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Every Bride Needs a Groom

By Janice Thompson

Somewhere in a sea of tulle and taffeta, satin and crepe, Katie Fisher needs to find a key ingredient of the perfect wedding–the groom.

Small-town girl Katie Fisher is busy planning her fairy-tale wedding. Sure, her boyfriend hasn’t managed to pop the question just yet, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t enter a contest in Texas Bride magazine to win the dress of her dreams, right? Anyway, she’s sure he’ll be getting down on one knee any time now. And a one-of-a-kind designer dress doesn’t just fall out of the sky right when you need it.

But when Katie’s boyfriend takes a job in another town and breaks up with her–on the very same day she wins her dream dress–her world is turned upside down. Dare she go to Dallas to claim her prize? And will the hunky pro basketball player who runs the beyond-swanky bridal shop–yeah, you read that right–discover her humiliating secret if she does?

ISLAND BREEZES

Who needs a groom? Apparently not Katie. She thought she would soon have a fiance’ so she entered a contest to win a designer wedding gown.

Surprise. She won the gown, but the potential fiance’ got away. Her friend urges her to go to Dallas and het the dress anyway. Then she’ll have a special one when she does find a groom. Katie goes, but many times she decides to tell the truth, only to be hushed up about it. It seems nearly everyone wants her to keep it to herself.

Now toss in a hunky basketball player who is attracted to her even though he thinks she’s engaged and, consequently, off limits.

As always, Janice gives us a good read that ends way too soon. She manages to bring into the story some of the characters we already know and love. I really like that about her books.

There’s a bonus for Loretta Lynn fans. No, I’m not telling. You’ll have to find out for yourself. I’m looking forward to Ms Thompson’s next book. I’m wondering if Casey Lawson will be in it.

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

Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author and screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson offers an inside look at the wedding business, drawing on her own experiences as a wedding planner. She is the author of the hugely popular Weddings by Bella series, the Backstage Pass series, and the Weddings by Design series. She lives in Texas. Learn more at www.janiceathompson.com.

A Sparrow in Terezin

By Kristy Cambron

Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection through one survivor’s story of hope in the darkest days of a war-torn world.

Present Day—With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairytale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy the perfectly planned future she’s planned before it even begins. Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future.

1942—Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped occupied Prague in 1939, and was forced to leave her half-Jewish family behind. Now a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, Kája has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.

Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

ISLAND BREEZES

Oh, to be able to fly away like a sparrow and escape all life’s hardships. Once life seemed almost charmed, but now Sera’s life is falling apart. She doesn’t know what to do. She’s very tempted to go against her new husband’s wishes. It might keep him out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

A back story centered around Kaja takes place during WWII and leads her to a concentration camp in an effort to smuggle her parents to freedom.

Ka’ja and Sera are tied together by a holocaust survivor who helps Sera unravel the puzzle behind her husband’s alleged crime.

I truly enjoyed this story. I especially enjoy reads with a setting during WWII. I learn something new with each book. Thank you, Ms Cambron. I’m looking forward to reading many more books by you.

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

Kristy Cambron has been fascinated with the WWII era since hearing her grandfather’s stories of the war. She holds an art history degree from Indiana University and received the Outstanding Art History Student Award. Kristy writes WWII and Regency era fiction and has placed first in the 2013 NTRWA Great Expectations and 2012 FCRW Beacon contests, and is a 2013 Laurie finalist. Kristy makes her home in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons.

The Legacy

By Dan Walsh

and

Gary Smalley

One young man is about to discover the true cost of independence

For years, Doug Anderson has been drifting slowly but steadily away from both his family and his faith. His parents have been trying to reach him before he falls too far. His friend Christina hopes what she is seeing online isn’t true. But sometimes you have to hit bottom before you’re ready to grow up.

Just as things begin to settle down a bit, Doug’s life takes a turn that requires every bit of faith and patience for both his family and Christina–whose growing feelings for Doug, a man who writes her off as not worth his time, keep her off balance. Will Doug’s crisis finally clear his vision and help him focus on what he has right in front of him?

ISLAND BREEZES

Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley have done it again. Each book in The Restoration Series has sucked me in and kept everything I was supposed to be doing at bay until I made it to the end.

We’re back in the lives of the Anderson family with this book. Jim and Marilyn’s family have come a long way, but their youngest is drifting away on a current that’s rapidly taking him downstream. He’s in college, living on his own and letting his friend drag him farther from God and his family. As far as Doug is concerned, his family doesn’t need to know what’s going on in his life. That makes it all okay.

One of the things dragging him down is his “party girl” girlfriend. The reliable girl back home is nothing more than a friend in his past.

What will it take to give Doug a wake up call? Will that time ever come?

I think this is the last book in The Restoration Series. but I wish it weren’t. Will you guys please come up with another?

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

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of many books, including The Dance, The Promise, and The Desire with Gary Smalley. He has won three Carol Awards, and three of his novels were finalists for RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he’s busy researching and writing his next novel.

Gary Smalley is one of the country’s best-known authors and speakers on family relationships and has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of many books, including the Baxter Family Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 50 years and live in Missouri.

Raspberry Kisses

By Cecilia Dowdy

Facing eviction, Rhea Morrison, a young grieving widow, must save her failing bakery. Her recently-injured twin sister, Raven, loans her money – stipulating Rhea attend a singles retreat to spy on Martin Lane, Raven’s new love interest. Disgruntled, Rhea attends the retreat and is attracted to Martin. She discovers that Martin can help save her bakery.

Pastor Martin laments over his secret, traumatic past mistakes. He’s destined to lead his father’s church, despite blatant rejection. He can’t love Rhea – he’s yet to forgive himself for his past, and if Rhea knew how he used to be, she would have no interest in pursuing a relationship with him. In spite of their shared attraction, he helps Rhea form a plan to save her business. Martin, a former successful bakery owner, can expertly create delicious pastry recipes.

Rhea feels torn about her attraction to Martin – he’s a pastor, and after her husband’s death, she vowed to never get involved with another pastor. Plus, her twin sister, Raven, has strong feelings for Martin. Can Rhea let herself have romantic feelings for Martin – knowing it would hurt her sister?

Can Martin and Rhea overcome their past so that they’re free to love again?

ISLAND BREEZES

Ms Dowdy has given us a very sweet love story. So sweet you’ll want to visit Rhea’s bakery and taste some of those raspberry kisses for yourself.

Being a preacher’s wife is not an easy job. I’ve been there, but Rhea is now the widow of one who died a violent death while serving others. She’s still grieving two years later when she meets another pastor who is attracted to her.

There are complications with Rhea’s sister and Martin’s past as they fight this attraction.

I was very happy to have the opportunity to read another book by Ms Dowdy. I enjoyed her previous books and am delighted to say I enjoyed this one just as much as her others. I’m looking forward to her next book in The Bakery Romance Series.

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

Cecelia Dowdy is a world traveler who has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. When she first read Christian fiction, she felt called to write for the genre.She loves to read, write, and bake desserts in her spare time. Currently she resides with her husband and young son in Maryland.

The Creole Princess

By Beth White

Torn between loyalties to family and flag, one young woman is about to discover that her most important allegiance is to her heart.

It is 1776, and all along the eastern seaboard the American struggle for independence rages. But in the British-held southern port of Mobile, Alabama, the conflict brewing is much quieter–though no less deadly.

Lyse Lanier may be largely French in heritage, but she spends most of her time in the company of the ebullient daughter of the British commander of Mobile. When a charming young Spanish merchant docks in town, Lyse is immediately struck by his easy wit and flair for the dramatic. But is he truly who he makes himself out to be? Spies abound, and Spain has yet to choose a side in the American conflict. Is Lyse simply an easy mark for Rafael Gonzalez to exploit? Or are his overtures of love as genuine as Spanish gold?

With spectacular detail that brings the cultural gumbo of the Colonial Gulf Coast alive, Beth White invites you to step into a world of intrigue and espionage from a little-known slice of the American Revolutionary War.

ISLAND BREEZES

Lysette is living in the middle of British territory while the fledgling USA is fighting for her independence. It will get interesting for for Lyse with her French heritage and her British friend Daisy. Especially when a handsome Sp0anish dandy sails into port.

Lyse has a hard time figuring out Rafael and his motives. Spies seem to abound. Is he one of them?

Then there’s her family. Interesting? Yes. Dysfunctional? Yes. Lyse thinks she’s the mortar holding the family together, so no matter what she wants, she stays and tries to help ends meet.

She thinks Rafael has ulterior motives where she’s concerned, but he keeps coming back. Daisy is in love with Lyse’s brother, but he seems to have disappeared. The two try to find a meaningful life, but with the strange disappearing act of the men, they find it difficult at times.

Daisy and then Lysette get enmeshed in some dangerous activities, but can they continue without being caught and tossed in the stockade?

This book definitely has surprises among the twists and turns of this tale. It’s one of those books I didn’t really want to end.

Thank you Ms White. I’m looking forward to Book 3 of the Gulf Coast Chronicles. The teaser at the end of this book makes me wish it were coming out this summer instead of next spring.

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

Beth White is the award-winning author of The Pelican Bride. A native Mississippian, she teaches music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers’ Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.

Buried Secrets

By Irene Hannon

They both wanted quieter, safer lives.

But crime never sleeps . . .

and killers keep killing.

After years as a Chicago homicide detective, Lisa Grant is ready for the kinder, gentler life of a small-town police chief. But the discovery of a human skeleton by a construction crew at the edge of town taxes department resources. Enter ex-Navy SEAL Mac McGregor, the detective sent by the county to assist on the case. As they work to solve the mystery behind the unmarked grave, danger begins to shadow them. Someone doesn’t want this dead person telling any tales–and will stop at nothing to make certain a life-shattering secret stays buried.

ISLAND BREEZES

Secrets and danger often go together, along with dead bodies. Chief Grant thought moving to small town mid_America would give her a break from all this stuff.

The find of a human skeleton was stretching the small police department so much that the county sent a detective to assist on the case. Sparks immediately started flying between Lisa Grant and Detective McGregor. No, not that kind. The kind that happen when a man assumes that the younger male instead of the female is the chief of police. Definitely not a good start with their working relationship.

This all gets quite interesting as the two work together to solve the case and end the string of deaths that escalate as they come closer to the truth.

Every book I’ve read by Ms Hannon keeps me reading straight through to the end. I’ve learned to start reading them early in the day so I’ll have a chance to go to bed that night. Otherwise, forget about sleep.

I’m looking forward to the next book in her Men of Valor series.

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

Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than forty-five romantic suspense and contemporary romance/women’s fiction novels, including the Heroes of Quantico, Guardians of Justice, and Private Justice series. Her books have garnered dozens of honors, including two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America. She is also a two-time Christy Award finalist.

www.irenehannon.com

Song of the Prarie

By Vickie McDonough

Janie Dunn’s life changes when, at the request of her dying cousin, she flees with her cousin’s newborn son to protect him from his abusive father. She moves to Kansas, but things take a dire change when her brother is killed. Is a marriage of convenience to kindhearted Aaron Harper the answer to her problems? Is Kansas far enough away from New York that they are safe from the baby’s father?

ISLAND BREEZES

“What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” I don’t know who first said that, but my fifth grade teacher loved to repeat it. It’s very appropriate for this book.

Janie’s dying cousin begged her to take her newborn to hide and protect him from his abusive father. Janie gives up her dreams and flees with the child, ending up in Kansas with her brother. This mock marriage they dream up to protect the child later becomes quite an entanglement.

When Janie’s brother dies, what is she going to do? She can’t run the farm alone. Aaron, the neighbor who offers to help , is attracted to Janie, as she is to him and his children.

Maybe a marriage of convenience will work. Or maybe the child’s father will find them. Or maybe Janie will lose the farm. Maybe the secret about her baby will come out.

What happens and will Janie’s future be in jeopardy will keep you reading until the very end.

Thank you, Ms McDonough, for a plot that is definitely not run of the mill.

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

Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of twenty-six books and novellas. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, she served as treasurer of the organization for three years and also was treasurer for her local chapter. Vickie lives with her husband, Robert, in Oklahoma. They have four grown sons and one daughter-in-law, and are grandparents to a precocious seven-year-old girl. When she isn’t writing, Vickie enjoys reading, shopping for antiques, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about her and her books, readers may visit her Web site at www.vickiemcdonough.com.

The Promise of Palm Grove

By Shelley Shepard Gray

A young Amish woman finds herself torn between the man she’s pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love—the first volume in beloved New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray’s new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Amish bride-to-be Leona is thrilled to be in Florida, on a mini vacation in the pretty town of Pinecraft. Her girlfriends think she’s happy because she’s away from the stress of wedding planning. They have no idea that Leona’s real joy is in being away from her fiancé.

Edmund is a good man and will make a decent husband . . . just not for Leona. The more time she spends with him and his overbearing ways, the less she wants to be his wife. Her cousins are sure Edmund is the right man for her—and their certainty makes Leona begin to doubt herself. But when a chance encounter with a wayward cat brings her face-to-face with a handsome, fun-loving Amish man named Zachary Kaufmann, Leona’s faced with two vastly different futures.

Leona must decide: Should she follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of what could be to guide her?

ISLAND BREEZES

Oh, good. A chance to get away from her controlling fiance’, Edmund. Leona is really looking forward to a vacation at Pinecraft, Florida with her cousin, Sara, and her friend, Mattie.

The three soon discover that Pinecraft has some fine looking young men. Zachary Kaufmann is one of them. He and Leona are attracted to each other, but Leona has to be on her best behavior. Mattie is Edmund’s sister.

The three are really enjoying their vacation in Florida. That is, until Edmucd shows up out of the blue. Leona has to do some pretty fast thinking. Will she go with her heart or cave in to the pressure to marry Edmund?

I’m enjoying Ms Gray’s Amish Brides of Pinecraft. Pinecraft isn’t all that far from my hom, so these books are special Thanks, Ms Gray.

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

Shelley Shepard Gray is a two-time New York Times bestseller, a two-time USA Today bestseller, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time Holt Medallion winner. She lives in Southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Anna’s Crossing

By Suzanne Woods Fisher

Some endings are really beginnings . . .

On a hot day in 1737 in Rotterdam, Anna König reluctantly sets foot on the Charming Nancy, a merchant ship that will carry her and her fellow Amish believers across the Atlantic to start a new life. As the only one in her community who can speak English, she feels compelled to go. But Anna is determined to complete this journey and return home–assuming she survives. She’s heard horrific tales of ocean crossings and worse ones of what lay ahead in the New World. But fearfulness is something Anna has never known.

Ship’s carpenter Bairn resents the somber people–dubbed Peculiars by the deckhands–who fill the lower deck of the Charming Nancy. All Bairn wants to do is to put his lonely past behind him, but that irksome and lovely lass Anna and her people keep intruding on him.

Delays, storms, illness, and diminishing provisions test the mettle and patience of everyone on board. When Anna is caught in a life-threatening situation, Bairn makes a discovery that shakes his entire foundation. But has the revelation come too late?

Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the beginning of Amish life in America with this fascinating glimpse into the first ocean crossing–and the lives of two intrepid people who braved it.

ISLAND BREEZES

Anna does not want to leave Rotterdam and sail to America, but she was given no choice. She was the only English speaker in her Amish community and needed as an interpreter. It’s not going to be a pleasant journey for the Amish crowded into too small quarters with a Mennonite group also making the crossing.

The merchant ships carrying passengers to the New World in 1737 were far from desirable as far as accommodations, provisions, storms, illness and you name it. And, yes, a person can be lonely in the midst of a crowd. Anna dispels some of that loneliness as she gets to know the ship’s carpenter. He, too, along with the rest of the crew resents the Peculiars on board.

This book has secrets, a rowdy little boy, sadness, joy, birth, death and beauty. I was able to guess one of the big secrets before it was revealed, but that did nothing to mar my enjoyment of the book.

Suzanne Woods Fisher always holds my interest. I’m looking forward to more Amish Beginnings novels. This is such an enjoyable way to soak up more history. Thank you, Ms Woods Fisher.

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

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series, the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of an Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner for The Search, a Carol Award finalist for The Choice, and a Christy Award finalist for The Waiting. She is also a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Saddle up for a new romance from novelist Debra Clopton, Betting on Hope! 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.

Enter to win a Kindle Fire HD 6 to celebrate the release of Betting on Hope! 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• A copy of Betting on Hope

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