Relz Reviewz ExtrasInterview with BethBeth's Author AlertVisit Beth's websiteLearn about the Debutantes' Story Soiree Book Launch
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Wish You Were Here by Beth K Vogt & US Giveaway
Friday, 20 April 2012
Getting to know Beth Vogt
delightful debutantes whose books are officially releasing this May.
Look for a series of upcoming interviews, character spotlights, giveaways and
reviews on my blog highlighting Beth, Dani Pettrey, Olivia Newport and Katie Ganshert
along with some spectacular news regarding the....

Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Author Alert ~ Beth Vogt
I'm delighted to introduce a non-fiction author and editor who vowed she’d never write fiction!
Beth Vogt is set to release her debut contemporary romance Wish You Were Here from Howard Books, in May, 2012. Here's how she first pitched her story to editors:
"What happens when a woman kisses her fiance's brother five days before the wedding? Which is the mistake? The wedding? Or the kiss?"
Synopsis:~
Still, kissing the groom's brother in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison's life is nothing but mistakes at this point. And pulling a "Runaway Bride" complete with stealing, er, borrowing her best friend's car doesn't seem to solve her problems.
Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Maybe she just needs to stop orchestrating everything. Allison prefers being the one in control, and giving it up is not going to be easy. But to find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her and find the strength to let Him lead.
Be sure to check out Beth's informative website to learn more and enjoy a favourite passage of Beth's from the opening of Wish You Were Here:
Waves of material billowed out from her waist, threatening to overwhelm her like a silken tsunami.
Relz Reviewz ExtrasVisit Beth's website
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Sharon Ewell Foster ~ FamilyFiction Plus
Relz Reviewz ExtrasVisit Sharon's websiteBuy Sharon's books at Amazon or Koorong
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Coming in 2012 from Howard Books
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
News & Notes
• Sleepless in Seattle 5-Pack Coffee Gift Set
• Seattle Space Needle Relax Du Mocha Cocoa 6 oz
• Washington Artisan Handwarmer Mug – Mossy Creek design
• Pacific Northwest Lemon Honey Creme – 11.8 oz
• Pacific Northwest Artisan Crackers – Parmesan Cayenne 5 oz
• Seattle-Made Garlic Obsession Dip 1 oz
• Washington Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon – 2 oz
• ‘Celebrate the Market’ Pike Place Kitchen Towel & Mitt Set
• Emerald City DVD (visual tour of everything from the Space Needle to the Pike Place Market)
• A personalized (you select the name) marble plaque, featuring Isaiah 43:18-19, Bailee’s favorite verse in House of Secrets
• A copy of Gems of Wisdom, written and signed by author Angie Breidenbach, a close friend of Tracie’s and the woman to whom House of Secrets is dedicated
• A signed copy of Eyes of the Heart, a devotional stories book by Tracie Peterson
• A hardbound copy of House of Secrets, signed by Tracie Peterson
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
To Die For by Sandra Byrd
Synopsis:~
To Die For, is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods on neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling at first, but as Anne’s favor rises and falls, so does Meg’s. And though she’s pledged her loyalty to Anne no matter what the test, Meg just might lose her greatest love—and her own life—because of it.
Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.
My take:~
From a contemporary rom com series to an indepth historical Tudor novel seems like quite a stretch for many a writer but Sandra Byrd manages it with delightful ease. To Die For is the retelling of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, wife to the volatile Henry VIII, as narrated by her closest friend, Meg Wyatt. Beautifully told, with attention to historical detail and cultural dialogue, this is a story that is intriguing and compelling. Meg's perspective of her friend's rise to power and her own developing story, as she struggles with the restrictions on women of the time and a heartbreaking love, are equally enjoyable. Sandra immerses the reader in Henry's court with all its seething suspicion and back room politics and the unimaginable lengths the he would go to in order to follow his passions and desperate desire for a legitimate male heir. To Die For heralds Sandra Byrd's triumphant entry into historical fiction and will appeal to aficiondos of Tudor novels and anyone who loves a great story.
With thanks to Howard for my review copy
Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Let Them Eat Cake and Bon Appetit
Character spotlight on Lexi Stuart
Interview with Sandra
Visit Sandra's website (well worth checking out for your daughters too!) and blog
Buy Sandra's books at Amazon and Koorong
Monday, 11 July 2011
Character Spotlight ~ Robin Jones Gunn's Bryan Spencer & Carolyn
Prolific author, Robin Jones Gunn is back with a contemporary tale set in the Canary Islands. Enjoy meeting her latest charaacters. Over to you, Robin:~
Brief physical description
Bryan is a youthful, midlife single dad from southern California. His only son, Todd Spencer, will be familiar to Christy Miller readers, since Todd is THE Todd in the Christy Miller series and the College Years series.
Carolyn is a young widow who feels like she fades into the background with her medium height and light brown hair.
Actor/famous person
Bryan resembles Dennis Quaid
Carolyn resembles Natasha Richardson but with darker hair
Strengths and weaknesses
Bryan: adventuresome, tender heart - weakness: avoids conflict
Carolyn: cares deeply for others, is creative - weakness: doesn't take care of herself
Your inspiration for the character
I’ve often heard writers talk about how they “hear” their characters’ voices as they’re writing. I know that’s true because that often happens when I’m working on a story. Katie seems to have one of the loudest voices in my head, but then, that’s no surprise considering her larger than life personality.
Here’s the interesting part. I had already written the first draft of this book and the hero was a man named Gabriel who was from the Canary Islands. He was nice and interesting but didn’t bring a lot of WOW to the book. I received all the reviews from my editors and first-draft readers and went back to work. When I got to the birthday party scene, I was rewriting the part where Carolyn looks up to see who was seated across the table from her and in my imagination I “saw” Bryan Spencer’s face and his steady, closed lip grin. That’s when I knew Carolyn had been pursued by the wrong man in the first version of the book! Gabriel needed to go find himself another woman. Carolyn and Bryan were perfect for each other.
I then went through and changed the whole book with Bryan as the hero. The story came alive. I couldn’t write fast enough. It was so fun to turn in the revision and hear the chorus of “YES!” from my editors and reader. Ahhh, love between the right two people is always such a beautiful thing to watch.
When I visited the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa a few years ago with my writer friend Anne deGraaf we had several extraordinary experiences. We took Flamenco Dance Lessons from a lovely instructor, Lydia, who invited us into her home and spoke affirming, life-giving words as she taught us to "dance from the stomach up". We visited the church where Christopher Columbus prayed before setting sail for the New World and we went for a camel ride!
After having all these amazing experiences in the Canary Islands I knew that one day I had to try to fit some of the details into a story. "Canary Island Song" is that story and I offer it to readers with a prayer that many of them, just like Carolyn, will "get your heart back".
Thanks for sharing, Robin :)
Relz Reviewz Extras
Review of Under A Maui Moon
Character spotlight on CarissaVisit Robin's website
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Forever After by Deborah Raney
Synopsis:~
A fire killed his best friend and his lifelong dream of being a firefighter. The same fire killed her husband and hopes for a family. Can new dreams replace old?
Lucas Vermontez was a proud firefighter like his father. Now, not only has he lost his father and his best friend, Zach, in the fire at the Grove Street homeless shelter, but the devoted rookie can no longer do the work he loves after being crippled in the tragic event. When friendship with his buddy’s beautiful widow turns into more, he wonders, what could he possibly offer Jenna? Jenna Morgan is trying to grieve her husband’s death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future.
Can the two forget the painful past and discover new reasons to live and love?
My take:~
I have always enjoyed Deborah Raney's books for their depth, authenticity and heartfelt message and her latest Hanover Falls novel, Forever After, has all those things in spades! Lucas and Jenna's love story is one of the most genuine and realistic I have read in a long time. Attraction, wariness, fear, excitement and conflict mark their interactions as they experience the ups and downs of love, discovering each others' strengths and weaknesses and making choices to stay the course. Jenna's meaningful but increasingly difficult relationship with her former in-laws and Luc's widowed mother's interest in another man provide great insight into families who have lost loved ones. Forever After is a rich and captivating story about overcoming grief and rediscovering love ~ don't miss it on what it has to offer.
With thanks to GlassRoad PR for my review copy
Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Bryn & Garrett
Reviews of Almost Forever, Beneath of Southern Sky, Remember to Forget and Leaving November
Visit Deb's website
Buy Deb's books at Amazon or Koorong
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt
Relz Reviewz Extras Reviews of Doesn't She Look Natural, She Always Wore Red and She's In A Better PlaceSynopsis:~
Three grown Southern sisters have nine marriages between them-and more loom on the horizon-when Ginger, the eldest, wonders if she's the only one who hasn't inherited what their family calls "the Grandma Gene": the tendency to like the casualness of courtship better than the intimacy of marriage. Could it be that her two sisters are fated to serially marry, just like their seven-times wed grandmother, Mrs. Lillian Irene Harper Winslow Goldstein Carey James Bobrinski Gordon George? It takes a "girls only" weekend, closing up Grandma's treasured beach house for the last time, for the sisters to really unpack their family baggage, examine their relationship DNA, and discover the true legacy their much-marrying grandmother left behind . .
My take:~
Women's fiction is rarely my first choice in reading material but if I'm going to pick one up it there is a good chance it will have Angela Hunt's name on the cover. The Fine Art of Insincerity is a serious and introspective look at the lives of sisters Ginger, Pennyroyal and Rosemary as they come to terms with their past and ponder the future before them. Angela skillfully creates unique characters with strengths and glaring weaknesses that impact their relationships with each other in positive and damaging ways. Realism infuses each of the characters and the circumstances they experience, reflecting issues many face every day, including fidelity, divorce, tragedy and grief. That said, I wished I had connected more with Ginger, Penny and Rosemary and their personal struggles which would have made me more satisfied with the story. Angela's prose is always top notch and fans of women's fiction will find much to enjoy and grapple with in this tale.
With thanks to GlassRoad PR for my review copy
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Angela Hunt & her "Share It With a Sister" contest
Check out Angela Hunt's latest contest, celebrating sisters and the release of her book, The Fine Art of Insincerity, releasing May, 2011.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Almost Forever by Deborah Raney
Synopsis:~
Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free?
Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam.
Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer..
My take:~
In this thought provoking and evocative novel, Deborah Raney displays her innate talent for authentic storytelling and in depth characterisation. Exploring themes of loss, grief, rage and guilt, Almost Forever is a gripping read that takes you on an emotional journey as the characters react to a community tragedy. Deborah does not shy away from the harsh realities of people altered by grief or unforgiveness and the impact it has on how they view God or the person they feel is responsible for their suffering. As in her previous books, Deborah allows her characters to explore life when it is untenable and when a small choice can lead to a devastating result. Yet it is Almost Forever's underlying message of hope and healing that culminates in a satisfying and refreshing ending. I am eagerly awaiting Lucas' story in the the next Hanover Falls novel, Forever After.
With thanks to Howard Books for my review copy
Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Bryn & Garrett
Reviews of Beneath of Southern Sky, Remember to Forget and Leaving November
Visit Deb's website
Buy Deb's books at Amazon or Koorong
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Under A Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn ~ Tracy's Take
Carissa doesn't know who she is anymore. She and her husband, Richard, are recent empty nesters; Richard is spending more and more time at work counseling his volatile clients and less time at home with his wife; his clients are starting to show up at the house at night causing Carissa to feel scared in her own home; and to top it all off, Carissa's boss informs her that she's been "let go." She wonders where God is in all of this since He doesn't seem to be around to protect her—and she's already stopped trusting her husband.
In the midst of her world tilting off center, she's offered time at a hideaway on Maui. Hiding seems like the best way to respond to life's overload, and the thought of being alone sounds like just the right balm to soothe her wounded heart.
The languid Hawaiian sun, white beaches, and warm-hearted people bring respite, but meeting handsome Kai causes Carissa to toy with the idea of being romantically involved with him. Then, under a Maui moon, she looks to God for guidance and hope for the future. That's when she discovers His hand still is on her life, and that love is closer than she ever realized.
What I thought:
‘Under a Maui Moon’ is a splendid example of Robin Jones Gunn’s talent and skill, as she takes you on a journey to paradise, with trouble brewing just under the surface.
With a strong character-driven story, I was immediately invested in the outcome of the challenges Carissa faces. She is such an authentic and realistic character, making this novel difficult to put down. I admired Carissa’s brave choice to spend some time on her own all the way across the Pacific in order to find some perspective for all that was swirling around her. Whilst I’m not sure I would have made such an adventurous decision, Robin demonstrates that God is in the unusual moments of life and uses what is around us to point us in the right direction.
Robin Jones Gunn uses Carissa’s experiences to illuminate God’s gentleness and love for us, with a softly delivered rebuke and healing of an injured heart. When we truly seek Him in all circumstances of life, He will guide us.
With thanks to Wynn~Wynn Media for Tracy's review copy
Guest reviewer:~ My friend Tracy from Beyond My Picket Fence
Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Carissa
Visit Robin's website