Just the Way You Are (Pleasant Gap Romance #1) by Pepper D. Basham -- Book Tour Review + Giveaway
4/7/2017
About the BookSingle mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance safely housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her reluctant heart a very different type of discovery. Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory. When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grace salvage their unexpected romance? About the AuthorPepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes novels inspired by her love for history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her Penned in Time series has garnered recognition in the Inspys, Grace Awards, and the ACFW Carol Awards. Her contemporary romance novel, A Twist of Faith, received 4-stars from Romantic Times, and most recently, her newest release, The Thorn Healer, received a Top Pick from RT with 4 ½ stars. Her newest contemporary romance, Just the Way You Are, releases in April 2016. Guest Post from Pepper Basham Thank you so much for featuring my newest novel, Just the Way You Are, on CelebrateLit. I am THRILLED to be a part of this and to share a story that is very dear to my heart. Just the Way You Are is my first ‘true’ Britallachian romantic comedy. Even though I’ve written comedy in some of my other novels and included elements of both Appalachia and Britain, this one embodies the tag #britallachian to the core. For those of you who’ve read some of my previous books, you know I’m a big fan of my native Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian culture. You may also know that I’m a proud Anglophile. Those two loves met in Just the Way You Are – and I tossed lots of other things I love best into the mix. What are those ingredients, you might ask? Well, let me just tell ya! Just the Way You Are is a blend of Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian culture, big (hilarious) family dynamics, matchmaking, Britain, a swoony English hero, a quirky, magnanimous heroine, a bunch of adorable kids, Scooby Doo and Indiana Jones references, lots of humor, a historical mystery, a devious villainess, stately manor houses, secret rooms, love letters, and matchmaking all rolled into one…oh, and did I mention brain-numbing romance? (Did anyone else feel the need to add “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles, true love….” From the Princess Bride?) J I don’t think I included torture, giants, or monsters in Just the Way You Are…but I may have the other elements in this novel J Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating about the brain-numbing, but I do have a tendency to err on the side of overly dramatic J Within the pages of Just the Way You Are, you’ll meet people from my own family, people from my imagination, and some people who stepped into the story without one ounce of my planning to ever meet them. This story came out of my desire to write something I love reading – spicy romance, clean humor, culture clashes, the big love of family, and redemption. How did my heroine Eisley Barrett evolve? Out of thin air. I was washing dishes one afternoon and staring out the window into our small backyard with the Blue Ridge Mountains painting a purplish-blue frame on the horizon when I closed my eyes. Into my imagination came this ginger-headed woman walking through Heathrow International Airport pulling a hot pink bag behind her…and then, she tripped and fell. That was it. That’s how I was introduced to my insecure, hilarious, romance-loving, single-mom heroine. And the dashing hero? Okay, this may sound ridiculous, but I was watching an interview about Richard Armitage (Thoron Oakenshield, Guy of Gisborne, etc) regarding his lovely costume drama North and South where he plays a very dashing British hero. Anyway, he was SUCH a gentleman to watch during the interview. So polite. Kind. Funny, in a sweet way, and then, out of the blue, he said the word ‘gosh’. I know, that may not be a big deal to anyone but me, but after watching celebrity interviews where every other word needed a censor, the very fact that this elegant man used the word ‘gosh’, sent my writing brain into motion. My first internal question? What if a movie star with a tender heart had been burned by the pretension and expectation of celebrity status? What kind of woman could touch a heart who’d lost his faith in love’s authenticity? Enter my red-head single-mom toting her pink bag through Heathrow and you have the very beginning of Just the Way You Are – a story of forgiveness, second chances…and a little bit of movie magic. ReviewJust the Way You Are, book one in the Pleasant Gap Romance series is a delightful and swoon worthy romance story that readers will thoroughly enjoy. This is a charming and funny story about an unlikely pair, a single mom, Eisley, from the Appalachian Mountains and British movie star, Wes Harrison. It is about how a friendship and a second chance at love takes place. It discusses having trust issues in romantic relationships, as well as how people make mistakes. This story is beautifully written and has lots of memorable lines, such as “Gracious sakes! I squished a grandpa.” Readers will immediately fall in love with the characters and the story, not wanting to put the book down until the last page is turned. Genre: contemporary, romance, inspirational, Christian Publisher: Indie Publication date: April 6, 2017 Number of pages: 315 Content Rating: PG Book Rating: 5 stars A review copy of this book was provided by CelebrateLit. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own. GiveawayTo celebrate her tour, Pepper is giving away a Grand Prize consisting of: A ‘chest’ – in JTWYA historical letters are discovered in a chest that relates to the historical storyline, so all of these lovely goodies are going to be safely inside this chest. Chocolate – several references take place in JTWYA that compare the hero to chocolate A plaque about family – because that’s a main point of importance in JTWYA A Spider-man zipper pull – Pete, the heroine’s son, is a major Spider-man fan. English Breakfast Tea – The hero is English…swoony English A dishcloth – again, something that relates to a scene in the book regarding the hero and dishes (twice) Stirring spoon and measuring cups – food and cooking are a big part of Appalachian culture and fellowship, something celebrated in JTWYA A notebook – Eisley (the heroine) is taking notes about a historical family mystery A lovely container full of cloth flowers (for fun, and beauty) – the container says – Love and you will be loved. Loving others has an amazing way to find its way back to us (as is what happens in JTWYA) A little plaque that reads “You are Loved” – a theme of this story A beautiful lace doily from England (the English part of the story) Some “Pixie Dust” a fun visualization of the ‘magic’ of romance in this story and A copy of Just the Way You Are!! Click HERE to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! Tour ScheduleApril 6: Reading Is My SuperPower
April 6: cherylbbookblog April 6: Fiction Aficionado April 7: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader April 7: Smiling Book Reviews April 7: Singing Librarian Books April 8: Bookworm Mama April 8: my site/autism mom April 9: Quiet Quilter April 9: Inklings and notions April 10: Faithfully Bookish April 10: Back Porch Reads April 11: Robin’s Nest April 11: Christian Chick’s Thoughts April 12: Blogging With Carol April 12: Just the Write Escape April 13: Cordially Barbara April 13: Moments Dipped in Ink April 14: His Grace is Sufficient April 14: A Greater Yes April 15: Just Commonly April 15: 100 Pages per Hour April 16: Book by Book April 16: A Baker’s Perspective April 17: Splashes of Joy April 17: Christian Bookaholic April 17: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations April 18: Karen Sue Hadley April 18: History Mystery & Faith April 18: Through the Open Window April 19: Henry Happens April 19: Baker Kella April 19: Daysong Reflections
Becky Smith
4/7/2017 10:23:31 am
Yesterday when JTWYA came out, all I wanted to do is read it. Today I wanted to read more on all the blogs, and it has been such a fun morning! I love that you added people from your family, people from your imagination, and some appeared that you hadn't even planned on writing into the story. I need to leave my review now, but I just want to reread the story!
Pepper Basham
4/18/2017 05:17:49 pm
Thanks so much for all your encouragement, Becky.
Richard Brandt
4/7/2017 10:44:37 pm
I guess digging into pasts can be a hard habit to break
Pepper Basham
4/18/2017 05:18:05 pm
I absolutely love it!
Emily Endrizzi
4/7/2017 11:41:09 pm
This sounds like such a sweet book. Love the cover. Thanks for sharing.
Pepper Basham
4/18/2017 05:24:19 pm
Emily, I was sooooo pleased with the cover
MH
4/8/2017 04:31:00 am
Would love to read Just The Way You Are!
Karen
4/8/2017 06:37:23 am
That plaque is gorgeous!! I love all of the teal!
Gail Hollingsworth
4/8/2017 08:27:01 am
Anything hot off the press by Pepper Basham is worth reading! I've loved everyone of her books I've read.
Pepper Basham
4/18/2017 05:17:01 pm
Gail, you are a SWEETHEART!!
Rita Wray
4/8/2017 09:19:58 am
Sounds like a great read. Thank you for the giveaway. 4/8/2017 07:08:08 pm
Thanks so much for sharing in the love, Sydney!! I'm thrilled you loved this story. You already know how much I do :-) #favorite :-)
Mary Preston
4/9/2017 01:22:12 am
A great post thank you. I like the sound of this.
Cathy
4/9/2017 09:03:24 am
Thanks for the information and review!
Caryl Kane
4/13/2017 08:06:02 am
I'm so excited to read JTWYA! Thank you for the great interview! Comments are closed.
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