Undeniably Yours ~ CFBA Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Undeniably Yours Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013) by Becky Wade

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances for the general market, put her career on hold for many years to care for her kids, and eventually returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. Her first contemporary Christian romance, My Stubborn Heart, has been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award. Her newest release, Undeniably Yours, is available now.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she becomes the majority shareholder of his oil company and the single inheritor of his fortune. Though Meg is soft-spoken and tenderhearted--more interested in art than in oil--she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of her father's empire.

The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo's determined to resent the woman who's decided to rob him of his dream. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them--her wealth, his unworthiness, her family's outrage--and earn the right to love her.

But just when Meg begins to realize that Bo might be the one thing on the ranch worth keeping, their fragile bond is viciously broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their love--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Undeniably Yours, go HERE.

Discoveries

Kira has been making a lot of "discoveries" recently! :) She's loving that she can stand...and reach more stuff! haha! A few of her new favorites (besides the sandbox) are:

The playdough cupboard

The window...loves to watch what's going on outside!

The fridge! haha. So much good food in there I guess!

Follow the Heart ~ CFBA Review

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Follow the Heart

B&H Books (May 1, 2013)

by

Kaye Dacus




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Humor, Hope, and Happily Ever Afters! Kaye Dacus is the author of humorous, hope-filled contemporary and historical romances with Barbour Publishing, Harvest House Publishers, and B&H Publishing. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, is a former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, and currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is a full-time academic advisor and part-time college composition instructor for Bethel University.




Kaye Dacus (KAY DAY-cuss) is an author and educator who has been writing fiction for more than twenty years. A former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kaye enjoys being an active ACFW member and the fellowship and community of hundreds of other writers from across the country and around the world that she finds there. She currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, which she co-founded in 2003 with three other writers. Each month, she teaches a two-hour workshop on an aspect of the craft of writing at the MTCW monthly meeting. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an academic advisor and English Composition instructor for Bethel University.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Set during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Follow the Heart is a “sitting-room romance” with the feel of a Regency-era novel but the fashions and technological advances of the mid-Victorian age.




Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money.




At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America.




Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of British society, their attentions stray to a gardener and a governess.




While Christopher has options that would enable him to lay his affections where he chooses, he cannot let the burden of their family’s finances crush his sister. Trying to push her feelings for the handsome—but not wealthy— gardener aside, Kate’s prospects brighten when a wealthy viscount shows interest in her. But is marrying for the financial security of her family the right thing to do, when her heart is telling her she’s making a mistake?




Mandates . . . money . . . matrimony. Who will follow the heart?



If you would like to read the first chapter of >Follow the Heart, go HERE

Jump!

This spring we all pooled together our resources and added a new addition to our backyard! Yep, it's a trampoline. And it has been well used already! :)

Although Kira is a little too small to enjoy the trampoline, she has discovered something else...the sandbox - and dirt in general. She LOVES playing in the dirt...and well, she eats it sometimes too. :) She is very entertained (so far!) by the sandbox outside...and it is very cute!

Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story ~ CFBA

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story

Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013)

by

Dee Henderson




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Dee Henderson is the bestselling, award-winning author of 15 previous novels, including the acclaimed O'MALLEY series and UNCOMMON HEROES series. These days, most authors are out there energetically promoting their books in print and broadcast and via social media—wherever they can get attention. But Dee Henderson keeps a low profile. She avoids telephone interviews because of hearing problems, declined to provide a current photo, and will say only that she lives in Illinois.



 ABOUT THE BOOK

It's a summer of change for Jennifer O'Malley. The busy physician has a pediatrics practice in Dallas, and meeting Tom Peterson, and falling in love, is adding a rich layer to her life. She's sorting out how to introduce him to her family--she's the youngest of seven--and thinking about marriage.




She's falling in love with Jesus too, and knows God is good. But that faith is about to be tested in a way she didn't expect, and the results will soon transform her entire family.






If you would like to read the first chapter of Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story, go to HERE.

Somebody is 3!

We have 3 spring birthdays in our family (and 3 summer ones)...and our 2nd spring birthday happened just last week! Our little (or NOT so little!!) Jenna turned three years old! :) Here's a few snapshots from the day...

She LOVES the color yellow and tells me all the time that "Yellow is her favorite!" So, I made a little, yellow smiley face cake for her. :) Our birthday celebrations have been smaller this year...we decided to fore-go the friend birthday parties this year...and just do a family birthday party instead. Then sometime in the summer, we'll plan one big, extra special event that we can all do together (like go some fun, kids-activity or place that we wouldn't normally go to...and that will be a special birthday trip for all of them). I actually kind of like it better this way...after all, for our kids - their brother & sisters ARE some of their closest friends! :) Anyways...a few other random facts about Jenna:

~ She has a great laugh - it is boistrous and loud and contagious! :)

~ She is as big as her (almost!) 5 year old sis Emily!

~ She loves her stuffed elephant...Ella.

~ She tells great stories..very funny ones too! haha.

~ She's tough...most of the time. :) I think she tripped over the same cord and fell down about 6 times this morning...each time she just giggled a little bit at herself and got back up! :)

~ She loooooves to talk on the phone and can talk and talk and talk - usually I have to eventually just take the phone away from her. She just has so many things to say, I guess!

Jenna is very special...bring lots of laughter into our home...and yes, since she IS a three year old, she definitely does still have a mind of her own! ha!