Blog Tour: The Last Man at the Inn by R. William Bennett

The Last Man at the Inn by R. William Bennett

Book Description:

Simon considers himself fortunate after securing the final room at the inn in Bethlehem. While eating his supper, he sees a younger man and his pregnant wife denied lodging at the door of the inn. Simon momentarily considers giving up his space, but he is weary from his travels as a spice merchant and turns away from the thought.

Over the ensuing years, Simon traverses the popular trade routes, and each time he passes Bethlehem, he is reminded of that evening and plagued by guilt.

In time, the Savior begins his ministry, and Simon begins the life-changing process of trying to understand and believe the teachings and miracles of this man called Jesus—said to be the promised Messiah.

The Last Man at the Inn is the story of a journey of conversion we all take in one form or another, told through the eyes and heart of a common man. It is written to affirm the believer, to lovingly beckon to the undecided, and to call out to those who may not even know they are looking for something—only that there is a space in their soul that somehow needs to be filled.

Review:

One of my favorite books to read at Christmastime is Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett. I absolutely love the message and have recommended it and given it as gifts. When I heard that the author had a new story, I was very excited. I didn't read The Last Man at the Inn as quickly as I would have liked, but I blame that on how busy my life has been the past few months. I think under regular circumstances it would have been a fast read.

I really liked thinking about the other people who were around at the time of Christ's birth. It was eye opening to think about how I would have felt if I were in Simon's position. Sadly I think I would have acted the same way as he did when Mary and Joseph sought room where he was staying. It's so easy to have the selfish "I got here first" mentality, instead of the charitable, giving mentality.

While this is a great story to read at Christmastime, the bulk of the novel takes place after the birth of Christ, thus making it a good read any time of year. We get to follow Simon's life during the time of Christ's life, and Simon's eventual conversion. Simon was never a bad man, but it was wonderful to read about his change of heart.

About the Author:

R. William Bennett grew up on the Jersey shore and in Connecticut. He is the author of the best-selling Christmas novella Jacob T. Marley and the award-winning book The Christmas Gift. He works as a division president of Franklin Covey. He and his wife are the parents of four children, and they live in the Southwest.

Advance Praise/Endorsements:

“Bennett (Jacob T. Marley) recreates the life of the cross-carrying Simon of Cyrene in this enchanting historical...Simon struggles to accept this new faith—until he is visited by the words of the Holy Spirit. Now preaching Jesus’s message, he follows his family toward Jerusalem. Fans of Mesu Andrews will love this earnest exploration of Simon of Cyrene’s struggle with faith.”
-Publishers Weekly

“Not just a Christmas book, The Last Man at the Inn is the story of a man who is experiencing a crisis of faith and his path to conversion. Beautifully told with a surprise ending.”
-Jason F. Wright, New York Times best-selling author of Christmas Jars

“Both riveting and poignant, this book gives the reader a glimpse into what it might have been like to live as one of the first Christians and followers of Jesus Christ. The story left me pondering the path of discipleship and gave me a deeper desire to stand more firmly as a witness of Christ in my own life.”
-Emily Belle Freeman, author of A Christ-Centered Christmas and A Christ-Centered Easter

“The Last Man at the Inn is a wonderful invitation to look at Christ’s birth, life, and death through new eyes. I appreciate William Bennett’s timely reminder that true disciples come to Christ and stay.”
-Brad Wilcox, author of The 7-Day Christian

Title: The Last Man at the Inn
Author: R. William Bennett
Publisher: Ensign Peak
Published: October 2019
ISBN: 1629726036
Source: Advanced reader copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are our own.

Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book | Barnes & Noble

Blog Tour: Catherine's Intrigue by Paige Edwards

Reviews * Giveaway

Catherine's Intrigue by Paige Edwards

Book Description:

To fulfill her mother's last request, twenty-four-year-old historic design specialist Catherine Pressley-Coombes travels to England in order to investigate an elusive family line. Armed with an illegible diary, she is determined to discover the identity of her mysterious ancestress. Distracted by an Elizabethan manor and unused to British country roads, Catherine runs her car into a ditch. Luckily, Nick Davidson, a handsome, hard-working local rides in on his tractor to save the day. As the down-to-earth manager of his family's estate, Nick also happens to be one of England's most eligible aristocrats.

Nick is certainly not the kind of man Catherine would fall for a man dogged by media and rumor. So why does she find the English lord so irresistible? Even though she can't overlook their differing values and beliefs, as she and Nick spend time together, their attraction deepens. While she battles through romanwa tic turmoil, Catherine is beleaguered with far more sinister concerns: a series of unexplainable misfortunes that are not mere accidents. With her heart on the line, Catherine discovers her life is in jeopardy, and she has no idea who the perpetrator is but she has a growing suspicion that the danger might be connected to whatever secrets lie hidden in her ancestor's diary.

Andrea's Review:

We are told that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, and while that is true, I can't help it (at least at first glance). Even now as I type this review I had to turn Catherine's Intrigue over because I REALLY don't like the cover. If you feel the same way, please don't give up on the book!

Sometimes a book description will really throw me too. And honestly, it should have an impact on what you decide to read, but if you find yourself cringing at the uber cheesiness of the back cover's first paragraph, please (once again) don't give up on this book!

Paige Edwards did a very nice job with her debut novel. The story was well crafted and intriguing. The loose ends were tied up nicely, and while there is violence, I would classify this as clean suspense as it wasn't overly graphic.

The romance is clean, and although it develops rather quickly, the story is spread out and we get to see the relationship build and become much more solid.

The religious aspect plays a significant role, but flows fairly well with the rest of the story.

Catherine's Intrigue is worth the read, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Tarah's Review:

I was lucky that I read the eCopy of this book, because honestly, that cover is not doing this book any favors. I would absolutely not pull that off the shelf and think, "Hey, what's this book about?" I would cringe and put it back on the shelf. Please don't let that stop you. While the writing is maybe not the strongest in the world (and maybe that was due to the editing of the eCopy I was reading...maybe it was unfinished) this is a good story with characters that you want to get to know more of as you keep reading.

The style of story reminded me heavily of Traci Hunter Abramson - A clean romantic suspense novel, where sure, things may happen a little quickly, but you get so wrapped up in the story you don't really mind that the romance was pretty fast.


I do hope that Catherine's brother gets his own story, and I will definitely give his story a go. Nice work for a first novel by Paige Edwards.

Rorie's Review:

This story starts off kind of rough and it took me awhile to start enjoying it, but thankfully, it does pick up after a bit. I was a bit thrown off by some of the English phrases and words that were used, because I really didn't know what they were (not the author's fault, I'm sure they are authentically British, I am just not very knowledgeable in that area.) And do they really eat beef cheek and eel? I knew that eel was a meal eaten in Regency times, but they still do that? I'm not sure how I would feel if I was at a dinner where that was served. But as I get older, I realize that I'm a lot more picky than I used to think I was, so again, that's just a me thing.

Once the story smoothed out and I really got into the plot, I did enjoy it. The main hangup with Catherine and Nick's relationship is fixed in a predictable way, but it was done in a way that meshed well with the story and didn't feel forced at all. I liked how the author switched back and forth between the development of their relationship and the mystery/thriller part of the story.

I would read other books from this author.

Tour Schedule:

*March 18^th: https://brightlystreet.com/, https://thekeeledeal.com/, http://mybookaday.com/, https://www.wishfulendings.com/, https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/

*March 19^th: http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/, http://fireandicereads.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/

*March 20^th: https://rachellechristensen.com, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/, http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/

*March 21^st: http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, https://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/, https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://empowermoms.net/

*March 22^nd: https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/

Tour Giveaway:

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Title: Catherine's Intrigue
Author: Paige Edwards
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: March 2019
ISBN:1524406732
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book