• Second Helpings: A Humorous Contemporary Novel

Can her marriage be saved?

Today is Jocelyn Johnson’s forty-fifth birthday. Unhappy with her marriage of twenty-two years, she has planned a noonday tryst with her talk-show cohost. A phone call from her college daughter, a peek into her teenaged son’s journal, a sick preschooler, a Goth daughter’s identity crisis, a middle-school son’s prank, and her husband’s inflamed suspicions, not only interfere with her hopeful birthday plans but throw her family into more chaos than a circus on steroids.

In desperate need of counsel, Jocelyn invites a Christian, her guest from her morning talk-show segment, to dinner. However, the evening holds little promise of calm. In the midst of bedlam, a forgotten faith rekindles causing Jocelyn to rethink her life and her marriage.

You will laugh and you will cry from the first page to the last as you journey through the day’s events and Jocelyn’s search for Second Helpings.

my point of view:

I want to start off by telling you this is my very first post for Celebrite Lit Bloggers and I am honored to be here, I thank you very much for the opportunity. I was a little surprised by the start of the story, not having read anything by this author before.

This story is fairly fast paced, and other than the epilougue, it all takes place in one super jam packed day. The chaos of the main characters 45th birthday is a lot to take in, and in all honesty, I was a little nervous about the beginning of the story. A woman married for 20+ years contemplating having an affair with a co-worker is truly not my “cup of tea”. Getting to know her husband and children in the middle of all the conflict is intense and you find yourself caught up in all the drama quickly! However, once you get pulled into this family’s dynamics, you find yourself invested in what is happening with her marriage and children and needing to know how this will come about!

For me, Naomi is the bright light and shining star of the novel….I absolutely adored her! In the midst of the storm, she is the anchor that manages to right the ship and set Jocelyn and her family on the right course. Seeing the turn around and how Jocelyn embraces her faith once again is truly inspiring. I was quite pleased with the journey.

About Linda Wood Rondeau   

A Single Christian Mother Romance

With a life marred by painful experiences, Abigail Walsh is just a good single mom trying her best. Though she has made her share of mistakes along the way, she trusts that God has a plan for her life and with the broken pieces of her heart. When she meets a man who stirs the depths of her soul, Abby hopes that he’s a gift from God, and not just another heartbreak waiting to happen.

For Wyatt Fuller, the last five years in Lincoln City has been a game of hiding from the heartache endured by losing the only woman he had ever loved. When he is not hiding, he longs to understand the real meaning of life. He longs to discover lasting beauty in a world that is passing away. A chance encounter with a man on a beach leads to meeting a woman who would challenge him to the core of who he is and what he knows to be true.

One Chance At Forever is a realistic Christian story filled with romance and deals with difficult subjects such as: grief over losing a spouse, unbelief, and a Christian learning to trust in God’s timing. Inspired by the Word of God and real-to-life people, this story shines a light into the darkness.

my point of view:

First off, let me say I am a weakling when it comes to single mom stories, maybe becasue I was a single mom for many years, but really, anything with children in a story goes straight to my heart strings.

I adored Abigail and how ard she tried to hold herself together to be a parent for her little girl. It’s not easy when everyone around you thinks they know best how you should raise your own child…she works hard and she gives to the Lord, sure she’s made mistakes, but who hasn’t?

Enter Wyatt – what a tough nut to crack he turned out to be! I truly love reading books where the main charachter takes a faith journey, and Wyatt’s was certainly one of the best I have ever read. Reading how he truly researches God to determine His existance was beautiful to me.

I was taken in by all the characters in this story and am so very blessed to have been able to read it, I sincerely encourage you to take a look into reading it for yourself!

About T.K. Chapin                                        

Let these three sweet romances sweep you away to a small town where neighbors care about each other and love awaits three unlikely couples.

SEASON OF HOPE. Redemption and opposites-attract romance! A single mother’s quiet life with her little daughter is disrupted when a notorious former football player moves next door. Angry and lost after forced retirement, he surprises himself by getting involved in a small community and falling for his redhead neighbor. Can they help each other heal, or will their hearts be broken again?

SEASON OF FAITH. Second chance and best friends to love romance! Meeting her high school sweetheart, whom this small-town girl left nearly a decade ago, opens old wounds—and rekindles old feelings. While her insecurities war with the hope for a second chance, she gets a great job offer—in Germany. Can she believe that love exists even for geeks like her? Or will she leave her heart behind in her hometown again?

SEASON OF AMOR. Mistaken identity and woman in jeopardy romance! Dumped by her boyfriend on the way to their vacation without her purse or ID, a workaholic doctor lands in a puddle of beer and sprains her ankle. A local nurse helps her, considering her a homeless drunk. Soon he realizes his mistakes and is drawn to an attractive doctor with a tragic past. But when deadly threats start, will they find love or danger together?

SEASON OF HOPE and SEASON OF AMOR were previously published as solos. SEASON OF HOPE was also published in IN LOVE BY CHRISTMAS set.

my point of view:

I know this will come as no surprise to many of you who read this blog, but, in case you didn’t know – Alexa Verde is one of my favorite authors! These three stories all together in one set is too good to pass up, and at only .99 cents or free in Kindle Unlimited, you don’t have to! I promise you will fall in love with this Small Town and be looking for more of these stories set in rios Azules. 

Alexa Verde’s books are always filled with amazing romance and are Full of Faith in every sense of the word! I get such an inspiration while reading these great books, makes me wish I could live in a small town and have an amazing community to live in. You will be swept away by the characters and the place so much so that everything around you fades away. I don’t just become swept away, but fully immersed in these characters lives that they feel like true friends.

About Alexa Verde                    

Alexa Verde is offerring a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter on this post! So tell us what “sweeps” youo away when reading an inspirational story to enter! The contest will run for two full weeks, ending on 07/27/2020 at 6pm. Winner will be notified via email, good luck to all of you!

Just out of college and completely alone in the world, Maggie Montgomery has one shot left to save her life from an abyss of poverty and hopelessness. Clinging to the last shred of fuel and hope, she arrives at the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer. Although Maggie is clearly not what Mr. Ayer and his wife have in mind for a nanny, they agree to hire her temporarily until they can find someone more appropriate to fill the position. However, Maggie’s whole world is about to be up-ended by two way-over-scheduled children and one incredibly handsome hired hand. As she struggles to fit into a world she was never made to fit in, Maggie wonders if she can ever learn to become a perfect version of herself so she can keep the job, or is she doomed to always be searching for a life she can never quite grasp?

Keith Ayer despises his life. As the son of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer and the fiance to a Senator from Texas’ daughter, it looks great on the outside, but inside, he is dying. He would vastly prefer to manage and train his father’s racehorses. However, everyone else thinks that is beneath him. He needs to get into industry and build on his father’s success. Suffocating under the constrictions of his life, he meets Maggie who begins to teach him that wealth and power is not everything in this life. But can Keith defy the most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?

my point of view:

I have had the privilege of reading many of Staci’s novels, and I so enjoyed this one from start to finish! Staci has a way of developing such depth in characters that you feel you know their very soul. Maggie is a beautiful character, inside and out, and she has such a heart for God! Her childhood was so painful, but she never gives up her faith and hope for her future.

Keith is a walking mess, lol, wanting to please his father and gain approval for so long that he is ready to give up all his hopes and dreams to win the favor of his father. You cannot help but love him and want him to find his way. Keith has suffered a huge loss in his childhood as well, and when he and Maggie meet they find in each other a kindred spirit. One of my favorite things in stories is children, and the adorable Peter and Isabella will melt your heart!

Watching Maggie and Keith grow close and seeing how they both learn to truly open their hearts to the doors God has ready for them was a joy. I am so pleased I was able to find this story and write this review! I hope you all will take a chance on reading this amazing novel – it’s only 99 cents on Amazon right now, and I promise you, it is well worth it!

About Staci Stallings             

 Before Summer’s End (The Mosaic Collection)

Home should be the place you run to for shelter from the world, but what if the family members who should love and protect you are the ones who have hurt you the most?

Johnnie Alexander — A Stranger Comes to Springlight
Brenda S. Anderson — Hot Cocoa Summers
Eleanor Bertin — Grounded
Sara Davison — Ten Bottles of Sand
Deb Elkink — Blue Genes
Stacy Monson — A Summer of Reckoning
Marion Ueckermann — In an English Vintage Garden

When trust is shattered between brothers and sisters, parents and children, or husbands and wives, will God bless their tentative steps back to each other by healing and restoring the most important relationships in their lives?

my point of view:

This is by far one of the best collection of unrelated stories I have read. These authors are all so inspiring and bring such different styles of writing to us in one incredible book. I have been blessed to ‘know’ and read several of these authors in the past, but there definitely new to me authors in this collection as well. I am always thrilled when I get to meet a new Christian writer. I am certainly looking forward to reading more stories from all of these fantastic authors!

Each book in this collection is unique and brings you new characters, locations and struggles. Reading the journeys of these heroes and heroines as they face difficulties in their lives was very touching for me. I so enjoyed each novella in the collection that I was sad to see them end….but was happy to start the next one in line, lol! The best thread of the whole collection, is of course, always being able to lean on our Lord for guidance. All of the stories are based on relationships, mother – daughter, sibling, friends turned to romance….they each take you on a journey through a period in their lives that they have struggled through. I am so grateful to have found this amazing anthology!

About The Mosaic Collection          

A long-kept secret is finally revealed…

Maddie Cutler loathes her status as baby sister to her three rugged brothers. Her zest to prove she’s equally capable of running the family business leads to an accident that shuts down Clover Cove’s business district and makes her the laughingstock of the entire town.

Gunner Holt has a secret…a mistake from the past that nearly stole his future. Not a soul in Clover Cove knows his transgression, and Gunner plans to keep it that way.

Until Maddie Cutler plows through his garage, nearly demolishing the life he’s worked to rebuild—and the wall he’s erected around his heart.

Will the truth drive Maddie away…or draw her closer?

my point of view:

I truly enjoyed this story of Mary Manners! She has such a fun way of writing, that you feel taken into the story from the very beginning. Getting to know Maddie and Gunner made my heart smile…they are an awesome couple, and how can you not smile at how they meet? The title of this story won me over immediately, my favorite flower is gardenias and, hey, who doesn’t need to receive (or give) grace at any given time? We all have issues from our past we need to face and work through, going on this journey with Gunner and Maddie was a sweet ride, and a great reminder we always need to follow where God leads us – especially if He makes us ‘crash’ into a building to get our attention!

About Mary Manners    

Warning: This book deals with loss by suicide and the grief a family endures.

Life has been comfortable for the Miller family. Liz and Josh have devoted their lives to raising their two sons. Their oldest son, Colby, reached adulthood and set out on his own. A few hard knocks sent him back to live with Mom and Dad, until life got to be too much, that is. As Liz and Josh grapple with the hole in their hearts left by Colby’s early departure from this world, they find themselves at odds with one another and with their faith.

Will they remember that Jesus is enough in the middle of this dark storm? Will they see through their own pain and help each other and their teenage son, Tyler, learn to live despite the grief?

my point of view:

I don’t know if I can come up with the right words to tell you all how powerful this book is. The emotional highs and lows the author takes you on is so inspiring it will bring you to your knees. I am rather shocked to learn this is the authors first book, it is extremely well written, and you are swept away from the very first page.

The trials this family goes through is absolutely heartbreaking, but seeing how each family member deals with grief is powerful in so many ways. While I am blessed, and thank God daily, that I have never experienced what the Miller family has in this story, I know that this tragedy happens every single day to families all over the world. No one is immune to the heartbreak they suffer.

One of the things I found most intriguing is how the story takes you into the point of view for all three family members, Liz, Josh and their teenage son, Tyler. We all deal with grief in different ways in in our own stages, but seeing a family going through the same tragedy is fascinating. You all know I love a good romance, and while this story is not really a romance, there is a beautiful thread throughout it while Liz and Josh deal with their grief and hurt…guilt and blame…and their faith in God to find their way back to each other. I highly encourage you to take chance on this new author and her first book, just have your tissues near by!

About Regina Walker         

Regina Walker is generously offerring to do a giveaway of one ebook version for We Go On AND a $5.00 AMAZON GIFT CARD! Simply comment below and tell us what makes you take a chance on a brand new author’s first book? Winner will be notified via email, contest is open for one week from publication!

“A heartwarming story about fresh starts: about finding the courage to hope and trust again; the grace to forgive; and a faith not only for the future, but for ‘this day’ as well.” -Advance review

Three kids. Two broken hearts. One chance to become a family.

Isabel has three simple rules: Keep moving. No friends. No men. It’s the only way to keep herself and her daughter safe. But when she arrives in the small town of Hope Springs, she finds that she suddenly wants to break all the rules. Especially when it comes to a certain sweet single dad.

Tyler has one goal: Keep his boys from ever getting hurt again. That’s why he avoids dating, women, or anything having to do with love. So why does the mysterious single mother who works at his family’s orchard have him rethinking everything?

As Isabel starts to think of Hope Springs as home, Tyler starts to think of her as more than a friend. But when Isabel’s past comes to light, her fears and his doubts are tested in new ways. Will they give in to the fear and pain of the past–or can they turn it all over to God and trust him to give them a future?

Not Until This Day is an emotional story of faith, forgiveness, and most of all, trust in God’s perfect love.

my point of view:

I cannot begin to tell you how powerfully this story has touched me…the very core of me! I have had the pleasure of reading all of Valerie Bodden’s series to date, but this one went straight to the heart of me. Sadly, the story of Isabel’s circumstances is not a new one, parts of which I have experienced first hand. Seeing her bravery in trying to keep not just herself safe, but her daughter as well will, as the saying goes, ‘give you all the feels’.

Not just for Isabel, either, but Tyler will get you straight in the heart too! If you have read the previous Hope Springs books you will remember Tyler well, and the amazing cherry orchard! Ah, what I wouldn’t give to visit Wisconsin in cherry season! The setting is of course wonderful, seeing a glimpse of the previous friends in the stories past is lovely, but this book can certainly stand on it’s own as well! Both of these amazing characters must face their past in order to look forward to the future God has in store for them, and believe me – it’s not an easy journey!

Valerie’s books are wonderful Christian romances, but God and Faith are ALWAYS at the center of the story! I cannot give away too much, as I want you to read it for yourself, but I promise you, if you have a love of Christian romances (and if you don’t, why are you here?? lol!) then you will truly adore this series and story as much as I did!

About Valerie M. Bodden:

Is her change of heart real, or is it just another role?

New York City actress, Natalie Rivers is a taker. She found out years ago that she has to look out for herself because no one else will. But when she loses a coveted role and her home in the same day, she is forced to take a painful look at her life and attitude. She struggles through her crisis alone, until her path collides with an eccentric pair of friends who show her the unexpected beauty of caring for others.

In the midst of finding love and a sense of purpose, Natalie’s perspective is changing. But when the heartbreak and mistakes of her past catch up with her, she will have to answer an important question: is new life possible or is she simply playing a part?

my point of view:

I have been a fan of Chloe’s work for a while now, and even had the great pleasure of meeting her in person in January 2019! This lovely author has a really unique way of getting inside your heart and soul! This is her first Potter’s House venture, but she brings us the tale of a character that is so flawed and in need of redemption that it fits this series perfectly!

Most of us who enjoy Christian Fiction like the stories of wholesome characters that have a deep relationship with Our God….sure, they stray and need to be led back on the path at times, but rarely do we come across a character like Natalie. I’ll be brutally honest here – I didn’t like Natalie – at first – and kinda wanted to hold on to my attitude towards her behavior. You know, selfish, maybe spoiled to a point, very proud of her looks and self centered. We get enough of that in real life, who wants to read about it from her own point of view, lol?

Well, let me tell you – this book had me crying real tears! The faith journey is different for everyone, but going along for Natalie’s redemption was absolutely wonderful. I am so grateful that I had the chance to get to read this amazing book of faith. There is romance in here too, but honestly, the redemption journey that Natalie goes through is so touching you don’t even need the love story. We all can take a lesson from this book and look into our hearts and maybe learn to be a little more tolerant of others, we never really know what they have been through to bring them to this moment in time. I highly recommend any of Chloe’s novels, but if you need a starting off point, jump right in here!

About Chloe Flanagan