Tuesday, March 4, 2025

iRead Book Tours Blog Tour: MIT OUT SOUND by Rick Lenz

Book Details:

Book Title: MIT OUT SOUND by Rick Lenz
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 378 pages
Genre: Hollywood Tie-in Literary Fiction
Publisher: Chromodroid Press
Release date: February 2025
Content Rating: PG-13 +M. My book is rated PG-13 + M for swear words, one non-explicit sex scene, adultery and references to abuse and one on page murder.

"It's time to make a mess," said Emily.

Would-be movie producer Emily Bennett didn't believe the legend of a lost movie, starring James Dean and John Wayne. But when she meets two uncannily talented celebrity impersonators-Jimmy Riley and Tom "Duke" Manfredo, and stumbles upon the elusive film editor who stole the master negative of Showdown, it dispels her doubts, fills her with a courage she didn't know she had, and she sets out to complete the movie.

But as Emily and her stars prepare for day one of shooting, they find themselves entangled in a complex love triangle with Oedipal undertones, mirroring their own past lives and off-screen dynamics. As doubts about their ruthless director, Solange Borugian, surface, Jimmy's and Duke's friendship is turned upside down, while Emily and her brother Ben, struggle with their own unresolved issues and are forced to confront their dying father.

On location in Arizona, amidst Apache holy grounds and the magic of day-for-night shooting, the lines between past and present blur and the flawed characters' backstories intertwine into a tumultuous finale that exposes their hidden animosities, demons, and loves.

Contemporary Fiction is a genre that I enjoy. Mit Out Sound by Rick Lenz is the most current book in this genre that I have read. Rick Lenz is a new to me author and I really enjoy reading books from authors for a first time.

I will say that it took me a couple of chapters to really get into the book. Emily Bennett is the main character in this book. She is an aspiring Producer and she is very intrigued when she finds a lost movie that stars James Dean & John Wayne, two legends in Hollywood movies. Emily is preparing to shoot a movie on set in Arizona and the mystery and intrigue behind the scenes has Emily contemplating if she wants to proceed. The impersonators, Jimmy Riley and Tom "Duke" Manfredo, were a wonderful edition to the characters in this book. I really like that the storyline goes back and forth between the past and present. Emily is a wonderful character and I really enjoyed her story. The author has a very creative writing style and I am very interested in reading more from him in the future. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Contempory Fiction books with a Hollywood theme. GREAT BOOK!

Amazon ~ B&N ~ BAM
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When Rick Lenz retired as a stage and film actor (playing opposite Ingrid Bergman, John
Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Walter Matthau, Peter Sellers, etc.), his passion for drama refused to retire with him. Although he was an actor most of his life, he is also a seasoned writer.

His plays have been produced Off-Broadway, on PBS television, and in regional theatres across the country. Rick’s memoir North of Hollywood was called “masterful” by Writer’s
Digest. His first novel, The Alexandrite was named “one of the best books of the year” by Kirkus Reviews. Bret Easton Ellis called it “almost impossible to put down.” Booklife calls A Town Called Why, “An absorbing tale of mystery and revenge… nuanced … powerful.” Rick’s books have won several awards, including, Readers Views (first place), the Chanticleer Somerset Grand Prize for Literary, Contemporary and Mainstream Fiction, an IPPY Award, and a Foreword Book of the Year. Most recently, his time-travel love story Hello, Rest of My Life was a 2022 Silver Nautilus Book Award winner (fiction), and Eric Hoffer Award finalist (fiction).

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Linda and an ever-shifting array of animals.

connect with the author:

website ~ x/twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads ~ bookbub

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Tides of Healing by Sandra Merville Hart

Book: Tides of Healing

Author: Sandra Merville Hart

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: February 11, 2025

A Southern belle fights to reclaim her home, but will her spying destroy the Union officer she never meant to love?

Savannah Adair has endured the unimaginable, hiding in a cave while her beloved Vicksburg was under siege. With the city now occupied by Union soldiers, Savannah cannot stand by and do nothing. So when one of the gaunt, half-starved Confederate prisoners asks her to spy for the South, she can’t refuse the chance to take back her home.

First Lieutenant Travis Lawson takes pride in the Union army’s hard-fought victory, but he quickly realizes that the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation are just beginning . . . and not everyone is appreciative of changes he’s making. Namely, the fiery and alluring Savannah Adair. Despite their differing loyalties and the societal divide between them, Travis cannot deny the growing feelings he has for her. When he is tasked with finding Southern spies in Vicksburg and he captures a female spy, Travis is forced to consider that the woman he’s beginning to love may be the enemy.

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Romance Fiction is a favorite genre of mine. River of Peril by Sandra Merville Hart is Book 6 in the Spies of the Civil War Series. I have read this series since Book 1 and was very excited to read this book also.

WOW, this book really gripped me from the very first Chapter. I started reading and could not put it down. I really LOVE the Civil War Era and the time of 1862. The setting is Vicksburg, MI as the war winds down. The 2 main characters in this book are Savannah Adair and First Lieutenant Travis Lawson. Savannah has seen so much destruction in this war, including losing her fiance. The end of slavery also took her family to a whole new aspect of life that she never imagined. Her life takes a real turn when Travis Lawson, a Union Officer comes into her life. She now has made the decision to be a spy for the Confederacy. Travis becomes a friend and then something more develops between Savannah and Travis. Travis has a strong faith and he helps Savannah renew her faith in God. I can honestly say that seeing Savannah renew her faith and all the great things God does for her and her family was amazing! The book has a strong Faith Based Message. Romance, History and Trust. I am very sad to see this series end, it was probably one of the BEST Historical series I have ever read! I HIGHLY recommend this entire series to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction! FANTASTIC BOOK!

Sandra Merville Hart, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of inspirational historical romances, loves to discover little-known yet fascinating facts from American history to include in her stories. Her desire is to transport her readers back in time. She is also a blogger, speaker, and conference teacher.

More from Sandra

As I typed away on this final book in my Spies of the Civil War Series, it felt as if I’d written the entire series to tell this story.

Previously, I had felt a similar importance of an as yet unpublished two-book contemporary series, but the sense that the whole series climaxed with the final book was as surprising as it was welcome.

Because it seemed as if everything that happened in all the earlier books culminated in Book 6 for me as an author. Its significance reverberated in my soul while still researching the events…and weeks before I sat to pen the first page, the first paragraph, the first sentence.

That sense of importance made this book difficult to begin. The early chapters took far longer to write than normal.

I believe that those who only read Tides of Healing will have a satisfying, complete story. Those who read the entire series in order—or at least Books 4-6 set in Vicksburg—will experience a deeper impact as the characters’ stories build on one another.

There is a song in Tides of Healing. As an author, the impact of the lyrics within the story preceded it, meaning that I knew a certain song would play a significant role while still in the research phase.

Let me explain.

When I’m researching a story, I read a variety of nonfiction resources including diaries, journals, and newspaper accounts. My research for Vicksburg during the Civil War led me to song lyrics written by the enslaved.

African American Spirituals, also called Negro Spirituals, were sung before and after the Civil War. These Christian songs served a variety of purposes beyond bolstering hope and faith during dark days. They told stories about Biblical characters like Moses. Some comforted the sorrowful and some rejoiced with the joyful. They were sung in churches, in camp meetings, and in the fields.

They often contained secret messages. “Home” in a song can refer to Heaven, but the secret meaning was a free country. Author Frederick Douglas had been a former slave. He wrote that the lyrics to “O Canaan, Sweet Canaan” signified more than a hope of Heaven. Repeated singing of the lyrics “I am bound for the land of Canaan” announced an intention to go North, their Canaan.

The Underground Railroad is a theme in Tides of Healing. In 1828, Reverend John Rankin built his home on a hill overlooking the Ohio River in Ripley, Ohio. As a station on the Underground Railroad, this home was easily seen from the opposite side of the river in the slave state of Kentucky. Runaways waited for a boat to take them across the river.

It surprised me to learn that the lyrics of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” are about this station. “I looked over Jordan and what did I see?” refers to the Ohio River. The band of angels are people who rowed them across the wide river to the free state of Ohio.

Neither of these songs is referenced in Tides of Healing. The tune that is in my story was a popular spiritual leading up to the war. I listened to it many times. The message took root in my heart long before it affected my characters.

My research trip to Vicksburg’s battlefield and museums inspired the writing of Streams of Courage, Book 4, River of Peril, Book 5, and Tides of Healing, Book 6.

Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1, is set in the Union capital of Washington City (Washington DC) in 1861, where a surprising number of Confederate sympathizers and spies lived. Boulevard of Confusion and Byway to Danger are set in Richmond, the Confederate capital in 1862. Actual historical spies touch the lives of our fictional family. The heroines in Books 1 – 3 are two sisters and their cousins. Another set of characters begin with Book 4, and three friends are the heroines in Books 4 -6.

Through both real and fictional characters, this series highlights activities spies were involved in and some of the motives behind their decisions.

I invite you to read the whole Spies of the Civil War Series!

Bizwings Book Blog, February 26
Holly’s Book Corner, February 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 27
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 28
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 1
Pause for Tales, March 2
Texas Book-aholic, March 2
Devoted To Hope, March 3
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 4
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 5
Betti Mace, March 5
Life on Chickadee Lane, March 6
Cover Lover Book Review, March 7
Books You Can Feel Good About, March 8
Connie’s History Classroom, March 9
For HIm and My Family, March 10
Stories By Gina, March 11 (Author Interview)
Blossoms and Blessings, March 11

To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54163

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Sunday, March 2, 2025

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Curator's Secret by Denise Weimer

Book: The Curator’s Secret

Author: Denise Weimer

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Release date: March 1, 2025

It’s taken six years for Lacey Colbert to escape the heartbreak that caused her to disappear from Golden Isles Christian Camp and the life of her summer sweetheart, Trent Stevenson. Then a museum curator job at a Gilded Age resort lures her back to Georgia’s Jekyll Island. Lacey finds Trent no longer an employee in his dad’s lawn care business, but director of landscaping right in her historic district.

Winter Haven cottage’s century-old mystery of a vanished fiancé compels Lacey to settle her own past with Trent. Just one thing stands in the way … the fact that someone else likes uncovering secrets, too—Lacey’s. And her unknown foe won’t hesitate to use them against her.

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Mystery is a great genre. The Curator's Secret by Denise Weimer is the latest in this genre that I have read.

The storyline started strong and was very intriguing throughout the book. The 2 main characters are Lacey Colbert and Trent Stevenson. Lacey and Trent were sweethearts many years ago, during their teenage years. They grew apart and Lacey moved away. She comes how many years later to Jekyll Island to begin a job at Gilead Age Resort. Lacey feels the need to reconcile with Trent, but someone is uncovering Lacey's secrets and it might jeopardize things with Trent. I really LOVE how Trent stands by Lacey and helps her uncover the Mystery of who is telling Lacey's secrets. Trent is an outstanding person and I was happy for Lacey and Trent as their relationship rekindled. The book is one of Mystery, Faith, and Romance. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Romance and Mystery. GREAT BOOK!

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

More from Denise

When Secrets Lead to Suspense…

The Curator’s Secret is a bit of a departure from the historicals I’ve been releasing over the past year—not only in that it’s contemporary romantic suspense, and released independently rather than through a publishing house, but in its theme and setting.

Have you ever found yourself unable to keep a promise you made with the best intentions? This could happen due to unforeseen circumstances, mistakes, or information you didn’t have when you offered the pledge. The inability to follow through may break our heart, haunt us, and sever relationships. Secrets can do the same thing, stealing our ability to live authentically, blocking our blessings, and creating a stockpile of lies.

Broken promises and secrets choked the life from Lacey and Trent’s youthful romance six years before the hero and heroine of The Curator’s Secret are reunited when Lacey takes a job as a curator for a historical complex on Georgia’s Jekyll Island, where Trent, unbeknownst to her, is the landscape director. Rather than the restart Lacey expects with her new career, God brings her face to face with her past—not just her first love, but also her grad school stalker who has somehow followed her to the remote island. As the threat escalates, the tale Lacey uncovers in Winter Haven Cottage of a vanished fiancé seems to parallel her own tragic romance…and possibly offer answers and healing. If her past doesn’t destroy her chance of happiness first.

The Curator’s Secret was originally written as a time slip or dual time period novel. It was my mom’s favorite story and my agent’s favorite story I’ve ever written! But somehow, we couldn’t find a publishing home for it. So at last, I’m releasing it myself to my readers who enjoy stories of faith and unique Georgia history. Even though I made the decision to pull the historical backstory out so as not to slow the modern suspense story, the history of Jekyll Island is paramount to the plot. And BONUS, I also have the historical tale of William and Clara that I can share separately to anyone who emails me from my website with their Amazon receipt number for their purchase of The Curator’s Secret.

I’ll close with a fun fact. My mom and I love to take research trips when I’m gathering info for my novels. We enjoyed a beautiful stay at Jekyll for this one…until a hurricane came roaring up the coast! We had to hightail it out of there as workers boarded up the historic district. The eerie sense of impending doom sparked my idea of having a hurricane crescendo with the action in The Curator’s Secret. Imagine being trapped on an island with a storm and a stalker both bearing down on you! That’s exactly what happens to Lacey at the end of the novel. I hope you enjoy this exciting tale of redemption and romance.

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 1
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 2
Texas Book-aholic, March 3
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 4
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 5
Stories By Gina, March 6 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, March 7 (Guest Review from Donna)
For Him and My Family, March 8
Blossoms and Blessings, March 9
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, March 10 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, March 10
Holly’s Book Corner, March 11
Pause for Tales, March 12
Cover Lover Book Review, March 13
Fiction Book Lover, March 14 (Author Interview)
Roads to Everywhere, March 14

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54175

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Thursday, February 27, 2025

iRead Book Tours Blog Tour: Picture a Garden by Linda HomBerg

Book Details:

Book Title: Picture A Garden by Linda Hornberg
Category: Middle-Grade Non-Fiction (Ages 8-12), 160 pages
Genre: Children's Non-Fiction.
Publisher: Peanut Butter Publishing
Publication Date: January 28, 2025.
Content Rating: G: Topics only include gardening and being outdoors.

What springs to mind when you hear the word GARDEN? Would it surprise you to learn that the world just outside your door is overflowing with art, science, humor, drama, intrigue, and colorful personalities? Nature has you surrounded. It's time to come out with your hands gloved and your feet galoshed, ready to sow some spinach, pick a peony, mulch a maple, root a rose, graft a grape, stake a spruce, water a walnut, and hug a hemlock.

Set down your screens and take up your trowel.

Adventure awaits!

The stories inside this book are nearly all true. I have never actually seen a chorus line of worms decked out in feather boas, but I can guarantee that there are plenty of real-life larvae out there merrily chewing up the scenery. You can turn orange from eating too many carrots, and there really is a tiny plant island called a liverwart--although there probably are no tiny castaways living on it. Welcome to gardening for smarties. Never stop thinking, wondering, and digging, and you’ll never be bored. Have fun.

I really enjoy Non-Fiction Books as they are factual books and usually very informative. Picture A Garden by Linda Hornberg is the latest in this genre that I have enjoyed.

I will admit I am not much of a Gardener, but my 3 boys LOVE Gardens and Landscaping. I love watching Gardens Grow and the Beautiful Scenery that Gardens and Plants and flowers create. To that point, this book is AMAZINGLY Beautiful and Informative. I really enjoyed the true stories from the author about Planting and Gardening. The Illustrations really bring the story to life and are very "lifelike", really pop off the pages. I really feel the way the author writes the Middle School Kids, which is the target audience for this book, will be engaged and "WOW" by the wonderful information! I truly believe this book will get Kids Outdoors more, especially in the Summer. I never really thought how much learning can be encompassed from Gardening. I knew that Science and Nature were a part of Gardening, but from the Author I learned that it also encompasses so much more including Family time, relaxing environment and more. The book is Informative, fun, Educational and Encouraging! I HIGHLY recommend this book for Middle School Kids, but it is also a great book for Adults to read. FANTASIC BOOK!

AMAZON ~ B&N
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Linda Robin Hornberg grew up in New York, drawing endless paper dolls and adventure comics with her sisters, Brenda and Heidi. She also enjoyed collecting shiny mimosa seeds in little bottles, nibbling parsley from Mom's tomato patch, sword fighting with Iris leaves and flipping cicadas back onto their feet. Her incessant doodling landed her at the Hartford Art School. She received her BFA in Printmaking from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Further formal studies led to classes in children's illustration and certification in landscape horticulture.

Linda is a permanent transplant to Seattle, where she remains an enthusiastic gardener, insatiable reader, unapologetic punster, and incurable cat lady. Please do not offer her your strays.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads