Once Upon a Baby by Shari Guess -- Blog Tour

Once Upon a Baby: A Tale of Adoption

Author: Shari Guess

Publisher: Narrow Trail Publishing

Published: 2012

Paperback: 28 pages

ISBN13: 9780985859008

FTC FYI: Received a PDF copy in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary: A heartwarming tale of LDS adoption. Follow a child's journey from the Pre-existence to his family's home on Earth.  The divine guidance of the Savior, along with the prayers of both birth and adoptive parents are gently and lovingly portrayed in this tender story of the ultimate "happily every after".

My Review

I was very excited to be a part of this blog tour.  November is National Adoption Month.  I have many friends who have been blessed by adoption.  This book is a sweet telling of that very thing.  This story is the journey of a family starting their life together in heaven, and the way they end of together here on earth.  They soon realize that they need some help. Once Upon a Baby is also a beautifully illustrated story. It is a great story for all families.  My favorite quote from the book talked about how much our Heavenly Father loves us.

"The mommy and daddy said more than a few prayers and asked Heavenly Father and Jesus to help them keep their promise to the baby. Because Heavenly Father and Jesus loves mommies and daddies and children too, Jesus answered their prayers. He would help the child come down from Heaven as a baby to his family's home on earth."

Once Upon a Baby is a perfect book that will help a child understand where they came from, and that their "tummy mommy" loved them too.

Find out more about the Shari on her website .

Purchase Link:

AMAZON

Bio from her Goodreads page:

SHARI GUESS is a proud, first-time children’s book author and lives in rural North Texas where she is “Mom” to her beloved 9-year-old adopted son, Garrett. Happily married to her husband Walter for going on 13 years they share their cabin-in-the-woods with a small herd of Great Danes and farm animals. Shari is currently a part-time real estate agent and property manager and prior to marriage worked for over a decade in the music business, spanning from Los Angeles to Nashville. She wore many hats as a journalist and publicist representing multiple recording artists, magazines and music publishing companies, along with being a part-time performing artist and songwriter. Her hobbies include choral, Americana and rock music, martial arts, photography, travel and anything in the mountains.

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Book Blast for Secrets of the Red Box by Vickie Hall

Secrets of the Red Box
Bonnie has secrets to keep - secrets with the potential to destroy lives, including her own. Running from her destructive and pain filled past, she recreates herself, believing she has escaped the damning evidence hidden in the red box. When her former life is revealed by a cruel twist of fate, Bonnie faces losing everything, including Glen, the only man she’s ever loved. But is Bonnie the woman he thinks she is? Set against the backdrop of the 1940s, Secrets of the Red Box is filled with intrigue and suspense - sure to keep you guessing to the very end!

Purchase Link:

Amazon 

Author Vickie Hall

Vickie is a native of Utah, but growing up, lived in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Nebraska. When she's not writing, she's composing music, or shopping with her sister. She loves animals of all kinds and camping with her family. Her favorite pastime is watching old movies on TCM, and unashamedly has a crush on Cary Grant.

Links:

Blog * Website 
Facebook * Goodreads

Praise for Secrets of the Red Box:

Amazing book! Wow, it caught me from the first paragraph. What detail, mystery and suspense. Loved the main character, Bonnie, so relatable. Vicki is an amazing writer. I wish she would write more books!!!
~Amazon Review

Secrets of the Red Box is a great read! Whether you're looking for a book with an intriguing and unusual plot, or a story of how life's choices effect the rest of your life, you will love this book!
~Amazon Review


Blog Tour:
Be sure to check out the blog tour for the chance to win an additional $25 Gift Card.

Secrets of the Red Box Blog Tour: November 5th to 20th 

Tour Schedule

Book Blast Giveaway Details

$50 Amazon Gift Card or $50 PayPal Cash from Author Vickie Hall
Ends 11/25/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it for the first person you follow and leave the others blank.


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Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Key of Kilenya Giveaway

Author Andrea Pearson has an exciting giveaway for all 5 of her great books.  Use this LINK to take you to the giveaway.  I have read all but 1 of her books, and they are well written and fun.  Read my reviews for The Key of Kilenya, The Ember Gods, and August Fortress.  Great for adults as well as kids.  The giveaway ends December 5th, and don't forget, the giveaway is for all 5 of her books!

The first book The Key of Kilenya is free on Amazon / Smashwords / Nook

Here is a little bio on Andrea: 

Andrea, a Brigham Young University graduate, is an avid reader and outdoor

enthusiast (hiking, boating, biking, spending time in the Rocky Mountains,
and taking walks). She spent a year and a half serving the Spanish
speaking community in Toronto, Canada, and fluently speaks 2 ½ languages.
She plays several instruments, not including the banjo, and loves putting
together musical arrangements.

Andrea is always in the mood for a good movie with close friends and
family (especially her husband and mom), with a large glass of milk and a
bowl of overly buttered popcorn nearby. She also enjoys oil painting,
making earrings, and she hopes to someday travel to Italy and Alaska. She
loves writing clean fiction for youth and adults and is the author of nine
books, including the Kilenya Series (fantasy for readers ten and older), a
Kilenya Romance (teen readers), and the Katon University Series (soft teen
horror/paranormal/fantasy).

Shadowed by Stephanie Black

Shadowed

Author: Stephanie Black

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published: September 2012

Paperback: 273 pages

Genre: Mystery-Suspense

ISBN13: 9781621081968

FTC FYI: Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary

Gifted musician Catherine Clayton was born into a life of wealth and privilege. Following the death of her father, she makes a bold decision she hopes would make him proud: she’s using the family money to establish a music school and offer free lessons to the underprivileged. A providential suggestion from an old college friend leads Catherine to select Riley, New York, as the perfect location for her new school. Hit hard by the economic downturn, Riley personifies economic hardship: peeling paint, overgrown landscapes, and damaged buildings. But the damage runs much deeper than Catherine first realizes.

Two years ago, Riley was rocked by weeks of vandalism, followed by the brutal murder of beautiful elementary school secretary Olivia Perry. Everyone in town loved Olivia—but especially the two men with whom she was caught in a love triangle. Though the murder remains unsolved, Catherine receives ominous warnings that one of these men, Adam Becket, is responsible for her death. Unimpressed by the lack of evidence against him, Catherine is drawn to the shy but endearing Adam. Could he really have been involved in Olivia’s murder?

Just as Catherine is settling in and getting to know Adam, a vandal strikes again, and it’s eerily reminiscent of the events surrounding Olivia’s murder. The death threats splashed on the walls prove that the killer is back—and this time, it’s Catherine who wonders if she’s come to the wrong place at the wrong time.

Mindy's Review

I was so excited to read this book from Stephanie Black.  Stephanie has won 4 Whitney Awards for her work, so I knew this book would be a good one.  I was not disappointed.  Shadowed had me on edge, just waiting for something to happen, anticipating each page eagerly. My heart went out to Catherine. Talk about bad timing, with lots of bad luck. Moving into a town that is not welcoming and down right spooked by past and current events. Catherine is a great character with lots of great qualities. I really enjoyed what took place in the story, and the outcome of who did it. I was not expecting that!

This is a great book to read on Halloween, full of suspense and heart pounding action. If you like mystery and suspense, this book is for you.

4 out 5 stars.

Read more about Stephanie Black on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | KINDLE | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK

A Timeless Romance Anthology (Winter Collection)

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection

Authors: Sarah M. Eden, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, Joyce DiPastena, Donna Hatch, Heather B. Moore

Publisher: Mirror Press, LLC

Published: October 1, 2012

ISBN13: 9781301381166

ebook: 269 pages

Goodreads Summary of all 6 Short Stories: Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed brand new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection. A collection unlike any other, readers will love this compilation of six sweet historical romance novellas, set in varying eras, yet all with one thing in common: Romance.

The Road to Cavan Town by Sarah M. Eden, set in 1864 Ireland, combines Eden’s sense of humor with her signature sweet romance. Alice Wheatley walks each weekend into town, accompanied by Isaac Dancy. And while Alice finds herself falling in love with the gentleman, unfortunately he has his eyes set on the belle of the town, Miss Sophia Kilchrest. Alice must find a way to turn Isaac’s eyes toward her.

Regency author Heidi Ashworth’s delightful story, It Happened Twelfth Night, set in England 1812, follows Luisa Darlington who discovers the man of her dreams, Percy Brooksby, isn’t in love with her as much as she thought he was. When Percy’s friend, the mysterious foreigner, Mr. Flynn, visits for the twelfth night holiday, he promptly sweeps Luisa off her feet, quite literally. Luisa is left catching her breath in more ways than one.

An Unexpected Proposal by Annette Lyon is a captivating romantic novella, set in remote Wood Camp, the snowy canyon of Logan, Utah, 1880. When Caroline Simpson is forced to thwart the aggressive advances of Mr. Butch Larson, she discovers that her long-time friend, James, has genuine affection for her. But as stubborn as Caroline is, she minimizes the feelings he’s awakened in her, and it takes almost losing James to admit her true feelings for him.

In Joyce Di Pastena’s charming medieval story, Caroles on the Green, we enter England of 1151, in which Lady Isabel has a dilemma. She promises herself that she’ll marry the man who sent a ring hidden in her pastry since the man she truly loves, Sir Lucian de Warrene, has proved to be impossible and exasperating. To forget him, Isabel sets her eyes on other eligible men, only to face another confrontation with Lucian—who isn’t about to back off and leave her to her newest plot.

Donna Hatch’s enchanting novella, A Winter’s Knight, begins when Clarissa Fairchild’s coach just happens to break down in front of the most forbidding estate in the county, that of Wyckburg Castle, a place where young brides have been murdered for generations by their husbands. Clarissa is horrified yet curious all in the same breath. When she meets widower Christopher de Champs, Earl of Wyckburg, she must decide if she should flee or uncover the greatest secret in the county about her handsome rescuer.

In Heather B. Moore’s exciting turn-of-the-century story, A Fortunate Exile, Lila Townsend finds herself the victim of a broken heart—broken by the most notorious bachelor in 1901 New York City. If that isn’t bad enough, her father sends her to Aunt Eugenia’s remote farm where Lila must wait for her father’s anger to subside and the gossip columns to find new fodder. When Lila meets her aunt’s boarder, Peter Weathers, she discovers a man who isn’t afraid to stand up to her formidable family and take a chance on a woman with a sullied reputation.

My Review

4 1/2 stars. I was very excited to review these wonderful short stories by such talented authors.  As I read them, I appreciated the individual style of each talented lady.  All six stories are well-written and I was immediately taken into each story.  The benefit of a short story is how quick the plot moves a long.  I also enjoyed the way each author introduced the plot and characters quickly, but I never felt they were rushed.  It was so nice reading six fantastic romance stories that were clean, romantic, and heart pounding.  At the end of each, I was wishing for more.  I reveled in each story, but I must say I did have a favorite.  Donna Hatch's A Winter's Knight.  It reminded me a bit of Beauty and the Beast.  With a mysterious earl, ancient curses, and one curious red head, I was instantly hooked.

I think what I appreciated the most was how strong the women in these stories were.  Even though the time periods represented vary, each woman brought to the table a fire of knowing who they are.  A few learned that process during the course of the story, but found themselves and stood their ground.

Read more about this anthology from the Blog and Facebook page.  There is a Spring Anthology coming next year!

AMAZON / BARNES AND NOBLE / SMASHWORDS

Winner of The Christmas Train

Random.org selected...

Allison Strang as the winner of The Christmas Train.

The entry that won it for her was following Min Reads and Reviews on Facebook. 

Thank you to all how entered.  I have 3 items I am giving away currently. Go check them out here.

Have a great weekend!

Christmas Giveaway!

Good King Wenceslas

As Read by Jane Seymour with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Illustrated by Omar Rayyan

Published: October 2012

ISBN13: 978-1-60907-143-1

Hardcover: 32 pages

FTC FYI: Received a review copy for an honest review.

Inside cover summary: One snowy evening, when the rest of the kingdom is reveling in a celebratory feast, a king and his faithful page venture out to deliver food, wood, and comfort to a poor peasant family. Good King Wenceslas is the beloved Christmas carol that relates this tender story, and it is brought to life in this book and DVD by actress Jane Seymour and artist Omar Rayyan.  The sumptuous illustrations reflect the medieval setting of this tale, capturing the lavish Feast of St. Stephen at the castle and the arduous trek through heavy snow to a humble cottage deep within the forest.  The original lyrics to the song, set to music more than 150 years ago, are interwoven throughout the story. The actions of the kind, humble Bohemian king reflect the invitation of another King to follow in His footsteps, bringing the blessings of Christmas to all of His kingdom.

Need some ideas for Christmas giving?  Look no further.  I am giving away Good King Wenceslas, Once Upon a Christmas DVD, and Once Upon a Christmas CD. There will be 3 winners.  One for each! The first person chosen by random.org will get the book, next the DVD, next the CD. US ONLY. Fill out Rafflecopper form and you're set. 

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