Cecily Wolfe's Blog: The Start of Something New - Posts Tagged "romance"

and this week's teaser comes from my April 2017 release, Reckless Treasure:

"This condo was no castle and no prince was coming to rescue her."

Wow! I am so grateful for these wonderful reviews over the past few days . . . what a fantastic way to start the new year!

"I would give this higher than a five star rating if I could." Thank you for the wonderful review of Throne of Grace, Debbie! http://amzn.to/2AIRgVa



Another five star review for one of my more controversial (ha ha!) titles, Reckless Treasure: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2EYH50...

Thank you, Victoria!



Rebellious Writing's team review of the first two books in my Cliff Walk Courtships series, Throne of Grace
and Crown of Beauty:

http://www.rebelliouswriting.com/2018...



Eugenie and Brett here on Goodreads - thank you both for your five star reviews and lovely comments on Throne of Grace:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I can't wait to share new stories - and revisit others (with Treasure of Hope and Starlight releasing this year) with you all!

If you live in Northeast Ohio like me, you know that we are snowed (and iced!) in for a bit (well, it IS Ohio!) and it occurred to me that I should take some time while stuck indoors to make up a list of my favorite books read in 2017. Note: these are books I read in 2017 but may not have been published in 2017.

I will list them by genre, but some do cross over. I hope you take a look and see if we have any favorites in common - if we do, leave a comment and tell me which ones! I'd love to know what you read and liked last year as well.

Here we go (in no particular order - I don't think I could pick an absolute favorite in each genre, or overall):

Fantasy & Science Fiction
A Girl in Black and White
A Gathering of Shadows
Allerleirauh

Romance
French Restitution, French Retribution, French Restoration (yes, the entire series)
A Daring Arrangement (historical)
Devil in Spring (historical)

Christian/Inspirational/Amish
Abiding Mercy
The Beloved Hope Chest
Upon a Spring Breeze
Written in Love

Nonfiction
Mindfulness: 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge: Step-By-Step Guide to Living a Stress-Free & Happy Life
The Gift of Love: One Woman's Journey to Save a Life

Young Adult
Stalking Jack the Ripper (historical, mystery, horror)
Strange the Dreamer (fantasy)
The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (science fiction)
The Glass Spare (fantasy)
Lord of Shadows (fantasy)
Long Way Home (romance)
K My Name Is Kendra (realistic)
Collide (fantasy)
Chloe (realistic)
Let the Sky Fall (fantasy)

I read about 150 books a year, and if it looks interesting, I will read it regardless of genre - obviously I read a lot of YA (I specialize in working with teens in my 'real life' job, so this makes sense, although I do enjoy YA on a personal level) and I like most other genres as well.

What are your 2017 favorites, and what are you looking forward to reading in 2018? I think I'll leave my 2018 to-read list for another post!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Did you know that Throne of Grace is FREE

FREE

FREE

YES

FREE

through all retailers?

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you get a copy, please let me know what you think. Leave a review here or where you download it - even a few words with a rating is wonderful. Help this series reach new readers, especially as book three, Treasure of Hope, will be available this fall. I am working on it now, and I can't wait to share the third and final Davenport story with you -

YES
for those of you who have asked, Josie and Arthur's baby will arrive, and will of course, have a name. I might just have a contest where readers can guess his or her name to win a set of all three books, signed, in paperback.

I just came up with that now - but it sounds fun, doesn't it? You all know how I love to give things away so why not?

Stay tuned for details closer to Treasure of Hope's release date (October).

Thank you for reading!

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend! It is very cold and snowy up here by Lake Erie (ice!) but I am keeping warm with work on my 2018 releases, including The Competition. The details of this story have been kept under wraps for months, but were finally released this past week:



And you may have noticed that the first book in my Cliff Walk Courtships series, Throne of Grace, is FREE. Over 3000 (!) readers have downloaded their copy in the past ten days - don't miss the chance to get yours for FREE.

Last but not least - Reckless Treasure is only 99 cents this month. This is a sort of anti-Valentine's Day gift to readers, and if you've read Reckless Treasure, you know exactly what I mean. Warning: if you're looking for that Cliff Walk Courtships happy ending, you won't find it here. Unless . . . well, I guess that depends on your idea of a happy ending.



Oh, that wasn't last - I think I need more coffee - if you are a member of my street team over on Facebook, stay tuned for a LOT of giveaways on Valentine's Day. Charms, earrings, a necklace, and 7 books (not mine, but physical books, some ARCs) will be up for grabs. If you aren't a member, you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/13117...

I hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Did you know that Throne of Grace is still FREE for all e-book platforms?

Whether you have a Kindle, Nook, or read on your computer or phone (or other device) you can get the first book in my Cliff Walk Courtships series for FREE.

Over 4000 readers have downloaded it since the beginning of the month (WOW!) and I'm not sure how long it will be free, so be sure to grab it while it is!

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed Throne of Grace, as well as the sequel, Crown of Beauty. I can't wait to share the conclusion of the story later this year in Treasure of Hope.

Readers continue to ask if Josie and Arthur appear in books two and three - yes! They are very important to the continuing story, and some of you know how big my crush on Arthur is. It is serious business! He is devoted to Josie, so I am out of luck.

Stay tuned for details on the Davenport baby as well, who will absolutely make an appearance before the story is over.

As February comes to a close (March! then April! then May! then summer!) so will the sale on Reckless Treasure (99 cents), so be sure to snag your copy soon. In case you haven't seen this review of Reckless Treasure (I've only shared it just about everywhere - I love it that much!) I have to quote it in its entirely because it is just that great:

"Wow, ya'll, I think this book is like, the romantic equivalent of Game of Thrones, but no one dies, or that episode of America's Next Top Model where Tyra loses it. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. I got invested in all of these characters, rooting for certain things to happen, only for the author to be like, not today, Satan.

The book is told third person from the point of view of several characters, a lot of them wholly unlikable. A few of them, I really wanted to yank from my kindle and punch in the face myself. In the middle of all these characters, you've got Francesca, Trish, Mitch, and Henry that I was rooting for, even if I had my side eye stink eye on Henry for a little while because I didn't know where his motivations lie. Oh, Mitch, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU.

This is kind of like an old fairy tale. A poor princess, evil step mother or mother, the fairy god mother is actually a man, and it's not exactly what you think it is when you start reading. But it was an enjoyable read."

This review made my week.



And . . .

Throne of Grace is STILL FREE. Not sure how long that one will go on (hopefully until Treasure of Hope releases in October!) but who knows? Nearly 5000 readers (!) have already downloaded their copy, and the reviews have been wonderful, so thank you to everyone who has not only downloaded but left such fantastic praise for this sweet story and series.

Just some examples:

"What I enjoyed most about Throne of Grace was its unashamed faith. Sometimes in writing Christian characters or Christian themes, an author will pull back trying to avoid being overt. Ms. Wolfe pulls no punches in that regard and it really works. The story really hinges on the main characters being believably devoted to God as the linchpin of the whole story. The two protagonists, Josie and Arthur, are first drawn to one another because of their mutual faith. It is through this commonality that they are able to see past social stratification, which is an important topic of the book, to regard one another as equals in God's sight and consider exploring a relationship beyond professional partnership. Note I said consider just now, because the focus of the book isn't so much on the budding romance between a man and woman, but their concerted effort to pursue a task God has drawn them both to accomplish. At times, Ms. Wolfe had the option of trying to rationalize away some events, but chose to not do so and turned the reader directly to God as the source. I think that is as bold and needed in literature as life and really works well for Throne of Grace, underscoring the title's significance and the themes of the book."

"This is a beautiful Christian historical romance with so much more substance throughout the book. I loved it! I cannot wait to start the next book in the series. "

"Enjoyed this book so much. Found it encouraging, as they face hardships and difficulties in a godly manner. Especially like the leading male character, such a caring and attentive guy. Love his integrity, his grit, his devotion and courage to address opposition and judgement from others. A great lesson on judging, as well."

"This is a great love story. Moving, uplifting and filled with golden nuggets for the heart, this is one of the best Christian love stories I’ve read in some time."

"I was captivated with the story from the first line."

I love reading this great comments as I work on book three in this series - Sarah and Sam's story is the darkest of the three, and it's some tough going, but I promise another happy ending and of course, the Davenport baby. I get soooo many emails/messages about THE DAVENPORT BABY. I think he or she is the most popular character in this series and he or she has yet to be born.

Thank you so much for reading, and have a fantastic weekend!

***The first book in my inspirational historical romance trilogy is still FREE!***

I am excited to be able to share my retelling of one of Henry James's more obscure books, The Awkward Age, through Kindle Unlimited.

Reckless Treasure tells all that the original story didn't, so beware of adult content and a not-so-happy ending, which some readers have been more than a little upset about. Others, however, have written some fantastic reviews, including this one:

Wow, ya'll, I think this book is like, the romantic equivalent of Game of Thrones, but no one dies, or that episode of America's Next Top Model where Tyra loses it. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. I got invested in all of these characters, rooting for certain things to happen, only for the author to be like, not today, Satan.

I LOVE this!

If you're looking for the romantic equivalent of Game of Thrones, look no further.

I am happy to be a part of the publication day blog tour for Rachel Burton's The Things We Need to Say. I just finished reading this lovely story this morning, so I'll start off with my review here on Goodreads:

What an incredible and emotional story!

The sensitive and deeply personal subjects the author tackles in this intense story are managed with great care, as is the writing itself, which creates believable characters who are realistically flawed in an unpredictable, sad but ultimately hopeful journey. This had me thinking about how easy it is to lose focus on what is important, and how vital it is to maintain an awareness of priorities. Highly recommended.

What is The Things We Need to Say about?

Sometimes the things we never say are the most important.

Fran loves Will with all her heart. They had a whirlwind romance, a perfect marriage and a wonderful life. Until everything changed. Now Fran needs to find her way again and teaching a yoga retreat in Spain offers her just that. Leaving behind a broken marriage she has some very important decisions to make.
Will needs his wife, he needs her to open up to him if they’re to ever return to the ways things once were. But he may have damaged any possibility he had of mending their relationship and now Fran is in Spain and Will is alone.

As both Fran and Will begin to let go of a life that could have been, fate may just find a way of bringing them back together.

Perfect for fans of Katie Marsh, Amanda Prowse and Sheila O’Flanagan

Purchase on Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/2kLqSYL



Author Bio

Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first learned to talk. After many false starts she finally made one up that was worth writing down.

After graduating with a degree in Classics and another in English, she didn't really know what to do when she grew up. She has worked as a waitress, a paralegal and a yoga teacher.

She has spent most of her life between Cambridge and London but now lives in Leeds with her boyfriend and three cats. The main loves of her life are The Beatles and very tall romantic heroes.

Her debut, The Many Colours of Us, was an Amazon Kindle bestseller. Her second novel, The Things We Need to to Say, is released on 11 May 2018. She is currently working on her third novel in which the heroine follows the love of her life to live in a city in northern England. It has no autobiographical elements at all . . . maybe.

Find her on Twitter & Instagram as @bookish_yogi or search Facebook for Rachel Burton Author. She is always happy to talk books, writing, music, cats and how the weather in Yorkshire is rubbish. She is mostly dreaming of her next holiday . . .

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rachelburton...
Twitter - https://twitter.com/bookish_yogi
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bookish_yogi/