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My ReviewRaining Fools is the story of a second chance at love. It is the second book in the Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast series. I haven’t read the first book in the series but this works as a standalone novel, though you may appreciate the moments in this book between Ethan and Haley (the hero and heroine of the first book) if you have read the previous book in the series. Ms. Castle is an author I have never read but I love trying new authors and second chance romances are one of my favorite scenarios (I have a lot of favorite scenarios). Bekka and Stephen, the main characters, had a relationship years ago that ended abruptly—though I won’t spoil the “why” here as it’s revealed early in the story. I relate to Bekka’s struggle with what she wants to do with her life and career. She’s close to my age and I still struggle with the decisions I made for my job and life and if it’s the right one or not. That struggle forms a large part of Bekka’s narrative and it was easy for me to understand Bekka. She is also struggling against her brother Ethan’s desire to control her life, which I’m sure that any one of us that has younger siblings can understand the push and pull of sibling interaction. It took me longer to warm up to Stephen. He is written as someone who nominally believes in God but does not consider himself a Christian. He smokes and drinks during the story. I appreciated his character arc as he begins to turn away from sin and lean on God. Stephen’s interactions with his mother are some of the best in the book and elevate Stephen’s character in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I enjoyed this book while reading it, but the story did not “stick” with me after. It is nicely written and the characters are well-rounded and likable, but there was nothing in it that hit enough emotional notes for me to ruminate on the story and characters once I had finished reading it. I also found the “prologue” with Ethan and Haley quite jarring in tone when compared to Bekka and Stephen’s story. Because I enjoyed the characters and the writing style, I will more than likely try another book by Ms. Castle. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys small-town contemporary Christian fiction with likable characters who struggle with what God wants for them. I give this book 3/5 stars. ** I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.** About the Author
Now she lives in her comfortable Texas home where she spins entertaining tales and enjoys relaxing in the evenings with her husband Bob, their children and grandchild. Her favorite pastime, besides reading, is traipsing through her imaginary worlds in search of another story. Find out more about her shenanigans over at Jackie Castle’s Story World: www.jackiecastle.com. There you can also sign up for her monthly newsletter. Guest Post from Jackie CastleI’m best known for my fantasy series, The White Road Chronicles, and I love the make-believe world of Alburnium. But as these stories have traveled towards the ending, I’ve decided to venture into a more modern world. I enjoy a good, clean romance as much as anyone else, and I love writing stories about communities where people band together for the greater good. So, I came up with Madison Creek, a small town on the verge of dying out. But the people there aren’t ready to give up. They decide that if they band together, maybe they can revive their little lakeside town and make it thrive. My husband is from Michigan. I’m from California. We met in the middle: Texas. He’s adapted quite well to the south, loving the hot summers, hot food, and well, he simply likes being warm. Though I miss my moderate California, I’ve also grown to love Texas. Whenever we travel up north to visit his family, we lament over to lack of flavorful food and the ability to stay warm. (Even in the summer we’ve had to wear winter coats!!) We are often teased by his family for how we put two syllables into words such as fire, dead and y’all. (Yes, he’s been in Texas long enough now to have developed a bit of a twang). I don’t know how many times we’ve talked about moving up north to open a BBQ joint so there’d be somewhere good to eat. Except, we both hate the cold and I’m sure I’d never survive a Michigan winter. I spent two weeks up there once in December, and swore I’d never do that again. I mean, 4 feet of snow in one night? Good Lord have mercy! Basically, that’s how I came up with Haley Madison, the blond Texas gal who inherited her grandpop’s farmland in Madison Creek, Michigan. Her life has been one big mess after another and she’s determined to take this opportunity to set things right. She’s lived on ranches for over half her life and loves to cook a lot of food for folks. (My family was always big on cooking lots of food at holiday gatherings, so it just seems natural.) Haley ends up meeting Ethan Winters, who she calls the handsome Yankee that plays a violin. The first book, Snow Belle is about how they meet. The second book, Raining Fools, continues Ethan and Haley’s story in the background. But in Raining Fools, you’ll meet Ethan’s sister Bekka and his best friend, Stephen Gaines who have a history with each other that neither cares to remember, except those old feelings they had for each other refuse to go away. Bekka, though strong in her faith, is uncertain about what God wants her to do with her life. Stephen, a playboy with a troubled past, appreciates his friend’s strong faith, but believes God doesn’t care about the ‘little people.’ At least, not until a series of mishaps has him taking a second look at the Winters’ beliefs. What I hope people take away from my story beside an entertaining tale, is that God loves them. That they belong to a kingdom that’s bigger than themselves. That we are stronger together than apart. These are themes that readers can find in my stories. I have several more ideas for novels and novellas that will continue Haley and Ethan’s story while we meet various people who visit the B&B when they come to Madison Creek hoping to start a new life. My hope is that readers will come to enjoy visiting this quirky little town as much as I do when I write the stories. Texas might have its spicy food and natural ruggedness, but I do love Michigan’s wild beauty and kindhearted folks. I just love it more in the summertime. Blog StopsNovember 3: Quiet Quilter November 4: Bibliophile Reviews November 5: Daysong Reflections November 6: Proud to be an autism mom November 7: Reviewing Novels Online November 8: Janet Pecorella November 8: The Power of Words (Spotlight) November 9: Moments Dipped in Ink November 10: A Greater Yes November 11: Blogging With Carol November 12: inklings and notions November 13: Carpe Diem November 14: Mom Is Forever November 15: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner November 16: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations GiveawayIn honor of her tour, Jackie is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! Click the link below to enter; be sure to comment on this post to claim your nine bonus entries for this giveaway! https://promosimple.com/ps/a81d
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Click here to purchase your copy. About the Book
My Review Buying Love is a contemporary marriage of convenience Christian Romance. I was excited to see this premise in a contemporary as it is not that common and it is one of my favorite scenarios in historical fiction, where I do most of my reading. Ms. Shiloh is a new author for me, and I must say that I was very pleased with this story. While some parts of the book are serious, there is a lot of humor as well that makes the characters more relatable. The book opens with the meeting between the main characters, and we quickly learn Dwight answered Nina’s advertisement for a husband because she offered money if they married, and his family’s restaurant is failing and is desperately in need of some cash. Nina grew up in orphanages after being abandoned as a baby and is determined to follow her specific and highly organized life plan, which is to have a husband quickly so she can have a child before she’s thirty-five. She is analytical and precise and approaches her personal life using those characteristics. And while I am none of those things, I had no trouble relating to Nina’s desires for a family of her own. I also appreciated her interactions with Kandi, who is an orphaned teenage girl that Nina mentors. Dwight owns a restaurant with his family and I could envision it clearly and wanted to eat there! His family is interesting and each of them feel like real people and have motivations that makes sense for who they are. I want to meet this family! Ms. Shiloh sets the scene wonderfully and each place felt very different from each other with the supporting characters behaving exactly how you’d expect from a rural/city divide. The theme of what constitutes a family is handled delicately and the resolution of that feels very natural for both characters. The Christian message of Buying Love was evident from the beginning of the book, and it is very prevalent. If you like your inspirational romances with a strong and clear message, you will enjoy that aspect of the book. If you prefer a simpler or subtler approach, it may be too much for you. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a clean Christian romance with relatable characters, an intriguing and uncommon contemporary premise, interesting discussions about family, and a strong message of what exactly God is to us and what he does for us. I give this book 4/5 stars. **I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.** About the Author
Guest Post from Toni Shiloh Hi, Reader Friends!! I’m so excited to be here at Celebrate Lit for the kick off of my new release, Buying Love. I wrote this book last year for National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). In one month, I managed to write a little over 50,000 words. However, that’s not why this book holds a special place in my heart. No, it’s the message in the story. Nina Warrenton has struggled with being alone in life. Thus, she decides to take matters into her own hand and places an ad for a husband, complete with a monetary offer. What seemed like an intelligent and simplistic way to get a husband, soon proves to have a multitude of complications. Not only that, but Nina has to discover who God is in her life and the body of Christ fits into that. Y’all have you ever felt alone in a room full of people? Or felt isolated? Or maybe you’re an orphan…whatever your background, I hope that this book shows you that God loves you. He loves you so much, He’s adopted you into the body of Christ. So if you’re a believer, we’re family. As a person who always wanted a friend and lots of family, that’s music to my soul. It’s what I wanted Nina to discover and what I hope the readers discover. Ephesians 1:4-6, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved” (KJV). Blog Stops October 27: Bibliophile Reviews October 27: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations October 28: Reading Is My SuperPower October 29: Moments Dipped in Ink October 30: Reviewing Novels Online October 30: Artistic Nobody October 31: A Baker’s Perspective November 1: blogging it out November 2: Christian Author: A.M. Heath November 3: autism mom November 3: Simple Harvest Reads (Spotlight) November 4: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner November 5: inklings and notions November 6: just the write escape November 7: Carpe Diem November 8: Quiet Quilter November 9: Bukwurmzzz November 9: The Power of Words Giveaway In honor of her tour, Toni is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card! Click the link below to enter; be sure to comment on this post to claim your nine bonus entries for this giveaway! https://promosimple.com/ps/a650
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