Hallie Reads

11 August 2016

Fetching Sweetness by Dana Mentink

A recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest can only be found in Fetching Sweetness by Dana Mentink. It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Retrieve a reclusive author's valuable new manuscript and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent. But when the author's canine companion, Sweetness, makes a break for it and Stephanie has to track Sweetness down, she meets Rhett Hastings. They’re in for a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.

Celebrate the release of Fetching Sweetness with Dana by entering to win the Sweetness Unleashed Prize Pack!

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of Fetching Sweetness
A $75 Visa cash card
A library book necklace
A dog-inspired insulated shopping tote

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 24. The winner will be announced August 25 on Dana's blog.

About the Book

★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

Standing between Stephanie and her dream is one hundred pounds of lovable trouble.

It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Meet up with Agnes Wharton in a small town in California, retrieve the reclusive author's valuable new manuscript, and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent.

But Agnes's canine companion, Sweetness, decides to make a break for it before Stephanie can claim her prize. Until Agnes has Sweetness safely back at home in Eagle Cliff, Washington, Stephanie will never set eyes on the manuscript she needs to make her dreams come true.

When Stephanie tracks the runaway mutt to a campground, she meets Rhett Hastings---a man also on the run from a different life and a costly mistake. Rhett agrees to help Stephanie search for the missing dog...thus launching a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.

Once Sweetness gets added to the mix, it's a recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest.

Once again, my not-dog-loving heart fell for Dana Mentink’s canine-centered storyline... I just loved Fetching Sweetness.

Fetching Sweetness is a cute story of faith and romance. Sweetness (much like Tippy of Sit Stay Love) entertains with quirks yet takes the human characters on a necessary journey of discovery, and through Sweetness-related adventures, Stephanie Pink and Rhett Hastings begin to figure out how to trust God with plans, in addition to a sweetly budding romance. These characters are immensely likeable, their plotline a lot of fun to follow, and their spiritual realizations important to remember. Dog lovers will enjoy this heartwarming and quick read; I recommend it.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of Fetching Sweetness and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. To read other opinions, be sure to check out what other reviewers think here, and purchase a copy of the book here.

About the Author

Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.

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10 August 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: The Wedding Shop & Just a Kiss

Hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine
to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

Goodreads | Amazon

Title: The Wedding Shop

Author: Rachel Hauck

Publisher: Zondervan

Expected Publication Date: 16 August 2016

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.

It’s the 1930s, and Cora is taking the reins at her family’s wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee. Brides come from far away to be doted on by Cora and her family while they find the perfect wedding dress. Meanwhile, Cora has found her true love, Rufus, a riverboat captain. Cora counts the days until his return from the river, and she continues to wait for him as days turn into months and months turn into years. When he finally returns, she receives the shock of a lifetime: he is married to another. Nursing her heartbreak, she must find a way to continue pouring her heart into the hopes and dreams of the brides who visit her shop, all while wondering if she will ever find true love or if it has passed her by.

In present day, Haley has finished her time as a soldier, and suffering from PTSD, wants nothing to do with the heartbreak of this world. She sets off for Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, and in order to honor the memory of a fallen friend, she takes on the task of reopening an abandoned and long-forgotten wedding shop. Perhaps through helping others, she can forget the pain and disappointment in her own life.

Haley isn’t looking for love, but when her friend’s former fiancé becomes involved in the shop’s renovations, they both find that healing and restoration can perhaps happen in their lives too.

Goodreads | Amazon

Title: Just a Kiss

Author: Denise Hunter

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Expected Publication Date: 6 September 2016

Riley Callahan’s plans to reveal his secret feelings for his best friend are derailed when his life is drastically altered in Afghanistan.

Watching the love of his life fall for his brother was enough to send Riley straight to boot camp. But over a year later, he’s officially a marine, and Beau and Paige are no longer an item. When Riley’s tour in Afghanistan is up, he intends to confess his feelings to Paige and win his best friend’s heart once and for all.

But all that changes when an IED takes the life of a comrade and leaves Riley an amputee. Now he’s heading home, injured and troubled. His plans to win Paige are a distant dream. She deserves so much more than the man that’s left. All he can do now is put some healthy distance between them. But upon his return he discovers his family has arranged for him to stay with Paige.

Paige is a nurturer at heart and happy to take care of her best buddy. By all appearances Riley is adjusting miraculously well to his disability. But as the days pass, Paige begins to see that the smiles and laughter are just a mask for the pain he’s hiding. To make matters worse, her job is in serious jeopardy. The animal shelter that she’s poured her heart into has lost its funding, and she has three months to come up with the money needed to save it.

As the weeks wear on, Paige’s feelings for Riley begin to shift into uncharted territory. Why is she suddenly noticing his arm muscles and the way his lips curl at the corners? Will she be able to deny her feelings for another Callahan brother? And will Riley let his heart heal so he can let Paige in?

05 August 2016

Forever Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

With the witch of Doon on the throne, Jamie believed dead, and Duncan and Mackenna trapped in Alloway, Veronica has no choice but to put her grief aside and prepare her remaining followers for the impending battle against the false queen and her forces. But while on a covert mission to steal a powerful elixir from the castle, Veronica discovers her true love may actually be alive, and fighting a battle of his own.

With the Brig o’ Doon destroyed and the portal fragmented, Doon’s forces are not only divided, but also isolated in different dimensions. With the help of a storyteller as ancient as the witch herself, Kenna and Duncan learn they must rebuild the bridge to have any chance of crossing back into Doon with their ragtag army. But when Mackenna insists on fighting as well, Duncan soon realizes the only way he can ensure her safety is to turn her into a cold-hearted killer.

For Vee, Jamie, Kenna, and Duncan, saving their kingdom while keeping their lives intact will take a miracle.

Bittersweetly, Forever Doon concludes an epic and magical series. This fourth and final Doon book provides all the entertaining cultural references and beloved character quirks fans should expect within a fittingly fast-paced, high-stakes, life-and-death plotline. It’s hard to see Doon come to an end, but thankfully, Carey Cory and Lorie Langdon provide a good one - and fans will not be disappointed.

Forever Doon picks up where Shades of Doon ended, and Veronica and Mackenna (along with Jamie and Duncan, of course) face their darkest Doonian adventure yet: they must defeat the evil witch to save the kingdom they love. The outcome does not often look good for the Doonians, and periods of separation from one another starkly highlight the characters’ weaknesses as well as strengths. But the challenging circumstances encourage excellent character growth and maturity, necessary in this battle of good versus evil, and spur the fight to a satisfactory conclusion.

It’s a story of adventure and fantasy, suspense and romance, humor and heartbreak, guaranteed to keep readers turning pages as quickly as possible to discover the ultimate fate of Veronica, Mackenna, and all of Doon - this I know from experience; I so, so enjoyed this last Doon book. Without hesitation, I can recommend it (really, the whole series, as it should be read in order) to fans of romance, adventure, and fantasy. Read it!

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of Forever Doon and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

04 August 2016

When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks

Plunge into forensic artist Gwen Marcey's world, full of cold-case murders, shady politics, and a den of venomous suspects. Add Carrie Stuart Parks' new Gwen Marcey novel, When Death Draws Near, to the top of your must-read list. Gwen accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky—a small town facing big-city crime. But before she can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others. Can Gwen uncover the truth—and convince anyone to believe her—before she becomes a victim herself?

Join Carrie in celebrating the release of When Death Draws Near by entering to win an Undercover Artist Starter Set.

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of When Death Draws Near
A $30 Michael's or Hobby Lobby gift card (winner's choice)
Colored pencils
A sharpener
A pencil case
An eraser
A coloring prayer book
A coloring notecard set
A lap desk

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 22. The winner will be announced August 23 on the Litfuse blog.

About the Book

★★★★★

Goodreads | Amazon

Death has always been part of Gwen Marcey's job. But when faced with her own mortality, everything takes on a different hue.

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs and homes when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky. The Eastern Kentucky town, located deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, has been plagued by a serial rapist and a series of unexplained deaths. Before Gwen can develop a composite drawing, the latest witness vanishes, just like all the previous victims.

Turning her attention to sketching the face of an unidentified body, she discovers a link between his death and a Pentecostal serpent-handling church. Serpent-handling is illegal in Kentucky, and the churches have gone underground to avoid the authorities and continue to worship as they believe. Gwen is offered a handsome reward to infiltrate the renegade members, a reward she desperately needs as it seems her breast cancer has returned.

Joined by her digitally-obsessed, Generation Z daughter, Gwen goes undercover to a nineteenth century revival, planning to draw the faces of the snake handlers so they can be identified and arrested. Instead she uncovers a murderous plot and a festering evil.

Wow. When Death Draws Near is definitely one of those books that will make you read late into the night - I certainly had a hard time putting it down. As forensic artist Gwen Marcey becomes entrenched in yet another challenging and dangerous case, author Carrie Stuart Parks fills the plotline with well-paced plot twists and kept me uncertain of the ending. It’s intense, suspenseful, intriguing, and everything I wanted to find when I pick up When Death Draws Near.

I’m so glad Gwen Marcey gets better with each book. I loved The Bones Will Speak, and I loved When Death Draws Near even more. Fans of thrillers and suspense, be sure to pick up this book; don’t miss the excellent and addictive series by Carrie Stuart Parks. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of When Death Draws Near and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. To read other opinions, be sure to check out what other reviewers think here, and purchase a copy of the book here.

About the Author

Carrie Stuart Parks is a Christy finalist as well as a Carol award-winning author. She has won numerous awards for her fine art as well. An internationally known forensic artist, she travels with her husband, Rick, across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement professionals. The author/illustrator of numerous books on drawing and painting, Carrie continues to create dramatic watercolors from her studio in the mountains of Idaho.

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