A Firm Place to Stand ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Notable Quotable & Giveaway!

A FIRM PLACE TO STAND

by

LORI ALTEBAUMER

Genre: Christian / Romantic Suspense
Independently published
Date of Publication: January 25, 2020

Number of Pages: 321

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She’s either being stalked or losing her mind.

A job at a camp in the rustic and often rugged landscape of West Texas offers Maribel Montgomery a chance to escape both, especially if she makes sure no one knows she’s there. But when the body of a woman washes up in the river on her first morning, her hopes of a safe place to start over are swept away.

The suspicion that she’s being watched follows her to her new home, and Maribel is forced to take a stand or keep running. Does she have the courage to face the danger stirring at the Pool of Siloam Camp? If she doesn’t, another girl might die. If she tries and fails, it could be her.

Circumstances force her into the acquaintance of Conner Pierce—a man with secrets of his own. Can Maribel risk working with him in order to save the next victim and find a missing girl? Or is he the killer?

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A life-long Texan, Lori lives in a small community not far from the rugged West Texas landscape she loves to write about. The mother of now-grown twins, she has learned that the secret to survival is a well-developed sense of humor and an active prayer life. After years spent working in the insurance business, Lori now uses her time to educate, inspire, encourage, and entertain through the written word.

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THREE WINNERS: 
1ST PRIZE
Signed Copy of A Firm Place to Stand + $25 Gift Card to the Texas Indie Bookstore of Choice
2ND PRIZE: Signed Copy of A Firm Place to Stand
3RD PRIZE: eBook of A Firm Place to Stand
APRIL 30-MAY 10, 2020

(US ONLY)

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VISIT THE LONE STAR LIT TOUR PAGE FOR DIRECT LINKS TO THE OTHER GREAT BLOG STOPS ON THE TOUR, OR VISIT THEM HERE:

4/30/20	Notable Quotable	Texas Book Lover
4/30/20	BONUS post	Hall Ways Blog
5/1/20	Review	Librariel Book Adventures
5/1/20	Excerpt 1	Reading by Moonlight
5/2/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
5/3/20	Excerpt 2	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
5/4/20	Review	Nerd Narration
5/4/20	Review	Bibliotica
5/5/20	Top 5	Book Fidelity
5/5/20	Review	The Page Unbound
5/6/20	Review	That's What She's Reading
5/7/20	Playlist	All the Ups and Downs
5/7/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
5/8/20	Review	Tangled in Text
5/9/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
5/9/20	Review	Missus Gonzo

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First Herd to Abilene ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Bonus Review & Giveaway!

FIRST HERD TO ABILENE

An H. H. Lomax Western, #5
by

PRESTON LEWIS

Genre: Historical Fiction / Western / Humor
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Date of Publication: February 5, 2020

Number of Pages: 449

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HISTORICALLY SOUND AND HILARIOUSLY FUNNY! H.H. Lomax meets Wild Bill Hickok in Springfield, Missouri, and is responsible for Hickok’s legendary gunfight with Davis Tutt. Fearing Hickok will hold a grudge, Lomax escapes Springfield and agrees to promote Joseph G. McCoy’s dream of building Abilene, Kansas, into a cattle town, ultimately leading the first herd to Abilene from Texas.

Along the way, he encounters Indians, rabid skunks, flash floods, a stampede, and the animosities of some fellow cowboys trying to steal profits from the drive. Lomax is saved by the timely arrival of now U.S. Marshal Hickok, but Lomax uses counterfeit wanted posters to convince Hickok his assailants are wanted felons with rewards on their heads.

Lomax and Wild Bill go their separate ways until they run into each other a decade later in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, where Hickok vows to kill Lomax for getting him fired.

First Herd to Abilene is an entertaining mix of historical and hysterical fiction.

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DADDY BILL’S BONUS BOOK REVIEW: Thanks to my *connection* to Lone Star Literary Life, my dad, who is going to be eighty-six this year, was introduced to the works of Preston Lewis. He started with Bluster’s Last Stand, Lewis’s 4^th book in the H.H. Lomax series, and then gobbled-up the first three books in the series before I had a chance to try and get him signed copies from the author (perks). Lewis has put out two beefy anthologies in the last few months (Western Collection, Volumes 1 & 2), and Pop’s already read those, too.  He has a tough time holding print books anymore, so he is not happy that Rio Ruidoso is only available as a paperback. And I think he is a little jealous, too, because I have read it and he has not. But his revenge is that he read First Herd to Abilene the same week it published, which was well before we featured the book on Lone Star Book Blog Tours. Pop is a certified SUPER-FAN.

Since I have not yet had the pleasure of reading First Herd to Abilene, I thought I would ask Pop for his thoughts on the book, and below is what he said. Please enjoy DADDY BILL’S BONUS BOOK REVIEW.

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FIRST HERD TO ABILENE is the saga of a man who was dealt a number of cow patty sandwiches in his life, but he managed to gain sustenance from them —while bringing some true-to-life (many times grim) humor to his life and experiences.

Lewis’s narrative of the cattle drive is one of the best, and probably truest, I have read, as were his depictions of what we have been led to believe were Western heroes, who in true life were far from that.  H.H. Lomax is a great and often humorous character, and his various experiences are so widespread that you wonder how his life was big enough to have them all.  Starting out with $3 and Old Abe, his Army mule (not to be confused with jackass of human or animal kind), who had the habit of kicking out anytime the name Jefferson Davis was spoken, to heading up the first cattle drive to Abilene, Kansas, and on and on (all narrated in the first person), FIRST HERD TO ABILENE is indeed great reading. 

If you enjoyed the Lomax character in the previous books, this is a somewhat stronger man than what we have seen before.  

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Dad bought his own digital copy of First Herd to Abilene and his opinions are his own (though I might share them from time to time.)

Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of thirty novels. In addition to his two Western Writers of America Spurs, he received the 2018 Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Western Humor for Bluster’s Last Stand, the fourth volume in his comic western series, The Memoirs of H. H. Lomax. Two other books in that series were Spur finalists. His comic western The Fleecing of Fort Griffin received the Elmer Kelton Award from the West Texas Historical Association for best creative work on the region.

WEBSITE ║ FACEBOOK ║ GOODREADS

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1ST PRIZE: 
Signed Copies of First Herd to Abilene and Bluster's Last Stand
2ND PRIZE: 
Signed Copy of First Herd to Abilene

APRIL 28-MAY 8, 2020

(US ONLY)

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CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY,

OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

4/28/20	Excerpt	The Page Unbound
4/29/20	Review	Max Knight
4/30/20	Author Interview	Forgotten Winds
5/1/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
5/2/20	Scrapbook Page	All the Ups and Downs
5/3/20	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
5/4/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/5/20	Author Interview	Texas Book Lover
5/6/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/7/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
5/7/20	Series Spotlight	#Bookish
5/8/20	BONUS Review	Bibliotica

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Come Back to the Swamp ~ Audio Book Blog Tour Review!

COME BACK TO THE SWAMP

BY LAURA MORRISON

Narrated by Chelsea Stephens

Length: 3 hours 37 minutes

Publisher: Black Spot Books

Released: Mar. 26, 2020

Category: Fantasy

Working on completing her ecology graduate degree, Bernice is doing invasive species research in Cleary Swamp when she is confronted by a mysterious hag who says she is the swamp’s caretaker. When Bernice discovers that the hag is actually a woman named Rebecca Hallett who disappeared in the swamp decades before, she attempts to remove the strange old woman from Cleary Swamp. But little does Bernice know that Rebecca has a mystical bond to the area - one that possesses a human host and bonds them to it. One magical hallucinogenic powder cocktail and a space opera spirit journey later, Bernice’s life has changed forever. The swamp wants her for its new caretaker, and it won’t take no for an answer.

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Audio Book Review. I knew from the initial and thorough analogy that had main character Bernice fighting an invasive species of weeds as if she were fighting in battle that I was going to enjoy this story. And to take it next level, it isn't just any battle she's fighting, she compares her Japanese barberry battle to Arigorn's battle to save Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings) and even names her hedge clippers Andúril and Sting! Bernice speaks my language with things being "dorky" and technology being stupid. The result is just minutes in to the story, author Laura Morrison has created a character in whom I am fully invested.

Coming in at about three and a half hours on audio (140 pages in print), Come Back to the Swamp is a light, fun, and fantastical reading escape novella. There are really only three characters to keep up with, and the majority of the story is told from Bernice's point of view, so the story is ideal if you have to listen while multi-tasking. Bernice is both irritating and endearing in her flaws and self-realization of them, which makes her real and relatable.  

The premise that the swamp selects a human host with which to bond is fascinating.  That any harm done to any element within the ecosystem -- like chopping down vines -- manifests itself by causing physical pain to the host is a bigger picture reminder that there are consequences to human behaviors. Also enjoyable is that in Come Back to the Swamp, it is the swamp that ultimately controls the humans, and not the reverse. 

As the book's description references, there is a "hallucinogenic... space opera spirit journey" that occurs in the story, and this is the story's shortcoming. There is so much that could have been done with those elements, but instead of providing a few more pages of explanation, it's brevity and disjointedness is discombobulating and creates gaping holes and questions. It felt like an attempt at a quick out -- that in having something so outlandish to account for a time period, readers wouldn't need answers.  

Thankfully, as the story distances itself from that strange episode, the plot gets back on track and is engaging once again. And while there are logistical questions that don't get answered, those become less important as the story builds to its resolution.  The epilogue gives a satisfying, though mildly confusing explanation (here, reading text might have made it easier to understand) and ends with just a touch of eeriness as a bonus for the ending. I would definitely explore other titles by this author because of her gift for characterization and imaginative plots. 

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Narrator Chelsea Stephens provides an outstanding performance of the story. Whether voicing a male or a female, a hag or nature itself, she keeps each voice unique and uniquely expressive. Her delivery is even and her pacing perfect so that I was able to listen to the audio at regular speed. The audio has no technical issues and provides for a smooth, enjoyable listening experience.

Thank you to Audiobookworm Productions and the author for providing me an audio download in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.

I received this audio book as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Black Spot Books. The gifting of this audio book did not affect my opinion of it.

Laura Morrison lives in the Metro Detroit area. She has a B.S. in applied ecology and environmental science from Michigan Technological University. Before she was a writer and stay-at-home mom, she battled invasive species and researched turtles.

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Chelsea Stephens has a long time love and appreciation for the performing arts, with experience in on-stage acting, singing, and voice over. Her love for reading books and the pursuit of the story led her to narration. She enjoys unfolding characters and bringing listeners into new worlds. Chelsea is an award-winning voice actor with a talent for mystery, sci-fi, romance and YA novels. She’s a mom to a gaggle of young ones living in the Midwest.
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