Bookish Thoughts and a Blog Tour/Giveaway!: Forgotten Identity

 

About the Book

Book: Forgotten Identity

Author: Penny Zeller

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: January 14, 2024

Who is he really? And why is someone after him?

Mariah Holzman never imagined a whiteout blizzard would sever all communication from the outside world—communication desperately needed for the injured man Mariah finds near her home. Nor did she imagine helping nurse the man back to health would lead to threats and intimidation. As danger escalates and questions rise, Mariah is left to wonder what kind of person she has allowed into her home.

Grant MacGuire never imagined he would wake up one day in a strange cabin, surrounded by strange people, with no memory of who he is or how he was injured. Nor did he imagine his presence would put the lives of those who saved him in danger. As Grant struggles with distorted memories, he wonders if his life is worth the price the Holzman family is paying.

The growing attraction between Mariah and Grant is hindered by Grant’s unknown identity. Is Grant, as the family’s neighbor assumes, a criminal on the run from the law? Or is there more to his identity—and the reason he was attacked—than they realize?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author:

Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith-filled happily ever afters and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. Her books feature tender romance, steady doses of humor, and memorable characters that stay with you long after the last page.

While she has had a love for writing since childhood, Penny began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics. Today Penny is a multi-published author of over two dozen books and is also a fitness instructor, loves the outdoors, and is a flower gardening addict. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking, biking, birdwatching, reading, running, and playing volleyball.

Penny resides with her husband and two daughters in small-town America and loves to connect with her readers. 

More from Penny

Hello, Reader!

Thank you so much for joining us for the Forgotten Identity blog tour. Enjoy the sneak peek into the book below.

Blessings,

Penny

"Mariah bit back a sigh as they neared. While grateful Nosy stopped when he did, couldn’t the dog have chosen another place to investigate besides the ravine that could be deadly if someone mis-stepped and fell into it? At least the handful of boulders near its edge warned of the ravine’s proximity.

Nosy’s barking turned to a whine as he pawed at the snow.

No, not just the snow.

The snow covering a shoe protruding from behind a large boulder.

She reached for her son, Jordan, and slowed both of their paces even as her pulse quickened. Maybe the object just looked like a gray tennis shoe. Or maybe it was a shoe, but a discarded shoe Nosy found somewhere, brought home, and forgot about until now.

Still…

“Jordan, stay where you are, please.”

“Aww, Mom.” Despite his protest, Jordan did as she requested.

Mariah advanced. Better be safe than sorry, and on the one percent chance this wasn’t a shoe found, forgotten, and rediscovered by Nosy, Jordan did not need to see whatever, or whomever, was attached to the shoe.

“Mom?”

“Just a minute, Jordan.”

A few seconds later, she saw an image she’d not soon forget.

Partially obstructed by the boulders and surrounding dormant foliage, a man’s body lay face up in the snow, dangerously close to falling over the side of the ravine."

Giveaway!!

To celebrate her tour, Penny is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54178

Blog Stops:

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 19

Madi’s Musings, March 19

Melissa’s Bookshelf, March 20

Pens Pages & Pulses, March 20

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 21

Stories By Gina, March 22 (author interview) 

Mornings at Character Cafe, March 22

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Texas Book-aholic, March 25

Blogging With Carol, March 25

The Sacred Line, March 26

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 27

For Him and My Family, March 27

Leslie's Library Escape, March 28

Book Reviews From An Avid Reader, March 29

Mary Hake, March 29

lakesidelivingsite, March 30

Cover Lover Book Review, March 31

Holly's Book Corner, March 31

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 1

Pause for Tales, April 1

My Thoughts:

Have you ever read a book that was okay?  This one fell into that category for me.  I typically enjoy the amnesia trope (though I’m sure in real life it’s quite terrible) and thought I’d give this new-to-me author a go.  And the book was okay!  I can’t honestly say that I loved it or couldn’t put it down, but the story was fairly interesting and it really picked up about two-thirds of the way through the book.

I so want to be fair to Ms. Zeller with everything I say here.  Because this is simply one person’s opinion and I can tell that she worked very hard writing this book . . . but I found the characters very one-dimensional for most of the story.  Characters really make or break a book for me and these weren’t the vibrant, compelling new friends I was hoping for.  As the reader, I understood that Mariah was a great mom and daughter.  We see her loving her family and friends.  She takes in a complete stranger, all the while hoping he isn’t actually someone to fear.  But I didn’t “feel” any of it with her.  The same is true for “George” (as Mariah’s kids dub him). Though I’m sure it’s very hard to write a character who remembers absolutely nothing about themselves, I couldn’t seem to find a point of connection with him.  It wasn’t until nearly the end of the book that the characters seemed to finally come alive.  I finally felt invested in them and cared about them and then it was over!

 I also found their romance a little far-fetched, as there’s not really a lot of personal dialogue between Grant and Mariah.  Most of their conversations revolve around his situation or her children.  Or the case, as they begin to know more about Grant’s past.

Overall, if you asked me specifically about this book, I would be happy to say that it was good and if you’re looking for a clean, pretty low-stress read, I would recommend it.  If you asked me for a book with an amnesia-trope, I’d probably consider recommending a few other books before this one came to mind.

*My thanks to the author for my copy of this book! I received it as part of a Celebrate Lit blog tour and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Please be sure to enter the giveaway and have a delightful day! :)