Giveaway - My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah: Leana's Choice by Angie Dicken

My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate Utah by Angie Dicken

Book blurb:
Journey now to Castle Gate, Utah of 1910 where...
Forbidden Love Tries to Survive Old World Expectations

Schoolteacher Leanna McKee plans on leaving the coal mining town of Castle Gate, Utah, and never looking back. Good riddance to coal dust, rugged men, and the fatal mine that took her husband’s life.

Until the widow meets a widower who awakens her heart...and she finds herself inexplicably falling for miner Alex Pappas which stirs up a whole heap of trouble.

Alex’s Greek parents have arranged a more traditional match for him.  When the schoolteacher’s association with the Greek family begins to anger the American miners, they threaten Alex and his family. Leanna has received an offer to teach elsewhere and feels she has no choice but to leave Castle Gate. . .though she will be leaving her heart behind.

Guest Post by Andrea Stephens

Andrea's Thoughts

This book fits the theme of Overcoming With God so well.

     Leanna must overcome the guilt and anger she has for herself and her late husband. “How many times had she prayed forgiveness since Jack's death? Yet how many times had she thought ill of the man since he's been laid to rest?”

     Alex must overcome the prejudice between Greek immigrants and the Americans.  More importantly, he must overcome the feeling that God left him when his wife died.
     Leanna and Alex acknowledge their love. During a discussion,  Leanna says “But we have a whole country against a match like ours.”  Leanna decides it is best for everyone if she leaves and accepts a new job in Salt Lake. Before she leaves, a wealthy family friend finds her in Castle Gate from a letter she had written to her cousin. He offers to marry her, restoring her to her family and former life. She does not love him, but he does offer security. What will she do?

    Leanna leaves Castle Gate after tragedy strikes the Pappas family. Will they be able to overcome the hate crime?

     Months pass, both Alex and Leanna have moved on with their lives but are not happy. It is only after surrendering everything to God that they see the truth. Will it be together or apart? 
    

This is a good book! It is so much more than a romance. It made me want to look up some of the historical points for more information. I was not taught any of this in school.   I enjoyed the bits of Greek culture and tradition I learned from the book too.

     Angie Dicken did a wonderful job of writing the message of hope in truth and forgiveness throughout the story of Leanna and Alex.
     I will leave you with another quote from the book.
“Plan? We are all foolish to think we have the best plans for ourselves, aren't we? There's something greater nudging us out of the darkness.”

Giveaway: A paperback copy of Angie Dicken's new release My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah: Leana's Choice from Barbour Publishing!

Kelly Marie Long's Novella - A Christmas On Ice Mountain

Kelly Marie Long's new release the novella "A Christmas on Ice Mountain" in  An Amish Christmas Quilt. This is part of a series set in Pennsylvania. The story line in the series revolves around the natural marvel/phenomenon of Ice Mountain.  Amish Mennonite live there and some of their customs are different from other American Amish.

This novella collection is published by Zebra, a Kensington imprint. All of Kelly's books have been published by Christian publishing houses up until now and this is her first foray into the secular market.

Here's the blurb:
A Christmas On Ice Mountain
By Kelly Long

Matthew Beider and Laurel Lapp's secret wish to marry is a gift their feuding fathers definitely won't accept. And trying to settle their dats' long-standing quarrel is making their holiday anything but merry. Can rediscovering the joys and friendships of Christmas past finally turn their families' futures bright?

FIVE STARS *****
I read only Kelly's story and haven't had a chance yet to read the other two novellas in the collection--one by Charlotte Hubbard and another by Jennifer Beckstrand.

An Amish Christmas Quilt was true to form Kelly Long, which I loved. A lovely romance with a little edginess in this story. And it interconnects with her Bride of Ice Mountain, which I am three quarters of the way through. So there's a nice overlap with some special characters from the series. Loved the siblings in this novella!

This novella was so cute and the plot so compelling that I had to keep reading it until I got to the end. This is one of the things that I like about novellas because I can often read them in an evening. This story had bibiliotherapy elements of forgiveness, long standing feuds, harboring resentment and listening to God's directives.  Lovely happy-ever-after at the end!  Highly recommend. I see this novella as a contender on my novellas list and on my bibliotherapy list for best of 2014.

Giveaway: This is Amish week on OWG blog and also our Pink Giveaway for breast cancer survivor awareness. We also have giveaway of ebook or paperback copy of this novella collection which includes Kelly's latest release!  Question--Have you ever met someone who was Amish?

Bibliotherapy Review of A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman

A Heart Revealed

by Julie Lessman

Winds of Change Series, Book Three
(Revell, 2011)

Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels

5 Stars *****

Emma Malloy is a survivor. She wears her wedding ring like a talisman to protect her against men, having been abused by the man who put the ring there. He even scarred her face during a drunken rage.  She doesn’t trust a man who can’t control his temper. But her deep shame has finally caught up with her when her young friend falls in love with a man as bad as Rory Malloy had been. Emma is a deeply spiritual woman who has compartmentalized her marriage as a way of coping with her intense distress over the reality of the relationship.

(SPOILER ALERTS)

Sean has demons of his own. He loves Emma, but she keeps him at arm’s length. And another young woman, his boss’s daughter, won’t leave him alone.  When she corners him in his office, he ends up losing his job.

A son in the O’Connor family, Sean is guilty over failing to protect his sister from their uncle’s abuse when they were young. A veteran of WWI, he lost a love and a child. He doesn’t want to be hurt again. But God’s plan is different than Sean’s.


Julie's tagline is "Passion with a Purpose" and this story is no exception.  She's not afraid to include multiple character's storylines and we get an update, in this book, on the characters from the earlier two books in this series.

Bibliotherapy: This book rivals Jennifer Hudson Taylor’s latest release for bibliotherapy elements. 

We have: results of physical abuse, sexual abuse (back story - implied, not on the page), commitment to vows, shame, alcoholism, trauma, scarring, ability to control anger, overcoming the past, and even mental instability brought on by repression of the truth. 

I can think of MANY people who would benefit from this wonderful and deep story about God’s restorative power in the hearts of two traumatized individuals who love and respect one another, a bottom line basis for every marriage.
This is a great example of how compartmentalization as a coping mechanism cannot hold up under scrutiny when the Holy Spirit convicts a believer. 


I really loved this story and Julie is such a master of charactization and story that I almost feel as though these characters are real people!  Bravo, Julie!!!

Julie Lessman's books can be purchased at CBD, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores.

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Your choice of this author’s books, choice of format.