Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Hidden in the Heart - reviewed

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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.  A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.  The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between!  Enjoy your free peek into the book!




You never know when I might play a wild card on you!









Today's Wild Card author is:







and the book:





OakTara (September 15, 2012)




***Special thanks to Catherine West for sending me a review copy.***




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:








Catherine West is an award-winning author who writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. Educated in Bermuda, England and Canada, Catherine holds a degree in English from the University of Toronto. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two college-aged children. Catherine is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America, and is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary.





Visit the author's website.





SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:








Everything Claire wants seems to be beyond her reach...



After losing her mother to cancer and suffering a miscarriage soon after, Claire Ferguson numbs the pain with alcohol and pills, and wonders if her own life is worth living. Adopted at birth, Claire is convinced she has some unknown genetic flaw that may have been the cause of her miscarriage. She must find a way to deal with the guilt she harbors. But exoneration will come with a price.



With her marriage in trouble and her father refusing to answer any questions about her adoption, Claire begins the search for her birth mother.



For the first time in her life, she really wants to know where she came from.

But what if the woman who gave her life doesn’t want to be found?



For all those who have loved, experienced loss, and lived life’s roller-coaster







Product Details:

List Price: $16.95

Paperback: 248 pages

Publisher: OakTara (September 15, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1602903298

ISBN-13: 978-1602903296







AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:







Claire Ferguson stood outside Baby Gap, unable to look away from the Christmas display. Red velvet dresses and miniature-sized plaid waistcoats. Tiny suede boots, tiny patent leather shoes, tiny colorful striped hats and scarves.



Everything was tiny.



Claire stared at a little red dress, her eyes filling as she imagined and wished for the impossible.



People filed in and out of the store, smiling, laughing. Happy. An ordinary day filled with ordinary tasks and lists of things that must be accomplished. She had no such list—just an overwhelming need to pass time quickly on this day that was not so ordinary.



Claire steadied herself and glanced at her watch. Late afternoon. Shoppers jostled by, oblivious to her pain, all in a hurry to get their purchases and conquer the next store in the mall.



If only she had a reason to hurry.



‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ crooned from the mall loudspeakers. Claire bit her lip and cursed Bing.



Christmas would be merry when it was over.



Claire tightened her grip around the numerous bags she carried and slowly moved forward. Her heel slipped on a slick patch of tile. She regained her balance before falling, but the effort shook her and sent her pulse racing.



After walking a bit, her arms began to burn. Her overflowing shopping bags were heavy, but gave a sense of accomplishment. She’d gotten out of bed and had the purchases to prove it.



“Claire? Hey…yoo-hoo!” A woman’s greeting floated above the noise of the crowd.



Claire lowered her head and rummaged through her purse. She popped a few breath mints into her mouth and chewed as she weighed her options.



Pretend she didn’t hear. Pretend to be someone else. Or turn around and face the owner of the vaguely familiar voice still calling her name.



Curiosity won out and Claire turned.



“Hi, Claire! I thought that was you.” The woman waved and hurried over. Platinum blonde hair swooshed around her shoulders. “Long time no see. You do remember me, don’t you?”



“Um…” No. Claire pushed through the tangled cobwebs in her brain. “Ashley…right? High school?” The woman’s Colgate-bright smile never faltered. She could have been on the cover of a magazine. Or a toothpaste commercial.



“Amanda. Barrington.” Blue eyes twinkled as though she held some untold secret. “Gosh, it’s been a while. How are you? Have time for a coffee?”



“Coffee?” Claire screwed up her nose. Vodka tonic would be more enticing, but whatever. She didn’t have anywhere to be. Not really. “Sure.”



They settled around a table at Starbucks. Amanda insisted on buying, which was fine with Claire. A few minutes later she sipped an Espresso and managed a smile. “So. Amanda. What have you been up to since high school?”



“Oh, not too much, you know. Busy. You?”



Claire nodded. “Same. Busy. Very busy.” Busy not answering the phone. Busy surfing channels. Busy ignoring the whole world.



Amanda stirred another packet of sweetener into her Caffè Misto. “You got married a few years ago, didn’t you? You and James?”



A bizarre image of Guy Smiley from Sesame Street flashed before her and Claire wondered what she’d done to win a spot on This Is Your Life. She suppressed a giggle. That third drink at lunch probably hadn’t been such a great idea. “Yep. Me and James.”



“Any kids?”



As if on cue, a mother walked past them pushing a toddler. The kid looked her way and released a blood-curdling wail. Claire let out her breath. “Didn’t you go to Vassar?”



“Oh.” Amanda’s pretty smile petered out as she fiddled with the top of her cup. “Yes, but I dropped out. Had a breakdown of sorts.”



“Of sorts?” Maybe that was the same as being a little bit pregnant. A ripple of anxiety washed over Amanda’s face and Claire felt a pinch of guilt. “Hey, it’s cool. I’m the last person to be throwing judgment around.” She pulled at a loose thread on her sweater.



Getting out of bed this morning had been tiresome enough, she hadn’t given much thought to her wardrobe. Just grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a long sweater that covered her butt, and pushed her feet into a pair of Uggs. She took in Amanda’s pristine appearance, fumbled with her hair and tried to remember whether she’d even brushed it. “Are you…okay now?” Stupid question. Of course she was.



“Oh, yes.” Amanda answered too quickly. “Right as rain.”



“Funny, that.” Claire couldn’t stop a grin. “Right as rain. People always complain when it rains, don’t they? I mean, what’s right about it, really?”



Amanda didn’t hide surprise well. She opened her mouth but no words came. She nibbled on a bran muffin and dabbed cherry lips with a paper napkin. “Um. I heard your mother died. Last year, was it? I’m sorry.”



Of course she was sorry. Everybody was sorry. God was probably even sorry.



Claire studied her nails. The pink polish was chipped and faded, most of her nails worn down by her chewing on them. Another habit she couldn’t seem to break. “She had cancer. Only lived a few months after her diagnoses.”



“I’m so sorry.”



“Yup.” Claire nodded, still pondering Amanda’s mysterious breakdown. She really wanted to ask how the accommodations were at the funny farm, because if things got any worse she might just be heading there herself. “So, what are you doing now, you know, now that you’re…okay?” Small talk seemed more appropriate.



Amanda perked up at the change of subject. “Oh, a bit of this and that. I’m planning a wedding, so you know how that goes. I got engaged a few months ago.” She waved a hand, a diamond the size of a small country in Africa almost blinding Claire. “You know, Claire…when I saw you, I remembered. You were adopted too, right?”



Hot liquid sloshed out of the small hole in the plastic lid and Claire put her cup down in a hurry. She dabbed at the mess and tried to think what an appropriate response would be. ‘None of your business’ probably wouldn’t go over so well.



“Too?” As Claire lifted the top off her paper cup to clean it, the lid on her memory slid off with it. “That’s right. You were the only other kid I knew who was adopted. Our mothers were friends for a while, weren’t they?”



“When we were in eighth and ninth grade.” Amanda’s eyes got misty. “I used to love going over to your house; you were so much fun. But then we…drifted apart I guess. You ran with the cool kids. I was a geek.”



“Oh.” Claire pushed down the lid of her cup and prayed she hadn’t been completely horrible to this poor girl who had apparently once been a friend.



“Anyway. I found my birth mother.” Amanda sat back, a small smile set in place. “That’s what I wanted to tell you. I thought you…well…that you would understand.”



“Your birth mother?” The words slammed into Claire, went straight for the gut, held tight and twisted. “No kidding?” She took another sip and hoped Amanda wouldn’t notice the tremor in her hand. “How?”



“It wasn’t that hard, really.” Amanda blinked and gazed across the crowded room for a moment. A bizarre heavy metal version of Jingle Bells blasted through the speakers and they shared a smile. “I suppose I just got tired of looking in the mirror and wondering. You know?”



Boy, did she know. Claire shrugged. “When was this?”



“Two years ago. I talked to my parents first, and they were okay with it. I wrote away for my non-identifying information and next thing I knew, Social Services was calling to put me in touch with her.”



“How’d that go?” A slow pounding began in her temples and Claire swallowed down the urge to puke. There was something wrong about this—having this conversation—today, on the anniversary of her mother’s death. Amanda of course, couldn’t know that. Couldn’t know that Claire had, of late, thought of doing the very same thing.



Searching.



Searching for answers. Searching for truth. As if somehow knowing the circumstances concerning her birth would help her get her life back.



Thoughts of whether or not to proceed had become an obsession.



Maybe her best friend, Melanie, was right. “There are no coincidences, Claire. Only Godincidences.” Claire could hear her Melanie now. “It’s a sign. You should do it.”



The only sign Claire wanted to see was the one that said BAR.



She turned her attention back to her long lost friend and hoped she hadn’t missed anything earth shattering.



“We’re not that much alike, and after the first meeting…” Amanda prattled on. “But you know, did you ever think about it? I mean, your mom’s gone now and…”



“Me? Oh, no.” Claire checked her watch and frowned. She was supposed to meet James for dinner. “Hey, this was great, but…you know. My husband…we have plans.”



“Yes, of course. Well…” Amanda foraged in her Marc Jacobs bag and came up with a gold-embossed business card. “Give me a call sometime, Claire. And if you change your mind, you know, about searching, I’m here to help.”

 “Thanks. It was great to see you.”



“Merry Christmas.”



“Sure. You have a good one.”



Claire waded through the sea of shoppers until she reached the doors to the parking lot, and stumbled outside. Cold air brought clarity and she breathed deeply. She clasped her elbows and willed the trembling to stop, willed the world to stop spinning as she tried to get her bearings and headed in the general direction she hoped she’d parked.



She needed to get out of here. But to what?



Claire stopped walking and stared at the slush beneath her feet. The knot in her stomach pulled tight. James would be expecting her.



He wanted to talk. Again.



Claire had run out of words a long time ago.



She turned toward the warm building again, scanned the area inside the doors and spied a TGI Friday’s. It was a bit too early for food, but that didn’t matter.



She wasn’t planning on eating.



Two hours later, Claire peered at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Maybe she should call a cab. She splashed some water on her face, spritzed a little perfume on her neck and picked up her bags.



After waiting half an hour for a cab to come into sight, Claire’s feet were frozen. She gave up and headed back to her car. It would be fine. She hadn’t had that much to drink.



She maneuvered her car down the back roads as carefully as she could. Snow started to fall and got heavier by the minute. Claire shook her head and cursed the snow. Cursed herself for being so stupid.



Staying in bed would have been the more sensible solution.



She’d been doing better. Almost convinced she could make it through the holidays. Now all she could think about was Mom, and that stupid conversation she’d had with Amanda.



Pain rushed her with such force she considered pulling off the road to expel the liquid sloshing around in her stomach. She was re-living it all over again. That long, dark night when her world had shattered like a Christmas ornament dropped from the highest branches of the tree.



“She’s gone, Claire…”



They all thought death was something you could prepare for. Thought if you read up, prayed up and clammed up, it would all be okay.



Her father read books and retreated into silence.



James went to church, put them all on the prayer chain and talked to God.



And Claire just ignored it and hoped the day would never come.



But it had, come and gone, and taken her mother with it.



A blast of sirens jolted her back to the present. Her SUV swerved and she pulled on the wheel, slowing until the vehicle straightened. Obnoxious blue and red flashers intensified the pain in her head. Claire swore, flicked on her turn signal and pulled over. Great. Just what she needed to make a crappy day even crappier.



“Ya better watch out, ya better not cry…” The modern version of the classic blasted from the radio. “Ya better not pout, I’m tellin’ you why…” The Boss’s raspy voice belted out the warning.



Claire almost grinned. Too late, Bruce. Already on the black list this year.



Through the rear-view mirror she watched the officer step out of his vehicle. He sloshed through gray snow, his burly frame shadowed in the setting sun, but she’d recognize that bear-like gait anywhere.



Definitely not Santa Claus.



Claire shook her head, her throat drying up. Why did it have to be him?



She shoved her hand in her purse, pulled out her breath mints and put a few in her mouth, wishing she’d had a second cup of coffee. She chewed quickly and shoved another couple in just before he reached her car.



Robert Ferguson tapped on her car window, a scowl set in place. His dark blue jacket was zipped halfway, his badge glinting. Claire returned the scowl and prayed for an apocalypse.  He rapped again and Claire knew she had no choice. She pressed the button and the window slid down.



“Hello, Claire.” Her brother-in-law stepped back and folded his arms over his chest.



A blast of cold air smacked her face as she shifted to face him, tightening her grip on the wheel. “Robert. What a pleasant surprise.” Not. She forced a smile and thought about sending up a quick prayer, but what would be the point?



God wasn’t listening. Not to her.



Not anymore.



“You okay?” He studied her in silence, suspicion settling in his eyes.



Okay? She had a wet butt from falling in the parking lot, lived through that strange conversation with Amanda and had a case of major indigestion, but whatever. “Sure, I’m okay. Sweet of you to ask.” Her heart rate jumped in time to the music as he let out a sigh.



“Can you turn off the stereo, please?”



“Sure.” Claire blinked at the dash and squinted. The silver buttons were so small and they all looked alike. “Ah. There. Better?”



“Where’ve you been, Claire? You were driving a little erratically.”



“Erratically?” She widened her eyes, surprised he knew such a big word. “Oh, back there, you mean? Yeah, black ice. Thought I was done for.”



His scowl deepened, forming a crater above the bridge of his nose. “Black ice, huh? You were all over the road. Going too fast, then too slow…I’ve been following you about a quarter mile. I guess you didn’t notice.”



“Seriously? Guess I didn’t. You know, female drivers. We never check the rear view mirror unless we’re putting on lipstick.” Her palms grew moist despite the cold air flooding her car.



His bland expression told her he wasn’t buying it. “Have you been drinking?” Robert narrowed his eyes, leaning in a little closer.



Claire shook her head and the interior of the car spun. She covered her mouth with one hand and took a minute. “Of course not. I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t do something like that.”



“Claire,” he growled, placing his big hands on the ledge of the open window, “level with me.”



There might have been a hint of compassion in his eyes but it faded too soon. Claire stared at the falling snow and wondered what she’d look like in orange. “I…um…went out for lunch. I might have had a glass of wine. That’s all. Really. I’m fine.”



“You don’t look fine.” He took a step back. “Want to get out of the car?”



“No,” she squeaked. “Come on, Robby. I just told you, I’m okay. Thanks for checking up on me though.” The back of her neck prickled and her throat constricted. He couldn’t possibly be serious.



Robert yanked the door open. “Get out.”

 “Please, Robert. I’m begging you. I’m not drunk. You can follow me home if you want to.”



“Get out of the car, Claire.” Anger dripped off his tongue and she knew she’d pushed his limit. Maybe if she pretended to pass out she’d wake up and find this was all some weird dream. Maybe she’d just pass out anyway.



“Claire. Today. If you wouldn’t mind.”



“I’m coming.” She struggled to stand, slipped on the slush beneath her and he caught her elbow before she fell. The towering pines across the road blurred into one big green snowball, hurtling toward her. She steadied herself and tried to focus on Robert. This was a nightmare. It had to be.



But no, she’d definitely had too much to drink and now she was busted.



Served her right.



There was always a price to pay.



She just wished Robert didn’t have to be the one to collect.



He barked instructions at her and Claire tried to follow what he was saying, but the buzzing in her ears made it hard to understand him. And she really had to pee.



“You’re a mess,” he muttered. He leaned forward, his eyes blazing into her. “You’re going to blow over, you know that, right?”



 “Maybe we should just skip it then.” Claire held out her wrists toward him and smiled.



 “Just get in the patrol car. I’ll drive you home.”



 “What? You’re not going to arrest me? You’re actually going to give me a break?” Claire stared in disbelief. “That’s…so…unlike you, Robby.”



He shifted and put his hands on his hips, his stance wide. “Claire, seriously? I’m trying to be nice here.”



 “Just spreading a little Christmas joy, huh?” Her eyes landed on the butt of his revolver, his hand dangerously close to it. Tears welled and one rolled down her cheek into the corner of her mouth.



“All right.” He zipped up his coat and propelled her toward the police car. “Let’s get you off the road before you kill somebody.”



“I don’t need your help, Robert.” She tried to squirm out of his grip but he was too strong.



“Do you want me to bring you in, Claire? Honestly, it would be a real pleasure. I’m only giving you a break out of respect for my brother. If you want to throw your life away, fine, I really don’t care, but don’t take him down with you.”



Claire whirled to face him. “Then arrest me! Go on. It’s what you’re supposed to do anyway, right?” The words flew out before she could stop them. She watched his mouth twitch.



“Get in the car.” His glare was enough to silence her into submission.



Claire climbed into the back of the black and white patrol car. It reeked of sweat, cigarettes and coffee. She leaned her head against the plastic-covered seat and waited. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him retrieve her purse from her vehicle while he talked on his cell phone. Her heart raced as she tried to second-guess him. He wasn’t going to arrest her. That was the good news.



Maybe she could get home without her father or James finding out. She’d sleep it off and be fine in the morning.



And never, ever, do anything so stupid again.



Done with his call, Robert tossed her purse onto the seat beside her and slammed the door. The car shook from side to side. Claire winced and closed her eyes. She pulled her knees up, resting her boots on the divider as he pulled back onto the road. “Excuse me?” She rapped on the plastic glass between them. “Can you maybe have my car taken home? There’s a lot of stuff in there. I just went shopping.”



“Before or after you stopped at the bar?”



“Robert!”



“Relax, Claire.” He cracked his gum and sniffed. “There’s a tow-truck on the way. It’ll be impounded. You’ll get it back eventually.”



“Stop kidding around. You can’t do this to me. Come on…”



He slowed at a stoplight along Main. Claire inched down on the seat, searching the faces on the sidewalk. “Where are you taking me? The exit is the other way.”



“I know where the exit is.”



He hated her. He was going to arrest her after all.



Claire swallowed back nausea and chewed on a torn fingernail. “So, um…how’s the family?”



Robert’s shoulders stiffened and he cleared his throat, glancing back at her through the mirror. “Claire?”



“Yes?”



“Stop talking.”



“Sorry.” Claire foraged through the jumbled mess of things inside her purse and came up with a lipstick. Didn’t bother checking the color. After applying a generous amount to her dry lips, she smacked them together. Bad idea. Her stomach rolled again and she popped a couple more mints in her mouth.



When he parked the car at the back of the precinct, Claire glared at the three-story gray building, crumbling in places. She swore it would fall down one of these days. With any luck Robert would be inside when it did.



“You said you were going to take me home.” Claire stared at the back of his big head, watching a fly settle on the short dark hair. Maybe she could smack it for him.



He cleared his throat and she pushed aside the idea.



“You’re staying at your dad’s house now, right?”



“Yes.”



“That’s what I thought. That place is at least a half hour out on the other side of town. That would be going way beyond my family obligations. You can wait here until somebody comes for you.”



“Who’s coming? Who did you call?” Claire pushed herself out of the car but he ignored her and escorted her through the back doors. She walked slowly, determined not to slip. Or fall over. They passed a couple of officers in the hall. Claire saw some raised eyebrows and one of the men let out a low whistle. Wonderful. She’d be the talk of small town Connecticut within the hour.



Robert stopped outside a small office at the far end of the corridor. He kicked the door with his black boot and it swung open. He walked in, checked out the room and glanced her way. “Take a seat. Nobody will bother you. Unless I tell them to.”



Claire’s feet wouldn’t move. “Look, I can just call a cab…I…”



“Nope. You’ll stay right here until you sober up.”



She marched to the desk, threw her purse down and turned on him. “You can’t just shove me in here, Robert! I know my rights! Which you haven’t even read me by the way, and…”



“Claire.” He breathed out her name, sounding tired and beyond reasoning. “Sit down, and for the last time, shut up.” Fury ran across his face. “I told you, I’m not arresting you. But I should be. You should be thanking me, not yelling at me like you haven’t done anything wrong.” Robert stood near the door, his eyes softening. “You’ve got to start dealing with life, Claire. You can’t go on like this.”



She pushed hair off her face and pinched her lips together. “Where do you get off telling me how to ‘deal with it’?” Familiar anger coiled inside her stomach and the dull ache returned. She sank into the chair behind the desk. “First my mother dies; then I have a miscarriage. Why does everybody expect me to just forget, just get over it?” Claire leaned back and closed her eyes.



“That’s not what I meant. But it’d be nice if you started acting more like a mature adult instead of a spoiled, out-of-control teenager.”



“Are you done?” She put her head in hands.



“I’ll be back in a while.”



“Fine.” Claire gazed up at him, unsmiling. “Thank you.”



“Sure. Whatever.” He turned and slammed the door behind him. The noise reverberated around the small room and pierced through her skull.



Claire rubbed her temples and wondered if she could down a couple of Tylenol without water. Robert was probably enjoying every minute of this. He’d hold court later at his favorite watering hole and regale his buddies with the story of how he finally one-upped his wayward sister-in-law.



Claire groaned at the thought. Since Mom’s death, things just seemed to go from bad to worse. Her family, her husband, the whole world was against her. Every single day she had to endure some trial.



She slumped down, put her head on the desk and took a deep breath.



Robert was right though. This time.



She was guilty. She should have known better than to drink and drive. But once she got started, it was so easy to keep them coming. She just wanted to get rid of the pain. But whatever the amount she’d consumed today, it wasn’t enough.



It was never enough.











My Thoughts:

I am an adopted child and this book appealed to me for that reason, however this was crazy from the beginning. My head hurt just reading it.
Claire is a mess. Her mother died and soon after she lost a baby in a miscarriage. Claire hasn't been the same since, and she's turned to pills and booze to dull the pain. Everyone is mad at her, and wants her to go to counseling and treatment. Her husband James thinks that if they try to have a baby things will get better.
She won't even think about it. She runs into a friend from h.s. who was also adopted and just found her birth mother so Claire begins to toss around the idea of looking for hers.
Claire's reasoning for me was the most unheard of reasoning EVER! Claire wants to find her birth mother to see if genetically she was the reason she lost her baby. I know adoptee's look for their birth parents for medical information, which had that been the reason I could have swallowed that, but to look for her birth mother for that specific reason, seemed far fetched.
Besides all of that, no one cares what Claire wants to do. Her husband Jamie cares only about her going to counseling and trying for another baby; her dad won't even discuss her adoption. It is all very dysfunctional and angry.
The book was a constant roller coaster with no time to breathe. Someone was either upset with Claire, or she was doing something wrong in their eyes. The conflict seemed never ending.


Soul's Gate - Reviewed Win an iPad Mini from @JimRubart and RSVP for his Live Video Chat {11/13}!


















Book Blurb:

Book 1 in the Well Spring series. "Every now and then we get a break from reality. A glimpse into the other world that is more real than the reality we live in 99 percent of our days. The Bible is about a world of demons and angels and great evil and even greater glory." What if you could travel inside another person's soul? To battle for them. To be part of Jesus healing their deepest wounds. To help set them free to step boldly into their divinely designed future. Thirty years ago that's exactly what Reece Roth did. Until tragedy shattered his life and ripped away his future. Now God has drawn Reece out of the shadows to fulfill a prophecy spoken over him three decades ago. A prophecy about four warriors with the potential to change the world . . . if Reece will face his deepest regret and teach them what he has learned. They gather at a secluded and mysterious ranch deep in the mountains of Colorado, where they will learn to see the spiritual world around them with stunning clarity-and how to step into the supernatural. Their training is only the beginning. The four have a destiny to pursue a freedom even Reece doesn't fully fathom. But they have an enemy hell-bent on destroying them and he'll stop at nothing to keep them from their quest for true freedom and the coming battle of souls. Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/eGyGA 
 














Meet Jim:

James L. Rubart is a professional marketer, speaker, and writer. While being the owner of Barefoot Marketing certainly keeps him on his toes, his passion is writing fiction. Rubart is an ECPA best-selling author who has been positively reviewed by both Publisher's Weekly and Romantic Times. His first novel, Rooms, won a Best Books 2011 award from USA Book News, as well as a Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award. His debut release was followed by Book of Days and The Chair. Soul's Gate is Rubart's fourth release. In addition to being an author, Rubart is also a photographer, guitarist, professional speaker, golfer and semi-pro magician. With all of this, he says that he barely sleeps. Rubart lives with his wife and sons in the Pacific Northwest. Find out more about Jim at http://jimrubart.com/

The first book in best-selling author Jim Rubart's new series, Soul's Gate, releases on November 6th! To celebrate, Jim has teamed up with his publisher, Thomas Nelson, for a virtual book tour, iPad Mini giveaway and a Live Video Author Chat {11/13}. Watch the video trailer for the book here.







One "soulful" winner will receive:

  • A brand new iPad Mini

  • Soul's Gate by Jim Rubart {Be caught up in this captivating series.}


Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 12th. Winner will be announced at the "Soul's Gate Author Chat Party on 11/13. Connect with Jim for an evening of book chat, trivia, and a live video chat! There will also be a chance to win gift certificates, books, and other fun prizes!


So grab your copy of Soul's Gate and join Jim on the evening of the November 13th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)




Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP todayTell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 13th!


My Thoughts:
This is the first book in the Well Spring series. Reece has received a prophecy that he will train others to fight for the heart of others. He has contacted the four that God has told him to and they are going to a retreat at Well Spring where they will be trained.
When I started this book I imagined clashing swords of angels and demons, it was nothing like that.
Jim has written a book so much deeper. He wrote about things we as Christ followers already know, the power we have in Christ, and the freedom we have. Yet to see it played out on paper was spectacular!
Don't miss this book!

Thousand Sleepless Nights




This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


A Thousand Sleepless Nights


Realms (October 16, 2012)


by


Michael King





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:






When Mike Dellosso won a one-year battle with colon cancer he set out to help readers of his books discover it before they had to go through what he experienced.




“I want others to avoid what I had to go through,” he says. “It was an experience that taught me a lot about myself, others, and God, but one I wouldn’t want to repeat. If I can help even one person battling this disease, it would have been worth it.”




Mike set about writing a novel quite different from what his fan base had come to expect from him. Not a thriller, but a character-driven novel, so he wrote it under a pen name, Michael King, and entitled it A Thousand Sleepless Nights. His publisher, Charisma Media, went for it and the first copies went on sale in October.




Mike’s next step was to determine whether a partnership between him, Charisma Media, and the Colon Cancer Alliance was possible. This month both announced their cooperative fundraising venture, with Charisma Media making a significant contribution to CCA and Mike committing a portion of the proceeds from the book through December to CCA.




Speaking about A Thousand Sleepless Nights Mike says, “I want people to see colon cancer (and all the other cancers) for the monster it is, but also to show it does not need to defeat us. There is hope, there is strength, and there is courage and love. And though cancer may rob us of our physical vitality, it has no power over our spirit.”




ABOUT THE BOOK





In the 1970s, escaping a home where he knew nothing but violence and hate, Jim Harding found work, and love, on the largest horse ranch in Virginia. The object of his affections, Nena St. Claire, is the daughter of the owner—a man who ruled his ranch with an iron fist and would do whatever it took to keep Nena and Jim apart.




Against the wishes of her family, Nena marries Jim, and after her father dies, she sacrifices everything—including her family—to keep the ranch alive. Now their three grown children have lives of their own and want nothing to do with Nena. She was never the mother they needed.




When cancer strikes and Nena is given a devastating diagnosis, can Jim reconcile the family before it is too late?



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Thousand Sleepless Nights, go HERE.



Preview: Beyond The Storm



This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Beyond the Storm
Abingdon Press (October 2012)
by
Carolyn Zane


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author of 35 books, wife, mother and yes…hot (flasher) lives with her fabulous husband, Matt and their 5 children and 3 dogs in the scenic Willamette Valley in Oregon. When asked to describe her family, Carolyn likens her crowd to the Brangelia Bunch saying modestly, “Only we’re better looking.” Right now,Carolyn is back in the saddle with her new title: Beyond The Storm, coming out in October 2012! In the mean time, be sure to catch her on the critically acclaimed TOOHOTMAMAS Blog where Carolyn and Wendy tackle Marriage, motherhood and menopause: How to do all three and stay out of prison! They are hilarious! You'll wet yourself, guaranteed! Visit them at: www.toohotmamas.wordpress.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After a tornado rips through her town, store owner Abigail comes across a piece of fabric from a wedding dress among the devastation. Abigail is moved to start collecting other swatches of fabric she finds – her neighbor’s kitchen curtains, a man’s necktie, a dog’s bed – which she stashes in shopping bags. As she pursues her seemingly absurd quest, horrible realities spark the question, “What kind of a God would allow such tragedy?”

As she struggles to reconcile her right to happiness amidst the destruction, Abigail begins piecing together a patchwork quilt from the salvaged fabric in hopes it will bring some peace. But a new relationship with Justin, a contractor, may require too much of her fragile heart. Will her pain and questions of faith give way to the courage to love?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Beyond the Storm, go HERE.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Preview: The Bridge ~ Karen Kingsbury

Book Blurb: Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since. Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there. For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store. Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold? The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget. My Thoughts: My copy from Howard books has not arrived yet so I haven't had a chance to read it. Once I receive it I will post a full review. Enjoy the preview.

A Ghost of Christmas Present - Preview


















Book Blurb:

 It’s the fourth Wednesday of November, and Patrick Guthrie is giving thanks. He’s giving thanks that his eight-year-old son, Braden, will finally have a procedure on his heart that will cure him of the same life-threatening condition that took Patrick’s wife several years earlier. But when Patrick suddenly loses his job teaching drama at a New York City high school, his already desperate financial situation becomes dire. Rebecca Brody, a social worker, shows up at his door with a judge’s order for him to appear before the city’s family court to determine if Patrick is financially fit, and Patrick realizes he is in danger of losing his son. Patrick knows that he must somehow make it through the holiday season to a new job waiting for him in the new year. He also knows that Ted Cake, his former father-in-law, blames Patrick so much for the death of his daughter that he, a rich and disagreeable man, is the one pushing the city to call the custody hearing and give the boy over to him. Now Patrick has only three weeks before Christmas to somehow make enough money to pay his bills, present himself to the family court as a fit father, and keep Braden in his life.

My Thoughts: I just received this book so I wasn't able to review it in time. I will post my review once I read it.

Magic Mike . . . Reviewed



My husband and I talked about this and we agreed that I could watch it, so last Thursday night there was nothing on so I ordered it from DTV, I couldn't get past 30 minutes if that!
I was disgusted with both Channing Tatum and Matthew Mcconaughey. These two men are not only gorgeous men, they have both acted in great movies, that have made them famous. In Magic Mike, they used the F word every other word and it was ridiculous.
Matthew has been in great movies like A Time to Kill, Lincoln Lawyer, and How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days, he didn't need to lower himself to make this movie.
Channing blew onto the screen in Step Up, yet showed his softer side in Dear John, and the Vow.
While the ladies will of course cheer with the dancing . . . the language is just ridiculous.

I can't even recommend this!

Monday, October 29, 2012

A Flight of Fancy - Reviewed


















Book Blurb:
 Her head is in the clouds. His feet are planted firmly on the ground. Can love cover the distance? Cassandra Bainbridge may be a bit of a bluestocking, but when Geoffrey Giles is near, love seems a fine alternative to passion for Greek and the physics of flight. With his dashing good looks and undying devotion to her, the earl of Whittaker sets Cassandra's heart racing with his very presence. It seems his only flaw is his distaste for ballooning, the obsession that consumes so much of her thoughts. When a terrible accident compels her to end her betrothal, Cassandra heads for the country to recover from both her injuries and her broken heart. With time on her hands and good friends to help her, she pursues her love for ballooning and envisions a future for herself as a daring aeronaut. But when Lord Whittaker slips back into her life, will she have to choose between him and her dream?


 My Thoughts:
Is this cover gorgeous or what??? It says "read me"
This is the 2nd installment of The Daughter's of Bainbridge. Readers will be taken on a journey of the beautiful English countryside and the charisma of London society.
Cassandra has a lot of spunk! She is into everything that can take flight, she isn't sure what will win her heart.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Getting a little Political & Personal Here

One of the hot topics this election is abortion for rape and incest victims. Well, I was adopted in 1966. The story that my maternal grandmother told the lawyer that processed my adoption was not the truth. She said that my 13 year old birth mother got pregnant with me during a Catholic church taffy pull during spring break. When I was told that I knew it wasn't true, it just didn't make sense. In 1992 when I was pregnant with my third child I found my birth mother and she told me the truth. She was being molested by her step-brother and when she told her mother she didn't believe her, then when she got pregnant my grandmother wanted the family doctor to abort me. My 13 year old mother said NO, she told her mother that she didn't believe her when she told her what was happening and she was having the baby. My grandmother took my mother to California where I was born and adopted by parents who couldn't have any children. I had a wonderful life was raised with a younger brother who was also adopted. Regardless of how I was created my life wasn't a mistake. The baby shouldn't pay the price for however he or she is created. I pray as you go to the polls to vote you will remember my story, and the courage and love of my birth mother, Angelina who was just 13 when she made that decision.

Preview: Accidentially Amish

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This week, the



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

Accidentally Amish


Barbour Books (October 1, 2012)


by


Olivia Newport





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:






A Word From The Author:



I’m imagining you. You walk past as I water my front flowerbeds and we wave. You check the time as we both stand in a long line at the grocery store. You sit in front of me in church. I’m at my table in the coffee shop and you’re at yours.




We may smile politely and move on with our separate lives. Or one of us may speak, a simple invitation to conversation, and the words flow between us.




Here the adventure begins. When we meet someone new, we never know where it might lead.




I’ve been married for over thirty years and have two twenty-something kids. We live in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where the day lilies in my back yard grow as tall as I am. (No short jokes, please.)




Not every piece of my life is pretty, though. Some days I want to throw out whole chunks. But I am living each day looking for the grace of God to me, in me, and through me. Having your companionship along the way will help uncover a lot of great stories.




Thanks for stopping by my site, where conversations and adventures begin with a click. I hope we’ll run into each other often.




ABOUT THE BOOK





Escape the helter-skelter of the modern culture and join software creator Annie Friesen, hiding at the home of an Amishman. With her high-tech career in jeopardy, Annie runs from fast-paced Colorado Springs—and straight into the hospitality of San Luis Valley’s Amish community. There she meets cabinetmaker Rufus Beiler, and the more time she spends with him, the more attracted she becomes. When Annie finds she shares a common ancestor with Rufus, she feels both cultures colliding within her. But is her love for Rufus strong enough for her to give up the only life she’s ever known?




If you would like to read the first chapter of Accidentally Amish, go HERE.



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Sacred Treason - Reviewed with Interview of James Forrester


















Book Blurb: London, December 1563. England is a troubled nation. Catholic plots against the young Queen Elizabeth spring up all over the country. At his house in the parish of St Bride, the herald William Harvey – known to everyone as Clarenceux - receives a book from his friend and fellow Catholic, Henry Machyn. But Machyn is in fear of his life, claiming that the book is deadly... What secret can it hold? And then Clarenceux is visited by the State in the form of Francis Walsingham and his ruthless enforcers, who will stop at nothing to gain possession of it. If Clarenceux and his family are to survive the terror of Walsingham, and to plead with the queen’s Secretary of State Sir William Cecil for their lives, Clarenceux must solve the clues contained in the book to unlock its dangerous secrets before it’s too late. And when he does, he realises that it's not only his life and the lives of those most dear to him that are at stake...










If you could have chosen your own name, what would it be?

 'James Forrester' is actually my middle names. I am normally 'Ian Mortimer'. The surname – Mortimer – is pretty important to me. It was the root of my interest in history, for I learnt about the medieval Mortimers because of a fascination with the name. It also meant that I saw history differently from other people from an early age, as I noticed how the prejudices of historians unfairly treated the Mortimers of old. Also my aunt was called Mortimer – and she being a three-times grandslam tennis champion, including Wimbledon in 1961, it was inspiring to have people like her in the family. So I would be quite happy to keep my surname. As for my first name, my late father chose it for me; I wouldn’t change it. I am the first member of my family not to be called ‘John’ since the seventeenth century.

What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

 Nothing that’s relevant to my writing, and there’s nothing I want to brag about. Some people say some of the historical arguments I’ve championed are ‘brave’ or some of the speeches I’ve made at meetings of the National Park Authority; but in my opinion bravery should be associated with people who are truly brave – troops in Afghanistan, policemen and women in the deprived areas of cities, people working for peace in the Middle East, people combatting infectious diseases in Africa etcetera.

Please describe your writing environment.

A large room at the top of my house with a chimney rising up through it from the floors below. I share it with a desk, a rosewood library table from about 1815, three computers, several chairs, including one from about 1750 given to an ancestor by the bishop of Exeter in the 1860s, several thousand books and a large number of CDs, albums and guitars.

 Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

 William Shakespeare. His work is magical. It contains so much truth and at the same time is so lyrical. And most thinking people are in awe of his achievement. Many are in love with his life story too – and its compelling mysteries. 

 What’s been the most challenging part of writing for you?
 Satisfying my own expectations of myself. I fail every time.

 Who has been your best supporter? How have they been there for you?

Without a doubt my wife. On the one hand I could not have spent as much time writing over the last 12 years if she had not basically supported me. But more than that, she chose to share my life, to live in this place where I chose to live. Thereby she has ceased that constant questing I had as a young man. If I lived alone I would be out every night; as it is I can work most nights. 

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

 No. I was writing poems before I was ten. However, there’s a story I tell about my interest in history. My parents used to take me to medieval castles as a boy – I loved the middle ages. One holiday when I was about 11 we visited Skenfrith, White Castle and Grosmont: three Lancastrian castles, the last one being the birthplace of the first duke of Lancaster. I enjoyed the first two castles greatly but was looking forward most of all to the third. I imagined Lady Lancaster holding her back, pregnant, coming down the stairs from the solar and entering the hall; I imagined the fire burning on the hearth in the middle of that hall, and the red lines marking out the shadowy stonework in the golden light of the fire, the dogs there, and the servants bringing wine and sweetmeats into the hall as a harpist played – and I got so carried away that I forgot the place was a ruin. When we arrived I stood dumbfounded in the roofless remnants of the hall and realised that everything here was so historical, so dead. But I thought the best way to see things – and people - was alive. A bit like butterflies: you see them in a museum all pinned out in a case, rows of dead insects. But they are best seen in flight, alive. That was when I realised by drive to understand the past was fundamentally different from most historians’ approaches. I wanted to see it living, happening.

What inspired you to write the genre that you write?

I am a historian by training but history cannot deal with some themes. I wanted to write about loyalty and betrayal, and to pick a historical way of doing that would have required me to find exactly the right ‘true story’ to say all the things that I wanted to say. That was going to be impossible. But by choosing to create a new story set in the past, I could use the intensity and the drama of the period to say something more exciting and more meaningful. Hence I chose to write historical fiction set in the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign. Why do you think there is so much interest in Anne Boleyn and the Tudors? Well Anne Boleyn is one of the great tragedies in world history: to seduce a king and then insist in not consummating the relationship until married, and then be killed by your husband on a trumped-up charge, and to die forgiving him publicly in the hope that by doing so you will save your daughter… Heavens! There are so many archetypes in the story that it should be an opera. The attractions of the Tudors generally are much wider. It is the first period in English history in which women play a prominent part: Henry VIII’s wives and daughters, sisters and concubines between them allow a much more female-centered view of the past, which otherwise is mainly about men doing male things. The middle ages features so few prominent women that it is difficult to drum up support for that period: it is just too imbalanced. Then there is the fact that the Tudors were brilliant visual propagandists: we can see their faces in ways we cannot see earlier generations. Coupled with this being the period furthest from ours when we can read their thoughts in their own words and more or less understand them, the 16th century stands like a great historical gateway on the way to modernity. Everything before that is alien; everything since increasingly like our own age. And the Tudors have Shakespeare.

How did you come up with this story?

I was writing a biographical entry for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on Henry Machyn, a chronicler in London, but also arguably the earliest English diarist. I discovered a copy of his will, which mentions his chronicle. This he bequeathed to a Mr. William Harvey, Clarenceux King of Arms, when he died in 1563. In tracing the history of the chronicle I came across a secret society to which Machyn and some of his friends belonged, called the Knights of the Round Table. After that seed was planted I dreamed up the rest of the story on walks among the hills of Dartmoor, in Southwest England, where I live. 





My Thoughts: Reading Sacred Treason was like being immersed in 16th century England in the midst of political turmoil. You could feel the tension and the plotting to keep Elizabeth on the throne through the pages. Until being asked to read and review this book I had never heard of James Forrester / Ian Mortimer. This book kept me turning pages, and guessing to the very end. If you are a fan of Tudor history like I am this is a book not to be missed!

Preview: No Safe Harbor




This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


No Safe Harbor


Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2012)


by


Elizabeth Ludwig





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:






Elizabeth Ludwig is an award-winning author whose work has been featured on Novel Journey, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. Her first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Janelle Mowery, earned her the 2008 IWA Writer of the Year honors. This book was followed in 2009 by “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” part of a Christmas anthology collection called Christmas Homecoming, also from Barbour Publishing.




In 2010, her first full-length historical novel Love Finds You in Calico, California earned Four Stars from the Romantic Times. Books two and three of Elizabeth’s mystery series, Died in the Wool (Barbour Publishing) and Inn Plain Sight (Spyglass Lane), respectively, released in 2011.




Coming in 2012 is Elizabeth’s newest historical series from Bethany House Publishers. No Safe Harbor, the first book in the Edge of Freedom Series, will release in October, with two more books following in 2013 and 2014.




Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, and often attends conferences and seminars, where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoyed a wide readership in its first full year, with more than 17,000 visitors in 2011. Along with her husband and two children, Elizabeth makes her home in the great state of Texas.



ABOUT THE BOOK






The Thrill of Romantic Suspense Meets the Romance of 1800s America




Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh.




Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.



If you would like to read the first chapter of No Safe Harbor, go HERE.



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Rita Hayworth and Friends Stayin Alive!!!!

Check out this video! My Aunt sent it to me in a forward and I just had to share it! It is too much fun!

Enjoy!


Monday, October 22, 2012

The Shadowy Horses - Review & Giveaway


















Book Blurb:

Verity Grey abandons her comfortable job at the British Museum to seek adventure on an archaeological dig in the wilds of Scotland. But when she arrives on site, she discovers that the excavation is being led by a discredited and eccentric old man who has forsaken scientific evidence. Instead, the entire team is following the word of a local boy who claims that he saw a ghostly Roman soldier in the fields.

As she becomes entangled in a subtle web of treachery and danger, Verity begins to believe that there is a Roman sentinel haunting the site. And he's there to do more than guard the bodies of his fallen comrades...


My Thoughts:

Susanna Kearsley is a new author for me, until this novel I had not read any of her books. I enjoy historical fiction so I thought this would be right up my alley. I was not disappointed. It was slow to start, then the historical mystery picked up and with the romance built in, along with the supernatural thread it was a perfect fall read.

I have an extra copy for a giveaway. To enter you must be a follower of my blog, leave a comment saying so with your email. To receive extra entries you can blog about this giveaway then come back and leave a comment with the link, and tweet about it doing the same. This giveaway will start today, Monday, October 22nd and I will use a randomizer on Tuesday, October 30th and pull the winner.

Good Luck!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

A Light In The Window ~ Reviewed

Book Blurb:

One Woman. Two Men.
One stirs her pulse and the other her faith.
But who will win her heart?

Marceline Murphy is a gentle beauty with a well-founded aversion to rogues. But when two of Boston's most notorious pursue her, she encounters a tug-of-war of the heart she isn’t expecting.

My Thoughts:
Finally, the prequel to Julie's Daughter of Boston's series and Wind of Change series that I have been waiting for; and I wasn't disappointed!
Marcy is eighteen and has returned to Boston after five years of being away in New York. Her best-friend Julie(Jewels) has volunteered them to direct and organize the Christmas play that will fund raise the parish soup kitchen.
Julie's older brother Sam, and his best friend Patrick are the local rogues in town. Marcy has no desire to have any thing to do with either one of them. Patrick is quite taken with Marcy and will do just about anything, even turning to God to win her heart.
The girls don't know that the boys were caught drinking the sacramental wine in the confessional and were caught by Father Fritz, and he punished them to help with the play, by building sets and whatever else was needed.
With Julie's pen she brings us the beginning of the O'Connor family. As I read this story I was able to see each of the children in Marcy and Patrick. I fell more in love with this family than I did with the book A Passion Most Pure.
The main thread that Julie has in her books is still there, while our passions whatever they may be, have to come under the control of our Heavenly Father, so that we can do for Him what He has desired for us.


Highly recommended!
This will be available in e-book only on November 9th. Pre-order now for $7.38
Purchase here: 
http://www.amazon.com/A-Light-In-Window-ebook/dp/B0091JZXXK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1350871945&sr=1-1&keywords=a+light+in+the+window+by+julie+lessman

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Susan May Warren's You Don't Know Me! Win a Weekend away From Susan May Warren!


















About the Book: 

A Deep Haven Novel

Sometimes the secrets we keep to protect ourselves can be our undoing.

To all who know her, Annalise Decker is a model wife and mother. She’s a permanent member of the PTA, never misses a sporting event, and is constantly campaigning for her husband’s mayoral race.

No one knows that Annalise was once Deidre O’Reilly, a troubled young woman whose testimony put a dangerous criminal behind bars. Relocated through the Witness Security Program to the quaint harbor town of Deep Haven, Deidre received a new identity and a fresh start, which began when she fell in love with local real estate agent Nathan Decker.

Twenty years later, Annalise couldn’t be more unprepared for her past to catch up with her. When Agent Frank Harrison arrives with news that the man she testified against is out on parole and out for revenge, Annalise is forced to face the consequences of her secrets. Will she run again, or will she finally find the courage to trust those she loves most with both her past and her future?

Link to buy the book:

http://ow.ly/e6zml














Meet Susan: 

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.

Find out more about Susan May at http://www.susanmaywarren.com/.
 

Blog Tour Schedule
http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/you-dont-know-me-by-susan-may-warren-200-weekend-getaway-giveaway-and-facebook-party-1023  


Welcome to the campaign launch for Susan May Warren's latest offering in her beloved Deep Haven series, You Don't Know Me. Susan is celebrating with a $200 Weekend Getaway Giveaway and hosting a fun video Author Chat Party!








One fortunate winner will receive:



  • A $200 Visa Gift Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one and “Get to Know” your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!)

  • The entire set of Deep Haven Books


Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 22nd. Winner will be announced at the ”You Don’t Know Me” Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/23. Connect with Susan for an evening of book chat, Deep Haven trivia, and a live video chat! There will also be info about Susan’s BookShout read-along and a chance to win gift certificates, books, and other fun prizes!






So grab your copy of You Don’t Know Me and join Susan on the evening of the October 23rd for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the books – don’t let that stop you from coming!)




Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP todayTell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 23rd!



My Thoughts:

Analise Decker is the perfect wife and mom. She bakes the best cookies, is at ever PTA meeting, soccer and volleyball game, looks beautiful at all times. There is just one thing her husband Nathan has no clue that she was once a drug addict, lived on the streets with her boyfriend and sold drugs for a drug dealer, Carlos. After being almost beaten to death, she agrees to a second chance at life in the witness protection program. Her death is faked, and she gets a new identity and make over, and is moved to the town of New Haven. All is well until her handler Frank shows up. 

With her creative pen Susan May has written a novel that will have you on the edge of your seat turning pages late into the night. Grab a warm blanket, a cup of your favorite brew and snuggle in for a great read! Highly recommended! 

First Line Friday Featuring Riot (A Breed Apart: Legacy #3) by Ronie Kendig and JJ Samie Myles

  Happy Friday!! Welcome to the weekend!!! Today I am featuring one of my favorite authors, Ronie Kendig. I loved A Breed Apart series and I...