The Archived: A Review

Description (taken from goodreads):
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what she once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

My Review:

In the beginning, I did not really know what to make of this book. Yet, it was intriguing and drew me in with this paranormal, fantastic world of The Archive. The fact that every dead person does not in fact die completely, but lies in coffin like boxes on shelves and can be woken up was a bit frightening.

I would not want to be in main character, Mackenzie Bishop's life.

She travels in the odd in between world of the Narrows, where the dead, known as Histories, go to after they wake. It is her job to send them back to The Archive where the workers (known as the Librarians) put them back to rest. And Mackenzie, aka Mac, is very good at her job.

Only, she is held back by the pain of losing her younger brother, Ben. The lost of that little boy almost tore her family apart. Not only does Mac have to lie to her parents about every little thing because she is a Keeper (a hunter of Histories), but her parents have become a bit estranged in their grief. It saddened me to see the broken relationship between Mac and her parents when she obviously loved them and wanted a normal relationship with them. Yet, I did admire her ability to stay strong and retain her focus (for the most part) despite these hardships.

Torn by their grief, her parents move her to an ancient apartment building, once a hotel, to escape the pain of the past. It is here that we meet Mac's new friend, Wesley Ayers.

I like Wesley. He's funny, intuitive, and charming. I think what I like most about him is his determination to not stand down and let Mac and all her lies walk over him. He is strong and is that one guy who you definitely want as your best friend. I love his reasoning for why he dresses the way he does and how he is not afraid to be who he is--a Keeper, as well as one of the biggest flirts Mac has ever met.

Wesley and Mac live in the world of lies, but it did bother me slightly when Mac kept certain things a secret from him. Wesley was there for her, in the hardest times and she only pushed him away. Which, I suppose, is what she was trained to do, but still.

And then there was Mac's weird relationship with a History named Owen. I felt like she was using him, until... Well. Let's just say when the book got the that "OH MY GOSH MOMENT," Mac's relationship with Owen didn't bother me anymore. In fact, I felt bad for her, but... I'll let you figure out why on your own.

I see that I've complained about Mac a bit here, but really she was a great strong female lead. There was valid reasoning behind her actions and I understand why she did what she did. In the end, she held out strong, despite betrayals and a bombardment of truth about The Archive piled onto her shoulders. Mac is the right person to hold all this knowledge, and I was proud of her when she finally let loosened up and confided in Wesley. I saw a lot of growth in her throughout the novel, all for the better.

I sort of wished for a bit more action in the beginning and middle, but overall this book was quite good. Victoria Schwab has a gift with writing in first person, present tense--you don't see that very often. The ending was a pleasant surprise and ended with a bang! I can't wait for to read the next novel, The Unbound.

I give The Archived a 4.5 out of 5.

Meant to Be Mine: Excerpt

A book tour hosted by Prism Book Tours.

Welcome to my tour stop for

Meant to Be Mine

by Becky Wade

Meant to Be Mine

(A Porter Family Novel #2)
by Becky Wade

Christian Romance

May 2014 by Bethany House Publishers

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school—irresistible. When their paths cross again after college—still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia’s ready to be Ty’s wife, but Ty’s not ready to be her husband. He’s a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he’s long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he’s known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia’s buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty’s achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn’t forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia’s trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

Amazon *  Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Here's an Excerpt:

It figured that Ty wasn’t wearing a helmet.

Some of the cowboys had enough sense, at least, to wear head protection while riding seventeen-hundred-pound bulls. Ty wasn’t in that group.

Celia had put Addie to sleep an hour ago, caught up on email and household stuff, and now sat in her TV-watching spot on the sofa. She hadn’t seen Ty do his thing since Vegas and she’d intended never to watch him ride bulls again. Yet here she was.

The camera zoomed in on a shot of Ty sitting on a bull inside the chute, trying to get his grip on the rope before the gate opened and the bull lunged free. He wore a black hat and black shirt, a protective vest covered with his sponsors’ logos, and leather chaps over his jeans and boots. He’d be attempting to ride a beast named Pummeler. He kept adjusting his glove, testing and retesting his hold while the bull beneath him writhed, head-butted the fence, and looked generally wild.

Very unkindly, Celia found herself rooting for Pummeler. “Buck him off,” she muttered, “and dent his arrogance.”

At Ty’s nod, the gate swung open. Pummeler sprang into the arena, kicking, twisting, launching himself into the air, and spinning all at the same time.

No human should have been able to stay on him. But Ty did, one arm high, his balance and strength jaw dropping. When the buzzer sounded after eight seconds, he let the bull’s momentum vault him into the air and landed easily on his feet. The crowd roared.

Once Pummeler had disappeared down the passage where all bulls disappeared, Ty lifted his hat, smiled at the crowd, and turned in a circle to acknowledge their support. The down-home commentators with the chicken-fried-steak accents called him a ‘fan favorite’ and a ‘three time world champion’ and ‘third in the season’s standings’.

“Nice try, Pummeler.” Celia shook her head and fast-forwarded.

Ty rode again and stayed on again.

Unfortunately no one would be denting Ty’s arrogance tonight.

*****

About the Author

During her childhood in California, Becky Wade frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She’s delighted to be penning warm, wry, and heartwarming contemporary romances for the Christian market. Her CBA debut, My Stubborn Heart, was a finalist in both the RITA and INSPY awards.Undeniably Yours kicked off her Texas-set Porter Family series. Her newest contemporary romance, Meant to Be Mine, has just hit shelves!

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

Tour-Wide Giveaway

Prize #1: $50 Visa gift card and a paperback or ebook copy of Meant to Be Mine (open internationally)

Prize #2: 1 lb. of Starbucks coffee and signed copies of Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine (US Only)

Prize #3 Box of See's Chocolates and signed copies of Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine (US Only)

May 4 - 18

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come follow the tour!

May 5

Tressa's Wishful Endings

I Am A Reader

Rina's Reading

May 6

The Wonderings of One Person

JoJo's Corner

Heidi Reads...

May 7

Copywrite1985

Kindle and Me

Redpillows

AddLibrarian

Little Lisa

May 8

Katie ' Clean Book Collection

Christy's Cozy Corners

Tell Tale Book Reviews 

The Written Adventure

Elle in Organic Shoes

Life Isn't Always a Fairytale

May 9

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing

Reviews By Molly

Batch of Books

Getting Your Read On

Coffee Books and Me

May 11 - Grand Finale

Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.

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The Selection Stories: A Review

I have read The Selection and The Elite, and was super excited when I went to Barnes and Noble and discovered that The Prince and The Guard were in paperback. So of course I had to buy it!

Here's my review for The Prince:

This just made me love Prince Maxon even more. He's really the only character I like in this series and the only reason why I keep reading these books.

Seeing the beginning of The Selection from his point of view kind of made my heart hurt. Maxon is incredibly lonely and clueless when it comes to love. His father is a terrible person, and though he is somewhat close to his mother, the attachment doesn't seem strong.

Some people see him as dull, but I see him as someone who is forced to retreat inside himself or else face the beatings from his father.

All Maxon wants is to be loved.

We see the hope he has for The Selection, the first chance he has to find the woman of his dreams. Of course, he is nervous and has to take in account who will be the best for his country, but I can tell he is excited. Totally opposite of what America Singer thinks from her point of view in The Selection.

I was surprised that Maxon was looking forward to thirty-five girls coming to the palace, but then I realized just how much he needed friends, and someone to love. I always thought The Selection was a terrible process, but now that I've seen it from Maxon's point of view, and how it is sort of liberating for him, it makes me rethink my original thoughts.

Maxon is intelligent and observant. He is a gentleman, despite his circumstances. His best characteristic is that he wants to do what is right for the people around him and for his kingdom. He is good man. I believe that when he becomes king, he will do far better than his father and will bring his kingdom from the depression it is in, to it's once former glory.

In all honesty, I wish I could read more from his point of view. Prince Maxon is by far the best character in this book, the most genuine and lovable. I hope that he gets a happy ending.



Now my review for The Guard.

First things first. I never liked Aspen. In fact, I was enraged that he even showed up as a guard in The Selection. He made his end with America and then he came back and ruined everything.

I still don't like him, even after reading this novella, but I think I may understand him a bit more.

Aspen's motives are well enough. He does genuinely love America, he's a good man, and cares for his friends and family. But I still think he's an idiot.

He just watched Marlee and Woodwork get caned for their secret rendezvous, and then what does he do? Oh, he goes and does the same thing with America.

I mean, seriously? If he really loved her he wouldn't risk her getting whipped or tortured.

Also, he said something that really bothered me. Just because Maxon was vying for America's heart too, Aspen couldn't think one good thing about him. I've read enough love triangles and enough bad relationships to know there usually is one good thing even the worst of enemies can find about each other. I just thought it was shallow of Aspen to think that way.



All in all, I thought the story was great and Cass certainly has a talent for writing. I love this story, I do. I just don't like some characters. It is a four out of five for me.

Without Condition by A.J. Baczek

In truth, Without Condition was a pleasant surprise! I do not usually read Christian fiction, but I fell in love with this story. It is beautifully constructed and moving. I found that I was able to connect with the characters and feel the pain, anxiety, fun, and joy they experienced.

Being able to make such a connection with the characters is a huge impact on me as I read. If I can't connect, the book is harder to like. But with the proof above, Without Condition did NOT have that problem.

Jason Ashford is a man plagued by anger from his past. He has endured much tragedy throughout his life and has kept every emotion bottled up inside him. And the moment his soon to be ex-wife, Jennifer, calls him up, she triggers the ticking bomb on his pent up anger.

Although Jason does harbor these rash feelings, I loved that he found a way to control them. Of course, he wasn't perfect, but he was a good man. A man who knew boundaries, especially when it came to his son, Corey.

Another thing I love about Jason was the dedication and love he gave Corey, despite the added stress of abrupt fatherhood and trying to be the father Corey deserved. Jason underestimated himself in his ability to be a good dad. He was afraid that he wasn't perfect, which I think is a fear everyone has at one point. And thanks to Kate, the neighbor girl he's in love with, Jason finally came to terms with the fact that he may not be perfect, but he loved Corey without condition and would do anything to make his son's life better. (Which you can see proved by the way Corey loved Jason's company and even admitted that he liked living with Jason better than Jennifer. When Corey said that, I had tears well up in my eyes. I also fell in love with that kid).

Kate Thatcher, the neighbor girl. I think she's awesome. I loved the fact that she was strong in her faith and wasn't afraid to let Jason, or anyone else, know that or change her stance on it. She had great values that made her a wonderful person. She was observant and filled with charity. As Kate watched Jason struggle, she was there for him until the ends of the earth. She loved Jason, despite his anger. She made the special effort to get to know Corey and to babysit him when Jason needed a break. She is the perfect example of service and charity.

Jennifer. Man I couldn't stand her! Which, of course, was the point (she being the antagonist and all). She was Jason's soon to be ex-wife. And she all but abandoned her son, Corey. I hated how she never kept her promises and avoided Corey like the plague. I don't understand how people like her work, and I think I never want to. If I had to say one good thing about her, she was a great antagonist, because she certainly aggravated me.

What impressed me the most about Without Condition was the way Baczek stayed true to her characters. All throughout the novel, we see Jason's resentment toward church, but his love for Kate. We see Kate's unwavering faith, but her love for Jason. Their friendship was genuine (though not without mistakes) and I adored the promise they made to each other. That though they longed to be together, they would not

jeopardize their strong relationship by moving into things quickly or too early. Jason had his past to work through and Kate was true to her faith, and yet they were willing to work together as Jason let his walls down and began to allow faith in his life again--no matter how small of a step he took.

I give Without Condition a five out of five. It was a compelling and beautiful story about love, loyalty, and faith. Even though it was out of my typical genre, I loved it. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy Christian contemporary.

The Weather Girl GRAND FINALE

 A themed tour with Prism Book Tours

It's the GRAND FINALE for the April Showers Book Tour for
The Weather Girl by Amy Vastine

Did you enjoy getting to know more about Summer and Travis and their story?
If you missed any of the tour stops, you can go back and check them out now...

4/21 - Tour Launch - Interview
What do you hope readers will take with them when they read your book?
I hope people walk away with the idea that love doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice who you are for someone else. When you follow your heart and your dreams, everything else will fall into place.

4/22
Copywrite1985 - Weather Research
Summer tends to rattle off some pretty obscure weather facts when she’s nervous, so finding interesting tidbits took some time but made me a fan of Mother Nature. The photographs I saw while researching this story blew me away! From Texas hail the size of baseballs to lightning storms in Venezuela, there are some amazing stories out there.

Rhiannon Paille - YA Fantasy Author - Excerpt
“Summer Raines.” She left off her usual “pleasure to meet you.” She was madder than a wet hen but was determined to maintain her composure.

“Summer Raines, the weather girl,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s a good one. Who came up with that name?”

“My parents,” she replied flatly, turning her attention back to the suffering butterfly population. “And my title is meteorologist. Not weather girl.”

Angels With Attitude Book Reviews - Interview
What would you have done differently if you were the main character of your book?
Well, I have to say I love football, so I probably would have been one of those people who were fawning all over Travis in the beginning. In the book, Summer is also into lots of extreme sports. She bungee jumps out of a hot-air balloon. I can tell you I would never in a million years jump out of a perfectly good hot-air balloon if I didn't have to. I hate the feeling that comes with free falling!

4/23
Mel's Shelves - Review
"This is a fun, clean read!...I haven't read a Harlequin in years, but this is now the second book I've read in the Harlequin Heartwarming line in the last couple of months and it won't be the last. I love this clean line of romances and look forward to reading more!"

The Bookish Fairy - Character Description: Summer
What I love about Summer is the amazing way her brain works. She has so much information in her head related to the weather, she can spout of facts at any given time. Of course, she sometimes sees it more as a curse than a blessing. Until Travis Lockwood comes to town. Travis is the first person to show some interest in what she has to say. No wonder she falls for him - who doesn’t love a guy who actually listens to you?

4/24
Kelly P's Blog - Interview
What are you working on right now?
I just submitted my second manuscript and am working on my third. These are two of three books I have been contracted to write for Harlequin Heartwarming . They're part of series set in Chicago about three sisters, who each find love in the most unexpected places. THE BETTER MAN is set for release in September. THE BETTER PLAN is scheduled for February 2015 and THE BETTER FIGHT is due sometime in fall of 2015.

Getting Your Read On - Review
"There sure are plenty of bumps along the way. Like I said before, I love Travis. He is the one that made this book great for me. This was a fun, romantic read. A kick back and relax sort of book."

Cherry Mischievous - Excerpt

“I don’t control the weather, I just predict it.” She turned her attention back to her monitor. Her soft-looking curls fell down like a curtain, shielding her face from him. He wanted to reach out and push them behind her ear so he could see those cheeks, those eyes. Her eyes really were amazing. They were big and blue like the Texas sky...

4/25
Brooke Blogs - Character Description: Travis
What I love about Travis is his pure heart. There isn’t a mean bone in this guy’s body. He’s been fortunate and lived a charmed life up until now but still has a wonderful humbleness about him. In fact, sometimes he can be darn right self-deprecating. But he’s strong physically and emotionally. Strong enough to make the tough choices when he needs to.

4/27
Tressa's Wishful Endings - Review
"Overall, this was pretty much a perfect romance. It's light and heavy in all the right places. There's tension and some sweet kisses and some difficult choices that these characters had to make. It all comes together in the end and left me with that happy-ever-after feeling that I love. I would definitely recommend it to romance lovers everywhere!"

Seasons of Humility - Review
"With clever characterization, relevant conflicts, and an ending that is adorable and absolutely perfect for the story, The Weather Girl is a sunny read for a rainy day. Harlequin Heartwarming at its finest!"

4/28
Kindle and Me - Excerpt
Summer sat up on her elbows. Just then, water shot out of the in-ground sprinkler, hitting her with a force she couldn’t have expected.

They both jumped up as the entire field came to life, showering the dried-up grass and the two friends with shockingly cold water. Travis protected his camera and ran for the track. The old groundskeeper shouted at the younger man, who must have accidentally turned the system on. He was now oblivious because of the music being pumped into his ears.

Instead of running, Summer stood in the middle of the field and laughed. Once she got used to it, the cool water felt nice. She lifted her arms and tilted her face up to the sky. She closed her eyes and spun around as if dancing in the rain like when she was little...

Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf - The Book Cover
Since this is an April showers book blog tour and rain makes me think of umbrellas, I thought it would be fun to talk about the cover of the book. First, you should know that Harlequin authors don’t have too much say in what their cover will look like. We provide information to the art department regarding characters, setting, and some key scenes. However, it is the talented group over there then takes that info and creates the cover art.

JRRichardson Fics - Review
"She’s perky and driven. He’s broken and sexy. And there are not many writers that can pull off giving me heart fail and swelly hearts and steamy scenes without one ounce of sex in their story. Amy is one of those who can. She doesn’t need it either. The banter between these two is just one of the things I love about it. Their tender moments as they get to know each other are another."

4/29
Katie's Clean Book Collection - Review
"Naturally, this was the perfect story for me. I love a clean romance that tells the tale of how two people meet and their course to falling in love. It isn't easy; it isn't always pleasant; there can be a lot of misunderstandings and assumptions that stand in the way. Take this sweet romance and add weather and it's the perfect combination."

Letters from Annie Douglass Lima - Excerpt
When they were alone and she had no menu to hide behind, Travis continued, with his dimples in full effect. “I think you’ve finally stopped hating me.”

“I never hated you. I tried to hate you, but you’re too likable.” He liked that answer. He liked that answer a lot. “I am, am I?” “Less and less by the minute.”

He wasn’t buying it. “Admit it. You like me.”

“I don’t know. You never return the things you borrow, you drive a pretentious car. The list of reasons not to like you goes on and on.”

“Your umbrella is sitting right by my front door. I never remember it because it hasn’t rained in weeks.”

“Don’t make me come get it,” she warned.

He laughed. “You aren’t as scary as you used to be, Weather Girl.”

The Written Adventure - Interview
1) What is your favorite thing about writing?
What I love most about writing is seeing an idea come to life. Sometimes the original idea is just this one scene or this one character that I love. To be able to take that one piece of the puzzle and put it all together into something rich and full is very satisfying.

4/30
Paulette's Papers - Spring
The only thing I don’t like, that my heroine in The Weather Girl had the ability to predict thanks to a sort of sixth sense, is rain. I don’t really enjoy grey skies or wet, soggy grass. We have a dog who always finds the mud, no matter how hard we try to keep her away from it. And my weather girl may find tornados thrilling, but I only fear the damage they can do. I will admit that there are some very impressive pictures of tornados out there that I will happily look at from the safety of my computer.

Library of a Book Witch - Excerpt
“I should go inside,” Summer said for the twentieth time. She kept saying it, but never actually got out of the car. Not that he minded. He was waiting for the perfect moment to kiss her goodbye. He’d have to initiate this time, but he couldn’t help being smug that she had kissed him first, as he had predicted.

“Thanks for driving,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” He reached out and squeezed her hand, afraid they were getting close to really saying goodbye. His thumbs brushed the soft skin on the back of her hand as he tried to remind himself it would be wrong to kidnap her from her grandparents’ driveway.

“I should go,” she said again. He didn’t want her to go. He wanted to keep her forever...

5/1
The Wonderings of One Person - Top Ten Weather/Football Movies
I thought since the book is about a weather girl and a former football quarterback, it would be fun to share my list of the top ten weather-related/football movies with everyone. Maybe you’ll find something you can rent for next Friday night!

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing - Review
"This is such a sweet story of finding friendship that can turn to true love. Those are my favorite kinds of love stories. I enjoy when there is more to the relationship than the “insta” love. Travis and Summer connected as friends before they truly allowed themselves to be connected in a real relationship."

I Am A Reader - How Amy Became an Author
I have been dabbling in writing as a hobby for about nine years. It started as a way for me to organize my thoughts and daydreams. I am a dreamer. I can entertain myself for hours by telling myself stories in my head. Music inspires me and drives a lot of the plots in there.

5/2
Lola's Reviews - Review
"The Weather Girl is a sweet story and I really enjoyed it. Once I picked it up I didn’t want to stop reading, it was addictive and I just wanted to read more about the two awesome characters. Ir’s a sweet and heartwarming story about finding love and finding your dream."

Deal Sharing Aunt - Excerpt
“Summer, we love you,” Mimi said, taking hold of her hands. “We want you to be happy. Tell me this job with Ryan won’t make you happy.”

“It will and it won’t.” She couldn’t ignore the way her heart ached when she imagined telling Travis about the other job. It would have been hard enough to leave her grandparents, but Summer had to go and fall in love with a man who had broken down all of her walls so effortlessly.

“Any of this indecision have to do with that mighty fine looking man who’s walking your dog with Big D right now?”

Summer shrugged, unable to speak around the lump in her throat. Maybe it had more to do with Travis than she wanted to admit.

The Weather Girl
by Amy Vastine
Clean Adult Contemporary Romance
January 1st 2014 by Harlequin

Turbulence is in their forecast.

Summer Raines knows when it's going to rain. She can feel it. That's why the local weather girl's so good at her job. Too bad she couldn't have foreseen the tumultuous arrival of Travis Lockwood, everybody's favorite star NFL quarterback. Make that former star NFL quarterback. Sidelined back to Texas after an injury, the golden boy is trying to steal her precious on-air time. Summer is reduced to reporting from…football games. It's enough to make her quit and become a storm-chaser like her parents. She's stuck with a career that's going nowhere and a man who delights in her refusal to be charmed. Falling in love isn't nearly as easy as predicting the weather.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Harlequin

Amy Vastine has been plotting stories in her head for as long as she can remember. An eternal optimist, she studied social work, hoping to teach others how to find their silver lining. Now, she enjoys creating happily ever afters for all to read.In September of 2012, she saw a tweet about Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write contest. She entered, hoping for nothing more than a little feedback from some people in the business. Amazingly, The Weather Girl made it into the semi-finals, thanks to the many wonderful voters out there! The manuscript didn't make it to the finals, but the editors over Harlequin were still interested. A few revisions later and The Weather Girl was contacted for publication with Harlequin Heartwarming - a dream come true!Amy lives outside Chicago with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, three fun-loving children, and their sweet but mischievous puppy dog.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

Tour-Wide Giveaway



- Grand Prize: $25 Amazon gift card, red umbrella, signed copy of THE WEATHER GIRL, umbrella bookmark, and decorative box (US Only)
- 5 ebooks of The Weather Girl (INT)
- April 21 - May 11

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.

Meant to Be Mine LAUNCH!!

A book tour hosted by Prism Book Tours.

The REVIEW & EXCERPT TOUR for

Meant to Be Mine

by Becky Wade

Come follow the tour!

May 5

Tressa's Wishful Endings

I Am A Reader

Rina's Reading

May 6

The Wonderings of One Person

JoJo's Corner

Heidi Reads...

May 7

Copywrite1985

Kindle and Me

Redpillows

AddLibrarian

Little Lisa

May 8

Katie ' Clean Book Collection

Christy's Cozy Corners

Tell Tale Book Reviews 

The Written Adventure

Elle in Organic Shoes

Life Isn't Always a Fairytale

May 9

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing

Reviews By Molly

Batch of Books

Getting Your Read On

Coffee Books and Me

May 11 - Grand Finale

Meant to Be Mine

(A Porter Family Novel #2)
by Becky Wade

Christian Romance

May 2014 by Bethany House Publishers

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school—irresistible. When their paths cross again after college—still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia’s ready to be Ty’s wife, but Ty’s not ready to be her husband. He’s a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he’s long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he’s known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia’s buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty’s achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn’t forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia’s trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

Amazon *  Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Becky recently joined Christian romance authors, Victoria Bylin and Melissa Tagg, in discussing  the top ten things you won't and will find in contemporary romance. Take a look:

More about Meant to Be Mine

What is the inspiration behind Meant to Be Mine?

I was inspired by a classic romance novel storyline known as the “Secret Baby”. In the case of Meant to Be Mine, Ty and Celia get married in Las Vegas at the spur of the moment (after dating one another for four days). They realize the next morning that the wedding wasn’t such a good idea and they part ways. The story picks up five and a half years later, when Ty tracks Celia down in order to inquire about a divorce. What he discovers? Celia has a daughter -- his daughter -- that she’s kept a secret from him.

Secret baby plot lines never fail to capture my interest! I’m always so eager for the father to discover the baby and then to watch the characters navigate the drama that follows. I’ve wanted for some time to try my hand at this sort of story and am extremely glad to have been given the chance.

What did you enjoy most about writing this story?

The banter! Ty is the funniest, most charming, and most confident hero I’ve written so far. When I put Celia into scenes with him I realized right away that she was going to have to be even spunkier than I’d originally realized. I had a ball writing the dialogue between the two of them. There were times when I could hardly type fast enough.

What was the greatest struggle you faced with Meant to Be Mine?

Revisions. The first time out of the gate with Meant to Be Mine I made a rookie mistake for a romance writer. I didn’t give the hero enough romantic conflict. My editors quickly spotted the problem (plus several others) and I spent an entire summer rewriting the book. Thank God for good editors. Their advice isn’t always easy to hear, but it’s invaluable to receive.

What I learned: Some books simply come together more quickly and easily than others. That doesn’t mean that as the author you end up loving the end product any more or less.

What I learned again for the thousandth time: this business is humbling.

What is the theme of Meant to Be Mine?

From the beginning, before I’d written page one, I knew that Meant to Be Mine would be about forgiveness.

How was the title chosen?

Funny you should ask! When I was brainstorming titles for Undeniably Yours, I came up with Meant to Be Mine. I liked it so much, that I used it as the book’s working title and submitted Bo and Meg’s story to my editors with that title. As it happened, my first book was called My Stubborn Heart and the team at Bethany House felt that the ‘Mine’ in Meant to Be Mine was too similar to the ‘My’ in My Stubborn Heart. They asked for a list of additional title ideas and Undeniably Yours was one of the ones I submitted.

When it came time to settle on a title for Ty and Celia’s story, I resubmitted Meant to Be Mine because I still liked it and because I felt that it suited this novel just as well as the previous novel. The second time around, they liked it!

About the Author

During her childhood in California, Becky Wade frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She’s delighted to be penning warm, wry, and heartwarming contemporary romances for the Christian market. Her CBA debut, My Stubborn Heart, was a finalist in both the RITA and INSPY awards.Undeniably Yours kicked off her Texas-set Porter Family series. Her newest contemporary romance, Meant to Be Mine, has just hit shelves!

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

Tour-Wide Giveaway

Prize #1: $50 Visa gift card and a paperback or ebook copy of Meant to Be Mine (open internationally)

Prize #2: 1 lb. of Starbucks coffee and signed copies of Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine (US Only)

Prize #3 Box of See's Chocolates and signed copies of Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine (US Only)

May 4 - 18

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