Draw Your Way Through the Book of Mormon by Annie Poon (Book Blog tour with a giveaway)

Draw Your Way Through the Book of Mormon by Annie Poon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Children's Inspirational Picture Book


Book Description:  Everyone can be an illustrator with well-known artist Annie Poon in Draw Your Way through the Book of Mormon, an innovative art adventure for people of all ages who want to delve into the Book of Mormon as they never have before. Featuring engaging illustrations, ideas, and step-by-step instructions, this doodle book invites budding artists to bring scriptural scenes to life—with no limit on what can be imagined!

What do you think the Liahona looked like? Draw it!

Draw yourself sneaking past the sleeping Lamanite guards.

Captain Moroni carried the title of liberty into battle—draw what you would fight for.

Packed with dozens of creative prompts, this delightful activity book will provide hours of entertainment and thought, offering students of the gospel an opportunity to express their personal impressions of the Book of Mormon through art.

My thoughts: This book is a great idea! It's a fun way to get children engaged with the Book of Mormon. The author gives basic drawing instructions. She then takes stories and principles from the Book of Mormon and lets kids use their imagination by drawing images from the prompts given. It helps children visualize the stories. Brilliant!

I think this will be a great book for me too! I can't wait to try to learn how to draw better, I missed that talent gene. It's a fun book for children of all ages.

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Deseret Book

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In the Pursuit of Eden by Stephanie Fowers

In the Pursuit of Eden by Stephanie Fowers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Contemporary Action/Romance



Book Description:  Everyone wants to find Eden’s Paradise. Except Ivy. 

Ivy is a city girl through and through. So when she follows her twin brother into the forests of the Uintas to make a documentary about looking for a treasure that’s plagued her family for generations, she’s a little out of her element. It's the same treasure that ended her father's life. Add to that her run-ins with the dashing, but infuriating Aiden Hunter. The Southern hottie has rescued her so many times that it’s getting embarrassing. Of course, she’d be more grateful if she didn’t suspect him of putting her in danger in the first place—a danger that keeps growing the closer they get to the truth. 

Forced to be allies, the two are thrown into each other’s paths, and she realizes that she has more in common with him than she thought. While Ivy searches for clues in the journal of a wayward saloon girl, Eden, to discover a life that mirrors her own, Hunter fights the demons in a past that seems tangled up in hers. His secrets are hers. The only way to get at the truth is to find an uneasy truce… and maybe something more because Hunter may not be the enemy. In fact, he may be the one who needs rescuing. Now, Ivy has to figure out who she wants by her side, and what she’s willing to give up for love. 

After all, Paradise was never meant to be found alone.


My thoughts: The Payne family has searched for Eden's treasure for generations. An ancestor left a woman to die in search of the treasure and it's almost as if there is a treasure hunting illness that propels the family to find it. When their ancestor left Eden he took her journal with him, the family has clues that lead them to the Uintah Mountains and an approximate location of the treasure. Brekker talks his twin sister, Ivy, into joining him in the search.

This story is about two "down on their luck" twins who need a break in their life. Brekker has been given an opportunity to redeem himself by finding the treasure for his backer. His sister has lived a life of monotony and he needs her to fulfill the quest.

This story has action, adventure, treasure hunting, romance, treachery, run-ins with wildlife, and a mysterious "bone man" who lives in the forest and frightens people who enter. I found myself turning the pages and needing to know how this book resolves.

There are two teams looking for the treasure and competing to see who can find it first. The leader is a dashing Southern Gentleman who immediately catches Ivy's eye. I loved, loved, loved their interactions. They were full of fun, banter, and shameless flirting. The problem is that they couldn't trust each other to give up whatever advantage the possessed. Both are lacking important information to solve the puzzle. It's very interesting to see how they worked it out!d

I was honestly surprised by this book. I don't know why exactly, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Grab a copy from Kindle Unlimited!

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About the Author:  (Taken from Goodreads)  Stephanie Fowers loves bringing stories to life, and depending on her latest madcap ideas will do it through written word, song, and/ or film. She absolutely adores Bollywood and bonnet movies; i.e., BBC (which she supposes includes non-bonnet movies Sherlock and Dr. Who). Presently, she lives in Salt Lake where she's living the life of the starving artist. Stephanie plans to bring more of her novels out to greet the light of day. Be sure to watch for her upcoming books, including YA fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, steampunk, regency Greek fantasy, and more--many more--romantic comedies in her line of sweet romances called "Hopeless Romantics." May the adventures begin.

Visit her WEBPAGE!

Book Review ~ Finding Anne de Bourgh by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

Finding Anne de Bourgh by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source:  Received to Review
Genre: Regency Romance

Book Description:  As heiress of Rosings Park, Anne de Bourgh’s health is of utmost importance to her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Thus, following the shock of a recent fire at Rosings Park, the young woman is spirited away to Brighton to take the cure. While her domineering mother is bent on healing her daughter’s sickly constitution to secure her a suitable match, Anne herself is far more concerned with sketching the flora and fauna of the lovely sea town. It is in pursuit of artistic inspiration among the flowers that Anne becomes acquainted with Mr. Owen Talbot, a charming man with whom Anne feels an immediate connection, notwithstanding their differing stations.

But despite their growing esteem for one another, the couple faces an insurmountable problem: Lady Catherine has set her sights on a rich, well-connected man for her daughter, and Mr. Talbot is simply too common. With their love in jeopardy, the couple soon faces far graver problems. There has been a murder in Brighton, and Anne is innocently drawn into an amateur investigation that ultimately traces its roots to her own family. With a frightening foreshadowing regarding the de Bourghs, Anne begins to question whom she can truly trust.



My thoughts: Anne is a little bit of a mystery in Pride and Prejudice. She is in the shadows of an overbearing mother. Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen has penned a story that explores the possibility of Anne finding her voice and self in spite of her mother's efforts to keep her subservient.

Anne is a delightful character in this novel. I enjoyed her and her thoughts. She desires a life of love and happiness and is doing her best in ensuring her own future. As an heiress, it is tricky to know who desires your company for your personality or your money. Anne has this dilemma. There are people who will do anything to take advantage of her. Fortunately, Owen is not one of them. He is a "flawed" character who is absolutely perfect!

This is a happy companion book for fans of Jane Austen. It has mystery, romance, scandal, and a young woman finding her own way.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

About the Author:  (Taken from Amazon)  Award-winning author, Ronda Hinrichsen (also writing as Kathleen Marks) and her family own a small farm located between the beautiful Rocky Mountains and the Great Salt Lake where she regularly sees eagles, hawks, owls, and ducks. Lots of ducks. She is the author of independently and traditionally published non-fiction, romantic suspense and speculative books as well as numerous magazine articles and stories for children and adults. She also enjoys teaching about writing in conference and classroom settings. To learn more about Ronda, visit her website at rondahinrichsen.com.

Blog Tour ~ Finding Anne de Bourgh by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen (With a tour Giveaway)

Finding Anne de Bourgh by Ronda Gibb Henrichsen

Genre: Regency Romance

Book Description:  As heiress of Rosings Park, Anne de Bourgh’s health is of utmost importance to her mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Thus, following the shock of a recent fire at Rosings Park, the young woman is spirited away to Brighton to take the cure. While her domineering mother is bent on healing her daughter’s sickly constitution to secure her a suitable match, Anne herself is far more concerned with sketching the flora and fauna of the lovely sea town. It is in pursuit of artistic inspiration among the flowers that Anne becomes acquainted with Mr. Owen Talbot, a charming man with whom Anne feels an immediate connection, notwithstanding their differing stations.

But despite their growing esteem for one another, the couple faces an insurmountable problem: Lady Catherine has set her sights on a rich, well-connected man for her daughter, and Mr. Talbot is simply too common. With their love in jeopardy, the couple soon faces far graver problems. There has been a murder in Brighton, and Anne is innocently drawn into an amateur investigation that ultimately traces its roots to her own family. With a frightening foreshadowing regarding the de Bourghs, Anne begins to question whom she can truly trust.

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

About the Author:  (Taken from Amazon)  Award-winning author, Ronda Hinrichsen (also writing as Kathleen Marks) and her family own a small farm located between the beautiful Rocky Mountains and the Great Salt Lake where she regularly sees eagles, hawks, owls, and ducks. Lots of ducks. She is the author of independently and traditionally published non-fiction, romantic suspense and speculative books as well as numerous magazine articles and stories for children and adults. She also enjoys teaching about writing in conference and classroom settings. To learn more about Ronda, visit her website at rondahinrichsen.com.

Enter the Tour Giveaway:

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Daisies and Devotion by Josi Kilpack

Daisies and Devotion by Josi S. Kilpack
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Clean Regency Romance
Source: Received to Review

Book Description:  Timothy Mayfield is ready to marry for love, but, since his personal finances are thinner than he’d like, he knows he’ll also need to find a wife with wealth. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, Timothy’s circumstances change, and he is free to pursue his “perfect woman”—one with blonde hair, blue eyes, a light laugh, arched eyebrows, elegant fingers, and a dazzling smile, among nearly twenty other characteristics. 

Maryann Morrington doesn’t match anything on Timothy’s list—except for wealth. An heiress in her own right, she is tired of men pursuing her only for her money. But at nearly twenty-two years old, and not a particularly stunning beauty, she can’t be as picky as her friend Timothy is.

The two friends end up playing matchmaker for each other. Timothy will find a decent gentleman for Maryann, and Maryann will prove to Timothy that his “perfect woman” doesn’t exist.

Until Miss Shaw comes to London.
Now, with Timothy’s heart captivated by the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, Maryann must decide if she should risk her heart and reveal her true feelings for her friend, or if she should settle for someone else. It’s an up-and-down game of “he loves me, he loves me not” with both hearts and friendship on the line. 


My thoughts: Ah Timothy, there are times I would have liked to smack him upside the head.  (I do become invested in the books I read.)   This is the second book in the "Mayfield Family Series" and I think that the men in the family can be a little dense sometimes.  Honestly, I loved the books and find the bumbling men amusing.

When I agreed to review this book I did not realize that it was the second book in the series.  I loved the first, so it was a happy day for me.  I wanted to read this book because Josi Kilpack is the author.  She is one that I will try to read anything and everything she writes. 

This is a sweet romance about friends finding love.  Timothy wants to find the perfect woman to marry.  He has a list of attributes that he finds desirable.  Unfortunately, some of the qualities on the list are the exact opposite of Maryann.  He wants a blonde with a "tinkling laugh."  He was dense enough to tell Maryann that she "brays like a donkey".  He does have good intentions, he just doesn't think about what he is saying.

This story has some light moments but carries a meaningful storyline.  I see parallels to life where the pursuit of the wrong thing can make someone miss the best thing. This is a great read and I can't wait to find out what Mayfield gets their story told next.

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Deseret Book

About the Author: (Taken from Goodreads)  I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child in 1998 and haven't stopped. My most recent books have been Historical Romance through the Proper Romance line with Shadow Mountain Publishing.

I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, and children.

Visit her WEBPAGE!

Missing in Maplewood by Elizabeth Brome

Missing in Maplewood: A Romantic Suspense by Elizabeth Bromke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Description:  Can a plane ride save a turbulent marriage? Only if the couple survives the flight... 

After marrying his high school sweetheart, everything falls into place for Ben Stevens. He nails a college coaching gig. He and his wife have twin boys. Life is perfect.

Erica Stevens disagrees. Desperate to prove she’s as perfect as she seems, she needs more. After an early miscarriage and a cross-country move back to the state she was happy to leave, her picture-perfect image shatters.

Things get worse before they get better… 

As if miscarriage and a looming divorce aren’t enough, Ben’s father falls ill. Together the couple boards a private flight to the small mountain town to see his dad. But they never arrive.

Find out if Ben and Erica can survive to save their marriage in Missing in Maplewood, a standalone romantic suspense. 

My thoughts: It's easy to take advantage of the relationships we already have in life, even take them for granted. This story deals with a couple who have been married for several years experiencing a disconnect and thinking of divorcing.

Erica and Ben are good people who have gotten caught up in the world and their place in it. Erica is a mom who is grieving after a miscarriage and Ben is focusing on his career. They are not there for each other and provide zero support or empathy. Basically, they are married, live in the same home, and live separate lives.

What I liked about this book is that a crisis brings them together and they start to remember why they fell in love. All worldly aspects are removed and they have to focus on survival and working together. There is nowhere for them to hide from their emotions or from each other. There are so many emotions explored in this story.

The story is told from different points of view. The couple and their survival, and the family that is searching for them. It was great to get to know Erica's sister Bo better. She has been the elusive one in the series and I am coming to appreciate her more than I thought I would.

This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. I think I appreciated this book more because I have read the other books.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Purchase a copy from Amazon!

This title is available on Kindle Unlimited.

About the Author: (Taken from Goodreads) Elizabeth Bromke is the author of the Maplewood Sisters series, a five-book saga that follows the lives of four small-town sisters, each looking for happiness. In her stories, Bromke weaves together family dynamics and the triumphs and trials of modern relationships. With the recent success of Christmas on Maplewood Mountain, Bromke has established herself as an emerging voice in clean, contemporary romance. 

Elizabeth lives down the street from her parents in the mountains of Arizona. There, she enjoys her own happily-ever-after with her husband and young son.

Visit her Webpage!

Interested in the series?  All stories are available on Kindle Unlimited!

Pathways by Camille Peters

Pathways by Camille Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling

Book Description:  Eileen has never been interested in love. Ever since her father's abandonment, she's vowed to never experience such pain again. But the enchanted forest has different ideas. When the continuously shifting pathways lead her to a mysterious stranger, Eileen finds her promise to fiercely guard her heart increasingly difficult to keep. 

One night when she becomes lost in a storm, the enchanted forest's pathways lead her to the castle, home to the kingdom's Dark Prince, where Eileen finds herself entangled in what many consider an opportunity but which Eileen believes to be a curse: competing for the Dark Prince’s hand through a series of tests that judge one’s royal worth. Eileen is neither royal nor interested in becoming a princess. But the mysterious stranger she met in the woods has his own reasons for helping her succeed, although the cost of his assistance may be too high: that of Eileen's heart, the one thing she's vowed never to give. 

Inspired by “The Princess and the Pea” and "Rumpelstiltskin"


My thoughts: Forests have always been magical in my imagination. This book brings the magic and majesty of forests to life for me.

Eileen lives next to a magical forest that takes her to beautiful and exciting places. The forest loves her and protects her. The forest brings her to what it knows will bring her joy, when it took her to Aiden she felt betrayed, not knowing that the forest really was looking out for her and helping her.

Eileen's heart was shattered when her father left on a trip and never returned. She didn't want to let anyone in because she was afraid that they would eventually leave her and break her heart again. As the forest leads her to Aiden again and again, the wall she built begins to chip, opening up the possibility for a "happily ever after".

I really liked this book. It has the fairy-tale storyline that has always appealed to me. I loved the characters. Her friend Rosie was fun and playful, adding joy and hope to Eileen's life. Then there were the Prince and Princesses who became her friends at the castle. All through her journey in the book she had a wonderful support system who helped her through her trials.

Aiden, what to say about Aiden? He has secrets, but underneath all of the mystery surrounding him, he is a good person. I really liked where Camille Peters took this story. I loved the HEA, and I look forward to reading books of hers in the future.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Online Purchase Link:

Amazon

This title is available on Kindle Unlimited or 99 cents for a Kindle edition!

About the Author:  (Taken from Goodreads)  Camille Peters was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah where she grew up surrounded by books. As a child, she spent every spare moment reading and writing her own stories on every scrap of paper she could find. Becoming an author was always more than a childhood dream; it was a certainty.

Her love of writing grew alongside her as she took local writing classes in her teens, spent a year studying Creative Writing at the English University of Northampton, and graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English and History. She’s now blessed to be a full-time author.

When she’s not writing she’s thinking about writing, and when’s she’s not thinking about writing she’s…alright, she’s always thinking about writing, but she can also be found reading, playing board games with her family and friends, or taking long, bare-foot walks as she lives inside her imagination and brainstorms more tales.

Visit her Webpage!

Charlotte's Promise by Jennifer Moore ~ Blog Tour with a Giveaway!

Charlotte's Promise by Jennifer Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Book Description:  One year ago Charlotte Bower's life was ripped apart when Creek Indians attacked, killed her parents, and separated her from her young brother—now, she will stop at nothing to find him. After a year of captivity, she has finally made her escape. Her search will begin in New Orleans, where captives were taken after the raid. But how to reach a city hundreds of miles away? As she watches men boarding a waiting ship, Charlotte formulates a bold plan: if it's men they need for the ship's crew, it's a man they'll get. Taking on her childhood nickname, Charlie, it is all too easy to gain passage on the New Orleans-bound vessel. Easy, that is, until Charlie is caught . . .

From the moment he sets eyes on the new deckhand, Captain Alden Thatcher knows one thing for certain: Charlie Bower is no man. But for reasons of his own, he keeps her secret. As their journey progresses, however, the voyage is increasingly ill-fated. With danger ever present, Charlie and the captain find themselves relying on one another in ways they'd never imagined. As they draw closer to her goal, Charlotte is faced with the most perilous adventure of all—an adventure that may risk her heart.

My thoughts: This book is fascinating. I had no idea that people captured by tribes were sold into slavery?! It probably shouldn't have. History has proven that corrupt people make money off of the downtrodden and others like to have cheap labor at the expense of the health and wellbeing of those they enslave. Sorry, I shouldn't go off on a social thing during a review. :)

So, back to the book. Charlotte is an amazing woman. She is strong and has a good head on her shoulders. She works hard and is determined to find her brother who was taken from her after her parents were murdered. She is not to take on tasks that are hard and shows compassion to those who are not kind to her. Her love of her shipmates wins them over and she becomes a member of the crew, even though she is trying to hide the fact that she is a woman.

The romance is slow. Really, how could it be anything but slow? Alden trying to hide the fact that he knows she is female and Charlotte is trying to not let anyone know she is a woman. It is kind of a sticky situation.

This book contains action and adventure. The story is set during the War of 1812. Captain Alden Thatcher is trying to get his goods to New Orleans to sale, but they have to avoid the British and not become part of the conflict. That is not an easy task. The War of 1812 is not a popular setting for the books I like to read. My eyes were opened a bit to this tumultuous time in US history.

I love Jennifer Moore's writing style and her books. This was another great one to add to her work.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Deseret Book

About the Author: (Taken from Goodreads)  Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world, which includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that are anything but romantic. Jennifer has a BA in linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family.

Visit her Webpage!

Enter the Tour Giveaway:

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