Blog Tour: Home to Chicory Lane With Facebook Party and Giveaway!

Home to Chicory Lane: A Chicory Inn Novel | Book 1

About the Book:

Audrey Whitman’s dreams are coming true. Now that their five kids are grown, she and her husband Grant are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast, just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.

Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious, with family and friends coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. But when Audrey’s daughter, Landyn, arrives, the U-Haul she’s pulling makes it clear she’s not just here for a few days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent Landyn running home? Where was Landyn’s husband, Chase? And what else was her daughter not telling her? One thing was for sure, the Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide the comfort of home her daughter so desperately needs?

My Comments:

Those who like their Christian fiction on the religious side should enjoy this novel about two newlyweds working out the terms of their relationship.  Those holding more modern egalitarian views of marriage will shake their heads at references to the husband being the head of the home and at marriage vows of obedience.  Both Landyn and Chase are trying to listen to God in their lives and yet they aren't listening to each other.  Frankly Landyn really needs to grow up; she gets mad (rightly so) because her husband makes a major life decision without consulting her, so she quits her job and runs home to Mom and Dad where she acts like a teenager when asked to help with chores.  She refuses to answer her phone or check her messages because she doesn't want people telling her what to do.  

Deborah Raney does a good job of contrasting the broken marriage and immature ways of relating that Chase and Landyn have adopted to the mature and loving marriage of Landyn's parents.  This is clearly a book written to teach a lesson about marriage.

I'd like to thank Litfuse for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  B.

Blog Tour:

The first book in Deborah Raney's new Chicory Inn series, Home to Chicory Lane, introduces us to Audrey Whitman, a mother who has launched all her children into life and now looks forward to fulfilling some of her own dreams during her empty-nest years. However, not all of her children are ready to stay out of the nest quite yet.

Deborah is celebrating the release of her new series with a $200 B&B Weekend Getaway and a Facebook author chat party.

 
  One winner will receive:

• A B&B Weekend Getaway (via a $200 Visa cash card)
• Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 9th. Winner will be announced at the Home to Chicory Lane Author Chat Party on 9/9. Deborah will be hosting a heartfelt book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at the next book in the Chicory Inn series!

So grab your copy of Home to Chicory Lane and join Deborah on the evening of September 9th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 9th!

Review: The Face of the Earth

The Face of the Earth: A Novel

About the Book:

When Mitchell Brannon’s beloved wife of twenty years kisses him goodbye one morning, he has little idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised Jill’s car isn’t in the garage. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. “Hey, babe, I’m just now checking out of the hotel, but I’ll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you.” Hours later, Jill still hasn’t returned, and Mitch’s irritation turns to dread.

When the police come up empty, Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill’s best friend, Shelley, to help search. As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, Mitch and Shelley’s friendship grows ever closer––and decidedly more complicated. Every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.

My Comments:

None of  us like death, but at least with death you know where you stand.  In this book Mitch doesn't know where he stands.  When his wife disappears the police question him as if he might be the reason for her disappearance, or whether she chose to disappear.  As they look into clues Mitch  finds he has his moments of doubt--doubt she will be found, doubt about their marriage, doubt about himself.  In a non-preachy manner this book looks at what fidelity means in a Christian marriage and at what point the bond of marriage is broken.  It is a book about people of faith, about churchgoers who pray, but it is also a book about very real, very human people.  I enjoyed this book, which I received through Edelwiess and recommend it.  Grade:  B+.

Deborah is celebrating with a fun "Date Night" Giveaway (win a $200 Visa Cash Card!) and an Author Chat Party on Facebook! {5/30}

   One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Cash Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one – your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!)
• The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 29th. Winner will be announced at the "The Face of the Earth" Facebook Author Chat Party on May 30th. Connect with Deborah for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Deborah will also be sharing a sneak peek of her next book and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Face of the Earth and join Deborah on the evening of May 30th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!

Blog Tour: After All

After All: A Hanover Falls Novel

About the Book:

Eighteen months after the tragic Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal. But then she discovers that David carried a secret to his grave—a secret that changes everything she thought about their marriage. For the sake of their sons, can Susan forgive the unforgivable?

Andrea Morley lost her closest friend in the fire. But she has no right to mourn him. Instead, she must forever grieve in silence—for someone else’s husband. Peter Brennan carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. As Hanover Falls fire chief, he was responsible for the brave firefighters who lost their lives that awful November night. Can he ever shake the feeling that he could have somehow prevented the tragedy? And now it seems he might find comfort in the arms of the woman he least expected.

My Comments:

I enjoyed this third, and I guess final book in the Hanover Falls series.  Many familiar characters from the other books make appearances, and while the book reads fine as a stand-alone, there are a lot of references to the back story. 

As in  the other books, Raney does a good job of creating a suspenseful situation and then resolving it, and not quite in the manner you'd expect.  The book is Christian fiction but on the lighter side religion-wise.  However, the need to forgive both yourself and others is a  primary theme.  

I'd like to thank Glass Road PR for sending me a review copy and I'd like to apologize for the late review.  Grade:  B.

About the Author:

Deborah Raney is the award- winning author of numerous novels, including A Nest of Sparrows and the RITA award-winning Beneath a Southern Sky and its sequel, After the Rains. Deborah's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, was the inspiration for World Wide Picture's highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time. Deb's novella, Playing by Heart, was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her novel with Howard/Simon & Schuster, Yesterday's Embers, appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list. Known for her sensitive portrayal of family struggles and relationships, Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women's retreats and writers' conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas. Learn more at www.deborahraney.com.

Other Raney Books I've reviewed:

Almost Forever

Forever After

Beneath a Southern Sky

Yesterday's Embers