Follower Love Giveaway Hop

As a part of the Follower Love Giveaway Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for your choice of one of the following books:


Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley is a Christian historical romance novel. You can read my review.

Island of Rhodes, 227 BC. In the ten years that Tessa of Delos has been in bondage as a high-priced Greek courtesan to a wealthy politician, she has learned to abandon all desire for freedom and love. But when her owner meets a violent death, Tessa is given the chance to be free--if she can hide the truth of his death and maintain a masquerade until escape is possible. Tessa must battle for her own freedom and for those she is beginning to love as forces collide that will shatter the island’s peace and bring even its mighty Colossus to its knees.


Vanished by Irene Hannon is a Christian romantic suspense novel. You can read my review.

Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a lone figure suddenly appears in the beam of her headlights, Moira slams on her brakes--but it's too late. She feels the solid thump against the side of her car before crashing into a tree on the far side of the road.

A man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on that face in the instant before her headlights swung away. And she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome ex-homicide detective turned private eye, who agrees to take on the case.


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.

OR

2) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me in the giveaway for [give the book name and author's name]."


This giveaway ends on February 11, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on February 12, 2013 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Follower Love Giveaway Hop:

Mystery of the Heart by Jillian Kent

Mystery of the Heart by Jillian Kent ISBN-13: 9781621360155 Trade Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Realms Released: January 8, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Lady Mercy Grayson longs to be a physician like her older brother, Lord Ravensmoore. Society would never tolerate a female physician, though, so Mercy disguised herself as a man to go to medical school. Her secret was uncovered, and now someone pursues her to obtain blackmail money and perhaps more...

Lord Eden has found a relic for the Regent--the spearhead said to have pierced Jesus' side on the cross and is rumored to heal illnesses. As he travels home to London, he rescues Mercy and returns her to her family on his way to see the Regent. But other people want the relic, too, and they violently take it from him. Mercy treats his wounds, but he must recover the relic for the Regent (and help keep Mercy safe while he's at it).


My Review:
Mystery of the Heart is a Christian historical romantic suspense novel set in 1819 in England. This is the third book in a series. This book is a continuation of the previous books, so a good chunk of Mercy's story has already happened before the start of this book.

While this novel was set in the British Regency era, it read more like a Disney version of history. The national-level events were generally correct, but the characters were too modern--even for modern-thinking people of the era--in their knowledge and views. Actions that, in an Austen or Heyer book (also set in this time period), would cause an immediate, forced wedding or be the cause for utter disgrace were hardly remarked upon.

Eden and Mercy went from a mild sort-of-friendship to hugging and kissing in public (with less shock than a modern teenager would experience) while neither had any intentions of ever marrying anyone. Eden betrayed Mercy and the one thing that she was attracted to in him, yet he still wins her. When he finally decided he wanted to marry, he promptly went from not-interested-in-God to completely surrendered to Him since she was Christian. It's not a story that's highly realistic, but if realism isn't important, then it's a fairly fun, action-packed adventure.

The characters were nice enough, but I wasn't very impressed. Lord Eden knew that untrustworthy people with large gangs wanted the relic, yet he never planned on defending himself from them. He kept finding himself outnumbered and meekly handing the relic over to his attackers. Mercy felt that God had called her to practice medicine, but apparently being a midwife was too lowly because she interprets this to mean that God wants her to dress as a man and pretend to be one for the rest of her life so she can practice as a physician. And she thinks she can successfully do this even though her pretense had already been uncovered once.

For the Christian element, there were numerous scenes of various Ravensmoore family members ranting about how a holy relic can't heal, only God. I agree with their view, but I got it the first time. Several characters also wondered if they could know for sure if they were following God's will, and there were some brief references to the various characters praying.

There was a very minor amount of explicit bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, it's a fun story if you don't mind the lack of realism.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Right Where I Belong by Krista McGee

Right Where I Belong by Krista McGee ISBN-13: 9781401684907 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: December 11, 2012

Source: I received this ebook review copy free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.

Book Description from Booksneeze:
After watching her father jump from one marriage to the next, Natalia has completely written off love. And when her father divorces his third wife--the only one who has been a mother to her--Natalia is ready to write him off too. Natalia leaves her home in Spain and relocates with her stepmother to sun-soaked Florida.

But she didn’t realize just how far a new school, a new culture, and a new lifestyle would push her out of her comfort zone. One of her biggest surprises comes from Brian, a pastor’s son with an adorable smile who loves God with a sincerity that astounds Natalia. She doesn’t want to fall for him, but she can’t seem to avoid him long enough to get him out of her mind.


My Review:
Right Where I Belong is a young adult Christian romance that is loosely based on Ruth. Several characters from this author's previous two novels were in this one, but you don't need to read those novels to understand this one. This novel did "spoil" how her previous novels ended, though, so you might wish to read them in order.

The first third of this book was a fairly light story about Natalia trying to get used to all of the differences between her culture and American culture. While interesting, the last two-thirds of the book drew me into the story more as Natalia dealt with her step-mother's break-down, tried to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, and dealt with her issues about trusting men to not all treat women like her dad did.

The characters were engaging and interesting, especially in the second half as they became more developed. The romance was believable, and Natalia and Brian seemed well-suited to each other. There was a fair amount of discussion about Christian topics since Natalia wanted to learn more about her faith. They talked about how to best convince people that they need Christ, why God lets us go through hard times, is honoring God or honoring your parents more important when it comes to choosing your job, and so on.

I wasn't completely comfortable with the "God or parents" message since most teens don't have an accurate idea of God's "calling" for their life and could use this to justify ignoring their parent's guidance. How Natalia actually applied the advice was fine, though. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 34 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

Christine Jensen
who won "A Daughter's Redemption" by Georgiana Daniels

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

The Wedding Kiss by Hannah Alexander

The Wedding Kiss by Hannah Alexander ISBN-13: 9781609363086 Trade Paperback: 317 pages Publisher: Summerside Press Released: September 1, 2011

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description, My Take:
The marriage of convenience between Keara McBride and Elam Jensen becomes uncomfortable when they realize that they actually love each other. Elam's dead wife had been Keara's best friend, and both Keara and Elam feel like they're betraying her memory. To make the situation even more difficult, the dead wife's sister shows up on their doorstep with a bullet wound on their wedding night. Someone is trying to kill her, and Keara and Elam must keep her hidden! But the only way to really keep her safe is to discover who is after her and why he wants her dead.


My Review:
The Wedding Kiss is a Christian historical romantic suspense set in 1901 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was fun to read a novel set so close to where I live, but I wonder how much the authors actually know about raising and training horses. Elam was supposed to have a successful, full-fledged horse farm yet apparently only had a few horses (which were constantly kept in a barn or nearby paddock and were fed a lot of oats...not really the normal setup for the time period).

The focus was more on the suspense than the romance, so the romance was mainly coming to peace with loving each other while a whirlwind of other events were happening. I liked that the authors used actual historical events of that time to set up and push forward several events in the book. The suspense was created through relationship tensions between several characters and from physical danger.

The Christian element was woven naturally into the characters' behavior and conversations. The characters did briefly talk about God and His being in control. There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of "he cussed" style of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this fairly light, enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

As a part of the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for your choice of one of the following books:


Vanished by Irene Hannon is a Christian romantic suspense novel. You can read my review.

Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a lone figure suddenly appears in the beam of her headlights, Moira slams on her brakes--but it's too late. She feels the solid thump against the side of her car before crashing into a tree on the far side of the road.

A man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on that face in the instant before her headlights swung away. And she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome ex-homicide detective turned private eye, who agrees to take on the case.


A Daughter's Redemption Georgiana Daniels is a Christian romance novel. You can read my review.

Inheriting her estranged father's property isn't the reason Robyn Warner wanted to come back to Pine Hollow. She thought she'd make amends with her father—but his sudden death made that impossible. And when she learns the identity of the handyman fixing the run-down cabins, Robyn is ready to flee Pine Hollow again. Caleb Sloane, the cop partly responsible for her father's death, just wants to uphold his promise and then return to the force. But he can't seem to walk away. After all, he understands about guilt and regret. And he'll do everything he can to help Robyn find healing, happiness and—just maybe—a lifetime of love.


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me in the giveaway for [give the book name and author's name]."

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement. I'd be fun if you also included why you're interested in reading this novel.


This giveaway ends on January 24, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on January 25, 2013 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop:

A Daughter's Redemption by Georgiana Daniels

A Daughter's Redemption by Georgiana Daniels ISBN-10: 0373877927 ISBN-13: 9780373877928 Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Love Inspired Released: December 18, 2012 List Price: $5.75 Book on Amazon

Source: Special thanks to Georgiana Daniels for sending me a review copy. This post is part of the FIRST Wild Card Tour.

Book Description:
Inheriting her estranged father's property isn't the reason Robyn Warner wanted to come back to Pine Hollow. She thought she'd make amends with her father—but his sudden death made that impossible. And when she learns the identity of the handyman fixing the run-down cabins, Robyn is ready to flee Pine Hollow again. Caleb Sloane, the cop responsible for her father's accident, just wants to uphold his promise and then return to the force. But he can't seem to walk away. After all, he understands about guilt and regret. And he'll do everything he can to help Robyn find healing, happiness and—just maybe—a lifetime of love.


My Review:
A Daughter's Redemption is a Christian romance novel. To clarify the book description, Caleb did not directly kill Robyn's father. He was a cop trying to pull over a young man that had driven through a red light and was thought to be drunk. Instead of stopping, the young man sped off and hit Robyn's father. Since the department had a "no-pursuit" policy, some people in town also blamed Caleb for the accident.

The characters were engaging and reacted to events in realistic ways. I liked how Robyn tried to live out her Christian faith in her behavior, like forgiving wrongs done to her even though it wasn't always easy to do so. Her guilt over not fixing things with her dad when she still could was making her angry at those who took that chance away from her. Feelings of guilt in Robyn and Caleb and the anger that Robyn's half-siblings felt over her getting the resort created relationship tensions. Not to mention that Caleb might lose his job. I had a hard time putting the book down because I wasn't sure how all of these problems were going to play out.

My only confusion was why a relatively simple question--did Caleb violate department policy or not and was it justified if he did--was allowed to turn into a witch hunt where people known to hold a grudge against Caleb were a part of making this decision. Turning the question into a popularity contest did add tension to the story, but it decreased some of the sense of realism for me.

The Christian element was woven naturally into the story and was mainly Robyn's and Caleb's conviction that God must have a plan even though the circumstances seemed so out of their control. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.



About the Author:
Georgiana Daniels resides in the beautiful mountains of Arizona with her super-generous husband and three talented daughters. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in public relations, and now has the privilege of homeschooling by day and wrestling with the keyboard by night. She enjoys sharing God's love through fiction, and is exceedingly thankful for her own happily ever after.

Visit the author's website.


Book Excerpt: Google Books Preview.