Archive for the ‘What We’re Reading’ Category

Posted on May 17, 2013 - by Kav

Oh My Goodness — my turn is up!!!!

Yes, it’s been that kind of a week, month, year. My tizzy addled brain is chalk full of fluff and very little else. Luckily I received a God prompt as I sauntered into work this morning. That resulted in a full blown panic attack.

Ohmygoodnessit’smyturntoblogandIdon’thavenaythingread!!!!!!

I’m sure you’ve all been there a time or two. No? Humour me and say you have! Puleeeeze. So since we’re highlighting Rose’s newest release I thought I’d include my review of it and then a little inspirational thought that stems from my having read it. Here’s the review:

 

First off — clever title. It suggests one thing but is actually tied to the hero’s profession. Love that twist and the surprise of delving into a story that wasn’t what I thought it was.

Zediker has a real gift for delivering a tight, emotionally packed story. I’m in awe of these authors who write such depth in such a short word count. That’s real talent!

I really connected with Jennifer’s journey. She’s making good choices in her life but finds herself at a a crossroads as she begins to realize good choices aren’t always God choices. That’s something I have to relearn over and over and over again. 

Brett is a complicated mix of laid back confidence and endearing vulnerability. Jennifer has no idea of the power she holds over him and he is reluctant to reveal the depth of his feelings for her. Unrequited love is pretty potent stuff — especially when it is from the hero’s perspective.

A solid plot and captivating romance with plenty of emotional thrills kept me satisfied to the very end.

 

It’s the choices angle that captured me and got me thinking. Especially at this time in my life when so many things seem to be uncertain. The idea that it is possible to make really good choices that still aren’t God choices struck me to the core. I’m sure I am guilty of doing that pretty near all the time. I have such a struggle letting go and letting God and more importantly, trusting in myself to receive divine inspiration. I’m like Jennifer, looking for a dramatic sign from Heaven when the steady peace in the midst of my reality ought to be enough. Reading this book has prompted me to take a long hard look at my decision-making process. There’s no doubt in my mind that Rose was inspired when she wrote that spiritual thread into her story. God bless a loving Father and the authors who willingly reach out to readers on His behalf. Thank you, Rose!

WIN A COPY OF WEDDING ON THE ROCKS!

Rose is generously offering not one but TWO copies of Wedding on the Rocks and TWO copies of her previous release Rose of Sharon to readers who comment during the next two weeks and let us know about their most unusual job or a beauty secret and/or mishap. That’s four chances to win a book every time you post here at Inkspirational Messages in the next two weeks.

Contest closes Friday, May 17 at midnight (central time). It is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada only.

 

Posted on May 13, 2013 - by Kim

It’s All In The Wrist

In honor of Mother’s Day, and having absolutely nothing to do with the fact I have the most normal job history in the world, I thought I would share the most unique job my mother ever had.

Although she is currently living the luxurious life of a retiree, for thirty-two years she was an educator. And not just your run of the mill teacher either. She was the very first special education teacher in the small Alabama county we call home.

But that isn’t what makes her job history unique. Years before she ever darkened the door of her first classroom, back when her high school diploma was fresh off the press, she spent a summer working at a local factory. And not just any factory, but one that manufactured cans.

Small cans, large cans, medium-sized cans. You name it, they made it. Including egg cans. You know, the containers made to house powdered eggs. Those egg cans.

Anyway, Mother spent eight hours a day, five days a week, standing beside a conveyor belt painting the seam inside those egg cans. For the whole summer.

Needless to say, all doubts surrounding the need for higher education flew out the window with the first hours of employment.

Now it’s your turn. What is the strangest job a relative ever had?

_________________________________________________________

HOW YOU CAN WIN A COPY OF “WEDDING ON THE ROCKS.”

Rose is generously offering not one but TWO copies of Wedding on the Rocks AND TWO copies of her previous release Rose of Sharon to readers who comment during the next two weeks and let us know about their most unusual job or a beauty secret and/or mishap. That’s four chances to win a book every time you post here at Inkspirational Messages in the next two weeks.

Contest closes Friday, May 17 at midnight (central time). It is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada only.

Posted on May 9, 2013 - by Shari Barr

Fashion Tips to Live By

Despite all the products available to enhance a woman’s natural beauty, looking good still comes with a price. Over the years I’ve learned several valuable lessons in the beauty enrichment department—some firsthand and some by watching others’ faux pas. Some mistakes cause no more than a fit of giggles but others may make you want to hang out with your dog until it “grows out again.” (Thank goodness our dogs don’t care what we look like, huh?)

Here are some tips I’ve picked up over the years:

• First perms can be quite an ordeal and if you’re considering one, please understand that it may not turn out exactly as you planned. Soft, gentle waves can quickly become “one happenin’ Afro” if your hair curls easily. Fortunately this was a popular style of the day, but it still made quite an interesting look on a short, fair-skinned blonde.

 

• In regards to the previous paragraph, the warning from hairdressers “don’t shampoo for 24 hours or the curl may not set” does not apply to all people.

 

• If attempting to highlight your hair with a DIY home kit, don’t wash the solution out too soon or you may get caught between stages in the coloring process. This can result in orange highlights. Of course, if this is the look you’re after, you’re good to go.

 

• When applying bright lipstick, don’t pucker up and swipe on a lot of color or too much will get on the inside of the lips. Pink teeth are not attractive.

 

• When drinking a red beverage at important social gatherings, remember to take small sips. No gulping even if you’re thirsty. Red mustaches are quite embarrassing on grown women.

 

• Scotch tape works well on fixing ripped hems on bridesmaid’s dresses, especially when it’s mere seconds until picture time. If this does happens, just smile and act like nothing has happened. No one will be the wiser—except for you.

 

• Several hair styling appliances have dual purposes. A curling iron works quite well for ironing wrinkled clothing, unless you’re doing a whole suit, but it’s still better than nothing in emergency situations. Also, if you ever find your front door frozen shut because the humidifier is turned up too high, a hair dryer and a screwdriver are essential tools for alleviating the problem. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)

We can learn much as we strive to achieve gorgeousness. Remember that for every problem you have, someone else has experienced it first. You are never alone in your quest for beauty.

 

HOW YOU CAN WIN A COPY OF “WEDDING ON THE ROCKS.”

Rose is generously offering not one but TWO copies of Wedding on the Rocks AND TWO copies of her previous release Rose of Sharon to readers who comment during the next two weeks and let us know about their most unusual job or a beauty secret and/or mishap. That’s four chances to win a book every time you post here at Inkspirational Messages in the next two weeks.

Contest closes Friday, May 17 at midnight (central time). It is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada only.

Posted on May 7, 2013 - by Shannon Vannatter

Beauty Tips – That I Can Do

Hello, my name is Shannon and I am a lifetime primper. I love makeup. I love big hair. Oh, if only the 80′s big hair would come back. And since Rose’s heroine from Wedding on the Rocks is a beauty advisor, I’m certain we would bond.

From the time I knew what makeup was, around nine years old, I wanted to wear it. And I do. I don’t go anywhere without it. Not even to the mail box and definitely not Walmart.

My love for makeup and big hair sent me to cosmetology school. Oh, was I in my element training to make women beautiful. It would be so glamorous. But, it wasn’t. I ended up with hair in my teeth, my bra, and embedded in the bottom of my foot. You haven’t felt pain until you’ve had a freshly clipped piece of hair stuck in your foot like a splinter. I worked as a hairdresser for ten years and hung up my non-glamorous scissors.

But I still love hair and makeup. Many moons ago, when I was 7 months pregnant and on bed rest with nothing else to do, I watched a Dr. Phil episode. He had a lady on there that never left the house without her makeup. I saw no problem with that. I decided she was insane when Dr. Phil talked her into taking her makeup off–ON NATIONAL TELEVISION!!!!!

I’ve compiled lots of tips over the years–from experience and cosmetology school and you’re getting them free. I usually share these when I’m the speaker at ladies’ retreats. So listen up:

Beauty Tip #1 – Moisturizer doesn’t work on a dry face. Steps: Cleanse your face. Pat water on. Let air dry and apply moisturizer.

Beauty Tip #2 – Always apply moisturizer every morning and every night. Dry skin causes wrinkles. Seal the moisturizer in with foundation.

Beauty Tip #3 – Dry skin = wrinkles. Tanning = dry skin. Don’t tan your face. If you tan the rest of your body and you end up pale-faced, use a bronzer.

Beauty Tip #4 – Eyeliner defines your eyes. Even if you don’t take the time for eyeshadow, line your eyes.

Beauty Tip #5 – Foundation seals moisturizer in. It doesn’t do any good to moisturize if you don’t seal it in.

Beauty Tip #6 – Get your hair trimmed every 6 weeks. Getting rid of split ends maintains a sleek look and keeps hair healthy.

Beauty Tip #7 – Translucent powder smooths and gives the illusion of perfection. After applying makeup, pat with loose translucent powder.

Beauty Tip #8 – Neutral brown or gray shadow looks good with any skin tone.

Beauty Tip #9 – Skin and hair fade as you age. If you color your gray, go about two shades lighter than your used-to-be natural color.

Beauty Tip #10 – Chlorine and sun dry skin and hair. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.

Beauty Tip #11 – Never pull down on the delicate skin underneath the eye. Not to apply makeup or put in contacts. Causes bags.

Beauty Tip #12 – Bangs soften a long forehead.

Beauty Tip #13 – Hair parted down the middle draws attention to your nose. Which is fine, if you have a pretty one.

Beauty Tip #14 – If your jaw is square, wear your hair in a rounded style to soften angles.

Beauty Tip #15 – If your face is round, wear your hair in a blunt, squared style to soften.

Beauty Tip #16 – Test foundation on your wrist for color match.

Beauty Tip #16 – Test foundation on the inside of your wrist for color match.

Beauty Tip #17 – The secret to great eyeshadow: blending.

Beauty Tip #18 – The secret to great blush: blending.

Beauty Tip #19 – Get your eyebrows professionally waxed. Then pluck what grows back in.

Final Beauty Tip #20 – Embrace your age–whatever it is. If you feel good about yourself, you look good.

HOW CAN YOU WIN A COPY OF WEDDING ON THE ROCKS?

Rose is generously offering not one but TWO copies of Wedding on the Rocks AND TWO copies of her previous release Rose of Sharon to readers who comment during the next two weeks and let us know about their most unusual job or a beauty secret and/or mishap. That’s 4 chances to win a book every time you comment here at Inkspirational Messages in the next two weeks.

Contest closes Friday, May 17 at midnight (central time). It is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada only.

Posted on May 5, 2013 - by Lorna Seilstad

Wedding on the Rocks Releases!

April showers bring…May releases! And here at Inkspirational Messages, we have book releases blooming all over the place.

Please join us during the next two weeks as we celebrate our very own Rose Ross Zediker’s May release Wedding on the Rocks. Because the hero in Rose’s book in an archeologsit, some of the Inkspers will be sharing about the most unusual job they’ve had. However, since the heroine writes a beauty advice column for teens, some of the Inkspers will be sharing beauty tips they received while growing up. Some may even be brave enough to share a mishap.

Now, here’s a littel about Wedding on the Rocks.

JENNIFER EDWARDS IS BACK HOME
AGAIN…

When she traded small-town life for the bright lights of Chicago, Jennifer Edwards yearned to discover a world beyond Faith, South Dakota. So when her father’s illness calls her home to run their cattle ranch, she tells herself it’s temporary. Then why is she even thinking about a future with archaeology professor Brett Lange-the boy she left behind-whose life’s work is digging up the past?

Twelve years ago, Brett had a crush on Jennifer the size of the T-rex that put his hometown on the map. Now she’s a citified magazine editor who prefers designer duds to dungarees. Except that’s not the real Jennifer. Brett needs to make her see how a little faith can go a long way in uniting two perfectly-in-sync hearts.

My most unusual job? One summer, I worked for a temporary agency between my junior and senior year of college.

I was placed in a distribution center where my job, they said, “required a college education.” While I had high hopes, I soon learned my job was to count the number of boxes on a pallet and see if matched the invoice. If you could mulitply 8 x 6, you could do this job. But hey, I made more money than most people that summer.

HOW CAN YOU WIN A COPY OF WEDDING ON THE ROCKS?

Rose is generously offering not one but TWO copies of Wedding on the Rocks AND TWO copies of her previous release Rose of Sharon to readers who comment during the next two weeks and let us know about their most unusual job or a beauty secret and/or mishap.  That’s four chances to win a book every time you post here at Inkspirational Messages in the next two weeks.

Contest closes Friday, May 17 at midnight (central time). It is open to readers in the U.S. and Cananda only

~*~*~*~

Also, mark your caledars for the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. Get more details here.

Posted on May 3, 2013 - by Kav

Literary Sisters

There’s something about literary sisters.  They capture a reader’s heart and loyalty for life. If I
said Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy you would know right away that I was talking about the March sisters. And the astonishing thing is that they have made an impact on readers for over a hundred years! There’s just something about the complexities and loyalty of sisterly love when it’s magnified in a really good book. Like Lorna’s Gregory sisters.

I experienced the same ‘March rush’ as I became acquainted with Hannah, Charlotte and Tessa.  Lorna has breathed life into these sisters – three unique individuals who don’t always agree,  but are fiercely loyal when it counts. Lorna got the sisterly dynamics right — from the squabbles to the tears and laughter. She also did an amazing job of laying the groundwork for the next two books in the series. I’m already invested in Charlotte and Tessa’s stories and impatiently waiting for their releases. And, as a youngest child, I have to confess that I have particularly bonded with the youngest Gregory sister, Tessa. I think we might be kindred spirits. Brats of a kind.

So don’t miss out on the opportunity to share your sister stories so you’ll have a chance at winning your own copy of When Love Calls…as well as a spare for a sister. But hurry, today is the last day to get in draw. You have until midnight, central time. Offer open to those in the U.S. and Canada. Name chosen by random.org.

Good luck everyone!

 

Posted on April 19, 2013 - by Kav

The Suspense is Killing Me!

I love a good romantic suspense and I’m thrilled about some new releases due to hit the bookstore shelves in the next few months. Take a look :

Investigative reporter Jillian Carter knows it’s time to put the past to rest. She’s tired of looking over her shoulder, letting a killer go free. She’s no longer the scared kid who changed her name and disappeared. Now, no matter what the cost, Jillian must do what she is trained to do–ferret out the truth and expose it. Senator Frank Hoffman committed murder ten years ago–and Jillian watched it happen.Didn’t she?Not even the enigmatic and attractive Colton Brady, her ex-boyfriend and nephew of the killer, will be able to make her leave this alone. Get ready for the spine-tingling, nail-biting conclusion to an explosive series.

Release date: May 2013

 

 

 

Research scientist Kate Adams and her colleague Daisy are on the brink of a breakthrough for treating depression with herbal medicine when Daisy suddenly dies. Kate knows that if it hadn’t been for Daisy’s mentorship, she wouldn’t have the job she loves or the faith she clings to. So when police rule Daisy’s death a suicide, Kate is determined to unearth the truth.

Former FBI agent Tom Parker finds it hard to adjust to life back in his hometown of Port Aster. Though an old buddy gives him a job as a detective on the local police force, not everyone approves. Tom’s just trying to keep a low profile, so when Kate Adams demands he reopen the investigation of her friend’s death, he knows his job is at stake. In fact, despite his attraction to her, Tom thinks Kate looks a bit suspicious herself.

As evidence mounts, a web of intrigue is woven around the sleepy town of Port Aster. Can Kate uncover the truth? Or will Tom stand in her way?

Release Date : June 2013

Don’t forget about the chance to win a copy of Lorna’ Seilstad’s new release, When Love Calls by commenting on any of the blog posts this past two weeks.

Posted on April 18, 2013 - by Regina

SPRING, WHEN A READER’S HEART . . . SOARS!

I am overwhelmed by the number of new books coming out! Every time someone asks, “have you read . . .?”, I just shake my head and say, “I’m at least 4 books behind on my TBR pile as it is!” Lorna’s When Love Calls is VERY high on that list, BTW – and check out the contest at the bottom of the post for YOUR chance to win a copy!

Anyway, I’ll get to them, eventually – that’s one of the perks of working in a public library with a growing Christian Fiction section!

Today I want to focus on the four books that I’ve anticipated for a LONG time – One of which, I’ve read, and four that I want to read ASAP!

Here they are, in order of their release . . .

***

Picture Perfect, by Janice Thompson, came out in February, and as an avid fan of her “Weddings by Bella” series, I was thrilled to see Bella back with her family and business in full swing, and ready to help out some other professionals in the wedding biz! Here’s a blurb:

She’s trying to focus on her future. How can one man make everything feel so . . . fuzzy?

Hannah McDermott has a successful photography studio. She’ll soon be featured in Texas Bride magazine. And she has a celebrity client whose Galveston ceremony will be her ticket to the top spot on wedding coordinator Bella Neeley’s list of recommended photographers. But it could all come crashing down around her because of one man: archrival and photographer extraordinaire Drew Kincaid.

As the competition between Hannah and Drew heats up, Hannah is surprised to find that it’s not the only thing getting more intense. She can’t get the handsome man out of her thoughts–or even out of her line of sight–and the job of her dreams is turning into a nightmare. Will everything she’s worked for slip out of her hands? And can she see past her pride to find a picture-perfect love?

With contagious humor and a cast of quirky characters, Janice Thompson gives you crazy bridal-business drama, sweet romance, and a satisfying dose of laughter.

I am told that there will be MORE Bella books coming!

***

I met debut author Patrick Carr at my first-ever ACFW conference – his, too – and liked him immediately. Not only does he have a quirky sense of humor, but, bless his heart, he has taught middle and high school, just like my husband. A minion of author Kaye Dacus, he and our own Dawn Ford will be the reason I delve into Speculative Fiction!

Here is a bit from Carr’s February release, A Cast of Stones:

The Fate of the Kingdom Awaits the Cast of Stones

In the backwater village of Callowford, roustabout Errol Stone is enlisted by a church messenger arriving with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Eager for coin, Errol agrees to what he thinks will be an easy task, but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he’s joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.

Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom’s dynasty nears its end and the selection of the new king begins–but in secret and shadow. As danger mounts, Errol must leave behind the stains and griefs of the past, learn to fight, and discover who is hunting him and his companions and how far they will go to stop the reading of the stones.

Pssst . . . Patrick’s 2^nd book in the “Staff and the Sword” series comes out this summer!

***

Sandra Robbins’ March release of Mountain Homecoming is next on my list. Usually a writer of suspense, Robbins took historical romance to heart and placed it her beloved Tennessee Smoky Mountains.

In the second book in the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, acclaimed author Sandra Robbins spins a tender tale of God’s faithfulness throughout the generations.

Rani Martin, Simon and Anna’s only daughter, is a beautiful and spirited young woman living deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. She has plenty of ideas about the man she’ll marry someday, but none of them could have prepared her for the return of Matthew Jackson.

Matthew left Cades Cove as a child after his father’s death. Now he’s come back to build a new life for himself, and it’s his dearest wish that Rani be a part of that life. But the people of the Cove won’t let him forget the sins of his father, and Matthew can’t forget the darkness of his own past.

Is there a place for Matthew in the Cove? And can the light of Rani’s love overcome his pain?

***

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, is the highly-anticipated May 1 release of Kaye Dacus’ Follow the Heart: A Great Exhibition Novel. For those of you who have followed her contemporary “Brides of Boneterre” series and her historical “Ransome Trilogy,” you know that to read Kaye’s books is to find humor, suspense, and tender romance, no matter what the era.

A bit from Follow the Heart:

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 want more in-depth info about this series, check out Kaye’s blog at http://www.kayedacus.com!

Happy Reading, Happy SPRING!

***Contest Reminder***

Every time you  leave a comment on posts dated April 8, 2013 through April 19, 2013, you’ll be entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of When Love Calls plus a $10 Starbucks card! Contest ends Friday, April 19, 2013 at midnight. Winner will be posted on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Also, be sure to hop over to Lorna’s Facebook Fan Page and *like* it. She’s having a Likefest. As soon as she reaches 800 Likes, her publisher will have a giveaway for a complete set of her books!

Posted on April 17, 2013 - by Brenda Anderson

Spring Reads – The Final Four

*Book Giveaway – See below*

Oh,  my favorite topic again! Books! It’s so much fun reading all the other posts these past couple of weeks, seeing what everyone’s reading, adding titles to my overfull list. The problem for me is, deciding which book(s) to talk about.

It goes without saying that I’m very excited for my fellow bloggers who have new releases or coming releases (WHEN LOVE CALLS by Lorna Seilstad, WEDDING ON THE ROCKS by Rose Ross Zediker, and RODEO REGRETS by Shannon Taylor Vannatter), but we’ll hear more about them later.

So, I had to make a decision and whittle my To Be Read list (37 books on my wish list at Christianbook.com) down to a nice square number like 4. Just because.

Just finished reading:

WISHING ON WILLOWS by Katie Ganshert

Description:

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.

So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.

The sophomore work from Katie Ganshert is even better than her brilliant debut last year, WILDFLOWERS FROM WINTER. (Read my review of Wishing on Willows here: ) If you’re looking for a romance that’s redemptive, unpredictable, and heart-tugging, pick up this one.

Reading Now:

WHEN THE MORNING GLORY BLOOMS by Cynthia Ruchti

Description:

Becky rocks a baby that rocked her world. Sixty years earlier, with her fiancé Drew in the middle of the Korean Conflict, Ivy throws herself into her work at a nursing home to keep her sanity and provide for the child Drew doesn’t know is coming. Ivy cares for Anna, an elderly patient who taxes Ivy’s listening ear until the day she suspects Anna’s tall tales are not the ramblings of dementia. They’re fragments of Anna’s disjointed memories of a remarkable life. Finding a faint thread of hope she can’t resist tugging, Ivy records Anna’s memoir, scribbling furiously after hours to keep up with the woman’s emotion-packed, grace-hemmed stories. Is Ivy’s answer buried in Anna’s past? Becky, Ivy, Anna–three women fight a tangled vine of deception in search of the blossoming simplicity of truth.

I just started this book, and can’t put it down! Once again Cynthia Ruchti has created a page-turning story woven together with beautiful prose.

Next On My List:

UNDENIABLY YOURS by Becky Wade

Description:

Winsome and Romantic–the Perfect Summer Read!

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?

Becky Wade’s CBA debut last year, My Stubborn Heart, was a Favorite of mine in 2012. I have little doubt that Undeniably Yours will make my Favorites list for 2013.

ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger

Description:

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.”

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.

Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family— which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother— he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.

Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

William Kent Krueger is known for his Corcoran O’Connor series about a half Irish, half Ojibwe Sheriff in northern Minnesota. While those novels are not Christian, Krueger has always had an element of faith to them, so I’m very curious how he’ll deal with grace here.

***Contest Reminder***

Every time you  leave a comment on posts dated April 8, 2013 through April 19, 2013, you’ll be entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of When Love Calls plus a $10 Starbucks card! Contest ends Friday, April 19, 2013 at midnight. Winner will be posted on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Also, be sure to hop over to Lorna’s Facebook Fan Page and *like* it. She’s having a Likefest. After she reaches 800 Likes, her publisher (Revell) will have a giveaway for a complete set of her Lake Manawa Series! Drawing will be held April 30.

Posted on April 16, 2013 - by Stacy Monson

The Joy of New

I’m all for new things – like warm weather and sunshine (we don’t have either yet here in Minnesota). So along those lines, I’m looking forward to reading books by authors I’m unfamiliar with. There’s always that little excitement when I read something from an author I don’t know – perhaps this person will become one of my go-to authors in the future. We’ll see!

Marrying Kate by Kimberly Rae Jordan (March 3, 2013 release)
She has loved him for years, so when Jared asks her to marry him for the sake of the orphaned children of his brother and her sister, Kate says yes. The foundation of their marriage is a mutual love for their nieces and nephew, but Kate hopes for more. As they learn about God’s ideal for marriage and how it works for them, danger from Jared’s past threatens their family. Will they have the chance to see if respect and affection can blossom into love before it’s too late? Or will a man’s need to protect his secrets rob them of the marriage Kate dreams of?

Sounds like a sweet story – and I’m a sucker for stories with kids.

Then there’s Beth Wiseman. Yes, all of you have probably read at least one of her many books – but not me! So I’m really excited to see why she’s so popular. Her newest release is The House That Love Built. (April 2, 2013 release)