Monday, December 30, 2013

A Timeless Romance Anthology: European Collection-Review

Product Details

Title: A Timeless Romance Anthology: European Collection
Authors: Annette Lyon, G.G. Vandagriff, Michele Paige Holmes, Sarah M. Eden, Heather B. Moore, Nancy Campbell Allen
File Size: 1326 KB
Print Length: 283 pages
Publisher: Mirror Press (October 30, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00GAB1IVS

Book/Story Descriptions
In War of Hearts, Annette Lyon’s exciting novella, Anna, a journalist, is desperate to escape the magazine where Pete, her now-former boyfriend, also works. Heartbroken and still in love with him, Anna snags an assignment to cover the Winter War in Finland. She arrives at a snowy Finnish battlefront only to discover that Pete is already there—as her photographer. She’s determined to be professional about the situation until a battle breaks out in camp, putting her and Pete in harm’s way and putting their love to the test.

In G.G. Vandagriff’s enchanting novella, The Earl of Oaksey Takes a Wife, Melissa Burroughs is the new Countess of Oaksey. Her whirlwind romance and subsequent elopement was worth every divine moment, even if her parents did disapprove. When Melissa learns about her new husband’s apparently empty pockets, she wonders if the intimacy they’ve shared is only the ruse of a fortune-hunter. Melissa is devastated and determines to live a separate life from her new husband. But the Earl has other plans, which do not include staying away from his wife.

In Michele Paige Holmes’ charming story, Gift of Love, Ethan Mooreleigh knows he’ll never love another woman after the loss of his beloved wife. Yet he needs a male heir to inherit his vast fortune. Ethan’s best friend, Stuart, has an idea and retrieves his sister, Amelia, who has been living in a convent since the tragic death of her parents. Amelia only agrees to enter into the contract marriage because there’s a child involved, Ethan’s neglected three-year-old daughter. When Amelia meets Ethan for the first time at the altar, she realizes that the last thing she wants her marriage to be is loveless. But winning a man whose heart is still broken may be impossible.

A Lesson in Love, a delightful novella by Sarah M. Eden, captures the uncertainties of newlywed life. Lucy Stanthorpe arrives for the London Season, planning to attend every ball and musicale with her new husband, Reed, only to discover he has no intention of taking part in the social whirl. Spurred on by their family and friends, Lucy and Reed each formulate increasingly outlandish plans to teach the other a lesson in appreciation. Their battle of wills threatens to pull the young couple apart unless they can both soften their stubborn hearts.

In An Ocean Away, Heather B. Moore’s captivating story, Gina Graydon knows the last thing she’ll attract on her holiday in France is an eligible bachelor. Tall, outspoken, and with a weakness for laughing at the wrong moment, not to mention being much too occupied with reading gothic romances, Gina decides she’d rather live in her fictional world. Besides, the only man who pays attention to her at the resort hotel happens to be her father’s worst enemy. And that is far from romantic. Reading in a secluded garden, and dreaming about the perfect kiss, all keep Gina much too busy to consider Mr. Edmund Donaldson any sort of hero.

Nancy Campbell Allen’s entrancing novella, What Happens in Venice, follows Evangeline Stuart as she determines to enjoy her vacation in Venice—her first and likely her last since she lives under the strict confines of her step-father’s control. When she meets the mysterious and romantic Conte Bellini, who happens to be Italy’s most eligible bachelor, she decides he is all part of the dream of visiting Venice. It’s impossible for her to believe that his interest in her is anything more than kindness to a foreign visitor. But when he discovers the true betrayal of her step-father, Evangeline learns the Conte may be the one person with the power to restore her happiness.

My Review
I have grown to love the Timeless Romance Anthologies, but this one is my favorite by far. This one held such magic in each story. The stories and the characters stayed with me for such a long time. All of the stories are a clean historical romance. Some of the couples are even married when the story begins. It's nice to see this. It would be hard to pick a favorite, even though the last one was set in Venice, Italy where I've been wanting to go visit. ;)

One thing I suggest to readers, go in reading these stories knowing they are not full length novels. These are short stories and so you are not going to get the full plot/character development you would see in a full blown novel. There is a reason I'm mentioning this in my review. There were some reviews that mentioned they didn't like the stories because they weren't long enough. If you order a root beer, but are upset it doesn't taste like a lemonade, it's still going to be a root beer. In other words, if you pick up a book of short stories, you are getting short stories not full length novels. The anthologies are written by seasoned writers that know how to write romance. Go in reading them knowing you are getting a snippet of the character's lives, a good short story full of romance, intrigue, and you'll love this anthology! I know I was enchanted by these stories that were well-written, clean, and entertaining.

About the Authors

Nancy Campbell Allen

I'm a writer with 11 published novels so far.

I'm also a freelance editor with a degree in Elementary Ed, the mother of 3 and the wife of 1.

Nancy Campbell Allen, a graduate of Weber State University, has dreamed of becoming a writer since early childhood. Her goal is "to provide LDS women with fun fiction that they can read without guilt." In addition to writing, Nancy enjoys reading, book shopping, traveling, skiing, and learning of other times, people, and places, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Mark, and three children live in Utah.

Nancy enjoys hearing from her readers. Visit her at http://ncallen.blogspot.com/

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Heather B. Moore is the award-winning author of several historical novels which are set in Ancient Arabia and Mesoamerica. She is not old and doesn’t remember the time period, so Google has become a great friend. Although she has spent several years living in the Middle East, she prefers to forget the smells. Heather writes her historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore so that men will buy her books. She is also the author of two non-fiction books, and several women’s novels including the co-authored series The Newport Ladies Book Club, the anthology series A Timeless Romance Anthology, and the historical romantic suspense novel Heart of the Ocean. These are all written under her real name so that women will buy her books.
Heather graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in Fashion Merchandising and minor in Business Management.
Visit Heather’s website here: www.hbmoore.com
If you’re an aspiring writer, she also manages the editing company: www.precisioneditinggroup.com

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Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalists Seeking Persephone (2008, Covenant Communications) and Courting Miss Lancaster (2010, Covenant Communications). Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.

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Michele Paige Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education, and found it an excellent major in which to indulge her love of children's literature.
Her first novel, Counting Stars (Covenant Communications 2007), won the 2007 Whitney Award for best romance. Her companion novel, a romantic suspense titled, All the Stars in Heaven (Covenant 2009), was a Whitney finalist, as was her first historical romance, Captive Heart (Covenant 2011). My Lucky Stars (Covenant 2012) completed the Stars series.
You can find Michele on the web at michelepaigeholmes.com

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Annette Lyon has been writing ever since second grade, when she piled pillows on a chair to reach her mother's typewriter. A cum laude graduate from BYU with a degree in English, she has had success as a professional editor and doing newspaper, magazine, and business writing, but her first love is writing fiction. She's perhaps best known for her historical novels centered around the four old Utah temples.
Her most recent novel, Band of Sisters: Coming Home (January 2013) is the sequel to the Whitney Award-winning novel Band of Sisters.
One of the most rewarding parts of Annette's writing career has been collaborating on The Newport Ladies Book Club series. Her first book in the series, Paige, was released in 2012. Her second, about the character Ilana, will be released early 2014.
Annette has won Utah's Best of State medal for literary arts in fiction two times, in 2007 and again in 2013. In addition to being a Whitney Award winner, she’s a two-time Whitney finalist, for Spires of Stone (2007) and Paige. She has received three publication awards from the League of Utah Writers and took first place in the 2009 Funds for Writers essay contest.
Be sure to also drop by her blog!
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G.G. Vandagriff is the full-time writer of eleven books, including the Whitney Award Winner The Last Waltz: A Novel of Love and War. A Meridian columnist for ten years, she is a survivor of bi-polar disorder and has written, with her husband and son Deliverance from Depression:Finding Hope and Healing Through The Atonement of Christ. She and her husband, David, also a writer, live in Provo, having raised their three children in the Midwest.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Memory Catcher by Sarah Hinze: Review

Product Details

Title: The Memory Catcher, An Inspiring True Story: When Angels Speak Who Will Listen?
Author: Sarah Hinze with Laura Lofgreen
Paperback: 182 pages
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Spring Creek Book Co (October 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932898980
FTC-FYI : I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description:
Over the past three decades, Sarah Hinze's groundbreaking research on prebirth experiences has provided solid evidence that unborn children can warn, protect and enlighten us from another plane of existence. She has compiled hundreds of accounts that tell of heavenly encounters between parents and their soon-to-be-born children.

How did a woman raised in the backwoods of Tennessee become a pioneer in this important work?

As a young girl, Sarah learned to sense when angels were near. She eventually fell in love with Brent, who shared her belief in heaven. A year after their wedding, she held their first baby and realized that many of the angels she had felt nearby had been her own unborn children.

Following a series of personal challenges, including losing a baby to miscarriage, Sarah began to recognize that God wanted her to write about unborn children these tiny guardian angels who watch over us before they are born. Was it possible that other mothers had gone through similar experiences?

Sarah decided to distribute a flyer on the topic in her town. Within a few days, a mother contacted her and said, I saw my unborn daughter and I want to tell you about it. Soon, Sarah was collecting memories from around the world and publishing several books about them, but rarely had she disclosed her own story.

Now for the first time, Sarah shares the key experiences that shaped her life and set her on course to become The Memory Catcher one of the worlds greatest advocates of the unborn.

My Review:
Last year I first heard about Sarah when I read her book,

We Lived in Heaven: Spiritual Accounts of Souls Coming to Earth.

In my review of that book here is what I said...

"I have always been a firm believer in how thin the veil is between this Earthly world and Heaven. My experiences have mainly been because of things that happened after my infant son, Matthew, died. Most of the experiences that are shared in the book, We Lived in Heaven,occur before children are born. It shows how spirits have visited their families before their births. My church believes that we existed before this life. We also believe that we will live again after death.

I read this book on a Sunday and could feel the spirit of this book. I felt chills, so many times, as the power of these stories unfolded before me. There are 33 stories told that have such different and unique writing styles and viewpoints. The author also shares her own beautiful story about her children.This is a book that you can pick up, read a few stories, and then pick up again a day later. I ended up reading the book in one sitting; that is how compelling the stories are. It would be so hard to pick just one story that will stay with me for a long time, but the story called,A Letter To My Son, about adoption, really hit home for me. I am adopted and there was divine intervention that allowed me to come to my family. So this story truly spoke to my heart. I also loved the story called Eternal Memories. My daughter also had an experience along these lines remembering my Grandmother, who has passed away the year before her birth.

I recommend this book to those who need to feel close to Heaven or a loved one that has passed. This book will also give you a much needed spiritual lift. It will make you cry and also make you laugh in a few spots. Sarah Hinze has written a wonderful book,whose stories will linger in your mind, long after you finish reading."

I was very interested in reading Sarah's story behind how she came to write the many stories of unborn children. God gave her a mission in life to champion the unborn. As you read about Sarah's life you will be amazed at her experiences. At an early age she could sense the presence of angels around her. After her children were born she realized that those angels had been her own children. This autobiography shares her beliefs about God and life before birth. I have always been interested in life before birth and after death. Sarah's books have only strengthened my belief in these very spiritual things.

In her six previous books, including “Coming from the Light”, "Songs of the Morning Stars", and “Life Before Light,” Sarah Hinze has provided the evidence and anecdotes she has gathered over the years to show that “unborn children can warn, protect and enlighten us from another plane of existence.”

If you are interested in these kind of experiences, you need to read about Sarah Hinze's extraordinary life. You will feel enlightened, uplifted, and closer to God's spirit in your life.

The Memory Catcher is available at Amazon.com

and at Spring Creek Books.

Order your copy today!

Meet: Author Sarah Hinze

It was my own pre-birth experience and my interest in what may have happened to the child I miscarried that prompted me to embark on what has become a pioneering journey and an in-depth study of the human soul.

Now, nearly two decades later, it seems that prebirth experiences bring to light a unique, full-spectrum picture of human existence. Through my research, teaching and counseling I am seeking to help my sisters and brothers on this earth expand our understanding of the spiritual origin of man.

What I teach is not a new concept. In fact, hundreds of ancient texts from many cultures provide insight into man’s true nature and origin as a child of God.

Against this historical foundation, I am presenting the anecdotal evidence I have gathered from hundreds of interviews and from extensive research. The combination of the wisdom of the ages with the personal experiences of ordinary men and women (and even children) today, speaks to our very souls, often stirring within us a remembrance of who we are. Participants in my workshops and seminars often report experiencing a very joyful personal awakening concerning where they came from, why they are on earth, and where they are going.

Participants tell me they are literally transformed, their hearts changed as powerful evidence of their eternal nature reveals to them a new paradigm regarding the sanctity of each human life. My message is healing and uplifting, bringing peace and imparting hope.

My own healing pre-birth experiences prompted me, with my husband, Brent Hinze, Ph.D., to embark on our search nearly 20 years ago. For two decades we have interviewed individuals and chronicled what I call “pre-birth experiences,” or communication from children before they are born.

My work provides exciting evidence that unborn children can warn, protect and enlighten us from another plane of existence. Most often they appear to announce it is their time to be born.

To contact Hinze about participating in book club discussions or workshops or to share “pre-birth” stories, email sarah@sarahhinze.com . To learn more, visit www.sarahhinze.com.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Dreamstone by Mikey Brooks: Book 2 of The Dream Keeper Chronicles

***I first want to apologize to author Mikey Brooks for this going up so late. My family had to move a week before we had originally planned. Then it took two weeks before my Internet was working again. I missed the whole blog tour, and for that I'm very sorry. But, I still wanted to help promote this exciting middle grade fantasy book. This would be a great gift for your kids or grand kids. It's not too late to buy this before Christmas! So please continue reading this post and learn more about The Dreamstone (book two) and book one in the series, Dream Keepers.***-Sheila

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour of:

THE DREAMSTONE,

Book Two in The Dream Keeper Chronicles

A thrilling fantasy-adventure series for middle-grade readers!

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How I Found My Inspiration:

I have always been interested in hidden worlds. Ever since I was little I used to believe that the gateways to these worlds were closer than we thought. One day while exploring the woods that surrounded our farm in Missouri I found the remains of an ancient house that had been blown away in a tornado. The only thing left was a bit of the foundation and a set of stone steps leading to an invisible door. I often imagined as I stood there that if I just took one step forward I’d find myself in a dreamland. A place where magic existed and adventure called.

It wasn’t hard for me to believe in the magic of Oz because I had seen Dorothy’s house. On occasion I had found numerous rabbit holes leading to wonderlands. I believed the woods were magic—and they were. Even today I find a lot of my inspiration from the mysteries hidden there.

I wanted to write something based off the classics I had loved as a child. What if Oz and Wonderland were the same place? They were both dreamlands after all. I also wanted a world that wasn’t limited to just a few people to enter—I wanted everyone to visit it. The ideas planted as a child carried on and became the inspiration for my book. I had found the way into a hidden world. It isn’t Oz, or Wonderland, it’s Dreams.

I am excited to announce the release of book two in middle-grade fantasy series THE DREAMSTONE. It is an action-packed adventure with a toe in both the real world and the fantastic.

DREAMS:

Dorothy called it Oz,

Alice called it Wonderland,

but Nightmares call it HOME.

When Parker’s mom is dreamnapped by the wicked Mab, it is up to him and Kaelyn to save her. When they return to Dreams, they discover Mab isn’t their only problem. Gladamyr has lost his powers and the only way to get them back is to become what he fears the most—a nightmare.

SYNOPSIS:

In Book 1, The Dream Keeper, Parker and Kaelyn discovered that Dreams was a real place that everyone visits while they sleep. An evil nightmare named Fyren took control of the gateway to that world. Parker and Kaelyn teamed up with Gladamyr, the only dream keeper to escape capture by Fyren, and together they save Dreams from Fyren’s rule. After the defeat of Fyren the children return to Awake to find Mab, Fyren’s next in command, has dreamnapped Parker’s mom.

The story continues in Book 2, The Dreamstone, as the children return to Dreams to save Parker’s mom. Finding her, however, is not their only problem. Mab has waged a war on the Crossing and has sent an army of dragons to bring it down, nightmares have been released from prison, and Gladamyr has lost his powers to shape-shift. Parker, Kaelyn, and Gladamyr must once again defy all odds to set things right and save Parker’s mom before it’s too late.

In Praise of THE DREAMSTONE:

“The Dreamstone, by Mikey Brooks, is a wild stallion of a story: fast, thrilling, and unpredictable. I was hooked in chapter one. If he can snare the attention of an old reader like me, he’ll have kids sneaking this one into class underneath their text books…If this one isn’t a kid-pleaser, I don’t know what is.” –Michelle Isenhoff, author of the Divided Decade Trilogy and the Taylor Davis Series.

“This really is a cracking novel. Action-packed and spellbinding!”—Cas Peace, author of The Artisans of Albia series.

"If you like the Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, or the Harry Potter series, you'll love this!" –An Amazon Reviewer.

AUTHOR BIO:

Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including the best-selling ABC ADVENTURES: MAGICAL CREATURES and BEAN’S DRAGONS as well as the middle-grade fantasy-adventure series THE DREAM KEEPER CHRONICLES. His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his three daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Mikey has a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works full-time as a freelance illustrator and cover designer. As a member of the Emblazoners, he is one of many authors devoted to ‘writing stories on the hearts of children’. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast. You can find more about him and his books at: www.insidemikeysworld.com