The Hatmaker's Heart by Carla Stewart ~ Blog Tour

About the book: 

For Nell Marchwold, bliss is seeing the transformation when someone gets a glimpse in the mirror while wearing one of her creations and feels beautiful. Nell has always strived to create hats that bring out a woman's best qualities. She knows she's fortunate to have landed a job as an apprentice designer at the prominent Oscar Fields Millinery in New York City. Yet when Nell's fresh designs begin to catch on, her boss holds her back from the limelight, claiming the stammer she's had since childhood reflects poorly on her and his salon.

But it seems Nell's gift won't be hidden by Oscar's efforts. Soon an up-and-coming fashion designer is seeking her out as a partner of his 1922 collection. The publicity leads to an opportunity for Nell to make hats in London for a royal wedding. There, she sees her childhood friend, Quentin, and an unexpected spark kindles between them. But thanks to her success, Oscar is determined to keep her. As her heart tugs in two directions, Nell must decide what she is willing to sacrifice for her dream, and what her dream truly is.

Landing page:

http://litfusegroup.com/author/cstewart

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/xlicl

About the author: 

Carla Stewart is the award-winning author of four novels. With a passion for times gone by, it is her desire to take readers back to that warm, familiar place in their hearts called "home." She and her husband live in Tulsa and have four adult sons and six grandchildren (with one on the way!). 

Carla can be found at: website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,Goodreads

Jazzy Hatmaker’s Heart Giveaway!

The contest runs until June 14,  2014

Go Here to Author's Website to Enter!

My Thoughts

Nell Marchwold was interested to learn the art of hatmaking.  She watched and learned as one of her grandmother's employees created hats for friends and family.  

When Nell's father unexpectedly passed away she watched her mother struggle to make a living to support their family.  Nell decided she was going to become a famous hatmaker.  She was very talented and many overlooked her stuttering speech and took notice of her talent, especially Oscar Fields, of Oscar Fields Millinery in New York City.   He offered her an apprenticeship in his prominent place of business where the wealthy frequented for quality handmade hats for men and women.  

She has big dreams of becoming a famous designer with her own label.  But her boss is a little old fashion and was slow to approve her new designs.  He feared customers would be offended by her speech impediment. The changing times of the roaring twenties had changed his mind as customers became intrigued by Nell's modern designs.

When Nell takes a trip for her job close to her hometown it gave her opportunities she never dreamed possible.  She started to question herself and her love for the young man she has loved since childhood. This reunion left her contemplating whether she should seek love and family life or rather stick with her dream to become a famous hat designer?

I found this to be a most intriguing story.  The author reveals the struggle of one woman looking for women's rights not only in the workplace but to vote and having a say in future. No matter if a woman is married raising a family and/or seeking a career this era was a time for many changes.   Women no longer wanted to sit quietly in the background.  

I read this book in one night.  It was a real page turner.  It made me think of stories my grandmother shared with me.  My grandmother was also a widow with a small daughter and had no one to help like in this book.   She moved to Houston and made a good life for her and my mother. The life she had before she was a widow was not a good life as women did not have many rights.   We must remember the sacrifices and movements women made to give us the life and rights we now take for granted.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group for an honest review.

Faith Words Blog Tour for Kiss of Night by Debbie Viguie

Debbie Viguié has been writing for most of her life. She has experimented with poetry and nonfiction, but her true passion lies in writing novels.
She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from UC Davis. While at Davis she met her husband, Scott, at auditions for a play. It was love at first sight.
Debbie and Scott now live on the island of Kauai. When Debbie is not writing and Scott has time off they love to indulge their passion for theme parks.


Debbie has agreed to answer a few questions.

1)Who was your biggest supporter while writing this book? Tell us how this person had an affect your writing.

I am lucky to have a lot of people who love and support me, particularly my husband, Scott, and my parents, Rick and Barbara. They all cheer me on every step of the way. This particular concept, however, had two very ardent supporters: Juanita, a dear, close friend of the family who has always been like a second mother to me, and one of my best friends, Chrissy.

Both of them saw early drafts of one of the novels in the series and every so often would bring it up and ask when was I ever going to finish it? Now, I have hundreds of ideas I’ve played with over the years, dozens of which I’ve discussed with close friends and family. But this story really seemed to resonate, not just with Juanita and Chrissy but also with everyone else I talked to about it. Their refusal to just drop it and let this story fade back into the ether really helped give me the encouragement I needed to turn my attention fully on it. It’s a fantastic story, but I knew it was going to be a hard one to sell. It has so many different genres wrapped up into it and different time periods as well. As much as I loved the story it was a desire to please them that really got me to take it off the back burner and focus my energies on it. I’m thrilled that I did.

2)Tell us about the most difficult chapter you had to write in this book. Tell us why.

The second to last chapter was the hardest to write because for the longest time I thought I was going to end the story in a certain place and when I realized that I needed to change the spot where this book ended that chapter was the one where I had to really shift gears and do a lot of rewriting to make it all snap together. Ultimately I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

3)Can we expect this to be a series and if so when can we expect the next book?

This is the first book in a trilogy. Book two, Kiss of Death, comes out next October. Kiss of Death actually contains more of my original concept for the series than the other two and I’m excited to get it out there.

Synopsis:
Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague.
For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can’t control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God? is answered.

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: October 7th 2011 by FaithWords
ISBN 0446570869

Where can Debbie Viguie be found and followed?

Twitter Profile Page
Debbie's Abingdon Press Page
Debbie's Simon Schuster Page
Debbie's Facebook Fan Page
Zondervan


My Thoughts:
I was somewhat skeptical about reading this book. Since it portrays a vampire and is listed a Christian genre.  Then I read the synopsis and read the vampire, Raphel seeks redemption for his sins. Can vampire be saved by the blood of Christ?  I like the story line that evil can be redeemed no matter how vile their sins were.  
The author adds a scripture at the beginning of each chapter. You can see how the scripture works into that chapter which was a plus for me.  As you get pulled into the book you begin to route for Raphel to be redeemed.


The cover for the book is outstanding.  I don't normally comment on the cover of a book but this one is exceptional.


The story begins with Susan Lambert arriving in Prague to attend her Grandmother's funeral.  Although her grandmother lived in the states she was born close to Prague. While Susan was in Prague she kept feeling like something dark was following her. Hence, comes Raphel a vampire condemned to wander the earth as a vampire for eternity because of his evil ways.  They partner up in quest for the good of all.  You will enjoy the other character the author has written into this story.


This book pulls you in and you don't want to put it down. That is what happened to me. 
I highly recommend this book.
I give it a 5 out of 5. 


I want to thank Debbie Viguie for touring on my blog.  I am glad I got the chance to read your book. 


Disclosure:
I received a free copy of this book.  This review is my honest opinion and in now way was compensated for that opinion. 

What Are You Reading Today

Before I get started I wanted to share with my viewers what has been going on the past few days. I think I put too much on my plate and went into shutdown mode. I have problems with afibralation of the heart and it was really raising its head this past week. I am on meds for this and I missed a couple of days. Not in a row but within the week. I think the heat is affecting my heart also. So please keep me in your prayers. God sometime has to take us by the hand and tell us to slow down. I am doing fine now and have been given a thumbs up from my doctor. I plan on staying indoors and lighten my load a little. I have decided to drop the book blog hop. I want to stick with reading, blogging, book reviews, tours, etc. This will not effect anything but the book blog hop. I have actually had a lot more time to read the past few days.

So here we go:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What are you planning to read next?
4. What is the next book are you considering to buy?
5. If you were asked to recommend a book to your best friend what book would that be?

Here are my answers:

1. I am currently reading:
Lone Star Trail (The Texas Trail Series)
by Darlene Franklin

Paperback, 272 pages
Published August 1st 2011 by Moody Publishers
ISBN 0802405835 (ISBN13: 9780802405838)


The six-book series about four generations of the Morgan family living, fighting, and thriving amidst a turbulent Texas history spanning from 1845 to 1896 begins with Lone Star Trail.

2. I just finished reading:(recieved a copy from FaithWords for review)

Kiss of Night: A Novel
by Debbie Viguie
Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Expected publication: October 7th 2011 by FaithWords
ASINB004QZ9PFQ

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague.
For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God? is answered. from GoodReads





3. The book I plan on reading next from BookSneeze.com:

Cherished
by Kim Cash Tate
How can she believe God cherishes her when she can't forgive herself?

Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared would be a forever kind of love. But choices she'll forever regret upended her hope . . . and turned her dreams to dust. When those dreams come knocking once more, she's forced to deal with the pain of the past.

Heather Anderson's life has spun out of control-first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band that left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One who can save her. And He did. But that's just the beginning, because now she must leave behind the only life she's ever known.

Two women with shame-filled pasts form an unlikely friendship. What does God's forgiveness look like for them? Will they ever believe that He loves them . . . and can still offer them a life where they are cherished?


Paperback, 336 pages
Expected publication: August 30th 2011 by Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
ISBN 1595548556 (ISBN13: 9781595548559)


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

4. I am considering buying:

The Lightkeeper's Bride (Mercy Falls #2)
by Colleen Coble (Goodreads Author)
A thrilling romantic mystery set in the lush Victorian age.

Central Operator Katie Russell's inquisitive ways have just uncovered her parents' plan for her marriage to wealthy bachelor Bartholomew Foster. Her heart is unmoved, but she knows the match will bring her family status and respectability.

Then Katie overhears a phone conversation that makes her uneasy and asks authorities to investigate. But the caller is nowhere to be found. Mysterious connections arise between the caller and a ship lost at sea.

Against propriety, Katie questions the new lighthouse keeper, Will Jesperson. Then a smallpox epidemic forces their quarantine in his lighthouse. Though of low social status, Will's bravery and kindness remove Katie's suspicion and win her love. Katie and Will together work to solve the mystery of the missing girl and the lost ship as God gives the couple the desire of their hearts.

Paperback, 284 pages
Published November 9th 2010 by Thomas Nelson (first published 2010)
ISBN 1595542663 (ISBN13: 9781595542663)
primary languageEnglish


5. The book I would recommend to my best friend:

Texas Rain (Whispering Mountain #1 of 5)
by Jodi Thomas
The first time Rainey Adams meets Texas Ranger Travis McMurray, she steals a kiss-and then his horse. Now Travis is determined to track down this intriguing woman and bring her back to the Whispering Mountain Ranch as his bride. But this renegade may be too much for even the toughest Ranger to handle.

Hardcover, 571 pages
Published March 21st 2007 by Wheeler Publishing (first published 2006)
ISBN 1597224634 (ISBN13: 9781597224635)
original titleTexas Rain
seriesWhispering Mountain #1
charactersTravis McMurray, Rainey Adams