Category: Romance

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: An Amish Marriage Agreement and The Amish Baker’s Redemption by Patrice Lewis

*******

Book Description and Elise’s Thoughts – An Amish Marriage Agreement

An Amish Marriage Agreement has Amish basket-maker Olivia Bontrager moving to Montana looking for a fresh start after her father dies. Unexpectedly, she finds her sister has abandoned her baby on Olivia’s doorstep. Wanting to give her niece a stable life, she accepts help from handyman Andrew Eicher, who offers a shocking proposal: a marriage of convenience because he wants to pull their finances to buy a farm. Now, after long resigning herself to spinsterhood, Olivia says yes knowing she will have the home and family she’s always yearned for. As they get closer Andrew realizes Olivia is everything he wanted in a wife, and she realizes she is falling in love with him. Everything seems to be going great until Olivia’s sister, Adele, reappears and jeopardizes the happiness they’ve found.

###

Book Description and Elise’s Thoughts – The Amish Baker’s Redemption

The Amish Baker’s Redemption is Adele’s redemption story. After spending years in the English world, Adele Bontrager returns to her Amish community, desperate to redeem herself and reclaim her faith. Working in an Amish bakery, she feels like her life is finally moving in the right direction until Isaiah King arrives as the new head baker. Single father Isaiah has his hands full trying to raise his rebellious teenage daughter, Phoebe, and is grateful when Adele strikes up a friendship with his sullen child, despite her obvious reluctance toward him. But when he learns of her troubled history, he’ll need to decide if her past is worth risking their future and does he want her around Phoebe.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for An Amish Marriage Agreement?

Patrice Lewis: I liked the idea of a beautiful sister and a plain sister. The main character, Olivia, had a wonderful personality and a skill set, but lacks beauty.

EC: How would you describe Olivia?

PL: She is grief-filled after losing her dad. She considers herself a spinster. Olivia is stubborn, determined, responsible, self-deprecating, believes she is gangly looking, a risk-taker, kind, generous, hard-working, and clever.

EC: How would you describe the male lead, Andrew?

PL: He is bitter and angry about Sarah, his former girlfriend, who dumped him. He is orderly, level-headed, enthusiastic, and generous.

EC: What is the difference between Sarah and Olivia?

PL: They are opposites. Sarah has a shallow personality, while Olivia is a truly wonderful person inside and out. The only thing Sarah has going for her is beauty.

EC: What about the relationship between Olivia and Andrew?

PL: First, they were business partners, then friends who teased good-naturedly, shared chores, could make small talk, and both feel like outsiders. Andrew now believes he wants someone with beauty inside, not on the outside. He starts to recognize the value of Olivia.

EC: Why a marriage of convenience?

PL: They both wanted something very badly. The only way to get it was to join forces. Olivia had a baby placed on her doorstep, abandoned by her sister, so she felt the baby needed a father figure. Andrew knew he needed a financial partner in the farm. They decided to team up, both thinking they would not marry for love.

EC: What is the role of the baby, Helen?

PL: Olivia has no clue on how to raise the baby. I put in the scene on how they meet, and hope readers thought it was humorous. She literally yanked open the door and had a baby there. She panicked and motherhood did not come naturally for her. Andrew was on the doorstep because he was sent to repair the house. He knew what to do on how to handle a baby.

EC: Why did she keep Helen?

PL: She was Olivia’s father’s only grandchild and was named after her mother, both parents had died. She was motivation for Olivia to buy a farm with Andrew because he promised to be a father to Helen.

EC: What was the role of Adele?

PL: Flighty, selfish, self-centered, criticized Olivia’s looks, made her feel inferior, and yet was jealous of her. She was also shallow, insecure, and beautiful.

EC: Has Adele changed in The Amish Baker’s Redemption, the next book in the series?

PL: In the last story at the ending Adele had hit bottom. Before that she sought after wealthy, powerful men who were attracted to her because of her looks, but not her personality. She was rebellious, restless, and callous. In this book she changes because of the guilt she gave up her baby, men started dumping her, jealous of her sister’s life, and being financially destitute. Adele had to get redemption. She decided to now make the right choices. She became responsible, modest, has a good work ethic, devout, has humility,

and is avoiding men. Adele saw herself as a fallen women who wanted to redeem herself in the eyes of God, the community, Andrew, and Olivia.

EC: Idea for the story?

PL: I wanted to show how Olivia had to develop her personality because she did not have beauty, while Adele used her beauty to get what she wanted. Many beautiful women are as kind, loving, and caring as anybody else, but not Adele. She never developed her personality.

EC: How would you describe the male lead, Isiah?

PL: Stable, moralistic, hard-working, and scared his daughter is making the wrong choices.

EC: What about the relationship between Adele and Isiah?

PL: He admires her and he wants to court her. She feels she is not worthy of his affection, especially after he finds out about her past.

EC: What is the role of Isiah’s daughter, Phoebe?

PL: Adele realizes if Phoebe takes her path she will get into trouble because she does not have Adele’s good looks. Phoebe wants to travel the world, does not want to be baptized, and wants adventures. She is thinking of leaving the faith and at first does not realize she will lose the support of the Church and community, Adele is motivated to save Phoebe from herself. Phoebe hero worships Adele, while Adele sees herself as Phoebe’s mentor, to save Phoebe from herself so she will not make the same mistakes as Adele.

EC: How would you describe Phoebe?

PL: She is candid, rebellious, restless, impatient, and vulnerable. She is good hearted.

EC: Next book?

PL: The Amish Nanny’s Marriage Offer which will be released in May. The hero and heroine are widowed. He has a daughter and she has a son. During Church services since men and women are separated, they watch each other’s child. He gave her a job to babysit his daughter. The heroine left for Montana because she was being pressured by her family to marry a psychopath.

THANK YOU!!

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Raging Waters by Dana Mentink

Book Description

When Mackenzie Bardine’s brother Aaron was murdered in a drug deal gone wrong, she started a true crime podcast dedicated to exposing “Bullseye,” the drug kingpin responsible. But her protective heart has never let go of the blame she places on herself and Aaron’s best friend, Gideon Landry. On the run to the wilds of Washington to chase a recent lead, she meets none other than Gideon himself.

While conducting a wilderness survival class in remote Washington, Gideon never expected to cross paths with Mackenzie, and he’s certainly not interested in helping her after he’s already declined to participate in her vigilante podcasting. He carries a mountain of guilt about Aaron’s fatal choices, but not for the reasons Mackenzie suspects.

As killers begin to circle Mackenzie like sharks, it’s clear to Gideon she’s in over her head, and in light of his troubled past with her brother, he can’t bring himself to ignore her perilous situation. Then a flood threatens the town, turning their investigation into a race to escape the raging waters and the wrath of a powerful kingpin who wants to sink them both.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The plot for Raging Waters, by Dana Mentink, comes right out of the headlines. A major role in the book is the Air Force SERE tactics. In the news recently the Air Force Colonel who had to eject from his F-15 fighter jet over Iran had to avoid the Iranians who had put a bounty on his head. To avoid the enemy, he used the SERE training. This book’s plot has the hero and heroine trying to evade capture by the enemy, Bullseye, a drug kingpin, by using SERE tactics.  

The book starts out with Mackenzie Bardine (Zee) haunted by the murder of her brother Aaron. Determined to bring the man responsible to light, she pours her heart into a true crime podcast focused on exposing the mysterious drug kingpin known as “Bullseye. She had not forgiven herself or her brother’s best friend, Gideon Landry, for not doing more to help her brother.  

A lead on Bullseye’s identity brings Mackenzie to the remote Washington State town of Oakleaf. There she encounters Gideon, an Air Force SERE instructor, who works in the community. He realizes that Zee is over her head in finding her brother’s killers and decides to help her. This ruthless drug kingpin is intent on destroying them and has people everywhere, making it hard for Gideon and Zee to know who to trust.  It becomes a cat and mouse game where they are after Bullseye who has hired minions to find and kill them.  In addition to having to use SERE tactics to escape Bullseye they must find safety against torrential rains, raging waters, and a dam that is about to break. 

The action in the book is non-stop creating relentless tension. Combining the threat from dangerous enemies and the natural disasters makes for a gripping read. There is heart-stopping danger with twists and turns that leads to a stormy ending. 

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Do you like writing books where the setting becomes a character? 

Dana Mentink: This is my favorite type of story. I think nature is marvelous and terrifying, where it pits the characters versus the environment. My first book involved a volcano. This series books are about surviving the environment. They are wilderness survival stories. I have a fear of water in general and like to write about what scares me.  There is nothing scarier than being trapped in a small town with a failing dam. Besides the dam this story had rain, a chilling river, and the flood from a dam breaking with a major current. It seemed like the perfect place to set a suspense idea.  

EC: Did SERE play an important role in the book? 

DM: It stands for survive, evade, resist, and escape. It is the Air Force survival training where the protagonist is an instructor. It comes in real handy. It is an intense program where they learn cagey skills. I found true testimonies of people who experienced being lost. Makes for a great hero where someone knows what to do.  

EC: Can you explain the book quote, “Fix it, don’t film it”?  

DM: After a disaster there are all these videos.  It occurred to me, ‘why don’t you just put down the phone and go help that person.’ People have become too enamored with social media they forget it is really life.  

EC: Can you describe Zee? 

DM:  Zee is angry, believes the ends justify the means, can be reckless, audacious, stubborn, gritty, determined, charismatic, vulnerable, and a true crime podcaster crusader.  

EC: What about Gideon? 

DM: He is sarcastic, smart, savvy, clever, a warrior, and believes people should not terrorize others. In the beginning of the book, he has no filters. 

EC: What is the role of Aaron, Zee’s brother? 

DM: He shattered lives, never grew up, and did not believe there were consequences to his actions. He does not take responsibility. Zee stopped living her life to get revenge for his murder. She also must come to grips with the image she had of her brother and who he really was. It is difficult for her to accept it. 

EC: What about Zee and Gideon? 

DM: He felt she was not trustworthy. At a younger age she had a crush on him when he was her brother’s best friend. Now she blames him for not helping her brother. While in some ways he blames himself. She does not want him around because he is a reminder of Aaron. There is a lot of guilt to be resolved. She also has guilt because of a blindness to some things about him, feeling she could have prevented his murder if she was more insightful.  

EC: How would you describe the bad guy, Bullseye? 

DM:  Evil, manipulative, controlling, powerful, vengeful, enjoys using fear, violent, and a stone-cold killer.  

EC:  What about your next books? 

DM: It will be the first in a new series, titled Hidden America. It is about a TV scout media team checking out locations for the TV show called “Hidden America.” It is a show about abandoned places. It will come out probably next spring.  

Another book will be a historical cozy mystery coming out in September. It is titled Murders in the Marquee.  It is the first book in a series.  It is set in a San Francisco luxury hotel in 1905 called the Marquee. It has three unlikely crime solvers. 

THANK YOU!! 

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Feature Post and Book Review: Maybe One Day by Catherine Bybee

Book Description

Mari D’Angelo’s life is complete. Her children are all married. Two grandbabies fill her days, with two more on the way, and her thriving family restaurant is running on autopilot. Not once in the ten years since she’s become a widow has Mari considered another love of her own. Until she sets sail on a singles cruise to placate her recently divorced best friend. Then James comes crashing into Mari’s world.

Charming, witty, and with two daughters of his own, James isn’t looking for love either. But Mari is as irresistible as she is beautiful. As their simmering attraction grows, Mari’s resolve to ignore the spark James has ignited slowly breaks away. She promised her beloved late husband she’d find someone new. Maybe that impossible day has come.

Knowing her protective sons would not approve, Mari chooses to keep the romance a secret. After all, there is no reason for her family to know about James if their relationship doesn’t work out. It’s up to James to prove he can be trusted with the heart of a woman he’s come to cherish. But without her family’s approval, their love doesn’t stand a chance.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230395129-maybe-one-day?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=0dQSZKuTxi&rank=2

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MAYBE ONE DAY (The D’Angelos Book #5) by Catherine Bybee is a beautiful story of finding love for the second time when you least expect it. This is the fifth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone slow burn mature romance.

When the D’Angelo matriarch, Mari, accompanies her divorced best friend on a singles cruise, she was only supposed to be the wingman. Widowed for ten years, she believes her life is complete with a successful Italian restaurant, all her children married, two grandchildren and two more on the way. As the two engage with the other singles in their group, Mari finds she is enjoying the new experiences.

With twin daughters about to leave the nest, successful businessman James has been divorced from the twin’s mother for many years, but they have a good relationship. When his ex-wife tells him the twins are arguing about which one should accept a college closer to home, so their father is not alone. He is shocked and agrees to go on a single cruise organized by a friend. He believes he can show the twins he is moving on and get some work done at the same time, until he notices a beautiful and feisty woman in their group.

Mari and James find they have an attraction that neither was looking for and yet they cannot deny. As the cruise comes to an end, Mari is worried about the relationship still working as they return to their everyday lives and how her two grown sons will feel about their mother dating again. At first, she wants to keep their meetings at home a secret, but life has a way of interfering. James is willing to go as slow as Mari wants, but now he finds he must also win over two overly protective Italian sons.

I loved this story so much! It is a slow burn romantic story of finding unexpected love, growing and experiencing new things even as we age, and family growing and accepting changes with love. Mari was already a wonderful character in the series, who was strong, loving, and feisty, but this book took her to a whole other level. I always have a strong emotional reaction to Ms. Bybee’s romances because they are so beautifully written and make you believe in romance and love.

I highly recommend this endearing and heartwarming second chance mature romance!

***

About the Author

Catherine is a #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Indie Reader bestselling author. In addition, her books have also graced The New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. In total she has written thirty-six beloved books that have collectively sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban
emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the Not Quite series, The Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. Learn more about Catherine and her books at www.catherinebybee.com

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com 

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinebybee/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/maybe-one-day-by-catherine-bybee

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Last to Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn

LAST TO FALL

by Lynn H. Blackburn

March 2 – 13, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LAST TO FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #3) by Lynn H. Blackburn on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find the book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Promoamp giveaway. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

She’s caught in a deadly game. He’s the only one who can help her win.

Bronwyn Pierce has poured everything into The Haven, her family’s exclusive mountain resort in Gossamer Falls. But when financial discrepancies surface and the numbers suggest something far darker than simple mismanagement, she’s forced to call on the one person with the skills to help her: Mo Quinn, a former Army intelligence officer, her first love, and the last person she ever wanted to trust again.

Mo has spent years avoiding the woman he once loved and the secrets that tore them apart. But when Bronwyn calls, he can’t walk away–especially when it’s clear someone wants her gone for good. As they dig deeper into the treacherous motives behind a blackmail scheme, their proximity reignites long-buried feelings neither of them are ready to face. And when the evidence points to an unexpected culprit, Mo faces an impossible choice: trust the proof in front of him or trust his heart.

With danger closing in and no one else to turn to, Bronwyn must break years of silence with Mo to uncover who’s trying to destroy The Haven. They’ll have to risk everything–including their hearts–to expose the truth before it’s too late.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236304619-last-to-fall?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=P9RNiFVYk9&rank=2

Last to Fall

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Romance
Published by: Revell
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780800745387 (ISBN10: 0800745388)
Series: Gossamer Falls, Book #3

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

LAST TO FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #3) by Lynn H. Blackburn is the exciting third book in the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series. This series enters around a multi-generational family in Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. Each story features a new complete couple’s romance, but the suspense and crimes in the town continue over all the books as well as many of the characters, so I feel it is best to read them in the order published.

Bronwyn Pierce successfully runs the Haven, an exclusive mountain resort for her extended family. Recently though she has felt unsettled and felt watched as well as feeling there is a problem with some of the resorts accounts. She feels she has no choice but to ask for help from the one man she felt she could never trust again.

Montgomery “Mo” Quinn is a former Army Intelligence officer and now works personally with computers in criminal investigations. Even with all the mistrust, hurt, and noncommunication between them, Mo can do nothing but help the one woman he has always loved. As they investigate, their feelings reignite. But as Mo delves into the Haven’s files, he discovers blackmail payments and money laundering and is put in an untenable situation of trusting his heart or trusting the files. They are in the crosshairs and must risk everything before a killer succeeds.

This is my favorite of the three and they all have been very good. I have been waiting to discover Bronwyn and Mo’s backstories, and I really enjoyed the alternating chapters that revealed everything. Besides being an overall lovely book about forgiveness, family, and love, the author intricately ties the H/h romance story with all the innocence of their childhood infatuation, the perceived betrayals, and then adult forgiveness and understanding into the full family history seamlessly. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes and just kissing between the H/h. The suspense is well paced with plenty of action and ties together all the missing pieces from all criminal activities from the previous books as well.

I highly recommend this captivating and heartfelt addition to the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series.

***

Excerpt

ONE

Present Day

Whoever said blood was thicker than water hadn’t known about the Pierce family.

Bronwyn Pierce could think of several people she could trust more than her own family, and one of them despised her.

But he was the one she needed now.

He would come. She knew it in a place deep in her core. Despite the pain they’d inflicted on each other for the past seventeen years, he would come.

“This is so messed up.” She muttered the words into the silence of her office, then clamped her mouth shut.

For all she knew, someone was listening.

She propped up her elbows on her desk and rested her face in her hands. Her head ached. Her heart was . . . numb. It had been bruised and beaten so often in her almost thirty- four years that even the magnitude of this current betrayal barely registered.

The light tap on her office door jolted her from her musing, and she barely stopped the scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. Who was wandering around The Haven at three in the morning?

She slid open the middle drawer of her desk and rested her left hand on the small gun she kept there. And wasn’t that just a kick in the pants? She was the CEO of an exclusive resort. She prided herself on how the staff protected the celebrities, politicians, and uber- wealthy visitors who rested in blissful slumber in the elegant cabins that dotted the property. They knew no paparazzi would approach them and no one would harm them while they were here.

But she couldn’t expect the same level of security for herself.

She gripped the gun.

“Ms. Pierce? Are you in there?” The deep voice of Randall, one of the night watchmen, filtered through the thick door.

“Yes. Come in.”

He eased the door open and took one step inside. “Ms. Pierce, are you okay?”

She understood the confusion on his face. She put in well over sixty hours a week, sometimes closer to eighty, but even she didn’t make a habit of being in her office in the middle of the night.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” She didn’t owe him an explanation, but she gave one anyway. Or part of it. “I thought of something that needed to be done on this computer.”

It was no secret that The Haven computer network carried some of the most advanced security available and that some information couldn’t be accessed from remote locations. Not even by her.

“Gotcha.” Randall’s tense smile sent a chill skittering across her skin. “I guess it’s in the air tonight. Mr. Pierce is in his office as well.”

The chill turned into an arctic blast.

“Which Mr. Pierce?”

“Nathan.”

“I see.”

Randall regarded her with an expression she couldn’t decipher. Was it concern? Distrust?

“If it’s all the same to you, ma’am, I’m going to stay in this area for a bit. I’d appreciate it if you’d allow me to escort you back to your home when you’re done here.”

And that didn’t sound ominous. Not at all.

Did he want to see her safely back to her home? Or did he want to take the opportunity to . . . what? What would he do? Surely the situation hadn’t devolved to the point where physical violence was on the table.

Her home was tucked away in an unobtrusive corner of The Haven property. Out of sight of the guests and staff, and off limits to all, but close enough for her to be available in case of emergencies. She’d always appreciated her own private haven at The Haven. But if Randall meant her harm, how long would it be before anyone found her?

She gave herself a mental shake. Randall was good people. He was looking out for her. Nothing more. She hoped.

“Sure. I’ll probably be another ten minutes. I need to send a few emails.”

Randall lowered his head. “In that case, I’ll wait outside.”

With that, he stepped back and closed the door.

Now what?

Her cousin Nathan was in his office on the other side of the property doing who knew what at 3:00 a.m. Probably plotting world domination. Or her painful death. Or both.

After she’d run away at sixteen, Nathan became the heir apparent to their family’s business. He was the golden child. The future of the family. And then he managed to get himself sideways with a guest and had to hide out in Europe for a while.

While his life was spiraling out of control, Bronwyn’s had come together. She finished her degree, worked in the industry in several resorts around the world, and returned to Gossamer Falls, determined to atone for her sins.

Neither she nor Nathan had expected the CEO position to ever be hers, but it was now, and she had no plans to let it go.

Her extended family had never been tight- knit. She’d grown up with competition as the name of the game. She didn’t know exactly when it started, but over the past few years, the Pierces had somehow fractured into separate, warring factions. There was no trust. No love. No sense of togetherness.

Lord, how did we get here? And how do I get out of this mess?

She didn’t know the answer to the first question, but she knew the answer to the second. Or, at least, she knew the first step on the path.

She twisted back to her computer and typed out an email.

With shaking fingers, she hit send, gathered her things, including her weapon, and walked out to meet Randall.

Even after close to two decades of hostility, she knew that while the one person she needed right now wouldn’t speak to her, he would keep her secrets and do everything he could to keep her safe.

And there was no turning back now. She’d placed the charges and lit the fuse. Her walls were coming down. She had to trust that he’d stand with her when the last one fell.

Last to Fall • Lynn H. Blackburn Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group © 2026 used by permission

***

Author Bio

Lynn H. Blackburn is the award-winning author of Never Fall Again, as well as the Dive Team Investigations and Defend and Protect series. She loves writing swoon-worthy Southern suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters by putting them into terrifying situations while she sits at home in her pajamas. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children.

Social Media Links

LynnHBlackburn.com
Subscribe to Lynn’s Newsletter
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @lynnhugginsblackburn
BookBub – @LynnHBlackburn
Instagram – @LynnHBlackburn
Facebook – @LynnHBlackburn
Pinterest – @LynnHBlackburn

Purchase Links

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/Lt9tkcRZ

Kindle – https://pictbooks.tours/0thgmVlg

BN – https://pictbooks.tours/LsxDnLJW

BookShop.org – https://pictbooks.tours/M0xOT6Bw

Christianbook – https://pictbooks.tours/9ZXnsUqt

Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/UX1l9ccJ

BookBub – https://pictbooks.tours/GzMqrP5B

###

PROMOAMP GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/l14J6rCk

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Still Waters and An Amish Baby in Her Arms by Patricia Johns

Still Waters and An Amish Baby in Her Arms by Patricia Johns have gripping plots. The characters in the stories must navigate their Amish life with their desires and wishes.

The characters of both books make for wonderful stories. Anyone who enjoys an intense plot, with riveting characters, should read these books.

Book Description

Unsure of her future within the Amish community, Beth Peachy arrives in Lancaster County for the summer to care for her ailing grandmother. Yet with dementia threatening to steal away Mammi’s memories, Beth’s visit quickly evolves into an urgent search for answers to questions that her relatives seem determined to avoid. How can Beth possibly make a lifelong vow to the Amish church when her own family is concealing so much of the past from her?

Beth’s childhood friend Danny Lapp faces his own dilemma as his ex-Amish older brother turns his back on their family upbringing, dishonoring his Plain heritage. Struggling to find some sort of connection with his brother despite their deep difference of opinion, Danny is determined to find a solution before church leadership becomes involved. As Beth and Danny reconnect and seek to help each other in their search for answers, they find themselves stirring up not only surprising revelations about the past, but questions about a possible future–together.

###

Elise’s Thoughts

Still Waters has two of the female characters trying to navigate the Amish world versus the English world.  Tabitha Schrock left the Amish faith because she wanted to become a veterinarian.  Although she has no regrets about that choice, she decided to come back to the Amish community after divorcing her husband who cheated on her.  She is getting closer to a friend, Jonas who is willing to help her. Unfortunately, they are attracted to each other but because of Amish rules they can never be married.  Tabitha is not the only Amish character who is struggling with her life choices.  There is also Beth Peachy who came to Lancaster County to help her ailing grandmother.  She wants answers about her dad’s history since he just died. She is also struggling with her Amish faith since she wants to pursue things she enjoys.  Danny Lapp is hoping Beth will stay in the Amish faith because he is in love with her. 

A powerful subject matter is how Beth’s grandmother, Mammi, has the first signs of dementia.  This presents anguish, grief, and peace with the characters since it is hard for Beth to get answers.

***

Book Description

A widow reeling from loss…

Can the storm deliver her a family?

Miriam Yoder thought she’d never feel happy again after the loss of her husband and unborn child—until a baby is abandoned outside her workplace. Seeing this as an opportunity for her heart to heal, she cares for the helpless infant during a fierce storm with her late husband’s brother. But Amish farmer Isaac Yoder has been keeping secrets. Hiding them from Miriam as he temporarily works alongside her at his aunt’s chocolate shop is one thing…but caring for a baby together presents a new challenge. Can their growing connection withstand the weight of the truth and open Miriam’s heart again?

###

Elise’s Thoughts

An Amish Baby in Her Arms is also a powerful book. The female lead, Miriam also questions parts of the Amish faith.  She married her true love, Elijah, but he was a bad husband who drank, gambled, had infidelities, and abused her emotionally.  She had a hard life after losing Elijah in an accident and the baby she was pregnant with. Now a feminist of sorts she has decided to never remarry and to be responsible for herself, never depending on a man again. Elijah’s brother Zach also has secrets since he was in love with Miriam and did not think she should marry Elijah.

They were thrown together in a storm after finding an abandoned baby. They navigated the dangerous weather to travel to her grandfather, but the storm got even worse and Zach had to stay there. Working alongside each other, caring for the baby, and being in such close contact, they both started having feelings for one another.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Still Waters? Was it comparing life as an Amish person versus an English person?

Patricia Johns: I wanted to write about the well intentions of family and how different generations react to the traditions. The characters are struggling to find their place in life, and it is not all perfect.

EC:  How would you describe Tabitha?

PJ: Tabitha has given up a lot since she has come back to the Amish life. She feels different and unique. She wants to fit in but also wants more from her life.  She is impressive, confident, hopeful, lonely, and is compassionate. Right now, she feels like an outsider.

EC: How would you describe Jonas?

PJ: Jonas does not want to be under his father’s wing and to do something different, like raising sheep. He is loyal, trustworthy, and lonely.

EC: What about the relationship between Tabitha and Jonas?

PJ: He has only eyes for her and is frustrated because of their situation. They both have feelings for each other but realize there is no future.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

PJ: Beth’s family wants to believe that retaining an Amish faith will be an idyllic life. Yet, her family have many secrets they have not revealed. She is considerate, she questions if the Amish life can give her everything she wants.  Because of this she is vulnerable, frustrated, and searches to find her place. She has a healthy rebellious streak because she constantly asks questions to get to the whole truth.

EC: What about the relationship between Danny and Beth?

PJ: She sees him at times unreasonable and feels he is not willing to bend or compromise. He wants to have the pure Amish experience. He does not want to acknowledge that times people do not have a great Amish life.

EC: What about the Beth’s dad experience?

PJ: He is the broken rule. He is the walking, talking exception. He is the key to the mystery.

EC: There is a lot in the book about the Amish traditions and rules. Please explain.

PJ: They only have education through the 8th grade. Marriage is not allowed if divorced. Living in sin is absolutely forbidden. Women in the Amish community lead in the home but nowhere else. The problem comes up when the husband is no good then the women are very vulnerable.

EC: How did you get the idea for the book An Amish Baby in Her Arms?

PJ: I had this image in my head of a baby on a doorstep during a crushing storm.

EC: How would you describe Zach, the male lead?

PJ: Protective, feels guilty, has secrets, and is reserved.  He questions why the Amish keeps the English at arm’s length. He has guilt surrounding his brother’s death, guilt about his feelings for his late brother’s wife, and guilt for not agreeing with the fact that the Amish separate themselves from everybody else.

EC: How would you describe Miriam?

PJ: She has grief over losing her baby and husband. She does not want to be reliant on any man again.  Miriam is hardworking, stressed, kind, considerate, tough, and determined. She is an Amish feminist even though she herself would not describe herself in that way since she wants to support herself and not be reliant on a man again. She is not looking for a man to rescue her.

EC: What did Miriam go through while married to Elijah, who is now dead?

PJ: She has gone through a miserable heartbreaking experience and never wants to experience it again. She is determined not to put herself in that vulnerable position again. Her late husband, Elijah, broke her spirit, did not respect her, was irresponsible, uncaring, not devoted to her, caused her pain, disorder, unhappiness, and made her lose her self-esteem and sense of purpose.

EC:  How would you compare Zach to Elijah?

PJ: Zach is the direct opposite of Elijah. He builds her up, is kind, and supportive. He makes her life easier, respects her, and sees her value.

EC: What is the role of the baby, Ivy?

PJ: She is most vulnerable who needs care and love. She is the catalyst that has Zach and Miriam opening their hearts to this baby, so their own hearts are more open to each other. They must work together to take care of this baby.

EC: What about the role of the storm?

PJ: It isolates Zach and Miriam together.  It keeps the rest of the world out and forces them to deal with their personal problems.

EC: Next book?

PJ: It is titled Through the Valley and wraps up this series, “The Amish of Shepherd’s Hill.” The plot will have Tabitha’s long deserved, long awaited happily ever after. Although you could read this last book as a stand-alone you will appreciate it even more if the previous two books in the series are read first.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Play with Fire by Sophie L. Henderson

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for PLAY WITH FIRE (Vancity Fire Book #1) by Sophie L. Henderson on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

I may look dainty, but I’m just as tough as every other firefighter. That might all go up in flames when my ex walks into the fire hall…

As the only woman in the fire hall, I’ve worked hard to earn my crew’s respect. But my plan to pass probation without drama goes up in smoke the moment my ex-boyfriend Brodie – the hottest reporter in town with serious Clark Kent energy – makes me the star of his latest feature.

The fire hall is in trouble, and the only way to save it? Prove the city needs us: telling my story in the process. As Brodie and I are forced to work together, I can’t help but notice his attempts to impress me. But it won’t work. I’ll never forget how he broke my heart when he dumped me three years ago.

When I take a risk at a call out and recklessly enter a burning room to rescue a young mother, the first person to come to my rescue is Brodie and I feel the heat between us as he manhandles me back to safety. I can’t start things up again with him…can I?

The captain’s ‘no-dating’ rule means my job is as much on the line as my heart. I’m the one keeping the city safe from danger, but Brodie makes me feel protected in a way I’ve never known before.

Can I say no to my smoking hot ex to save my career or will playing with fire mean I’m going to get burned again?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244527610-play-with-fire?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=leRDptXG6Q&rank=1

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0G4D3ZKS2social

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

PLAY WITH FIRE (Vancity Fire Book #1) by Sophie L. Henderson is the first book in a new steamy contemporary romance series. This an emotional and sexy second chance romance with a female firefighter heroine, a hero who is a local newspaper writer, and extended family drama.

Savannah is working her dream job as a firefighter in Vancity. She is still on her initial probation, and it is all going well until her captain tells her she is going to be shadowed and then featured in a newspaper article to promote their small community fire house. This is a problem because her rich father does not know about her career change and the reporter writing the feature is her college boyfriend who dumped her and broke her heart.

Brodie is finally going to get the promotion to feature writer for his paper if he can write a great article about the local fire house. He is willing to do anything for that promotion, even though it will probably involve his bully of an older firefighter brother. What he does not expect is that his article will feature the new female firefighter who just happens to be the girl he left behind.

This romance is well written with an interesting dynamic between the hero and heroine. Savannah is a tough, dedicated firefighter who felt well researched and her reason for becoming one was very emotional. Brodie is the black sheep of his firefighter family and has had his self-worth badly damaged over the years by his father and older brother and yet he continues to strive for what he wants. Both are dealing with parents that interfere, not in a good way, and they need to learn to communicate not only between themselves as adults, but to also stand-up to the interfering parents. There are several smokin’ hot sex scenes, but they are not gratuitous, and a few where quite entertaining. There is a lot going on in this plot, but the author does a nice job of bringing everything together in the end. I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series.

I recommend this second chance, sexy, contemporary romance.

***

About the Author

Sophie L. Henderson writes steamy romcoms full of chaos, heart, and characters who swear a little too much to be considered polite. Originally from a tiny village in England, she spent seventeen years wrangling jazz hands as a drama teacher before finally listening to the voice in her head (the one telling her to write, not the one asking for another snack). She now lives in Vancouver with her husband, where she’s embraced views of snowcapped mountains from the beach, over-invests in the hockey, and talks to hummingbirds like they’re her best friends.

Social Media Links

Mailing List: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/sophie-l-henderson