Saturday, December 7, 2024

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Seeking Simon by Susan Pope Sloan



About the Book



Book: Seeking Simon

Author: Susan Pope Sloan

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: November 26, 2024

When a mysterious stranger claims to be her fiancé, the fight to save her land turns into a battle for her heart.

Daviana Spalding dreams of leaving Georgia in search of a place where she can prove her worth as more than a claim to land. And when a handsome and kind stranger wanders onto the farm in need of help, she can’t help but see him in those dreams too. Yet those are only daydreams…until the Freedmen’s Bureau shows up threatening to take their land, and her guest steps forward claiming to be her betrothed.

Simon McNeil is a man haunted by his past and his time in a Confederate prison, seeking redemption and a fresh start back in Alabama. But his journey home is delayed when a bout of malaria keeps him bedridden, depending on strangers for help. As Daviana nurses him back to health, Simon is drawn to her strength and beauty, and when her home is threatened, he steps in to help.

When their fake engagement becomes real, Simon and Daviana must confront their feelings for one another as they face escalating threats that could tear them apart. And when a long-lost friend returns, all their plans could come crashing down.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Born into a family of storytellers, Susan Pope Sloan published her first articles in high school and continued writing sporadically for decades. Retirement provided the time to focus on writing and indulge her avid interest in history. Her Civil War series begins (and ultimately ends) in her home state of Georgia with references to lesser-known events of that period. She and husband Ricky live near Columbus where she participates in Word Weavers, ACFW, and Toastmasters.

 

 

 



More from Susan

When I started the series, I thought it would stop with the end of the war, but I became intrigued with the McNeil family who lived near the Alabama-Georgia line. (My family also is scattered on both sides of that state line, but farther south.)

Troy McNeil and his brothers had fought on opposing sides, which could lead to some tense moments. Simon became the prodigal son longing to go home after a long separation. This book delves into the relationships within the McNeil family and also with their former slaves. As a Southerner who grew up in the 1960’s, I’m well aware of the cultural distinctions that existed during that time, but I also know that relationships between individuals can emerge despite those distinctions. I believe the same could have happened in the previous century.

Seeking Simon also let me bring back that rascally Rufus Spalding from Loving Lydia. Rufus was a fun character to write, but I hadn’t paid much attention to his daughter, who was destined to become Simon’s love interest. Dottie/Daviana Spalding represents many women of the Civil War, who struggled within the confines of the old socio-economic system and longed for personal significance, symbolized here by the change in her name.

I pray that reading this book will encourage those who feel insignificant and long to matter in their world and also those who are praying for a prodigal to return. My favorite line from the book is “Every prodigal runs out of road sooner or later.”

Thank you for taking a look at Seeking Simon.

Blog Stops

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 7

Texas Book-aholic, December 8

Connie’s History Classroom, December 9

Stories By Gina, December 10 (Author Interview)

Pause for Tales, December 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 12

Cover Lover Book Review, December 13

Simple Harvest Reads, December 14 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Artistic Nobody, December 15 (Author Interview)

Allyson Jamison, December 15

For Him and My Family, December 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 17

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, December 18

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, December 19 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, December 20


Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54112


My Review

Seeking Simon is the fourth installment from Susan Pope Sloan's Rescued Hearts of the Civil War series. I have loved the previous books and this one is no exception. I adored Simon and Daviana's story. It was heartwarming to read with the element of faith woven within the pages. I wanted to see what was going to happen with the characters that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Five stars is what I am going to give Seeking Simon. I highly recommend it for readers who love to read clean historical romance. I am eagerly awaiting the next addition from the Rescued Hearts of the Civil War series, Redeeming Rupert, to see what happens next. 

I received a paperback copy of Susan Pope Sloan's Seeking Simon from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. 

Friday, December 6, 2024

Blog Tour and Giveaway: An Unexpected Catch by Abbey Downey

 

About the Book



Book: An Unexpected Catch

Author: Abbey Downey

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: November 19, 2024

Can she count on the pitcher to save her dream, or will his secret destroy their futures?

Bea Curran has forged a career as an umpire in Chicago’s semi-professional baseball league, and now she’s ready to move toward her dream of leading the women’s athletic department at Western College. With her reputation on the line, the last thing she needs is a romance with a player known for his womanizing ways. But when her women’s baseball team desperately needs help, she can’t ignore the one man who could save them.

Emmett Worland, a talented new pitcher in the Chicago City League, has been keeping a painful secret that could end his baseball career for good. While he tries to hide his worsening illness, Emmett agrees to help coach Bea’s struggling team in hopes that it will be a step toward redeeming a bad reputation he didn’t earn.

Bea and Emmett’s undeniable attraction deepens the more time they spend together, but with so much at stake, can they afford to let their hearts lead the way? Or will the shadows of the past and the uncertainties of the future destroy their chance at a happily ever after?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Abbey Downey started writing inspirational romance stories during naptime when her kids were babies and found she couldn’t stop. She previously published two books with Love Inspired Historical under the pen name Mollie Campbell. She also works with Spark Flash Fiction producing a quarterly digital magazine that contains love stories under 1000 words.

A life-long Midwestern girl, Abbey lives in central Indiana with her husband, two kids, and one rather enthusiastic beagle. She loves watching her kids play sports and fixing up a 1900 farmhouse with her husband.

 

 



More from Abbey

From the first record of it in the late 1700s, the game of baseball grew in popularity—and eccentricity—for decades. There have been plenty of larger-than-life characters and wild tales in the sport, but in my research for An Unexpected Catch, I was most drawn to the stories of those baseball legends many people haven’t heard of.

One of those was the inspiration for the heroine of my story. Amanda Clement became the first female umpire in baseball when she began refereeing games in a semi-professional league—at only sixteen years old! Amanda was a wildly talented athlete in her own right and was known to stand up to the rough men who played baseball in the early twentieth century without hesitation.

Like Amanda, my heroine, Bea Curran, built her career as an umpire in a man’s sport through determination and skill. She knows how to stand up for herself on the field or in other sports, but as she leaves baseball to pursue a different dream, she has to learn how to navigate new pressures to conform to the expectations those in authority place on her.

One of the hardest parts of the research I did for this book was related to the players. Lots of old baseball tales are fun and harmless enough. But then there are too many stories like “Gentleman” George Decker, a Chicago first baseman who was hit in the head by a pitch in 1897. He was denied time off to recover and was hit again not long after. His mental state declined quickly, leading to delusions and threatening behavior. He was institutionalized several times before dying in an asylum in 1909.

Decker was far from the only player to suffer from intense mental and physical health issues after a head injury. Today, we would recognize these players’ symptoms as the result of concussions. But in the early 1900s and before, little was known about brain injuries from blows to the head. These men suffered in silence while being told they were crazy, and many were either arrested or placed in asylums, torn from their loved ones instead of treated.

In An Unexpected Catch, pitcher Emmett Worland feels like baseball is all he has. When he’s forced to face the likely loss of his career thanks to post-concussion syndrome (as we call it now), he has to figure out if anything else could possibly make his life worthwhile if he can’t play. Just like many of us, he wrestles with his purpose when the path he thought he would take is irrevocably disrupted.

Thankfully, there are plenty of wonderful moments in this story to remind the characters (and us) that God blesses us even in struggles. Along with all the fun vintage baseball and historical details, readers will follow Bea and Emmett as they grow in their faith, find their way through changing circumstances, and fall in love with the person they least expected.

 

Happy reading!

Abbey

Blog Stops

Inspired by Fiction, December 2

Book Looks by Lisa, December 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 3

She Lives to Read, December 4

Texas Book-aholic, December 5

Locks, Hooks and Books, December 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, December 7

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 8

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 9

Leslie’s Library Escape, December 10

Stories By Gina, December 11 (Author Interview)

Allyson Jamison, December 11

Connie’s History Classroom, December 12

Cover Lover Book Review, December 13

For Him and My Family, December 14

Holly’s Book Corner, December 15

Pause for Tales, December 15

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Abbey is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54107




My Review

An Unexpected Catch is the second installment from Abbey Downey's Adventurous Hearts series. I enjoyed the first book, An Uncertain Road, and was looking forward to getting my hands on this one. I was far from being disappointed. I adored Bea and Emmett’s story so much and loved their chemistry together. I wanted to see would happen between the two and had no issue reading the whole book in one sitting. I thought the faith element was a perfect touch to it.

I am giving An Unexpected Catch five stars. I highly recommend it for readers who love to read clean historical romance. I am hoping there will be a third addition from the Adventurous Hearts series to see where Abbey Downey takes her characters.

I received a paperback copy of Abbey Downey's An Unexpected Catch from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Thursday, December 5, 2024

Blurb Blitz and Giveaway: A Cowboy for Christmas by Bobbi Smith

 


A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS

Bobbi Smith


 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE:  Historical Fiction

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Dan Roland has always gone it alone. And no prissy miss from back East is going to convince him to do otherwise. Even if she does have the most alluring brown eyes he’s ever seen. But when his boss suddenly orders that he help the brunette beauty find a buried treasure, the rugged ranch foreman doesn’t have any choice but to offer his protection.

 

It’s not just the weather leaving Penny Anderson feeling a bit chilly upon her return to Texas. First she gets the news that her ailing father has hidden the family fortune. Then she learns Dan Roland is the only one he trusts to help her find it. And yet one teasing, tempting kiss at a time, he starts to thaw her out until all she yearns for is A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 

“How much farther is it?” Penny asked as she rode behind Dan on the steep, rocky trail. After several hours in the saddle, they had to be getting close.

 

“Probably another two or three miles,” he answered. “Are you doing all right?”

 

“Yes, though it’s hard to believe that it was just a few weeks ago I was at the Chase ball. It seems like an eternity - almost like another life.”

 

She wondered what her friends would think of her now if they saw her bundled up against the cold in workman’s clothes, riding astride out in the middle of nowhere. Her life back then seemed like a fairy tale.

 

Fairy tale –

 

She let her gaze linger on Dan, seeing the day’s growth of beard on his jawline and liking how it added an aura of danger about him. She hadn’t even realized she’d needed saving when he’d whisked her away from the ballroom. But without him, she wouldn’t have been reunited with her father. There was no denying Dan, that was for sure.

 

Penny urged her mount forward to ride beside him as the trail widened.

 

“Do you miss being in the city?” he asked.

 

“I miss my friends, but being back here with Papa means a lot to me.”

 

Dan wondered if one of the friends she was missing was the man she’d been dancing with when he’d shown up at the ball. He didn’t like the thought of her in another man’s arms.

 

“Let’s take another look at the map,” he said to take his mind off how much he wanted to hold her close. “The sooner we find your father’s money, the sooner we can get back.”

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982.

 

Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and 6 novellas. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists.

 

When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

 

Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year

 

NY Times Bestseller

 

USA Today Bestseller

 

Inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta Literary Fraternity

 

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Christmas-Bobbi-Smith-ebook/dp/B004EYT522/ref=sr_1_1

Free to read on Kindle Unlimited

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY:

 

Bobbi Smith will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blurb Blitz and Giveaway: Away With Shadows by M M Skye

 


AWAY WITH SHADOWS

M.M. Skye


 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Sharon Gable, a seasoned interior designer in Columbia, South Carolina, swears off love after ending a relationship filled with deceit. She focuses on expanding her business with her best friend and avoiding romance until she's unexpectedly set up with architect Bradley DuPont at an engagement party. Despite her resistance, Sharon finds herself drawn to Bradley's undeniable charm and rugged allure.

 

Bradley, back in town to care for his ailing grandfather and manage the family business, is burdened by his West Coast job and familial obligations. Yet, Sharon captivates him like no other, offering a respite from his tumultuous family dynamics.

 

As their connection deepens, they must confront external forces bent on sabotaging their happiness. Will Bradley persuade Sharon that their attraction is worth exploring, or will malicious schemes tear them apart?

 

For fans of contemporary romance dipped in southern charm, “Away with Shadows” delivers a captivating tale of love and loss, resilience of spirit in the face of adversity, and familial complexities against the backdrop of Columbia, South Carolina, and Paris, France.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 

At thirty-one years old, Sharon worked particularly hard alongside her partner to maintain the prestige and respect of their company. In the last five years, she and her partner had grown their interior design business to well over five and a half million dollars in revenue, and it was still growing. They experienced both the highs and lows of being successful women, especially as women of color, but they never let that dictate their success. People from the United States and Europe contracted with the pair.

 

Watching her parents work hard to provide for her taught her from an early age to not let societal stigmas stop her from accomplishing what she wanted to do in life. In addition, being an only child made her self-sufficient.

 

When she was eight years old, her parents died in a car crash, turning her life completely upside down. The police report showed the accident occurred when her father swerved to avoid hitting a deer while they were coming back from visiting his best friend and his family in Savannah.

 

A firm knock at the door interrupted her from her daydream. Sharon hadn’t noticed her friend standing in the doorway of her office.

 

“Hello, are you still in the land of the living?” asked Kera. She leaned on the door post with her coffee mug in one hand and her purse in the other.

 

Sharon turned and replied, “Oh Kera, you scared me. I apologize. I was just watching this elderly couple out on the street. You should have seen them. They looked cute together.”

 

Kera swiftly walked over to the window. “Are you sure it was the elderly couple you were watching or were you daydreaming about you know who?”

 

Kera Prescott was her best friend and co-owner of Prescott Gable Interior Design, LLC, which they’d run for the past ten years. It seemed only natural for the two women to go into business together after graduating with honors from the New York School of Interior Design.

 

Kera was a beautiful, slender-faced woman, with oval-shaped eyes. She wore her hair in a pixie cut style that complemented her high cheekbones and the dimple between her right cheek and upper lip. Unlike Sharon, Kera was an athlete at heart. She was the captain of her high school and college volleyball team. She was three inches taller than Sharon and curvy in the hips.

 

The two were nominated best looking and voted most likely to be successful. As young girls, they did everything together and were inseparable.

 

“What?” said Sharon. “No. Girl, you know me better than that.”

 

“Okay. Then besides the older couple, what had you so deep in thought that you didn’t answer my question,” Kera asked.

 

“Question? What question are you talking about?” She was completely clueless.

 

Kera folded her arms and stared at Sharon with one eyebrow raised as she walked over to fill her cup from the Keurig machine.

 

“Look, if you think you’re going to get out of this one, think again, missy. It has been three months since we’ve had any fun together, and this time, you’re coming. No excuses.”

 

 “What is it this time?” Sharon sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes as she walked back to her seat.

 

Kera looked at her with empathy. “I just want you to have some fun for a change.”

 

Sharon drew in a deep breath to say that she would give in to whatever event or trip her friend had planned for them, when she spotted the bright light reflecting off her friend’s hand.

 

Kera held out her hand to show Sharon her engagement ring. Sharon could hardly contain her emotions. She placed her hands on her cheeks and yelled with joy. Both women jumped up and down together, screaming with excitement. It was difficult for either one of them to speak.

 

“Would you be my bridesmaid?” asked Kera.

 

“Yes, you know I will! First, I want to know when this happened, and why I’m just now seeing this!” She looked at the ring with extreme happiness for Kera as they sat on the sofa in her office.

 

Kera’s smile was radiant. Sharon could tell she was overjoyed and waited patiently as her friend tried to gather her thoughts so she could tell her what took place.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

M.M. Skye is an entrepreneur and contemporary romance writer. A native of South Carolina. M.M. Skye has a diverse background in education and business. With her passion for storytelling and a love for cultural diversity, M. M. Skye’s books offer a unique blend of romance and cultural immersion.

 

You can find her with a book or a pen and paper somewhere ready to create unique characters and stories the reader can relate to. Her passion for writing began in middle school when she read her first novel. It wasn’t until high school when her tenth-grade honors English teacher encouraged her to major in English, that she began weaving tales.

 

Her time at Voorhees University gave her the extra knowledge she needed to hone her craft.

 

Away with Shadows is her debut novel.

 

You may follow Author M.M. Skye at the following social media sites.

 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566866913441

 

Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/authormmskye/

 

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/mmskye1/

 

Website

https://www.mmskye.com

 

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/stores/M.M.-Skye/author/B0DJX444XV

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Book Blast and Giveaway: Curveballs by Gail Taylor



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Gail Taylor will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



Here you are on the brink of a journey all about self-discovery and chasing dreams. With personal stories and tools that shaped the author's path, she focuses on embracing authenticity. You'll explore how living with purpose and passion is achievable. This personal-growth book combines cutting-edge technology and music interaction, reflecting the author's belief that music can transform and positively impact individuals and communities.


Read an Excerpt

If we could look through the ideas swimming around in virtually any person’s head, we would likely find a few limiting beliefs. We can all relate to harbouring these self-defeating thoughts; however, you could build awareness around where limiting beliefs show up for you, and remove them from your mind like gardeners remove weeds from their cherished crops.

Before we talk more about defeating the beliefs that hold you back in life, we will define “limiting beliefs.” First, the adjective “limiting” is not one you would want to use frequently if you are striving to become your best self. We can focus on perceiving our possibilities and abilities as having few limits. The second word, “beliefs,” is also important to consider. We are not talking about facts when we discuss limiting beliefs. They are not necessarily logic or fact-based thoughts, such as two plus two equals four. Beliefs, limited or not, are simply ideas you have based on your past experiences. Unfortunately, they can manifest as a thought or state of mind that you think is the absolute truth and that is what can stop you from doing certain things. They can also be formed by well-meaning people trying to protect you from hurt or embarrassment.

Limiting beliefs are something you might have adopted at an early age, accepting them as facts. You didn’t do well on a math test so decided you couldn’t work with numbers . . . ever. Nerves got the best of you during a class presentation, so you avoided public speaking for the next three decades. A Grade 3 music teacher told you you couldn’t sing, so you never sang again. This is NOT cool, but I actually met a young woman in vocal classes that experienced this, and she had a beautiful voice.

Obviously, beliefs can wield enormous power over your life. The people who have mastered the power of belief are the ones who have learned that self-fulfilling prophecies often manifest in their lives. This explains the optimistic nature of the predictions they make. I fit squarely into the optimist box, and I am constantly and affectionately informed by my husband, Harold, that I wear rose-coloured glasses. Heck, I sleep in them!

I came across this saying early in my journey: “If you think you can, you’re right, and if you think you can’t, you’re right.” How can both possibilities be true? Both possibilities consider the incredible influence your beliefs have over the outcomes. Limiting beliefs can have the power to shut down your dreams before you even start to chase them. The upside is that, once you learn to recognize these adverse beliefs, you can challenge them, which results in their losing their ability to interfere with your growth.

I have found over the years that people have limiting beliefs of various types. They tend to contain phrases like, “I cannot,” “I will never,” “There is no point in trying,” and “I tried that before and it didn’t work, so no use trying again.” They often grow stronger when they are allowed to take up permanent residence in your head. Repeated enough, they become part of you. I have one I’ll share. “I grew up in a family that had no desire for material goods, so I must be damaged for wanting a sports car or a luxury coat.” You can become so attached to these limiting beliefs that you feel threatened when something or someone challenges them.

Imagine your optimistic friend is encouraging you to go back to school (for my friends, the optimist would be me). “You would be great at operations management,” the friend says. “Think of everything you could do with that degree.”

About the Author: Gail Taylor, a Canadian songwriter, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and author, is celebrated for inspiring others to take charge of their lives. With forty years of studying personal growth and peak performance, she proves that designing your own life is possible, regardless of your beginnings. Her expertise has made her a sought-after guest on numerous podcasts.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Curveballs-Unlocking-Potential-Personal-Inspirational/dp/1779622015/ref=sr_1_1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour and Giveaway: Tumult in Mecca: From Civil Servant to Global Business Adventurer: Henrik Bertelsen's Unexpected Journey by Hans Peter Bech


 

Book Details:

Book Title:  Tumult in Mecca: From Civil Servant to Global Business Adventurer: Henrik Bertelsen's Unexpected Journey by Hans Peter Bech
Category:  Adult Fiction 18+, 276 pages
Genre:  Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction, World Literature European/Scandinavian, Coming of Age
Publisher:  BOOX 
Release date:   August 2024
Content Rating:  G: There is no language, sex scenes, etc. 
Book Description:

Tumult in Mecca: From Civil Servant to Global Business Adventurer transports readers to 1979, a year of upheaval and change.

Henrik Bertelsen, a Danish civil servant and baby boomer, is dedicated to his stable life in Copenhagen. Alongside his English wife, Sammy, they are building a co-housing community and navigating the complex adoption of a child from Indonesia. Henrik longs for peace and stability to secure his career.

But life takes an unexpected turn when he is offered the chance to renovate hospital kitchens in Saudi Arabia. His adventurer's spirit is awakened, and Henrik plunges into a world far removed from the predictable corridors of Danish bureaucracy.

As the project escalates, Henrik finds himself caught in the Mecca conflict—an armed religious uprising that places him in grave danger. Trapped between rebels and police in one of the holiest cities in the world, he must rely on his instincts to survive.

Escape brings him more than safety—it opens the door to a lucrative job offer from an American tech company, setting his life on an entirely new path. Tumult in Mecca masterfully weaves Henrik’s personal quest for fulfilment with the global turbulence of 1979, capturing the tension between career and adventure, ambition and family, security and risk.
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N 
add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Hans Peter Bech is a bestselling author and a frequent blogger on how to make information technology companies global market leaders. He has produced numerous books, papers, podcasts and videos on business development in the software industry. Hans Peter is also a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and an advisor for governments and companies. He holds an M.Sc. in macroeconomics and political science from the University of Copenhagen.

connect with the author:  website ~ X/Twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Enter the Giveaway:
Tumult in Mecca: by Hans Peter Bech Book Tour Giveaway


My Review: 

Tumult in Mecca: From Civil Servant to Global Business Adventurer: Henrik Bertelsen's Unexpected Journey is the first book I have had the pleasure in reading by author Hans Peter Bech. It, also, begins his The Henrik Bertelsen Saga. It transported me to the late nineteen seventies Copenhagen, Denmark and meeting up with Henrik Bertelsen. He only wants peace and tranquility with his wife and family. However, he gets thrown into the change of the world and having to adjust to new changes. I admired his courage and bravery in adjusting to a new path in life. I enjoyed taking this adventure with him, learning some life lessons, and being inspired by how he chooses to be resilient. I loved the use of humor within the pages that made me smile from time to time. I thought the book was an inspiring one.

I am going to give Tumult in Mecca: From Civil Servant to Global Business Adventurer: Henrik Bertelsen's Unexpected Journey four stars. I believe fans of historical fiction will enjoy as much as me if not more. I would be interested in reading more books like this one from Hans Peter Bech in the near future. As well as, reading the next installment from The Henrik Bertelsen Saga. 


I received a paperback copy of Hans Peter Bech's Tumult in Mecca: From Civil Servant to Global Business Adventurer: Henrik Bertelsen's Unexpected Journey from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. 

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Spotlight: Tangles by Kay Smith-Blum

Oppenheimer was just the beginning… When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father’s death, but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke’s research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and her disappearance a decade prior may be tied to Hanford’s harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy.

 

A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.


    Tangles

    By Kay Smith-Blum

    ISBN: 9781685135065

    Publisher: Black Rose Writing        

    Genre: Historical Thriller

    286 pages

    $21.95 (paperback)

    Publication date: December 3, 2024



About the Author

An Austin, TX transplant and lifetime environmental advocate, Kay Smith-Blum has resided in Seattle for more than four decades. Since selling a family-owned high-end fashion business in 2016, history buff Smith-Blum spends her days creating stories set in the mid-20th-century. The recent upheaval over leaking waste tanks at the Hanford site in Washington state compelled her to write a Hanford story in a way that would educate and entertain readers, resulting in her debut novel, Tangles. A companion short story to Tangles is featured in the 2024 anthology, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, which Smith-Blum co-edited. She has published a variety of other short works that can be found in multiple literary journals. Smith-Blum works out her writer’s block in her sons’ gardens and the nearest lap pool. To learn more, please visit KaySmith-Blum.com and follow the author on Instagram @discerningksb, TikTok @ksbwritesfiction and Facebook @kay.smithblum.