#contemporaryromance

Since You’ve Been Gone by Tari Faris

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About the Book

Title: Since You’ve Been Gone
Series: Restoring Heritage #3
Author: Tari Faris
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: September 7, 2021

With her vision and his know-how, this thing just might work . . .

Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah’s past difficult, but he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.

In order to avoid forcing a buyout of Leah’s building, Jon will have to strike a compromise. Can the two of them work together? Or will their troubled past set the tone for their future?

Click HERE to grab your copy!

About the Author

Tari Faris has been writing fiction for more than thirteen years, and it has been an exciting journey for the math-loving dyslexic girl. She had read less than a handful of novels by the time she graduated from college, and she thought she would end up in the field of science or math. But God had other plans, and she wouldn’t trade this journey for anything. As someone told her once, God’s plans may not be easy and they may not always make sense, but they are never boring.

Tari has been married to her husband for eighteen wonderful years, and they have three sweet children. In her free time, she loves drinking coffee with friends, rock hounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. Visit her at tarifaris.com to learn more about her upcoming books and to read what happened the day Leah and Jon were on the river.

My Review

Since You’ve Been Gone
by Tari Faris
Book 3 in the Restoring Heritage series
Rating: 4.5/5

One of the things I love about Tari Faris is she likes to give the reader two love stories in one book. The characters are great and it’s nice to catch up with characters from the other two books in the series. However, this book can be read by itself without confusion. I do still recommend reading the other two books though because they are also great.

Leah is back in her hometown and wants to revive her grandfather’s general store. However, she needs the cooperation of the Kensingtons without compromising her vision. When she discovers Jon is back and helping run the company, she doesn’t know how to handle it. For some reason, Jon has always had it out for her and she can’t explain why. Meanwhile, Jon has had a huge crush on Leah since high school but his words always seem to be misunderstood when he speaks to her. Can these two find a way to partner in business and maybe in love?

Madisen is back in her hometown but only briefly to renovate her childhood home to sell it. When Colby’s friend invites him to lay low in Heritage, he takes a chance and even offers to help Madisen with renovations. As a Christian musician who’s looking to avoid scandal, Colby finds Heritage more interesting after meeting Madisen. She has her own secrets and is afraid that her small town will judge her based on her actions during high school. Can Colby convince her to open up her heart to her town again and maybe even him?

The themes of redemption and learning to trust and forgive are prominent and really resonate with the reader. I love how naturally the author incorporates faith into the story. I always love returning to Heritage and am sad the series is over.

Highly recommend if you enjoy Christian contemporary romance with humor, heart and small towns.

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.

Restoring Heritage Books & Novellas

Read my reviews for You Belong with Me, Until I Met You and While It Was Snowing.

Giveaway

Enter here: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b464bfed64/

September 7, 2021 by Kim Book Reviews Giveaway

JustRead Review & Giveaway: An Unexpected Love Story by Ellie Hall

About the Book

Title: An Unexpected Love Story
Series: Falling into Happily Ever After RomCom #1
Author: Ellie Hall
Genre: RomCom, Contemporary
Release Date: January 15, 2021

Catherine + Kellan = forNEVER, or so I thought.

Let’s not talk about how I was let go from my job and had to take a position as coffee-girl at a publicity firm. We definitely won’t discuss their newest client and how he was the former love of my life. However, it’s fair to mention that Kellan Connelly is now my fiercest adversary.

I’ve spent the last decade playing it safe with book boyfriends—avoiding frustratingly attractive and three-dimensional guys like him.

When my roommate finds the Boyfriend Book, a silly relic leftover from my teens, it prompts a dare; go on five dates and pick one to be my Valentine. I can’t say no, especially if it means proving to myself and Kellan that I’ve moved on.

Despite braving the dating jungle, none of the guys comes close to being my one true love. Except Kellan. He’s infuriating, confusing, catnip…and it turns out he has a secret.

With a love letter and a plane ticket in hand, can I leave my baggage behind and decide between love, hate, and the lies I told to protect my fragile heart?

Purchase Links: Amazon

About the Author

Ellie Hall loves puppies, books, and the ocean. She writes sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels. Oh, and she cookies. She believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace. ♥

My Review

An Unexpected Love Story
by Ellie Hall
Book 1 in the Falling into Happily Ever After RomCom
Rating: 4/5

Fun, hilarious and full of heart, An Unexpected Love Story is just what you need this summer! Who doesn’t enjoy a nice lighthearted romcom that doesn’t skirt the serious stuff. I don’t believe I’ve ever read anything from the author before but I loved the premise of the story, so I had to grab a copy. After reading an ARC, I purchased my own copy (the book is also available on KU).

When her past crush/first love comes back into her life, Catherine doesn’t know what to do. Her new roommate/best friend dares her to date the first five guys she lays eyes on (the next day) and pick her favorite for a Valentine’s Day date. Discussing her OTP (One True Pairing), Catherine knows the answer has always been Kellan, her childhood best friend’s brother, but their past is complicated and full of heartache. Catherine decides to follow Hazel’s dare in order to get out of spending time with Kellan. Going on dates and writing about them on her Boyfriend Blog, Catherine finds herself opening up more and trying desperately to find some closure. Can Kellan convince Catherine that he’s changed and won’t leave again? Can Catherine learn to trust and forgive?

I thoroughly enjoyed this romcom and will definitely be reading more from the author. The writing is witty and clever when it needs to be but also deals with real emotional issues in an organic way. I also enjoyed the other characters and will definitely be reading what comes next for Hazel. I found Kellan’s maturity refreshing and well-developed. There’s a couple mentions of God but I wouldn’t call this Christian fiction. It’s more along the lines of sweet romance/romcom.

Highly recommend if you enjoy clean, romcoms with feisty heroines, dashing heroes and a clever best friend.

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.

Giveaway on Instagram!

(1) winner will receive a print copy of the book, “Happily Ever Laughter” RomCom candle, chocolates, and a heart charm bracelet. (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics. Instagram is not affiliated with nor responsible for this giveaway. Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on August 10, 2021.)

⇒ To Enter, follow @elliehallauthor, @justreadtours & Tag 2 friends in the same comment on any hosted post of this Instagram tour. Enter up to 3x per post. (My blog post does NOT count).

August 7, 2021 by Kim Book Reviews Giveaway

Book Review & Tour Giveaway: Then Came You by Rachel D. Russell

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Then Came You by Rachel D. Russell presented by Susan May Warren, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Then Came You
Series: Deep Haven Collection #4
Author: Rachel D. Russell presented by Susan May Warren
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance
Publisher: Sunrise Publishing, 330 pp.
Release Date: July 6, 2021

He doesn’t need any trouble. She can’t seem to escape it.

Detective Daniel “Boone” Buckam is more than burned out. After fourteen stellar years on the job, one bad judgment call—and, fine, a whole lot of cynicism—has forced him into a mandatory vacation in Deep Haven. If he can get his head on straight, there’s a job as Police Chief waiting for him back in his Minneapolis suburb. And then, he meets Vivien.

Actress Vivien Calhoun isn’t really a drama queen. Sure, she gets swept up in the emotions of life—but please, she’s an actress. Or, um, was until a stalker made her flee the bright lights of Broadway. Now, she’s passionate about directing her local theater production. But when she accidentally ropes an uptight police detective on vacation into her cast, she can’t help but wonder if he might be the leading man she’s always longed for.

Boone can’t help but like Vivien. He might even have a type—vivacious and bubbly, with a penchant for attracting danger. He can smell trouble even if she can’t, and is pretty sure her stalker has hunted her all the way to Deep Haven. He’ll have to stay by her side—even if it means being in her silly play—to keep her safe. But Vivien is more than he expected as she helps him discover a part of him he’s locked away…the part that said he could never love again.

It’s summertime in Deep Haven, and the fun is heating up in this laugh-out-loud, charming story.

ALSO AVAILABLE

About the Authors

SMW & Rachel Russell

Susan May Warren is the USA Today best-selling novelist of 80 books. With more than 1.5 million books in print, she is beloved by reviewers and readers around the world. Visit Susan at www.susanmaywarren.com.

CONNECT WITH SUSAN: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Rachel D. Russell is a member of Oregon Christian Writers and My Book Therapy’s Novel Academy, and is a regular contributor to the Learn How to Write a Novel blog. The mother of two teenagers, she often interrogates her husband on his own military and law enforcement experience to craft believable heroes in uniform. The rest of her time is spent cantering her horse down the Oregon trails. Visit Rachel at www.racheldrussell.com.

CONNECT WITH RACHEL: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Merging the creative energies of best-selling authors Susan May Warren and Lindsay Harrel, Sunrise Publishing is the matchmaker for established authors who want to build on their current success for future growth and aspiring authors looking to break out, build an audience, and hone their writing skills.

CONNECT WITH SUNRISE: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Email

My Review

Then Came You
by Rachel D. Russell, Susan May Warren
Book 4 in the Deep Haven Collection
Rating: 4.5/5

Even though I have a large stack of books I need to review, I could not pass up the chance to read what came next in Deep Haven. I have not read the PJ Sugar series yet (although I just purchased the set on sale) so I will now need to go back and read them to discover more about Boone, but I did not think it was necessary to have read that series to understand Boone’s past. The author does a great job of giving you his background and exploring his hurt and insecurities.

From the beginning of the book, the author draws you in and hooks the reader with her first line:
“Vivien Calhoun needed a man within the next five minutes.“
Who doesn’t need to read more to find out why? I couldn’t stop reading lol.

When Vivien enlists Boone’s help and red mustang to rescue from her devious half-sister, she brings some life and zest back into Boone’s life as he starts his mandatory leave in Deep Haven to deal with his anger issues away from the police force. As a detective who is on the short list for the next chief, he is willing to do whatever his chief says to make sure he solidifies his chances. Boone doesn’t know who this vivacious lady is but when he observes the way her half-sister speaks to her, he decides to play along. He is in Deep Haven to relax, talk to a therapist and read the book his chief gave him. He does not need any distractions. After having his heart broken before, he fills his days with work and now, on vacation, doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. Vivien is only too willing to enlist his help with her summer theater production and eventually even casts Boone as the lead. Vivien, a former broadway star, is back in Deep Haven to prove she’s not a failure and encourage the theatrical aspirations of her fellow townsfolk. When Vivien’s past seems to have followed her to Deep Haven, can Boone help her solve the mystery and keep her safe? Will Boone’s dreams of making his father proud conflict with his dreams of having a life with Vivien?

I loved how the author made Vivien and Boone seem so different when in reality, they were very similar. I loved how the small town aspect came into play since everyone thought they were together from that parade onwards. Even though Boone was leaving, he began to find that still, small voice whispering wisdom to him. He felt he had found a place where he could breathe – where he could be himself.
“Everything about you—the real you, goofy and sexy and flirty and fun, all of it—I like who you are.” And he liked who he was when he was with her.“

He could not get her out of his head (and heart?).
“He shook his head. Yep, he definitely had a type. Vivien. Bold and courageous and so full of life. She was adventure and zeal and added a brightness to his day. She turned a plain, ordinary day into something extraordinary.”

I highly recommend if you enjoy Christian romance with humor, heart and some mystery.

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.

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card + 3 Then Came You ebooks (one ebook for the winner and two to give to friends)!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight August 3, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on August 10, 2021. 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.

August 3, 2021 by Kim Book Reviews Giveaway

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.