​Cassandra Wayte could not be a more unsuitable match. She isn’t received by polite society, and her notorious dealings with London’s underclass is the talk of nobility from White’s patrons to the most fashionable hostesses. It’s even whispered she murdered her elderly husband. But Edward sees a different side of the tragic lady, and he determines to discover the secrets tormenting her. As he peels away the layers of her resistance, he discovers a malevolent adversary stalking Lady Wayte and exposes a level of depravity that shocks even his war-hardened sensibilities. Can he win her trust and her heart? And at what cost to the dukedom?
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As Cassandra’s relentless search for her husband’s murderer exposes both her and Edward to unseen dangers, all they can rely on is their love for each other and their faith in God.

​I have not read any of Elaine Manders’ books before The Duke’s Dilemma, and after reading this one, I am willing to try another.
 
The Duke’s Dilemma is a good book. It’s written well, the suspense and mystery is well done, and the romance between Cassandra and Edward is believable, sweet, and realistic.
 
Cassandra is our heroine, and she’s a good one. She’s dedicated to a cause of rescuing women from brothels, and is smart, funny, and likable, but never annoyingly so. Cassandra is also on the edges of high society. Her husband was much older and he died under suspicious circumstances, which Cassandra was blamed for. Cassandra also has a hard time forgiving herself for what happened in her past, and though she comes close she never wallows in it.
 
Edward is the Duke in the title, and he’s a good character, as well, though his character isn’t as developed as Cassandra’s. He cares deeply for his sister, which is how he is first meets Cassandra, who is his neighbor. He’s kind, intelligent, and very protective of Cassandra once he begins falling for her.
 
However, there is one thing that bothered me about this relationship: it takes quite a while into the book before Cassandra or Edward trust each other with secrets that have big impacts, and it didn’t fit well with the closeness Ms. Manders had developed between them. It’s a minor quibble, however, and doesn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book.
 
The setting, Regency England, is excellently detailed and comes alive on the page. The mystery of who killed Cassandra’s husband never felt dragged out, and there was a twist at the end that genuinely surprised me! For someone who reads as much as I do, I am always pleased when that happens!
 
Both characters begin the book as Christians, though they struggle with their faith because of what happened to them in the past. I think it’s an accurate portrayal of people who have been deeply wounded and are hesitant to trust in God. I appreciated this aspect of the book.
 
I give this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to those who enjoy Regency romances, Christian romances, and light suspense.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

​Historical romance became my favorite genre back in the seventies and eighties, and one of my favorite settings was Regency England. A Regency can be a romance in the Jane Austin mode or historical romance set during the Regency period. There is a difference, and The Duke’s Dilemma falls into this latter category. Yes, there is some of usual drawing room intrigue in an Austen novel, but The Duke’s Dilemma contains a serious spiritual theme. The plot fitted perfectly into my new series, The Wolf Deceivers.

I wrote the original manuscript nearly twenty years ago as a light, secular romance, but when I revised it to Christian romance, I was delighted to find the inspirational thread deepened the characters. Instead of merely fighting for her reputation while trying to wrest the duke from another woman, Cassandra, the heroine, must fight for her survival. Instead of being another handsome, sardonic nobleman, Edward, the hero, uses his intelligence and grace to protect Cassandra and win her love.

Even the secondary characters captivated me. Little Sarah’s match-making antics suited the Regency theme and provided some levity during the darker moments of the plot. Lady Ashford, Cassandra’s foil, developed a tenacity I had to admire in spite of all her shortcomings. And Sir Harcrumb became a villain I loved to hate.

Though the characters changed a great deal in the retelling, the plot remained basically the same. The only thing I added was a surprise twist at the end—something that has inadvertently become a part of my brand.

Every story is a learning experience for me, and I’m always grateful for how much I learn from my research and from the Holy Spirit. I’ve become more aware of those who deceive, and how vulnerable people, especially young people, are to Satan’s tactics. Also, I’ve unexpectedly come away with a better understanding of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Although this is a new label, we all know it has affected people throughout history.
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Yes, The Duke’s Dilemma has taught me much, and I hated to say good-bye to these characters. I love stories that move me during the writing and only ask two things of my books. That they bring enjoyment to my readers and glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus. I hope this one does both.

​August 22: A Baker’s Perspective
August 22: Books, Books, and More Books
August 23: Blogging With Carol
August 24: Genesis 5020
August 25: Avid Reader Book Reviews
August 25: Have A Wonderful Day
August 26: Jami’s Words
August 26: Faery Tales Are Real
August 27: Karen Sue Hadley
August 27: Ashley’s Bookshelf
August 28: Remembrancy
August 29: The Fizzy Pop Collection
August 29: For the Love of Books
August 30: Locks, Hooks and Books
August 30: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
August 31: Blossoms and Blessings
September 1: Pause for Tales
September 1: Caffeinated Reads
September 2: Live. Love. Read.
September 3: Just the Write Escape
September 4: Henry Happens
September 4: History, Mystery & Faith

To celebrate her tour, Elaine is giving away:
Grand prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card
​
1st place: paperback copies of Books 1 and 2 of the Wolf Deceivers series, The Chieftain’s Choice and The Duke’s Dilemma!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/bbab

​Tracie Peterson was one of the first Christian Fiction authors I ever read, and I have enjoyed reading most of her books since. And I must say that with Beloved Hope, the second in her “Heart of the Frontier” series, Ms. Peterson has written another great book.
 
It centers on Hope, a survivor of the Whitman Massacre, who is struggling to overcome what happened to her there when she’s asked to testify against her Indian attackers at their trial. She harbors anger and a desire for revenge toward them for what they did to her and the others. Hope is a great character. She’s determined to put it all behind her but she can’t, not even once the trial is completed. Hope struggles with leaning on God in the wake of this traumatic event and it is something that I deeply empathize with.
 
I also appreciated that none of the secondary characters, especially Hope’s two sisters, felt her feelings were necessarily wrong in and of themselves. They worried about the damage to Hope herself with her inability to move on from the tragedy by keeping a hold on those feelings.
 
Lance is the other main character, and he’s also a good character, though his development isn’t quite as noticeable as Hope’s is. He’s a soldier at the beginning of the book, tasked with making sure the Indians on trial for the massacre are kept safe during it. He and Hope develop a friendship that eventually blossoms into love.
 
Lance’s main struggle is trying to forgive the man who engaged in a duel with his brother, and to learn to lean on God. The journeys that Hope and Lance take throughout the book are thought provoking and believable.
 
The secondary characters, especially Hope’s sisters, Mercy and Grace, are excellently drawn. None of them feels as if they are a mere plot point. Grace is the heroine of the first book, and Mercy the heroine of the next one. I am definitely picking up both stories. Though they are a series, each book works perfectly well as a standalone.
 
Ms. Peterson always does an excellent job of setting the scene, and this one is no exception. You can definitely see Oregon City through the eyes of the characters.
 
I give this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to lovers of Christian Historical Romance who appreciate tough topics being handled deftly.  There is one part of Lance’s forgiveness story that feels contrived, but it doesn’t distract from the overall themes and didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House. All opinions are my own.** 

A magazine ad from a family in Sweden, looking for someone to watch their children, entices Amy’s adventurous spirit, and she soon finds herself looking through a new door in her life, cracked open to an amazing world she never dreamed possible, where people are nice to her and life is good.
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“An incredible true story of perseverance in adversity, this is one account where truth truly is stranger than fiction.” ~Laurie Penner.

​A Door Cracked Open is Carmina Edward’s first book. This book is difficult for me to review because I wanted to like it but in the end, I just couldn’t connect at all to the characters.
 
A Door Cracked Open is based on a true story, and the entire book feels like a series of vignettes that don’t quite gel together to make a complete story. We jump from scene to scene with Amy, our main character, and for me it just didn’t work.
 
I understand the themes Ms. Edwards was imparting throughout the book, especially about trusting God when we feel confused or unsure about what we are called to do, but I did not connect to Amy’s emotional journey. The story is dialogue heavy with little narrative prose and it makes it difficult to see what Amy is feeling and experiencing.
 
The writing itself is rather simplistic. The simplistic style suited the book when Amy was a child, but as she grew older, I wanted the prose and dialogue to mature along with her! However, it stays the same and makes Amy seem younger than she truly is, which I feel does not suit Amy’s character growth during the book.
 
I did enjoy the story, as Amy lives a fascinating and colorful life, but the writing itself and the feeling of “vignettes” instead of scenes flowing together makes it tough for me to recommend A Door Cracked Open.
 
I give this book 3/5 stars for the “vignette” storytelling and the simplistic writing style. If that form of storytelling works for you, you may enjoy this book more than I did.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

​​Being unemployed the past few years, has led to me becoming homeless. However, I never give up hope. As I try to portray in my books, God has always had His hand on me. Once again, He has stepped in right at the last minute. I now have a new job in Sweden and will be moving back there. Because I feel passionately about helping the homeless, a large percentage of my royalties will go directly to them.

Something about my book.

After many friends, having seen the unusual life I have led up until now, told me that I should write a book, I finally decided to do just that. I am an ordinary person who has not suffered more than many, but have been privileged with many extra-ordinary experiences. I wrote my book in order to share with others, just how God has had His hand on me and brought me through some tough times which seemed impossible to find a way out of. My first book highlights some of this, though it isn’t until the second book, that more becomes clear and the third book will show the extreme mercy and grace He has showered me with. The story is still unfolding. My aim is to show, through my writing, that giving up is never an option. Stay true to God and He does pull us through. Trusting in Him is key and I personally, have seen Him transform some of the dreams He put onto my heart, into reality. I’d love for my books to be of some encouragement to others and have so far received several emails from readers all over the world, telling me how my story so far, has done that. One went so far as to say that she had given up, but read my book purely by chance and has picked herself up and is once again back on the road to reach her goals. The story of a scatty, spontaneous and highly sensitive girl, ridiculed all her life because of her faith and dreams, (she’s born into a completely atheist family). never gives up and some of the situations she gets herself into are pretty scary, but sometimes humorous. Yet God’s protection is seen all the way through.

​August 3: A Baker’s Perspective
August 4: Quiet Quilter
August 5: Carpe Diem
August 6: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
August 7: The Power of Words (Spotlight)
August 8: Christian Bookaholic
August 9: Reading Is My SuperPower (interview)
August 10: Books, Books, and More Books.
August 11: Mary Hake
August 12: Avid Reader Book Reviews
August 13: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
August 14: cherylbbookblog
August 15: Margaret Kazmierczak
August 16: His Grace is Sufficient

​To celebrate her tour, Carmina is giving away:

Grand Prize of a book themed gift basket all the way from Sweden!
And
A 1st – 3rd place prize of an eBook copy of A Door Cracked Open!!
​
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/bd29

With first-person stories of hurt and loss, this book is a wake-up call for any who deny woundedness in the church but is also a redemptive message for any who hurt from church wounds. Leaders and laypeople alike will learn how to grieve over abuse, to leave unhealthy attitudes and patterns that cause pain, and to trust in God’s real, delivering work through churches that build up, not tear down.
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​Thanks to the grace of God, there is always hope beyond the pain.

​Wounded in the Church is an excellent book that portrays what can happen when Christians feel unwelcomed, neglected, or hurt by the church. Ray Beeson and Chris Hayward have created a book that explores an often unnoticed aspect of the church—that people are not as welcoming, accepting, or loving as they should be.
 
Through true stories, reflection, and anecdotes, Mr. Beeson and Mr. Hayward work through the damage that Christians can inflict through lack of care and compassion. They point out that it can be intentional or unintentional, which I believe to be the case.
 
This book is an unflinching look at how the Christian church is not always helpful or good for people. As someone who has been wounded by a church myself, this book resonated with me deeply. I struggle with my feelings about that church, even though I no longer attend that one. However, it has made it difficult to trust that my new church won’t do the same thing, which Mr. Beeson and Mr. Hayward also touch on.
 
After all, if one church has hurt you, how can you be certain the next one won’t? Feelings of judgment and shame often follow these wounds, and it is hard for humans to get rid of those after we have them. There is no way to entirely sure about how the next church will treat you and that feeling can be difficult to overcome if you were not shown love and care in a place that is meant to show all people both.
 
One of my favorite lines was one in which the authors tell us why we should show love and care toward other people, and I think it’s a perfect reflection of this book and why the church often fails to connect with people:
 
“However, there is great value in opening our hearts to other people with different persuasions. First of all, it can sharpen our own reasoning for taking such a stance. Second, it allows for the possibility that we might be wrong, or that our attitude needs some refining. But probably the greatest value in listening to someone else’s opinion is that we honor them and recognize their worth as a human being by giving them a voice…how many times do we violate this principle within the church by not allowing someone with a differing opinion to share their thoughts?”
 
This book is not all doom and gloom, however. The authors have taken years of ministry experience and worked out which types of churches or people cause wounds and those that don’t. It’s not an easy read but one I am still pondering and plan to come back to again.
 
I give this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to anyone who needs to understand why church doesn’t always make you happy. If you’ve been hurt by a church, this book is especially insightful and should help you consider your wounds in a new light. If you’ve never been hurt by one, I hope this book offers insight into the way it can happen.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

Ray Beeson is the director of Overcomers Ministries, a teaching ministry with a special emphasis on spiritual warfare and prayer. Ray teaches seminars on spiritual warfare, prayer, and Christlike living and is the author of numerous books including Signed in His Blood (Charisma House, 2014) and The Hidden Price of Greatness (Overcomers, 2000). Ray and his wife, Linda, live in Ventura, CA.
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Chris Hayward has had over thirty-six years of pastoral ministry and is currently serving as president of Cleansing Stream Ministries, a discipleship ministry that works with the local church around the world. He is also the author of God’s Cleansing Stream (Chosen Books, 2004) and The End of Rejection (Chosen Books, 2007). Chris and his wife, Karen, live in Castaic, CA.

​When we tell people we’ve written a book entitled “Wounded in the Church,” many nod knowingly. Sadly, the pain and heartache that happens in churches is all too common. Collectively, the two of us have spent more than 70 years in ministry. During that time we have seen neglect, tactlessness, and blatant insensitivity fostered by some leaders and congregations resulting in the wounding of others. We realize it is not prolific in every church, but the wounding is significant and it needs to be exposed. That is why we wrote this book – we share real stories of real people who were wounded in church, a place that should be a shelter of God’s love and peace. Sometimes people are abused by leaders or church members. There are also times when leaders are abused by people within the congregation. As you read, perhaps you’ll identify with some of the situations described. If so, be assured you are not alone. If you have been wounded, it is our hope and prayer God uses this book to facilitate healing. Because of Jesus Christ, there is hope beyond the pain.

​July 27: Reading Is My SuperPower
July 27: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
July 28: A Reader’s Brain
July 29: cherylbbookblog
July 29: Mary Hake
July 30: Moments Dipped in Ink
July 31: Remembrancy
August 1: Carpe Diem
August 2: Books, Books, and More Books.
August 3: History, Mystery & Faith
August 4: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
August 4: Just the Write Escape
August 5: The Power of Words
August 6: A Baker’s Perspective
August 7: Just Jo’Anne
August 8: Lots of Helpers
August 8: God’s Little Bookworm

​To celebrate this tour, Whitaker House is giving away:

Grand Prize: Kindle Fire and Wounded in the Church by Ray Beeson and Chris Hayward
First Place Prize: Walking by Faith mug with matching pen OR Bouquet of Blessings mug and Wounded in the Church
Second Place Prize: Walking By Faith pen and Wounded in the Church

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 
​https://promosimple.com/ps/bb6f