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Just the Way You Are + Giveaway - Pepper Basham

Saturday, April 8, 2017• , , , , , , , ,

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book

Book: Just the Way You Are

Author: Pepper Basham 

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance safely housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her reluctant heart a very different type of discovery.

Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.

When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grace salvage their unexpected romance?

 My Rating
★★★★★★ - Heaven help me, you taste like Christmas! (Yes...this is a Pepper Basham quote.) (More Info)

My Thoughts
When the hubby decides we need
to make a Costco run in the 

middle of Chapter 13. 

Don't mess with Chapter 13
Just the Way You Are is more than just a good book. It is a modern day fairytale filled with redemption and grace that will capture your heart from the first moment. Within the pages of this book you will find real people, with real life issues. This story will sweep you off your feet and drag you into a world that is every nerd girl's fantasy and you will soon find yourself consumed with researching history, "treasure" hunting, chocolate, British accents, Appalachia, AND.........Kisses.

Chocolate kisses, closet kisses, abandoned tower kisses, leave you senseless kisses...This book is PACKED with such romance that you may need to take precautionary actions to prevent injury from fainting! (such as a fainting couch, fan, smelling salts, etc.)

Don't let the passion fool you though. Pepper writes such sweet, unadulterated romance coupled with complete and total redemption. It blows my mind every single time I read one of her books. Just the Way You Are is the first contemporary novel I have read of Pepper's, and this easily makes it to the top of my favorite Rom Com stories EVER. I wish to see this in movie form so badly! "Ghirardelli  in human form"...yes please! Haha!
 
The adventure, the romance, the grace...all woven together creates a beautiful masterpiece. 

I received a complimentary copy of Just the Way You Are. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.


About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, releases in April 2016. You can get to know Pepper on Facebook, or over at her group blog, The Writer’s Alley, or Instagram.


 More Books by Pepper Basham can be found HERE!

Blog Stops





April 6: cherylbbookblog






April 8: Bookworm Mama


April 9: Quiet Quilter



April 10: Back Porch Reads

April 11: Robin’s Nest







April 14: A Greater Yes

April 15: Just Commonly


April 16: Book by Book


April 17: Splashes of Joy



April 18: Karen Sue Hadley



April 19: Henry Happens

April 19: Baker Kella



 Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Pepper is giving away a Grand Prize consisting of: A ‘chest’ – in JTWYA historical letters are discovered in a chest that relates to the historical storyline, so all of these lovely goodies are going to be safely inside this chest.
  • Chocolate – several references take place in JTWYA that compare the hero to chocolate 😉
  • A plaque about family – because that’s a main point of importance in JTWYA
  • A Spider-man zipper pull – Pete, the heroine’s son, is a major Spider-man fan.
  • English Breakfast Tea – The hero is English…swoony English
  • A dishcloth – again, something that relates to a scene in the book regarding the hero and dishes (twice)
  • Stirring spoon and measuring cups – food and cooking are a big part of Appalachian culture and fellowship, something celebrated in JTWYA
  • A notebook – Eisley (the heroine) is taking notes about a historical family mystery
  • A lovely container full of cloth flowers (for fun, and beauty) – the container says – "Love and you will be loved. Loving others has an amazing way to find its way back to us" (as is what happens in JTWYA)
  • A little plaque that reads “You are Loved” – a theme of this story
  • A beautiful lace doily from England (the English part of the story)
  • Some “Pixie Dust” a fun visualization of the ‘magic’ of romance in this story
  • A copy of Just the Way You Are!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b3e0



First Line Fridays - 4/7/17 - An Awakened Heart

Friday, April 7, 2017• , , , , ,


Happy Friday!!!

Have you heard? Jody Hedlund has a BRAND NEW SERIES releasing this year! AND...the novella...is FREE!!! Released on Tuesday, An Awakened Heart is a short read that whets the appetite for MORE! Jody is one of my top favorite authors and it is next to impossible to put down her books once I start them, and this novella was no exception.


New York City
May 1857
"Stop prostituting yourselves and run to the loving Father who will embrace you with forgiveness."

This novella is FREE!!!

Now it's your turn! Post your first line below and blog hop and join in more First Line fun!

Andi - Radiant Light

If you would like to host First Line Fridays on your blog, contact Carrie on Reading is my SuperPower.

Winter - The Lunar Chronicles Book 4 - Marissa Meyer

Tuesday, April 4, 2017• , , , , , ,

My Rating
★★★★ - You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. (More Info)

About the Book

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? (From Marissa Meyer's website.)


My Thoughts
I have really enjoyed this series. Exploring a future version of Earth where the moon in populated, there are only a handful of actual "countries", cyborgs, androids, and emperors work together to bring peace and safety to both Lunars and Earthens. However, I found Winter to be mercilessly long. That being said, this was an epic finale to The Lunar Chronicles. I am SO glad that I FINALLY read this series.

 I have become quite attached to all of the characters in these books.  I think Cress and Scarlet are my personal favorites...along with Thorne and Wolf. Of course, the majority of the series revolves around Cinder and she truly turns out to be a remarkable girl. Winter has MANY different perspectives, making it easy to get a little muddled, but doesn't take long to get in the flow. I think by having so many point of views of the surroundings and activities it helps fill a lot of would be gaps. This is also a contributing factor to why the book is so long. Hardcover is 827 pages in length and took me about a week to complete. To keep this review spoiler free for anyone who hasn't read the first three books, I will simply state that Winter wraps the whole story up quite nicely. And despite its length, this is a journey that I am glad I was a part of.

 The Lunar Chronicles is not a Christian series and is marketed as "Young Adult". I feel that it is appropriate for this age group (and adults can enjoy it too of course!). The romance is clean and sweet. There is no foul language that I can think of. There is some violence as the wolf hybrid soldiers reign terror on Luna and Earth. Also there is a pretty epic battle to wrap everything up.

 If you enjoy sci-fi and young adult fiction, I think you would enjoy this series! Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

I borrowed Winter from my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Purchase Options


About the Author
Photo Credit: Julia Scott

Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Heartless and The Lunar Chronicles. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters. She’s a fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, any occasion that requires a costume), and has been in love with fairy tales since she was a child. She may or may not be a cyborg.
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Author Interview - Catherine West

Monday, April 3, 2017• ,


Let me introduce you...
Catherine West is an award-winning author who writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. Her first novel, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, released in 2011 and won the INSPY for Romance, a Silver Medal in the Reader’s Favorite Awards, and was a finalist in the Grace Awards. Catherine’s second novel, Hidden in the Heart, released in September 2012, was long listed in the 2012 INSPY’s and was a finalist in the 2013 Grace Awards.

When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America, and is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary. Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at Catherine@catherinejwest.com

INSPY Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s novel, Bridge of Faith, won the 2015 Grace Award. Catherine’s latest novels are The Things We Knew (July 2016) and The Memory of You (March 2017), Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at Catherine@catherinejwest.com



Rachel: Welcome to Bookworm Mama Catherine! I am so honored to have you here today!

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

Catherine: I can’t remember not enjoying a good book! I was an advanced reader from an early age, and my parents loved to read, so being an only child, reading was kind of our family sport! I loved making up stories and I wrote my first ‘romance’ when I was about twelve, which was probably pretty funny. I think because I read so much, I fell into the whole storytelling thing quite naturally.

Rachel: I am the only "bookish" person in my immediate family. They couldn't understand why I was always reading.

What literary character is most like you? Why?


Catherine: Oh, what a hard question!! I have no idea. I really love Jane Eyre actually. I think she’s had some hard knocks, but she is determined to make the most of what life brings her, she doesn’t give up on people, and she gets the guy in the end, so I kind of like that. 🙂


Rachel: Oh yes I love Jane!

Can you share some something interesting you learned while researching The Memory of You?

Catherine: The Memory of You takes place in Sonoma, California, and the location is a family owned and run winery. There aren’t a ton of references to wine-making or the growing of grapes, but of course this is an integral part of the story, so I did a lot of research on both. I never knew how much work and time was involved in wine-making, from the time you plant the first grape vine until the first bottle of wine is ready to be opened. It’s a very long process, and you don’t use the first harvest of grapes because they’re not mature enough. So you really have to be in it for the long haul, which I found interesting and very relevant to a lot of life’s choices.


Rachel: Yes! I really enjoyed learning more about the process and inner workings of the winery. I found it very interesting for sure!

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?


Catherine: Definitely Gone With The Wind. It was the first ‘big’ book I read, and I was captured by the first page. I love the classics as well, so anything by Austen, Dickens, the Bronte sisters. I read a lot of romance growing up, and I loved family saga stories, so I think the books I read definitely influenced the genre I would end up writing in.

Rachel: Oh I love this! All of these are so wonderful. And I do love family in books.

Do you have any "secret talents" you can tell us about?


Catherine: LOL. If I told you they wouldn’t be secret, would they? ðŸ™‚ I don’t think I actually have many talents outside of writing, but I do love to sing on the worship team at church, and I also enjoy drawing and painting, though I haven’t done that in a while, too many books to write!!


Rachel: Oooooh! An artist with words AND paints! 💗

What are you reading right now? What made you pick it up?


Catherine: I just finished reading A Bridge Across the Ocean, by Susan Meissner. She’s definitely one of my favorite authors, so I read every new book she comes up with. She does the time-slip thing really well. I’ve always been fascinated with books that deal in present day as well as the past. I actually think I’d like to write one. I had a bit of that in The Things We Knew, but it was more flashbacks of the more recent past, whereas this would be a story within the story in a different timeframe entirely.


Rachel: OH! You totally should! I would read that for sure! I have read a couple of Susan's books and I enjoy the dual timelines. Adds a different perspective to the story.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

Catherine: I’m not sure how unusual, but I don’t really plot. I’ve tried. I keep trying. It just never works out that way. I will usually settle on a setting first, then the characters arrive and start talking, and then the story begins playing out like a movie in my head. While I’m in the middle of writing, I’ll often get the next chapter or scene while I’m laying awake at 2 in the morning. I don’t get up either, so I have to hope I’ll remember it in the morning, lol, but I generally do!

Rachel: I am impressed! I can never remember things come morning. I HAVE to write it down.

What advice do you have for writers?

Catherine: Learn the craft. This is the biggest favor you can do for yourself. Take courses, read books, go to conferences, and make connections with other writers who can advise you. Grow a thick skin. Learn how to receive rejection and learn from it, have a teachable spirit, be humble. And be very patient. But if you know you’re following God’s call, trust Him to take your words where He wants them to go.

Rachel: WOW! This can definitely be translated into all aspects of life.

Before I let you go, can you tell us what is up next for you?

Catherine: Well, now that my second book with Harper Collins Christian Publishing has released, I’m going to enjoy the ride! It’s always a busy time when a book comes out, so I will have plenty to keep me busy, but we are expecting our first grandchild around the middle of April, so that’s my primary focus right now. There are a couple of projects in the pipeline as well, but at the moment no looming deadlines, so I’m going to have a little bit of breathing room and just enjoy becoming “Mimi”!

Rachel: Eeeee! That is so exciting! CONGRATULATIONS!!! And enjoy all the baby snuggles!

Thank you so much for joining us today Catherine! I SO enjoyed chatting with you and I loved The Memory of You! My review and purchase links can be found HERE. 

Month in Review - March 2017

Saturday, April 1, 2017• , , , , , , ,


Well, March was quite the month for me! It all began with being "hired" by THE Pepper Basham as her virtual assistant! I am just a teensy bit excited, if you couldn't tell! Don't miss out on the Launch Party for her new book, Just the Way You Are! You can find the event page HERE! We will have lots of laughs, giveaways, and swooning...SO make sure you bring your fainting couch and fan along.

Before you scroll too far make sure you enter my "Surprise Giveaway". I am accepting entries until Monday MORNING at 12:00am (PT). So, if you haven't...GO ENTER...and then come back here to see if you missed anything else this month! Click on the images to be taken to the corresponding post. Thank you and Happy Reading!!! 

Just for Fun
Open till 4/3/17 12:00am (PT)

 



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