Glittering Promises by Lisa T. Bergren

Glittering Promises by Lisa Tawn Bergren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lisa Bergren never ceases to amaze me. Glittering Promises was everything I expected and more. I couldn’t wait to turn the pages.
Cora and the rest of her group are faced with so many challenges during this final leg of their journey. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but in a good way. With each tragedy and crisis they face, it made me look deeper at my own life. We take so many things for granted these days. Life is not like it was back in Cora’s time. We are free to love, vote, work, and wear what we wish. Miss Kensington had to fight all of these issues. She not only had to find her own place in the world as a woman, but she had to constantly prove herself, not only to those reading the papers and her family, but also to herself. Throughout this series, Cora had to face the harsh realities of life and accept who she really is.
I found myself very satisfied at the end of this installment, yet very sad that Cora’s story is over. I wouldn’t mind if Lisa decided to expand this series (hint hint)


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Grave Consequences by Lisa T Bergren

Grave Consequences by Lisa Tawn Bergren

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the moment I finished Glamorous Illusions, I was eagerly anticipating the sequel. I had to wait 11 months so I began to worry if it would live up to all the hype my brain was creating for it. I can honestly say it surpassed my expectations, just as all Lisa Bergren books do.

Grave Consequences picks up where we left Cora during The Grand Tour in Glamorous Illusions. Cora not only has to continuously prove herself to her new siblings, but she also has to accept that her life will never be the same since discovering who she really is. Adventure and romance lurks around every corner and Cora must acknowledge that feeling in her heart that tells her she may have fallen in love. This is not what she had planned. Will she decide to listen to her heart or to the father she just met?



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The Bridge by Lisa Tawn Bergren

The Bridge by Lisa Tawn Bergren

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Bridge by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Lisa is one of my favorite authors and I was very excited to dive into this novel. The Bridge is one of those books that makes you take a closer look at your own life, but in an interesting way. When I began the story, I thought I would read it, maybe feel as if I'm in the character's world for a bit, and then move on to the next book in my list. Not so much. I was emotionally touched. The story in itself was amazing, to say the least, but it still speaks to me even after I finished the last word. Don't get me wrong, this is not one of those self help books, unless you need it to be. There is a wonderful story and whether you are looking for just a nice read or a quick read that touches your soul, this book is for you.
I love the way Lisa weaves together the past and the future and tells the story from several different character's viewpoints. Although I found the love of my life years ago, I can still relate to Anna, Eden, and even Jared. Each one of them, like so many of my friends, have been hurt and need healing in different ways. I still can't fathom how Lisa was able to make me feel all the emotions of each character. At any given point, I was able to feel as if I were the current person in the novel. I truly enjoyed reading The Bridge and feeling as if I had been healed from some unknown ailment myself.




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Cascade~by Lisa T Bergren

Cascade by Lisa Tawn Bergren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great sequel to Waterfall. I could not put it down.

The story picks up as Gabi and Lia return to their mother, but leaving behind her love. Gabi convinces her sister and mom to return to medieval Italy, if it is even possible to return to the same time, or accept that her Marcello may be out of her life forever. If they return to the fourteenth century, they will be faced with known battles, illnesses, and the like. They will be leaving all they have ever known behind. Also thrown into the mix is a question. Can another be saved by time traveling? Or should history be left alone?

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Waterfall~by Lisa T Bergren

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I downloaded this when it was offered free by amazon on my Kindle. I'll be honest, the cover grabbed me and I thought I'd read it eventually no matter the subject matter. I read the description and immediately added it to the top of my list. Then, I stumbled upon Waterfall Wednesdays, a read along. Oh my! What a great way to read and share with other Tribe fans! I soon realized that this would be one of those series I would fall in love with.

Waterfall is a story of two young girls, who are constantly dragged along to archaeological dig sites with their parents. Although Gabi and Lia find the teachings and history of historic Italy to be a bore at the time, it soon becomes absolutely relevant to them. After the tragic death of their father, their mother believes she has found an Etruscan site that she and her husband have always searched for. Knowing full well she should not, Gabi persuades Lia to enter the tomb her mom has found. Seeing two odd handprints on the wall of the tomb, the girls feel compelled to touch them. That's when everything changes, even the time. Medieval Italy, here they come. And they can only survive by trusting each other and by faith.

To say this book was amazing is an understatement. I cannot put into words how this book made me feel. It is refreshing to read a story that compels me to share it with my children. When I fist downloaded Waterfall, little did I know I would be buying the next two in the series within the following two months. Almost a year after I found Waterfall, I am using it as a homeschooling family reading novel with my two kids, who love it. This series is a wonderful young adult medieval time travel series.

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Glamorous Illusions

Watch the trailer here!

From Lisa's website

It’s the summer of 1913 and Cora Kensington’s life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. After enduring crippling personal losses, she struggles to make it through, day to day. But then a stranger comes to call. And in one fateful afternoon, Cora discovers that a terrible secret has been kept from her…a secret that will radically change her future. Cora is invited to take the “Grand Tour” of Europe, a journey intended to finish a person’s eduction, to solidify an understanding of culture, history and personal refinement. As she travels from England to France, with kin she’s never known, Cora encounters the blessings of the family name, as well as the curses. But when an unbidden love begins to form, she realizes the journey is only beginning…

From Goodreads

When Cora Kensington learns she is the illegitimate daughter of a copper king, her life changes forever. Even as she explores Europe with her new family, she discovers that the most valuable journey is within. The first book in the Grand Tour series takes you from the farms of Montana through England and France on an adventure of forgiveness, spiritual awakening, and self-discovery

My Review

5 of 5 stars!

First off, let me say how I love Lisa's books. I was fortunate to stumble on a kindle version of Waterfall last August and found a read a long group for the book. I had never thought about blogging, writing a review, being in a book club, conversing personally with an author or much less, even knew what an ARC was before reading Lisa's work. I flew through her YA series and found myself wanting more. When she announced her adult novel, Glamorous Illusions, I was absolutely thrilled and wanted to share it with everyone. I knew it was going to be as exciting as her previous books I had already read. I was not disappointed.

Glamorous Illusions encapsulated me from the first line. A young girl, in 1913, coming home from College, expecting a warm homecoming at the station, is unpleasantly surprised by her father's ailment. This caused the beginning of life-changing events for young Cora. Once just a farm girl from Montana, who had to work for everything she had, Cora is greeted by a mysterious stranger who could change her life forever. A stranger that has a secret to share and it involves Cora.

Cora was quite content with returning to College before this man abruptly entered her life. Now, to save her father, she must accept this man's generous offer of going on such an excursion she could never dream of attending, The Grand Tour. The Grand Tour involves a group of young adults touring foreign countries, attending balls, historic sites, and other cultural experiences with an experienced tour guide. Cora begins the tour heartbroken for leaving her parents.

On The Grand Tour, Cora must make numerous decisions. Decisions that will determine her now open future. No longer the poor farm girl, she must use this experience and God's guidance to discover who she really is, who she wishes to become, and who she loves.

This book was exceptional, easily transporting the reader into Cora's head and I immediately felt comfortable in 1913. It was as if I were actually Cora, myself. It truly made me stop and think about what decisions I would make if placed in her situation. The book inspired me to take a look at my own life and view the world from an entirely different perspective. How would the world be today if each person first had to work hard for everything they had and then experienced life as one who was just given everything. Or reverse the roles. How would that change us? Thought provoking, wouldn't you say? Which decisions would you make?

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Bergren Challenges Readers to Face Their Own Identity Crisis

(via press release)

New series from Lisa T. Bergren leads readers through a journey of inner discovery

Colorado Springs: Glamorous Illusions (David C Cook/June 1, 2012/ISBN: 978-1-4347-6430-0), the first release in Lisa Bergren’s new Grand Tour series, is a beautiful exploration of the covenant connection between God the Father and His children. Through the story of Cora Kensington, Bergren takes her audience on a European adventure of forgiveness, spiritual awareness, and self-discovery.

A person often identifies themself by their family, profession, or circumstances. However, as Christians, what would happen if we began to better understand our true identity in Christ? It is this spiritual journey that author Bergren guides readers through in Glamorous Illusions.

It was the summer of 1913, and Cora Kensington’s life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. Not only are the crops failing, so is her father’s health. Cora is carrying on, helping her mother run their Montana farm until a stranger comes to call, and everything changes. Cora then learns a secret that will radically change her future: she is the illegitimate daughter of a copper king who has come to claim her.

Cora is invited to take the “Grand Tour” of Europe, a journey intended to finish a person’s education, to solidify an understanding of ancient culture and contemporary refinement. As she travels from England to France with half-siblings she’s never known, Cora encounters the blessings of the Kensington family name, as well as the curses. But when an unbidden love begins to form, she realizes the journey is only beginning.

Faced with the challenge of accepting her father, new family, and the identity that comes with it, Cora also struggles to accept that she is also the daughter of the one true King—a Father who is the only One who can truly heal. “Glamorous Illusions is not only Cora’s journey toward understanding true identity in Christ, but it will help every reader understand it better too,” explains Bergren. “It’s an examination of the bond between the Father and his child.”

Each member of the traveling group expects an outer cultural journey of refinement, but each will also wrestle with their own sins and inner conflicts. Ultimately, they explore what truly informs a person’s sense of identity. Readers will be able to join Cora and the other Kensingtons and Morgans as they continue their Grand Tour, discovering new lands, new cultures, and new aspects of themselves, in the upcoming installments Grave Consequences (Spring 2013) and Glittering Promises (Fall 2013).

About Lisa

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 35 books, with more than 2 million copies sold. She recently finished a teen series called River of Time (WATERFALL, CASCADE and TORRENT) and soon will release a follow-up e-novella called BOURNE. She's currently writing a New Adult series called The Grand Tour, and the first release is GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS (June 2012).

Lisa’s time is split between managing home base, writing, consulting and freelance editing (with a little speaking here and there). She’s married to Tim, a liturgical sculptor, graphic designer and musician. They have three kids–Olivia (16), Emma (13) and Jack (9).

All five of the Bergrens make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Twitter: @LisaTBergren or @TheWorldCalls

Facebook: Lisa, Author Page, The World Is Calling

Goodreads: Goodreads Author

Website: http://lisatawnbergren.com/

Publisher: David C. Cook

I would like to thank David C. Cook and Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced reading copy of Glamorous Illusions and thrilled to write a review for such a wonderful novel.