Had To Be You by Juliet Chatham Blog Tour & Book Review + Win the Book and a Amazon.com Gift Card!

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

After college, Rory Finn left behind the familiarity of her quiet, picturesque hometown to pursue a professional career in the city. With her sights firmly on the future, Rory pressed on in hopes of forgetting the past until a jarring bit of unwelcome news forces her to confront it. 

Her first love, the one she'd tried so hard to forget, is about to marry someone else. That pang Rory feels isn't envy, it's not even regret. It's love. But Rory can't be that girl. She won't. But if she doesn't, she'll never know what could have been. She'll never have another chance to tell him how she feels. 

As she embarks on an impulsive, desperate bid to win him back, her mission turns into an unexpected and emotional journey of rediscovery. Had To be You explores a history of love from its tentative beginnings to what may just turn out to be its final bittersweet end, as Rory ignores her head and follows her heart. 

About the book-

I think anyone who hasn't married the first person they fell in love with, which is probably the majority of people, have given a thought or two to their first love. I think it is why stories like this are so swoon worthy and easy to read. It is fun to root for unrequited love. The further on in this story I got, the more I wanted to scream at Rory that she didn't deserve Matt. There were so many chances he gave her and she broke his heart over and over and here she is showing up at his wedding because she can't let him go. Why couldn't she figure that out before he is about to get married? The further on I read, I did begin to feel a little sympathetic toward Rory, as we find out some of the reasons she is the way she is, but still! Her constantly sabotaging the relationship she has with Matt drives me batty. This book is in kind of the same vein as one of my favorite books of all time Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern. The story in both of these books begins in childhood and grows into adulthood. It is really cool to watch a relationship, even if it is fictional, grow over so many years and through so many different stages of life. I will warn some of my more conservative readers that there is some explicit language and dialogue, but I would recommend Had To Be You to anyone who enjoys a romance or loves reminiscing about first loves.

Had To Be You is available on Amazon.com.

About the Juliet Chatham-

Juliet Chatham is a life long New Englander who divides her time between the North Shore and Cape Cod. Her favorite things are beaches, boats, books, bars, the Boston Red Sox and boys, but not necessarily in that order.

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Seagrass Pier by Colleen Coble Blog Tour & Book Review + Enter to Win a Kindle Fire HDX

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Elin Summerall was one of the lucky ones. Not only did she get a heart transplant, but the donor was a perfect fit. A miraculously perfect fit. But when Elin begins having violent flashbacks---and vivid dreams of being strangled---she realizes that she has been the recipient of more than just a new heart . . . Elin is remembering her donor's murder. Her strange affliction has attracted some unwanted attention: from the press, from the authorities . . . and from the killer himself. Now, living alone with her young daughter and aging mother, Elin is being stalked---by a man she's only met in her nightmares. The police are dubious of her story, but one off-duty FBI agent is eager to help her: Agent Marc Everton, the father of Elin's daughter. Of course, he doesn't know about that. Yet. Now, in a remote cottage on Hope Island, Elin and Marc must probe the secrets buried in her borrowed heart. And there's no time to waste. One man is desperate to silence her---before she remembers too much.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/xAP8O

My thoughts-

I really enjoyed "Seagrass Pier". To me, the best sort of books are the ones that keep you turning pages and keep you on your toes with where the plot is going to go. I definitely did not see certain twists coming and I liked the unique storyline of Elin's new heart giving her visions and thoughts about the person who murdered the person who gave it to her. It is interesting to think about how receiving someone else's organs might affect someone, that is something I had never really thought of before. I could tell right away that there would be an interesting tension between Elin and Marc and I was curious to see if that would go anywhere as well. Colleen Coble has done a great job here of keeping this reader engaged in this characters that jump off of the pages and come to life in my head. If the interesting dynamic between Marc and Elin couldn't have held my attention, trying to figure out who is harassing Elin most certainly would have. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys 

About the author-

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble's addictive brand of romantic suspense.

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Colleen Coble's Website

Don’t miss Colleen Coble‘s latest release in the Hope Beach series, Seagrass Pier. The book releases July 1st, and Colleen's publisher is offering the ebook at a special pre-order price of just $4.99 between now and 6/30 everywhere ebooks are sold.

PLUS . . . between 6/9 – 6/30 Colleen will be hosting a Kindle giveaway.

One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire HDX
• Seagrass Pier and the rest of the Hope Beach series by Colleen Coble

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 30th. Winner will be announced on Colleen's blog on July 1st.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning and be sure to stop by Colleen's blog on July 1st to see if you won!

Happy to be Alive, Because by Chelsea Jacobs Blog Tour + Book Review

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book: 

Avery is a seventeen-year-old girl whose reality has just been shattered by the death of her mother. Feeling a desperate need to flee from what has become her life, she follows a travel plan meant for her mom and her that leads her to the little beach town where her mom grew up. It's there that she meets a group of three adventurous friends who adopt her into their circle, allowing her to experience a summer she never thought would be possible after suffering such a great loss. Unfortunately, her summer full of experiences threatens to end abruptly when she realizes that one of the three has a secret that causes her to question everything about the new life she has been building.

Avery must learn to balance her grief and her desire for a future in order to achieve her mother's final wish for her: That she would be happy to be alive.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/xlD3V

My thoughts-

There are some books you pick up that you just don't put down until you finish reading them. For me, this was one of those books. Happy to be Alive, Because arrived on my doorstep just days before I was going to take a road trip with my 3 kids and my husband and I knew it would be the perfect book to keep me company on our journey. While I am blessed to still have my mother, I did lose my grandmother while I was still in high school and I know how Earth shattering and all-consuming losing one of the closest relationships you have abruptly at a time when things can already be so difficult is, so I could relate to Avery in some ways. I loved every page turning minute of the book. The moment that Chelsea goes to the town her mom is from and meets her new friends and a new love, I was hooked. I love the interactions between the group of friends and getting to know each of them. This is the type of book that by the end, you are sad to be leaving these people you just got to know because you want to get to know them even more, but the greatest part of this book was the journal she discovered from her mother. The journal entries really tied together the whole story. Finally, the quaint beach town that Happy to be Alive, Because was set in cements this for me as a to-read book for this summer. If you are a fan of books like Cecilia Ahern's P.S. I Love you, you will love Happy to be Alive, Because. 

About the author: 

Chelsea grew up with an immense love for words---both reading them and writing them. She obtained her degree in English and has spent the time since then getting married to her high school sweetheart and chasing adventure so she'll have something to write about. When she's not drinking copious amounts of coffee while writing, she spends her time reading, playing with her puppy named Gatsby, and dreaming, always dreaming.

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The Beloved Daughter by Alana Terry Blog Tour and Book Review + Enter to Win a Kobo Mini!

*Disclosure of material connection- I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

The Beloved Daughter, an inspirational suspense novel by award-winning author Alana Terry, is a story of persecution and triumph set in the oppressive North Korean regime.

About the book-

Synopsis: In a small North Korean village, a young girl struggles to survive. It is her father's faith, not the famine of North Hamyong Province, that most threatens Chung-Cha's well-being. The Beloved Daughter follows Chung-Cha into one of the most notorious prison camps the contemporary free world has known. Her crime? Being the daughter of a Christian.

The Beloved Daughter has won awards from Women of Faith and the Book Club Network. It was also a #1 amazon bestseller in Christian suspense and is the top-rated ebook in several different kindle categories. The Beloved Daughter is available in kindle or paperback. You can also get the audiobook narrated by four-time Audie award-winner Kathy Garver.

My Thoughts: 
 
This book was gut-wrenching from the start. The story is about Chang-Cha, a 12 year old girl in North Korea and how she ends up in a prison camp because her father is a Christian who refuses to renounce his faith. Prison Camp 22 is an awful place to be. It is already just gut wrenching to think of someone being in a prison camp simply because they believe in God, but the treatment of these prisoners and the things this 12 year old girl has to go through are things nobody should ever have to go through, let alone a child. These types of novels, fictionalized versions of things that are true to life and horrible, are hard to read, but read them we must if for anything to pray for the people that are in these situations in real life and pray that things will change in countries like North Korea. Back to the story- Chang-Cha goes through everything you can possibly imagine, even at the tender age of 12, in this prison camp. She suffers a betrayal by someone she thinks of as a friend (and you will feel bad for that situation too, because that character is also a child just trying to stay alive) she suffers ridicule and shame at the hands of the guards, feeling as though she has to give herself over in ways she isn't prepared for just to make sure she is given a decent amount of food. Chang-Cha also understandable so, struggles with her own thoughts about faith and Christianity and some of the most interesting parts of the book are her coming to terms with what she believes, with some wise words from an old woman she is imprisoned with at one point. Although it is difficult to read, Beloved Daughter is very well written. Alana Terry has done a great job with these characters and making the reader feel like they can feel how Chang-Cha and the other characters in the book feel as they go through the surreal motions of being held prisoner. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read fictionalized accounts of possible real life situations or likes to read books written by Christiana authors.


Order your own copy of The Beloved Daughter.

About the author-

Alana Terry is getting ready to release her next novel, Slave Again, about a North Korean refugee who escapes prison camp only to get trafficked across the border.

Alana is giving away free copies of her next release to anyone who makes a donation to Liberty in North Korea, an organization dedicated to rescuing refugees who escape North Korea. She's also giving away a Kobo Mini e-reader and several copies of Slave Again, so be sure to enter the giveaway below!



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