Inside the Wong Mind

Book Review & Blog Tour Giveaway: An Unlikely Pair by Traci Hunter Abramson

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

About the Book

Title: An Unlikely Pair
Series: Dream’s Edge #1
Author: Traci Hunter Abramson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Release date: June 7, 2021

After a family tragedy, aspiring ballerina Amaliya Marcell is adrift. When she is forced to leave behind everything she knows, the lost young woman struggles to build a new life in an unfamiliar city. But when she meets a handsome world-class figure skater, she finds a glimmer of hope.

After his sister’s unexpected retirement from figure skating, Tyler Linden is devastated to give up his shot at the US national championships. His only hope is to find a new partner, a task that proves nearly impossible—until he observes a beautiful young woman at the local ice rink. Struck by her grace and poise, Tyler takes an unthinkable risk and asks Amaliya to become his new partner. To both of their surprise, she agrees. The path to the championship won’t be easy, but Amaliya and Tyler quickly establish a solid partnership and a profound connection—both on and off the ice. However, competition at the championships is fierce, and when the time comes, they will be forced to put everything on the line if they hope to achieve their dreams.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, where she lived until moving to Venezuela for a study-abroad program. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for several years, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. She credits the CIA with giving her a wealth of ideas as well as the skills needed to survive her children’s teenage years. She has gone on to write more than twenty bestselling novels that have consistently been nominated as Whitney Award finalists and seven-time Whitney Award winner. When she’s not writing, Traci enjoys spending time with her husband and five children, preferably on a nice quiet beach somewhere. She also enjoys sports, travel, writing, and coaching high school swimming.

Connect with Traci: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub

My Review

An Unlikely Pair
by Traci Hunter Abramson
Book 1 in the Dream’s Edge series
Rating: 4.5/5

Wow. I got so giddy with excitement at the end of this book. I cannot wait for the next book to come out. As a huge fan of figure skating (you’re talking to someone who wanted to grow up to be the next Kristi Yamaguchi), I was excited to get the opportunity to review an ARC of this story (I ended up purchasing the ebook too). There is a prequel to this book that I have not read yet but I did purchase it and will read it shortly – it was not necessary to understand this story.

I must have misread the description of the book, but I was not ready for this amazing book to start off the way it did and keep going until the end. A devastating car accident involving the parents of ballerina, Amaliya Marcell, drastically changes the trajectory of their lives forcing Amaliya to move to be closer to her parents while they recover. The fear of never being able to dance again keeps Amaliya weary to venture back into ballet, but when she meets Tyler Linden on the ice, she feels like she can breathe again. Tyler’s sister is retiring from figure skating as his pairs partner and now, he must find a new partner. When Tyler sees how graceful Amaliya skates, he knows that she’s the one he wants even though she has not mastered the basics yet. With the grace and beauty from her prima ballerina mother and the strength and speed from her professional hockey dad, Amaliya is a beautiful figure skater who works hard to master the basics and prove to herself and Tyler that she was worth choosing as his skating partner. Can they qualify for Nationals and eventually the Olympics? Can Amaliya find the strength to dance again while also landing the dreaded double axel?

I love figure skating. I absolutely could not stop smiling at the end of this story. I loved the two characters. They had just enough depth and I’m glad that I’ll be seeing them again in the next book. Though the story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, it ends with hope for the future – the Olympics. I think one of my favorite parts was when Amaliya teaches hockey to some kids. You’ll understand when you read it. The author does an amazing job of bringing figure skating to life on the page. I do wish I could see the lift that they create but I’ll just use my imagination.

Highly recommend this sweet clean romance if you enjoy figure skating with a hint of hockey and a dash of ballet.

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 in the Dream’s Edge series

BONUS: READ AN EXCERPT FROM AN UNLIKELY PAIR HERE!

Follow along on the Blog Tour!

Monday, June 21
Holly’s Book Corner
My Book A Day
Heidi Reads
Literary Time Out

Tuesday, June 22
Getting Your Read On
Empower Moms
Bookworm Lisa
The Flipped Page

Wednesday, June 23
Books by Katydid
Life Is What It’s Called

Thursday, June 24
Why Not? Because I Said So
Books Are Sanity!!!
Singing Librarian Books
Books and Socks Rock

Friday, June 25
Inside the Wong Mind
Min Reads and Reviews
She Lives To Read
Reading with Emily

Giveaway Time!

***WIN a PAPERBACK copy of An Unlikely Pair by Traci Hunter Abramson (US addresses only)

Click here to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0ae98b8a268/

June 25, 2021 by Kim Book Reviews Giveaway

Blitz: Distracting the Deputy by Shanna Hatfield

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours!

About the Book

Title: Distracting the Deputy
Series: Summer Creek #4
Author: Shanna Hatfield
Genre: Western Romance, Christian
Book Details: Paperback & ebook, 301 Pages
Publisher: Wholesome Hearts Publishing
Release Date: June 22, 2021

Trouble is coming . . . but for whom?

When he’s not evading grabby-handed octogenarians, mentoring troubled teens, or rescuing rascally youngsters from disaster, Deputy Knox Strickland can be found upholding the law in the eastern Oregon region he patrols. He avoids making plans for tomorrow, focusing instead on doing his best today. Then one chance encounter with a beautiful woman in a wheat field turns his world upside down. Knox is left questioning what secrets she’s hiding, and how hard he’ll have to work to scale the fortress she’s built around her heart.

Zadie Redmond isn’t like most women. A life spent looking over her shoulder has destroyed the promising future she’d once envisioned. Her days are spent leading hunting and fishing adventures, or teaching tiny ballerinas the proper way to plié. She fills her evenings with do-it-yourself projects while worrying about the day her past catches up with her. In an unexpected moment, the local deputy swoops into her world like a storybook hero and she knows nothing will ever be the same. Zadie will do anything to keep Knox safe from the danger lurking in the shadows, even if it destroys her chance at love.

Will Knox convince Zadie she can trust him with her secrets and her heart?

A sweet romance full of quirky small-town fun, Distracting the Deputy is a story of hope, help, and hanging on to what matters most.

For a limited time, the eBook is available at the discounted price of just $2.99.

Excerpt

She rushed out of the store and was loading the pile of groceries into her SUV when a pair of big, tanned hands reached into her cart and lifted five bags, setting them into her vehicle.

“Did you help Mrs. Dunigan?” she asked Knox without looking at him. Even if she hadn’t recognized the hands, his delicious scent pervaded her nose and tickled her senses.

“I think that ol’ girl might have been quite a player back in her day. She kept squeezing my arm as I helped her with her groceries. After I walked her to her car, she pinched my bum. Twice!”

Zadie couldn’t stop the giggle that burst out of her. A picture of Knox trying to help an elderly, frail member of the community only to be accosted by a grabby-handed octogenarian settled in her mind. “Now that’s funny.”

“No, it isn’t! It’s unsettling and unnatural, and it made me feel like a hunk of beef in a butcher’s window.”

“Oh, poor Knox. He’s too handsome for his own good.” Zadie offered him mock sympathy with her lower lip rolled out in an exaggerated pout while batting her eyelashes at him.

He made a growling sound deep in his throat and took a step closer to her. “You keep doing that, and I’ll forget about the promise I made to you in the wheatfield the other night.”

She sucked in her lip, set the last bag in the SUV, and slammed the hatch shut. “That won’t be necessary, Deputy Strickland.”

Knox rolled his eyes. “Back to that are we? Don’t you think, after what we shared, we could be friends?”

“Friends, yes. Anything else, absolutely not.”

About the Series

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Summer Creek is one of those small towns—the kind brimming with quirky inhabitants, pets with personalities (like a meandering goat named Ethel), meddling matchmakers, tumbling-down old buildings, and dreams. So many dreams. These sweet, uplifting romances explore the ties that bind a community together when they unite for a common purpose and open their hearts to unexpected possibilities. Heart, humor, and hope weave through each story, touching the lives of those who call Summer Creek home.

Readers who love Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series and RaeAnne Thayne’s Haven Point series will enjoy coming home to Summer Creek.

Grab the series from Amazon.

About the Author

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USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes. When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Blitz Giveaway

One winner will receive autographed copies of the Summer Creek series, Dilettante peppermint truffle crémes (these are SO good!), a cute notebook, a bottle of You’re the One lotion, a Hopeless Romantic dish towel and potholder set, and a swag bag to carry it all! (Value $100+)

One entry per person. Entries must be received by June 30, 2021. Winners will be notified by July 15 and will be given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE

June 22, 2021 by Kim Blitz Giveaway

Book Review: Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund

About the Book

Title: Come Back to Me
Series: Waters of Time #1
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: Time Crossing Romance
Publisher: Revell Books
Release Date: June 1, 2021

The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy.

That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.

William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to?

Bestselling author Jody Hedlund is your guide down the twisting waters of time to a volatile era of superstition, revolts, and chivalry in this suspenseful story.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jody Hedlund is the author of over thirty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.

Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).

When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.

My Review

Come Back to Me
by Jody Hedlund
Book 1 in the Waters of Time series
Genre: Christian Romance, Science Fiction
Rating: 5/5

“She’d never expected to fall in love with the man of her dreams in 1381.”

Wow. Just wow. This book completely took me by surprise and I was up till 4am desperate to know what happened next. It is full of passion and romance with action and adventure plus time-travel. I definitely understand the comparison to Outlander but there’s something so endearing about the swoon-worthy Sir William Durham and his devotion to Marian. With hints of Outlander and Somewhere in Time, the author weaves an exciting and super romantic story about a woman trying to save her sister and her father.

Research scientist, Marian Creighton, is determined to find a cure for her sister. Working for Mercer Pharmaceuticals puts her in a great position, but she knows her sister is running out of time. When her father calls her with cryptic instructions, she doesn’t really put much weight into it because of his crazy theories and obsession with find the cure of all cures. When tragedy forces her to travel to Canterbury, she is determined to discover what happened to him and why someone seems to be after his research. As she follows the clues her father left her, she opens up a whole new world of time travel and decides to risk it all to save her sister and hopefully, her father.

What she experiences and finds in 1381 is not what she was expecting. When Sir William Durham comes to her rescue, she is grateful until she is forced into a marriage with him for her protection. The attraction between the two of them is immediate, but Marian must guard her heart and focus on her task to find the vials of holy water from the Tree of Life that will heal her sister. As she gets to know William, she finds that he may be feared as a knight but on the inside, he is a kind but tortured gentleman. He has his own demons to fight, but he realizes that there’s something about Marian that calms him and gives him peace. What will William do to protect the woman he loves? What will Marian sacrifice for love?

“Each moment with him had been more real than if she’d been living in the present. Every sound of his breath, every touch, every beat of his pulse—everything about him was more vibrant than anything she’d known before.”

The romance is strong with this one. My romantic heart could not take it. LOL. Obviously, in the beginning, all the attraction is mostly lust but as they talk and get to know each other, they fall in love. William marvels at how deeply he could fall in love with someone after his experience with his first marriage.

“He may be stubborn, milady. But he will love you to his dying breath.”

As for the science fiction and time traveling part, the theories about the Tree of Life are interesting and definitely come from history and the search for the “Fountain of Youth” and the author does a decent job of trying to explain the science and background. It’s still not crystal clear the way it all works but I hope to gain more understanding when I continue reading this series (because I will definitely be reading the next books). I was definitely impressed with the author’s world-building and cannot wait to read more.

Though I’ve said there’s lot of romance and passion, this book is still a CLEAN and CHRISTIAN romance novel with aspects of science fiction and time travel in it. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy Christian romance with lots of action and time-travel theories.

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.

Watch the Book Trailer

June 21, 2021 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.