Win a NEW Spring Wardrobe from @TheQuiltsofLove | “Maybelle in Stitches” Giveaway!

April 12th, 2014

Don’t miss the newest Quilts of Love book, Maybelle in Stitches, by Joyce Magnin. Maybelle can’t sew. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother’s house, she gets the crazy idea to complete it.

Joyce is celebrating the release with a $200 Modcloth giveaway. Enter today for a chance to spruce up your spring wardrobe!

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One winner will receive:

  • A $200 ModCloth.com gift card
  • Scraps of Evidence by Barbara Cameron
  • A Sky Without Stars by Linda S. Clare
  • Maybelle in Stitches by Joyce Magnin

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 19th. Winner will be announced on April 21st on the Quilts of Love blog!

 


Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER.

Maybelline in Stitches

April 12th, 2014

Maybelline in Stitches

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By Joyce Magnin

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Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women’s fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

Maybelle Kazinzki can’t sew. She was after all, the only girl in the seventh grade Home Economics class to sew the zipper in the neck hole of the A-Line dress they were supposed to make. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother’s house she gets the crazy idea to finish it—somehow, come heck or high water. She thinks it will help fill the lonely nights while her husband, Holden, is serving overseas during World War II.

Her recently departed mother’s quilt is made from scraps of material Maybelle traces back to her mother’s childhood, her grandmother’s childhood and her own childhood. She tries to add one of Holden’s stripes to it but the sewing is not going well and neither is her life. After receiving some harsh news, Maybelle’s faith falters and she puts the quilt away and stops trusting God. But God is faithful—no matter what. And it’ll take a group of neighborhood women armed with quilting needles to help Maybelle believe that.

ISLAND BREEZES

Maybelle and Doris were welders at the shipyard while waiting on their husbands to come home from WWII. Living near each other helped keep these best friends sane during the war.

After Maybelle’s mother died, she found a quilt her mother had started. Maybelle couldn’t sew a stitch, but decided she wanted to finish the quilt. She and Doris thought it would be a good way to pass the time.

It turned into a regular gathering of co-workers and friends as they began incorporating bits of fabric that had special meaning for them. The quilt took on a life of it’s own.

When Maybelle gets word that her husband is MIA, it became her life line. Maybelle never gave up hope.

The wartime adventures and life style will make you stop and think about all the blessings we have today.

Thank you, Ms Magnin, for giving us a look into the past.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

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Joyce Magnin is the author of the Bright’s Pond novels, including the award-winning The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow. A member of the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Fellowship, Joyce is a frequent workshop leader and the organizer of the StoryCrafters fiction group. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Learn more about Joyce at: http://joycemagnin.blogspot.com.

Enter to win a Kindle HDX from @TLHigley in THE QUEEN’S HANDMAID giveaway!

April 8th, 2014

Tracy L. Higley is celebrating the release of The Queen’s Handmaid with a fun giveaway.



Retailers + Resources gave it this glowing review: “Rich in historic detail, Higley’s vivid writing brings to life the plots and intrigues that swirled through the ancient world as alliances were built and broken on the calculated schemes of power-mad monarchs.” 

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  • A Kindle Fire HDX
  • The Queen’s Handmaid by Tracy L. Higley

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 19th. Winner will be announced April 21st on Tracy’s blog.

 


Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Tracy’s blog on April 21st to see if you won.

The Queen’s Handmaid

April 7th, 2014

The Queen’s Handmaid

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By Tracy L. Higley

From the servant halls of Cleopatra’s Egyptian palace to the courts of Herod the Great, Lydia will serve two queens to see prophecy fulfilled.

Alexandria, Egypt 39 BC

Orphaned at birth, Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra’s palace, working hard to please while keeping everyone at arm’s length. She’s been rejected and left with a broken heart too many times in her short life.

But then her dying mentor entrusts her with secret writings of the prophet Daniel and charges her to deliver this vital information to those watching for the promised King of Israel. Lydia must leave the nearest thing she’s had to a family and flee to Jerusalem. Once in the Holy City, she attaches herself to the newly appointed king, Herod the Great, as handmaid to Queen Mariamme.

Trapped among the scheming women of Herod’s political family—his sister, his wife, and their mothers—and forced to serve in the palace to protect her treasure, Lydia must deliver the scrolls before dark forces warring against the truth destroy all hope of the coming Messiah.

ISLAND BREEZES

Lydia, Cleopatra’s handmaid, has drawn Cleopatra’s disfavor. Her beauty has become a handicap.

Lydia was being mentored and schooled by an old Jewish man. On is death bed he gives her some ancient scrolls to deliver.

After Lydia manages to get away from Cleo to become a handmaid to Herod’s wife, she spends years trying to deliver the scrolls.

While in Herod’s household she discovers her parentage. At the same time she is in the midst of political intrigues and endangered. She just about gives up on ever delivering the scrolls. All she wants is to be delivered from Herod’s household, but is it possible?

Once again Ms. Higley has brought historical people to life with her stories. Thank you, Ms. Higley.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

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Tracy L. Higley started her first novel at age eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored many novels, including Garden of Madness and So Shines the Night. Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures.

See Tracy’s travel journals and more at: tracyhigley.com

Train Yourself

April 6th, 2014

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Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales. Train yourself in godliness,

for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

I Timothy 4:7-8

Jane Kirkpatrick’s Giveaway

April 3rd, 2014

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Jane Kirkpatrick, one of the authors featured in Sincerely Yours, is having a giveaway.

Meet each of the authors and enter to win a pen & stationary gift set!  A copy of Sincerely Yours will also be included. There are entries that can be done each day, so be sure to do as much as you can to increase your chances to win.

Giveaway runs from April 1- April 8.

Just head over to her site, Words of Encouragement, and enter her giveaway.

Sincerely Yours

April 3rd, 2014

Sincerely Yours

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By Jane Kirkpatrick, Amanda Cabot, Laurie Alice Eakes, and Ann Shorey

Four unexpected letters. Four intrepid women. Four lives changed forever.

Spanning a century and a continent, these romantic novellas will lead you on a journey through the landscape of love. Four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path. From a Hudson River steamboat to a lush drawing room, from a carousel carver’s workshop to a remote hospital, you’ll be swept into the lives of women who are making their way in the world and finding love where they least expect it.

Moonlight Promise by Laurie Alice Eakes

Camilla Renfrew is a highborn English lady fleeing false accusations when she runs smack into love on a steamboat bound for the new Erie Canal. But can this unexpected attraction survive the treacherous journey?

Lessons in Love by Ann Shorey

Marigold Montgomery Bentley writes marriage advice for Kipler’s Home Weekly even though she is single. Everyone assumes from the initials that “M. M.” is a man. When the editor asks to meet Mr. Bentley, can Merrie come up with a ruse to keep her writing job?

One Little Word by Amanda Cabot

Lorraine Caldwell will lose her family fortune to a reckless cousin if she doesn’t marry quickly. When she learns her long-lost brother is alive, she hopes she’s found the answer to her problems. What she finds instead is a mysterious carousel carver who turns her life upside down.

A Saving Grace by Jane Kirkpatrick

Grace Hathaway must rescue a dear friend from a remote and notorious clinic that promises healing but delivers only heartache. In a place laced with deceit, where lives hang in the balance, whom can she trust to help her?

ISLAND BREEZES

Four letters changed the lives of four women. These novellas each feature a very courageous young woman.

The first features Camilla, who must decide to be courageous enough to trust a man she barely knows.

The second features Merrie, who must be courageous enough to unmask herself and end a life of deceit.

Lorraine is the third who must be courageous enough to decide between love or money.

Lastly, Grace must be courageous enough to “kidnap” a friend from the institution that is slowly killing her.

These four well-known authors have once again given me stories and characters whom I have grown to love. I’m looking forward to more novels from these talented ladies.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

The authors

15911  Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have been…

Continue reading about Jane Kirkpatrick

Cabot_Amanda  Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of the Texas Dreams series, Christmas Roses, Summer of Promise, and Waiting for Spring. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards and the Booksellers Best. She lives in Wyoming. Find out…

Continue reading about Amanda Cabot

15126  Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, Heart’s Safe Passage, A Necessary Deception, A Flight of Fancy, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie…

Continue reading about Laurie Alice Eakes

12701  Ann Shorey is the author of the At Home in Beldon Grove series, Where Wildflowers Bloom, and When the Heart Heals. She has also published selections in the Cup of Comfort series and in Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul. Ann and her…

Continue reading about Ann Shorey

DANCING WITH FIREFLIES || RSVP for April 10th Facebook Party and enter to win a Kindle HDX from @DeniseAHunter!

April 3rd, 2014

Don’t miss Denise Hunter‘s latest Chapel Springs Romance, Dancing with Fireflies. Reviewers have already labeled Dancing with Fireflies “swoon-worthy” and “the perfect love story.” 

Join Denise in celebrating the release of her new book by entering her Kindle HDX giveaway and RSVPing for her April 10th Facebook party.

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One winner will receive:

  • A brand new Kindle Fire HDX
  • Dancing with Fireflies and Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 10th. Winner will be announced at the Dancing with Fireflies Facebook Party on April 10th. Connect with Denise for an evening of prizes, book chat, and an exclusive look at the next book in the series.

 


Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by clicking JOIN on the event page. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 10th!

Dancing with Fireflies

April 2nd, 2014

Dancing with Fireflies

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By Denise Hunter

A Chapel Springs Romance

Jade returns home to Chapel Springs after years of protecting her fragile heart. Then along comes Daniel, making her long to dance again.

Creative and complicated, Jade McKinley felt like a weed in a rose garden growing up in Chapel Springs. When she left, she thought she’d never look back. But now, pregnant, alone, and broke, she has no other choice but to return.

The mayor of Chapel Springs, Daniel Dawson, has been an honorary member of the McKinley family for years. While his own home life was almost non-existent, Daniel fit right into the boisterous McKinley family. He’s loved Jade for years, but she always saw him as a big brother. Now that she’s back, his feelings are stronger than ever.

As Jade attempts to settle in, nothing feels right. God seems far away, she’s hiding secrets from her family, and she’s strangely attracted to the man who’s always called her “squirt.” Finding her way home may prove more difficult than she imagined.

ISLAND BREEZES

Jade has really gotten herself in a mess. She had only been out on her own a little over a year, and now she was headed back to Chapel Springs and her family. And back to Daniel who was like a big brother.

There’s one big complication. She has to figure out how to tell everyone she’s pregnant and unmarried.

She has a job, but is trying to hook a husband, and she asks Daniel to help. He isn’t too crazy about the idea, but goes along with it. But it’s getting down to the wire and there are still no prospects in sight.

The McKinley family stands by it’s own, even when the situation gets messy. But does Jade really want to give up on love? Does she want to just settle for whoever she can scrounge up to be her husband and a father to her baby?

I’ve been enjoying The Chapel Springs Romance Series, and am looking forward to The Wishing Season. Thank you, Ms Hunter for taking us on a trip to Chapel Springs.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

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Denise Hunter is an internationally published best-selling author. Her books have won The Holt Medallion Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and was a RITA finalist. In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all of her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps, too. When Denise isn’t writing, she’s busy raising three heroes-in-the-making with her husband.

Learn more about Denise at: http://www.denisehunterbooks.com

A Sky without Stars

April 1st, 2014

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About Quilts of Love: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women’s fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

A Sky without Stars

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Linda S. Clark

In 1951, Frankie Chasing Bear is a Lakota caught between cultures. She wants to raise her son Harold to revere his Lakota heritage, but she knows he will need to become as a white man to succeed. After his father’s killed in a barroom brawl, Harold and Frankie move to Arizona, where she begins a Lakota Star pattern quilt for Harold with tribal wisdom sung, sewn and prayed into it.

She distrusts Christians, as her own parents were forced to convert at an Indian School, until she meets BIA agent Nick Vandergriff, a half-Lakota who’s also caught between cultures. Nick must convince Frankie that white men and Christians aren’t all bad as he tries to win her heart in order to put the stars back into her sky.

ISLAND BREEZES

Frankie just wants to leave the past behind and start a new life with just her son, Harold. She didn’t make it all the way to her goal destination before her aging truck gave out on her in a little burg outside Phoenix.

A new life wouldn’t be easy for a Lakota woman and child in a white man’s world in the early 50s, but Frankie was determined that her son would know and treasure his Lakota heritage while attending the white man’s school. Harold didn’t care what his mother thought. All he really wanted was to go back to Pine Ridge.

Frankie had hope when Nick came into her life – hope for Harold and maybe a little for herself, as well. Still she wasn’t going to trust him too much. He was a man with a foot in two worlds. It appeared that he was becoming too much like the white man.

It’s not too likely that they’ll become a family, but the do become good friends.

Thank you, Ms Clare, for this story. I didn’t want to put the book down. It combines too things that touch me. My mother was a quilter and my heart has a special love for the Lakota nation.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

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Linda S. Clare is an award-winning coauthor of three books, including Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them (with Melody Carlson and Heather Kopp), Revealed: Spiritual Reality in a Makeover World, and Making Peace with a Dangerous God (with Kristen Johnson Ingram). She is also the author of The Fence My Father Built. She has taught college-level creative writing classes for seven years, and edits and mentors writers. She also is a frequent writing conference presenter and church retreat leader. She and her husband of thirty-one years have four grown children, including a set of twins. They live in Eugene, Oregon, with their five wayward cats: Oliver, Xena the Warrior Kitty, Paladine, Melchior, and Mamma Mia!

Learn more about Linda at: http://www.lindasclare.com