Friday, February 1, 2013

"Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska" by Tricia Goyer and Ocienna Fleiss - "REVIEW" (scroll down!) - AND, Win a Glacier Bay Prize Pack! HURRY - ENTER by 2-11! Then RSVP for The Facebook Party for 2-12! Come join us!

First, Celebrate with Tricia and Ocieanna by entering their "Glacier Bay" Giveaway and RSVP'ing for their Facebook Party on Feb. 12th!


Glacier-Bay-300

One fortunate winner will receive:
  • A gorgeous handmade “Glacier Bay” bracelet
  • A handmade cowl in "Glacier Bay" blues and greens
  • A bottle of custom-made "Glacier Bay" sparkle polish in blue
  • Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss and their two other “Love Finds You” titles {Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana, and Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington}
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 11th. Winner will be announced at the "Glacier Bay" Author Chat Party on February 12th. Connect with authors Tricia and Ocieanna, get a sneak peek of their new book projects, try your hand at the Alaska trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be great giveaways—gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska, and join Tricia and Ocieanna on the evening of February 12th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP todayTell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 12th!



REVIEW:
My Take:
5-Stars! 
MORE stars if I could! I've never read a book in this series of Christian Fiction books called "Love Finds You in . . . (a city, and state) . . . ", before, so this was my first, and let me tell you I WANT TO READ MORE of these! I really enjoyed this book VERY much! I HIGHLY recommend this book! I'm sure I'll recommend others in this series after I read them, too! I LOVED this book! I LOVE these authors and the way they write! The writing is amazing! It's beautiful, the story is beautiful, and the characters really touch your heart! You feel like you are right there, and  you've always known them, too. Faith plays a major role in this book, too.
In this book, "Love Finds us in Glacier Bay, Alaska", the city was originally known as Strawberry Point when first settled in, because of all the wild strawberries that grow there still to this day. A lot of the history in this book is true, too, which makes it this an even more interesting read! They are still known for their strawberries, and farm a lot of them, and share some of them with the grizzlies, too! The people who lived/live here, 400 at the most in the Summer, gets a LOT of tourists through the summer. The people who live here still deeply depend upon God, as they have to being way out in the wilderness. Being out here, they are exposed to every element there you can imagine, and prayer gets them through. How could you not have a deep relationship with God in the middle of all the beauty/glory he has made for us in Alaska? Or, anywhere, for that matter!
As you can tell, this book explains the true history of this city, how it was founded, how it was named then renamed, history of the town and more. This book was simply AMAZING! I love how all of this was explained and worked into the story. It's unlike any other book I've read!
The characters in this book are so colorful, caring, interesting, loving and  lovable, I fell in love with them all, immediately, especially Brett's Grandmother. I just wanted to hug her! She is wise beyond her years, and knows that Ginny and Brett are in love and belong together, and hints this to Ginny, too, in so many words! I LOVE Grandmother! It reminded me of one of my Grandmothers very much, whom I miss dearly.
Who are Brett and Ginny? They were once engaged to be married, but broke it off. Ginny is now living in Hollywood, fast following her dream to becoming a well known as a singer across the country. She decides to go to Gustavus, Alaska, (Strawberry Point) to visit her long time, once fiance', Brett, to talk to confide in him many things before she feels she can go any further with her career or personal life. 
When Ginny first arrives, she finds out Brett is out camping on his own, spending time with nature and his creator. Ginny stays with his Grandmother. It was so cute in that Grandmother was pretty happy Ginny tried but could not find a way to get back home to Los Angeles once she found out it was unknown as to when Brett would be returning home! Well, Grandmother happens to have a 'spell' with her health, as she calls it, some heart troubles, and she is prescribed rest for it. She also needs someone to care for her. Ginny foots this bill, and would not have it any other way. Ginny happens to find a box of old  letters, and starts reading them. Grandmother encourages her to read them, and Ginny is really enjoying reading these as she waits for Brett to return from his trip. Ginny cannot stop reading these letters, and as she reads them, she reflects on her own life and at the same time, her relationship she once had with Brett again, too.  
The letters are all through the book, so, yes, we get to read them too, and this story goes back and forth from the first settlers of this area, to now, the current time. Oh! I just want to tell you ALL about this book, but I can't or else there won't be anything left for YOU to read!
I LOVED reading these letters just as much as Ginny does! Grandmother knows and has read every one of these letters as well, and might even know some of the people in these letters. It really shows what life is like in this remote area of Alaska, and what this woman in these letters, Ellie, has gone through, as well. The letters are very clear as to what she does and does not want.
So why all these letters in the first place? We find out in these letters that Ellie has a fiance who breaks off their engagement. Ellie's own Grandfather sends Ellie out to live in Strawberry Point, Alaska, (Glacier Point, now) to be a Governess to a Widower's children ranging from all ages. This was the last thing that Ellie wanted to do, and couldn't help but to feel she was also sent out there not only as a Governess to the children, but also like a mail-order bride for this Widower, and was not too happy about this situation, however, over time, Ellie thinks she might just be falling in love with this man named Clay, after all. 
Ellie continuously writes to her Grandfather, and these are what most of the letters are what we read, correspondence back and forth from Ellie and her Grandfather confiding in each other, asking questions, telling her Grandfather things that have happened, and more. It is very clear that Ellie loves her Grandfather very, very much. Other letters are written by other people, too, but I'll leave that for you to find out who when YOU read the book!
Here are a few quotes from the book I LOVED!
When Brett returns from his trip a little early, not even knowing Ginny is there, he and Ginny go out to eat at Four Corners, where he tells her, "Alaska is like your first kiss. It's not what you thought, more wonderful than you realized, and it fills you with more emotion and longing than you can explain." He chuckled. "And that no fake fur slippers can never express."
Later we learn from Grandmother, "I have no fear of meeting my Maker. In fact, I've been looking forward to that for many years." I always hate when older people say that because I find when they say that, they are ready to go, and I LOVE Grandmother in this story so much! Personally, I was upset when I read that, and wanted to ball my eyes out. It really brought back memories from my own Grandmother. I really found myself personally invested in this story very deeply. 
Later, Grandmother gives Ginny some more advice. "We meet people, live with folks, build friendships our whole lives, and there are those few tenderhearted souls who stand out."
Then, one last quote I'm going to write down. Ginny asks Grandmother more about Ellie and Clay, if they do get married, the children, etc. So Grandmother has some more advice for Ginny. Don't you just LOVE Grandmother! "Dear child, don't try to figure out love, just embrace it ... embrace it while you still have the chance." Hmmm? Brett, after all? Or Danny, back in Hollywood?  
I just LOVED the writing in this book, all that happens, the decisions to be made, and how it turns out! I LOVE Alaska! 
You'll have to read this book to find out what happens with Ginny and Brett or maybe Danny? Or does Ginny goes back to her singing career?
This is a book you do NOT want to miss reading! It is one that will stay with you forever! (You know, some strawberries dipped in chocolate would go wonderful while reading this book! For some reason while reading this book, I had such a craving for chocolate! It 'had' to be the strawberries! LOL!) 
In the back of the book it tells us about the author's trip to Glacier Bay, Alaska, has some photos from the trip, and information about it. In my opinion, and may I suggest; this is one of those books in which you want the actual physical book, and not the ebook in order to be able to appreciate this book like it should be. Sometimes ebooks do not show the photos or other information like this book does, and I would hate for you to miss what this book offers, so I would definitely suggest purchasing the book and skipping the ebook for this one. I'm all FOR ebooks, but there are just times when the physical book is called for, and this is one of them. 
This book is going on my list of 'The BEST books of 2013 I've Read!'
I look forward to reading MORE of these books co-written by these two authors as well! I absolutely LOVED this book! I am glad I found this series of books, too! Thank you, Litfuse! 
About this book, and this series of books:
These books, "Love Find You In (a City and State)", are a series of books that eventually will cover all 50 states! There are a lot of them written by various authors, and inside this book it shows you two things: a 'map' of the US which has flags all over the place with the name of the city and the state in which a book was written about, and also a long list - three pages full - of all of the books and their authors who have written books in this series of "Love Find You In . . . ". Be prepared! There are still quite a few states that have not had a book written about them 'yet', so get ready for more books to come in this series! I see myself wanting to read ALL of these books, especially the ones written by these two authors! They have co-written several so far! Tricia Goyer is one of my MOST favorite authors, and this is the first book I have read (that she has co-wrote) with Ocieanna Fleiss, whom I enjoyed just as much! No, you cannot tell this book was co-written by two separate authors at all! It reads smoothly, very descriptive and you feel as if you are right there in Alaska. I could relate to how Ginny felt, and I felt like I was right there with her. The only bummer is I did not literally get to 'see' the the scenery, which I can only imagine is breathtaking, and the pages FLY by! (No!) You do NOT want to put this book down, nor do you want it to end! I'm going to miss Glacier Bay, Alaska! I received this book for FREE from the Pubisher, Summerside Press and LitFuse Publicity, in exchange to read and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Enjoy!
Laurie

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

TRICIA GOYER:

Tricia Goyer is the award winning author of over thirty books including Beside Still WatersRemembering You, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences and is the host of Living Inspired. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife.

Find out more about Tricia at http://triciagoyer.com.



Ocienna Fleiss:

Ocieanna Fleiss is a published author and editor. She lives with her husband and their four children in the Seattle area.
Find out more about Ocieanna at http://ocieanna.com/.

Don't forget to enter up above by February 11th, to win that GLORIOUS PRIZE PACKAGE!  

To learn MORE about this book and this Book Tour, please click on this LINK: http://litfusegroup.com/author/Tgoyer  which will take you to the Landing Page of LitFuse Publicity! 




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