Above Rubies by Jaclyn M. Hawkes-Blog Tour Review and $25 Giveaway

 

Tour Schedule

Product Details

• Title: Above Rubies
• Author: Jaclyn M. Hawkes
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Genre: LDS fiction/romance
• Publisher: Spirit Dance Books (April 22, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0985164824

Book Description for Above Rubies

His chivalry was strangling her. He thought he was helping her—and in truth, he was. She was in desperate straits. But as honorable as he was, he was also breaking her heart. Her attraction was drowning him. When World Champion rodeo cowboy Rossen Rockland and his friends rescue a young runaway who has been abused by her foster father and take her home to his parents’ ranch, he expects her to turn out to be a pain in the neck. And sometimes she is. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that she has way more than her allotment of troubles—and far more than her share of gifts. Lovely, talented, and ravingly brilliant, Kit Star is too young, unbelievably humble, and oh, so lovable. Knowing that she needs his protection and time to grow into her potential, Rossen also figures out that what she really is, is a pain in the heart. Watch for more of the Rockland Ranch Series!  

My Review:
 I have loved every book that this author has written. I know that I will always read a stirring story, great characters and a sigh worthy romance. Above Rubies was no exception to what I have previously read. Main character Rossen Rockland is one of those men that all women would love to end up with. He is charming, kind and caring, but stubborn. The main female character is young and has gone through so much already in her life. She wants things to work out with the handsome Rossen, but it seems many things keep standing in the way- including Rossen.
 
This is an LDS fiction book so there are references to the LDS faith. If you like reading Christian romance then you will enjoy this book. The storyline moves quickly so that you don't want to put it down. There is a mystery element included in the storyline that I also loved. The only thing I wished for was more story. It ended all too quickly for me. This book is the second book in the Rockland Ranch Romance series. This book is a clean romance that any age can read and enjoy.

Praise for Above Rubies:

I absolutely could not put this book down. It had me laughing, crying, angry and pretty much every other emotion. I can not wait for the next one in the series to come out. Keep them coming!!! ~Addicted to Books This is the second book in the Rockland Ranch Romance Series. It can be read as a stand alone or copies of Peace River can be supplied if you would also like to review it.  

Amazon

Peace River (Book 1)

The police didn't understand the danger, but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. He didn't ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He'll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?  

Praise for Peace River

"Give me a clean romance, humor and a good looking cowboy and I'm a happy girl. LDS fiction isn't always my favorite but I really enjoyed the characters and adventure in this book." ~Carol - Goodreads "There was plenty of action, adventure and danger to keep me guessing just how everything was going to turn out. I didn't want to put it down until I finished! Jaclyn Hawkes is one of my favorite LDS romance authors. You really can't go wrong with any of her books that you pick up!" ~Cathy -Goodreads

Amazon

 

Author Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

Website

  Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/26/13
 a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Book Blast and $50 GIveaway for Above Rubies by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

 

Tour Schedule

Above Rubies

His chivalry was strangling her. He thought he was helping her—and in truth, he was. She was in desperate straits. But as honorable as he was, he was also breaking her heart. Her attraction was drowning him. When World Champion rodeo cowboy Rossen Rockland and his friends rescue a young runaway who has been abused by her foster father and take her home to his parents’ ranch, he expects her to turn out to be a pain in the neck. And sometimes she is. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that she has way more than her allotment of troubles—and far more than her share of gifts. Lovely, talented, and ravingly brilliant, Kit Star is too young, unbelievably humble, and oh, so loveable. Knowing that she needs his protection and time to grow into her potential, Rossen also figures out that what she really is, is a pain in the heart. Watch for more of the Rockland Ranch Series!  

Praise for Above Rubies:

I absolutely could not put this book down. It had me laughing, crying, angry and pretty much every other emotion. I can not wait for the next one in the series to come out. Keep them coming!!! ~Addicted to Books This is the second book in the Rockland Ranch Romance Series. It can be read as a stand alone or copies of Peace River can be supplied if you would also like to review it.  

Amazon

Peace River (Book 1)

The police didn't understand the danger, but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. He didn't ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He'll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?  

Praise for Peace River

"Give me a clean romance, humor and a good looking cowboy and I'm a happy girl. LDS fiction isn't always my favorite but I really enjoyed the characters and adventure in this book." ~Carol - Goodreads "There was plenty of action, adventure and danger to keep me guessing just how everything was going to turn out. I didn't want to put it down until I finished! Jaclyn Hawkes is one of my favorite LDS romance authors. You really can't go wrong with any of her books that you pick up!" ~Cathy -Goodreads

Amazon

 

Author Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

Website

  Book Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
 Ends 6/11/13   a Rafflecopter giveaway Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Prize value $50 US.

Blog Tour Review of, The Most Important Catch by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Product Details:

• Title: The Most Important Catch
• Author: Jaclyn M. Hawkes
  
• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Spirit Dance Books (March 16, 2012)
• Genre: Romantic Fiction
• ISBN-10: 0985164808
• ISBN-13: 978-0985164805
• FTC:FYI: I received a review copy of
• this book.

 

 

Book Description:

Run or die! She knew too much, and she’d seen too much. And the police refused to help. Knowing that she was to be the next scheduled death, Kelly Campbell hid under head to toe black leather and a tinted motorcycle helmet and ran for her life. When the weather turned cold, she turned south. She ended up in North Carolina, home to one of the most famed and eligible NFL football stars in the whole league; only she didn’t know that. She thought he was a businessman. Not being a huge fan, all she knew was that he was incredibly attractive, kind, generous, and that she was safe with him. Or was she? His brand of fame proved to be all but deadly, but his fame wasn’t nearly as lethal as his attraction. He kept her safe and protected. All except for her heart.

Book Trailer for The Most Important Catch

My Blog Tour Review:
This is the third book of Jaclyn's that I have reviewed. This book also happens to be just as good as her previous books. The story of Kelly and Robby grabbed me from the start. At the beginning of the book, we meet Robby, whose life as an NFL football player isn't as wonderful as you would think, especially as he is constantly being stalked by female admirers. Then we read about Kelly, and discover the reason why Kelly has to go on the run in order to save her own life. 

Robby and Kelly happen upon each other on a lonely, country road. They immediately keep secrets, about themselves, from each other,and they soon grow close to one another. It was fun to see how their relationship developed. I loved how it showed a relationship developing slowly, from friends to eventual boyfriend/girlfriend. It was a nice change of pace for me. So many times in fiction the man and women are thrown together and fall in love instantly. You have to be patient in this book, but it is such a sweet thing to see how and why this relationship develops. Always in the background you know that Kelly is still in danger and that the bad guys are still looking for her. I only wish that there would have been a little more action in the middle of the story.


There are so many things that worked for me in this novel, such as the strong character development, and the humor and banter between the main characters. You have a man and a woman who are so "perfect" in their looks, but they both have emotional and personality flaws. It made both characters likable and approachable. They are members of the LDS church and share a little about their beliefs, but nothing what I would call preachy. It just made them more well-rounded and wholesome. I truly liked how this was shown throughout the course of the story.

The Most Important Catch will be a great beginning to your "Summer To-Read" list. It will make you laugh and believe in love again. Make this novel your most important catch to read this Summer. 

Author bio:

Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets.  (It was never boring!)  She received a Bachelor’s degree, had a career, and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children.  She loves shellfish, the outdoors, the youth, and hearing her children laugh.  She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

Social Networking Links

• Website: http://jaclynmhawkes.com/
• Twitter: @JaclynMHawkes
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/JaclynMHawkes

Purchase Links

• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Most-Important-Catch-Volume/dp/0985164808/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1336279854&sr=8-5
• Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-most-important-catch-jaclyn-m-hawkes/1109921047?ean=9780985164805
• Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Most-Important-Catch-Jaclyn-Hawkes/9780985164805
  
  
  

  

  I want to thank Lexie at The Book Bug for asking me to be part of this blog tour.

Review of The Outer Edge of Heaven: A Love Story by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Filled with colorful characters of all shapes, sizes and species, including an orphaned baby pig, most of the Langston family put the fun in dysfunctional, give or take a couple of black sheep. There's one in every family, isn't there? Add to that glorious scenery, a horse of her own, and one extremely attractive cousin rancher, Luke Langston, and it makes for a summer Charlie will never forget. Which might not be a good thing. She has the time of her life, but her heart may never recover

The cover of The Outer Edge of Heaven draws you into the book before you even read the first page. There is something so intriguing about the cowboy on the horse, with the beautiful sunset in the background. Having been in Montana several times before, the title of the book is fitting. On the back it says:

"Montana truly is heavenly. Especially those handsome cowboys" 

I happen to agree with this statement and it is especially true of main character, Luke Langston. He is a true blue cowboy, stoic, tough, silent and polite. Luke was my favorite character in this modern-day, clean, LDS, romance. When Charlene, or Charlie as she is known throughout the whole story, first sees Luke, she is smitten. Charlie along with her best friend Fo (Forest) are in Montana working at Fo's cousin's ranch. Charlie is hiding away from her rich, powerful, parents who want to choose her occupation and her husband. There at the ranch she is hired to help take care of Luke's half siblings who are in dire need of a "real" mother. Luke's father, Richard,  is married to his third wife who is unfaithful to him.

At the ranch Charlie has many adventures with the darling children Jamie, Evie, and Elsa. Charlie gives the children stability and love. I loved how realistically Jaclyn wrote the children. They are very endearing, even when they make huge messes, like the waffle incident in the kitchen. Charlie teaches the children how to plant a garden, take care of piglets and takes them to swimming class and dance class. Though there are many fun and humorous things that happen in this story, there are also deep subjects too. There is an attempted assault, that is stopped quickly, an alcoholic wife, a fourteen year old experimenting with marijuana (this situation is handled very well and teaches the teenager a good lesson) and break-ins from bad guys.   

Fo and Charlie's friendship is such a wonderful part of this story. They are so loyal and supportive of one another. Every women needs a male friend as great as Fo. The romantic tension between Charlie and Luke is a big part of the storyline and is there for most of the story. I was so anxious to have the tension end sooner, rather than later, but that would have taken away from the excitement in the story. Let's just say you will like the ending of the story. 

This book is a fast read and one that you really don't want to put down. You will fall in love with the characters and not want the story to end. I enjoy Jaclyn's writing and have read and reviewed her first book, Journey of Honor: A Love Story, and hope to read even more books from her. 

You can purchase The Outer Edge of Heaven here at Amazon.com

and Barnes and Noble. 

About the Author

Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

***I received my review copy of The Outer Edge of Heaven from the Author and participating in Tristi Pinkston's Book Tour. In no way did this influence the review that was given.

Blog Tour Review of Journey of Honor: A Love Story by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Disowned, she came to America anyway. Attacked and left pregnant by a vicious mob, she still pressed on. Finally, in spite of being accused of theft by the vilest of her attackers, Giselle tries to remain as upbeat and uncomplaining as a prairie wildflower as she travels on to Zion.Thoroughly disillusioned with the ugliness and cruelty of slavery in the South, Trace Grayson leaves his young medical career to go west, hoping to leave bigotry and hatred behind. He begins taking goods by teamster train to sell in the territories. However, this fourth time across, in July of 1848, he's stuck in St. Joseph, Missouri, waiting for enough wagons to join the train so that they can leave.Knowing that if they don't start west soon, they'll be caught by snow in the mountains, Trace is thrilled when the final wagon signs on. Then, when the beautiful, young Dutch girl traveling with the last wagon is falsely accused of stealing and is detained, the whole trip is jeopardized. Thrown together by circumstance, Trace and Giselle team up to begin to figure out just how to make this epic journey across a continent a success.With a deep sense of honor and an equally strong sense of humor, together they learn to deal with everything except the one trial that neither of them can overcome.

This book is not your typical pioneer story. Even though this is a story based on pioneers heading to Zion and crossing the plains, the book deals more with the characters and their own personal struggles. There are many other facets included in this novel, along with a love story a little bit juicier than those published by the big LDS publishers. Though nothing is vulgar, there is more kissing and snuggling/spooning that a married couple share. There are also some scenes with violent situations.

With the struggles associated with pioneers and their journeys across the plains, there are deaths and struggles portrayed. Along with this, there are many uplifting spiritual experiences that the characters have along the way. LDS principles are discussed and those not familiar with them may be a little lost. I still recommend this book. I truly loved the two main characters Giselle, a member of the LDS church and Trace a non-member. Though they both are proud and don't always discuss their feelings with each other, they do share a strong love. Both of them are very likable and this story mainly focuses on them and getting to know each other. I also loved Trace's adopted brother Mose and Giselle's Grandparents Josiah and Petja. There is a very humorous ongoing sub-story about a Native American brave who "wants" Giselle. I don't want to tell you more for fear of ruining the plot here.

For those wanting a true historical novel of pioneer journeys may not like this book as much. I classify this book as a romance novel with an LDS historical background. So, you romance lovers will find a great read in Journey of Honor.

Here is the purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Honor-Jaclyn-M-Hawkes/dp/1599360594/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298932933&sr=8-2

I was given a review copy of this book by the publisher. In no way did this influence the review that was given.