Flight to Freedom by Ray Anselmo

Redemption Bluff, Kansas in 1869 was a place of safety for society’s unwanted – the outlaw, the shellshocked, the abandoned, the sinful, the dregs. People came there because there was nowhere else they could go, to start a new life, sometimes even with a new name, and leave their sordid or painful pasts behind.

That was why Rose Mahaffey was headed there. “Rose Red,” a longtime prostitute, wanted to get out of the “life” while she still had a life, and she’d heard about how others had turned their lives around in the odd little town. But getting there, changing herself – and getting others to believe she had changed – was going to be harder than she thought. As would avoiding the man who was committed to keeping her bound to his evil will.

Calder Owens escaped slavery in Mississippi during the Civil War and ran west, finally landing in Redemption Bluff to run the local stagecoach stop. He’d settled in and become part of the struggling community. But an early-morning knock on his door – and a stranger lying on his living room rug – was about to unsettle him, make him question many things in his life … and bring back the dark secret he’d worked for years to bury.

Surprises, conflicts, brushes with death, and even romance – all of these await Rose and Calder on their FLIGHT TO FREEDOM!

Buy it on Amazon

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Ray Anselmo lives with his wife, son, cat and neuroses in Stockton, California. Flight to Freedom is his fourteenth book and second Western.

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

An Agent for Lorelai (Pinkerton Matchmaker Book 70) by Jo Grafford

Lorelai Woods believes she's engaged to the perfect man and living the perfect life, until she discovers he is part of a cattle rustling gang. In a desperate bid to regain control of her family’s ranch that the gang has commandeered, she signs on as a Pinkerton Agent, only to discover she’ll be required to marry a fellow agent (at least temporarily) before being allowed to launch an investigation into the case.

Pressed into the hard life of sailing on a pirate ship, John Langston quickly grows bored with his new vocation as a farmer once he is freed. A happenstance glance at an advert for Pinkerton Agents has him jumping at the opportunity to juggle adventure and danger once again. He doesn’t count on falling in love with the woman he’s sent to protect, and he hates the fact that his undercover assignment requires him to keep so many secrets from her.

To make matters worse, he receives orders to marry a new female agent...and discovers the ravishing Lorelai Woods has been keeping a few secrets of her own!

Buy on Amazon

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Read an excerpt:

He’d known this day was coming. It was inevitable that Lorelai would eventually learn that he’d been less than completely honest with her about his presence on her ranch. He’d been hoping that he and Edgar would have successfully solved their case by then, but it simply wasn’t written in the stars. 

“She’s as smart as she is beautiful.” Dante made no attempt to mask the admiration in his voice. 

“So that’s the way the wind is blowing.” His partner sounded resigned. 

“On my part, yes,” Dante said. “I’m fairly certain she hates me, at the moment.” 

Edgar made a sound of disgust. “It’s never a good idea to let your personal feelings get involved in a case.” 

“Too late,” Dante snapped.

Find more of Jo's books here. 

About Jo Grafford

Jo writes sweet romance stories — with humor, sass, and happily ever-afters. She loves to visit with readers in her Cuppa Jo Readers group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CuppaJoReaders/. Join her New Release Email List at JoGrafford.com, follow her on BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jo-grafford, or check out her Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Jo-Grafford/e/B00G56XKS2.

The Billionaire's Birthday Wish (Billionaire Birthday Club) by Jenna Brandt

Wade McAllister is a celebrity pastry chef that turned his fame into a billionaire dollar cooking empire. He has everything he could ever want at his fingertips, but something is missing. When one of his friends gives him an exclusive invite to join the Billionaire Birthday Club, he’s intrigued. Could this place finally help him figure out what's missing in his life?

Tara Wilson takes the concierge position at the elite and very private island resort where the Billionaire Birthday Club is located, viewing it as a stepping stone to opening her own high-end hotel. What she doesn’t expect is to fall for one of her clients, which could jeopardize everything for her, including her heart.

Will Wade’s birthday wish come true? Will Tara be able to have both love and a career? And what will happen when the news gets out about their relationship?

Available on Amazon

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Find more of Jenna's bestselling books here.

Jenna Brandt is an international bestselling and award-winning author who writes inspiring sweet historical and contemporary romance. She earned her BA in English and is an active member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. She also enjoys cooking, watching movies, reading, going to church, and spending time with her three daughters and husband where they live in California.

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers. 

The Plus One Rescue (Disaster City Search & Rescue) by Jo Grafford

With a heroic-sounding name like his, Axel Hammerstone naturally made all the “most likely to succeed” lists in his high school yearbook. So it comes as no surprise to his friends when their favorite defensive tackle player returns from Afghanistan with a Purple Heart for wounds sustained while saving a bunch of fellow soldiers during an ambush. He’s the only one who blames himself for the one man he failed to rescue during the ensuing explosion. Despite his own injuries, he’s determined to atone for the loss of his best friend and battle buddy by devoting the rest of his career to search and rescue operations.

Kristi Kimiko was first called the “dog whisperer” on her sixteenth birthday when she coaxed a wounded Boston Terrier from their burning apartment complex. Seven years later, she’s living her dream as an expert search and rescue trainer in Disaster City, Texas. Unfortunately, it leaves her little time for dating or any sort of social life, for that matter. When the hunky Axel half-limps and half-swaggers his way into her renowned dog training course with his beautiful golden retriever, she senses her life is about to change — especially after he somehow manages to coax her into serving as his Plus One at a big family birthday bash the following weekend.

If she’s learned anything in her line of work, where there’s smoke, there’s a fire; and this particular hunky firefighter has a way of making the sparks fly every time he looks in her direction!

Just 99 cents on Amazon!

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Read an excerpt:

“I met the most wonderful young man on my flight home,” her grandmother gushed. 

“What? I didn’t know you were on the market again,” Kristi teased. 

“He was a handsome devil, too.” Aimi Kimiko ignored the jibe. “A Marine. I was hoping to introduce the two of you, but—” 

“But he caught wind of your ill-concealed matchmaking intentions and took off running in the opposite direction?” 

“He didn’t run.” Her grandmother looked mildly offended. “He limped.” She pointed one delicate finger toward the baggage claim area. 

Kristi glanced up. “Holy hotness!”

Find more of Jo's books here. 

About Jo Grafford

Jo writes sweet romance stories — with humor, sass, and happily ever-afters. She loves to visit with readers in her Cuppa Jo Readers group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CuppaJoReaders/. Join her New Release Email List at JoGrafford.com, follow her on BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jo-grafford, or check out her Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Jo-Grafford/e/B00G56XKS2.

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

Review of Who Is My Neighbor? by Amy-Jill Levine

Blues and Yellows just don't mix, and that's how it's always been. No one remembers why. But then comes the day Midnight Blue takes a tumble along the road. His friends Navy and Powder Blue don't even stop to help! It's only when a Yellow comes along that everything changes—forever.

This creative story is sure to prompt rich conversations, encouraging new ways of seeing our neighbors and ourselves. A note for parents and educators is included.

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * B&N

**My thoughts**
Reading this story of the Blues versus the Yellows, I very quickly was able to pick up on the parallels between it and the parable of the Good Samaritan. The two groups are taught to never interact with each other. And then one day, Midnight Blue is out riding his bike and gets hurt. Instead of helping, other Blues just pass him by. It's only one of the Yellows, Lemon who helps out. And as they two get to know each other, they decide that their new friendship proves that it's okay to be friends in spite of coming from two different groups. And they teach this to their own communities.

It's another cute story that is illustrating this parable in a new way that may make some more sense to young children than the original one. And I also enjoyed how there were all different kinds of blues and yellows named, as a way of showing that there is a spectrum of each color. My artistic side appreciated that.

I will admit I did keep waiting for the yellows and blues to eventually combine to create greens! I think some children may do the same, because it just seems like a natural next step with introducing primary colors for the different groups of people.

At the end, there is a detailed explanation for parents and educators to read about how this story parallels The Good Samaritan and other historical contexts, plus potential discussion questions.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for fulfilling my review request. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Light Shines on Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard

Welcome to the book tour for Light Shines on Promise Lodge, another installment of Charlotte Hubbard's beloved Amish series. Today I have an excerpt for you to enjoy. Be sure to let her know what you think in the comments and then follow the tour for even more! And then, of course, enter the great giveaway below!

For abandoned wife Annabelle Beachey, Promise Lodge is a refuge where she’s gained confidence and self-sufficiency. But she and the others are dismayed when newly arrived Bishop Clayton King claims the community is too progressive and sets out to change its ways. Worse, her husband, Phineas, returns, expecting her to give up her faith as he has. And he won’t leave Promise Lodge without her…

But little by little, Annabelle’s determination and new forthrightness make Phineas realize his mistakes—and truly hear his wife for the first time. Meanwhile, Annabelle finds herself feeling compassion—and even renewed love—for her newly humble, more caring husband. And as Bishop Clayton’s attempt to control Promise Lodge threatens everything its residents have built, Phineas and Annabelle must work together with unshakeable courage to save their new home—and their opportunity for forever happiness.

Read an excerpt:

“You know,” Cyrus remarked to his brother Jonathan, who sat beside him at the table, “I think Gloria might be coming around. Now that she’s our scribe for The Budget, along with managing Rosetta’s rentals, she doesn’t seem like such an airhead anymore.”

Jonathan’s eyebrows rose as he, too, watched Gloria enter the kitchen. “Spoken like a man in love,” he teased. “Since when are you sweet on Miss Lehman?”

“Lay off that talk, man!” Cyrus replied as he playfully punched Jonathan’s arm. “I’m just saying that Gloria’s changed. Remember how she used to follow Allen around like a lovesick puppy, spying on him and baking those brickbat brownies for him?”

“Why would you care, unless you’re interested?” his brother challenged. “Maybe today’s wedding and Allen’s engagement to Phoebe is getting you in the mood, eh?”

Jonathan’s remark caught Cyrus by surprise. The two of them had been working six days a week all spring and summer to help their older cousins, Simon and Sam Helmuth, establish their landscaping nursery, so they hadn’t had a lot of time for dating.

And now that Phoebe’s hitching up with Troyer, only two are left—unless you broaden your horizons and start scouting around Forest Grove . . . or Cloverdale, where Maria is.

“I rest my case. If you have no response, you’re susceptible to wedding fever,” Jonathan remarked lightly.

Cyrus sat up straighter to challenge his brother. “Here you are at twenty-four—much older than I am—and you’ve got no prospects at all. What’s your problem?”

“Puh! I could have women swarming around me like bees if I—”

“So why don’t you?” Cyrus shot back. “You’ve had the same opportunities I’ve had.”

“Are you calling me out? Saying I couldn’t latch onto any girl I wanted?” Jonathan said in a deceptively calm voice.

Something about the tilt of his brother’s eyebrows and the light in his brown eyes sent a surge of adrenalin through Cyrus’s system. Was it the ticking of his biological clock goading him, or was he rising to Jonathan’s challenge?

“So prove it,” Cyrus heard himself say beneath the happy chatter that filled the dining room. “If you’re not engaged by Thanksgiving, you owe me five hundred bucks!”

Buy Links:

Amazon * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * Amazon AU * Apple Books * Apple Books UK * Apple Books CA *  Apple Books AU * Apple Books NZ * Barnes and Noble * Kobo 

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.






Website: https://charlottehubbard.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.hubbard1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53342.Charlotte_Hubbard
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/charlotte-hubbard

Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For the Love of Dog Tales by I. L. Cannon 99 cent special offer

Cannon introduces his first collection of “life stories” as told through the experiences of our canine friends. This volume, of five intriguing dog tales, takes you on an emotional joyride you’ll hold truly close to your heart for years. These stories captivate and expose the contradictions in the lives of our canine companions in their “man eat dog world”.

See through the battle-weary eyes of a pit bull that must fight the ultimate battle outside the arena for his very existence. Rally with two courageous police dogs, risking their lives following the sordid trail of a savage serial killer. Race alongside the thundering paws of a challenged greyhound, where losing a race means losing one’s life. Share the pitiful incarceration and uncertainty of a laboratory dog as he copes with his rapidly diminishing time on this Earth. Chum along on the mean city streets with a hapless canine hobo, as he wanders in and out of the lives of families and stumbles upon adventure after adventure, to learn tragically the painful lessons of love and its ultimate sacrifice.

Take advantage of a 99 cent deal!

Order directly from the author's website.

Praise for, For the Love of Dog Tales

"It was so incredibly moving and truly gives a voice to dogs living at the mercy of a world not of their making."

Heather Allen

President & CEO

HALO Animal Rescue

"Thank you for a book that not only gives a voice to our canine friends and their struggles but also compels us to raise our voices to end that struggle." 

Top Dog Eileen Proctor

Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate 

"You have captured in this work something greater than just a 'dog's tale'. Your story speaks to the greater issue of man's inhumanity to man as well as all living creatures." 

Valerie Fair

Artist

Also Available on Amazon

Paperback / Kindle

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Storyteller and dreamer, Irvin L. Cannon, put pen to paper for the first time in response to a challenge. A simple challenge issued in response to his comment… “I can write a better story than that.” The challenge uttered, “Do it then”! He began scribbling story after story into notebooks. For the Love of Dog Tales is the first release from those tucked away pages birthed from that short exchange.

Born and raised on the East Coast in large metropolitan cities, the author’s fascination with storytelling began in his youth. His vision and imagination for the art of storytelling was primarily nurtured by his love for comic books. A scientist by training, dog lover by nature, and a man with many years in law enforcement, author Cannon’s experience in the inner city street wars, combine to produce a biting view of the world around us as seen through the eyes of his canine characters—characters with whom he has crossed paths.

Cannon has seen and felt many evils imposed upon humanity and dogs in the performance of his duties. He has given the reader a window into the depth of emotions and cruelty experienced by the dogs, evidenced by their physical condition and the stories told through their eyes. For the Love of Dog Tales melds his love for a well-told story with his life experiences and love for animals.

The author presently resides in the Midwest with his wife.

Official websites:

http://ilcannon.com/

http://fortheloveofdogtales.com/

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

Heirs of Auschwitz by Dr. Jack Fried

You can find countless stories of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust as told firsthand by those souls that have witnessed, lived through, and survived indescribable horror. From great retellings from authors such as Elie Wiesel to dramatized, influential works of fiction from writers including John Boyne, it becomes clear the Holocaust has impacted more than the people that directly experienced it.

As the era of first-generation Holocaust survivors approaches its end, their stories as well as their trauma lives on, however, through their descendants. As a consequence, the descendants of Holocaust survivors, as current research suggests, have also been affected from the result of the experience of their parents and grandparents. Few stories are ever written by the heirs of those who endured that indescribable horror and in the way that it manifests psychologically just two generations later.

Author Dr. Jack Fried, born to the son and daughter of Holocaust survivors, is one of the many whose life has been forever changed by the events that transpired during the Holocaust. Inter-generational trauma is not a well-known concept, but, for Dr. Fried, it meant that he had to take a journey into a past he didn’t personally know—his grandparents’ past—to find pieces to a puzzle that may answer his questions about the origins of a lifelong battle he has had with separation anxiety. His trip took him to Poland where he uncovered a slew of pent-up emotions, fears, and dark histories.

Oddly, as Dr. Fried learns about his family’s past and his present, he unknowingly embarks on a spiritual journey into Jewish mysticism, which slowly enables him to transcend his lifelong struggles with a fear and anxiety that didn’t belong to him. All of the inhibiting emotions were released upon his connection to the strife of his ancestors.

Heirs of Auschwitz is an extremely worthwhile read for anyone with unresolved feelings, anyone who has not witnessed or has avoided witnessing human suffering, and for those who cannot fathom what hell on earth is like.

Buy on Amazon

99 cents until 4/10

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

Review of Formula for a Perfect Life by Christy Hayes

On Tour with Prism Book Tours


Welcome to the book tour for Formula for a Perfect Life by Christy Hayes! I had the honor of reviewing this book and am sharing my thoughts with you today. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more reviews and some sneak peeks inside. And of course, there's a great giveaway at the end!

Formula for a Perfect Life

By Christy Hayes
Christian New Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 323 Pages
March 30th 2020

Two practical strangers. One fateful night. Two pink lines.

College senior and obsessive romantic Kayla Cummings' dreams of a storybook life are spun off course by an unplanned pregnancy after a one-night stand with her secret crush. Devastated, Kayla turns to her roommates and best friends for advice. No matter what she decides, no matter how deeply embarrassed, she has to tell the father.

Ben Strickland’s future is written in stone—as long as he gets a decent score on the Law School Admission Test. Feeling pressure from all sides, Ben struggles to juggle his upcoming finals, another shot at the LSAT, and his needy girlfriend Darcy. When the girl he spent a memorable night with weeks ago shows up at his doorstep pregnant, his already chaotic life spins out of control.

With the clock ticking, decisions to make, and a boatload of people to disappoint, Ben and Kayla embark on a journey neither anticipated—a journey where falling in love might be the biggest surprise of all. But when old hurts and buried secrets pose a greater threat to their future than impending parenthood, will Ben and Kayla go their separate ways or forge a new path to happy ever after?

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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords

**My thoughts**
This was an interesting take on the one-night stand pregnancy trope. This one has a Christian twist to it, as the two main characters have strong faith and all characters are frequently talking about God's will in their situation. I know that there's a group of people who will claim that two young people who claim to be Christians would never get themselves into such a situation, but I will disagree. To me, this was a book that felt more realistic as far as the behavior of college students. We are not perfect humans and accidents will happen. It's how you handle them that makes the difference in life. 

Both of these characters are under a lot of pressure from their parents about making all of the right decisions. Their families have high expectations of them. And now that this wrench has been thrown into their lives, those plans are on hold, or more likely being completely diverted. Relationships are completely strained and they are struggling to salvage what they can.

And speaking of relationships, Kayla and Ben really didn't have much of one before that fateful night. There was obviously some attraction, but then they didn't follow up with each other after that night because they were so busy. Now that they know they are going to be permanently connected, they are awkwardly navigating the getting-to-know you phase while kind of starting at the end and working backwards. That spark is there, but it is not a rushing heat. That heat already got them into trouble already, so they are really trying to take it slow. And for the sake of both them and the baby, you are rooting for them to work it out.

The biggest fireworks come from Ben's on-again-off-again betrothed girlfriend Darcy who is beyond angry that her own dreams of being a power couple have disappeared. She causes a lot of unnecessary drama that occasionally feels slightly out of place, and yet helps to fuel the honesty and bonding between the parents-to-be.

It's a story of reexamining your own personal morals and beliefs. It's about learning how to navigate the rocky waters of adulthood even before you think you're ready. It's about prioritizing relationships with people in your life. It's about remembering to be truthful and honest. And it's about learning how to love and to keep the faith.

I enjoyed reading this reading this book. It had just enough faith references to serve as a reminder to keep the faith, especially as we are in a very weird place in our world right now. But it wasn't preachy. So I think even others who are less religious may still find some value in this book. I gave it 3.5 stars overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Prism Book Tours for fulfilling my review request for this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


About the Author

Christy Hayes lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and dogs. Christy writes Contemporary Romance, New Adult Romance, Christian Romance, and Women's Fiction. When not writing, she’s reading, walking dogs, or stalking her college-aged kids on social media.

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Tour Giveaway

Three winners will receive an ebook of Maybe It's You by Christy Hayes

Open internationally

Ends April 8, 2020

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