Things Left Unsaid Book Blast

About the Book

An emotional novel of family, friendship and forgiveness from Courtney Walsh, the New York Times bestselling author of Hometown Girl. Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best—and worst—memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on. But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets. Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart—to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.

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About the Author

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theater director, and playwright. Change of Heart is her fifth novel and is set in the same town as Paper Hearts. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. She has written two additional books in the Sweethaven series, as well as two craft books and several full-length musicals. Courtney lives in Illinois where she and her husband own a performing and visual arts studio. They have three children.

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Order your copy HERE.

Paperless Post Review

Paperless Post specializes in designing customizable online stationary. Paperless Post works with numerous designers ranging from Jonathan Adler to Rifle Paper Co.

I had the opportunity to review Paperless Post and found it very easy to use. There were many selections of holiday cards in various styles. I browsed through the Halloween cards and selected a fun Ghost card to send to family and friends.  It was very easy to customize the card, import email addresses and to send it off.

A couple of family members emailed me a thank you for the card and seemed to enjoy it. For me the process was easy, I didn't have to cart kids to the store to browse through stationary or to the post office to get stamps. I also didn't have to address envelopes. It also seemed more cost effective than buying a nice paper greeting card and stamp. Paperless Post also reduces waste or the need for clutter (cards lying around someones house) without getting rid of providing a way to let others know that you are thinking of them. To learn more about Paperless Post, click here.

(Please note that I was provided with credit in exchange for this review, but my opinion still remains my own)

A Christmas Courting Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

A Christmas Courting contains four regency novellas by Jennifer Moore, Chalon Linton, Jen Geigle Johnson and Heidi Kimball.

• Love and Joy Come To You by Jennifer Moore: Lord Covington plans on sharing a quiet holiday with his grieving mother, but finds his plans have been uprooted with his mother's own plans when she invites Cassie Weatherby and her younger siblings for Christmas. Lord Covington discovers that there are more benefits to opening your heart then sheltering it.
  
  
• A Christmas Courting by Chalon Linton: When she's forced to stay in London for Christmas, Keturah Hensley is disappointed until she discovers a childhood friend, Christopher Shepherd, is also staying in London for the holiday. 

• Mistletoe Memories by Jen Geigle Johnson: Patrick, the Duke of Montrose, knew he found a match in Lady Alice Tarrington. She promises to wait until he returns to get married, but Patrick believes she married someone else while he was on a grand tour.
  

• Second-Chance Christmas by Heidi Kimball: Francie and Gerald have been childhood friends, but their friendship abruptly ends when Gerald proposes. When Gerald has holiday guests and Francie realizes she is jealous and loves Gerald more than a friend, is it to late?

A Christmas Courting is an enjoyable and fun series of short romances that happen around the holiday season. The stories provide a great way to escape the chaos and stress around the holidays. The authors do a great job of creating memorable characters and stories that will appeal to those who love historical romances. To learn more about A Christmas Courting, click here.

Check out what other Bloggers are saying about the book by checking out the Blog Tour Schedule:

*Oct. 22^nd: http://mybookaday.com/, https://brightlystreet.com/, https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://www.kindleandme.com/

*Oct. 23^rd: https://www.wishfulendings.com/, https://www.lovebugsandpostcards.com/, http://empowermoms.net/, http://thethingsilovemost.com/

*Oct. 24^th: http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/, http://fireandicereads.com/

*Oct. 25^th: https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/, http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/

*Oct. 26^th: https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/

*Oct. 29^th: http://www.iamareader.com/

The publisher is also offering a giveaway for the book and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Please note that I received a free copy of the book to facilitate this review, however, my opinion is still mt own. There are also Amazon Affiliate links on this post that help facilitate the maintenance of this blog. Prize fulfillment and choosing the winner is solely done by the publisher.)

Out of the Best of Books Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

In his newest book, Out of the Best Books, scholar S. Michael Wilcox examines literary characters and compares the lessons learned in literature to gospel principles relating to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Wilcox covers literary favorites ranging from Scrooge in the Christmas Carol to Elinor in Sense and Sensibility.

Out of the Best Books reads like a series of scholarly articles. It's dense and full of quotes and citations. It's not a book I would recommend reading from cover to cover. I would suggest reading one of the books highlighted in the text and then reading the chapter that covers it similarly to how you would read a literary piece for a class and then reading the criticism on it. I liked the parts in the book when the author shared personal stories that reflected the lessons from the literary pieces. This book would be a good book for anyone who enjoys literature. To learn more, click here.

Schedule:

*Oct. 15^th: http://mybookaday.com, https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/

*Oct. 16^th: http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/

*Oct. 17^th: https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, https://rachellechristensen.com/

*Oct. 18^th: https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/

*Oct. 19^th: http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/, http://thoroughlyhere.blogspot.com/
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note that I received a free copy of this book to facilitate this review. The giveaway prize and selection of the winner is handled by the publisher. Please note that there are also Amazon Affiliate links on this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases that help in running this blog.

Mrs. Renfro's Salsa Review and Giveaway

The Renfro Food Company started humbly in 1940 in the garage of George and Arthurine Renfro in Fort Worth, Texas. They started out distributing spices and pepper sauces in Fort Worth and surrounding areas. With perseverance and determination, the Renfros expanded their company's product line and distribution. In 1972, the family purchased recipes from Olé Foods, a Mexican-style hot sauce maker. They reworked the recipe to create something even tastier and richer. Their salsas quickly gained in popularity, demand and have won several awards. The company is still family-run and they continually create great products. To learn more about the Renfro Food Company, click here.

I reached out to the Renfro Food Company to see if I could review their products and received jars of their Mrs. Renfro's Medium Salsa and Pineapple Salsa. We tried these with taco salad and my family raved about the taste of these salsas. Both of my kids loved the taste, quickly gobbled it up and asked for more!

The medium salsa is a little more milder than other brands, but it's still tasty and made with high quality ingredients. It's restaurant quality salsa and very delicious.

The pineapple salsa is a sweet tasting salsa and I bet it would be a rather delicious marinade on meat. It's unique and different!

I think these salsas are probably the best jarred salsa that we've tried in our household and I would highly recommend trying these products. There are several varieties of salsa available ranging from Ghost Pepper to Raspberry Chipotle salsa and it would be an awesome gift package for the holiday season. Their prices are also highly reasonable. Check out their product line by clicking, here.

The Renfro Food Company has generously allowed me to offer this giveaway with winner's choice of 2 Renfro Products. Only one winner will be chosen. The giveaway on this blog post will run through rafflecopter until 12 am on October 26, 2018. The giveaway is open to the continental US residents only and 18+. The winner will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to respond.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Renfro Food Company for providing the prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

A Deceptive Bargain Review

Miss Martha Haskett is hiding from her past. She enjoys serving as a lady's maid to her friend Eliza, the Marchioness of Lansdowne and not socializing. When her father, the new Earl of Waterford, visits unexpectedly with the news that she is now a titled lady, Martha must decide if she can accept his bargain for a Season in London in exchange for a dowry and estate. Martha accepts his offer, but feels she doesn't belong and her father may be deceiving her for his own purpose.

Dr. Emmett Maddix spends his time providing medical care for the poor. His life becomes more complicated when he is recruited to be an agent for the Crown. He is assigned to run a small charity hospital as a front to discover more about the smuggling operation run by The Cursed Lot. As he learns more about the smugglers, he also realizes that he is falling in love with Martha.

Before Martha and Emmett can move forward in their relationship and tell each other of their feelings, they must overcome their past and survive the entanglements from The Cursed Lot.

Review -  A Deceptive Bargain is the fifth book in the Beckett Files Series. The books in the series build off of each other and I think a reader may be loss if he or she started the books out of order. The first book in the series is Saving Shadow and then continues on to A Peculiar Courtship, To Love a Spy and A Tangled Ruse. The series is fun, clean and full of romance, intrigue and suspense. The series has strong female protagonists that almost become regency "super heroes" in learning how to defend themselves and others.  A Deceptive Bargain was fun to read. I enjoyed seeing the change in the protagonist, Martha, and how she evolved from hiding from her past to facing it. The male protagonist has the same challenge to face and they are able to help each other to overcome their emotional scars. A Deceptive Bargain also features smugglers, highway men, spies, deception, balls, romances and more. It has a little bit of everything and is well worth reading. To learn more, click here.


Please note that I received a free copy of this book to facilitate this review. Please note that there are also Amazon Affiliate links on this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualified purchases that help in running this blog.

Santa's Dog Blog Hop and Giveaway

About the Book

In this rhyming picture book for dog lovers of all ages, readers follow the adventures of Santa’s best dog, Lance, when he falls out of the sleigh one Christmas Eve. He’s taken in by the animal shelter and then brought home by a military family who needs some help as Dad is called to serve his country. When Christmas Eve comes ‘round the next year, Lance must decide whether to return to the North Pole with his friend Santa or stay with his new family. Kirkus Reviews describes SANTA’S DOGS as “a sweet, powerful Christmas story.”
SANTA’S DOG would be a great addition to any library or classroom reading program! To accompany this book, we have developed full teacher resources, including a Teacher Lesson Plans packet as well as an Activity Packet, both of which are available for FREE download from the Dogs & Books website. JoAnn also offers FREE virtual author visits to schools. Additional information about all of these resources can be found here.

GOODREADS

About the Author

JoAnn Sky has written for years as part of her job (business and marketing plans and the like). One day she tried her hand at writing for fun—and liked it. Now she authors adult contemporary romance and young adult romance with a magical twist as well as children’s books. She is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist and a member of Romance Writers of America. Originally from the Midwest, JoAnn currently lives in northern Nevada with her husband a.k.a. love of her life, three teenage children, and three crazy rescue dogs.

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | WEBSITE

Behind the Scenes Facts About the Book

1. Lance in the story is a combination of two rescues we’ve been lucky to have as part of our family over the years: Sampson and Lance. Sampson was our first rescue, and I adopted him from a kill-shelter while my husband was deployed to Iraq about 15 years ago. Lance was a wonderful older dog who spent about five years with us. Lance crossed the Rainbow Bridge earlier this year.
2. This story didn’t start out intending to be a children’s book. I began writing this as a short story that I thought I’d give to readers to encourage them to sign up for my author newsletter. As I wrote it out, it would only come out in rhyme—it just didn’t seem to work any other way. Then once I was done, I had a huge desire to add illustrations. The whole thing just snowballed after that!
3. The illustration of Santa going to pick up Lance and finding the shelter closed initially didn’t have the cardinal or the cat. I thought it needed “a little something,” so Ed Koehler (the most awesome illustrator in the world) added the cardinal. But it still seemed to need something! I asked Ed if he would add an animal peeking through the window. He wasn’t convinced it was necessary but added a cat. We both loved it, so that cat got to stay!
4. For the illustration of when Lance packs his things and waits for Santa, I had this vision with his dish on his head. I’m pretty sure Ed thought I was nuts when I first described it. But then he added the photo of the kids, and it was absolutely perfect!
5. SANTA’S DOG would not exist in its final form as a beautiful hardcover with dust jacket if I had not purchased Bobbie Hinman’s book, “How to Create a Successful Children’s Picture Book.” Bobbie is a successful author and editor. Her book is the bible for writing and publishing a children’s book. Seriously.

Facebook Party

Join the Facebook Party HERE.

Giveaway

Enter the giveaway HERE.

Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Blog Hop Schedule

October 8-Life Is What Its Called
October 9-Emily Yager | My Book a Day | Cafinated Reads
October 10-Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen | Remembrancy
October 11-Why Not? Because I Said So!
October 12-Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic
October 13-Maiden of the Pages | Paulette’s Papers | Blooming with Book​

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October Giveaways (low to moderate entry)

I like entering low to moderate entry giveaways and I share each month some of the blog or social media giveaways I've entered, thought someone else might be interested in entering or that have been submitted to me through bloggers. Check back often throughout the month to see if I have posted more giveaways. If you are hosting a family-friendly giveaway on your blog and would like to see it listed here, please contact me (via email). If you have a won a giveaway that I posted, please leave a comment and share that you won.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (ends 10/2/2018)
$50 Kohls Gift Card (ends 10/2/2018)
Pete the Cat Prize Pack (ends 10/4/2018)
$50 Picket Fence Gift Card (ends 10/8/2018)
Omaha Steaks Filet Mignons (ends 10/8/2018)
Palmer's Coconut Oil Body Care Set (ends 10/10/2018) 
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Moms Meet WOW Summit Event Pass Orange County (ends 10/11/2018)
Omaha Steaks Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignons (ends 10/11/2018)
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Ant Man and the Wasp (ends 10/15/2018)
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Incredibles 2 (ends 10/23/2018)
$50 Nordstrom Gift Card (ends 10/25/2018)  
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The Mortification of Fovea Munson Prize Pack (ends 10/29/2018)
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