Battle for the Crown By Dawn Shipman + Giveaway

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Battle for the Crown by Dawn Shipman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Battle for the Crown
Series: Lost Stones of Argonia #3
Author: Dawn Shipman
Publisher: Elk Lake
Release Date: October 16, 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy (Clean)

“Adventurous quests, prophetic stones, and forbidden romance! Who could possibly ask for more?” —Lindsay A. Franklin, Carol Award–winning author of The Weaver Trilogy

She’s only seventeen—too young to die. 

But the wizard, the ambitious king, and their marauding Borags must be stopped. Fulfilling the prophecy is the only way to defeat them, and after scouring Argonia for the missing gemstones, Lyric and her companions are just steps away from the final, crucial battle. 

If they fail, the world they love will sink into a dark night of destruction. 

If they fail, they will almost certainly die. 

But Lyric is a king’s daughter, and long ago she chose this path. Terrified or not, she will see it to its end, because sometimes, sacrifice is the only way forward. 

Dark magic, tragic loss, and tender romance abound in this gripping conclusion to the Lost Stones of Argonia trilogy.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

Book Excerpt

Marek frowned. “What do you propose?”

She sighed. Raised her chin. “I would like you to go to the southern border. Fell trees, pile brush.

Set fires if you have to. Delay them as long as possible.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that. From the beginning, I’ve had one task on this mission—to

keep you safe. I can’t do that from miles away. Don’t ask me to leave you now.”

She gazed steadily at him. “I have to. This is not just about me. It never was.”

More Books in This Series

 

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About the Author

Dawn Shipman knew she wanted to be a writer since Mrs. Juell’s 10th grade Creative Writing class. Since then, she’s written stories, poetry, plays, puzzles, quizzes, and a mass of magazine articles, including interviews, how-tos, and personal experience stories. She believes freelance writing is the ideal occupation for those who are nosy by nature and like asking personal questions.

She is the author of a YA Fantasy series–The Lost Stones of Argonia–-with Elk Lake Publishing in Massachusetts. 

Dawn makes her home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she lives with her long-haired, IT-guy husband, a gregarious German Shepherd, two disdainful cats, and four horses–two large ones and two very small (but mighty!) ones. She loves reading, writing, riding, and traveling. 

Connect with Dawn by visiting dawnshipmanfiction.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will win Kindle copies of all three books in the series--Kingdom Lost, Quest of the Queen, and Battle for the Crown, plus a $10 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 28, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on December 5, 2023. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. No country restrictions. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

The Old Testament Handbook + Giveaway

I can tell you the exact moment I fell in love with the Old Testament. It was the fall of 2018. BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) was doing the People of the Promised Land study. It covered Joshua to Song of Solomon. At the same time I read my first Connilyn Cossette book, Shelter of the Most High. It was my first time learning about the cities of refuge, which was discussed in the study and the story. I was so fascinated by how a city of refuge worked in Biblical times! Seriously, if you've never heard of it, go check it out in Scripture.

For me, the OT was dry, daunting, and not something that I readily ran to. Now, when someone talks about the Old Testament, I'm all ears. In fact, after starting Connilyn's newest series The King's Men, my husband and I started reading through Samuel. We've been thoroughly enjoying it. On top of that, we've been able to use The Old Testament Handbook as a resource! I received the book for review thanks to FrontGate Media.

The Old Testament Handbook is charcoal cloth over board. Here are some of the features:

• High-quality, foil-stamped cloth cover materials and Smyth-sewn binding meant to last a lifetime
• Elegant full-color interior design, including maps, charts, illustrations, and other visual helps for every book of the Old Testament
• More than 75 in-depth word studies of key words found in each Old Testament book
• Ribbon marker for easy referencing between pages during study, teaching, or sharing

Each chapter is a little different in what it offers except for the first three pages. Those offer an Introduction, an Outline, and a Word Study. The rest of each chapter mixes it up a bit. Let's look at 1-2 Samuel. In this chapter, we look at a timeline from 1200 BC to 900 BC, Movement and Locations of the Ark, a comparison between Saul & David (this spurred a great conversation between me and my husband), the difference between prophets/priests/kings, a chart of those against Israel, a chart of David's enemies, a discussion on the giants in the Bible, a timeline of Samuel's life, seeing Jesus in the Kingdom, God's covenants, and a comparison of the kings: Saul, David, Solomon, and Jesus. Other chapters have maps, key verses, detailed explanations, quotes, names of God, etc.

Since my husband and I are reading through the Bible during our devotions at night, we're adding this to our reading. It's just a great opportunity to learn some more details we might not be thinking about as we're reading through each book. I know I'm going to appreciate the maps because I'm a visual learner and during certain passages of Scripture, I'm always wondering where the people are located at that moment. 

The title pages of each chapter are beautifully designed and keep the same imagery throughout. On the outside edge of the title page is the name of the Book of the Bible. As a fictional reader, I like how the genre for each chapter is described: historical narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, prose, etc. Below that is a short description of the chapter.

The Old Testament Handbook is definitely something you want to have on hand as you read through Scripture. You can take a deeper dive into the book on the B&H Publishing Group page as well as purchasing it. While my Handbook is charcoal, there's also the option of getting it in sand.

You also have the opportunity to win one of ten copies of the book! You have until December 6, 2023 to enter. You can find more details and enter HERE or by clicking the image above.

Be on the lookout for The New Testament Handbook coming soon!

The Warsaw Sisters By Amanda Barratt

The Warsaw Sisters

by Amanda Barratt

Publisher: Revell

ISBN: 9780800741716

I've read one story by the author and I remember it being very powerful. As soon as I saw this one, I knew I had to read it. Whew! This one will feel like you've been sucker punched while rooting desperately for the sisters! I received this book for review from the publisher.

Summary:

A richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and resilience 

On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.

When Antonina's beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls, along with the rest of Warsaw's Jewish population, Antonina knows she cannot stand by and soon becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Meanwhile, Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland's secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. 

But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear them apart--and the cost of resistance may prove greater than either ever imagined.

My Review:

The Warsaw Sisters was an incredibly heavy story to read. In many of the WWII stories we read, there are moments of lightness, victory, and even a bit of romance. If you're looking for a "light" read, this story is NOT it. If you want to get into the trenches and live vicariously through fictional characters who are trying to survive the annihilation of an entire country, this story is absolutely for you.

I'll tell you, you have flickering moments of lightness, but it felt like a blink and it was gone. Any victory was very short lived. As for romance, I don't think I could say that it was really in the story. There were glimpses of love and growing feelings, but always just seemed out of reach for the sisters.

We're carried (rather quickly in the beginning) from the start of Warsaw becoming occupied by the Germans in 1939, and within just a couple of years the girls we meet at the start are no longer the same innocent young women. Their lives and the world around them have been devastated and you will feel every bit of it with them. The author is certainly gifted in that area!

Antonina and Helena were truly just your average twin sisters who were the apple of their father's and aunt's eyes. Then, war. Both sisters, over time, have to make heart wrenching decisions. It was so compelling to live through their fictional lives, wondering to myself what I might do in those situations. Like them, one doesn't know until they're faced with it.

A heart-wrenchingly powerful story that was written to help us never forget what happened to millions of innocent people! This story will absolutely move you.

To me, there wasn't an incredibly strong faith thread in the story - more so towards the very end. The family was Catholic and it was mentioned they went to church on Sundays. While both sisters struggled (and understandably so) Antonina, I think, questioned God the most. They would remember things their father said to them, and Antonina (maybe Helena) spoke to a priest once who really encouraged her.

SPOILER BELOW:

Antonina also sleeps with a man she had fallen in love with (and he loves her) before the war in a moment of desperation.

About the Author:

Amanda Barratt is the bestselling author of numerous historical novels and novellas, including The White Rose Resists (a 2021 Christy Award winner) and Within These Walls of Sorrow. She is passionate about illuminating oft-forgotten facets of history through a fictional narrative. Amanda lives in Michigan. Learn more at AmandaBarratt.net.

To Spark A Match By Jen Turano

To Spark a Match

by Jen Turano

Publisher: Bethany House

Series: The Matchmakers

ISBN: 9780764240218

How much do I love Jen Turano? Let me count the ways! Her books are always what I need when I want a good laugh with my love for historical fiction. I am thankful to be on her launch team and was sent her book for review.

Summary:

After five unsuccessful Seasons on the marriage mart, Miss Adelaide Duveen has resigned herself to the notion that she's destined to remain a spinster forever--a rather dismal prospect, but one that will allow her to concentrate on her darling cats and books. However, when she inadvertently stumbles upon Mr. Gideon Abbott engaged in a clandestine activity during a dinner party, Adelaide finds herself thrust into a world of intrigue that resembles the plots in the spy novels she devours.

Former intelligence agent Gideon Abbott feels responsible for Adelaide after society threatens to banish her because of the distraction she caused to save his investigation. Hoping to return the favor, he turns to a good friend--and one of high society's leaders--to take Adelaide in hand and turn her fashionable. When danger surrounds them and Adelaide finds herself a target of the criminals in Gideon's case, the spark of love between them threatens to be quenched for good--along with their lives.

My Review:

What is there not to love about a Jen Turano book? To Spark a Match has two characters you can't help but loving! Well, them and their cohorts! Poor Adelaide. She just wants to be herself... and have a few cats. Is that too much to ask? It's hard not to be smitten with her just for the fact that she's just so "normal" while surrounded by the four hundred. Adelaide also has a heart of gold, willing to help others at her own expense. 

And Gideon, that poor guy could not catch a break in trying to keep Adelaide out of danger. Try as he might, she kept finding it... or it kept finding her! While she didn't want to find herself mixed up with unknown dangerous people, it seemed she couldn't avoid it. 

The beginning of the story had a lot going on, I will say that! There were times I felt like it was a bit long winded. Jen's typical humor and crazy antics with the characters were always woven into the story, constantly giving a good giggle!

I will say, I enjoy stories that add an animal into it. Jen did a fun job with the cats in this story. 

I'm looking forward to book three and can't wait to read it!

About the Author:

Named one of the funniest voices in inspirational romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publishers Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from RT Book Reviews, and praise from Library Journal. She's been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers' Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. She and her family live outside of Denver, Colorado. Readers can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and at JenTurano.com.

Knowing You By Tracie Peterson + Give Away

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Knowing You by Tracie Peterson hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Knowing You 

Series: Pictures of the Heart #3 

Author: Tracie Peterson 

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers 

Release Date: November 7, 2023 

Genre: Christian Historical Romance 

Could a captivating art exhibit hold the key to truth--and love? 

Budding artist May Parker is captivated by the Japanese exhibits at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and longs to know more about her mother's heritage--which her mother refuses to speak of because of the heartache she left behind in Japan. Wanting to experience more of the exhibits, May works as a Camera Girl--but her curiosity leads her into danger when a suit of samurai armor becomes the target of an elusive art forger. 

After ten years apart, May is reunited with her childhood friend Lee Munro, a police detective assigned to keep a watchful eye on the exposition. Their friendship immediately begins to blossom with hints of something more, but when they become entangled in a dangerous heist involving the samurai armor and their love is threatened, can they overcome the odds against them?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Christianbook | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in Series

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Excerpt

When the clock chimed five, May put away her paints and brushes as the Camera Girls filed back in

one by one. There was a great deal of chattering about the day and all that had taken place.

“Tomorrow is Japan Day,” Mary told May as she took off the camera from around her neck.

“I know. I’m very excited to see what all they do.” May continued cleaning her station.

“I heard there would be a parade from the Japanese village to the Japan building,” Mary added. “It’s

first thing in the morning.”

May smiled. “I have the day off and intend to watch it all and listen to the speakers and hear the Japanese

musicians. I am quite excited.”

Mary nodded and returned May’s smile. “I hope you enjoy yourself. If I were off, I would join you, but I’ll

probably be too busy photographing people. Maybe I can come find you at lunch.”

“One of the restaurants is going to serve authentic Japa- nese food. I want to try it all,” May said with

a laugh.

Her mother never allowed Japanese food to be served in the house. on more than one occasion May

had snuck down- town to the Japanese area of Seattle—Japantown. Bordered by Yesler Way and

Dearborn on the north and south ends, and Fourth and Fourteenth Avenues on the east and west,

Japantown offered May a glimpse into a world she had only dreamed about. It was here she had

sampled a few classic dishes, but she’d never told her mother. She knew the older woman would have

been very upset to know that May was even interested in such things.

But she was.

She longed to know about her Japanese ancestors and the culture of Japan. She had tried so many

times to get her mother to open up and talk about it, but it almost al- ways resulted in either tears

or silence. Japan, her father had once told her, had been most hurtful to her mother, and she left many

bad feelings there when she got on the boat for America.

When May had first heard of the expo and its plans for promoting Japan and other Pacific Islands,

she knew she wanted to somehow be a part of it. Upon visiting, she’d seen the advertisement at

Fisher Photography for Camera Girls. When she went in to speak to the owner about the job,

somehow the conversation had turned to May being an artist. One thing led to another, and Mr. Fisher

asked if she thought she could touch up the photographs with color. May was confident she could, and

so she was hired. It turned out to be the perfect job for her, although she was also trained on the

Brownie.

from Knowing You by Tracie Peterson / Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group © 2023

used by permission

About the Author

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

Connect with Tracie by visiting traciepeterson.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a copy of Knowing You and a $15 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight November 15, 2023 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on November 22, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!