Books and Broomsticks: Tyndale House

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07 October 2017

Read My Review & Enter to Win! LOVING LUTHER by Allison Pittman

LOVING LUTHER

ALLISON PITTMAN

Genre: Christian Historical Romance Publisher: Tyndale House

Date of Publication: September 1, 2017

Number of Pages: 432

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Germany, 1505 In the dark of night, Katharina von Bora says the bravest good-bye a six-year-old can muster and walks away as the heavy convent gate closes behind her. Though the cold walls offer no comfort, Katharina soon finds herself calling the convent her home. God, her father. This, her life. She takes her vows--a choice more practical than pious--but in time, a seed of discontent is planted by the smuggled writings of a rebellious excommunicated priest named Martin Luther. Their message? That Katharina is subject to God, and no one else. Could the Lord truly desire more for her than this life of servitude? In her first true step of faith, Katharina leaves the only life she has ever known. But the freedom she has craved comes with a price, and she finds she has traded one life of isolation for another. Without the security of the convent walls or a family of her own, Katharina must trust in both the God who saved her and the man who paved a way for rescue. Luther's friends are quick to offer shelter, but Katharina longs for all Luther has promised: a home, a husband, perhaps even the chance to fall in love.

Praise for Loving Luther

[Pittman] pens an exquisite tale, capturing the emotions of a nun grappling with the faith she’s always known vs. a new and unfamiliar freedom in faith. Simmering with tension of Katharina’s discontent and longings, the novel unveils a slow morphing that follows Katharina’s own personal transformation, from reverence to spirited determination in choosing her own way in the world. -- Booklist

Loving Luther is a moving and rich historical romance based on Luther’s relationship with his wife Katharina. In addition, it shows how their marriage was actually significant to the Lutheran faith. Instead of dwelling on the couple’s courtship, the story goes deep into the roots of the Reformation. Luther and Katharina interrogate their faith, living out their convictions in a way that is both inspiring and profoundly human. Loving Luther has depth, and it is unexpectedly touching. Katharina and Luther, in search of a happy ending, find one another. Their love, Pittman shows, really did change the world. -- Foreword Magazine

A historical novel with characters who are brave, strong and willing to take chances in times of persecution. The plot is partially based on the teachings of Martin Luther and the many lives he changed, some for the better, some for the worse. Pittman is a talented author who touches on topics that have been debated over the decades and are still being talked about today. -- Romantic Times Reviews

CLICK TO PURCHASE

I didn’t know what to expect when offered the opportunity of reading and reviewing LOVING LUTHER by Allison Pittman. As a Christian and a history buff (having minored in history at the university), I had a feeling that this book would strike some chord within my nerdy little heart.

And so it did. In fact, it struck many a chord, and sent my thumpin’ gizzard a beatin’.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First of all, one must appreciate the aesthetics of Pittman’s gorgeous book. The cover art is lovely, and despite the fact that it is over 400 pages long, it sits well in the reader’s hands making it easy to sip hot tea while devouring the story. There’s nothing better than a good book and a steaming cuppa tea, I say!

Observe how well the two go together.

What’s that, you say? You caught that mention of 400 pages? Aha! You are paying attention. Yes, Pittman takes her time revealing the story told from Katherina von Bora’s point of view, of how she comes to live at the convent, and what her life grows to become over the following years.

In truth, it is as if the reader is pulled into the very fabric of Katherine’s story. Through her eyes, we meet the people instrumental in shaping her life. For you see, she was a real person. Pittman skillfully tells this tale in such a way as to bring Katherine back to life…or…does she send us back in time? I shall let you be the judge of that.

Oh, how I long to tell you all the details of this intricate story. But I won’t give any spoilers. However, I will tell you this: I see an archetype playing out here that tastes strongly like…

*Le Sigh* One of my favorite stories of all times. I may have minored in history, but I majored in literature, and I love me some Jane Austen. But I digress…

Allow me to illustrate.

Sound familiar? Did you love Sense and Sensibility as much as I? Good. For I assure you that you will devour this true story of hardship, rebellion, unrequited love, and a love triangle that will have you longing to punch a dude in the throat.

Pittman’s prose is pristine. Her voice fresh, unique, and intelligent. I was immediately engaged in the story and was awoken more than once in the early morning hours by the tugging of the story until I read just a few more chapters.

Heartrending and engaging, LOVING LUTHER reveals the untold story of an ex-nun, rescued by a revolutionary, and granted a chance at a new life. Did true love win out? Was there a happily-ever-after? I’ll let you discover that for yourself.

Prepare yourself for the story of a lifetime!

One last thing, within these pages, you’ll meet other people who shared the lives of the main characters. For instance, you’ll meet the artist who painted Martin’s and Katherina’s portraits (shown above.) Lucas Canach was a gifted artist who also created famous works of art such as this painting of the Gospels:

I know you’ll adore LOVING LUTHER as much as I did.

I loved it so much that I grant it

5 Fabulous Brooms

for making my nerdy heart go pitter patter!

Allison Pittman is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed novels and a three-time Christy finalist—twice for her Sister Wife series and once for All for a Story from her take on the Roaring Twenties. She lives near San Antonio, Texas, blissfully sharing an empty nest with her husband, Mike.

WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

TEN SIGNED COPIES OF LOVING LUTHER

October 2-October 11, 2017

(U.S. Only) *click the image to go to the giveaway page*

CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

10/2	Author Video #1	Texan Girl Reads
10/2	Excerpt, Part 1	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/3	Review	Hall Ways Blog
10/3	Author Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
10/4	Author Video #2	A Page Before Bedtime
10/5	Review	Syd Savvy
10/6	Guest Post	The Page Unbound
10/6	Scrapbook Page	Books in the Garden
10/7	Review	Books and Broomsticks
10/8	Author Video #3	Missus Gonzo
10/8	Excerpt, Part 2	Forgotten Winds
10/9	Review	Reading by Moonlight
10/9	Review	Margie's Must Reads
10/10	Author Video #4	Tangled in Text
10/11	Review	The Librarian Talks

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16 July 2015

The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate

The content of this promo post was provided by Lone Star Literary Life Blog Tours. If you're a Texas blogger interested in joining the ranks of Lone Star Book Blog Tours, contact Tabatha Pope.

2015 Christy Award Winner

THE STORY KEEPER
by
Lisa Wingate

Successful New York editor, Jen Gibbs, is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing -- until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in the turn of the century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to The Story Keeper's hidden origins and its unknown author, but when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she'd left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster next book deal may be higher than she's willing to pay.

Purchase
THE STORY KEEPER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Praise for The Story Keeper:

"Not since To Kill a Mockingbird has a story impacted me like this." -- COLLEEN COBLE, USA Today bestselling author of Seagrass Pier

Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller. Her story-within-a-story, penned with a fine, expressive style, will captivate writers and non-writers alike. -- Booklist

The Wonder Years of Story

I grew up during a shift in American culture. My earliest memories are of that Wonder Years generation, when life was a little slower, more innocent in some intangible way. In the back of my mind, I see neighborhoods of average one-story, three-bedroom, one-income houses, where you came and went through back door, just like Ethel does on I Love Lucy. Every house had a mom in it, and if you were hungry she fed you, and if you were thirsty she gave you a drink. If it was summer, she probably made popsicles with an ice cube tray and toothpicks, or those old Tupperware Popsicle makers–in which case, you had to be sure to bring back the stick, or you didn’t get any more popsicles at that house. Moms had saved up their Green Stamps for that Tupperware, after all. Remember Green Stamps?

So many things aren’t the way they were just a scant few decades ago. So many of the daily activities that once required face-to-face human conversation can now be accomplished with no interpersonal exchange whatsoever. Shopping is a case in point. When I was a kid, a trip to town was something to look forward to. Even stopping for gas was a thrill.

We kids were always filled with giddy anticipation when we pulled into the corner Texaco. Bill the Texaco man knew every car and every kid within a twenty-mile radius. He was the first man I fell in love with, other than my daddy. Bill carried lollipops in his pocket, and at the time, that seemed like a reason to offer my everlasting affection. The man could tell a great story, too. When I was a kid, stories were everywhere, like fruit hanging on low-growing branches, ripe for the picking. People told them in passing at checkout counters, at gas stations while windshields were washed and oil was checked, in the carpool line while moms waited for kids to exit the school, and at the post office as packages were being mailed.

We heard stories, pretended stories, we imagined stories, we played stories. No one had to tell us kids how to make up a story. We simply did it naturally. The air around us seemed to be filled with stories.

Sometimes I wonder if the past was really as good as I remember it being, or if, like first loves and favorite days at Grandma’s house, those bygone days take on the pearlescent sheen of memory, seeming a little grander than they were. When I was young, we kids spent our time roaming the neighborhood, scaring up games of tag and touch football, and building fantabulous forts from scrap lumber. As long as we were home by the time the streetlights came on, no one worried about us. We had a kind of freedom kids don’t have today. We had space to be and to pretend, to create and to wander. We had no concept of private property rights. Any tree was ours to climb, and every field was crisscrossed with bike trails. Yards weren’t fenced with tall privacy fences. Most yards weren’t fenced at all. We had grand names for every patch of woods—titles like “Sherwood Forest,” and “Peaceful Forest,” and “The Hundred Acre Wood,” which was actually about three-quarters of an acre, I think. Every kid in the neighborhood knew which forest was which.

At least once a week, we’d pack a backpack and journey down the creek behind our house. It wasn’t much more than a muddy ditch, but in our minds, it was every river from the Nile to the Amazon. We built dugouts on the banks and bridges across our favorite swimming holes. We hauled our toys down to the sandbars to play. We were Indians, mermaids, Tarzan, Zorro, and Swiss Family Robinson… without the parents. When we went on our excursions, and we traveled for hours, until we were sure we were miles from home. We imagined countless stories. We lived them, journeying until all the familiar neighborhood sounds were gone, until we were far enough away that we worried about whether we’d ever find our way back before we starved to death or were eaten by lions, attacked by hostiles, captured by banditos. Then, we’d hear someone’s mother sending out the supper call, and we’d climb out of the creek banks, and realize we were still in a neighbor’s backyard.

I love thinking back to those days, remembering the things we looked forward to—little wonders like jars of lightning bugs in summer and testing out the ice on nearby farm ponds in winter to see if we could make our own ice skating rink. But, above all, we looked forward to the stories, both real and make-believe, both heard and told, both seen and imagined.

I worry that these days our stories are being lost, that in our rush to do more, move faster, communicate in sound bites, we’re losing the underlying fabric of who we are. Our stories matter. Our stories teach. Our stories entertain.

Most importantly, our stories connect us to one another.

We need those human connections – not cyber-connections, or text connections, or connections formed in a hundred characters or less… but connections with real characters--the human kind. If you know a few, gather up the young people in your life and go visit. If you don’t know any, take a little time to look around. You’ll still find some here and there, looking for listeners ready to drink in a good tale. Sit long, listen much. A story is not only a gift, it’s a legacy.

An inheritance that gives, and gives, and gives each time it’s told and told again.

-- Lisa Wingate is the international bestselling author of over twenty novels. Her latest offering, The Story Keeper, follows the journey of a New York editor who discovers a mysterious untold story on an old slush pile of manuscripts. Through Lisa’s weblog, TheUntoldStory.Guru, untold stories, both personally discovered and submitted by others, are preserved for future generations. More about Lisa can be found at www.LisaWingate.com or at TheUntoldStory.Guru

Selected among Booklist’s Top 10 for two consecutive years, Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable settings with elements of traditional Southern storytelling, history, and mystery to create novels that Publisher's Weekly calls "Masterful" and Library Journal refers to as "A good option for fans of Nicholas Sparks and Mary Alice Monroe."

Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, and the author of twenty-five novels. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol Award nominee, a multiple Christy Award nominee, a twotime Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RT Booklovers Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner for mystery/suspense. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Booklist summed up her work by saying, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com.