Thursday, July 10, 2014

The Redeeming

Wanna hear a funny story?......

No?

Well. Too bad..... you're gonna hear it anyway.

(Oh and by the way... I just kinnnnnnnda liked this book.)

Stick around cuz if you follow my FB page, you can enter the giveaway I've got goin' on....

Book Rating: Best of the Best


So you know a book/series is good when it, well, CONSUMES you! I mean CON-SUMES!!

OK, so this is what I mean. It was 4th of July morning and I'd just finished The Redeeming the night before at like midnight. I could-not-stop-reading-this-book! COULD NOT STOP, and it was still swimming in my mind... *sigh* So, before the obligatory small-town parade started, I ran across the street to take my (adorable, if I may say so) 5yo daughter to use the ladies room. Whilst washing hands at the sink, up beside me steps this leggy blonde. And of course, since I was STILL consumed with thoughts of Christian and Gaenor I thought to myself, "Self, that lady kinda reminds me of Gaenor." So I allowed myself a longer look and that was my doom. This woman, whoever she was, was my EXACT idea of what Gaenor looked like and I seriously couldn't stop staring. Tall, long dark-blonde hair, a lovely face....must have been around 25-26 years old, I don't know. I'm sure the lady thought I was a psycho. But here's the thing--I didn't care. (OK, maybe I cared a little bit.) I was THIS close to wanting to stop her and compliment her, as someone might when they see a person who looks like, say {insert name of famous person here}. But in this case I wanted to say, "Excuse me, but has anyone ever told you that you look exactly like Gaenor Wulfrith...or I mean, Lavonne... *giggle*." And in my imagination she would smile, flip her perfectly long, wavy hair over her shoulder (because it WAS perfectly long and wavy) and say with a bit of red in her cheeks, "Well, thank you so much. I love Gaenor--you just made my day!"

No.

Instead, I had the most difficult time not letting my jaw scrape across the bathroom floor as I struggled to help my little-one while (shamelessly) gawking.

This book, this SERIES is amazing. I love that Tamara has this elaborate story world and that her plots seem to flow effortlessly into one another. In fact, sometimes I feel like these stories are so real that they simply EXIST. Do you know what I mean? They are so good that I don't feel Tamara there at all--I feel like these stories just appeared out of nowhere for our blessed enjoyment.

The tension in this story is phenomenal. Let me spell that for you again. PHEN. OM. ENAL. (When you break it apart like that, it's actually Latin for Must. Read. Book.) I really BELIEVED this tension, I believed that these emotions and this intensely difficult situation existed for these two. There is so much going on--the raw, deep, real struggle. Gah! Am I making myself clear?

And the romance! AH! I won't even get started. Not to mention the spiritual side of it? I have no words.

SO.... in honor of my new FAVE series AND the fact that I have just reached (way over) 300 likes on FB, (many, MANY thanks to Jen Turano for that!!!) I am GIVING AWAY, yes, GIVING AWAY 3 COPIES of Tamara's first book in this series, The Unveiling. If you would like to be entered, please make sure you follow my FB page (and this blog, if'n ya want)--but all that good stuff is made easy by RAFFLECOPTER! The drawing will be in two weeks.... so you've got plenty time to do your readers-duty and tell everyone and their puppy about this, ok?! :)

I can't wait to write the next review, but I need to finish it first, so I shall bid thee farewell so I can once again be consumed by my latest obsession.

HAPPY READING!
Buy it!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

39 comments:

  1. Oh my word, Amber! Lifting MY jaw off the floor. I love your review of The Redeeming, and not just because I wrote the book. You are so very entertaining. Truly, I was in that restroom with you gawking at the Gaenor lookalike. Thank you for starting my day off with smiles and giggles. I really needed that! Blessings!

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    1. Tamara!!! Well, by now you know I am a mega-fan, (that, or you have me flagged as a crazy person... ;) )and I just love reviewing and telling people how much they NEED to read these. :) Thank you for always being so supportive and kind in coming by to comment and in sharing on FB, etc. That always means a lot to me!!!! SO excited to review the next one!!!!!!!!!

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  2. Love the review! I've never read anything of hers but after this review how can I not?

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    1. Candy!!! How are you?! I'm DYING to find out what you think of her style!! Thank you for always being so supportive!!

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  3. I am so excited! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  4. I'm not entering the giveaway because I already own the whole series, but I just wanted to say thanks for the wonderful review. Tamara Leigh is one of my favorite authors and I enjoy seeing blogs promote her books. To anyone who has yet to read one, you don't know what your are missing out on!

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    1. Rebecca! I so enjoying seeing you here, thank you! I agree, this series is breathtaking! So glad you enjoy them too!! YAY for Tamara Leigh! HUGS, Rebecca!!

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    2. Thank YOU, Rebecca! You and everyone else here at Amber's place are making my day amazing!

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  5. Oooo, these look really good! I hope my library carries them...I may have to break out the swagbucks and buy them on Amazon. ;)

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    1. Tarah! I think swagbucks might be the way to go because you will want to read them again and again. I'm not sure about the library thing... as far as I know they are only on ebook right now.... but let me know! HUGS and thank you SO much for commenting!

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    2. Only in ebook format right now, Tarah, though the Age of Faith series will start releasing as audiobooks later this year. If I can dig up the time to work on paperback editions, that will be my next stop. Thank you for dropping by and commenting. Have a lovely evening.

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  6. I've not read any of Tamara Leigh's books. Sounds like a good series to start with!

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    1. Patty!!! You will be utterly consumed with this series--I hope you will let me know what you think when you have read them!

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  7. I haven't read these books yet but they look good!

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    1. Anne! I am sure you would love them! Let me know what you think when you've read them!

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  8. Just finished reading The Unveiling and LOVED it!!! I never read any books by Tamara but soooo glad I did! Can't wait to start reading The Redeeming! Thanks for your review, otherwise I would have missed out!

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    1. Thank you for giving The Unveiling a try, Tonya. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. If you should win, I'll gladly give you the next book in the series. Have a great evening!

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  9. Just finished reading The Unveiling and LOVED it!!! I never read any books by Tamara but soooo glad I did! Can't wait to start reading The Redeeming! Thanks for your review, otherwise I would have missed out!

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    1. Tonya!!! Oh didn't you just melt with The Unveiling?!?! :) I'm so happy you have discovered her, she is marvelous! Thank you so much for commenting!!! HUGS!

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  10. {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252
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    \f0\fs26 \cf2 \cb3 \expnd0\expndtw0\kerning0
    \outl0\strokewidth0 \strokec2 Ooo I'm a new follower over on fb:) this series is very intriguing... I've just recently gotten into historical Christian romance and reviewing books:)Thanks for the chance at winning it:) going to add this series to my want to reads:)}

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    1. HI!!! I am so happy to have you following on FB, thank you so much!! You will REALLY love this series--and how fun that you like to review as well, that's awesome!!!!! Yay for historicals and yay for Tamara Leigh!

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  11. Oh Amber - I LOVE reading your blog - you are so funny! You remind me of a little wind-up toy I had when I was a kid - I'd wind that little ball of "whatever it was" up REAL tight - - and then - let go and RUN! That little wind up thing would just go round and round and spin and bounce off of whatever it encountered - - and it kept going 90 to nothin until it just came to an unbrupt stop..... you could almost hear it panting.... and then you carefully crept up on it ..... just in case it had another pop or bang left in it..... and then wind it up again and let'er fly!!!! It is obvious you love to read and you love to write - - and that's what makes you a good blogger to follow - - your whole heart is in every thought - every sentence - every word. You're gracious and soft with an "ok" review - - but you're that wind up toy with a book that's got you firing on all pistons!
    I, of course, TOTALLY agree with you on Tamara Leigh's books - - they are nothing less than FABULOUS!!!!! I want a book that allows me to escape my world - and be totally absorbed into another - and that's what Tamara Leigh does. Her plots are well thought out - the characters are deep and well written (so much so that you are pretty sure you're standing next to one in a store restroom facility - lol) - - the mystery, suspense and personal struggles through the story are so real that it makes you take stock of your own struggles and evaluate them based on the faith based choices of the characters - - and the ROMANCE - - - ahhhhhh........ let us not forget the breath-taking, heart stopping, "more ICE tea, please" ROMANCE - - it is to die for!!!!! I can tell Amber that you've come over to the "medieval side" - as you ended your review with "I shall bid thee farewell" verbage - lol - - just wait until you finish the series and you stand in the grocery aisle saying to no one in particular - "ah - I perchance perceive that the harvest this year has produced some passing sweet victuals" - or you're standing in line at the bank and say to the teller - "Tis a pleasant enough day - did you enjoy your repast of the noon day hour? Good morrow to you sir!" - - - yeah - - then you KNOW you're lost in Wulfrith land - never to return - - but what a sweet surrender! Enjoy the rest of the Age of Faith series - - it is one for the ages!!!!

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    1. PAM! You are such a delight, always so clever and fun! Thanks for commenting--I can't wait to hear what you think of my reviews for the next two. No doubt I will love those as well! Hugs and blessings to you!!!

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    2. Oh, I adore Pam--you hear that, Pam? I absolutely adore you, sweet lady. You and Amber make me smile so big my mouth aches and giggle and snort so enthusiastically I get the most peculiar looks from those who just don't understand :) Such fun it would be to sit between the two of you as you swat humor back and forth. Doubtless, it would be like having a front row seat at Wimbledon :)

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    3. Y'all are hysterical! :-D

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  12. Sorry for writing so much - - I guess I became the wind-up toy!! LOL!!

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  13. I have read other books by Tamera Leigh but not this series. I think I would like each of them, maybe The Redeeming best??
    Thanks for the giveaway! Blessings!

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  14. I just started reading your blog -Thank Goodness! I am reading The Unveiling right now and I do not want it to end. I love it!! This is a book that I would never had read on my own as I do not care for the Medieval time setting or when a heroine disguises herself as a boy. Thank you for recommending it so highly and thanks to Tamara for writing such an awesome novel. I am so glad that there are more books in this series. By the way, doesn't the guy on the cover look like Liam Neeson?

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    1. Happy happy you're enjoying the story. Liam Neeson--you know, I can see that :)

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  15. I haven't read any in the series, but after the interview, I must go check them out!

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  16. Oooh, I will have to check this series out. Especially because you and I have about the exact same rating scale. Our top ten list is pretty much the same! So this means, that I will like these books too!
    Jana

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  17. LOVE LOVE LOVE the cover! This looks like a fantastic read!

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  18. This may be a repeat post but I think the internet gremlins ate my other one. Anyway, I haven't read this series yet but I am dying to. Love the cover, it's just gorgeous. :D

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  19. Haven't started it yet, but I will the first chance I get! :)

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  20. LOVE your review!! You definitely make me want to run out and get the book! ;-) Thanks for the giveaway!

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  21. I haven't read any in this series yet, but I loved, loved, loved Dreamspell! I'm sure I would enjoy this series, too :-)

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  22. Love your funny story, Amber. :)

    I haven't read the series yet, but the first one is on my Kindle, so I'll have to get started on that soon. :)

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