The Power of Laughter by Ane Mulligan

I'm excited to introduce you dear readers to the amazing [and hilarious] Ane Mulligan! I've had the pleasure of chatting with her several times at the ACFW conferences and she's truly an amazing woman! I know this post, and her book, will bring you a smile. 

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I love to laugh. Even more, I love to make other people laugh. The Bible tells us a merry heart is good medicine, Prov 17:22. And a merry heart comes from laughing.

Hubs and I just celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary. I'm not sure how that happened, since I'm only 35. Hubs is a Brit, long on dry humor and short on romance. But it's the laughter—not the romance—that I remember when I look back of all these years.

Besides, laughing and smiling use fewer muscles than frowning. Laugh lines are softer than frown lines.

From HelpGuid.org:

Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body.

The Mayo Clinic tells us:

When it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered.

So, for the sake of your readers' health, I'm offering the Gift of Laughter as the perfect Valentine's Day gift!

Chapel Springs Revival

With a friend like Claire, you'll need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel.

Everybody in the small town of Chapel Springs, Georgia, knows best friends Claire and Patsy. It's impossible not to, what with Claire's zany antics and Patsy's self-appointed mission to keep her friend out of trouble. And trouble abounds. Chapel Springs has grown dilapidated and the tourist trade has slackened. With their livelihoods threatened, they join forces to revitalize the town. No one could have guessed the real issue needing restoration is their marriages. Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication, determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives.

#3 in Debut Christian Fiction in 2014 on Goodreads Listopia, readers report:

• Claire and Patsy make you laugh out loud at them.

• Looking for a down-home, fun-loving, sometimes slapstick hilarious read? Go ahead and visit Chapel Springs.

• Real life drama, hurt, pains and disappointment combined with laugh-out-loud humor made me lose myself in the pleasure of its pages.

• Southern Serving of Belly Laughs!! I love books that make me break out in deep belly laughs every few minutes.

• Get your giggle-box oiled up and ready to rumble, 'cause Chapel Springs Revival is going to put it to good use.

See? You really can give the gift of laughter to someone this Valentine's Day!

Run over to Amazon and purchase: Chapel Springs Revival
{p.s. The kindle edition is only $0.99 right now!!!}

While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, bestselling novelist Ane Mulligan has worn many: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction. She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two dogs of Biblical proportion. You can find Ane on her Southern-fried Fiction website, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Playing catchup | RE:View

I've been busy (which directly contradicts the idea that I was 'taking a vacation') but nonetheless I have been reading during all this craziness - flying for three hours definitely helps.  Today I'm going to review two books that I've finished recently.  Both wonderful reads that I will recommend, and both very different from each other.

Hope this spurs you on to a little weekend reading fun!

A Lady's Choice | Sandra Robbins

Sarah Whittaker has given up any hope of having the life that she wanted. By traveling with her mother to Richland Creek, away from her previous life in Memphis,  her duty is now to her mother, who's health is failing.  Richland Creek is anything but welcoming to suffragist opinions, so Sarah not only feels physically confined in the small town, but her beliefs are confined as well.

Alex Taylor, recently graduated from law school, is back in Richland Creek for the summer before stepping into a position at a prestigious law firm in Memphis. The golden boy of baseball, he is introduced to Sarah and sparks fly.  What can happen between them with his impending move to the city?

Alex knows that his future boss is firm on his opposition of suffrage and, with Sarah's beliefs becoming clear, there may be no way to make a relationship work. Sarah won't give up her advocation of suffrage and Alex wont give up a successful position. Could they ever find common ground?

I haven't read much about suffrage, but as I read this novel following the life of Sarah and her deep convictions for a woman's right to vote, it acted as a window into the real heart of the matter. Women who were property owners couldn't vote but their male employees could. Women who were widowed or on their own had no say in the government, though they were part of the working world. It's things like this that you don't often see and take for granted as a woman in the 21st century.

I really enjoyed this historical novel and would definitely recommend it not only for the quality of writing and the story itself, but for the context and informational side as well. A great story of love and tragedy ending in success not measured only in happiness but in justice.

**Read more about Sandra Robbins [here] and purchase A Lady's Choice [here].

The Good Girl | Christy Barritt            

Tara Lancaster (AKA The Good Girl) finds that life isn't always black and white.  Following a massive hit to her "good girl" reputation in Florida, she agrees to dog-sit for her sister in Minnesota.  Little does she know that this wont be the type of vacation she is looking for.  Strange things start to happen in the house and there seems to be no reasonable explanation for them except to blame a ghost! Even her next door neighbor, Ben Cooper, isn't quite what she'd expected.

Will a knife stabbed through a threatening note and a spunky, fame-hungry friend be enough to send Tara back to her home in Florida? Or is what awaits her in Florida just as bad?

I have given this book 5 big and bright stars not only for wonderful writing and intriguing elements, but for sheer creativity! I've read one other book from Christy Barritt so far (Key Witness) and was just as impressed by that book too.  Christy has a way of creating genuine characters who struggle with every-day thoughts and decisions in a real way. They are open, honest, and draw you in with their inner monologue and realistic conclusions about life.

As I read The Good Girl, I connected with Tara and her struggles against doing what was right because it was expected, and doing what is right because it's what God desires.  Tara comes face to face with her own hypocrisy in a very real and tangible way.  Not to mention there is an element in this book that you wont be expecting.

Christy tackles real problems with skill and intuition without forsaking humor and lighthearted romance. This book is a must read!

**Read more about Christy Barritt [here] and purchase The Good Girl [here].

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I received free copies of these books for review purposes, but was under no obligation to read them or post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in these reviews are honest and entirely my own.