September 16, 2022

Cinder Bella & Always Noel Book Tour

September 16, 2022

When all seems lost, a Christmas miracle walks in…

Albany, Oregon

December, 1937

Despite the lingering Depression, Albany, Oregon is lit up for Christmas. The entire town is bright with hope ushered in with the holiday season. But Jane Scott’s dream for the perfect Christmas is ruined. She’s accepted to the University of Oregon, yet denied the scholarship that would allow her to attend. On top of that her boyfriend, Jack Arthur, stands her up just when she needs him most. Faced with not earning a teaching degree she wonders if she could be happy living life as her mother has—as a woman contented with all things domestic. As each day seems darker, Jane’s strength and faith is tested.

Feeling as though everything she had counted on is fading away, she flounders for an anchor. Little by little the Scott family Christmas traditions and a benefactor’s encouragement remind her of what the season is all about, what she is all about. Can plans for a new job pay enough for tuition? Does Jack’s mysterious absence mean the end of their future together? Is a Christmas miracle on the way?

My Review-

Jane Scott’s is dreaming of a perfect Christmas, but when she finds out that she was denied a scholarship she had been hoping for to go after her dream career, she’s devastated. Losing hope and even faith in her abilities, she starts questioning everything. As would anyone with a longing for something they are passionate about Jane is having a hard time seeing past one closed door. That is until people who care about her start to remind her that she’s worth more than she’s giving herself credit for. Slowly surrounded by the holiday traditions and encouragement from those close to her Jane starts to see some light and her spirits are lifted. Will Jane get a Christmas Miracle after all?

You’ll have to read Always Noel to find out!

I for one am all about traditions around the holidays, it’s a magical time for everyone. Family, friends, good food and the spirit of miracles is all around. Always Noel is a great heartwarming Christmas story. It really reminds you of what the season is all about and how not just a family, or friends come together but even communities. I highly recommend if you like a good light read that’s all about coming together and not giving up.

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Paperback

Also available…

The Christmas Coat (‘Tis the Season Book 1)

ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD- FINALIST

Two days before Christmas, ornery Elliot Ebberts is tasked with school drop-off even though distracted by an important real estate transaction. In the holiday carpool chaos his extravagant, lucky coat goes missing. In a panic, he searches for his coat, tracing its path as it passes through the hands of good people in dire situations.

Meanwhile, his plan to WOW his wife Libby with an ostentatious gift reveals Elliot’s shallowness to the world and mortifies his entire family. Is it too late for him to rediscover the meaning of Christmas, to remember who he is without all the trappings of the job that defines him? Can Libby and their children ever forgive him?

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Paperback Audible

The Tin Whistle (‘Tis the Season Book 2)

Inspired by a true story…

1854

Jacob Gusky wakes up hoping Santa has arrived. And he has… but not for Jacob, one of two Jewish boys living at the Boys’ Home of Manhattan. When a friend gifts him a tin whistle, Jacob learns the power of giving, the joy in receiving, and hears what he considers to be the sound of happiness.

1881

Recently widowed and completely out of options, Frannie takes her daughter Molly to the Home for the Friendless. “You’ll be back before Christmas?” Molly asks. Frannie gives Molly half a quilt square and keeps the other, choking on her reply.

Now a happily married father of three, Jacob Gusky owns Gusky’s Grand Emporium, Pittsburgh’s first premier department store. After unearthing the tin whistle from the orphanage, he is reminded of what it felt like to have nothing, and decides to make a difference in the lives of others no matter their faith. But with so little time before Christmas morning, can he even begin to give the orphaned children of Pittsburgh what he knows they need?

When giving is more important than receiving…

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Paperback Audible

Cinder Bella (‘Tis the Season Book 3)

She never had anything.

He lost everything.

Together they create a Christmas to remember.

December, 1893

Shadyside, Pennyslvania

Bella Darling lives in a cozy barn at Maple Grove, an estate owned by industrialist Archibald Westminster. The Westminster family is stranded overseas and have sent word to relieve all employees of their duties except Margaret, the pregnant maid, James the butler, and Bella. Content with borrowed books and a toasty home festooned with pine boughs and cinnamon sticks, she coaxes the old hens to lay eggs–extraordinary eggs. Bella yearns for just one thing—someone to share her life with. Always inventive, she has a plan for that. She just needs the right egg into the hands of the right man.

Bartholomew Baines, a Harvard-educated banker, is reeling in the aftermath of his bank’s collapse. With his friends and fiancé ostracizing him for what he thought was an act of generosity, he is penniless and alone. A kind woman welcomes him into her boarding house under conditions that he reluctantly accepts. Completely undone by his current, lowly position, and by the motley crew of fellow boarders who view him as one of them, Bartholomew wrestles with how to rebuild.

With the special eggs as the impetus, the first meeting between Bella and Bartholomew gives each the wrong idea about the other. And when the boarding house burns down a week before Christmas it’s Bella who is there to lend a hand. She, Margaret, and James invite the homeless group to stay at the estate through the holidays. But as Christmas draws closer, eviction papers arrive. Maple Grove is being foreclosed upon. Can Bella work her magic and save their Christmas? Is the growing attraction between Bella and Bartholomew enough for them to see past their differences? Only time will tell and only if time doesn’t run out before they all have the Christmas of their lives.

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Paperback

My Review-

Bartholomew is an well educated man that just doesn’t seem to have much luck lately. Out of a job and money, he’s suddenly facing hardships completely alone. With his friends and fiancé turning their backs on him, he’s got to figure out how to put his life back together alone. A boarding house is his saving grace , filled with fellow boarders who are in similar situations as himself. Though he thinks he’ll be viewed differently, he’s welcomed and treated as equal, a comfort he so desperately needed. But his bad luck seems to be right around the corner when the boarding house burns down the week before Christmas. Homeless once again Bartholomew and his new group must find a place to live and are welcomed to live in Maple Grove, an estate owned by a family that’s stranded over seas.

A few of their employees were kept to keep the estate running, and one of them Bella Darling invites the homeless group to take up home over the holidays . Her kindness is welcomed , but there’s just one thing. Eviction papers have arrived. As if the entire group hasn’t been through enough already, a feeling of dread and hopelessness clouds around them all. But can Christmas be saved?

This was a great read, just like Always Noel, the entire feel of the holiday spirit is so inviting. I felt really bad for Bartholomew, one thing after another and he just seems to lose all hope, but as he and Bella grow close there seems to be a spark of light left in him. I always love how people help each other and come together to help or support each other when needed, so this was a great read. Reminded me that, there’s still a lot of good in the world and in people.

If you enjoy some Christmas Miracles and some light romance I highly recommend this book!

About Kathleen Shoop

Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, holds a PhD in reading education and has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom. She writes historical fiction, women’s fiction and romance. Shoop’s novels have garnered various awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite and the San Francisco Book Festival. Kathleen has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide to 2013. Her work has appeared in The Tribune-Review, four Chicken Soup for the Soul books and Pittsburgh Parent magazine. Kathleen coordinates Mindful Writing Retreats and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers.

I adore writing historical fiction (The Letter series, After the Fog and Donora Stories) but am having a blast writing romance like Home Again, Return to Love and Tending Her Heart (Endless Love series). Thank you so much for the time you take to read.

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