“The Garden Girls” ~ terrifying new thriller plus giveaway! (ends 4/22/24)

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Oh, my friends. I know exactly when the last time was that I told you about a book that made me afraid to go to sleep one night. Well, it’s happened again. Let me tell you about Jessica R. Patch’s exceptional The Garden Girls. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves terrifying suspense & thriller novels. (But be ready…)

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Garden Girls by Jessica R. Patch, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Garden Girls Series: Strange Crimes Unit: South Division Author: Jessica R. Patch Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Trade Release Date: April 23, 2024 Genre: Christian Psychological Thriller

On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past. FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape. Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger. As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive… PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop| BookBub

More Books In This Series

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About the Author

Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her dry wit, signatures twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa with her girlfriends, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and psychological thrillers.

Jessica loves to encourage and inspire people to forward living devotionals through her monthly email newsletter. You can join the Patched In community at her website. She resides in the Memphis area with her husband and her spoiled tri-color Shetland Sheepdog since becoming empty nesters. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management. Connect with Jessica by visiting jessicarpatch.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a signed paperback copy of Her Darkest Secret and A Cry in the Dark and a $25 Amazon card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 15, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 22, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print. Ebooks available if winner is Canadian. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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

My thoughts about The Garden Girls

A religious cult. Missing women. A hurricane. And the FBI SCU (Strange Crimes Unit).

How’s that for a lead-in?

In The Garden Girls, author Jessica R. Patch has created a medley of story elements that I eagerly gravitated to. There’s the members of the FBI unit themselves; fans of NCIS or Criminal Minds especially will love the committed team of unique investigators who know their own specialties, but firmly support each other. Protagonist Ty Granger, who’s stalked and caught serial killers before (though there’s still an outstanding–and not in the definition that means “stellar;” instead, in the way one sees combined with the words “warrant” or “arrest”–one on his list), is quick, funny, and fascinating to follow. Other characters are equally as appealing, whether it’s his teammates, his lost love, or the son he didn’t know he had. However, despite the changes or shocks in his personal life, he has a job to do. Determined to find the killer, he and his team head to coastal North Carolina, where victims have been both taken–and, postmortem, deposited. Covered in floral tattoos the women hadn’t had before they were missing.

The terror, though. Even as I write those words, I get a shiver in my midsection. (And I’m writing this in the daytime!) The criminal is terrifying enough…but author Patch concocts a journey for her characters that’s brimming with fear and suspense that builds, chapter by chapter. And it’s not just frightening because we know that Ty and his team are searching for a killer. It’s, perhaps, for several related reasons: We see the missing women. We’re learning about their suffering…and a little about the unsub.

Worse, we know that something bad is coming for Ty. We KNOW it. And we can’t do anything to stop it…just to hope desperately that somehow, he’ll come out alive on the other side. (And that an end will come for the unsub.)

I was absolutely consumed by The Garden Girls. I *had* to find out what happened to Ty. To his team. To Bex…and the others caught in the web contrived by the serial killer. Patch not only creates an impeccably-told thriller; she shows us the inside turmoil and journeys of her characters. Well done!!

I highly recommend The Garden Girls—but read it, perhaps, in the daytime!

–Wren

Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A new take on Amish fiction: Laurel Blount’s “Home from the Storm” (review & GA)

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Here’s a quite unique offering from Laurel Blount into the world of Amish fiction. It includes secrets, love, family, crime…and redemption. I’m truly happy to share this book with you. (For reference: I read it in one afternoon/evening! Definitely in the “can’t put down” category.) Keep reading for my thoughts plus your chance to win!

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Home from the Storm by Laurel Blount, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Home from the Storm Series: Johns Mill Amish Romance #4 Author: Laurel Blount Publisher: Berkley Release Date: December 26, 2023 Genre: Inspirational Romance Amish

In this stirring Amish romance about love and second chances, a shunned man returns to protect the wife he left behind—and falls in love with the family he never knew he had. After a senseless loss, hotheaded Caleb Hochstedler left his Amish faith and his young wife to seek justice. Two years later, he tracks his parents’ killer back home to Johns Mill, where he’s astonished to learn he’s the father of twins. Now he’s determined to protect his children and the woman he still loves—if she’ll let him. Her new husband’s abandonment broke Rhoda Lambright’s heart and proved her father, the bishop, right. Such a stubborn man could never be happy among the peaceful Amish. When Caleb unexpectedly returns, Rhoda is caught between her rock of a husband and a very hard place. Her church forbids divorce and requires forgiveness, so Rhoda lets Caleb back into their home. But can she ever let him back into her heart? One thing’s for certain sure. This second chance will take all the faith they can find.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books In This Series

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About the Author

Award-winning author Laurel Blount writes inspirational romances full of grit and grace—with characters who’ll walk right off the page and into your heart! She lives on a farm in Georgia with her husband, their four fabulous kids, and an assortment of ridiculously spoiled animals.

An enthusiastic multi-tasker, Laurel writes for both Berkley/Penguin Random House and Love Inspired/Harlequin. She’s a Publishers Weekly best-selling author and the recipient of ACFW’s Carol Award, The New England Reader’s Choice Award and GRW’s Maggie Award. She’s represented by Jessica Alvarez of Bookends Literary Agency. Home from the Storm is Laurel’s twelfth book—and more stories are in the works! Stay tuned!

Connect with Laurel by visiting laurelblountbooks.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win print copies of Shelter in the Storm, Strength in the Storm and Courage in the Storm plus a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight December 11, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on December 18, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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

My thoughts about Home from the Storm

Who isn’t going to be captivated by an Amish fiction novel which starts out with a formerly Amish (yet still mostly Amish) man, working with a good-hearted bounty hunter, about to close in on a dangerous criminal? And to add intrigue to that, Caleb Hochstedler actually *knows* the criminal.

Away from his Amish community and his own wife, Caleb has been pursuing a killer. Working with bounty hunter Milt Masterson, Caleb has been searching for a young man who took the lives of Caleb’s parents. Caleb has never forgotten that; nor, has he forgiven it. That’s the crux of the issue that drove him from his home (and his wife, Rhoda); that his Amish community required forgiveness from him for the killer. Not the justice that Caleb in his bones knew should be administered. For Caleb that resulted not only in his leaving his community and his wife, but his shunning. But now Caleb and Milt discover that they’re not the only trackers in this story. Apparently, the killer has been tracking Caleb’s wife!

But while he’s been gone from Johns Mill, a lot has happened. When he returns to tell Rhoda that she is in danger, he’s shocked to discover two tiny humans. His children, that he didn’t know existed. Now, there’s even more at stake. And to stay to protect his family from the killer, some form of reconciliation with the church must happen. So Caleb begins to meet with the new bishop, Abram, who has a decided preference for sweets from Rhoda’s bakery. Perhaps Caleb’s rescue mission is going to end up not only rescuing his wife and twins. Perhaps Caleb himself is going to be rescued.

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As I mentioned above, I consumed this novel in (while not exactly one sitting), one afternoon and one evening. (In the same day.) While Laurel Blount’s Johns Mill characters were new to me (this is book #4 of a series), she’s woven the other books’ characters and history into Home from the Storm in a way that informed me in such a way that I was never confused or unaware of who they were–or of the tragedy that had happened to Caleb’s parents and the whole community.

The book had SUCH an interesting start. What would drive an Amish man to leave his community and his own family? For Caleb, it’s justice. Yet below that desire for justice, there’s pain, loss, and grief that he wasn’t permitted to own or work through. And his rejection of God, in the lack of that ability to process.

We all have our own journeys of pain and suffering to work through. Are we permitted to do so, or given the tools for healing? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Caleb’s story, as well as Rhoda’s and the rest of the community’s, is a fascinating one. These characters are believable and ones that I was rooting for from the very beginning of the book. I totally recommend this book, for anyone who loves Amish fiction (of course); but also for those who love stories of healing, reconciliation, and love. (Oh. And maybe a little love for crime fiction.)

Enjoy! –Wren

Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

“The Warsaw Sisters” – a haunting, frank, yet beautiful tale of WWII Poland (a review)

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Revell Reads provided the opportunity for me to read and review Amanda Barratt’s The Warsaw Sisters; and I was captivated when I saw its beautiful and misty cover. The inside of the book is just as magnificent. It’s SO well-worth your reading! Let me tell you more about the book and my thoughts about it.

About The Warsaw Sisters

Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska live in beautiful Warsaw, Poland, in 1939. Their beloved father leaves the young ladies behind as he goes off to rejoin the Polish army, as Germany’s blitzkrieg sweeps across Europe. The girls promise their father that they’ll care for one another; and, he’s gone. And invasion is coming.

Antonina is a gifted pianist, who loves Marek Eisenberg, the stellar violinist in their city. Although they don’t know it yet, Marek’s Jewish heritage will put him and his family in grave danger, as the Germans cordon off a segment of Warsaw and designate it as the Jewish ghetto. Helena, the more timid of the sisters, will eventually work as a secretary for a German businessman. She will quietly hate the work. But it provides money for them to live.

Warsaw’s prewar Jewish population of more than 350,000 constituted about 30 percent of the city’s total population. The Warsaw Jewish community was the largest in both Poland and Europe, and was the second largest in the world, second only to New York City.

Warsaw, the Holocaust Encyclopedia

Before Helena and Antonina are, though they don’t know it yet, over 5 years of invasion. Occupation. Danger. Death. And war will change the two, and their relationship, as each one walks out a path of secrets. But the Germans’ offensive against the beautiful city of Warsaw will destroy and decimate not only the city, but its inhabitants. Will Antonina and Helena become part of the terrible statistics?

My review

What a rich, moving, and powerful book.

Author Amanda Barratt has reached back in time and created captivating characters who are informed by actual history and historical figures. If, like me, you don’t know a lot about WWII’s, and the German occupying forces’ effect on Warsaw, you’ll learn so much from The Warsaw Sisters as you read. But the effects of the war were beyond devastating.

When Soviet troops resumed their offensive on January 17, 1945, they liberated a devastated Warsaw. According to Polish data, only about 174,000 people were left in the city, less than six per cent of the prewar population. Approximately 11,500 of the survivors were Jews.

Warsaw, the Holocaust Encyclopedia

We get to see through Helena’s and Antonina’s eyes, over the course of 5 1/2 years, not only what happened in Warsaw; but what the passionate and devoted “Varsovians” did in response to the invasion over that time. And the invasion was, by human standards, brutal. Executions. Deportations (to labor camps, and, as it turns out, concentration camps.) In-city fighting and artillery.

Imagine two young women, barely 20, navigating the horrors of a war they’ve never faced before. But as a character says in the book, “When someone is drowning, you give him your hand.” And so, separately from one another, Helena and Antonina become involved in secretive activities to fight, as each can, the Germans. One becomes a soldier in a resistance army. The other, cares for Jewish children as they’re spirited away from the ghetto, and extinction. Each of these activities is punishable; death, for one, and likely death for the other, by execution. The sisters’ journey will change each one. Will they recognize one another, if they can make it through?

You will love The Warsaw Sisters. It’s an exquisitely-written and well-researched novel, with characters you’ll love and long to cheer on. Fantastic women and fantastic book!

–Wren

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads. All opinions shared are my own.

Here’s a lovely bookish gift guide for you: the BDA Christmas 2023 Gift Guide!

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Hello friends!

As you know if you’ve read my blog, I adore books and often have the pleasure of reviewing them for various companies. The Blythe Daniel Agency is one of my favorites; Blythe brings lovely books and exceptional authors to the notice of readers everywhere. (She has even co-written books with her mom, son, and daughter!) I’ve loved reading through her beautiful gift guide, and wanted to share it with you!

This gift guide has a plethora of books for every stage of life that people might find themselves in. There are books about:

• parenting
• grief
• relationships
• Christian living
• faith
• and more!

There are also gift books and books for various age groups (even chapter books!). There’s even a gorgeous calendar!

I’ve been privileged to review a number of The Blythe Daniel Agency’s books, and I’m including my review links for these under the photos they’re in.

• Fall in Love with God’s Word by Brittany Ann
• Shift by Abby McDonald

• Let’s Be Friends by Calen Daniel and Blythe Daniel (review coming soon!)
• You’re Joking Me by William Daniel
• The Growing Season by Sarah Philpott

• I Love You Mom! by Blythe Daniel and Helen McIntosh (I LOVE this gorgeous, meaningful book!)
• Do the Thing by Rebecca George (that’s in the pic below)

How to browse this gift guide

Just scan the QR code in the photo above! That will take you to this beautiful gift guide. I might be a *bit* biased, but since I have reviewed many of the books included in this guide, I know that you’ll find lovely and perfect gifts for your special ones.

Enjoy! –Wren

Disclosure: I do review books for The BlogAbout Blogger Network, part of The Blythe Daniel Agency. However, each opinion shared here is my own honest one, and it’s a pleasure to share these with you!

Holy Reads–a new way to enjoy Christian books plus support women & children displaced by war (a review)

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I have just enjoyed the most unique and edifying opportunity! Thanks to Holy Reads and FrontGate Media, I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching key summaries from Christian books. It has been rewarding, and I have loved it. Plus, learning that a subscription helps support women and children who’ve been displaced by the Russian-Ukrainian war makes it even more meaningful. Let me tell you about my experiences!

About Holy Reads

Holy Reads was created by entrepreneur and former pastor, Michael Yurchik, who lives in Ukraine. (You can see more about Holy Reads’ fascinating journey in the video below.) He was drawn to create an app which provided a way for busy people to access the valuable information in Christian books that they might not have time to actually sit down and read.

Holy Reads has over 1000 Christian books across 23 categories that are summarized in 20-minute time periods. Subscribers can read or listen to the book summaries (performed by talented voice actors), or watch a memorable short video about them. The 23 book categories include:

• Christian living and personal growth
• Theology, apologetics, church history
• Marriage, parenting, teens, children, and relationships
• Men, women, society and culture
• Bible studies, prayer, worship, evangelism, spiritual warfare, and ministry
• Leadership, personal finances
• Inspiration, faith, and encouragement
• And more!

You’ll recognize the authors as well. Both Christian writers from the past and present are included in the Holy Apps book selections. A.W. Tozer’s, J.I. Packer’s and C.S. Lewis’s books are there. (Also, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Warren Wiersbe, and John Piper are featured.) There are tons of current-day writers too! Some of my favorites, like Max Lucado (who can always be depended on for encouragement), Joyce Meyer, Brendan Manning, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore, all have many of their popular titles featured. You’ll find many authors you know, and lots that might be new to you. Each aligns with Christianity, leaning toward the evangelical wing. (There are also some charismatic titles.)

There are so many! You can visit Holy Reads to see more.

My experiences with Holy Reads

My experiences with Holy Reads were so positive!

I definitely fall into the category of a person who’s always going to find more interesting books out there than she actually has time to read. And Holy Reads made it possible for me to dig into and enjoy books that might not have made it onto my TBR (to be read) pile, just because I’d have known I wouldn’t get to them.

I engaged in all three methods of enjoying books on Holy Reads. I appreciated each one. First, I browsed through the books which were on offer. (You can do that via category or just by going through all books, which I did just so I could envision the big picture of Holy Read’s books.) You can bookmark the books you’re interested in, which I did, just because there are so many! (And, Holy Reads is adding to their collection every day.) First, I listened to an audiobook on understanding God’s love for us, and then I read and watched a Beth Moore Bible study. I’m at the beginning of listening to a book on Jordan Reynor’s Called to Create, which is a fascinating read on how we can be creative because God is the Creator. I watched the video on Elyse M. Fitzpatrick’s Because He Loves Me. I read, and took copious notes on, Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s Lies Women Believe.

My reading, for the most part, fell into the categories of Bible Studies, Christian Living & Personal Growth, Inspiration and Encouragement, and Women. The video, audio, and reading portions are all well-designed and engaging. The videos are striking and memorable. The audiobooks are well-spoken and directed. And the reading portions are clearly summarized and still maintain the voice of the original authors. Really, each one is a pleasure to enjoy. And I really loved that every book has the three choices that the subscriber can engage via. While I’m generally someone who leans toward reading, I’m finding that I love listening to audiobooks as I drive. Or when my eyes are tired or too dry to read.

I have enjoyed engaging with books on Holy Reads. I love how it hits the high points of each book. I have found that SO equipping and encouraging. I am interacting with authors (by their books) that I never have before. And, I am growing in my faith as I am learning!

Watch the Holy Reads trailer here

Visit the Holy Reads website and learn about a subscription

New subscribers can try out Holy Reads with a a free 10-day trial subscription. During this trial, you’ll be able to access over 1000 books written by Christian authors, theologians, pastors, and teachers. You can read these summaries, watch videos about them, or listen to an audiobook version.

Just click on the highlighted link that below to see all that Holy Reads has to offer, for free!

Free Holy Reads 10-Day Trial

After that trial, you can subscribe in two ways. The monthly subscription is priced at $4.99 per month. For the yearly subscription, you pay $49.99 per year (a 17% saving).

And a key provision of Holy Reads: $1 out of every $4.99 goes directly to supporting the women and children in Ukraine who are refugees of the Ukraine-Russia war.

Who should subscribe to Holy Reads?

Those who:

• Love reading but have a hard time fitting new books into their schedules
• Want to grow in their faith
• Want to support displaced women and children from the Russia/Ukraine war
• Are looking for encouragement and equipping in their faith
• Need a way to access great Christian books on their devices at odd moments
• Love God and want to love Him more!

Check out Holy Reads. I think you’ll love it and want more of everything it has to offer!

Enjoy! –Wren

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, every thought and idea expressed here is my own honest one.