Thursday, January 30, 2014

More Reviews in for The Vengeance Squad Goes to England

4.0 out of 5 stars LOVEABLE LIZ, January 30, 2014
By Joyce C. Joiner
This review is from: The Vengeance Squad Goes to England (Paperback)
Loveable Liz, introduced to readers in the author's first novel LOVE LONG LOST, remains steadfast in her faith, living out Christian principles in the midst of intrigue and injustice. –Joy

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, January 29, 2014
By Christina Granville "thriller fan"
This review is from: The Vengeance Squad Goes To England (Kindle Edition)
Bad guys, Money thief, People after them, Falling in love, A double decker bus Book Mobile, Beautiful scenes in Jolly England. A very fast moving adventure. And a wonderful Falling in love story when they arent separated. And a wonderful Christmas in February Dinner Read it. Enjoy it. God bless you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another exciting Sid Frost story that begs for more!, January 23, 2014
By James L. Chapman "Jim"   
This review is from: The Vengeance Squad Goes to England (Paperback)
Just like Sid Frost's prior books, TVSGtE ends with the reader wanting to know how does ...work out? What happens to....? The main characters and the bookmobile which are present in all Mr. Frost's books are now welcome old friends. I am sure that I am joined by many other readers who hope that we have not heard the last of the Vengeance Squad. Perhaps VS will end up on a mission to Germany or a choral adventure in Oregon or .....?

Thanks Sid for this enjoyable series of books. I hope there will be more.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hurrah for The Vengeance Squad, January 23, 2014
By Longtime Scribbler
This review is from: The Vengeance Squad Goes To England (Kindle Edition)
Author Sid Frost has sent his Vengeance Squad to the U.K. on their quest to find the bad guys and bring them to justice. Back are Chris with his compulsion for orderly objects, Tex in his ubiquitous Stetson, and Liz, the Austin librarian who hugs everybody. This adventure takes them in search of Virgil, who had cheated Liz out of her bookmobile funds. The trail leads to London, giving Chris the opportunity to develop his relationship with Angela, the English beauty with a mysterious career.

Frost writes convincingly of London and the British countryside. His characters, both British and American, jump off the pages as real people. Liz, always outgoing and accepting in previous Frost novels, shows a new side to her character, becoming the most vengeful of the squad. Her efforts often end in laughable disasters, adding comic relief to a fast-paced read.

For the reader who is catching the Squad for the first time, Frost does a credible job of filling in the back story. In my view, Chris agonizes too much about his feelings for Angela, but he leaves us with a teaser for Vengeance Squad #3.



 

 

Monday, January 27, 2014

COTT: Start The Year With Some Great Christian Fiction!


It's a brand new year with brand new books to devour! Have you gotten started yet on your To-Be-Read pile for 2014? We've got more!

Check out the following New Releases. Which one is calling you the loudest? Take a moment to browse, then make your choice below to let us know which you're most likely to read first.

VOTE from Now until next Wednesday - tell your friends - then come back and see which book is this month's champion!

Happy reading! 

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Cowboy-turned-medical student Maxwell White needs money to finish his studies. Teaming up with the local doctor means working with the doc's lovely daughter-slash-nurse, a gal that Maxwell quickly discovers can heal his heart...

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The promise Drew made Emily's dying father is ridiculous to her at first. Find her a husband? She realizes that Drew may be just the man for her--although he doesn't agree. Will they see they need to look to God for guidance and direction for the future?

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Lady Cailin MacMurry marries the Fifth Duke of Avondale, honoring the arranged marriage her parents ordered. But Avondale’s shadowy past and strange disappearances threaten their marriage. Can she discover his secret, or must she arrange his accidental death to protect her unborn child?

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The Redneck Debutante Series
Romance that's a little bit city, a little bit country.

Fifteen-year-old Rachael Harte has everything she could want--plenty of money, hang-out time with friends at the beach, and Colten, the hot boyfriend every girl in her prep school drools over! But upon receiving her long-awaited debutante invitation, scandal strikes her family and she's promptly relocated to Fruitville where she meets the cowboy of her dreams!

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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Amazon Publishing Launches Christian Imprint, Waterfall Press

SEATTLE, Jan. 23, 2014—(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon Publishing today announced the launch of Waterfall Press, a new Christian imprint that will specialize in faith-based non-fiction and fiction. Waterfall Press non-fiction will aim to provide spiritual refreshment and inspiration to today’s Christian reader, while fiction will include stories in the romance, mystery, and suspense genres. Waterfall Press titles will be published by Brilliance Publishing, part of the Amazon.com group of companies, which currently offers readers self-help and personal growth books under the Grand Harbor Press imprint.
  
“Brilliance has over 12 years of experience serving the Christian market as audiobook publisher of some of the most successful Christian authors writing today,” said Mark Pereira, President and Publisher of Brilliance Publishing. “We are excited to expand our offering to readers of faith- based material by publishing original Christian content with enduring appeal.” 

Waterfall Press debuts with a selection of fiction and non-fiction in 2014 including:  

• Mark Buchanan’s The Four Best Places to Live (February 2014), which reveals the surprising truth about how the best places to live are not based on climate, employment opportunities, or cost of living, but rather on places to experience joy, peace, and belonging according to Scripture. 

• Best-selling, self-published author Cherie Hill’s When You Need a Miracle (April 2014), which discusses the critical steps of faith you need when you find yourself at life’s most challenging crossroads.  

• The Quiet Revolution by Jay Hein (June 2014). Hein, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush, provides an insider’s perspective on how presidents have rallied Americans to serve their nation by volunteering in their individual communities and speaks to the importance of service in improving lives around the world.
  
Waterfall Press will also publish shorter content, including upcoming works by Pastor Bryan Wilkerson (Living Deep, March 2014); Pastor Dan Meyer (Discovering God, April 2014); and the editors of global media ministry Christianity Today (Billy Graham; Leading With Love, April 2014). 
Editorial oversight for Waterfall Press will be led by Tammy Faxel, who brings 30 years of experience in the Christian publishing industry through prior posts at Tyndale House Publishers and Oasis Audio. Several of the books on the launch list—including The Four Best Places to Live and The Quiet Revolution, will be published in collaboration with Christianity Today.
 
“The breadth of Amazon’s opportunities creates a dynamic bridge between the author and reader that can move the content conversation to a growing global audience,” said Harold Smith, President and CEO of Christianity Today.
 
Brilliance Publishing, part of the Amazon.com group of companies, is a Michigan-based, full- service book publisher, publishing Christian fiction and non-fiction and personal growth and self- help books in print, eBook and audiobook formats under its two imprints. With a growing catalog of titles from over 500 authors (including  Tom Clancy, Stephen Covey,  Nora Roberts, Rick Riordan, and others), Brilliance Audio provides audiobooks in the popular categories of inspiration/self-help, romance, mystery, suspense and thrillers, science fiction and fantasy,
business, and biography; and for children and young adults. Brilliance Audio recordings are available for the retail and library markets on compact disc, MP3-formatted compact discs, and files for download.
  
Waterfall Press joins sister imprints 47North, AmazonCrossing, AmazonEncore, Amazon Publishing, Grand Harbor Press, Jet City Comics, Kindle Worlds, Lake Union, Little A, Montlake Romance, Skyscape, StoryFront, Thomas & Mercer, and Two Lions in the Amazon Publishing family. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.apub.com.
  
For more information on Waterfall Press and upcoming titles, visit www.brilliancepublishing.com/waterfall

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Vengeance Squad Goes to England -- Now Available


The Vengeance Squad Goes to England is now available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

 

By Sidney W. Frost, author of Where Love Once Lived, The Vengeance Squad and Love Lives On.

 

Three reviews have been posted:


5.0 out of 5 stars--Another Great Read, January 14, 2014
By Dr. Rollo K. Newsom (Austin, Texas United States)

In this the most recent outing of the Vengeance Squad, Frost continues to use real places and times to lend credibility to the story. The reference to and use of real locations, existing institutions and restaurants as well as airplanes, trains and rental vehicles and schedules that are so obviously real practices in the real world that the story line itself becomes plausible. The main characters from an earlier case again make up the “squad” and their highly variable backgrounds, skills and weaknesses meld again to sustain them through seemingly unsurmountable and often very surprising difficulties and emergencies. The unexpected twists and rapid pace of the plot make this book a real “page turner.” These traits, real places, believable, interdependent characters and fast moving plots have become both trademarks and most desirable characteristics of all of Sid Frost’s fiction.

I can’t say much more without compromising the tension reader should feel reading this book (I’ll not be a spoiler.) but I do want to comment on a couple of others aspects. The villain(s) are appropriately deceptive and despicable. They may well get justice in the end but somehow I wish we could hurt them more. And the love interest that was hinted at in The Vengeance Squad advances and becomes enigmatic. Just who does this women work for? In this Christian novel the “love” is not physically consummated, well there are a couple of kisses that go beyond a peck on the cheek. The book then ends before we know when, if or how the impediments to this courtship and romance can be resolved. This is an important point to me because it gives me some assurance that we will be reading about these folks again.
 
***

4.0 out of 5 stars--Good read, January 18, 2014
By Joelle Teague (MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA, US)

I enjoyed the book, but felt like I would have known more of what was going on had I read the others. For a standalone book, I kept asking myself questions about the characters that I'm sure were answered in other books. That being said, this one was very entertaining as the crew and their antics were kind of crazy at times. I found myself disliking Virgil as much as they did and really rooting for the romance between Chris and Angela. I also enjoyed seeing what might be in store for Liz if there is another one after this. Overall, definitely something I would recommend!
 
***

5.0 out of 5 stars--Chris and crew strike again! January 15, 2014
By Malia

In this latest book, the Vengeance Squad travels to England to help track down villains from a previous book. While it utilizes the story line from the previous Vengeance Squad book, it easily stands alone as a Christian mystery/thriller. Once again, you will follow Chris and his adventures, along with his fellow squad members.

I love how Mr. Frost uses place names so accurately. I am from central Texas, and know many of the places he mentions in his books. I've been to some of those places he mentions. He also researched the locations in Great Britain, which lends a great deal of credibility to the story and plot line. You are drawn into the images he creates, and it makes me want to visit the locations in Great Britain.

As you read the book, you are drawn into the story, wanting vengeance for the villains. You are also drawn to the budding relationship between Chris and Angela. Will things work out between them? What will happen next? You will just need to read the story yourself to see what happens.
 
***

 

318 pages
Paperback: $12.95
ISBN: 978-0983070887

Click Here to Purchase

Kindle Edition: $2.99
Click Here to Purchase

Monday, January 20, 2014

COTT: Lucy, Jeanie, and Angels--In One Delightful Package!


Comparable to Lucy Ricardo, Sarah from today’s featured novel finds herself in madcap situations—most of them of her own making! A salad toss of “I Love Lucy,” “I Dream of Jeanie,” and “Touched by an Angel,” “Sarah and the Widow’s Mate” is sure to tickly your funny bone.
 

"Sarah and the Widow's Mate"
by Gay N. Lewis

About "Sarah and the Widow’s Mate"
Widow Beth Marsh is not only beautiful, but wealthy enough to buy a third-world country. When she enters the dating arena to find companionship, two men profess an interest in her…but is it Beth they want, or are they out to harm her and get her money?

Watching from the Heavenlies, the Superiors dispatch Heaven’s Little Love Angel to Houston during the Christmas holidays. Sarah’s mission is to help the lady determine which of her suitors is the genuine article. Is black-haired Bryan Wingate the real deal? Or is good-looking Charles Chadwick the honest companion?

When Beth invites human-disguised Sarah to attend a wedding, the delighted angel looks forward to an opportunity to wear a beautiful formal gown, and maybe—at long last—red stilettos! But Sarah’s mission becomes deadly serious when she discovers Beth’s life is in danger. If Sarah fails in her mission, Tomas, the Warrior Angel, will intercede. Determined to keep her human charge safe from gold diggers and save Tomas the trouble, the petite angel steps up her efforts.

But Sarah wouldn’t be Sarah without a few bungles along the way….

PURCHASE THE BOOK

Fan Reviews
* "What makes this book so much fun is that the story is told from the perspective of the match-making angel, Sarah. She's not the staid, stern angelic presence you might expect. No, Sarah is full of fun, and her zany exploits add a dimension of humor to the mystery and romance of "Sarah and the Widow's Mate." Beth Marsh's predicament clearly demonstrates that money isn't everything. The images of Beth's palatial home and the Christmas decorations add richness to the narrative. Although this is one of the "Sarah" series of Gay Lewis's books, this one--like the others--can be enjoyed as a stand-alone work. I loved Sarah's third trip to earth!"
* "Sarah is so adorable you want to hug her, but watch out for those wings! With a little support from her angel friends and a few embarrassing moments (This is Sarah-we expect embarrassing moments) she is able to unravel a plot and help Beth find her true love. This is a delightful story; I loved it!"
* "I enjoyed this book very much!! Ms. Lewis writes in a unique style. The ending surprised me, but I liked it. There were sections where I laughed out loud. I've bought several of these books and have given them as gifts."


About the Author
A native Texan, Gay lives in a small town west of Houston. Gay has always been involved with artistic ventures.  Two videos she produced were sold in US and international markets—The Canadian Rockies, English and Japanese translations, and Psalms from the Mountains.
As a pastor’s wife, she has written, produced, and photographed many programs, and her Faith Features have been published in various church periodicals.
Teaching an adult Bible study every Sunday morning is Gay’s joy, and she is often called upon for speaking engagements.  When needed, she plays the piano and serves as worship leader in her husband’s church. 
Gay writes about a petite angel who comes to earth to romantically link humans, but this is no ordinary angel. Sarah is dyslexic, can’t read maps, and is often lost. She is the Lucy Ricardo from The Heavenlies and creates one humorous disaster after another.  Sarah and the Widow’s Mate is the third in the series.  It follows Sarah: A Mission of Love, and Sarah: Laney’s Angel

Connect with Gay at these locations
 

Monday, January 13, 2014

COTT: Carlene Havel, A Sharecropper Christmas


It's a new year, full of new books! But you can make Christmas last a little longer by enjoying Carlene Havel's latest novel, "A Sharecropper's Christmas." 

Also, help COTT ring in the New Year by entering our giveaway for a chance at three novels! Entry instructions can be found at the conclusion of Carlene's guest article. Enjoy!


PURCHASE THE BOOK

Guest post by Carlene Havel

Someone asked me why I wanted to write about the 1930s. 

As a child, I loved to nestle in someone’s lap after dinner at my grandparents’ ranch while one story teller after another spun yarns from the Great Depression. “I tell you now, Boats, back in 1933, times was hard,” signaled the recounting of an adventure softened by subsequent years of prosperity. Great-uncle Boats got his nickname from the impressive size and shape of his shoes.  In addition to those extraordinarily long, thin feet, I inherited my family’s love for telling stories.

I was in high school before I realized my experiences were atypical.  For example, I saw my grandmother kill a rattlesnake when I was about four years old.  We were drawing water from the well in the back yard when the snake poked his head from beneath a pile of rocks. After arming herself with an iron crowbar, Alice calmly climbed onto the rocks--wearing her tall cowboy boots, of course.  The rattlesnake’s next peek was his last.

She didn’t normally use tobacco, but I remember Grandma Alice chewing a plug to apply to my bee sting. Long after others modernized, she prepared meals on a coal oil stove and churned her own butter. She could cook and sew and was pretty handy with a hammer and saw, too.  She let me feed the chickens and pet the horses, while Grandpa showed me the proper technique for milking a cow.

I never saw my grandmother measure an ingredient, but her cornbread, biscuits, and cobblers were legendary.  Her recipes include instructions to add liquid until the mixture looks right, and stir until the consistency feels good.  If she ever had a cooking failure, it must have been before I was born.

“A Sharecropper Christmas” is a novella loosely based on family stories and my own memories.  It is my tribute not only to my grandparents, but to a tough generation who endured enormous hardships.  My goal was to portray the determined perseverance of ordinary folks in the face of desperate poverty.

Description of “A Sharecropper Christmas”:  The Great Depression left the Shoemaker family hungry and homeless. Their desperate prayers are finally answered when Herbert Shoemaker finds work as a sharecropper. Alice makes the best of the hard times without complaint, though she dreams of giving her little family a special Christmas.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carlene Havel writes Christian-themed romances and historical novels set in Biblical times. She's lived in Turkey, Republic of the Philippines, and all over the United States. Carlene worked for a banana importer, a software development company, and everything in between. She attended several colleges and universities, including one that--to her mother's surprise--granted her a diploma. Carlene and her husband live in South Texas, surrounded by their extended family.


FIND CARLENE AT THESE LOCATIONS:

Twitter  -  https://twitter.com/carlenehavel

Facebook  -  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarleneHavel

Amazon:  http://goo.gl/ugcII

GIVEAWAY!

Monday, January 20, 2014



By entering the contest, you understand that:
*The books may arrive in Kindle, Nook, or paperback format, according to each author's preference.
*Each author will send his/her book directly to the winner.
*COTT cannot be held responsible for prizes not received.
*Entry in this contest does NOT subscribe you to any feeds, newsletters, or other publications or networks