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Betting on Hope

By Debra Clopton

A bet gone wrong. A small town’s meddling. And a cowboy intent on saving his ranch.

Maggie Hope is an advice columnist whose background leaves her with little advice to give . . . and it’s beginning to show. When Maggie fills in at an interview with champion horse trainer Tru Monahan, the on-camera chemistry between them is undeniable. Maggie’s bosses know this is the opportunity she’s been looking for to launch her career—and their bank accounts. In order to save her column, Maggie takes Tru up on the bet that he can teach her to ride a quick-stepping cutting horse like any cowgirl, despite the fact that she has never been on a horse. And in the meantime, she can get the scoop on the man under the cowboy hat.

Tru has been on the competition circuit for longer than he’d like, but he knows it’s the only way he can afford to keep the Four of Hearts Ranch that means so much to his ailing grandfather. So when his sponsors see the opportunity for Tru’s fans to get to know the star on a more intimate level, he knows he must oblige. To his dismay, Maggie not only invades his small town of Wishing Springs, but she also invades his heart, and that is something he cannot let any woman do-for her own good.

In Wishing Springs, Maggie finds what she has always been looking for: a community and a home. But when her past catches up to her, it threatens everything, even the tender hope that this town holds all of her heart’s desires.

ISLAND BREEZES

She may be beautiful. She may be clumsy, but she’s an advice columnist, not a TV personality. Not only did she mess up an interview with a high profile cowboy, she also got herself into a bet involving horse riding.

Not going to happen since those huge animals terrified her. Except now her job is at stake. The cowboy’s also been coerced by his sponsers into teaching Maggie and entering her into a cutting horse event where she will separate cattle from the rest of the herd.

Neither Tru nor Maggie care much for each other as they enter into this farce. Is there any possibly that they might end up as friends at the end of this? Maggie’s secret just might rule that out. I’ll give you a little clue. You’ll probably need tissues for tears at the end of this book.

Thank you, Ms Clopton. I’m looking forward to more Four of Hears Ranch Romances.

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

Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra’s goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.

The Messiah’s Sign

By Amber Schamel

Dreams…they shouldn’t bother him, but when Tyrus’ worst nightmare is vindicated, he has no choice but to face reality. His wife has been unfaithful, and God has punished her with the most feared disease in the land: leprosy. Banishing her to the leper colony, Tyrus struggles to raise and protect their son. But when Malon begins following the teacher from Nazareth, what remains of their business and reputation is at stake. Can Tyrus save his son from the beguiling lies of a false Messiah before he loses the only thing he has left?

Go here to read the first chapter.

ISLAND BREEZES

Tyrus is a married man now with his own child, but is still haunted by the death of his baby sister. His nightmares are turning into real life.

He has to send his wife to a leper colony, and try to rebuild his life without her. He has a six-year-old son and a business to keep running at a profit. It’s not an easy task.

I can’t really go into much detail without ruining the plot for you. I will say that you will recognize names, but they won’t tell you what’s going to happen until the end of the story.

Ms Schamel has once again left me wanting more.

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

Amber Schamel was born in Littleton, CO and has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and the Holy Land. She was raised in a family of 11 children, homeschooled throughout her education and currently works with their 10 family businesses as bookkeeper and marketing director. She volunteers half of the summer at a non-profit Christian Family Bootcamp in rural MO helping and ministering to young girls and Christian families. Amber loves history, culture, reading and music. She has a musical ministry and travels throughout the United States ministering thru song. During her spare time she enjoys crafting Christ-honoring stories that will inspire and encourage her readers. Amber currently lives with her family outside of Colorado Springs, CO.

In Terri Blackstock’s third and final book in her Moonlighters series, Twisted Innocence, readers are in for a story of suspense and redemption. Dangers old and new threaten Holly and her baby, and lives are demanded as sacrifices for love. Through a complex web of mistakes and regret, redemption is the one hope Holly has left to hold on to.

Celebrate the series’ final release by entering Terri’s Nook giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Nook GlowLight
• The entire Moonlighters series

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 8th. Winner will be announced March 9th on the Litfuse blog.

The Trouble with Patience

By Maggie Brendan

Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with restoring a dilapidated boardinghouse in order to support herself.

Despite Patience’s desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local marshal with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: She needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse. He needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But as she gets to know this “hanging lawman,” Patience finds there is far more to him than meets the eye–and it could destroy their tenuous relationship forever.

With a keen eye for historical detail and a deft hand at romantic tension, Maggie Brendan invites you to a Montana gold rush boomtown, where vices and virtues are on full display and love is lying in wait.

ISLAND BREEZES

Ms Brendan has molded many intertwining lines of deceit and anger just waiting to merge and break out into the open. It’s difficult to figure out just who the bad guys are. I don’t know how many times I thought I had it figured out.

Patience’s almost fiance’ is dead, so now she is trying to restore and run Granny’s boarding house. It needs so many repairs that she can neither handle nor afford. Fortunately, two men, one an apparent drifter and the other the local sheriff, are willing to help. It seems they both are interested in Patience as well as the boarding house. Actually, the boarding house is secondary on their list. But will Patience want anything to do with them when she finds out the secrets they’re hiding?

Ms Brendan has taken me through seven historical romances now. I don’t want her to ever quit. Any time I see her name as author, I know there’s a book I want to read.

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

Maggie Brendan is the bestselling author of the Heart of the West and The Blue Willow Brides series. Winner of the 2014 Book Buyers Best Award (OCC/RWA) for inspirational fiction and the 2013 Laurel Wreath Award, she was a finalist for the 2013 Published Maggie Award of Excellence and the 2013 Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award. To learn more, visit www.MaggieBrendan.com.

Twisted Innocence

By Terri Blackstock

Romantic Times gives Terri Blackstock’s Twisted Innocence four stars! Written for anyone who’s ever made bad choices, this thrilling conclusion in Blackstock’s Moonlighters trilogy is packed with romance, danger, and intrigue.

Holly Cramer’s past choices have finally caught up to her, but she never expected them to endanger her baby.

Though Holly’s stumbled through most of her adult life as a party girl, she longs to live a more stable life for her daughter. Then police show up to question her about the whereabouts of Creed Kershaw, Lily’s father. She has kept his identity a secret from friends and family—she never even told him about the pregnancy. Now he’s a person of interest in a drug-related murder case.

Determined to keep him out of their lives and turn him over to police, Holly uses her private investigating skills to search for him. But her bravado backfires when he turns the tables and takes her and the baby hostage. As desperate hours tick by, Holly realizes his connection to Leonard Miller—the man who has gunned down several members of her family. Creed claims he’s innocent and that Miller is after him too. His gentleness with Lily moves her, but she can’t trust a man who has held her at gunpoint . . . even if he reminds her so much of herself.

Dangers old and new threaten Holly and her baby, and lives are demanded as sacrifices for love. Through a complex web of mistakes and regret, redemption is the one hope Holly has left to hold on to.

ISLAND BREEZES

This is definitely a twisted plot. There are so many twist and turns, it is difficult to separate the innocent from the guilty.

Is this one of the times the investigating should be left to the professionals. Holly doesn’t think so, but it appears that she’s getting in way over her head. It’s so difficult to know who to trust, but her baby’s life is at stake here, and she’d better figure it out in a hurry. She’s not going to give up on doing this herself. Too many lives are being affected, and too many are already dying.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ms Blackstock, but it certainly won’t be the last. I have to get my hands on more of her books, but there are so many I don’t know where to start. Any suggestions?

NOTE: While this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.

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

Terri Blackstock has sold over six million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Downfall, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, Restoration, and Moonlighters.

In conjunction with Kellie Coates Gilbert’s latest novel Where Rivers Part, there’s a giveaway of a magical night. It includes

1st Prize – An Evening of Magic

1. Everything in Dr. Juliet Ryan’s life is falling apart, but in the middle of the storm in her personal and professional life she experiences a perfect moment on the banks of the San Antonio River Walk: a gorgeous date in a magical setting discussing the joy of Italian pastry. Experience your own magical evening in your favorite city with a $200 Visa gift card!

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3. After her romantic encounter at the River Walk, Juliet is delighted to be surprised with pastries delivered to her door all the way from Italy. Experience your own moment of joy with a box of Italian pastries shipped straight from an Italian bakery to your home.

4. Savor every minute of this thrilling and tumultuous ride with your own copy of Kellie Coates Gilbert’s wonderful new book, Where Rivers Part.

2ND Prize – For the Journey

1. You can’t always prepare for the curves that life might throw you, but you can have beautiful luggage for the journey! Enjoy this gorgeous set of Traveler’s Choice luggage and look fabulous no matter where the river leads.

2. Enjoy your own copy of Where Rivers Part by Kellie Gilbert as well as the first book in her Texas Gold series, A Woman of Fortune.

You can enter the giveaway here.

The Crimson Cord

By Jill Eileen Smith

Wife to a gambler who took one too many risks, Rahab finds herself sold as a slave to cover her husband’s debt. Forced into prostitution, she despairs of ever regaining her freedom and her self-respect. But when Israelite spies enter Jericho and come to lodge at her house, Rahab sees a glimmer of hope and the opportunity of a lifetime.

In one risky moment, she takes a leap of faith, puts her trust in a God she does not know, and vows to protect the spies from the authorities. When the armies of Israel arrive weeks later, Rahab hopes they will keep their promise, but she has no idea what kind of challenges await her outside Jericho’s walls–or if she will ever know the meaning of love.

Under Jill Eileen Smith’s talented hand, the familiar story of Rahab bursts forth in high definition. Immerse yourself in a world of dark and dusty streets, clandestine meetings, and daring escapes as a mysterious biblical figure claims her full humanity–and a permanent place in your heart.

ISLAND BREEZES

We all know the story of Rahab and her faith saving her and her family, but have you ever wondered just what her life was like and ho she entered into her profession? Ms Smith fleshes out what Rahab’s life might have been like in this book.

She has a way of drawing us into the life of a woman from Scripture. I’ve enjoyed the way she brought life to The Wives of King David and the Wives of the Patriarchs series. I learn something new about the lives and times of the ancestors of our faith in every one of her books.

Thank you, Ms Smith. I’m looking forward to the next of the Daughters of the Promised Land.

BTW, keep the tissues handy. There were tears shed while reading this book.

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

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling author of the Wives of King David series, the Wives of the Patriarchs series, and The Desert Princess, first in the Loves of King Solomon series. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.

Where Rivers Part

By Kellie Coates Gilbert

Success too often comes with a price. Juliet never imagined it could be so high.

Dr. Juliet Ryan has devoted her considerable scientific acumen to corporate America, providing safe drinking water for millions–and affording her plenty of perks along the way. It’s not the path her estranged father would have her take, but then Juliet finds it difficult to maintain respect for a man she cannot trust. She’s on her way up in the world, and she’s not going to let anything drag her down.

But when a fast-moving disaster sweeps Juliet into a whirlpool of corporate scandal, lives are at risk–including those of some of the people closest to her. As she scrambles to find answers, Juliet must face her deepest wounds and join forces with the one who has hurt her most in order to expose a far-reaching conspiracy.

Like a mighty river with twists and turns and hidden rocks, this engrossing story will sweep you relentlessly along as it fearlessly explores the seduction of success, the fear of giving up control, and the redemptive power of learning to forgive.

ISLAND BREEZES

Dr. Juliet Ryan and her father are both acclaimed scientists. While Juliet has chosen to work in corporate America, her father has chosen to play more of a watchdog role. They are often on opposite sides in the scientific community.

Juliet thinks her life is progressing nicely and then it all blows up. She ends up in the middle of disaster and intrigue. You’ll enjoy the twists and turns of this story, but be aware that you may very well need that box of tissues to control a river of tears. I did.

I enjoyed both this book and her previous one, A Woman of Fortune. Kellie Coates Gilbert’s main characters are women of strength. I’m looking forward to the next book in her Texas Gold series.

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

Kellie Coates Gilbert is a former legal investigator and trial paralegal and the author of A Woman of Fortune. Gilbert crafts her emotionally charged stories about women in life-changing circumstances in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her husband.

Remember the Lilies

By Liz Tolsma

Be swept away to exotic places in Liz Tolsma’s Remember the Lilies! Filled with mystery, romance, and a race to find a family before it’s too late, you’ll want to keep the pages turning.

Irene and Rand come from very different walks of life. Will they find common ground in their fight to survive?

Irene has grown up in the jungle as a missionary with her Aunt Anita, but now she and countless others are imprisoned by Japanese soldiers at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines. Irene and her aunt are safe there, and she keeps busy with her duty of delivering censored messages to the camp’s prisoners, but like everyone else, she prays for the war to end and for her freedom.

Rand is a wealthy, womanizing American, whose attempted escape from the internment camp has put himself and others in danger. When Rand and Irene’s Aunt Anita meet one another in the hospital, Irene learns more of his story and her heart is determined to save his family.

But the danger outside the walls of the hospital worsens every day, and life in this exotic place is anything but luxurious. Can Irene find Rand’s family before they disappear forever? And can a humble missionary woman and an arrogant man find common ground in the face of their biggest fears?

ISLAND BREEZES

Rand and Irene come from very different backgrounds, but both end up in an internment camp as prisoners of war. Life becomes a desperate struggle for survival. Many don’t live to leave the Santo Tomas Internment Camp.

As always, Ms Tolsma has done a masterful job of sucking me into her story. I learn so much from her historical novels, and it is such an enjoyable way to learn. There were so many things I didn’t know about WWII before reading her novels.

I’m looking forward to more of Ms Tolsma’s history lessons.

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

New York Times best-selling author Liz Tolsma is the author of Daisies are Forever, Snow on the Tulips, and the contributing author of A Log Cabin Christmas. When not busy putting words to paper, Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and children, all adopted internationally.

A Brush with Love

By Rachel Hauck

Ginger Winters is a gifted hairstylist with scars no one can see. The last thing she expects from the New Year is a new chance at love.

Overcoming a childhood tragedy, Ginger emerges from the pain and trauma with a gift for bringing out the beauty in others. From the top big city salons to traveling the world as personal stylist to a country music sensation, success was almost enough to make Ginger forget her she would never be one of the beautiful people.

Almost. Now that she’s back home in Rosebud, Alabama and running her own salon, the truth remains: Ginger is still that girl, forever on the outside looking in. But she needs her confidence this weekend. She’s the acclaimed “beauty-maker” for the Alabama society wedding of the decade.

When high-school crush Tom Wells Jr. also returns to town and shows up at her shop looking for a haircut, Ginger’s thinly veiled insecurities threaten to keep her locked away from love, Despite Tom’s best efforts, Ginger can’t forget how he disappeared on her twelve years ago and broke her heart. Can she ever trust him again?

When Tom challenges her to see her own beauty, Ginger must decide if she will remained chained to the past or move freely into a new, exciting future.

ISLAND BREEZES

A life of scars that can’t be hidden. Neither physical nor emotional as Ginger found out. Tom isn’t doing much better with his secret that helped create Ginger’s scars.

The lives of these two families have been intertwined longer than either Tom nor Ginger knew until recently. Ginger has a major problem secondary to her physical scars. She has gone through most of her life knowing she is not beautiful. Instead she spends her time making other women beautiful.

Will Tom or anyone else be able to convince Ginger of her beauty? You might need that box of tissues before you finish this story.

Thank you so very much, Ms Hauck, for showing us the essence of true beauty.

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

Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as The Wedding Dress, Love Starts with Elle, and Once Upon A Prince.

She also penned the Songbird Novels with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Booklist named their novel, Softly and Tenderly, one of 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Rachel worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in an uncomfortable chair to write full-time in 2004.

She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and leads worship at their annual conference. She is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker.

Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pets, and writes from her two-story tower in an exceedingly more comfy chair. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.