Book Review: Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson

About the Book:

Cassie Kendrick is on the run. Her abusive father arranged her marriage to a despicable man, but she’s discovered an escape. Disguised as a man, Cassie enlists in the Union army, taking the name Thomas Turner. On the battlefields of the Civil War, keeping her identity a secret is only the beginning of her problems, especially after she meets Gabriel Avery, a handsome young photographer.


Anxious to make his mark on the world and to erase the darkness and guilt lurking from his past, Gabriel works with renowned photographer Matthew Brady to capture images from the front lines of the war. As Gabriel forges friendships with many of the men he encounters, he wonders what the courageous, unpredictable Thomas Turner is hiding.

Battling betrayal, their own personal demons, and a country torn apart by war, can Cassie and Gabriel learn to forgive themselves and trust their futures to the God who births hope and healing in the darkest places?

My Thoughts:

Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson piqued my interest from the first chapter and carried it through the novel. The story was easy to read and entertaining. At first it had a Mulan-like vibe with Cassie disguising herself as a man to join the army, but the story really moved into its own as it progressed.  As expected, there is a substantial amount of violence and blood. The author does not gloss over these aspects of war as experiencing the war and fighting is part of Cassie’s character development.

I appreciated the deep character development in both Cassie and Gabe. Forgiveness, gender roles, and deception are a few of the themes that both characters wrestle with as they find themselves drawn to each other and, ultimately, toward their God. Though their romance is off and on throughout the story, somehow the author wove in a pleasant level of romantic tension that I enjoyed.

A favorite quote: “We learn who we were to decide who we want to be.” (Page 47) 

I recommend Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson to fans of historical romance, especially readers who like Civil War fiction. 4 Stars!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book through the publisher’s My Reader Rewards Program. I was not required to write a review and all opinions in this review are my own. 

If you are interested in earning free books, use my referral link to join the My Reader's Reward Program!

First Line Fridays: You Belong With Me by Tari Faris

Happy Friday!

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today I'm sharing the first lines from You Belong With Me by Tari Faris:

"Was she really the only one left who cared about this town?"

This book releases September 3, 2019, but I got an advanced reader copy as part of the launch team. Read my review here.

What are you reading this weekend?

Have a great weekend! Happy reading!


About the Book:

Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison isn't one of them. When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map--and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah's mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts--not even her best friend, Luke.

Luke Johnson may have grown up in Heritage, but as a foster kid he never truly felt as if he belonged. Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town. But when the interview process and Hannah's restoration project start unearthing things from his past, Luke must decide if belonging is worth the pain of being honest about who he is--and who he was.

August 2019 Book Giveaway!

Time for the monthly giveaway! This month's prize is Love Finds You in Lancaster County Pennsylvania by Annalisa Daughety. I hope you'll enter the giveaway and consider subscribing by email. Next month's giveaway will be a BIG one as I'm celebrating my ten year anniversary of blogging.

Enter using the Rafflecopter below. Must be a resident of the US, 18 years of age, and legally able to enter. Book will be shipped via Media Mail. No purchase necessary.

About the Book:

Two women with nothing in common except the need for a friend and a fresh start. When Amish-born Lydia Ann Raber and Southern belle Caroline DeMarco discover a shared history of loss, the unlikely duo decides to open a gift shop in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 

Lydia Ann is surprised to find herself drawn to handsome woodworker Simon Zook. When God offers her a second chance at love and family, will she take it? Or will the secret Simon harbors cause her even more heartbreak? For Caroline, love comes in the way of newspaper reporter Michael Landis. Their low-key romance is a dream come true for Caroline, a fugitive from an infamous past. Is Michael to blame when the paparazzi start hovering once again, or can Caroline trust him with her heart? a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Protecting Your Child From Predators

About the Book:

Keeping a Child Safe Requires More Awareness Than Ever.

Even aware parents often underestimate the dangers their children face. Research indicates that 1 in 4 females and 1 in 6 males are sexually abused before age 18. In most cases, the enemy is not a faceless stranger, it's someone you know and trust--a neighbor, a coach, or even a family member. 

This book provides practical steps to ensure you're doing all you can to reduce the risks of abuse. But since you cannot be with your children 24/7, the authors teach you how to help your child develop awareness and strategies in the face of potential dangers--without making them fearful. 

Dr. Robinson, whose decades-long practice focuses on abused and endangered children, calls on her own case studies to show age-appropriate conversation starters for parents, teaching them how to ask the right questions and provide the right boundaries.

This book will help you move from fear to confidence on this critical topic that is just too important to ignore.

Learn more abour the book and read an excerpt from Protecting your Child from Predators: How to Recognize and Respond to Sexual Danger on the publisher's website.

My Thoughts:

I recommend Protecting Your Child from Predators: How to Recognize and Respond to Sexual Danger by Beth Robinson, EdD, and Latayne C. Scott, PhD, to any caregiver.

Protecting Your Child from Predators was a surprisingly quick read. The authors presented information in a clear and concise manner.  Heartbreaking stories are included for a purpose, not superfluously, but may be triggers for readers who have experienced sexual abuse.

The chapters in Protecting Your Child from Predators do not need to be read in order. However, I do recommend reading it through once as the parts about younger children lay a foundation for the chapters about older children. Because the book is meant for the reader to be able to jump into whatever chapter/topic is needed, certain information is repeated at the end of each chapter.

Although I have already taught my children most of what it recommends for their ages, the book did provide information I wasn’t aware of in the chapters on technology and regarding the common ways a child may be sexually abused by another child.

Protecting Your Child from Predators unabashedly affirms that Jesus hates abuse, especially child abuse, and that you can and should say no to evil instead being overtaken by it. I appreciated the strong stance of the authors. This healthy mindset should be a given for any Christian, but as recent headlines have revealed, sexual abuse not only occurs within churches, but the church sometimes mishandles its response. I appreciated that the book addresses situations involving the church.

This book is written for parents and caregivers who are adept at setting boundaries, being able to stand up and confront someone in the moment. Due to my past history, I really struggle to set boundaries, especially in a situation that is unexpected.  I found myself sometimes wanting more examples on “how” exactly to set those boundaries. So, if you’re like me and struggle with setting boundaries in general, this book will encourage you toward that, but you may need another resource specifically on the topic of boundaries.

I give Protecting Your Child from Predators: How to Recognize and Respond to Sexual Danger by Beth Robinson, EdD, and Latayne C. Scott, PhD, 4.5 stars and I recommend it to every caregiver.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Series Spotlight & Giveaway: Mended Hearts by Patricia Lee

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for the Mended Hearts series by Patricia Lee, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOKS

 

Title: An Anchor on Her Heart  

Series: Mended Hearts #1  

Author: Patricia Lee 

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink 

Release Date: August 1, 2017  

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

Can they keep their friendship pure when their hearts long for more?

McKenna Nichols, a young wife abandoned by her husband in favor of his work, is left alone to raise their autistic child. She promised to love him until death parted them. But when circumstances drive a wedge into their marriage and Dane chooses to escape what life has dealt them, how long can she be strong? Can she remain faithful to her marriage vows when tempted by the friendship of an unlikely stranger?

Rudy Taylor, who senses McKenna's loneliness and understands the difficulty of raising her daughter, struggles to keep his concern for the young woman biblical. Will McKenna’s faith in God and Rudy’s commitment to his Lord be enough to keep their relationship simple until McKenna's husband one day returns?

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook

EXCERPT

“Therefore, God said, let a man leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife and they will become one flesh. What God has brought together, let no one put asunder.”

McKenna sniffed, holding the camera close to her face to hide the moisture trickling down her cheeks. She needed Dane’s protection, strength, and love. The pastor’s words cut deep, the knife of her pain stemming from Dane’s absence. He only saw the physical side of his responsibility—keeping her fed and sheltered. Emotionally and spiritually, she lived in a state of drought. Her heart ached to be held. Her prayers seemed to fall on deaf ears.

What am I supposed to do, God? I’m so alone. So forgotten. I want to honor my marriage vows by remaining faithful, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to endure the everlasting loneliness in which I am imprisoned. I need to be freed of these bonds. Please bring Dane home.  Sydney needs a father in her life. Help us. I’m falling apart.

 

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Title: Love Calls Her Home  

Series: Mended Hearts #2  

Author: Patricia Lee  

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink 

Release Date: March 1, 2018  

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

Can a hurting boy help two broken people find their way back to love ?

Lissa Frye returns home from the Navy hoping to find a different future—one which includes a husband, marriage, and a family, until news from her sister impacts Lissa’s personal life and derails her plans.

Kurt McKintrick, having lost his best friend to an IED in Afghanistan, has returned to help the man's mother run a horse rescue ranch. Images of war plague him, and thoughts of anyone else he might love falling victim to an untimely end, distance him from the person most likely to help.

Eleven-year-old Jayden Clarke seeks to fill the ache in his heart from his father’s death two years before. But his life is turned upside down when the rancher who befriended him is found dead, the horses neglected, and the dog missing. When authorities arrive to investigate, Lissa and Kurt, estranged after a former relationship, are forced to meet again. Lissa must confront images from her past and Kurt struggles to live with his present truth.

Will Jayden be the catalyst that draws Lissa and Kurt back together for a happily ever after?

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook

EXCERPT

Kurt did as instructed, stopping the pickup so the hood pointed away from the property. A tall, lithe form popped out from the big barn doors, the image caught in his side mirror. Kurt’s pulse raced.

Every bit as professional and alluring as she’d been in her Navy uniform the day he’d met her, Lissa stood waiting, hands on her hips. She wore a brown shirt and green pants denoting her current position, the trim uniform accentuating every curve. Her hair dangled in wispy curls about her face, the mass of brown she only let down in private, with friends—with him—still captured in a neat bun. He gave thanks she hadn’t worn her hair down today or his resolve would have flown out the window, along with the shreds of his heart.

He licked his lips, lifted his baseball cap, and ran a hand through his hair. Glad he’d taken time to shave this morning, he followed Peggy’s lead as she stepped from the cab. He watched Lissa’s face, waiting for recognition to appear in her eyes. His heart thumped like the foot of an animated rabbit.

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Title: A Kite on the Wind  

Series: Mended Hearts #3  

Author: Patricia Lee  

Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink 

Release Date: October 1, 2018  

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

Is Love Strong Enough to Overcome the Walls They Hide Behind?

Left waiting at the altar, Claire Simpson has buried her past and moved on, carving out a life for herself as a teacher on the Oregon coast. When her former fiancé appears, he threatens to unravel the peaceful independence she has worked so hard to achieve after their relationship failed.

Montgomery Chandler has moved to NOAA headquarters in Newport, Oregon to make new, happier memories for his children after his wife died of a lingering illness. Their home in Seattle held nothing but the whispers of their earlier lives. Starting over will help all of them heal, but Monty is resolved not to risk love again.

When the handsome widower enrolls his hurting children at the school where Claire teaches, her determination to remain uninvolved vanishes at the whim of a snowstorm. This family needs her expertise. Can she help them without losing her heart?

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook

 

EXCERPT

She hadn’t grown up on the Oregon coast and assumed the north Pacific was all surf and sand. She’d never have guessed the shore could be covered in white, nor had she seen it this way, even in pictures. Mounds on the beach turned into oversized marshmallows. Driftwood transformed to fanciful fences. Did this happen often? On the sand? In November?

Yet here snow fell—sloppy, fat flakes fluttering down like a curtain of white fairies on a theater’s stage opening night. The quiet drift of the airborne dancers made her pulse race, their presence evoking memories from her past—images she’d tried to forget.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Patricia Lee is a published author, having written since she first learned what words could do at the age of six. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Oregon. Articles to her credit have appeared in Moody Monthly, Power for Living, Expecting and Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse as well as in two anthologies— Cup of Comfort Bible Promises and In the Company of Angels. She is part of a team of bloggers who submit short devotionals for FaithHappenings.com. Patricia is a member of the Oregon Christian Writers and of American Christian Fiction Writers. She and her husband have two adult children and live in the Pacific Northwest with two sleepy cats.

 CONNECT WITH PATRICIA: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on these tours for more chances to win. Full tour schedule on this tour shown below. Giveaway begins at midnight August 19, 2019 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 24, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Due to shipping cost, only US mailing addresses valid. 

For our giveaway rules and policy, click HERE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

First Line Fridays: The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey

Happy Friday!

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today I'm sharing the first line from The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey:

"Fire ripped through Finn's right shoulder, ricocheting down his arm."

Have you read this book? It released earlier this month and currently is sitting on my tbr stack.

What are you reading this weekend?

Have a great weekend! Happy reading!


About the Book:

A Corpse That Only Leads to Secrets. 

An Old Flame with Danger Written all over Her.
Things Are about to Get Very Complicated.

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer's boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

The already volatile situation is complicated even further by the arrival of Gabby Rowley--Finn's boss's sister and an investigative reporter with unrelenting questions about the crime. Now that she's returned, the tug on Finn's heart is strong, but with the risks she's taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can't ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?