Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Cautious Maiden by Dawn Crandall ~ Book Tour + Giveaway + Review

 "THIS BOOK. THIS HERO. THE HAIR PINNING SCENE. THAT KISS. Still. Have. Not. Recovered. I may never. And that’s perfectly fine with me." 
~Carrie Schmidt, Reading is My SuperPower

Paperback, 304 pages
Published October 4th 2016 by Whitaker House (first published 2016)
Violet Hawthorne is beyond mortified when her brother Ezra turns their deceased parents' New England country inn into a brothel to accommodate the nearby lumberjacks; but when Violet's own reputation is compromised, the inn becomes the least of her worries. In an effort to salvage her good name, Violet is forced into an engagement with a taciturn acquaintance; Vance Everstone. As she prepares for a society wedding, Violet learns that her brother had staked her hand in marriage in a heated poker game with the unsavory Rowen Steele, and Ezra had lost. Now Rowen is determined to cash in on his IOU. With danger stalking her and a new fiance who hides both his emotion and his past, Violet must decide who to trust and who to leave behind.


Dawn Crandall is an ACFW Carol Award-nominated author of the award-winning series The Everstone Chronicles, which currently consists of The Hesitant Heiress, The Bound Heart, and The Captive Imposter. The Cautious Maiden is her fourth book.

Apart from writing, Dawn is also a mom of two little ones and serves with her husband in a premarital mentorship program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010 when her husband found out about her long-buried dream. It didn’t take her long to realize that writing books was what she was made to do.

Dawn is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and an associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter.

Dawn is graciously giving away two prize packs!!!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8040ae3c30/https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8040ae3c30/

Enter the Rafflecopter GIVEAWAY for an opportunity to win one of these gorgeous prizes!

Rebecca's Review
4 STARS!!!

"Do you have something against falling in love, or have you simply never felt strongly enough to understand what it's like?(Violet) . . . . No, I have never been in love, though I have done plenty of despicable things in its name." (Vance) 

Violet Hawthorne has always been cautious around men. Tragically, her honorable reputation dramatically shifts when she becomes the victim of a humiliating act and is comforted by a man whom she has long tried to avoid. Unknown to Violet, her brother has recklessly gambled away her future during a poker game, while an anonymous benefactor valiantly, but unsuccessfully, attempted to pay off her debt.

"Thy power and Thine alone, can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone .. . and melt the heart of stone . .. and melt the heart of stone." ~Hymn, Jesus Paid It All

Vance Everstone regrets his sordid past, a recent conversion to Christ has transformed his life; melting his heart of stone, for "Jesus Paid it All". Fascinated by the lovely Violet Hawthorne, Vance longs to protect her from evil forces far stronger than she can imagine. When the unlikely couple is forced into a hasty betrothal, both wonder if their marriage can survive undeclared love amidst such suffocating circumstances. Fortunately, attraction has bloomed, but will it be enough, for this fragile relationship may tragically disintegrate, before it even gets started.

"...it hasn't been me doing the changing at all - only receiving the blessings of the change Christ has been doing in me." ~from Vance's testimony
 
Readers of the "Everstone Chronicles" will truly enjoy this outstanding addition to the series, for "The Cautious Maiden" displays author Dawn Crandall at her finest!


 I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.


Rebecca is a graduate of Bryan College with a degree in Christian Education and is currently serving at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Director of Children's Ministry. With nearly 28 years of experience in her field, she has had many opportunities to use her love of reading and writing in creative ways across the generations. A wife, mother of four "nearly" grown children, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren, Rebecca has been able to return to her love of reading and more recently reviewing, with a renewed passion for the "beauty of story".

~Happy Reading~

2 comments:

  1. Great job, Anne! This story was a sweet reminder to me of how much new believers struggle to do the right thing, when doing the wrong thing was so much easier.

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    1. Thank you for the review, Rebecca! Discipleship is so important for new believers. Without it, it's easy to flounder or think you have it figured out when in actuality you are far from understanding what your new life in Christ is supposed to look like.

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1 Corinthians 1:3 ~ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.