Kim

Blog Blitz: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper Basham

Laurel's Dream JustListen Blog Blitz Welcome to the audiobook Blog Blitz for Laurel’s Dream by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Laurel’s Dream
Series: My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge #1
Author: Pepper Basham
Narrator: Catherine Gaffney
Publisher: Woven Words
Release Date: January 13, 2022
Genre: Christian, Historical Romance

Dreams are precious commodities in the Blue Ridge Mountains of 1918, and Laurel McAdams is attempting to make hers come true. But sometimes, life in the mountains has a way of squandering dreams. As she attempts to avoid matrimony, she is secretly saving for her future with the sole purpose of becoming a teacher and bringing consistent education back to her people.

Having failed his British father again by being unable to fight in the Great War, Jonathan Taylor joins his uncle’s missionary endeavors as a teacher in a two-room schoolhouse in Appalachia, but nothing prepares him for the rugged wilderness, narrow-minded natives, and…Laurel McAdams. Her joy and friendship prove a guiding light in the middle of his new responsibilities and tempt his timid heart toward a future he never expected.

But when Jonathan’s teaching methods lead to dangerous outcomes and Laurel’s dream is threatened by an unexpected choice, will these two learn how to find hope and maybe even love beyond the heartache? Can Jonathan and Laurel create a new dream from the shattered pieces of the old ones or will bitterness and brokenness keep them apart? Laurel’s Dream was originally published by Barbour Publishing as My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream in January 2019

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

COMING SOON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pepper Basham

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the wife of a fantastic pastor, mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. Her newest novel is The Mistletoe Countess, a historical romantic romp with a dash of mystery and a bunch of humor too. You can learn more about Pepper and her books on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com.

CONNECT WITH PEPPER: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a Laurel’s Dream audiobook download code and print copy plus a Mountain Air candle!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 29, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 5, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

The Do-Over by Bethany Turner

About the Book

Title: The Do-Over
Author: Bethany Turner
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: March 15, 2022

Sometimes dreams come true. Other times, the best outcome begins with an epic fail.

Career-driven McKenna Keaton has devoted her life to attaining the senior partnership at her law firm. So asking a man on a date should be nothing. But the past four days have been the worst of her life and have called everything she thought she knew about herself into question. Besides, she can’t remember her last real date—one that didn’t involve using a blind date as an opportunity to get a stranger’s perspective on effective cross-examination techniques. (It’s like sharing fondue with a jury!)

But a real date? And with shy, nerdy Henry Blumenthal—McKenna’s high school rival for valedictorian who once took three hours to beat her at chess? Scratch that. He’s Hank Blume now, the famed documentarian, Durham’s darling son, who has attained all his dreams and more. He also happens to look like he stepped out of an Eddie Bauer catalog.

Whereas McKenna is a disgraced workaholic from New York on unpaid leave, accused of a white-collar crime she would never commit, succumbing to panic attacks, watching her dreams unravel. At age thirty-eight—and destined by the family curse to die before she turns forty, it appears—it’s absolutely the wrong time to have a major crush on a man. Especially one who treasures his memories of McKenna as the girl Most Likely to Succeed.

Grab your copy here!

About the Author

Bethany Turner has been writing since the second grade, when she won her first writing award for explaining why, if she could have lunch with any person throughout history, she would choose John Stamos. She stands by this decision. Bethany now writes pop culture-infused rom-coms for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight. She lives in Southwest Colorado with her husband, whom she met in the nineties in a chat room called Disco Inferno. As sketchy as it sounds, it worked out pretty well in this case, and they are now the proud parents of two teenagers. Connect with Bethany at seebethanywrite.com or across social media @seebethanywrite, where she clings to the eternal dream that John Stamos will someday send her a friend request. Text her any time at (970) 387-7811.

Connect with Bethany: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

My Review

The Do-Over
by Bethany Turner
Rating: 4.5/5

“You know . . . You probably won’t actually die if you’re not married by forty.”

Wow. Bethany Turner does it again! I can’t believe I devoured this book and read it in one day. I couldn’t stop LOL.

First, the cover is stunning. I LOVE the cover. It is eye catching and beautiful with whimsy.
Second, Henry Blumenthal is my favorite. He is smart and artistic. I fell in love with him as McKenna was re-falling in love with him. The author is so good with her characters and the chemistry between him and McKenna was well written and believable.
Third, I loved all of the pop culture references that the author always incorporates. She is so creative in the way she weaves them throughout the story in such unique ways that make you laugh and sigh. She has a true gift that I’ve come to expect in her stories but I feel like this one goes above and beyond.
Fourth, the author really puts you inside McKenna’s head and it can get intense but it’s so worth it. I sort of wish she did dual POVs so I could get inside Henry’s head too.

Highly recommend if you enjoy a swoon worthy hero and a fiercely independent heroine on a journey back to each other.

PG-13.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

More from the Author

Read my review of Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish here.

Read my review of Plot Twist here.

March 28, 2022 by Kim Book Reviews

Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn

About the Book

Title: Malicious Intent
Series: Defend and Protect #2
Author: Lynn H. Blackburn
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: March 1, 2022

Book cover of Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn

Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company’s cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose–and how far will they go to get what they want?

Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can’t believe he’s finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he’s found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy’s life’s work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

Perfectly balancing chilling suspense and uplifting romance, award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn delivers a story of revenge, greed, and overcoming that you won’t want to put down no matter how late it gets.

Grab your copy here!

About the Author

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

Lynn’s titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest series kicked off in March 2021 with Unknown Threat, Book 1 in the Defend and Protect series.

She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. You can follow her real life happily ever after by signing up for her newsletter at LynnHBlackburn.com and @LynnHBlackburn on Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

My Review

Malicious Intent
by Lynn H, Blackburn
Book 2 in the Defend and Protect series
Rating: 4.5/5

“Ivy Collins was the girl who got away. The woman who had haunted him for years. The mystery he needed to solve. It was time. He was going to get answers. Today.”

As someone who enjoys heart-pumping Christian romantic suspense books, I was excited to read this new book from Lynn H. Blackburn. I don’t believe I’ve actually read a lot from her before but I am now a big fan. Though this is the second book in the series, I had no problems picking it up and reading as a standalone novel. I will be going back and reading the first one because this book was very good.

First, I am always a big fan of intelligent, independent female protagonists. Dr. Ivy Collins is an inspirational character and I really identified with her. She has her tragic past but she is resilient and only wants to leave a lasting legacy.

Second, I really liked how Gil acknowledged that he went to therapy after all that happened. I am a big fan of therapy and removing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Third, the chemistry between Ivy and Gil was beautiful and realistic. They had to get to know each other again after being apart for many years. They still had that spark but had to learn to love one another as adults (and adults with baggage at that).

Fourth, the entire mystery was fascinating and kept me on my toes as I tried to figure out what was happening and who was behind it all. There were definitely some red herrings in the story. 😉

Highly recommend this adrenaline packed Christian romantic suspense with characters who are not afraid to rely on God’s plan and provision.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

More in this series

March 26, 2022 by Kim Book Reviews

Inside the Wong Mind: Reading is my therapy

Hello. This blog is all mine and I will do my best to post what interests me and what books I read with honest reviews. I am a lover of good Christian fiction with a touch of romance, mystery, intrigue, humor, fun, etc. I invite you to join me as I read my way through books and life. I am currently pursuing my residency training as a family medicine physician!!! I have to carefully choose what I want to read for fun. My name is Kim and you are entering the Wong Mind.