Cover Reveal: As Easy As Riding A Bike

Y'all Bell's back!!! 💕

Back in December I stumbled upon one of the sweetest authors I've met! Ms. Bell Renshaw. 

At the time she was looking for a street team for her debut novella,  One Christmas in Winter. 

I quickly joined, and have since been able to see this author blossom, even in the few months I've known her. She has TONS of amazing ideas and surprises in store for everyone, myself included. 

A few weeks ago my eyeballs were blessed with about the sweetest cover I've seen in a while. It'll give you a cavity, so prepare to call your dentist after you read this! 😍

So without further ado, I give you the cover for Bell's next novella.

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What'd I tell ya?! CAVITIES!! 

Because Bell has to work so fast, there isn't an official blurb yet. However that AND the pre-order link will be live soon! 

Here is what we know so far (just enough to want more):

"As Easy As Riding a Bike. It's the first of 5 novellas set in the small town of Justin Harbor, Oregon and features a renovated roadside "lodge" with cabins run by local business woman Emma Holland and a handsome freelance photographer Connor Pearson." 

I am beyond excited for this new town to explore and new characters to fall in love with!

If you haven't already definitely check out Bell's debut novella!

Purchase "One Christmas in Winter" here: 

You can connect with Bell on:

Her Website: https://bellrenshaw.jimdo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellRenshaw/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellreadsbooks/

Review: The Ladies of Ivy Cottage

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage

"Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold.

Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. When the village women encourage her to open a subscription library with the many books she has inherited or acquired through donations, Rachel discovers two mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but will both find more than they bargained for? 

Rachel's friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls' school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or who--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all.

Meanwhile, life has improved at the coaching inn and Jane Bell is ready to put grief behind her. Now if only the man she misses would return--but where is he?

As the women of Ivy Hill search for answers about the past and hope for the future, might they find love along the way?"


Author: Julie Klassen
Length: 444 pages
Format: paperback, hardcover, e-book, audio

With the help of the new library

Love and Truth will triumph 

I am so happy to be back in Ivy Hill! It's such a quaint little town. 

I love how this book was LITERALLY a continuation of book 1. 
I was able to  go from book 1 to book 2 (since I waited to start the series). However, now I have to wait for book 3 to come out. The suspense it killing me!

Julie has this tendency to take your heart, make it ooh and ahh, then promptly rip it from your chest. She crafts each and every one of her characters beautifully. Honestly I question the innocence of literally every character. She has wrecked me with plot twist before, so now I trust no one. 

I can't say too much, because spoilers. But huzzah for new businesses, old love, and secrets revealed.
Now you have to read the book to see what I'm talking about. 😉

Rachel made me grunt and roll my eyes a few times. GIRL LET HIM GO!
But this is why love triangles exist, makes everyone antsy. Who is she gonna pick? Is he the right guy? Oh the agony! Julie definitely knows how to construct a hearty triangle. Keeps you guessing until the end!

I cannot wait for book 3...at all! WHY CAN'T IT BE DECEMBER YET?!
I believe we finally get the ending of Jane's story, a wonderful beginning for Mercy, and hopefully a more in depth look at Mr. Drake and Mr. Ashford. What more could you ask for?

I loved book 2 and now I impatiently wait for my stage to take me back to Ivy Hill again.
I give this book a 4.5/5 stars and would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Regency times, or books based in villages/small town.

 Quotes:

Jane shook her head. "James. James. James. I don't know how well you mastered Latin verbs, but you certainly mastered the art of flirtation."
"Thank you." His eyes gleamed. "It's one of my greatest accomplishments."

He slowly shook his head, eyes alight. "You've missed your calling, Miss Grove. You ought to have been a politician. Or a revolutionist."
"I hope I am, in my small way. I believe every person should be able to read and write, understand the history of this great empire. and manage finances to better provide for one's family. I think education is vital, whether one works as a laborer, or in service, or anything else. We are not brute beasts. We are created in the image of God with intelligence and creativity, to do good on this earth for our fellow man.

"I am. But you go, Aunt Matty, and have a wonderful time."
"Then I shall indeed. Thankfully, I have not yet posted my regrets." Matilda winked. "Sometimes procrastination pays."

"And...have you a favorite author?"
He grimaced. "I do detest that question. How can one answer? How can one choose a favorite from among one's very confidants and mentors? I am not a youth with my arm slung around the shoulder of one chum to the exclusion of others. Each suits a different time. A different season..."

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review* *All opinions are my own*

Review: The Lacemaker

The Lacemaker

"When colonial Williamsburg explodes like a powder keg on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson is abandoned by her fiancé and suspected of being a spy for the hated British. No one comes to her aid save the Patriot Noble Rynallt, a man with formidable enemies of his own. Liberty is left with a terrible choice. Will the Virginia belle turned lacemaker side with the radical revolutionaries, or stay true to her English roots? And at what cost?"






Author: Laura Frantz
Length: 416 pages
Format: paperback, e-book, hardcover

Red or Blue

Which side will you choose?

Though you will be reading this the second week of January, this was actually my first book of 2018. And oh what a book to start the year with. 

This was the first book I've read by Laura Frantz, and will probably not be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style.

As much as I love historical books this one was a bit outside my comfort zone. I haven't really read many books in colonial times. I'm not gonna lie, this book was a tad of struggle for me...
I think because we were SO close to characters that were real people (i.e Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson...) it made my mind scramble trying to recall REAL facts from fiction.

Regardless, I really did enjoy reading from this century. I enjoyed Laura's voice and the dialogue made me smile. She was able to capture the severity of this history, yet I never felt weighed down.

This book, though 400 pages, seemed to fly by. There was a lot of history and information to take in, but it wasn't hard to follow along. To me it was nice, quick, read though not light.

I give this book a 4/5 stars. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoy early American history.


Quotes:

"Oh Lord, thank You for such beauty. New possibilities. Blessed memories of old. Protect us. Lead us. Please."

"Do you really not mind having a Tory beneath your roof?"
He winked at her. "I don't know that you're a true Tory. Your very name is Liberty."

"More tragic reports reached them. Hundreds of sailor drowned. Livestock lost and fields flooded. No one asked who or what was Patriot or Tory. Suddenly such divisions ceased to matter."

*I was sent this book by the publisher for an honest review* *All opinions are my own*

Review: Oath of Honor

Oath of Honor

"Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family. With three brothers and two sisters, she's never without someone to hang out with--or fight with. And she knows they'll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Determined to discover exactly what happened, Izzy's investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll--including someone from her own family. With her dead partner's handsome homicide detective brother Ryan shadowing her every move, Izzy's head is spinning. How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison? And how will she guard her heart when the man she's had a secret crush on for years won't leave her side?"

Author: Lynette Eason

Length: 369 pages

Format: paperback, hardcover, e-book

This was the greatest book to get out of my suspense genre slump. (Yes, that is a thing...I declared it) It has been a few years since I read a honest to goodness suspense book. But since starting my blog and BookTube, I have been reading outside of my comfort zone more and more. (This is both exhilarating and horrifying)

"Oath of Honor" is the first book in Lynette's new series called Blue Justice. Book two comes out the summer of 2018...and I need it to be here now. I NEED the next book! 

This series is following the St. John family, each one is in law enforcement someway or another. 

St.John children:

Brady

Lincoln (Linc)

Chloe

Isabelle (Izzy)

Derek

Ruthie

Each sibling makes a small cameo in book one. I cannot wait to read everyone's stories! 

Now on to actual review of the book...

So I knew Izzy's partner dies. Everyone knows. It's on the back of the book. But what I DIDN'T know is how fast I would fall in love with Kevin. He was so charming, and witty, and he did not deserve to die!! I needed a minute to just compose myself when he was initially shot. Then I found out he was only 26, and about lost it. HE WAS SO YOUNG! I was already hard-core shipping him and Izzy, not going to lie. They were best friends for pete's sake. 

It was perfect...(currently tearing up because I had so many plans for them, they were so young, they had their whole lives in front of them)

BUT, I will be content with Mr. Ryan Marshall (Kevin's brother btw). Okay, by content I mean completely and utterly happy with him. The Marshall and St. John families had been friends for YEARS, they live across the street from each other. So all the kids grew up together. So Ryan and Izzy ending up together (though the age difference is there...) was music to eyes. Is that a thing? 

I LOVE when childhood friends end up together. there's nothin' like it.  

Marshall children:

Chris

Ryan

Cathy

Kevin

You learn in the book that Chris Marshall died in Afghanistan 18 months before Kevin was killed. (Um, major plot twist in this aspect)

So the Marshall's have been through A LOT in the last two years.

Instead of letting it harden him, Ryan stayed faithful to God and turned to Him throughout the entire book in prayer. 

That was one of the many things I enjoyed about it, both Izzy and Ryan held on to their faith. They never once scream at God, or question Him. They knew they couldn't make it alone, and trusted He would take care of it all.

This book gave me some serious Blue Bloods vibes, and I'm HERE for it!! A huge family all in law enforcement, they are all close, they have family dinner...it was fabulous to see it from a Christian world view. 

I loved each and everyone of the characters. they were super goofy and witty but professional when they needed to be. They knew how to balance work and family. 

The sibling banter brought many a smile to my face, and a giggle to the surface. I love when families feel real, and I can connect with them through the pages. 

There were many things I enjoyed, but at the same time there were a few things that confused me. 

A few aspects felt rushed to me, or just thrown in for paper length. For instance , we get a small portion from the villain's perspective, it didn't actually have to be there. It didn't add to the plot, and we never heard from him again. 

I felt like 6 different cases were going on at one time, we find out a bit about Chris' death, but even that felt weird. It didn't feel like it really enhanced the plot. (Though I guess it technically did) 

There was some minor character's character development that fell flat, but maybe we'll see them again in an upcoming book. 

Also, this is probably just me but I'm gonna say something anyway, Izzy is described in the book to have green eyes. However the girl on the cover has blue eyes. 

There were quite a few plot twists throughout the book! It did keep me guessing. The book ended completely different than I thought it would, though it was anticlimactic in my opinion.

I LOVED that Lynette dedicated this book to all our officers in blue, it brought a smile to my face. Though this was a work of fiction, what they do is real and dangerous. They were on my mind the entire time I read the book. I am so thankful to all our officers around the world, and their families. 

        

I rate this book a 4/5 stars. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense.

All in all I did enjoy the book, I love Eason's writing style, the main characters were great, the families were great. I cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out.

Quotes:

"And don't forget. Only 23 years to go." 

She rolled her eyes. "You remember?"

"Of course. And I'm holding you to it."

"Right," As a teenager, she'd promised to marry him when she turned fifty if they were both still single.

He shrugged."She had horses."

"What? Ryan Marshall, you only wanted to go out with her so she would invite you over to ride a horse?"

He flushed. "Yeah."

"Izzy! What are you going to do?"

She turned, walking backwards. "I'm going to think abut buying a horse."

*I was sent this book by the publisher for my honest review* *All opinions are my own*