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Permanent Vacancy

By Katie Lee

BUYER BEWARE

When Gretchen Bauer begins renovating an old Victorian house to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, she barely escapes several dangerous “accidents” at her home. Colm McCrae, host of the home improvement TV show helping her renovate, refuses to believe these aren’t on purpose. Could this be a harmful ploy by his boss to boost ratings? Yet with Colm’s Irish brogue and handsome face, Gretchen wonders whether he could be involved. But with a whole town full of neighbors disgruntled about the inn bringing strangers to their shores, Gretchen has a list of more likely suspects. Now she must trust Colm if she wants to keep her new business venture from turning into a five-star death trap.

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It’s good to return to Stepping Stones and revisit some of the inhabitants in more depth.

Gretchen is renovating an old house with plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast. But it’s not going along very easily. Some of the town’s citizens are against bringing in more tourists to the island.

Eventually too many “accidents” build up and a person has to wonder if it’s just sabotage or does someone want Gretchen dead. Either way, she’s in lots of danger.

Who’s doing this? Gretchen begins to suspect nearly everyone – even that charming host of the TV hone improvement show that’s helping with the renovation.

I’m not going to tell you any more of the who, how and why. Just know that when you start reading this book, you’ll probably not put it down until you reach the end. Surprises await you.

Thank you, Katie Lee, for once again putting me on the edge of my seat while on this lovely island. If it were warmer up there, I’d want to move to Stepping Stones.

***A special thank you to the author for providing a review copy.***

Katy Lee writes suspenseful romances that thrill and inspire. She believes every story should stir and satisfy the reader–from the edge of their seat. A native New Englander, Katy loves to knit warm wooly things. She enjoys traveling the side-roads and exploring the locals’ hideaways. A homeschooling mom of three competitive swimmers, Katy often writes from the stands while cheering them on. Visit Katy at: www.KatyLeeBooks.com.

A Bride at Last

By M?elissa Jagears

Abandoned by his mail-order bride, Silas Jonesey has fought an uphill battle to recover from a pattern of poor choices. Now his prayers for reconciliation have finally come true and his estranged wife has contacted him with her whereabouts.

Kate Dawson was supposed to be a mail-order bride, but upon realizing she’d been deceived about her intended groom, she’s now settled into life as a schoolteacher. When the mother of a student passes away, Kate assumes she’ll take on care of nine-year-old Anthony—until two men suddenly show up in town, claiming to be the boy’s father.

Silas can see Anthony loves Kate, so he enlists her help in reaching out to the boy and attempting to prove his paternity to the court. When a common interest in Anthony leads to an interest in each other and Silas and Kate begin to think they can overcome their rocky start, neither is prepared for the secrets and past hurts that have yet to come to light. Can Silas, Kate, and Anthony’s wounded souls bind them together or will all that stands between them leave them lonely forever?

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Had Silas made a mess of his life? He couldn’t even hold onto his mail order bride. Life with Silas just wasn’t as good as Lucinda thought it should be, so she ran away. Life on her own with a small son wasn’t all it was cracked up to be either. In the end she had to depend on the kindness of others.

Then came a battle over the boy. Two men and a schoolteacher wanted custody of Anthony. It’s all too much for him, so he runs away. Now it becomes a race against time and the need to prove parentage to the judge.

When and where will they find Anthony? Does anyone really care about what a child wants?

Thank you, Ms Jagears, for this really good read. What do you have in store for us next?

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Much to her introverted self’s delight, Melissa Jagears hardly needs to leave her home to be a homeschool teacher, day-care provider, church financial secretary, and historical romance novelist. She doesn’t have to leave her house to be a housekeeper either, but she’s doubtful she meets the minimum qualifications to claim to be one in her official bio. Her passion is to help Christian believers mature in their faith and judge rightly.

Find Melissa online here.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

By Beth K. Vogt

Wedding bells and storm clouds collide in the first engaging novel in a brand-new series about destination weddings, the power of love, and the possible mishaps and missteps that happen on a couple’s journey down the aisle to “I do.”

Paramedic Vanessa Hollister has put her adolescence behind her, including the unwanted label of being the new kid in town over and over again, thanks to her father’s military career. She’s overcome what her mother called “the biggest mistake of her life” and is planning an elegant destination wedding in Destin, Florida with her new fiancé. But will the reappearance of her first husband from her what-were-you-thinking teenage elopement disrupt her dream of an idyllic beach wedding?

As a professional storm chaser, Logan Hollister is used to taking risks. However, a reckless decision during the last tornado season has him questioning the future of his team, the Stormmeisters. Coming face to face with his ex-wife eight years after their divorce compels him to confront his greatest regret: losing Vanessa. Does their past give him the right to interfere with her future?

A fast-moving, powerful hurricane throws Vanessa and Logan together as they evacuate to a storm shelter along with other residents of the Florida Gulf Coast. Forced to spend time together, the pair battles unexpected renewed feelings for each other.

Vanessa and Logan are faced with a choice: Should they accept, once and for all, their teenage marital mistake? Or is God offering them a second chance at happily ever after?

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Vanessa’s fiance’ Ted has talked her into planning a Florida destination wedding. Alwys practical and efficient, he plans to include attending a medical seminar to further his career as an ER doc. Doesn’t Vanessa yearn for a little more romance than that?

Then Ted gets the bright idea for Vanessa to take some time off from her job and fly down to Florida to make all the arrangements in person. Vanessa is less than thrilled. The seminar location is her old stomping grounds where she left a lot of memories.

Well, Vanessa went after a detour to Montana first. When she finally made it to Florida she indeed was hit with unhappy memories of her past mistakes. This was going to be a difficult trip.

Be sure you have a box of tissues handy. I think it was about chapter 28 that I started crying, and cried all the way to the end.

Thank you, Ms Vogt.It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that touched my heart as much as this one.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A 2015 RITA® Finalist and a 2014 Carol Award finalist, Beth is a contemporary romance novelist with Howard Books. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. In 2015 she introduced her destination wedding series with both an e-novella, Can’t Buy Me Love, (May) and a novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (June).

Among the Fair Magnolias

In the most turbulent decade of our nation’s history, four Southern women—destinies forged by birth, hearts steeled by war—face near impossible choices on their journeys in life . . . and in love.

To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander

Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, one of the heart.

An Outlaw’s Heart by Shelley Gray

When Russell Stark returns to Fort Worth, he’s determined to begin a new life. But when he arrives at his mother’s homestead, he discovers she’s very ill, and the woman he loved is still as beautiful and sweet as he remembered. With time running out, Russell must come to terms with both his future and his past.

A Heart So True by Dorothy Love

Abigail knows all too well what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles and take her place in society. But her heart belongs to another. A terrible incident forces Abby to choose between love and duty.

Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser

Emily has a secret: She’s in love with one of the freedmen on her family’s plantation. Meanwhile, another man declares his love for her. Emily realizes some things are not as they seem and secrets must be kept in order to keep those she loves safe.

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In To Mend a Dream we return to Savannah Darby’s life after To Win Her Favor. She lost the home she loved and is trying to support her younger brother and sister. Now she’s going to have a chance to once more see the inside of her former home. Due to her skill in sewing and decorating, she’ll be working for the new owner of Darby Farm.

She’s also going to have the opportunity to search for the box her father hid before going off to fight in the war. After too many near misses, will she finally get caught? And what’s she going to do about falling in love with someone else’s fiance’?

In An Outlaw’s Heart, Russell returns to Broken Arrow, Texas after nearly a seven year absence. He fled his home, his mother and his girl and rode with a gang of outlaws. Now he’s back and he’s not sure why. He returned to a broken down house and barn and a broken hearted mother.

What can he do? He has no dreams left. He just wants to see his mother and maybe find out about Nora. Has she married and moved on with her life? Partialy. Se is finally seeing a man who may not be all he appears to be. Maybe Russell still has a chance with her.

In A Heart So True we’re taken back to Pawleys Island and Charlotte Fraser from Carolina Gold. The Frasers are at their summer home on the island and preparing for their annal barbeque. Mr. Fraser is interested in obtaining political office so it’s an even bigger deal this year. The governor will be attending, so everything must be perfect (including Charlotte’s behavior).

Charlotte wants to marry Dr. Wade Bennett, but her father wants her to marry Charles Kittridge. Which engagement will be announced at the party?

In Love Beyond Limits Emily lives in a sorry time in our nation’s history. She is teaching how to read to the freedmen and their families who live on her father’s plantation. Many do not take kindly to the freeing of the slaves nor to their learning to read.

This is the time of the Klan and their vicious torturing and killing of the blacks. Emily’s love and allegience puts her, her family and the freedmen in danger. And as a topper, she finds out that the man she finally agreed to marry belongs to the Klan. You’ll find a bit of a surprise at the ending.

These novellas were penned by four talented ladies. I thoroughly enjoyed each novella, but I especially enjoyed the two which took me back to follow up on a character from a novel I had read. I’m looking forward to more from these ladies.

A bonus – recipes and discussion questions in the back of the book.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of numerous books including A Lasting Impression and The Inheritance. Tamera is a two-time Christy Award winner, two-time RITA winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Library Journal Award. A native of west Tennessee.

Dorothy Love makes her home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their golden retriever. An award-winning author of numerous young adult novels, Dorothy made her adult debut with the Hickory Ridge novels.

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list.

Elizabeth Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia now living in France, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’ For over 25 years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams.

To Capture Her Heart

By Rebecca DeMarino

In an uncertain time, she faces a choice that will change her life forever.

It is 1653 and Heather Flower, a princess of the Montaukett tribe, is celebrating her wedding feast when a rival tribe attacks, killing the groom and kidnapping her. Though her ransom is paid by an Englishman, she is bound by her captors and left to die–until she finds herself rescued by handsome Dutch Lieutenant Dirk Van Buren.

Still tender from her loss, Heather Flower begins to heal in the home of the Hortons, English friends of her people. Torn between her affection for Dirk and her longtime friendship with Ben Horton, Heather Flower must make a difficult choice–stay true to her friend or follow her heart.

Exploring a unique slice of history, Rebecca DeMarino transports you to the wild land that would eventually become Long Island, New York.

ISLAND BREEZES

Wed and widowed on the same day, she’s now the object of two men’s affections. Love her as they might, they need patience to allow Heather Flower to get past her grief.

There’s also cultural barriers. Heather Flower is an Indian princess while one of her admirers is English and the other Dutch.

She goes to her aunt whose wisdom helps her process her grief. It still doesn’t help her decide which man to marry. Her heart belongs to the Dutchman but she ends up agreeing to marry the other. After all, Dirk seems to no longer care since he hasn’t shown up for a long time, and Ben is right there.

My heart said she should still wait, but now it’s her wedding day. It appears that she’s chosen to make do with Ben who has been a longstanding friend.

Thank you, Ms De Marino, for a book I didn’t want to put down.

***A special thank you to Lanette Haskins for providing a review copy.***

Rebecca DeMarino is the author of A Place in His Heart, book one of The Southold Chronicles, a series inspired by her ninth great-grandparents, Barnabas and Mary Horton. She inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother; a love of horses, reading, and writing from her dad; and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Rebecca lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Tom. Learn more at www.rebeccademarino.com.

Thriving in Babylon

By Larry Osborne

Meet a man forced to live in a fast changing and godless society. He faced fears about the future, concern for his safety, and the discouragement of world that seemed to be falling apart at warp speed.

Sound familiar? His name was Daniel, and with the power of hope, humility, and wisdom, he not only thrived, he changed an empire while he was at it. Though he lived thousands of years ago, he has a much to teach us today.

Even in Babylon, God is in control.

In Thriving in Babylon, Larry Osborne explores the “adult” story of Daniel to help us not only survive – but actually thrive in an increasingly godless culture. Here Pastor Osborne looks at:

-Why panic and despair are never from God

-What true optimism looks like

-How humility disarms even our greatest of enemies

-Why respect causes even those who will have nothing to do with God to listen

-How wisdom can snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat

For those who know Jesus and understand the full implications of the cross, the resurrection, and the promises of Jesus, everything changes—not only in us, but also in our world.

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We are definitely living in Babylon and it isn’t easy. Larry Osbourne says we cannot only survive here, but we can also thrive. The big question is how.

Hope, humility and wisdom. Mr. Osborne takes us through the book of Daniel and then guides our focus on these three needs in order to thrive in the midst of present day evil.

Have you been to spiritual boot camp? That’s what is needed to build the five qualities we need to thrive in our Babylon.

• Obedience
• Perspective
• Endurance
• Confidence
• Courage

Always remember that even the tiniest light shines brightly in total darkness. This book leads us to being that light as we survive and thrive in Babylon. Thank you, Mr. Osborne, for shining your light through this book.

Gone without a Trace

By Patricia Bradley

The past is repeating itself–and time is running out

It’s been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds’s cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts her concerning a senator’s missing granddaughter who was last seen in Logan Point, Livy notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. With self-doubt plaguing her and an almost instant dislike of the self-assured PI, she’s finding this investigation an uphill battle. But with the prospect of finding her cousin on the horizon, she’ll have to find a way to work with Alex–before it’s too late.

Award-winning author Patricia Bradley keeps you on the edge of your seat with a case–and a relationship–that is anything but certain.

ISLAND BREEZES

Livy Reynolds is a cop on leave.She froze up and endangered her partner when she didn’t fire at the perp. All because she was haunted by a teenage boy she killed. She had a choice – take a leave or man a desk. She chose the leave and ended up at her Aunt Kate’s B & B. She went for dinner and stayed.

That same day PI Alex Jennings checked in at Kate’s place. Livy, being a homicide detective with the Memphis PD, thought little of Alex’s sleazy profession. Don’t you just know they would end up as a team? After all, two girls have mysteriously disappeared. Were they in the hands of a serial killer or some other kind of wacko?

There’s a lot of interesting twists in this book. I thought I had figured out the bad guy, but I hadn’t. Then I was sure it was someone else. It wasn’t. This is one of those books I didn’t want to put down until I finished it.

Thank you, Ms Bradley. I’m certainly looking forward to your next book.

***A special thank you to Revell for providing a review copy.***

Patricia Bradley is the winner of a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award and a 2012 Touched by Love Award and was also a finalist for the 2012 Genesis Award. The author of Shadows of the Past and A Promise to Protect, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Bradley makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at www.ptbradley.com.

Someday Home

By Lauraine Snelling

The sprawling lake home Lynn Lundberg built with her husband has been an epicenter of joyful family life, from summer holidays spent around the water, to cookies baked in the kitchen with grandchildren in the fall. But since her husband’s sudden passing two years ago, Lynn has been lost in the grief and solitude she feels without him at home. She doesn’t want to sell the big family place, but she can’t exist there on her own much longer. After hearing of a new way of living–where single women share responsibilities as housemates–Lynn thinks she’s found the answer to her prayers. Soon she meets two ladies with whom she could begin this journey. But coming from such differing circumstances, will the new challenges they face undo their plans? Or will they begin a friendship to see them through the years to come in this Someday Home.
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This novel brings together three lost and lonely women and turns them into a family.

Lynn is a widow with a home that’s too big for her, but she doesn’t want to give it up.

Angela is a real estate agent whose husband found greener pastures. She wants to leave bad memories behind.

Judith gave up her hopes and dreams as a young woman to care for her parents. Her father put her through the wringer and didn’t even have the decency to leave her a home or money. The only way she can stay in her home is if she becomes a live in caretaker for the living history museum her father created.

Three very different women who have to start life over. This new living arrangement they have will have them struggling with their new coalition. Will it work? The title says it will.

Thank you, Ms Snelling, for giving us this book of endings and beginnings.

***A special thank you to Katie Conners for providing a review copy.***

Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of more than 65 novels. Her books consistently appear on ECPA bestseller lists and have been translated into Norwegian, Danish, and German. A hallmark of her style is the empathy with which she explores difficult issues in her compelling stories. Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a bassett named Sir Winston. Learn more: LauraineSnelling.com

Beyond the Ashes

By Karen Barnett

“Tis better to have loved and lost…,” but can Ruby Marshall risk her heart a second time?

Where better to rebuild and face one’s fears than in 1906 San Francisco, a city rising from the ashes? Ruby Marshall, a young widow, is certain she’ll discover new purpose assisting her brother Robert with his cancer research, but she doesn’t anticipate finding new love.

Dr. Gerald Larkspur dreams of filling his empty home with family, but he’d always hoped it would be a wife and children. In the aftermath of the great earthquake, the rooms are overflowing with extended family and friends left homeless by the disaster. When Robert’s widowed sister arrives, the close quarters seem close indeed. Ruby and Gerald’s fledgling romance is put at risk when Gerald develops symptoms of the very disease they’re striving to cure. Together they must ask—is it worth a second chance at love when time might be short?

Note: Beyond the Ashes is the second book in The Golden Gate Chronicles series. To find out more about the series and to purchase book one click here.

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Ruby eagerly arrived in San Francisco to help her brother with his cancer research. What she didn’t know ahead of time was his engagement to his boss’s cousin. She also didn’t know about their living arrangements. With the fire leaving so much in ashes people are camping out where ever they can.

Ruby has many adjustments to make, including going about in an automobile, the squalid conditions in the tent city, and the disheartening cancer that her brother and Dr. Larkspur deal with daily.

Both Gerald Larkspur and Ruby need some love in their lives. Just when it seems they’ve found it in each other, Gerald turns from Ruby and that love. Why? And will it ever be possible to recapture it? Be prepared for tears near the end of this book.

This is a good stand alone read, but you’ll appreciate it more if you read Out of the Ruins first. I’m looking forward to the third book of The Golden Gate Chronicles. Thank you, Ms Barnett, for continuing to teach me more about the San Francisco earthquake and the resulting fires.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Karen Barnett is the author of Mistaken and several articles that have been published by Guideposts and other national magazines. She lives in Albany, Oregon, with her husband, two children, and three cats.

Find Karen’s website here.

Summer’s List

By Anita Higman

A dying wish alters the course of a young woman’s life.

Life hadn’t been easy for Summer Snow. In acts of selflessness-caring for her ailing parents and running her grandmother’s bookstore-she had forfeited her youth and dreams for the needs of others. And the only tries she had at love… didn’t turn out. She had the bookstore, she had her beloved granny, but she was missing something-or someone.

Opportunity strikes when Granny sends Summer on an unexpected adventure with one Martin Langtree, a kind but gangly young man from Summer’s past. A childhood friendship is rekindled, a romance is sparked, and mysteries are solved in one magical Texas summer. Will Summer strike out on love again, or will things finally go her way?

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Summer has class. Her fiance’ Elliot only thinks he has. He’s a wannabe senator with the beautiful woman on his arm. But she no longer wants to be his adoring, perfect, little wife. Now that Summer walked out of the restaurant and Elliot’s life, where will she go? What will she do? All she’s seeing are dead ends.

Right now it’s off to Granny’s and her unconditional love. Granny has been the one pillar of strength that Summer could always count on. Until now. Granny’s dying. She has one request of Summer. Granny’s made a list of things she wants Summer to do. First on the list is to find her childhood friend, Martin, and persuade him to help her fulfill the list with her.

Summer does find Martin, along with his very interesting family. Martin was always Summer’s best friend. Would this continue as he helps Summer cross everything off her list?

You’d better have that box of tissues handy as you read this book. There are tears near the end – some sad, some happy.

Thank you, Ms Higman, for this touching embrace of life’s realities.

***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has over thirty books published (several coauthored) for adults and children. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends.

Find out more about Anita at http://anitahigman.com.