Giveaway - enter all month



Raise your hand if you’re a bookaholic. I sure am and this month N. N. Light is giving away everything a booklover could want: books and bookish prizes. In fact, I’m one of the authors participating and you could win “enter your prize” . The list is long and personally, I’d love to win myself but alas, I can’t. So, I’ll just hope you’ll win instead.




With so many wonderful authors and books available, it's imperative to have a reliable and trustworthy place that can help you choose what to read. It's even better when you get a chance to win free books through a giveaway! Every month, enter to win free books from multiple authors via N. N. Light's Book Heaven. Several authors are offering their books throughout the upcoming year in this innovative and collaborative approach to building a new and immersive online reading community. Authors, bloggers and book reviewers are partnering to share fantastic reads, quality reviews and powerful connections all in one place.