Review & Giveaway: Wooing Cadie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner

WOOING CADIE McCAFFREY

by

BETHANY TURNER

  Genre: Christian Romance / Humor

Publisher: Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group

Date of Publication: May 21, 2019

Number of Pages: 352

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After four years with her boyfriend, Cadie McCaffrey is thinking of ending things. Convinced Will doesn’t love her in the “forever” way she loves him, Cadie believes it’s time for her to let him go before life passes her by. When a misunderstanding leads to a mistake, leaving her hurt, disappointed, and full of regret, she finally sends him packing.

But for Will, the end of their relationship is only the beginning of his quest to figure out how to be the man Cadie wanted him to be. With the dubious guidance of his former pro-athlete work friends and tactics drawn from Cadie’s favorite romantic comedies, Will attempts to win her back. It’s a foolproof plan. What could possibly go wrong?

 

PRAISE FOR WOOING CADIE McCAFFREY

“Rising star Bethany Turner’s Wooing Cadie McCaffrey highlights the author’s oh-so-readable voice and engaging characters. One of the many things I love about Turner is the way she tackles tough subjects with candor yet writes with the right amount of discretion. Romantics everywhere will sigh happily at the perfect ending. Highly recommended!” — Colleen Coble, USA Today bestselling author of The House at Saltwater Point and the Rock Harbor series

Bethany Turner has done it again! Filled with wit and loaded with pop culture references, Wooing Cadie McCaffrey is sure to be an instant favorite among fans of Christian romance. I’ve found my new go-to author for rom-com with heart.” — Carla Laureano, RITA award–winning author of The Saturday Night Supper Club and Brunch at Bittersweet Café

 

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While we’re told time and time again never to judge a book by its cover, I always do, and it has never failed me… until now. At face value, Wooing Cadie McCaffrey is just an adorable book with a baby pink cover adorned in delightful doodles. The doodles reference some of the greatest romance movies ever and hint at the warm fuzzy feelings contained within. But when you dive below the surface to examine that 90-something percent of the iceberg, you find a story about relationships between friends and families, and how outside influences can cause you to become disenchanted with an already wonderful life. Cadie is that girl who hasn’t yet realized that all those beautiful people take fake candid photos with all sorts of filters, and those supposedly blissful people are just cropping out the very real and sometimes not very pretty stuff out of their real lives.

Like any good rom-com, boy meets girl, boy and girl quickly fall in love, boy loses girl, boy moves heaven and earth to win back girl. And while spoilers abound (see front cover blurb) on how this story ends, I still found myself holding my breath, waiting to see what would happen next. Turner makes our man Will work incredibly hard to get Cadie back. I don’t think any movie I have seen has ever featured so many false starts and hurdles. It really brought to mind the story of Sisyphus for me. Every time we cheered Will on with each great gesture he came up with, Cadie would just swat us back down with her newfound cynicism. Normally that would have annoyed me, but I got where she was coming from. No fairy tale is enough when the princess has become jaded.

If Christian books are not your jam, this one might be a little heavy on the spiritual for you. But honestly, you would be missing out on some of the funniest and heartfelt characters that I have ever encountered. Darby is the quintessential best friend whose mistakes make her that much more endearing. Ditto to the meatheads who work on The Field at ASN with Will. Even Cadie’s reverend father and Christian talk show host mother are fun to read about.

Turner’s talent for creating characters that you care about extends to her treatment of New York City. The city has a definite pulse, and each borough has a personality. The pretentiousness of one borough seemed to have the ability to influence its inhabitants, while the other innately cool borough was secure in its own existence. That uptown girl thing doesn’t matter when people come together in Manhattan though. And I will leave you with that because I refuse to spoil a great book.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It beats all of my favorite rom-coms, hands down. Please read if you haven’t found love yet. Please read if you want to fall in love again.

 

Bethany Turner is the award-winning author of The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck, which was a Christy Award finalist. When she’s not writing (and even when she is), she serves as the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado, where she writes for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight.

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2nd Prize: Copy of Wooing Cadie McCaffrey + bookish coffee mug
3rd Prize: Copy of Wooing Cadie McCaffrey + $10 Amazon Gift Card

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Review & Giveaway: Bonnie and Clyde: Radioactive by Hays & McFall

RADIOACTIVE

Bonnie and Clyde #3

by

CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL

Genre: Historical / Alternative History / Romance 
Publisher:  Pumpjack Press on Facebook

Date of Publication: March 23, 2019

Number of Pages: 332Scroll down for the giveaway!

Bonnie and Clyde: Defending the working class from a river of greed.

It’s January 1945, the height of World War Two. As the bloody conflict drags on, America has undertaken a massive top-secret effort to unleash the power of the atom and develop the first nuclear bomb. A network of Nazi and Soviet spies is determined to steal the technology, or failing that, sabotage the project. 

But first, they have to get past Bonnie and Clyde.In a heart-pounding adventure spanning the windswept landscapes of eastern Washington to an isolated internment camp in the California mountains, Bonnie and Clyde face deception at every turn.Can the former outlaws put aside their desire for revenge long enough to help end the war?

As in Resurrection Road and Dam Nation, the story cuts back and forth between 1984 where Royce, a washed-up investigative reporter, teams up with the now-elderly Bonnie Parker to hunt down the truth about their past, and the 1940s undercover exploits of the young Bonnie and Clyde.

And in Radioactive, Royce and Bonnie finally discover the devastating truth: Who Sal — the brains behind forcing Bonnie and Clyde into covert service defending the working class all those years ago — really was.

 

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After the exhilarating ride in the last book, Dam Nation, I was anxious to get my hands on this third and final book of the Bonnie & Clyde saga. Fifteen years have lapsed since the original ride or die couple was working the Hoover Dam assignment, but we pick up where we left off with Bonnie and Royce the journalist, sometime in the ‘80s.

Time hasn’t taken anything away from Bonnie and Clyde. Their smarts and toughness haven’t dulled after over a decade of living covertly, and their passion for each other still burns at a hot and heavy roar. As I read their banter and became reacquainted with the couple, it got me thinking that this fictionalized relationship is probably based quite a bit on the stuff that powers the couple who wrote this series. I don’t know how they split their writing duties, but Hays and McFall write a seamless story. Hell, I’ve read books written by ONE author that felt like crashing into a brick wall every time the perspective changed. But this writing duo jumps decades as smoothly as Bonnie and Clyde lie their way out of sticky situations.

I remember raving about all the different characters in the last book, and Radioactive delivers USA Network-worthy (“Characters Welcome”) cast. Not to be sexist, but I especially loved Anna. I don’t want to spoil anything but seriously, it felt like Bonnie might have met her match. A young, attractive woman with a knack for manipulation who can give our duo the slip? It was enough to make me nervous for Bonnie a few times, both as an operative and as a woman.

I really marvel at how much description, story, and character development are compiled in just a 332-page book. This story is screen-ready, as are the other two in the series. If you haven’t already read them, you need to. I know that this is supposed to be the last book, but there was a little something near the end that made me think it was possible to still sneak a few more books in if Hays and McFall find it difficult to part ways with Bonnie and Clyde for good.

Clark and Kathleen wrote their first book together in 1999 as a test for marriage. They passed. 

Radioactive is their seventh co-authored book. 

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Kathleen: Goodreads ║ Amazon  

 

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Review & Giveaway: The Open Portal by Michael Scott Clifton

THE OPEN PORTAL

Conquest of the Veil #1

by

MICHAEL SCOTT CLIFTON

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Magical Realism
Publisher: Book Liftoff
Publication Date: May 1, 2019

Number of Pages: 337 pagesSCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY! 

But with dreams, there can also be nightmares

Lonely and plain-featured, Mona Parker is just another faceless teenager at Spring Hill High School. One day she runs afoul of Lady Anne Golightly, a beautiful and arrogant classmate who turns Mona’s colorless life into a hellish existence. Bullied relentlessly and with nowhere to turn, Mona considers suicide. One night, Thaddeus Finkle, her guardian angel, appears. He offers her a way out—swap lives with another.

The choice seems easy, and Mona takes the angel up on his offer. She awakens on Meredith, a parallel world of Earth where magic has replaced technology. Mona discovers she is Alexandria, a woman of breathtaking beauty, and the daughter of a Duke complete with servants and riches.

Then she discovers the price of her bargain.

Trapped behind the Veil, an impenetrable curtain of magic, the Duchy of Wheel is the last major province still unconquered by Marlinda, the creator of the enchanted barrier. Known as the Dark Queen, Marlinda’s cruelty includes a singular fondness for melding men, women, and children, with animals…and she has special plans for Alexandria.

Tal, the Prince and Heir of the Empire of Meredith, burns with an intense hatred for Marlinda and her minions. The Dark Queen’s raiders regularly cross the Veil to prey upon the helpless citizens living near the magical boundary. Despite an elaborate system of Watch Towers along the enchanted barrier, it is impossible for the Empire to stop all the raids. Desperate to protect his people, Tal takes dangerous risks to prevent these attacks. Banished to a remote garrison for his reckless behavior, while on a routine patrol, Tal leads an elite unit that happens upon a group of raiders—one whose leader possesses the means for opening a way through the Veil.

Thus begins the conquest of the Veil.

 

“The Open Portal is packed full of action from the time it begins in our mundane world, to when it jumps to another. It has all the elements of a good fantasy: a cruel queen; a frustrated prince; and beautiful girl with a pure heart. There are brave boys, werewolves, white priests, and watchtowers. I can’t wait for the saga to continue.” — Abookanight

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Escaping a humdrum life to a world of magic is my favorite sort of fantasy book. Who doesn’t like the idea of leaving behind a place where you merely exist for a place where you can truly thrive and be powerful and super attractive? But where most books fail to address the price you pay for such a switch, The Open Portal lays it all out in the open and reminds you every chance it gets.

Clifton paints a very bleak portrait of a young woman who only has her brother and a few church elders to keep her sane. While other fantasy books might describe pretty tame bullying scenarios, this one has situations that are difficult to get past. If you took the grossest bullying scenes from ‘80s movies and multiplied them by 10, you would understand what Mona goes through in the beginning of this book. And just when you think that she escapes all of that by choosing a new life on the gorgeous planet of Meredith, you realize that she has just traded in her old, terrible life for a George R. R. Martin-type situation.

When I wasn’t cringing at the horrible things that happened to the characters, I was admiring Clifton’s descriptions of each character and the different settings. I feel as though so many books are either plot driven or character driven to the point that you have no idea what anything or anyone looks like. That is certainly not the case with this book. I can say that I was truly transported along with Mona and felt like I really got to meet everyone for the first time like she had.

As much as I adore things like shapeshifters and gritty survival situations, I had difficulty getting through the chapters with Tal and Razor. I promise it wasn’t because of their strange names. I actually wasn’t a fan of many of the character’s names in this book: i.e., Lady Anne Golightly and Rodric Regret. But that’s ok, because they didn’t keep me from being disappointed that the story ended so soon. Thank goodness for the sneak preview of the prologue and chapter 1 for the next book in the series. Those tidbits left me in good spirits and in anticipation for Book 2.

Review & Giveaway: The Little Teashop on Main by Jodi Thomas

THE LITTLE TEASHOP

ON MAIN

by

Jodi Thomas

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction / Coming of Age
Publisher: HQN
Publication Date: May 7, 2019

Number of Pages: 336 pages

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A rainy-day ritual—a tea party between three little girls—becomes the framework of not only their friendship, but their lives.
Blonde, curly-haired Zoe is openhearted, kind and free-spirited, and dreams of becoming a famous actor in New York City. Shy Emily struggles with mental health but has the heart and soul of a writer. And Shannon—tall, athletic, strong—has a deep sense of loyalty that will serve her well when she heads off to military college.
As Zoe, Emily, and Shannon grow into women—forging careers, following dreams, and finding love—they’ll learn that life doesn’t always unfold the way they want it to, but through it all, the one constant is each other and their regular tea parties. And when the unthinkable happens, the girls must come together to face the greatest test of all.

A deeply moving novel about the family that raises us, the hearts that nurture us, and the great friendships that define our lives.

PRAISE FOR THE LITTLE TEASHOP ON MAIN:
“Heart-wrenching as well as heartwarming, the book reflects the experiences of these seven multifaceted and compelling characters as they journey through challenging years together.” — NY Journal of Books“A comforting treasure for regular Thomas readers who enjoy the easy flow of her writing, a little steamy romance to spice things up, and the development of vulnerable, realistic characters.” — Booklist

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The Little Teashop on Main had me in its grasp with just the title because I love tea and quaint businesses set up in little towns. As a woman who didn’t grow up with many close girlfriends, I am also drawn to stories where the characters meet as youngsters and then navigate womanhood together. I have yet to find my bosom friend or a group of girls who can magically fit into the same pair of pants as me, but books like this one make me feel like one of the girls.

This is as close to a perfect story if I’ve ever read one. If you’re a woman, you can relate to at least one of the three women. If you’re a man, you’ve probably been in love with one or all three of them. Which is why opening the story with Jack Hutchinson was such a great choice. It is reminiscent of the narrative style in another book, The Virgin Suicides, but the tone is completely different and the other narrators are the women themselves, not boys or men who were on the outside looking in.

I feel as though Thomas put every ounce of care into writing this story because even the names that she chose for her characters suit their personalities perfectly. The hippie, single mother named Alex pairs perfectly with her dancing fairy-like daughter named Zoe. The name Emily very easily brings to mind a shy girl raised by a very proper and imposing mother, whereas Shannon is the name of a headstrong girl who won’t be pushed around. I don’t know if the author intended to have two male characters with rhyming names, Jack and Mack, but both men are very similar: reliable and simple – as in lacking artifice, not intellect. The character named Fuller might not match the All-American name at first glance, but he’s the pull ‘em up by the bootstraps type. And he certainly works hard to make a life for himself and the people he loves; thus, becoming “fuller” in a sense.

I enjoyed every moment with this book. As carefully as Thomas chose the names of her characters, she was precise with each word on every page. I have a bad habit of skimming when a book gets slow or gives me information that I don’t want or need. I never did that with this one. While I could predict a few plot points or motives, I was surprised with the overall arc of the story and did not want it to end. I was truly invested in each character and loved getting to know them. I hope that Thomas might consider writing a companion book to this one.

 

With millions of books in print, Jodi Thomas is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 45 novels and 14 short story collections. Her stories travel through the past and present days of Texas and draw readers from around the world.

In July 2006, Jodi was the 11^th writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. With five RITA’s to her credit, along with National Readers’ Choice Awards and Booksellers’ Best Awards, Thomas has proven her skill as a master storyteller.

Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, Thomas enjoys interacting with students at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where she currently serves as Writer in Residence.

 

When not working on a novel, or inspiring students to pursue writing careers, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating an historic home, and “checking up” on their grown sons and four grandchildren.

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