Book Blast & Giveaway: Beyond Jerusalem by Yvonne Crowe

Nicolina Fabiani and David Baron team up once again to save Jerusalem from itself.

Now David is faced with an impossible choice.
Duty on the one hand, love on the other.
What choice will he make?

In the Eternal struggle for Palestine, David wages war, and Lina the journalist, covers it.

EXCERPT

“I need you here in Tel Aviv now,” the voice barked in his ear.

“When?”

“Today.”

“This will play havoc with my lectures.”

“Tough, get here.”

David sighed and disconnected. His Unit Commander in the Operations Branch of The Institute, the Israeli Intelligence Agency, was of the opinion that his agents had no personal life. They belonged to him body and soul. Any other commitment was an inconvenience.

“What is it?” Lina sat up and scooted across the bed towards him.

“Avron. Wants me in Tel Aviv today.” He ran his hand through his hair.

I am a successful writer who enjoys writing provocative mystery/thriller novels including the popular Nicolina Fabiani series.

When I am not living out little princesses' fantasies and puzzling over teenage boys' take on life I create fantasies for adults, armed with nothing more than an active imagination, a great deal of research and a burning interest in other people's cultures and their countries

Living in New Zealand, which is about as far away from the world's hubs as one can get, I love travelling to places to find ideas and characters for my novels.

Please open your minds and hearts to events we don't understand and are currently overwhelming us. Check out my latest topical novel: BEYOND JERUSALEM http://amzn.to/2u9Q0uu

HELP SOMEONE WITH CANCER. Check out my story of how I beat this dreadful disease which kills hundreds of thousands of women worldwide every year: http://amzn.to/2yJdAlg

I had a run in with Stage 4 breast cancer, but chose to treat this successfully with a natural therapy. No surgery and no chemotherapy. I have been cancer free now for five years.

Link to Amazon Book Sale Page: http://amzn.to/2u9Q0uu

Link to Twitter: https://twitter.com/YVONNECROWE

https://www.amazon.com/Yvonne-Crowe/e/B00AH2JACK

Yvonne will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Book Review: To the Moon and Back by Kathi Macias

To the Moon and Back by Kathi Macias is a story of family, faith and forgiveness.

Rachel's life has changed drastically since the accident that made her husband a semi-invalid. Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the forgetfulness, fear and confusion that seem to happen more and more often. Their daughter, Lilly, lives hours away and is dealing with her own issues. As the darkness threatens to overwhelm them all, they must seek the unconditional love of the One who will never fail them. But how?

Macias has always been one of my favorite Christian authors. It's been way too long since I've read one of her books. When we reconnected on Facebook, she sent me a copy of her latest novel that deals with the effects of Alzheimer's on a small family already struggling with other issues.

The author has a way of writing the most heartwarming stories. It's rare I don't cry somewhere along the line. I've always loved how she writes in conversations with God and shows the characters' journeys back to Christ in realistic ways. One can't help but be uplifted right along with her characters. Reading To the Moon and Back made me realize how much I've missed Macias' writing. I'll definitely need to add more of her stories into my reading schedule this year.


Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 19, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1975940237
ISBN-13: 978-1975940232


I received a digital copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can’t Believe I Read

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I Read

This is possibly the worst book I've ever read. It was required in my first year of high school and I found the violence utterly disturbing. I know it's a classic and I know it has a powerful message. Still dislike it. 

There was not a single character in this book I liked. Some were slightly less despicable than others, but the whole town was a bunch of rotten people. It was well-written, but I couldn't get over how I couldn't relate or like a single person. 

This was an interesting book and well-researched, but its style turned me off. Long narratives that interrupted characters' conversations and the characters relaying events as if they were a third-party narrator instead of war participants made it a long read for me. 

Ridiculously funny, but the vulgarity and obscenities made me realize I wouldn't read anything else from this author again. I think I'm too old for raunchy. 

This is a biography of Rose Wilder Lane, Laura and Almanzo Wilder's daughter. In this book, the author feels like setting straight the record on Lane's contributions toward her mother's classic children's books. His view of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her writing ability irritated me. I'm shocked I finished it.

Decent book overall, but really felt more like non-fiction than fiction--possibly because it's based on true events. I think the largest challenge is it just wasn't my kind of story...it had a great ending, though.

This is one of the few books I had to abandon simply because I couldn't take it anymore. I bought it so I could learn more about the 12/21/2012 prophecy (curious minds like to read about different things), but it really was just the author pontificating about the evils of capitalism, fascist Christianity and Islam, and the destruction of our planet.

I can't believe I even attempted this one considering the characters and the subject matter. Simply did nothing for me. Even though I tried to make it through to the end three times, that just didn't happen. 

Ask me my favorite genres and science fiction will never make the list. Because I knew the authors and because every once in a while I look to step outside of my comfort zone, I read this short story collection. I loved it. 

This is another one of those books I never thought I would read. It takes place in New York City. The main character, Arissa Illahi, is a Muslim artist and writer working in the city. Her husband goes to work in the World Trade Center on September 11 and never returns. Suddenly, Arissa finds her world turned upside down and that people treat her differently since the terrorist attacks. Saffron Dreams is a deeply touching novel that won numerous awards. For me, it's a book whose main character was different from me in some ways, but so like me in others. The writer truly made you feel her pain and loss. 

What are some books you can't believe you read...or maybe couldn't even finish? 

Musing Monday - January 29

Musing Monday is hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker.  It is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM QUESTION: Not posted today

It's the last Monday of January and I'm not even sure where the month went. This past weekend was in the high 40s and our extended forecast looks to be wetter but more rain than snow. I'll take that.

Since my last Musing Monday post I reviewed The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse (excellent book) and am almost done with To the Moon and Back by Kathi Macias. In addition, I competed STORYSTORM a few days early and began Project De-Clutter at home.

Next up I'll be reading Abuse of Discretion by Pamela Samuels Young.

Graylin Alexander is a model fourteen-year-old. When his adolescent curiosity gets the best of him, Graylin finds himself embroiled in a sexting scandal that threatens to ruin his life. Jenny Ungerman, the attorney hired to defend Graylin, is smart, confident and committed. She isn’t thrilled, however, when ex-prosecutor Angela Evans joins Graylin’s defense team. The two women instantly butt heads. Can they put aside their differences long enough to ensure Graylin gets justice?

Unbeknownst to Angela, her boyfriend Dre is wrestling with his own drama. Someone from his past wants him dead. For Dre, his response is simple—kill or be killed.


What is happening in your world this week?

The Friday 56 - January 26

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

Rules:

• Grab a book, any book.
• Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
• (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
• Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
• Post it.

This is from around 156 in this novel by one of my favorite Christian authors, Kathi Macias.

I'm not very hungry, but I don't want to hurt Pete's feelings. He went to all the trouble of ordering Chinese food--even my favorite sweet-and-sour chicken--so the least I can do is sit down here and have some with him. I don't know why we can't eat at the kitchen table, though. I really don't like listening to the news while we eat. It's never good news, and it gives me a headache. 

You can visit this week's Friday 56 at Freda's blog and discover more books to check out. 

Book Review: The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse

The Mayflower Bride  is a moving story of love, faith, and new beginnings.

Mary Chapman boards the Speedwell in 1620 along with her father and brother, David. They have plans to start over in the New World. It will be a good change for them after the loss of her mother. Looking for opportunity, William Lytton embarks on the Mayflower as a carpenter. He is also to keep a keen eye on the Virginia Company's interests in the new colony. Storms, hunger, and illness plague the weary travelers. Mary isn't certain they'll even make it to their destination. But she rises to the challenges before her, leaning staunchly on her strong faith. And once she meets William, her world is destined to change in ways she never expected.

What a fabulous story. Historical details, intriguing characters, faith and a touch of romance swirl together to create an emotional read. Author Kimberley Woodhouse's engrossing tale of these two people's journey to the New World and the obstacles they faced along the way will touch your heart. The reader is delighted to witness the evolution of Mary and William throughout the story, and the ending will not disappoint.

I'm eager to read the next book in The Daughters of the Mayflower series, The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo. I'll also be on the lookout for more of Woodhouse's work. The Mayflower Bride sets the bar high for this series. I'm eager to see what comes next.

Series: Daughters of the Mayflower (Book 1)
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books (February 1, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1683224191
ISBN-13: 978-1683224198

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Beyond the Books: Foods that Remind You of Childhood

Beyond the Books is a weekly feature hosted right by Kissin Blue Karen. Beyond the Books is a weekly writing prompt where she throws out a topic (mostly non-bookish) and others blog about it.

Today's Beyond the Books topic is: Foods that remind you of childhood

This is going to be a fun topic. I joke around that I've blocked out most of my childhood for self-preservation, but I do remember some fun stuff too. My uncle, a widower, lived next door to us and he came over for supper every night. My mom, while a decent cook, was not an imaginative one. Possibly also because of our skinny budget, we mostly ate the same things week after week.

Sunday after church we had roast beef and mashed potatoes. Every Sunday was eleven o'clock mass followed by roast beef and mashed potatoes. Then the family played board games the rest of the afternoon and had a light supper. 

Considering that Wednesdays were Prince spaghetti days in my childhood--check out this classic commercial-we had spaghetti once a week. But it wasn't Prince. It was Mueller's and the sauce was Ragu. 

One might not be able to call themselves Canadian if they didn't eat French meat pie or French meat stuffing around the holidays. My sister makes them both well. I've been aching to try my hands at making meat pie. I could buy it frozen, but it wouldn't be the same thing.

Speaking of the holidays, every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, my mother would buy a bag of walnuts in the shell. She would put them in a large bowl with steel nut crackers. I buy mine already shelled these days.

We would also have a little bowl of buttermints--not that I knew they were called that. These pastel candies practically melt in your mouth. They were a rare treat in my childhood home.

No pantry of the 70's would be complete without a can of SPAM. I wouldn't touch the stuff now, but back then SPAM helped you stretch your dollar and a can could feed all five of us. 

There was also Deviled Ham, which my mother would use to quickly make ham and pickle, AKA ham salad. 

Remember my uncle who lived next door? He liked a food that to this day I can barely stand to look at. My mother would only make it once in a while and, on that day, she would also make our meals at the same time. Our family would all sit down to supper and there would be my uncle with his gross looking liver and onions. Yuck!

What are some foods that remind you of  your childhood? Do you still eat them now?