RELEASE TOUR: First Glance (A Boxed Set of 13 Romances)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: Last Light by CJ Lyons

Welcome to another exciting tour with Novel Publicity. Today we're pleased to share an interview with our featured author, CJ Lyons! In this interview, we’d like to dive deeper into the world of FBI agent Lucy Guardino, and CJ's novel, LAST LIGHT. The characters, setting, and themes along with what makes them tick, and who was the loudest character that just wouldn’t shut up!

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For readers that are new to you, can you tell us a bit about this collection of books and introduce us to Lucy Guardino?
CJ: I created Lucy because I was tired of reading thrillers featuring female FBI agents who were driven by angst, fleeing demons, fighting addiction, stalked by serial killers, or with dark, forbidden secrets, etc–all things that would never allow them to do their job effectively in the real world. As a woman who has always worked in a male dominated field (Emergency Medicine), I wanted to create a main character I could relate to. Someone facing the same kind of struggles balancing work and family and who was “real.” So, I thought, why not go as real as it gets? How about a Pittsburgh soccer mom, who has a loving and supportive family? No angst, no dark past, no addictions or demons…Just the very real need to do her job the best she can while also giving her family as much love and attention as possible. Of course, I can’t go too easy on her, so during her early adventures with the FBI, I give her the worst possible job, tracking pedophiles and sex offenders. The fact that she happens to be good at it only makes her life more complicated because she fights a constant battle of protecting her family from her work.

Can these books be read out of order, or are they better read by publication date?
CJ: The first six Lucy books, the Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers are best read in order: SNAKE SKIN, BLOOD STAINED, KILL ZONE, AFTER SHOCK, HARD FALL, BAD BREAK. I’m striving to design the new Lucy books, the Beacon Falls Mysteries, so that they can easily be read out of order.

Your website has lots of resources for writers, research links from stories you’ve done and extras. Research obviously plays a big role in your writing. Can you tell us about how you begin researching for writing a thriller?
CJ: All of the Lucy books center around true life crimes and criminals, so I read a ton of police newsletters, follow the FBI news stream, press releases, and their official Law Enforcement Bulletin to get an idea about the kinds of cases they’re focusing their efforts on and any strange twists that they’ve taken. I’ve also visited Quantico twice and have interviewed many FBI agents as well as other law enforcement professionals. For the Beacon Falls series, I have the luxury of using cold cases—and since they’re by definition unsolved, I can use my imagination to provide my own unique answer. I don’t go searching for the perfect crime to use in a Lucy story, it comes to me…guess it’s a good thing there are so many crazy criminals out there wreaking havoc! (something only a thriller writer could say!)

LAST LIGHT has a warning, is this more tongue in cheek, or have you had readers complain about the depiction of violence in your books?
CJ: I never include gratuitous violence in my books, but I do depict what violence there is in a very honest way, especially the emotional impact—all my years working as a victim’s advocate demand that. I began placing that warning on the first Lucy book, Snake Skin, years ago when it was a #1 on several Amazon bestseller lists, including Mystery. I’d noticed that despite its overwhelming popularity and rave reviews, including many from former FBI and law enforcement officers, I was getting strange one star reviews complaining that the reader had been expecting a cozy mystery and by gosh, there was blood and bodies and violence in this book, how could that be when it was the #1 Mystery? My one rule of writing is that I always strive to excite and delight my readers and obviously, for whatever reason, these readers were not my readers. I decided it was better to lose a sale than disappoint a reader. Snake Skin already had a snake lunging off the cover (a very large, scary snake, in fact!), its subtitle was: a Lucy Guardino Thriller, and the series name using the word “Thriller” was also already right there on the top of the product page in big, bold letters, so I was at a loss of how to prevent readers from buying a book that wasn’t what they expected. I crafted that warning and added it to the top of the product description. It has seemed to work…so far, at least.

In the latest Lucy Guardino novel LAST LIGHT, Lucy has left the FBI to work with a private consulting firm on cold cases. Are there really consulting firms like this operating in the US, or are private detectives more a figment of our imagination?
CJ: Yes. The Beacon Group is a fictionalized composite of several private and non-profit organizations that exist in real life. These groups, such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NAMUS, the Polaris Project, and the Vidocq Society among others, assist overworked and overwhelmed law enforcement agencies even though they have no police powers. They are the true unsung heroes and I hope that Lucy’s team serves to shine a light on their amazing work.

Lucy is a very strong female lead character, who are her supporting characters, and could you introduce us to a couple of your favorites to write?
CJ: Fan favorites of Lucy’s current cast of characters include Nick, her loving husband, and the closest thing Lucy has to a nemesis, teenaged-sociopath and daughter of a serial killer, Morgan Ames. Readers loved Morgan so much (she was introduced in BLOOD STAINED and reappeared in KILL ZONE) that I gave her her own spin-off story in FIGHT DIRTY. I’m hoping to find time to write more Morgan stories in the future as readers can’t seem to get enough of her quest to learn how to stop killing and live life as a “Norm.” In Lucy’s new Beacon Falls series, we get to meet new characters. I think readers will especially resonate with TK O’Connor, the brash, young former Marine MP who was embedded with front-line special ops troops in Iraq and Afghanistan—something that actually happened as the military recognized the utility of having women involved in these dangerous missions. TK has returned from the war with no home or family left and no mission to guide her, so her partnership with Lucy and the others at Beacon Falls becomes more than just a job, but a chance to finally find her place in the world.

If Lucy were in the boxing ring with one of your other series leads, which series would it be, who would win the match and why?
CJ: Cassandra Hart from the Hart and Drake Medical Suspense series is going for a black belt in Kempo and she’s younger than Lucy, so Lucy wouldn’t win a straight out boxing match—but Lucy, being older and wiser, would find a way to de-escalate things before it ever came to that.

What do you think makes a good thriller a great read? Is it lots of action, suspense, multiple plot lines, or something else?
CJ: Great thrillers have all of those, but the main thing is the ever-increasing stakes the characters face until their entire world is at risk and they must sacrifice everything to save it. A good thriller is more than escapism, it makes you think: what would I be willing to do if that was me? In a way, they can teach us how to be heroes, even if it’s only through the vicarious experience of enjoying a good story.

We don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone, but we do want to ask...when you were writing the story, did it always end the same way, or did you have alternate endings?
CJ: The killer was always the same person but that’s all I knew when I began writing. As a seat of the pants writer, I never know the ending when I begin, all I know is whether it will be a happy ending or a tragic one. After all, if I’m surprised by the twists that happen, then readers will be as well.

Thanks for joining us today CJ!

About the Books

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CJ Lyons. For fans of Lisa Gardner, Tami Hoag, and Jeffery Deaver: "Everything a great thriller should be--action packed, authentic, and intense." ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child After leaving the FBI, life should be easy, right? Wrong--not if you're Lucy Guardino. Lucy has always seen herself as a normal Pittsburgh soccer mom who happened to have a job chasing the worst of the worst. But after a violent predator targets her family and she's injured, Lucy sacrifices her career with the FBI in order to keep her family safe. What is she now that she's no longer a FBI Special Agent? she wonders as she begins her new job with the Beacon Group, a private consulting firm that specializes in cold cases and bringing justice to forgotten victims.Lucy fears she's traded being a kick-ass law enforcement officer for being a civilian mother hen shepherding a team of amateurs. What is she now that she's no longer a FBI Special Agent? she wonders as she begins her new job with the Beacon Group, a private consulting firm that specializes in cold cases and bringing justice to forgotten victims.Lucy fears she's traded being a kick-ass law enforcement officer for being a civilian mother hen shepherding a team of amateurs. Her fears appear justified when she's partnered with TK O'Connor, a former Marine MP struggling with her transition to life back home, and sent to rural Texas to investigate a case that's more than cold, it's already been closed with the killers behind bars for the past twenty-nine years. But...who really killed Lily Martin, her infant daughter, and husband? Why was an entire family targeted for annihilation? What price will Lucy pay when she fights to expose a truth people will kill to keep buried? LAST LIGHT is the seventh Lucy Guardino novel, but they can be read out of order. If you enjoy captivating suspense, intelligent storytelling,strong and vulnerable characters, and a freight-train pace, then you'll love this adrenaline rush of a heart-pounding thriller. Join the millions of readers who've fallen for CJ's Thrillers with Heart and grab your copy of LAST LIGHT today!

 




Pediatric ER doctor turned New York Times bestselling thriller writer CJ Lyons has been a storyteller all her life—something that landed her in many time-outs as a kid. She writes her Thrillers with Heart for the same reason that she became a doctor: because she believes we all have the power to change our world. In the ER she witnessed many acts of courage by her patients and their families, learning that heroes truly are born every day. When not writing, she can be found walking the beaches near her Lowcountry home, listening to the voices in her head and plotting new and devious ways to create mayhem for her characters. To learn more about her Thrillers with Heart go to www.CJLyons.net Connect with CJ on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.


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#IT'S RAINING BOOKS--SPRING READS TOUR: The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Women's fiction, domestic life, coming of age

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: SparkPress (May 3, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1940716330
• ISBN-13: 978-1940716336
• 
  

Synopsis: Melanie, a perfectionist mom who views the approaching end of parenting as a type of death, can't believe she has only one more year to live vicariously through her slacker senior son, Dane. Gorgeous mom Sarah has just begun to realize that her only daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband, and the thought of her daughter leaving for college is cracking the carefully cultivated facade of her life. Will and his wife are fine as long as he follows the instructions on the family calendar and is sure to keep secret his whole other life with Lauren, the woman he turns to for fun (and who also happens to have a daughter in the senior class). 
Told from the points of view of both the parents and the kids, The Goodbye Year explores high school peer pressure, what it's like for young people to face the unknown of life after high school, and how a transition that should be the beginning of a couple's second act together empty nesting is often actually the end.

Review:  Wow! These five families are all such a mess--I felt SO sorry for all the kids, honestly. Not one of them had what I would consider a normal family life. There was the helicopter mom with the drinking problem, the dad who admitted to a lengthy affair with another man (after giving his wife genital herpes), the dad who was having an affair with another mom....the list of dysfunction just goes on and on.

Among all that, these kids were trying to navigate senior year and figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. College fairs, college applications, career choices, just being able to finish high school--the trials and tribulations are numerous.

I'm glad that my "Goodbye Year" before the empty nest wasn't like any of these, but theirs definitely make for interesting reading.  This would make a great summer beach read if you don't get to it before then!

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating:  Four stars

About the author

Kaira Rouda is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of contemporary women's fiction and modern romance novels that sparkle with humor and heart. Her previous award-winning and best-selling women’s fiction novels include Here, Home, Hope and In the Mirror. When she's not writing, she can be found walking the beach, practicing yoga, playing Pickleball, and enjoying as much time as possible with her family. Connect with her at www.kairarouda.com.

RELEASE TOUR: Take Two (A Picture Perfect Novel) by Traci Hayden

BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Wild Within by Christine Hartmann

Title: WILD WITHIN

Author: Christine Hartmann

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Pages: 274

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Synopsis: A year after a family tragedy, Grace Mori embarks on the journey of a lifetime…

Two thousand, six hundred miles of blistering heat, wilderness, and soul searching—that’s what Grace signed up for when she decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s not a voyage for beginners, but with no husband and her family still recovering from her bother’s death, Grace is more alone than ever. 

This trail meant something to her brother, and she’ll hike it in his memory, but she can’t do it alone. So with her brother’s gear and a small group, Grace takes the most important first steps of her life.

Grace finds something more than peace and magic on the trail…

When her first day of hiking ends in heat stroke, Grace is rescued by a handsome, red-haired hiker who calls himself Lone Star. Grace has an immediate connection with him, and their brief encounter leaves her fearing her soul mate has slipped through her fingers. Although he vows to keep in touch, Grace doubts she’ll ever see him again.

When fears become reality, the only people Grace can rely on may be killers...

Grace is surprised to find notes left at supply posts along the trail. Lone Star’s eloquent letters keep Grace going, clinging to the hope she’ll find him—and happiness—at the end of her journey. But as the trail becomes more perilous, menace grows within the group. And when Lone Star’s letters mysteriously stop coming, Grace fears the worst. 

As tensions flare and a killer emerges, Grace must battle to survive…and reunite with the man she’s sure is her future.

For More Information

• Wild Within is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Book Excerpt:

Later, after sharing a hearty dinner with the RV couple, Lone Star and Grace pitched their tents in adjacent campsites. For Grace, tent poles went into wrong grommets, stakes came loose, and clips misaligned. Lone Star set his up in a flash and sat in the entrance, watching her struggle.

“I wouldn’t mind a little help here, if you’ve got the time.”

“I’ve got the time. But you have to learn this for yourself, darlin’. Soon it’ll be as easy as pie. But not if I do it for you. Besides, I enjoy watching you. You clean up real nice.”

“Thanks.” Grace curtsied. Her foot caught in a tent line and she fell. Lone Star chuckled so long he had to hold his sides.

“From where I’m sitting, Lone Star, you’re not living up to Southern gentleman standards.” She brushed herself off. “What’s the Texas expression for go jump in a lake?”

“What I think you’re trying to say is that you think I’m about as fine as cream gravy.”

Grace used a rock to pound in her final tent stake and attached its guy-line. “Yes, that’s what I meant.” She tossed a pine cone at his head. “You’re as fine as clean gravy. So is my tent. Not bad for a first try.”

“Not clean gravy. Cream gravy. And it’s a fine tent indeed.”

Once inside her shelter, Grace was too tired to crawl into her sleeping bag. She pulled it over her like a blanket, thought for a second of Lone Star’s blue eyes, and fell asleep before the cover reached her chin.

Cheerful whistling roused her when dawn was still a light orange glow on the horizon. She pushed the tent flap aside and made out Lone Star breaking camp.

“Didn’t mean to wake you, darlin’.”

“You’re leaving? Already?” Sudden anxiety prickled in her.

“Sure am. Today’s supposed to be cooler, they say. Still, it’s good to start early in the desert, no matter what the prediction.”

“Wait.” Grace scrambled out. “I can pack up and go with you. Quick as a caterpillar in heat. Or whatever you’d say.” She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm in the crisp morning air.

Lone Star’s face shone with affection. “Just Grace, your coming with me is a sweet thought.” He took gentle hold of her shoulders and turned her around. “But you crawl right back in your bag. You’re staying put today.”

Her attention focused on his hands as he gently pushed her toward her tent. Warm, firm, comforting hands. A sudden longing enveloped her. She struggled out of his grip. “I don’t need any more rest. I’m fine.”

“You don’t know how tired you are.”

“I’m okay. Really.” She jumped up and down. “See?”

“No arguing.” He again ushered her to the tent and waited until she was tightly wrapped and zippered inside. His thighs appeared at the entrance as he folded his long body until his head was level with his knees.

“I loved hiking with you yesterday, Just Grace. My heart is saying stay here with you. But I’ve got 2,600 miles to hike before snow lands in Canada. And my law practice isn’t going to be there forever if I don’t get back to it as soon as I can. I’ve just got to skedaddle.”

He cares more about his work than he does about me.

She fought back tears and willed her voice not to crack. “Okay. I understand. You’ve got your…priorities.”

Lone Star reached for her chin but she jerked it away.

He let his hand drop. “Don’t be that way, Just Grace. You’ve got to have a little faith.”

“Faith in what?”

“Faith in us.” He rubbed his hand against her cheek. This time she leaned into it.

“There’s an us?”

Review: I absolutely LOVED this book! Between the descriptions of the scenery, the romance between Grace and Lone Star, and the suspense of the killer on the trail, it had a little something for everyone.

Grace is a wonderful main character, and you get drawn into her story from the start. Her experiences on the trail, and the people she meets along the way, keep you reading from one chapter to the next. Reading the notes Lone Star leaves her along the trail was also a fun part of the story for me--I think I looked forward to them as much as Grace!

I can't wait to read more of this series!

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the Author

Christine Hartmann grew up in Ohio and Delaware and loves traveling to exotic, romantic settings. After a college semester in Kathmandu, her first three “real” jobs were all in northern Japan, where she lived for almost 10 years. She currently splits her career between her daytime occupation (improving the quality of veterans’ nursing home care) and her nights/weekend avocation (writing both fiction and non-fiction books). Her husband Ron Strickland is a well-known long-distance hiker and trail guide writer and the founder of the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. Christine loves reading, pilates, bicycling, and snorkeling, and health foods that taste like they’re bad for you. You will often find her at a keyboard, a German shepherd at her side, and Ron whispering sweet edits over her shoulder.

Her latest book is book one of the Wild at Heart series, Wild Within.

For More Information

• Visit Christine Hartmann’s website.
• Connect with Christine on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Christine at Goodreads.

Giveaway!

Christine is giving away 2 $25 Amazon Gift Cards & 20 Wild Within Coffee Mugs!

Terms & Conditions:
• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Card & twenty winners will be chosen to receive one Wild Within Coffee Mug
• This giveaway starts April 4 and ends June 30
• Winner will be contacted via email on July 1.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

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Protecting Paige by Deby Eisenberg

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Historical fiction, Jewish literature

• File Size: 1605 KB
• Print Length: 355 pages
• Publisher: Studio House Literary (January 1, 2016)
• Publication Date: January 1, 2016
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01A3CBYCW

Synopsis: From the author of the Book Club favorite, Pictures of the Past, comes another compelling, multi-layered novel, ripe with the twists and turns of the best historical fiction. 

It is the still innocent year of 1962, and twelve-year-old Paige Noble awakens in a hospital room in Chicago. She has no memory of the random act of gang violence that has left her injured and orphaned. As she waits for her famous uncle to come for her, Paige develops a bond with Gladys, a comforting black nurse’s aide, unaware that Gladys’s son was involved in the crime. Soon, the charismatic Maxwell Noble, a celebrated photographer, is located in Europe and rushes to her side. Although he has led a globetrotting bachelor life, he surprises Paige by embracing his new responsibility. He reveals to her a family legacy in the headlines, beginning with the 1915 Eastland disaster on the Chicago River. But Maxwell struggles to hide his long-time obsession with Paige’s mother, his enchanting French sister-in-law.
When Paige discovers her mother’s hidden diary, the secrets of the past begin to surface. Paige and her uncle embark on a journey to France, retracing events of WWII and the Holocaust, in an effort to find the one remaining family member they could claim. Her parents were always intent on protecting Paige, but Maxwell allows her to embrace the Jewish history and heritage that she was denied.
A beautiful and moving story about a young girl’s coming-of-age and a man’s quest for a lost love, Protecting Paige combines family drama and fascinating historical detail to create a rich, thought-provoking world. 

Review: This was a fascinating read for me. It combines historical fiction with family drama, and is filled with twists and turns.

I do have to admit that I was disappointed with the way things were wrapped up, which is why I chose to rate only four stars. The solutions for the characters problems seemed slightly juvenile and far-fetched to me.

I enjoyed getting to know Paige and Max, and I look forward to reading more by this author. I hope that future stories will have better solutions for the characters.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

As a Book Club leader for over 20 years, Deby Eisenberg challenged herself to write a novel that her avid readers could not put down and would love to discuss. With a Masters Degree from the University of Chicago, she is a former literature and creative writing high school teacher and journalist. Deby Eisenberg became a part of the Jewish Book Council Author Network with her first novel, engaging audiences on her national speaking tour. Pictures of the Past has been named to library Best Fiction lists and featured on the cover of the Chicago Jewish News. With her new novel, Protecting Paige, the author, inspired by her love of literary research, art, architecture, Jewish history, and travel in the United States and Europe, once again envisioned a multi-generational love story that would inform as well as entertain, that would broaden the mind and open the heart. 
Readers of Sarah's Key and Those Who Save Us are drawn to Pictures of the Past. Although the novel does not just center on that one time period, it approaches the most serious subject of the Holocaust with vibrancy and heart. “As readers, we can better understand horrific events of global proportion through identification and empathy with individual experiences,” Eisenberg states.
She and her husband, Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an obstetrician-gynecologist live in Riverwoods, Illinois, and have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

A Thousand Yesteryears by Mae Clair

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Romantic thriller, historical fiction

• File Size: 1177 KB
• Print Length: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lyrical Underground
• Publication Date: April 26, 2016
• Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0138NHJ4A

Synopsis:  In 1967, the Silver Bridge between Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio unexpectedly collapsed claiming forty-six lives, including that of Eve Parrish’s father and that of her best friend, Maggie Flynn. Now, fifteen years later, she returns to Point Pleasant to settle her deceased aunt’s estate. The ghost of tragedy still weighs heavily on the town, as does the legend of a giant winged creature known as the Mothman, said to haunt an abandoned WWII munitions site.

Caden Flynn is one of the few lucky survivors of the bridge collapse but blames himself for coercing his younger sister out that night. He’s carried that guilt for fifteen years, unaware there are darker emotions than grief tangled up in the Silver Bridge tragedy. Eve’s arrival triggers the unraveling of a fifteen-year-old secret that places her and Caden in the crosshairs of danger. A secret more terrifying than the bridge collapse and the frightful legend of the Mothman.

A murderer stalks the streets of Point Pleasant.

Review: I've been looking forward to this book since I heard that it was being published. I was born and raised in Gallipolis, Ohio, and was just over 6 yrs. old when the Silver Bridge collapsed, taking with it my best friend's mother and brother (whose bodies were never found). That tragedy and the Mothman legend were a big part of my childhood.

Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to my expectations. It seemed to be more about the romance growing between Eva and Caden than anything else. Even the murder mystery seemed secondary to their story. And the whole Mothman myth was barely even a part of things.

Aside from that disappointment of a former local resident, the book is a good one. The characters are all easy to like, and the author definitely caught the small town vibe which fills Point Pleasant.

I was disappointed that it was so easy to figure out the murder mystery, though. Knowing who the killer was led to me occasionally getting frustrated with the characters for NOT seeing it. 

All that being said, I plan to read the rest of this trilogy to see how it plays out.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Three stars

About the author

Myth, Mystery and Romance.

Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars. 

Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with conflict, mystery, and elements of romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats. 

Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at www.MaeClair.net

SERIES BLITZ: Rom-Com On The Edge by Carol Maloney Scott

Join Claire, Rebecca, Bianca, and their crazy cast of friends as they navigate their way through single life, the dating world, and new family life!

Book 1: There Are No Men

Book 2: Afraid of Her Shadow

Book 3: The Juggling Act (FREE through Friday, April 29!)

Book 4: Accidental Makeovers

Series Information

Series Title: Rom Com on the Edge

Author: Carol Maloney Scott

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Publisher: Carol Maloney Scott

Series Links

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DW90JR4/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rom-Com-Edge-4-Book/dp/B01DW90JR4

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/161293-rom-com-on-the-edge

Free through Friday, April 29, 2016

Author Biography

Carol Maloney Scott, author of the Rom-Com on the Edge series, is a frazzled new bride and wiener dog fanatic. She is a lover of donuts and a hater of mornings. Recently unearthing a childhood passion for writing, she can once again be seen carrying around a notebook and staring into space. Her stories are witty, fresh and real, just like life.

Join her on “The Edge” for giveaways, cover reveals, excerpts, contests and members-only content at https://carolmaloneyscott.com.

Social Networking Links

Website: https://carolmaloneyscott.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8423427.Carol_Maloney_Scott

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolmaloneyscottauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CMScottAuthor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carolmaloneysco/

Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/Carol-Maloney-Scott/e/B00MAD2EFY/

Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/blGPJj

BOOK TOUR: Giant Killers by Steve Lawson

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Christian, Christian Living, Personal Empowerment

File Size: 941 KB

Print Length: 145 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1519655118

Publication Date: January 18, 2016

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B01ATR9A2C

Synopsis: It seemed a lopsided battle. On one side, a small shepherd with a sling and five stones. On the other, a heavily armored ten-foot giant whose taunts and challenges immobilized an army of seasoned warriors.

The story of David and Goliath has become an almost universal underdog story; but in reality, Goliath never stood a chance.

In Giant Killers, emotional intelligence speaker, consultant, and author Steve Lawson identifies the five vital emotional and social skills David possessed: identity, discipline, graciousness, action, and hope. When combined with the power of God’s grace, these strengths made it possible for David to defeat Goliath, build a mighty army out of social rejects, and establish the greatest kingdom in the history of Israel.

Identity. Discipline. Graciousness. Action. Hope. These five important emotional skills establish how we perceive and express ourselves—and how willingly we seize the opportunities God provides. Who better to demonstrate these powerful traits than David, who slew his own giant?

We all face giants in our lives—challenges and obstacles that intimidate us, limit our potential, and keep us from moving forward. It’s easy to feel like David fighting Goliath. And that’s good—because David won. Like David, we can overcome any challenge, seizing with confidence the opportunities God places in our path. Giant Killers teaches you how to do so, providing a foundation on which you can build success after success. It all begins with you—and your willingness to trust in God’s grace.

Review: This book was a quick easy read, but it is jam-packed with inspirational information. I enjoyed every single page of it, and couldn't put it down until I was finished with it.

This book talks about "giants" or "glass ceilings" we all have in our lives--things that keep us from moving forward, from reaching our full potential. These things can be internal (guilt, insecurity,worry, etc.), external (trauma, crisis, stress, finances, relationships), or opportunities (new job, new school, new ministry, personal growth, dreams, etc.). Thanks to the strategies in this book, we can learn to face them and to conquer them.

The most important quote I took away from this book was "Don't let your giants make the rules." To me, that means keeping focused on the goal and pressing on no matter what the obstacle.

If you have "giants" in your life (and let's face it, who doesn't?), I highly recommend this book!

**I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

A former small-business owner and church planter, Steve Lawson recently stepped down as the senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Greenville, Texas, to focus on his writing, speaking, and leadership training activities.

He holds a doctor of strategic leadership degree from Regent University, a master of divinity degree from The King’s University, an MBA from Amberton University, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Texas.

Lawson owns Leadership Transformation Inc., providing emotional intelligence training and consulting to organizations of all sizes. More information on his consulting services is available at www.leadershiptransformation.net. An avid blogger and writer, Lawson is

available for speaking engagements in churches, seminars, and conferences. You can contact him at www.stevelawson.us.

He and his wife, Karen, live in Greenville, Texas. They are the parents of three grown daughters.

https://www.facebook.com/dr.steve.lawson

https://twitter.com/steveatgrace

www.stevelawson.us

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1q0EPPs

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13806275.Steve_Lawson