THIS IS ONE “BALL” YOU DEFINITELY DON’T WANT TO MISS!
Review/Endorsement by Julie Lessman
I'm not exactly sure how she did it (other than raw, unadulterated talent!), but Carrie Fancett Pagels managed to infuse a deep, rich, full-novel feel into her latest novella as few others have been able to do.I am an author and reader who thrives on a well-woven story, especially one interlaced with a wealth of a colorful cast. You know, those quirky and lovable subordinate characters who surround the hero and heroine -- and the reader -- with a magical feeling of family? This is one of the things I liked best about this remarkable novella, along with the heart-tugging romance, the hint of mystery, and the vivid setting of life and lumber in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, especially Mackinac Island. Not only did I feel like I was there, surrounded by the scent of inland seas, sawdust, and fresh pine, but I missed both the setting and the characters for days on end after turning the last page.All of Miss Pagels' books are wonderful, but I must say that The Lumberjack's Ball is now my favorite, which tells me not only is Carrie Fancett Pagels a fresh new voice in sweet romance, but an author who simply gets better and better with every single book she pens.
CFP: Thanks SO much, Julie for your wonderful words!!! You've been one of my favorite authors whose work I admire and to receive your endorsement is a huge blessing!!!!
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| With This Kiss - Historical Collection |
Thank you for the interview. Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteLUCY, it is, trust me -- good luck in the contest!!
DeleteHugs,
Julie
This is SO fun having Julie responding on OWG!!!
DeleteWhat a great review! Congrats, Carrie! Thanks for the fun giveaway and chance to win.
ReplyDeleteThanks, CARRIE ... it's easy to write a "great" review when the book is great, you know, so I take no credit. :)
DeleteHugs and GOOD LUCK in the contest!
Julie
Like your name, Carrie--that was my grandmother's middle name!
DeleteTY Julie, now you know how we all feel on OWG blog when we can all these compliments on your amazing books! It is a little bit of a strange feeling, isn't it?
JULIE, thanks for joining us! This time you get to be on the other end! LOL A wonderful review of a wonderful story! Thank you, JULIE!
ReplyDeleteLOL, DIANA ... hey, I kind of like it, especially when I get to review fab books like Carrie's!! :)
DeleteSooooo fun to be on this side of the review ... ;)
Hugs,
Julie
It is indeed COOL to have JULIE here isn't it DIANA!
DeleteHUZZAH! FANTASTIC review. Wonderful "seeing" the lovely JULIE on OWG. I can't wait to read The Lumberjack's Ball. Have a great day ladies!
ReplyDeleteHey, CARYL, SO good to see you here, too, my friend, and here's hoping you win a copy of TLB, because it is one you don't want to miss!
DeleteHugs and GOOD LUCK!!
Julie
We sure want you to read it, Caryl!
DeleteOooooh....a review from THE Julie Lessman...how cool is that?!
ReplyDelete:-)
LOL, ANNE ... don't know how "cool" it is, but it sure is fun being on this side of the review and a LOT less nerve-wracking, I can tell you that! ;)
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Less nerve-wracking?! You mean Carrie didn't make you do hours of edits on this and put you on a deadline? What?? Man, you DID get off easy. LOL! On a serious note, I don't think I could handle the stress of writing a book. I'd so much rather read and review yours. :)
DeleteOn our side it is WAY cool, JULIE!!! You're a legend, you know. :)
DeleteSuper awesome coolness, ANNE!!! Julie is a blessing to me!!!
DeleteDIANA you are funny - good think most people won't believe I do that to any of the OWG angels!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this most wonderful review by Julie on Carrie's novella! I could not have said it better! Thank you for this wonderful review and yes, do enter me in the contest. Mary Lou K
ReplyDeleteHey, MARY LOU, if you liked the review, just WAIT till you read the novella -- now that's talkin' "WONDERFUL"!!
DeleteHUGS,
Julie
Sister Mary Lou, we will have to get Amazon to allow you to post your review, too! I think Amazon believes you are my sister and may not understand you are a nun! Hugs!
DeleteCARRIE!!! LOVED the book, LOVE you, my friend! Hope it flies off of the cyber-shelves!!
ReplyDeleteHugs and more hugs,
Julie
THANKS so much JULIE!!! I pray it does!!! And so glad to see that With This Kiss is doing so well!!! XOXOXO
DeleteGreat review! Congratulations Carrie! I recently bought and read The Lumberjacks' Ball, so will you enter me for the other books? Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI saw your lovely review on Amazon, Heidi, thanks! Yes, we will enter you for the other books. Also, if you win, you could give a copy of The Lumberjacks' Ball to a friend.
DeleteHey Julie and Carrie! Oh, Julie, I agree, Carrie is such a talented lady! Her books spring to life as I read them. Just love the way she makes me feel like I'm right there in the UP! Oh my gosh! what a talent to be able to do it so clearly! I'm excited to hear you are putting out some westerns. Love those westerns!!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Deb, but don't be so modest, darlin' -- I LOVED your Medieval, and I don't even read Medievals!!! But I do now ... ;)
DeleteYeah, I thought I'd throw everybody off with a fast-and-furious Western. It's been fun so far ... :)
Hugs,
Julie
When I write, I write "in character" DebbieLynne, so when I sit down at the computer I am THERE and I want my readers to feel that, so I'm glad you see that, too! Thanks so much for being such a great critique partner on this project!!!
DeleteJULIE I can't wait to see your Western!!! How cool!!!
Great review!! Love to win the books! Shelia Hall
ReplyDeleteHey, SHELIA ... good to see you again, my friend, and THANK YOU!!
DeleteGood luck,
Julie
Wonderful review! Yes, Julie, Carries makes you feel like you are right there on the UP - which is absolutely gorgeous by the way! Great giveaway!
ReplyDeletebettimace at gmail dot com
Agreed, BETTI ... my hubby and I biked in UP a few years back, and I felt like I was there all over again!!
DeleteHugs,
Julie
I am so glad to take you both there! You both need to meet me up in the straits of Mackinac, the prettiest place in the world!
DeleteWhat a great review! Sounds like a really awesome book! I'd love to read it!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, MARISSA, and you should ... I LOVE Carrie's books!!
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Thanks so much Marissa and Julie! Music to my ears!
DeleteJulie, YOU NAILED IT !!!! great review !!!!! I so enjoyed The Lumberjacks' Ball, you could see everything with your mind's eye, which to me is everything. I follow your reviews, always great !! Thanks !!! Please enter me into the contest, I also love to read Julie Lessman !! :-) Thank you Julie !!! Sword of Forgiveness is on my TBR list !! Have a blessed day !!! Chicki
ReplyDeleteLOL, CHICKI ... a woman after my own heart with all of those exclamation points, girl!!! Thank you SO much, especially for following my reviews -- MUCH appreciated it!!
DeleteSO good to see you again (and your exclamation points!!) ;) Here's to a win, my friend. :)
Hugs,
Julie
Great, great review! I got my hands raised and I am waving and jumping up and down .....great books, great authors, a great day and a great giveaway!!!!!! Love, love love it!!!!!
ReplyDeletemauback55 at gmail dot com
LOL, MELANIE ... cheer up, girlfriend, will you??? ;) You sound like me with all that waving and jumping up and down!! :) Thanks for coming by and here's to a win!!
DeleteHugs,
Julie
LOL! A LOT to get excited about Melanie and Julie!
DeleteSounds exciting! Would love to win.:)
ReplyDeleteIt is, LORI T, so good luck!!
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Thanks, Lori! We'll enter you!
DeleteWOW! What an endorsement and review. I could have already told you Julie that Carrie is a great person. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Love you too, the first to ever tell me they liked my name. Guess my parents must have liked it. LOL Got some great books in this giveaway. Gotta love this OWG blog. (((Hugs))) to each. GOD bless all of you.
Would love to be one of the winners. Maxie > mac262(at)me(dot)com <
Thanks so much, Maxie! Julie is one sweet and precious lady! I'm so blessed to have met her at my very first ACFW conference a little over four years ago. She and I were the resident huggers! Maxie, we are giving away 3 books in the winners' choice of format, so if you win you can choose paperback. Blessings!
DeleteHey, MAXIE, SO great to see you again, and trust me, girlfriend, I KNOW what a great person Carrie is -- God blessed me with her friendship a few years ago, and I have been grateful ever since!
DeleteGood luck in the draw, Maxie girl, and STILL love your name!
Hugs,
Julie
Julie, AWESOME review! I loved "The Lumberjacks' Ball"! You're right, Carrie gets better every time she puts out another book. Really enjoying this series! AND I would SO love to read your "Grace Like Rain" and Debbie's "Sword of Forgiveness". So please enter me in the drawing. Thanks so much!
ReplyDelete*waving to Carrie and Debbie!*
bookwarp(at)gmail(dot)com
Waving back Angi!!! I am so glad you enjoyed Rebecca's and Garett's story of overcoming! These other two books are great and we're happy to throw your name in the hat!
DeleteYAY! Thank you, Carrie! :)
DeleteANG!!! Thanks, sweetie, and it's SO fun to see you again!! And you are going to LOVE Sword of Forgiveness, too, my friend, so here's to a win!
DeleteHugs,
Juie
Wow a great giveaway and I would love to win. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen. We're hoping to catch up with our giveaways soon. I'm recovering from open gall bladder surgery and had an emergency hospitalization two weeks ago.
DeleteFantastic review Julie! It's great to see you here Julie, love your books too.
ReplyDeleteNot entering the contest but wanted to say I agree with you Julie. Carrie's the Lumberjacks' Ball captured me from the first page, loved it.
I have With This Kiss series, but have not read it yet.
Blessings, Tina
Thanks so much, sweet Tina!!! You have got to read this series with Blake the Rake's story!
DeleteAw, thanks, MRS. TINA, it's great to be here!! And, YES, TLB did the same to me, hooking me in immediately. :)
DeleteHugs and Happy Reading!
Julie
Congrats Carrie on a great review and your success with The Lumberjack's Ball! If its anything like The Fruitcake Challenge I won't be able to put it down! I'd love to win a copy and if its combine with Jake the Rake's tale than count me in!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelly!!! I am so glad you enjoyed Fruitcake!!! Yes, you don't want to miss out on Julie's latest novella and Debbie Lynne's debut novel!!!
DeleteACK, I put up Jake not BLAKE in the original post, sorry JULIE!!! I blame the narcotic pain killers.
DeleteKEL ... hey, girl, how are you doing?? And TLB IS like TFC, only better, if you can imagine that, and maybe that's because I was so familiar with some of the characters already from TFC, but also because Carrie added some new characters that I loved. For me, toss a nun into the mix, and I am sooooo there!! ;) Must be my schooling by nuns from 1st grad to 12th! ;)
DeleteAnd, Carrie, does not bother me ONE BIT, my friend -- Jake, Blake ... as long as people read it, who cares?? ;)
Hugs,
Julie
WOW, you BLEW me AWAY with that review, Julie!!! Thanks so much!!! Those are just the kinds of things I want to convey in my writing which I've also seen in one of my fave authors--you!!! I'm going to look at your review when I write my next book and make sure I hit all those points again! Blessings and hugs!
ReplyDeleteYeah? Well, Carrie, you blew me away with your ability to incorporate so many fun characters SO WELL into a novella. Most people don't do that well in a novel, much less a smaller book like that, so I am truly impressed!!
DeleteHugs and more hugs,
Julie
Ahh, so excited to discover a "new" author! This novella sounds great, and I would love to read it, Carrie! <3
ReplyDeleteThank you to Julie for recommending this story. I think this month I have checked out three new authors, at least, because your endorsements have popped up onto my Facebook newsfeed! Haha <3
Blessings!
Aw, DANIELLE, thank you soooo much! I don't really review a lot of authors, but those I do are pretty much sure bets, that is if you like my taste in writing. :)
DeleteHappy reading and GOOD LUCK!!
Julie
Would love to win!
ReplyDeleteHey, Joan, would love you to win, too, so GOOD LUCK!
DeleteHUGS,
Julie
Great review, how can you go wrong with ANY of these authors?? You simply can't :-) What more could I possibly say, a wonderful set of books for anyone to win! Thank you for the chance, please add my name to the pot.
ReplyDeleteAnd just in case you need it:
teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com
Hey, TRIXI ... I echo your sentiments LOUD AND CLEAR because Carrie's and Deb's books are must-reads in my world of book pleasure, so you're name is now in the hat. And if you win, I hope Blake "The Rake" brings a smile or two to your face as well. :)
DeleteHugs and GOOD LUCK!!
Julie
Whoops ... that'll teach me to publish before I proof!! Allow the Queen of Anality to correct "you're name" to "your name," okay? Whew! Feel sooo much better now ... ;)
DeleteHugs,
Julie
At least you didn't change BLAKE's name to Jake like I did, Julie!!! I fixed it now. I blame the narcotics. Soon I'll be off them and then I'll just have to blame it on my frequent loose associations so possibly I've known a Jake who was a rake lol!
DeleteAWESOME review Julie of Carrie's fabulous story, you captured it perfectly and I agreed with everything you said!! I think you might have a job here at OWG should you ever stop writing books! On second thought, no we don't want you here, I think we'd all rather you keep on writing!! ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL ... I'll definitely keep that in mind, Diana!! ;)
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Lol Julie... Another case of publishing before you proof, cos it's me Noela and not Diana here! haha! Although, that lovely blonde lady is someone I don't mind at all being mistaken for! ;)
DeleteYikes, YES, you and Diana are both blonde, Noela, but I do know the difference beween you, I promise! And would you believe that I was a travel writer/proofreader before I became an author??? Sounds like a good idea I quit that profession, eh? ;)
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Thanks for entering me in your giveaway of 3 books that I can't wait to read.
ReplyDeleteI also can't wait to meet, "Jake the Rake" just to see what he looks like.
Janet E.
von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com
Hey, Janet, I can't wait for you to meet "Jake the Rake" either, and really, the whole McClare clan, so GOOD LUCK! And I guarantee if you win either The Lumberjacks' Ball or Sword of Forgiveness, it will be a definite "win"! :)
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Now, JULIE, I am sorry I put Jake not Blake but I fixed it... I still blame the narcotics! JANET, you'll love Julie's story!!
DeleteThanks for your beautiful review of "The Lumberjacks' Ball", Julie!! I loved "The Lumberjacks' Ball" for the same reasons as you - especially all the different characters. Carrie took a poll to see which characters we'd like to reappear in book 3 - my answer was, of course, all of them!! My tour of Mackinac Island is a wonderful memory I enjoyed revisiting through "The Lumberjacks' Ball", I'd love to tour further north in the UP. The lake areas of Michigan are so beautiful, I'm told the wooded areas are just as beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI loved "Grace Like Rain", just as I have everything else you've written, I feel sure I'd love reading the phone book if it was written by you, lol. I'm looking forward to your Contemporary and Western series so much. I have "Sword of Forgiveness" and know it will be a pleasure to read, also. The winners of these 3 books will certainly be blessed by the reading of each!!
LOL, Bonnie, I couldn't help but smile that we were similar in our love of both the setting and the fun array of subordinate characters in Carrie's wonderful novella, which for me, reallllllly enriches a story. No question our tastes are definitely a lot alike, which tells me you are going to LOVE Debbie's story too, my friend, so happy reading!!
DeleteHugs and more hugs,
Julie
Bonnie, we need to get up to the U.P. together when we are both well! And Julie should bring her bike and hubs and come too! We'll bike around Mackinac Island!!!
DeleteShe is right, you pen a fine book, Carrie!
ReplyDeleteHear, hear, SONJA!! :)
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Thanks, Sonja!!! Thanks Julie!!!
DeleteWow, congrats, Carrie! Would love a chance to win any of these books! ^_^
ReplyDeleteHey, JENN, how are you doing, girlfriend? And you are in for a real treat if you win either Carrie's or Debbie's novels, so here's to a win!!
DeleteHugs,
Julie
Great! I am about to draw! Best wishes!
DeleteBoth of these books sound amazing! Would love to read them!!
ReplyDeleteBattles2001@hotmail.com
Romance and mystery? Sounds like a great book! I love the cover, and the setting sounds so relaxing.......... Hope to read this book soon! Way to go, Carrie!
ReplyDeletesusanlulu@yahoo.com
Hello ladies! I loved reading The Lumberjack's Ball and I would love to win one of the other books. Thanks for the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteI love Julie's glowing review and I love The Lumberjacks' Ball!!! What wonderful giveaways! Some lucky readers will certainly be blessed!
ReplyDeleteI am on a 21 day no sugar or junk food diet. It's going very well. Day 6 today. I need a great book to keep my mind off craving snacks !
ReplyDeleteCnnamongirl
Cnnamongirl(at)aol(dot)com
Thank you for a great book review and the chance to win some awesome reading :)
ReplyDeletePut my name in the hat for Julie's book since I have the two others, OK?
ReplyDeleteCan I wish all of you a terrific, wonderful, God-blessed week.......
ReplyDeleteCarrie had done a great job with this book! Really enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteHello Carrie, so glad to see you are feeling some better! toss me in to ;)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! What a fun party!
ReplyDeleteI have both the With This Kiss Collections and The Lumberjack's Ball on my Kindle and I CANNOT WAIT to read them!!! Sword of Forgiveness looks great! I'm a medieval romance fan!
Thanks for this great review!
Wonderful review! I have read Carries Novella and absolutely loved it!
ReplyDelete