Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for Her Hope Discovered by Cynthia Herron, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Her Hope Discovered
Series: Welcome to Ruby #1
Author: Cynthia Herron
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 31, 2018
Is the sure thing worth risking for the possibility of maybe?
Charla Winthrop, a savvy business woman seeking a permanent lifestyle change in small-town Ruby, learns that things aren’t always what they appear when she takes up residence in a house steeped in charm and a hint of mystery.
Rumor has it that Sam Packard the town carpenter is her go-to guy for home remodeling, but can Charla convince him to help her—with no strings attached, of course?
Alone far too long, Sam’s prayed that God would send him a wife and a mother for his daughters. However, the new Ruby resident is hardly what he imagined. A new place to call “home,” the possibility of what might be, and the answer to someone’s prayers unite this unlikely pair with the help of the town’s residents.
Nestled in the Ozarks’ hills and hollows is Ruby, Missouri, a quaint, cozy town where “neighbor” is merely another word for “friend.” Ruby will charm and delight as will her quirky, lovable characters who will steal your heart, but hand it right back—with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Savor your new friends’ sorrows and successes in the community where offbeat is perfect and mishaps and mayhem never tasted so good.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cynthia writes Heartfelt, Homespun Fiction from the beautiful Ozark Mountains. A hopeless romantic at heart, she enjoys penning stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her Hope Discovered, her début novel and the first in a three-book series, released December 2018 with Mountain Brook Ink.
“Cindy” has a degree in psychology and a background in social work. She is a member of ACFW, ACFW MozArks, and RWA.
She is a 2017 ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2016 ACFW Genesis (Double) Finalist, and a 2015 ACFW First Impressions Winner. Her short story Words from the Heart appears in The Story Anthology (Karen Kingsbury/Family Fiction) via Salem Publications, 2014. Her work is represented by Sarah Freese at WordServe Literary.
Besides writing, Cindy enjoys spending time with family and friends. She has a fondness for gingerbread men, miniature teapots, and all things apple. She also adores a great cup of coffee and she never met a sticky note she didn’t like.
Cindy loves to connect with friends at her online home. She also hangs out on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
For love, fun, and encouragement ~
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Review
I knew when I read the synopsis of this book that I absolutely had to read it. It’s not often that I stumble across books set in my backyard. I mean Ruby doesn’t really exist in my backyard, nor Jewel County but. . . I was born in the Ozarks. I was raised in the Ozarks. I still live in the Ozarks. , one of my high school rivals was the town of Ozark. This region of the country is truly like no other with the slower pace of the south but not truly southern. We have some mannerisms of the north without coming close to being Yankee. Once upon a time when this region was more isolated, due to the ‘mountains’ (I say with tongue in cheek as the Ozark Mountains are really gloried hills) and plateaus that truly did isolate, we had our own dialect and mannerisms. Think Appalachia but less intense in the hillbilly. It’s hard to capture that history as it meets current reality without pandering to to stereotypes or missing the mark altogether. You have to experience it, steep yourself in it, to truly get it. At least my opinion.
Cynthia has obviously lived it. You don’t have to read her bio to know that she gets the lifestyle here. As much as I say this with all the love though it did fall short for me. I felt like I was told more about the landscape and the lifestyle than shown. I feel like there was a vibe that was just missing. I also felt a bit pandered to. For those of you that don’t really know me I feel the need to preface this. I am about as hick-y, folksy as they come. I make it up as I go so to speak. If you have read any of my posts you’ve experience it a time or twenty. If you know me in real life you experience it constantly. I get folksy on so many levels. However, I felt like several characters in Ruby were more stereotypical than truly folksy. I feel like Herron tried just a bit too hard to capture the essence that is this part of the country while trying to contrast the difference of Charla’s (I LOVE that name by the way) runaway Boston lifestyle. I don’t know that someone without history here will get near the takeaway I did with this. Heck, I don’t know that someone with history here will feel the same way.
I’m gonna be honest, again, I got a little scared of insta-love for a minute. Sam fell a little too hard too fast but. . .He managed to slow his role and truly get to know Charla before deciding that forever after was in the future. I appreciated that so much. I did get a bit bogged down and an overwhelming desire to hand out a few Gibbs’ smacks with Sam and Charla’s inability to actually have a conversation at times instead of just making decisions in their heads. I loved the interplay of spiritualism with the faith the injection that God truly does interact and help to guide our lives. It’s up to us to be open to where he is trying to guide us. For me it truly gave a spiritual angels vibe and not a mystical vibe. There is a difference, just sayin’. I appreciated the feel of community and healing. Sam’s guilt and his relationship with Edwin, Charla’s need to take a different path than what she was raised to be and even the relationship with her family. There was so much to love about Ruby that it is easy to overlook the things that didn’t quite jive for me. I truly do recommend this book for anyone that needs a sweet love story or anyone who needs to be reminded that you can move forward no matter where you find yourself or what life throws your way. It’s also a great book for anyone that needs to slow down for a minute and enjoy some time in my backyard. I can’t wait to visit Ruby again!
TOUR GIVEAWAY
One (1) winner will win a $25 Amazon gift card from the author (US only)
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight February 18, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm February 25, 2019. US only. 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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I liked the review. The book sounds great.
It has been great hearing about your book and although I am not the reader myself, my 2 sisters and 2 daughters are. They love hearing about the genre’s they like and me helping them get to find books they will enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
I love the cover so much
“Appalachia but less intense in the hillbilly” made me chuckle. I live in TN side of Appalachia.
The Ozarks are a beautiful area with interesting people. Ruby sounds like the perfect setting for this love story.
This book sounds like a really great read.
I have just started this book, thanks for drawing me in.
Her Hope Discovered sounds wonderful!