Faery Tales Are Real: JustRead Tours

Showing posts with label JustRead Tours. Show all posts

Friday, August 8, 2025

A Sweet, Lush Historical Novella! --"A Fierce Devotion” by Laura Frantz—Review

My Review:

"A Fierce Devotion” by Laura Frantz is a sweet, lush historical novella. It is a companion novella to Ms. Frantz’s “The Seamstress of Acadie,” but can easily be read as a standalone. Bleu Galant was a minor character in that novel and now gets his own story in "A Fierce Devotion.” Laura’s prose is so lush and descriptive. I was immediately drawn into this world and fell in love with the wonderful characters and their story. I appreciate the attention to historical details. I love that the characters pray and that so much faith content was incorporated into the story. The love story between Bleu and Brielle was so tender. Bleu’s heart towards Brielle and Titus was really inspiring and beautiful. Brielle, our heroine, learns about faith and dwelling on the good. It was neat to follow these characters on their journey, starting in Virgina and ending all the way across the ocean. It was also interesting to learn more about the mid-1700s following the French and Indian War and the Acadian refugees. I highly recommend this book to lovers of Christian historical fiction!

Content: I give this book a low PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content are: mention of alcohol, being drunk, smoking, and gambling; blood and gore, descriptions of a massacre; someone curses, but the words are not actually written; a scene of childbirth.

TW: child abuse; a man tries to get in a woman’s room to possibly r*pe her (not successful).

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Monday, October 14, 2024

A Charming Romance with a Perfect Gentleman! --"The Gentleman's Confession" by Anneka Walker--Review

My Review:

"The Gentleman's Confession" by Anneka Walker is such a charming romance! I had a smile on my face as I read this wonderful story. Readers will fall in love with this friends-to-lovers romance and even more so with our hero, Miles Jackson. Jemma Fielding feels she needs to marry to honor her late grandmother’s dying wish and goes to the Matchmaking Mamas Society. Jemma is matched with someone but feels she does not know anything about love. Jemma decides to go to her old friend Miles for advice. Miles is one of the best male protagonists I have read in a long time. He is such a sweet cinnamon roll. The way he loves Jemma, even when his feelings are not returned, is so romantic. He is willing to teach Jemma about love so she can fall in love with and marry someone else, even though he secretly loves her. He is nicknamed “Mr. Romantic” for a reason! There is even a lake scene with a wet shirt! It is very reminiscent of the infamous lake scene from the Colin Firth “Pride and Prejudice” movie! Be prepared with your smelling salts!

Jemma, our headstrong, lovable heroine is a bluestocking and loves fashion. She also loves to support causes. Miles and Jemma have a group of friends called “The Rebels,” many of whom readers will recognize from previous books. You need not have read the previous books to enjoy this one, but I look forward to reading all the rest of the books in the series! The friendship between the Rebels is so fun and heartwarming. It is admirable how they come together for worthy causes and to fight injustice. There are also lots of historical tidbits in the story including cricket, fashion, and the Chios massacre of 1822. The author writes in a witty way and there are several humorous scenes that I enjoyed.

The author calls this book “romantic, witty and uplifting!” It surely is all those things, and it is also a clean read. I highly recommend this book!

Content: I give this book a G rating. Examples of the content: the word “devil” is used; there is a rumor that someone was drunk; it says that someone almost uttered a swear word; there’s mention of a woman showing too much of her chest.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Monday, September 2, 2024

"So True a Love" by Joanna Barker Review & GIVEAWAY!

Wow! “So True a Love” is an amazing book! I am so excited to be on tour with Just Read to share my review and a giveaway. See my bookstagram post on September 3rd over at @faerytalesarereal to enter. Instagram

⇒ Book Name So True a Love

⇒ Author Joanna Barker

⇒ Publisher Shadow Mountain

⇒ Tagline: Danger and passion collide when a plucky young woman becomes embroiled in a Bow Street investigation alongside a handsome officer.

Danger and passion collide in a Regency backdrop when a plucky young woman becomes embroiled in a Bow Street investigation alongside a handsome officer.

London, 1803

As the daughter of a renowned actress, Verity Travers is a privileged lady of high society —and the last woman one would suspect of working as a private investigator. But after one case nearly costs her everything, she makes the hard decision to hang up her hat and live the uninspiring life of a gentlewoman. However, when she and her dearest friend become victims of a harrowing armed robbery, Verity finds herself swept back into the clandestine world of mystery and crime as she seeks to bring the thief to justice. There’s just one complication: the persistent and dashingly handsome Bow Street Runner Nathaniel Denning, who always seems to cross her path.

Verity is confident she could accomplish her work quickly if only Nathaniel would stay out of her way. While she appreciates his keen mind and quick wit on a case, his interference is muddling her progress—and her heart. Focusing on the task at hand becomes more and more difficult as she constantly bumps into Nathaniel, who is determined to keep her out of danger.

When the two rival investigators learn they are both pursuing the same cunning criminal, they must figure out how to navigate the delicate dance of cooperation amid a backdrop of increasing peril and an irresistible passion that sets their hearts ablaze.

My Review

"So True a Love" by Joanna Barker is an incredible Regency romantic suspense novel! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it will certainly not be my last. This book hooked me from the first page and held me in suspense as I devoured and savored its contents. Ms. Barker’s writing is superb and keeps one invested in the story. I also love her use of humor throughout. The characters feel like real people, and I was so sad that I had to part with Verity and Nathaniel when I closed the last page. Readers will fall in love with Verity with her cleverness and stubborn streak. Her character reminds me of “Enola Holmes.” Nathaniel is just a sweetheart, and readers will fall for this Bow Street Runner nicknamed “Sir Chivalry.” This love story is one of rivals-to-lovers that is done so perfectly. The chemistry between the main characters sizzles off the page. I enjoyed their lively, witty banter. I must not forget their first swoony kiss! The side characters are all so well written and memorable as well. I am glad there is a story about Verity’s brother, Jack. Wily is another favorite. I appreciate that "So True a Love" highlights familial love, especially the love and sacrifices a mother makes for her daughter. I have been looking for more clean, well-written Regency books and I know I have found a winner!

I give this book a PG rating. Some examples of the content are: a character has tried whisky in the past; a character is said to have been born illegitimately and her parents aren’t married; characters drink alcohol; characters are at a tavern where people drink alcohol and are drunk; a man tries to assault a woman; it says someone curses, but the words aren’t actually written; someone else has a child out of wedlock.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Purchase link: click here

Friday, October 5, 2018

"Lady of a Thousand Treasures" by Sandra Byrd Blitz & GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the blog blitz & giveaway for Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Lady of a Thousand Treasures
Author: Sandra Byrd
Publisher: Tyndale House
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical/Gothic Romance

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.

PURCHASE: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository

Excerpt

SEPTEMBER 1866

WATCHFIELD HOUSE, OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND

A threading of voices spooled throughout the expansive chamber wherein we waited, voices so decently quiet as to be murmurs. All present quickened as lightning pierced the ground just outside the wide panel of windows, like a fin-ger pointing deep within the earth. Perhaps it was the good Lord’s way of informing us exactly where the soul of the recently departed had found its final resting place.

I did not believe Lord Lydney had ascended.

And yet Lydney had been my father’s friend, patron, and benefactor. Many spoke admiringly of him. Truth be told, he had on occasion been charitable to me. I had once believed he would be my father-in-law.

That notion had passed

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published fifty books.

Sandra's delighted to kick off her new historical romance series with Tyndale House Publishers, Victorian Ladies, with Lady of a Thousand Treasures. The three-book Victorian Ladies series follows her historically sound Gothic romances, Daughters of Hampshire, launched with the bestselling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor's Choice award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, was published in 2017. Check out her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2011, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012.

Sandra has published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist, with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions, and The One Year Experiencing God's Love Devotional.

Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.

CONTACT: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive:

a copy of Lady of a Thousand Treasures (print to US addresses OR ebook to intl), and
$25 Starbucks London Gift Card – works anywhere in the world at standalone Starbucks stores

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight October 1, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm October 8, 2018. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

"Julie" by Catherine Marshall Blog Tour (Reivew) & GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to this stop on the Julie by Catherine Marshall Reissue Celebration Blog Tour with JustRead Publicity Tours!

Title: Julie

Author: Catherine Marshall
Publisher: Gilead Publishing

ReIssue Date: April 17, 2018
Genre: Historical Romance Fiction

Links*: Goodreads l Amazon l ChristianBook l Book Depository l ITunes

*A New York Times bestseller*-------------------------------

Will the dam hold?
Julie Wallace has always wanted to write. Trying to
escape the Great Depression, Julie’s father buys the
Alderton Sentinel, a small-town newspaper in flood-prone Alderton, Pennsylvania, and moves his family
there. As flash floods ominously increase, Julie’s investigative reporting uncovers secrets that could
endanger the entire community.

Julie, the newspaper, and her family are thrown into a perilous standoff with the owners of the steel mills

as they investigate the conditions of the immigrant laborers. As the Alderton Sentinel and Julie take on a more aggressive role to reform these conditions, seething tensions come to a head.

When a devastating tragedy follows a shocking revelation, Julie’s courage and strength are tested.
Will truth and justice win, or will Julie lose everything she holds dear?

TO PURCHASE A COPY*

Amazon l ChristianBook l Book Depository l Itunes

My Review

“Julie” by Catherine Marshall is another Christian classic that every Christian should read! “Julie” is brought to you by the same author of the beloved classic “Christy” (after which the prestigious Christy Awards are named). I read “Christy” growing up and loved the book and the movies. Somehow though, I completely missed “Julie” when it was first published, so when I saw that it was being reissued, I knew I had to read and review it! I’m so glad I did!

I love the setting and the premise of the book. Ms. Marshall writes great descriptions of the time period of the 1930s and the Great Depression. The setting is especially relevant to me as I live in Pennsylvania (the same setting as the book) and have volunteered in a town that used to be a huge steel mill town. This story really shows the incredibly rough conditions that the steel workers and immigrants worked with and how steel mills can really destroy the natural landscape. Despite the rough conditions, I like how the people of the town don’t give up, no matter what hardships they face. Julie, our heroine, is motivated by this inner strength of the townspeople and wants it for herself. She is also a journalist investigating these conditions and reports what she sees, even though she and her family could be negatively affected by telling the truth.

Julie is a relatable character who really grows up as she faces hardships and grapples with truth and faith. I love how Julie wants to be a writer and finds inspiration from L.M. Montgomery. Julie needs to make her family’s faith her own and learns more about what she believes and why she believes it. I like how Julie cries out to God in a scary situation and He gives her supernatural power. There is so much amazing faith content in this story. It really inspired me in my walk with the Lord.

“Julie” is Christian fiction at its best! It addresses prejudice in the church, social justice, the disparity between the classes and what the role of the church is in regards to the poor. It is a beautiful coming of age story that girls and women alike will fall in love with!

Content: This is a clean read with a PG rating for some minor content. Some examples of the content are: a character smokes a cigarette; a man is drunk; a reference to a couple “necking;” the word “negro” is used; some underage drinking; a man curses but the curse words are not actually written; the “s” word is used as a mistake in a newspaper; references to salons, brothels and gamblers; there is drinking at a dance, a lot of people are drunk and the punch is spiked; a man asks a woman to come to his hotel room; references to boys’ groping hands; the word “hell” is used.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Historical; Romance

I want to thank JustRead Publicity Tours, Catherine Marshall and Gilead Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catherine Marshall (1914-1983), “The New York Times” best-selling author of 30 books, is best known for her novel “Christy.” Based on the life of her mother, “Christy” captured the hearts of millions and became a popular CBS television series. Around the kitchen table at Evergreen Farm, as her mother reminisced, Catherine probed for details and insights into the rugged lives of these Appalachian highlanders. Catherine shared the story of her husband, Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate, in “A Man Called Peter.” A decade after Dr. Marshall’s untimely death, Catherine married Leonard LeSourd, Executive Editor of “Guideposts,” forging a dynamic writer-editor partnership. A beloved inspirational writer and speaker, Catherine’s enduring career spanned four decades and reached over 30 million readers.