Book Review: A Bride Opens Shop... by Keli Gwyn

A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California

By Keli Gwyn

Barbour Books

c. 2012

$12.99 pbook and $9.99 ebook - Barbour-really? Try $4.99

ISBN: 9781616265830

Christian Romance

 

Gwyn’s charming story takes a delightful path to a wedding.

 

I do remember volunteering to read and review. But I thought I’d had enough of prairie romances for awhile, and honestly let Keli’s heroine look at me for a couple of weeks after I received the book, while I tended to other business.

 

Romances work because they’re formulaic. The reader knows what’s going to happen; the pleasure is how the couple gets there. Gwyn’s story had a lot of fun elements, including the age of the characters: thirties; the fact that both were widowed and had a child; and the hero’s mom was a stitch.

 

Gwyn’s heroine, Mrs. Watkins, isn’t always likeable. She’s feisty to the point of illogic sometimes, competitive to a fault, but teachable. Her daughter, Tildy, is a delight and creates for some hysterical moments, especially when she’s wondering out loud when she can call our hero, Mr. Rutledge, “papa.” Mr. Rutledge is a self-admitted dandy, but generous to a fault, if not always kind. I found these characters refreshing, nicely different from the same-old damsel in distress and the perfect hero riding in to rescue her.

 

Mrs. Watkins has been offered a junior partnership in a mercantile business. Taking her nine-year-old daughter away from a difficult family situation and starting over in California seems like a good idea. Until she meets her partner, Mr. Rutledge, who’s been misinformed by his mother about the gender of his new partner, and the deal is off. She sets up shop across the street from him, and the battle is enjoined. The elderly Mrs. Rutledge and Tildy work both sides of the street with delight and excitement.

Told from both points of view with period-excellent details, readers of historical romance will find much to enjoy in this adorable romance. That is, if you don’t mind a little blood, heat exhaustion, and snakes.

Why Bold is Better by Diane Markins

Why Bold is Better

by Diane Markins

 

“Your dress has really bold colors.” Does that sound like an insult in any way? How about this one: “That was a really bold choice.” Would you consider this criticism?

 

I hope not! I’d never wear something that would melt into the background of a beige room. I’d hate it if someone said, “You made a very safe, easy choice.”

 

Being bold means taking risks, not fearing failure or rejection and requires intentional thinking. When we live boldly for God we have empowerment and passion to make our boldness meaningful.

 

Settling for mediocrity in marriage, as parents, in careers, friendship, faith or ministry is not bold. God wants us to pursue everything we do with intensity and decisiveness. This means we are frequently checking the pulse of our pursuits and rapidly responding when we get a distress signal.

 

Is your marriage (especially in bed) ho-hum? Find some bold ways to rev it back up. Are your kids struggling? Don’t just shrug and follow the “traditional wisdom,” think creatively about taking brave actions no one else would.

 

Do your prayers feel more like talking to the ceiling fan than conversations with a wise, cherished friend? Do something wild and new to transform.

 

Don’t confuse boldness with arrogance or recklessness. When your bold actions are paired with love, respect and clarity the results will translate as conviction with complete humility.

 

Jesus has a bold message and He is asking you to not only share it, but live it! Bold is truly better.

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Comment to win:

"Going Boldly" Blog Tour Grand Prize

– Retail Value: $70

• Book (Women in High Def: Boldly Living Your Purposes with Vibrant Clarity)
• Bright and Vibrant Earrings
• Sparkling Cider (to celebrate life)
• Sumatra Coffee (Bold, Earthy Flavor)
• Into the Wild body wash and spray fragrance from Bath and Body Works
• Custom coffee mug: Women in High Def (front), BE YOUR BOLD SELF! (back)

Leave a comment about the book or author on the blog post during the blog tour.     
Each blog tour host will draw one name from those comments to send to the tour coordinator by September 21.

Women in Hi Def

 

Women in High Def will remind you that when God writes your story, you are in for the adventure of a lifetime! Diane Markins has written a book addressing topics women deal with on a day-to-day basis. If you are looking for a contemporary, captivating read filled with practical advice that will give you insight and wisdom for daily decisions, this is it!”

~ Carol Kent, Speaker and Author

Between a Rock and a Grace Place (Zondervan)

 

 

ISBN: 978-0-9854172-0-8

Paperback: 163 pages

Retail: $12.99

Release: April 20, 2012

Publisher: Words in High Def

Kindle: $6.95

SPECIAL TREAT ALERT: To celebrate the “Going Boldly” Blog Tour Women in High Def is available for free from September 10-September 14 on Kindle at: http://amzn.to/Oey7Sa
 

About the Book:

Women are as unique as snowflakes or butterflies, but after surveying hundreds of them, writer and radio host Diane Markins learned that the top needs they feel are the same. She also began hearing a recurring theme: I want more! I want to be better! I want to be bold!

Women in High Def aims to propel women out of a low-def, foggy life of going through the motions in a blur. The profound stories, intercessory prayer prompts and coaching elements work together to catapult women into living fearlessly for God…being bolder moms, having purposeful passions, pursuing marriage excellence, loving themselves with gusto, laughing with abandon, transforming mistakes into blasts of blessings and bravely seeking the Lord in all His majestic glory. The bonus Bible study at the back of the book points them to scripture to gain Biblical insight and direction for each need and role they play. It can be used alone or in a group.

 

Women in High Def is not passive reading. It cries out to the spirit of readers to be unafraid as they actively reach for clarity, vibrancy and intensity in all the meaningful areas of their lives.

About the Author:

Diane Markins has always aspired to live in High Def. She uses her radio show, writing and speaking to inspire women to transform their lives from mediocre and complacent to bold and vibrant. She settles for nothing less in her own life as a wife, mom, grandmother, friend and colleague. Diane writes two blogs, WomenInHighDef.com and WordsInHighDef.com, is a regular contributor to the Presidential Prayer Team website and CBN.com. She and her husband of 33 years work and live close to their children in Arizona.

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Falling Down Gorgeous

(Excerpt from Women in High Def: Boldly Living Your Purposes with Vibrant Clarity)

Time takes its toll on all of us. Parts of me that were once up here are now down there. My face, once smooth and fresh was becoming a bit weathered and wrinkled. Other areas that used to be firm are now wiggly. As I turned fifty I began to notice that I was becoming invisible, based on my appearance. That’s a big fat horse pill to swallow for my ego. But that’s okay. The good news is that when people start to see less of me, they see more of Jesus. He’s much more appealing and has no hidden agenda.

I hate to admit it, but I still enjoy being noticed on occasion. My husband and I went on a date to a very fancy mountaintop restaurant overlooking the city. I dressed for the occasion in my fitted black slacks, silky blouse and high heels.

I followed the maitre de to our table, my husband right behind me. I was feeling pretty good about myself and strutted a bit as we crossed a large open expanse of the room. As my stilettos went from carpet to wood floor something strange happened…I began to skate, stumble and flail about, for what felt like ten excruciating minutes, before finally landing flat on my keister. For endless moments all sound ceased except the quiet music in the background. Diners, servers and kitchen staff gaped at me, frozen in mid-action.

Graciously, I was helped up, escorted to and seated at our table, where they elevated and iced my swollen ankle. Then—to my horror—the paramedics arrived, causing an even bigger stir. Servers and managers came by frequently to check on me. Finally, our fellow diners made their way to our table as they departed to share their own “fall down” tales.

Earlier that evening, I had hoped for a little extra attention. But this wasn’t what I had in mind. Now I was just grateful I hadn’t chosen the skirt I had considered that was still hanging on my closet door. My experience that night was a great reminder that the only beauty that matters is what the Lord puts in our hearts. Everything else “falls” short in the end.

 

Comment to win:

"Going Boldly" Blog Tour Grand Prize

– Retail Value: $70

• Book (Women in High Def: Boldly Living Your Purposes with Vibrant Clarity)
• Bright and Vibrant Earrings
• Sparkling Cider (to celebrate life)
• Sumatra Coffee (Bold, Earthy Flavor)
• Into the Wild body wash and spray fragrance from Bath and Body Works
• Custom coffee mug: Women in High Def (front), BE YOUR BOLD SELF! (back)

Leave a comment about the book or author on the blog post during the blog tour.     

Each blog tour host will draw one name from those comments to send to the tour coordinator by September 21.

Book Review: The Reunion by Dan Walsh

The Reunion, By Dan Walsh

Revell Books

Romantic Fiction
ISBN:  978-0-8007-2121-3
$14.99
September 2012

 

Putting the puzzle pieces of life together is necessary work, one that is joyful for some and a challenge for others, full of heartache and despair and discovery about the choices and events that created the current situation. In his latest novel, The Reunion, Walsh explores these challenges from the perspective of a man who’s learned to appreciate a second chance at life.

 

Told from several viewpoints, the novel slowly pulls together a mosaic of lives affected by the Vietnam War era. Aaron Miller, a decorated vet who hit rock bottom before realizing he needed a bigger Influence to help piece his life together, works at a Florida residence campground, performing maintenance not only on the physical trailers and sites, but subtly on the people who come and go. Through his faith-filled eyes, he is able to see the challenges others face, and uses his practical experience to not only listen, offer advice where warranted, but also to subtly repair breeches in their lives. Now if only he could find the last pieces of the picture of his own life, the children he left so long ago, he could receive the forgiveness he longs for.

 

Miller’s life picture is filled in through his encounters with a teenager in need of help, another Nam vet ready to check out of life, his children who don’t know him, and a man who needs to find him. Dave Russo, the reporter-turned writer who is struggling as a single parent with a dream, is challenged to find the hero who saved the lives of his fellow platoon survivors so he can be thanked properly. Russo has only a name as a lead: Aaron Miller.

 

The Reunion reads a bit like a plate of spaghetti, many noodles combining to create a satisfying dish. Walsh peels away at his story line and characters through the thoughts of others. While sometimes I felt the story was watered down by leaping into another character, I appreciated each challenge and the amount of research Walsh did to develop a lovely novel of happily ever after.

 

“Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

New From Spashdown and fav, Kat Heckenbach

Kia Ora, everyone!

A busy July meant that August was quiet on the book front here at Splashdown, but there's all the more going on now! First up, our newest release:

Seeking Unseen by Kat Heckenbach

The anticipated sequel to Finding Angel is here!

It may be Angel's wish...but it's Melinda's journey. It's been two years since Angel learned the magic chip of wood inside her locket would grant any wish. What is taking her so long to choose? An alarming discovery about her beloved foster brother Zack makes the decision easy...but everything else gets complicated after she runs into her old friend Melinda, who demands to go along for the return to Toch Island.

 

Melinda doesn't fit in with the magical freaks any more than she did with the losers back in Florida, but she never wanted to belong before. A secret world surrounds her where even the bugs have magic... She's more of an outsider than ever. So when ex-con Doran Ashe slinks out of the shadows and offers her an easy road to powers of her own, Melinda follows him despite-or maybe because of-everyone's warnings.

Grab it now - a fantasy treat for young adult readers!

Seeking Unseen paperback at Amazon - $13.98 (The listing may say out of stock, but that's just a glitch. You should still get your book within a week!)

Seeking Unseen on Kindle - $6.99

Three Splashdown titles available through Kindle Select

 

The Duke's Handmaid by Caprice Hokstad will be available free from Amazon until the end of Labor Day.

Tales of the Dim Knight by Adam and Andrea Graham is also free through Monday.

R.L. Copple's Reality's Dawn is also available from now until October 15th as a free borrow for Amazon Prime members. Like what you read? He has two other books in the same series. Check them out.

Splashdown's First Blog Tours

The first Splashdown Books Blog Tour roared through July with satisfying results. What? You missed it? Go here to start your trip through multi-dimensional space with Greg Mitchell, author of Rift Jump, as he showcases his debut novel.

The next tour featured Faith Awakened, the first novel of our own Space Kiwi Grace Bridges. Here's the central hub to find the interviews, excerpts and videos of this tour.

 

Avenir is coming!

Later this month, as promised, Avenir Eclectia Volume 1 arrives with all the intensity you could want from micro-fiction in book form. We'll be sending out a short special announcement when this becomes available around mid-September. In the meantime, keep up with story developments at www.avenireclectia.com.

Arrival in Ten, Nine, Eight...

Grace has crossed the pond. Eager fans, writers and groupies have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Irish Kiwi with a German Twist on her whirlwind 20 States Tour. We'll keep you posted as this world traveler travels our world for far too short a time. The tour plan is here and the photo albums are here (Canada) and here (Eastern states so far).

That's it for now. Never fear. We'll keep you up to date on breaking Splashdown news. In the meanwhile, sit back and enjoy a good book. We have plenty!

The Splashdown Team

 

Review of Laura Frantz's Love's Reckoning

Love’s Reckoning

By Laura Frantz

978-0-8007-2041-4

$14.99

Historical Romance

Revell Books

I loved Laura Frantz’s earlier historical sagas about the American frontier; fans will not be disappointed by this new story set shortly after the Revolutionary War on the western edge of Pnnsylvania—and the edge of known civilization.

Genre readers know what to expect when we pick our familiar favorites. There’s an expected outcome, a methodology to the tale, characters who meet and fall in love and must overcome obstacles. It’s the journey to the expected outcome that offers excitement. As a voracious reader, I appreciate being part of Frantz’s world without the need to stop and look up details, or verify historical issues that feel out of place. I’m a historian first, reader, second, and author, third, so I appreciate the level of research Frantz does to create a world that is both natural and satisfying to the historical fiction lover, full of daily chores, everyday dangers and people of both light and dark hearts—sometimes in one person.

An apprentice must finish his duty to obtain the coveted level of master blacksmith. Silas Ballantyne remembers the Scotland of his youth but refuses to allow the past to interfere with his dreams of becoming master of his own fate. A man of faith, it is only God who has allowed him to maintain his dignity through the terror, degradation and defeat that has taken his youth and young adulthood. Eden Lee’s life is one huge secret—some of which she authored, but many of which even she is ignorant. The daughter of the blacksmith, a depraved reprobate, will she allow those secrets to ruin her dreams of serving others? When Silas, Lee’s latest apprentice, and Eden, a daughter who dreams of escape, meet in this shadowed homestead of Leige Lee, it seems a simple enough plan for them to help each other. Love is only the gift that ties the bow on what should be a perfect package.

Sometimes, doing what’s best for another, no matter how noble the circumstances, ends up creating a disaster. Or does it?

Laura Frantz’s lovingly crafted tale of faith and redemption, desire and dreams will keep the reader turning pages and wishing for more after the last one.

 

Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

 

Also available at Barnes and Noble

Jewels of Encouragement: Five Things from Proverbs: Thankful for Summer

Jewels of Encouragement: Five Things from Proverbs: Thankful for Summer: Proverbs 18:1-4 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in unde...