Take Your Pick: Mountains or Sea JustReads Blog Tour

Take your Pick blog & review tour

Welcome to the Blog & Review Tour, plus Giveaway, for two books by Lin Stepp - The Interlude and Claire at Edisto, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!


With Spring Break upon us, author Lin Stepp wants to know: Where do you love to go on vacation - the mountains or the sea? Don't worry - she's got a book for you, no matter what you decide! Both books release on April 2, 2019, so pack your virtual bags and head to the destination of your choice. And the beauty of travel-by-novel is... you can easily visit both!
 The Sea...

My Rating: ★★★★

Series: Edisto Trilogy: Book 1
Publisher: Mountain Hill Press
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

Set against the alluring backdrop of coastal South Carolina, CLAIRE AT EDISTO takes the reader on a sweet and gentle journey showing that love and new beginnings can often bloom from the deepest sorrows.

Standing in grief and shock at the grave of her young husband, Claire Avery wonders what she and her young daughters will do now. They live in the church parsonage they need to vacate. She hasn’t worked since her marriage twelve years ago. Old issues and complications hinder relationships with her family. Struggling for answers, Claire accepts her brother-in-law’s offer to stay at his beach house at Edisto to give her a season to heal and think. But even the peace and beauty of the coastal island bring new problems along with unexpected joys as Claire seeks to find her way.

Parker Avery always promised his brother Charles he would look after Claire if anything happened to him. Charles stood by him three years ago when his wife Ann died and Parker is determined now to be a help to Claire and the girls. As time passes, instead of feeling like a hero, he feels like a heel instead as he realizes he’s developing feelings for his own brother’s widow. To make things worse, he watches with pain and jealousy as Miles Lawrence waltzes into Claire’s life. What can he expect though? It hardly seems right that Claire, even after a season of mourning, would ever fall in love with her own brother-in-law.


My Review ♥️

I cannot even begin to imagine losing a spouse suddenly and at a young age, but that is exactly where Claire Avery finds herself after her husband, a Methodist preacher, goes to work one morning, never to return, leaving her with nothing but two young daughters and nowhere to go.  Parker, her husband's favorite brother, vows to help Claire get back up on her feet while she tries to figure out what to do with her life now that she is left with two little girls and no husband to help support their family.

Parker owns a beach house on the island of Edisto in South Carolina that he rarely uses and Claire decides to spend the summer there to clear her head and to prayerfully figure out what the next step should be for her and her girls.  What was to be just a three month sabatical turns into two years as Claire and her girls forge friendships and awaken dreams and talents they didn't know they possessed all while enjoying the stunning beauty of Edisto.

During this time Parker is falling in love with Claire and is trying to fight his feelings, but the more time they spend together the more he can't deny his emotions, but can he follow his heart and if he does will Claire feel the same way?  What do you do when you fall in love with your brothers wife?

Claire at Edisto was nothing like I was expecting, with little twist and turns throughout, and a nice, comfortable feel to it.  I fell in love with the characters from the beginning and, though this book is not action-packed, you become so vested in the characters lives that you want to find out what happens, even if most of it is predictable.

The incredible detail that went into the description of Edisto is amazing!  Not only can you visualize it, but Edisto almost becomes a character in and of itself!  You can see the astonishing amount of research that must've went into this book on every page.  There is even an actual map of Edisto from the 1980's at the beginning of the book which helps with the visualization even more.  Claire at Edisto has a slower, laid back pace that fits perfectly with the breezy beach setting, and has a decent flow, though at times the incredible amount of detail can feel a tad heavy.

This is one of the books that I read during our spring break vacation and I can tell you it is the perfect spring/summer read.  The cherry on top was the few recipes that were included in the back which I though was the perfect touch and an excellent way to end the book, leaving you hungry for the next book in the Edisto Trilogy.


The Mountains...
My Rating: ★★★★

Series: Smoky Mountains: Book 12
Publisher: Mountain Hill Press
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

In this gentle, inspirational romance, Lin Stepp reveals the healing touch and deep peace the beauty of the Smoky Mountains can bring to a hurt and troubled heart.

Too much work, too much pressure, and too much heartache can lead even a strong young woman like Mallory Wingate to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Now her doctor and employer have insisted she take a space to heal and rest—so like it or not, she’s heading to her grandparents’ resort in the Smoky Mountains. Hoping to sleep and rest on the flight home, Mallory is entertained instead by an unexpectedly charismatic stranger, making her forget many of her problems and even making her feel deliciously female again.

Lucas James, flying home from a pro golfing event, hadn’t expected to enjoy an interlude of flirting with a pretty stranger on the plane. A stranger he never expected to see again but who turns out to be the granddaughter of his boss at The Millhouse Resort. Worse, he quickly learns she’s passed through a recent history of emotional problems that remind him all too painfully of his past wife. The last thing Lucas wants is to get involved with anyone like Cecily again. Surely it won’t be too hard to keep his distance while Mallory is at the resort.

My Review ♥️


Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word interlude as "an intervening or interruptive period, space, or event," which is exactly what Mallory Wingate needed, and got, in more ways than she could've possibly imagined.  After having a breakdown at work, and being admitted to the hospital, both her doctor and boss agree that Mallory needs a break, so Mallory heads back to the only place she's ever called home, her grandparents home, Millhouse Resort in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

On the flight there she meets ex-pro golfer Lucas James, and the two share an interlude that includes two flights, dinner, and a few passionate kisses to get Mallory's mind off her worries.  Mallory and Lucas part ways knowing they'll never see each other again, but little do they know that this initial interlude is only the beginning.

I fell in love with this book from the very beginning and kept falling in love with every chapter.  In true Lin Stepp style, the imagery and great attention to detail is just incredible!  How I wish I could visit the Millhouse Resort, sample Nonnie's confections at one of her teas, go hiking through the mountains and stop to put my feet in the stream, or even play a few rounds of golf.  The whole resort came alive for me, which paired so well with each incredible character.  Your heart hurts, feeling empathetic for for what each individual had to endure in the their lives.  Lucas was the only person that had me growling in frustration as he unknowingly pushed his emotional issues onto others, creating drama that clearly could've been avoided had he realized sooner.  There were times I wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into him!

The ending was perfection and actually left me feeling sad that this interlude had to end for me as well.  There is a great discussion guide in the back of the book for book clubs and reading groups, though I was sad that there weren't any of Nonnie's recipes included in the back as well, like there were in Claire in Edisto, which is surprising since food is a major theme throughout the book.

The Interlude was a most enjoyable read with a wonderful story line and just enough conflict, amazing scenery, and a whole lotta love...and food.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

lin-front-page-photo

Lin Stepp is a native Tennessean, businesswoman and educator. A New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon best-selling international author, Lin now has sixteen published books, including her twelve beloved Smoky Mountain novels set in different locations of the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains, as well as a Smoky Mountain novella in one of Kensington’s Christmas anthologies. In addition, Lin’s first novel in a new Edisto Trilogy recently released, set on the South Carolina coast. Lin and her husband also write regional guidebooks, including a Smoky Mountain hiking guide and a Tennessee state parks book.  Stepp’s latest 2019 releases are The Interlude, set in the Greenbrier and Pittman Center of the Great Smoky Mountains and Claire at Edisto set at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Lin enjoys keeping up with her readers on Facebook, Twitter, and through her monthly blog on her website at: www.linstepp.com  

CONNECT WITH LIN: Website | Facebook | Twitter

take your pick giveaway

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win:
  • your choice of The Interlude OR Claire at Edisto (print, US only)
  • $10 Amazon gift card
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight March 24, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm March 31, 2019. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.


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Which do you like best - the mountains or the sea?

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