CHASING HOPE
by
DANA WAYNE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Book Liftoff
Date of Publication: June 10, 2019
Number of Pages: 295
Scroll down for giveaway!
Max Logan longs for the joys of home and family he missed growing up in foster care. He fills that emotional void by becoming a kick-ass Marine, and for eighteen years, led his band of brothers from one hellhole to another…until the one that nearly destroyed him. Sixteen months of therapy and rehab put his body back together, but some wounds can’t be seen. Some can’t be healed.
Skylar Ward dreams of a life that includes someone beside her. Someone to share her life with, to be a father to her young daughter. But if she learned anything from her failed marriage it was that you don’t rush into a relationship. Options in her small town are limited, and those who approach her lack appeal. Only Max Logan sparks her interest. But the handsome, brooding war hero remains aloof.
Intelligent and intuitive, seven-year-old Maddie overhears a neighbor tell her mother she needs a male companion, so she Google’s it to see what it means. Convinced her mom needs a boyfriend and Max needs a girlfriend, Maddie sets out to make it happen. He needs a family. They need him. If she can make them see that.
Can one precocious child be the catalyst that heals a wounded warrior’s soul and brings joy back into her mom’s heart?
Or will ashes of the past bury hope once and for all?
PRAISE FOR CHASING HOPE:
“The pace was fast, the love was simple yet energetic, and the dialogues were lively enough to make me want to know more about the characters. To say that I loved this novel is not enough! Absolutely beautiful. It deserves these 5 stars.” – Readers’ Favorite
“I could not put Chasing Hope down! From the first few sentences, I was hooked and read over half of it the first night finishing it the following night. The main characters, Sky and Max, intrigued me right off the bat but feisty little Maddie wormed her way into my heart immediately! What a breath of fresh air.” – Mary McCormack, ARC reader
eBOOK DEAL! $1.99 JULY 9-20, 2019
CLICK TO PURCHASE
As a reader who has a close connection with the US Armed Forces (Air Force husband, Marine Corps father-in-law), I can be quite critical of military romantic fiction. Errors in terminologies and ranks and exaggeration of the protagonists’ abilities peeve me. With Dana Wayne’s Chasing Hope, I found nothing to annoy me and everything to love. The story of how wounded Marine veteran Max, struggling single mother Skylar, and adorably precocious Maddie became a family is truly heartwarming. It’s an affecting and satisfying read. I smiled, teared-up, and loved along with these sympathetic characters as they slowly drew close to one another with the help, and sometimes hindrance, of the members of their small community.
Max and Sky are easy to root for because they are regular people with real-life problems, who deserve their happily ever after. Maddie is a star. She’s the little cupid who brought her mother and their next-door neighbor together. I love the parts she played in making sure Max and Sky address their feelings honestly and clear up their misunderstandings right away. I also love the other secondary characters like Big John and Ruby, Logan and Anna. I even appreciate Cade for providing the conflict that tests Max and Sky’s developing relationship.
If I have a favorite quote, it’s this: “Blood doesn’t make a family. Love does.”
Excellent writing, fantastic story, snappy dialogue, involving characters. I enjoyed Chasing Hope so much, I’m giving it five hope-filled stars. I won’t hesitate to say, “Buy this book!” Buy it now.
Dana Wayne is an award-winning author and 6th generation Texan. She resides in East Texas with her husband (and biggest fan) along with a Calico cat named Katie, three children, and four grandchildren. She routinely speaks to books clubs, services organizations, writers’ groups, and other organizations on writing and publishing, and is a frequent guest on numerous writing blogs.
“I grew up listening to my father read passages from the stack of paperback westerns beside his chair. I was fascinated at how someone could paint a picture with words so vivid, I saw it in my mind. That’s when I knew that one day I would be a writer. It wasn’t until I retired in late 2013 that I was able to devote the necessary time to achieving my goal. I published my first book in 2016 and never looked back. My stories are heartwarming, a little spicy, and all about the romance because I believe romance is more about emotion than sex, and the journey is more important than the destination.”
A staunch supporter of new authors, she is a member of Romance Writers of America, Texas Association of Authors, and Writers League of Texas as well as several local writers’ groups.
WEBSITE ║ FACEBOOK
TWITTER ║ INSTAGRAM ║ EMAIL
GOODREADS ║ VIMEO
=========================================================================
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
FIRST PRIZE: Signed Copy of Chasing Hope
+ Swag bag including fan, tote bag, and throw blanket;
SECOND PRIZE: eBook Copy of Chasing Hope
+ $10 Amazon Gift Card
THIRD PRIZE: eBook Copy of Chasing Hope
+ $5 Amazon Gift Card
(US Only)
July 9-19, 2019
CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
7/9/19 Notable Quotable That's What She's Reading 7/9/19 Notable Quotable Kelly Well Read 7/9/19 BONUS post Hall Ways Blog 7/10/19 Review Reading by Moonlight 7/11/19 Excerpt All the Ups and Downs 7/11/19 Excerpt The Page Unbound 7/12/19 Review StoreyBook Reviews 7/13/19 Review Rebecca R. Cahill, Author 7/13/19 Character Interview Forgotten Winds 7/14/19 Author Interview Chapter Break Book Blog 7/15/19 Review Carpe Diem Chronicles 7/15/19 Review The Clueless Gent 7/16/19 Teaser Nerd Narration 7/16/19 Teaser Book Fidelity 7/17/19 Review KayBee's Book Shelf 7/18/19 Review The Book Review
blog tour services provided by:
From Bethany Turner, a fresh new voice in Christian Romance, comes Wooing Cadie McCaffrey — a Pop-tastic, sometimes frustrating, many times hilarious, incredibly quotable, and altogether, super fun read.
But, Bethany also got me frustrated for the better part of the book because of the unfinished sentences, the lack of meaningful conversations between the two protagonists, Cadie’s over-reactions, Will’s indecisiveness, and the too-large roles of Cadie’s parents in their daughter’s love life. Eventually, I got over it because that’s the whole point of the book. Cadie and Will have to go through the miscommunications, the tests and trials, and the doubts before they can get their happily-ever-after. I’m just so glad they have amazing support system in their respective friends because I don’t think they would have a happy ending if left on their own. I kid. Of course, they’ll make it. This is romance, after all.
Bethany has a distinctive style of writing with her differing voices for the main characters’ points-of view (first for Cadie, third for Will) and the back-and-forth between past and present. It was effective here, but it took some getting used to. For future books, I’d like to see more of the characters’ faith play a more central part in building the relationship. Here, it was not as enhanced as it should be. Fear of God’s disappointment because they gave in to carnal temptations led to Cadie and Will’s break-up, but the acceptance of His forgiveness played only a minor role in the restoration of their love.
Bethany Turner is the award-winning author of The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck, which was a Christy Award finalist. When she’s not writing (and even when she is), she serves as the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado, where she writes for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight.
With millions of books in print, Jodi Thomas is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 45 novels and 14 short story collections. Her stories travel through the past and present days of Texas and draw readers from around the world.
At the beginning of the book, Linda Broday wrote a letter saying she hopes the readers are entertained by this story and that we’re left wanting to know more about the characters from Hope’s Crossing.
I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty historical western romance novels and short stories. I reside in the Texas Panhandle on land the American Indian and Comancheros once roamed, and at times if the breeze is just right, I can hear their voices whispering in the wind. Texas’ rich history is one reason I set all my stories here where cowboys are still caretakers of the land. I’m inspired every day by their immense dedication and love for the wide-open spaces.
Driftwood Bay is a beautifully-balanced and uplifting read. I come into this aptly-named series quite late with this, the fifth book, as my introduction. It’s also the first Irene Hannon book I’ve ever read. I must say I need to read the first four now, especially if they’re as heartwarming as this one. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel good after reading it. It leaves you believing the best in people and strengthening your faith in God and in love.
Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including One Perfect Spring, Hope Harbor, Sea Rose Lane, Sandpiper Cove, and Pelican Point, as well as Dangerous Illusions and the Private Justice and Men of Valor suspense series. Her books have been honored with three coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, and she is a member of that organization’s elite Hall of Fame. Her many other awards include National Readers’ Choice, Daphne du Maurier, Retailers’ Choice, Booksellers’ Best, Carols, and Reviewers’ Choice from RT Book Reviews magazine, which also honored her with a Career Achievement award for her entire body of work. In addition, she is a two-time Christy Award finalist.
From the first scene, A Tender Hope literally and figuratively takes the reader on a journey. Thea and Jackson travel separately to Cimarron Creek carrying their physical and emotional baggage: Thea with her heartbreak from losing her husband and son; Jackson with his hunt for the outlaw who killed his brother. An abandoned child, along with their respective jobs, brings them together in a way that aided their growing attraction to each other and hastened their discovery of what they really want in life. Amidst the danger posed by a vicious gang, they realized that what they want is to build a family in Cimarron Creek, their found home.
I love every aspect of Thea and Jackson’s romance: the constant desire to be in each other’s company, the honest conversations, their mutual respect, their belief in the other’s capabilities, and their support of each other’s careers. What had me swooning is their observance of proper courtship, something that is missing in contemporary romance and even in many historical romance these days. I enjoyed reading it here.
