April 26 & 27 only! FREE BOOK: Whale Song by Cheryl Kaya Tardif

From the author:  On April 26 and 27, I am giving away free Kindle copies of my "heart book"--WHALE SONG. It is the best gift I can think of to give you. I call it my "heart book" because it was my first published book and the story I am most emotionally connected to of all my titles. To say I "love" this book is an understatement. :-) Whale Song has literally changed people's lives. In fact, one woman told me it "saved" her. Another told me it reunited her with her mother, who also read my novel. Another said it helped her deal with the loss of a parent. Many readers have laughed and cried and healed. I am blessed. So today please accept a free copy of WHALE SONG and share it with a loved one.

This international bestseller, which has received much movie interest, is FREE on Amazon TODAY and TOMORROW only.

WHALE SONG A "compelling" story of family ties, love, tragedy, sacrifice and transformation that will change the way you view life...and death. Thirteen years ago, Sarah Richardson’s life was shattered after the tragic death of her mother. The shocking event left a grief-stricken teen-aged Sarah with partial amnesia. Some things are easier to forget. But now a familiar voice from her childhood sends Sarah, a talented mid-twenties ad exec, back to her past. A past that she had thought was long buried. Some things are meant to be buried. Torn by nightmares and visions of a yellow-eyed wolf and aided by creatures of the Earth and killer whales that call to her in the night, Sarah must face her fears and recover her memories―even if it destroys her. Some things are meant to be remembered―at all cost.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group

Victoria Jones is an enigma to everyone she meets. A turbulent life in foster care has taught her only that she can't trust or depend on anyone but herself and it would seem she cares little for anything or anyone. With the exception of flowers, that is. When she leaves foster care and struggles to make it on her own, she decides she is going to work with flowers and soon realizes she has a gift for being able to change peoples' lives with her floral arrangements. While working, she reconnects with a mysterious stranger and the pain from her past is brought back to the surface. What follows is a deeply emotional, heart-stirring whirlwind of a ride as Victoria tries to deal with her past, her present, and a future that terrifies her.

I could express myself all day in this post and I don't think I could ever quite capture just how much I adored this book. It landed in my mailbox on Monday around lunchtime and on opening it, checking out the cover and the synopsis, I knew I had to read this immediately. In truth I had just meant to read perhaps the first chapter at that time as I had other things scheduled in my day but this book doesn't allow for that. Once you pick it up, you'll find yourself so hooked in the story and so deeply invested in the characters (almost instantaneous for me) and you won't be able to put this title down. I read it non-stop, including while I ate with my fork in one hand and the book in the other. It was only put down when I needed to sleep that night. Yes, it's that good! 

Each of the characters in this book are brilliantly written and it's hard to not love all of them. They will certainly linger with me for many years to come. The range of emotions in the storytelling is also incredible and unlike some books that attempt such a range and leave the reader feeling a little discombobulated and weary, Vanessa Diffenbaugh orchestrates it flawlessly. I also love that while this title contains a great deal of knowledge about the meanings of flowers and was obviously well researched, it doesn't distract from the story but rather just adds a whole new level of depth. What blew me away about this too, is that this is a debut novel and in all my years of reading, I have never read a debut novel that packs a powerful punch like The Language of Flowers. I certainly hope that this is just the beginning of a brilliant and shining career for Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I know I will be watching this author closely in the future. I can't wait to see what she brings us next!

Included in the book are A Reader's Guide to bring a little more insight from the author, and also a list of topics for discussion for those who are reading this as part of a book club.

If this book isn't sitting on your bookshelf or e-reader.. it ought to be. For me, even though it's only April, I feel safe in saying, if you only read one book this year, this is the one.