Romance Awareness Month August 2017
7/28/2017
 Did you know that August is Romance Awareness Month? And Shadow Mountain Publishing is celebrating with a Proper Romance Facebook Party on August 4th. The calendar below lists the following days we can celebrate:
 To help celebrate, I will be having four paperback copy (US address only) giveaways: National Sisters Day--August 6 The Vicar's Daughter by Josi S. Kilpack Celebrate the Solar Eclipse--August 21 The Sheriffs of Savage Wells by Sarah M. Eden National Matchmaker Day--August 31 Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson A Heart Revealed by Josi S. Kilpack Don't forget to join the Shadow Mountain Facebook Party on August 4th and watch for these fun giveaways!  
Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,†and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.
Connect with the Author here:
 Cynical and broken-hearted, Leticia banishes dreams of marriage. When her childhood friend, Tristan, wagers he can find her the perfect husband, she hopes the challenge will coax him to forgo his devil-may-care lifestyle. Meanwhile, Leticia throws herself into forming her charity school but meets opposition—even from the people she’s helping.
Guilt-ridden that his past mistakes robbed Leticia of true love, Tristan vows to set it right, but match-making has its pitfalls for a repentant scoundrel. When he finds two ‘perfect’ gentlemen to court her, he discovers his own deep feelings for the lady.
Though Tristan seems to reform, Leticia doesn’t dare risk heartbreak with a notorious rake. When opposition for the school takes a deadly turn, can Tristan protect her from a madman bent on destroying their dreams and their lives?
Come check out her other books and see what's new!
And she has even more books we have not featured!
Be sure to check them out on her website!
Top Ten List:
Donna’s Top 10 Favorite Things to do in the Summer
(Actually, I love doing most of these in the winter, too.)
To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page
About the Book
In this intriguing novel of romance, mystery, and clever disguise set in Victorian England, a young woman investigates the murder of her own father.
After the mysterious death of her father, Miss Gillian Young takes a new job as the principal costume designer at the renowned Drury Lane Theatre Royal. But while she remembers her father as a kind, well-respected man of the Police Force, clues she uncovers indicate he’d been living a double life: a haunting photograph of a young woman; train stubs for secret trips just before his death; and a receipt for a large sum of money. Are these items evidence of her father’s guilty secrets? His longtime police partner thinks so. Then Gillian meets the dashing Viscount Thomas Lockwood. Their attraction is instant and inescapable. As their romantic involvement grows, Gillian begins to suspect even Lockwood’s motives. Does Lord Lockwood truly love her? Or is his interest a front for the desire to own her newly inherited property? And what should she make of her friend’s suggestion that Lockwood or men like him were involved in the murder of her father? Soon Gillian is convinced that her father has left evidence somewhere that can prove his innocence and reveal the guilty party. But someone wants to stop her from discovering it. The closer she comes to uncovering it, the more menacing her opposition grows. With her life on the line, Gillian takes on an ingenious disguise and takes on the role of a lifetime to reveal the true killer—before it’s too late both for her and for those that she loves. Books in the SeriesAbout the Author
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published more than fifty books.
Sandra’s series of historically sound Gothic romances launched with the best-selling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor’s Choice award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, published in 2017. Sandra is excited to continue writing Gothic romance and will be adding books to that genre beginning in October 2018 with Tyndale House Publishers. Check out her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2011, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012. Sandra has published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist, this time for women, with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions. Her latest book, The One Year Experiencing God’s Love Devotional, will be published in October 2017. Sandra is passionate about helping new writers develop their talents and their work for traditional publishing or self-publication. She has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to guide developing authors toward success each year via novelcoaching.com. Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.
Check out Sandra's Pinterest board for A Lady in Disguise HERE.
Review
Sandra Byrd has once again written a delightful historical gothic-romance novel that will enthrall readers from page one. This novel has plenty of gothic mystery and rich romance that readers will delight in as they read this gorgeous and enthralling story. Byrd has a way of writing that makes it so readers will not want to put down her novel—strong and bold characters and an enticing, deep, and strong story that will leave an imprint on the mind. Readers are not going to want to miss the third and final standalone novel in the Daughters of Hampshire series.
Series: Daughters of Hampshire Genre: historical, romance, mystery, gothic, Christian Publisher: Howard Books Publication date: March 21, 2017 Number of pages: 384 A review copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via the author’s team and a copy was purchase on Audible. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own. Giveaway
About the Book ~ She thought she’d lost everything ~ Instead she found what she needed most. ~ Illinois ~ 1854 Becky Hollister wants nothing more than to live out her days on the prairie, building a life for herself alongside her future husband. But when a tornado rips through her parents’ farm, killing her mother and sister, she must leave the only home she’s ever known and the man she’s begun to love to accompany her injured father to St. Louis. Catapulted into a world of unknowns, Becky finds solace in corresponding with Matthew Brody, the handsome pastor back home. But when word comes that he is all but engaged to someone else, she must call upon her faith to decipher her future. About the Author Cynthia Roemer is an award-winning inspirational writer with a heart for scattering seeds of hope into the lives of readers. Raised in the cornfields of rural Illinois, Cynthia enjoys spinning tales set in the backdrop of the 1800s prairie. She writes from her family farm in central Illinois where she resides with her husband and their two college-aged sons. Under This Same Sky is her debut novel. Author InterviewCheck out the interview HERE.
About the Book
After a season in London, Charlotte Lyons is still regrettably unattached. With her family’s finances in peril, she is sent away with her sister to a bleak coastal town where she is expected to pursue a wealthy Earl. Beautiful and talented, how could she possibly fail? But when her heart is captured by someone entirely unexpected, Charlotte finds herself caught up in a web of lies and intrigue. Between hardship and sorrow, she finds more than she bargained for, forced to choose between the life she once wanted and a new love she never imagined.
About the Author
Ashtyn Newbold discovered a love of writing early in high school. Inspired by regency period romance, she wrote her first novel at the age of sixteen. Because she can’t vacation in her favorite historical time periods, she writes about them instead. When not crafting handsome historical heroes, she enjoys baking, sewing, music, and spoiling her dog. She dreams of traveling to England and Ireland. Ashtyn is currently studying English and creative writing at Utah Valley University. She lives in Lehi, Utah with her family.
Author Interview
Check out the author interview HERE.
Review
Ashtyn Newbold has written a fresh, new clean regency romance that readers will thoroughly enjoy. At least by the end of the novel. In the beginning readers may think that the characters are dreadful; Charlotte is whiny, annoying, and selfish, while Clara is wimpy and let’s herself get pushed around. But through a series of misfortunes, the girls are thrown into a new circumstance where they must learn to take care of and fend for themselves. This leads them to character building situations where they learn and grow, becoming kind, considerate, self-assured and must learn to be happy with their current state of affairs, becoming characters readers will come to love. Newbold’s well-written story is delightful and original, weaving twists and turns that will delight readers by the book’s end. Readers will not want to put down or miss out on this fabulous story!
Genre: historical, regency, romance, clean romance Publisher: Sweetwater Books, a division of Cedar Fort Publication date: July 11, 2017 Number of pages: 247 A review copy of this novel was provided by Cedar Fort. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own. GiveawayTour Schedule
July 18: Blooming with Books
July 19: Compass Book Ratings || Robyn Echols Books || Books & Benches July 20: Getting Your Read On || My Book A Day July 21: Bookworm Lisa || Wishful Endings July 22: LDS and Lovin’ it July 23: Jorie Loves A Story July 24: Bookworm 2 Bookworm July 25: Katies Clean Book Collection July 26: Mel’s Shelves || Singing Librarian Books July 27: Literary Timeout || Kindle and Me July 28: My Love For Reading Keeps Growing || Why Not? Because I Said So July 29: Heidi Reads || Ellie Reads ~ a lot July 30: Inklings and Notions July 31: Min Reads and Reviews || Fire and Ice 
Jean Ann Williams is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She writes regularly for Putting on the New blog and Book Fun Magazine on the topic of child suicide loss. Her book “God’s Mercies after Suicide: Blessings Woven through a Mother’s Heart” started out as a blogged book on her Love Truth blog. Jean Ann and her husband of forty-six years have thirteen grandchildren from their two remaining children. They reside on one acre in Southern Oregon where they raise a garden, fruit orchard, goats, and chickens. Jean Ann’s favorite hobbies are practicing archery, hiking through the woods, and big game hunting with her bow.
Check out the author interview HERE.
July 24--cherylbbookblog
July 25--Singing Librarian Books July 26--Debbie's Dusty Deliberations July 27--Cordially Barbara July 28--Mel's Shelves July 29-- July 31-- August 1-- August 2--Remembrancy August 3--Breaking Ordinary August 4--Radiant Light August 5-- 
About the Book
Series: Isle of Hope
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Christian Publisher: Indie Publication date: August 1. 2017 She’s bent on fun. He’s bent on faith. Till true love bridges the gap. Cat O’Bryen is the prodigal daughter unhappy with God. First, the father with whom she reconciled dies of cancer and now her twin sister and best friend marries, leaving Cat at home with a newlywed mother, her new husband, and a little brother. But when Cat moves in with a roommate of questionable morals, her family is worried, certain she’s on a path that could damage her faith forever. Reluctant to get involved with a woman like the one who destroyed his life, ex-Navy SEAL Pastor Chase Griffin steers clear of the attraction he feels for Cat O’Bryen. Until her family begs him to take her under his wing, hoping he can draw her back into the fold. But when the draw she has on him proves too strong to resist, he must rely on the strength of God to offer a friendship as steady and strong as the God whose love is wooing her home. 
The Books in the SeriesAbout the Author
Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.
Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, and Heart of San Francisco series, Julie was named American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered 18 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie was also named on Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction list. Julie’s most recent novel, Isle of Hope was voted on Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, and Surprised by Love appeared on Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2014. Her independent novel A Light in the Window is an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. You can contact Julie through her website and read excerpts from each of her books at www.julielessman.com.
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Check out the interview HERE.
Author's Top 10 FavoritesTop 10 Favorite Pieces of Literature
1.) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2.) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 3.) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 4.) Sins of the Father by Susan Howatch 5.) Cashelmara by Susan Howatch 6.) Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt 7.) Bride of Pendorric by Victoria Holt 8.) Lowlands of Scotland series by Liz Curtis Higgs 9.) Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers 10.) Love’s Reckoning by Laura Frantz 10 Behind the Scenes Facts About the Book
1.) Book 1, Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love is loosely based on how God healed my own dysfunctional relationship with my father.
2.) Like IOH’s secondary hero, Ben Carmichael, my father was also a surgeon and a recluse. 3.) My dad, like Ben, had a dog named Beau that he took fishing with him. 4.) Like the heroine, Lacey, I also took meals over to my father’s house to try and make amends. 5.) And like Lacey’s situation, my father seldom talked to me when I did bring meals and never hugged me or indicated any love. 6.) Like the series’ secondary heroine, Tess, I was insanely jealous of boyfriends I dated and made a fool of myself many a time. 7.) The peach crumble pie Mamaw made was my favorite pie I made when I was young. 8.) When I originally wrote Isle of Hope, the O’Bryen’s and Carmichael’s docks were in their back yards, which I had facing the Skidaway River until I discovered during research that all the homes on Bluff Drive (where the O’Bryen’s and Carmichael’s live) face the river from the front of the houses, necessitating a walk across the street to get to each neighbor’s docks. 9.) When I wrote book 3, Cat and Chase’s story, I strongly felt it was going to have huge spiritual impact, but when I came close to the end, I was disappointed in the spiritual takeaway and hit the wall on the last four chapters. So I prayed for God’s anointing and creativity, and BOOM! He reminded me of the 2nd biggest spiritual lesson He ever taught me (the first being about how to forgive as depicted in book 1), so that’s the lesson Cat (and Chase!) learn too in the final chapters of His Steadfast Love, a lesson that literally changed my life. 10.) Lacey’s chocolate chip pie is one of my favorite pies I make today, and here’s the recipe: Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pie (makes one pie), from: Julie Lessman, serves: 8-10 Cooking time: 350 degrees for 45 minutes or longer. Can leave out or refrigerate. — 1 cup sugar — ½ cup flour — 2 beaten eggs — 1 tsp. vanilla — 1 stick butter — ¾ cup chopped pecans — ¾ cup chocolate chips — 1 unbaked pie shell — Vanilla ice cream and Magic Shell (optional) Melt butter, cool in fridge while mixing sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla. Mix in butter, then add nuts and chocolate chips. Mix well. Serve on individual plates and microwave each piece for about 30 seconds or until warm. Serve with vanilla ice cream (I streusel Magic Shell over ice cream and top pie with whipped cream and strawberry). Snippet
This time he was ready for her, and with an easy twist, he scooped her up and launched her high in the air, her squeals bouncing off the water before she did.
Ker-splash! A gush of water plumed, and Chase grinned outright when she shot from the surface, mouth going strong as usual. “Chase Griffin, you are the lowest, sneakiest, most diabolical—” His laughter rang over the water. “Sorry, Catfish, but ‘diabolical’ belongs to you, kiddo, so I wouldn’t be throwing pitchforks if I were you.” “And a p-pastor too!” she sputtered, still spitting water out of her mouth. He cocked a hip on the edge of the board, thumbs hooked into the back pockets of his wet jeans. “That’s right, Catherine,” he said, his grin definitely ‘diabolical,’ “anything you need to get off your chest?” “Come into the water, Rev, and I’ll show you ‘diabolical.’” She delivered a sweet smile that was anything but, paddling in place with a glint of dare in her eyes. “Oh, no doubt about that,” he said with a grin, loosely crossing his arms. “But I’ll pass, if you don’t mind, and work on my tan while I fish.” “Chase Griffin, you are nothing but a wet blanket!” she snapped. “Yep, thanks to you,” he said with a chuckle, fetching his rod and tackle box and settling into his chair. Nose in the air, she spun around in a swoosh to head to the neighbor’s dock, her strokes deft and sure like his demise would be if he got into the water with Cat O’Bryen. He was tempted to take a quick dive just to cool off because that minx sure had a way of heating him up, and they were just friends, for pity’s sake. God help him, he couldn’t imagine dating the woman, subject to temptation day in and day out. Those teasing eyes, that sexy smile, her flirtatious ways. Those come-on kisses … Heat engulfed him that had nothing to do with the sun beating down and everything to do with the vamp in the water. Although his mind was made up, Cat O’Bryen was too much of what his body and soul craved, and he wasn’t going there again. Ever.Especially not with a woman whose faith was as weak as water. “Oh!” He glanced up from his tackle box, heart constricting when he saw Cat freeze in the water. “What’s wrong?” He shot to his feet. “Cramps.” It was a strained response as she maneuvered to a dead-man float. “Where?” His heart rate took off in a sprint, memories of a SEAL buddy dangerously compromised on a mission from severe abdominal cramps. “Left leg.” Her voice matched the grimace on her face. “I’ll be fine … I’ll just wait it out.” “Grab your toes on the cramped leg and pull toward you,” he ordered, gaze pinned to her body for any sign of distress, “then straighten your leg.” Face pinched, she did as he instructed, her groans hitching his pulse. “Never this bad before …” That’s all it took. The tackle box hit the weathered wood with a hard clunk as Chase dove from the dock, arriving by her side in mere seconds. “Any better?” He watched while she continued pulling and stretching, his breathing heavy as he hovered close, finally catching his breath. “I’m not sure …” she said in a weak voice. And then she lunged, stealing his air all over again when she brought him down, submerging him with a power that belied her small size. “No, wait …” She bolted away when he hit the surface, coughing up water. “Yes, definitely better now.” Her giggles bounced off the lake as she swam for the shore, arms slicing through the water with an efficiency that would outdistance most people. But he wasn’t most people. He was a seasoned professional. With a store of adrenalin usually reserved for workouts at the gym, work days at Lake Loon, or dangerous missions overseas, Chase easily overtook her mere feet from the sandy shore, clamping onto her foot to reel her in hard. One arm latched to her waist, he handily dunked her with the other, her shrieks and giggles lost in a tide pool of bubbles and foam. Quickly lurching her back up, he chuckled low in her ear as she kicked and squealed in his arms. “I thought I told you never to mess with an ex-Navy SEAL, Catfish,” he said with a husky chuckle, soundly dousing her all over again. He released her, and she literally exploded from the water, twisting in the air like some headstrong sea nymph, taking him down with a grunt as she clung stubbornly to his head. And didn’t let go. They burst from the water as one, her body welded to his as she death-gripped his hair, obviously intent on one more plunge. But the only thing that plunged was his gut when their eyes locked, the laughter in her face dissolving into something far softer and warm while her ragged breathing mated with his. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and a tidal wave of want surged through his body, taking him down as easily as Cat had done with her well-placed dunking. She absently licked her lips, and his stomach cramped with need as he fought the pull of her parted mouth, her shallow breathing in dangerous sync with his own. His eyelids felt as heavy as if he were drugged, arms slowly curling around her waist like they had a mind of their own. And God help him, they did, because he had little control as they drew her close, luring his mouth to hers with a low, aching moan. She tasted like sheer heaven as he nuzzled the lips he’d dreamed about since the night she had kissed him in her room. Forcing himself to take it slow, he caressed her mouth with all the tenderness that swirled inside for a lost, little girl named Cat. But the moment a soft mew left her lips, he was a goner, his groan hoarse as he delved in to explore with a passion too long denied. And that’s when he knew. He was dead in the water. Literally Giveaway
Tour Schedule
July 23--Singing Librarian Books
July 24--Faithfully Bookish July 25--Remembrancy | Reading Is My SuperPower July 26--Paulette's Papers | Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen July 27--Flowers of Quiet Happiness | Faery Tales Are Real July 28--The Green Mockingbird July 29--Radiant Light | Cafinated Reads 
 About the Author Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness. About the BookJo Ellen Baker is shocked to find out that the boy who teased her mercilessly throughout high school, has returned to their hometown of Freedom Lake, and he’s missing a leg. When his mother asks her to renovate their carriage house to give him a place to gain his independence back, she wants to say no. But one look at him brings a rush of forgotten feelings. Evan Carter can’t believe he has to return home and live with his parents. Every hope and dream he ever had dissipated in a car crash that cost him his leg. Stuck in a wheelchair, he’s forced to reexamine his relationship with God and the local carpenter, Jo Ellen Baker. Will renovating his home open the door for a mended relationship, or are some wounds too deep to heal from? GOODREADS (Not yet availalbe) | AMAZON | BOOKS2READ And now for the cover reveal...  What do you think? |
