romance

Daffodils by Donna B. Snow

/ Dora Hiers / 15 Comments

Margaret Ellington is not only grief stricken after her husband dies, but guilt ridden as well. Her solution—to run away. She moves away, hoping to escape the memories of her failure as a wife. She vows never to marry again unless she can love with all her heart—and she’ll never be able to do that unless she can finally get over her first love.
 
Lukas North is determined to reclaim the love he threw away ten years earlier. He’s willing to give Margaret time to recover from losing her husband—but letting her go is not an option.
 
When Lukas keeps a secret from Margaret about a major career move, she panics. After the mistakes they made in the past, can their relationship be rebuilt on anything less than complete honesty?

Excerpt:

Wandering from room to room, she doublechecked everything. Closets were empty, no boxes forgotten. The shadows on the walls outlined stark reminders of where pictures had been. The unfinished projects—a cracked floorboard, chipped molding, a small hole in the plaster, all stared at her accusingly.
 
Margaret closed her eyes as she clutched the doorframe. Oh, God, why Peter? He was the good one. I’m so sorry, Peter. A tear splashed onto the carpet.
 
Margaret took a deep breath, wiped her cheek, and stepped into what had been Peter’s sickroom. She walked to the window seat and stared out into the backyard, arms clutched around her middle. There would be no sound of children playing, no sitting on the glider growing old together. She put a hand on the window. If only I could have loved you more—
 
“Any more, Megs?” Lukas’ footsteps grew louder as he came down the hall.
 
She wiped away another tear as it dribbled down her cheek.
 
“Oh, hey, there you are.” He hesitated in the doorway, resting a hand on the frame. He lowered his voice. “You OK?”
 
She chewed on her bottom lip and nodded, afraid that if he came near her she would collapse in those arms; arms she knew were strong enough to hold her up. Arms she had missed for years. She hated herself for wanting to feel them wrap around her again.
 
About Donna B. Snow…
I’m over 45 and I’ve stopped counting, but I’ve been happily married for 17 years and hope for many more. Our teenage daughter is an absolute joy and I can only hope it will stay that way. I have two passions – music and writing, and God has blessed me in both. What a joy it is to be able to use the gifts He’s given me to honor and glorify Him in word and song. I’d love to have you join me on this journey.

 

Highland Sanctuary by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

/ Dora Hiers / 8 Comments

She harbors a deadly past that could destroy her future.
Scotland, 1477
Gavin MacKenzie is hired to protect and restore the Braigh Castle. He discovers a hidden village of outcasts that have created their own private sanctuary from the world. Among them is Serena Boyd, a mysterious and comely lass who captures Gavin’s heart. The villagers have an intriguing secret, while Serena harbors a deadly past that could destroy her future. When a fierce enemy launches an attack against them, greed leads to bitter betrayal. As Gavin prepares a defense, the villagers unite in a bold act of faith, showing how God’s sacrificial love is more powerful than any human force on earth.
Wow! Can’t wait to get my hands on it, Jennifer. What a beautiful cover, too! Look for Highland Sanctuary in October 2011. Now that we’ve taken a sneak look at Highland Sanctuary, tell us a little about yourself.
Jennifer, what does a normal workday look like for you? My normal work days are quite boring. First thing, I check email, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo news. My husband thinks I’m addicted to the Internet and he’s probably right. If I have time, I sneak in a blog post. If not, I get ready for work, drop my daughter off at school, and I go to my day job. I may squeeze in a bit of writing on my lunch hour or at the allergist lobby. They get to see me on a regular basis. I work all day in one of those thrilling gray cubicles. Then I go home and spend some time with my family. We have dinner, sometimes a Bible study, sometimes take walks, and I go to my room and write, research or work on promotional stuff. This means I must get a lot of writing done on the weekends, and I must be very disciplined about my time. I rarely watch TV.
What’s your favorite food? grilled chicken or salmon Caesar salads, sushi, chicken alfredo, anything at Olive Garden or Red Lobster

If you had a Friday night all to yourself, what would you do first? Sleep?
What are some of your dislikes and likes? I dislike allergies, public places that allow smoking, jet skiing on the ocean (thought I was going to die) and root beer. I like socks on my feet around the house at all times, parasailing over the ocean, and butter pecan ice cream.
 
Jennifer Hudson Taylor is an author of historical Christian fiction and a speaker on topics of faith, writing and publishing. Her fiction has won awards in the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Genesis Contest, and her work has appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Heritage Quest Magazine, Everton’s Genealogical Publishers, and The Military Trader. Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Journalism. When she isn’t writing, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, genealogy, and reading. http://jenniferswriting.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much for stopping by Jennifer. Congrats on your upcoming release ~ Highland Sanctuary!

Rodeo Rescue by Teri Wilson

/ Dora Hiers
With the ink still dry on her new veterinary license, Rodeo Queen Ruth Davis returns to Angel Springs as the new town vet. It seems her plans to save the world as a veterinary missionary are on hold. But, when her first patient arrives in the arms of battered rodeo man, Dodge Atwell, she realizes God has bigger plans than she ever dreamed possible.

The last thing Dodge wants, or needs, in his life is Ruth. Her annoying habit of quoting Scripture only serves to remind him that she’s everything he’s not—Pure, innocent, good.

When Dodge returns to her clinic, with yet another rescued dog, Ruth cannot help but become fascinated with the man and his scars—the physical ones there for the world to see, as well as spiritual ones she senses lurking beneath the surface.

Could the reluctant animal savior be the hero she’s been waiting for all her life?

Available now through White Rose Publishing. http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/Rodeo-Rescue

Teri’s son once wrote in a third-grade paper, “My Mom loves dogs and Jesus.” He may have gotten the order reversed, but the sentiment was right on target. Her romance stories are often filled with happy endings, splashes of humor and a loveable critter or two. After all, Cinderella never would have lived happily ever after without a little help from her animal friends!
Teri has been honored with numerous awards for her writing, including the Grand Prize in the 2009 San Antonio Romance Authors Merritt Contest, the 2008 Pet Sitters International Humor Writing Award and the 2006 Westminster Kennel Club Angel on a Leash Writing Award.
To learn more about Teri and her writing, visit http://www.teriwilson.net. She loves hearing from readers!