CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Nancye who is the winner of two audio books - "Second Chance" by Tracy Bateman and "One Chance in a Million" by Cathy Hake.

I want to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment. I appreciate your continued support!

Double Giveaway for "Second Chance" and "One Chance in a Million"

This giveaway is a little different. These two books are audio tapes - the first one "Second Chance" is by Tracey Bateman and the next one "One Chance in a Million" by Cathy Marie Hake. These two are part of a series so I'm giving them away together. I have had to make a few long distance trips lately and I throughly enjoyed listening to these books. There is something about having the characters speak that it seems to bring them to life. I remember listening to "To Kill a Mockingbird" on tape and the impact it had on me. If you like this book and haven't heard it on tape then I encourage you to do so. Alright, here we go with the reviews!

Back Cover: Nothing is as it should be. Returning from the Pacific Islands were her parents served as missionaries, Miriam arrives at the Chance brothers' ranch, expecting to help her sister care for two children and six men. But Miriam is shocked to learn that her sister has died and her two nieces have been neglected.

When the Chance brothers order Miriam to take the next ship back home, she digs in her heels. Her place is with her nieces-- even if that reduces her chances of marriage to about one in a million.

As the months passed, though, will Miriam come to believe that maybe one Chance is all she needs?

About The Author:

As a child, Cathy Marie Hake had an imaginary playmate. Now "grown up," she indulges in a host of imaginary friends as she writes. She teasingly says she decided if those voices in her head were talking, she might as well write down what they said and make a living by doing it. She met her sweetheart in the High School department at church and married him after finishing nursing school. They live in Southern California and have two children and two dogs (one of them even moos - one of the dogs that is, not the kids). Faith in God, a loving family, and a wacky sense of the ridiculous keep her going. Known for surfing across the kitchen on a dropped dill pickle slice, waterskiing on sea anemone spit, and using Right Guard® as hair spray; she considers herself living proof that God does, indeed, possess a healthy sense of humor. Cathy loves classical music, romantic getways with her husband, and Diet Pepsi Free®. "I need chocolate to survive, love my friends, and enjoy a deep personal relationship with the Lord. Although an extrovert, I'm very conservative on a personal level." In her writing, Cathy attempts to capture a unique glimpse of life and how a man and woman can overcome obstacles when motivated by love. In her inspirational pieces she enjoys the freedom of showing how Christ can enrich a loving couple's relationship. She had been an orphan her entire life. Alisa Worthington dreams of having a family -- but just when she thinks she's found a home, it's taken from her. Alisa flees San Francisco and the false accusations against her, ending up in the small town of Reliable, California. There, she's at the mercy of the six Chance brothers. From the moment he first sees her, Titus Chance is drawn to Alisa's enormous brown eyes, set in a lovely heart shaped face. But no matter how much friendship he offers, she always withdraws, apparently haunted by secrets from her past. Will Alisa be convicted of a heinous crime she did not commit? Might her connection with tightness lead to a second chance for love? About The Author: Tracey Bateman lives in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks which provide much of her inspiration for the books she writes. She has approximately one million books in print. Tracey loves to hear from readers you can find her on facebook or use the contact form below to send her an email. My Take: In the first book "One Chance in a Million", MiriaM arrives in Reliable, California to help her sister take care of her nieces and the six Chance men. What she doesn't know is that her sister has died and the two young girls, although they have had their basic needs met, lack for a womanly touch in their lives. Miriam decides to stay and give them the motherly love and attention they so need. This doesn't sit well with Gideon Chance - maybe because he knows he has feelings for her, but doesn't know what to do with them- and encourages her to leave. But, she will not leave her two nieces alone with the men to raise them. It isn't long before Miriam realizes that she has feelings for Gideon also - but will they be able to overcome obstacles and have a Chance at the future? This was a fun book. Miriam takes on the role of caregiver, cook, cleaning lady, etc. for the six Chance men. She has many new things to learn about this part of the country and it is not without a lesson or two learned along the way. For instance, when she thought poison ivy was a wide flower and she picked them to put in the garden - with disastrous results. I'm happy to say that she does learn and of course there is a happy ending for her and Gideon. The next book in the series is "Second Chance" is about a young lady who is trying to escape from a situation where she has been wrongly accused of killing her grandmother. When she winds up on the Chance ranch and begins to fall in love with Titus Chance, she knows she can not put him at risk. She decides to turn herself in so she can begin with a clean slate and maybe then she can tell Titus what has happened in her past. There are many funny scenes in this book - especially the ones where two bumbling outlaws are hunting down Alisa to return her to the town where the accident happened. As I said before listening to these books on tape gave them a whole new realm and made life on the ranch seem so realistic. As if you were part of their little world- right there with them. To enter the drawing: 1. Be a follower or sign up as a new follower. 2. Leave an email address for contact reasons. 3. Let me know if you've listened to any books on tape before and what you thought about them. 4. Deadline for drawing is Sunday June 27th. Once again thank you for all your support. I am well on my way to having a 100 followers and I hope to have a special giveaway when I reach that goal. HAPPY READING!

Great Contest at Tina Pinson's Blog

Check out this great contest over at Tina Pinson's Blog celebrating her novel "Manor of the Ghost."

Win A Kindle ... Catch a Ghost

Win a Kindle... Catch a Ghost...

To celebrate the release of my new ebook In the Manor of the Ghost, out this month from Desert Breeze Publishing

picture may not depict actual model of prize.

I will be giving away 2 Kindle eBook Readers

and 10 free e-book downloads of In the Manor of the Ghost.

American Christian Fiction June Releases!

ANY OF THESE BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED THROUGH DEBORAH'S AMAZON BOOKSTORE BY CLICKING ON THE BOOK LOCATED TO THE RIGHT ON MY BLOG!

Veterinarian Cara Morrison is planning another walk down the aisle with her ex-fiance - except she isn't the bride and rancher Nicholas Chapman isn't the groom. With their best friends' wedding looming, the last thing maid of honor Cara wants is to rekindle a romance with the best man, Nicholas. But when he needs her help to unravel the illness that's descending on his herd, she discovers that the sparks between her and Nicholas still burn bright. Is it possible to heal the wounds of the past and start over with the cattleman she never stopped loving?

Rescuing people is his job...
But the one person pararescue jumper Chance Garrison can't seem to help is his own ailing father, who refuses his much-needed physical rehabilitation. That is, until Chance hires unconventional occupational therapist Chloe Callet. To his surprise, Chloe and her sweet black Lab, Midnight, work wonders. And not only on the elder Garrison. Chance just may have met the woman who can get through his own toughened exterior. Can he persuade the lovely Chloe to take a chance--on him?

Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with the new dressmaker in Coventry, Texas. He's all too familiar with her kind--shallow women more devoted to fashion than true beauty. Yet, except for her well-tailored clothes, this seamstress is not at all what he expected.
Hannah Richards is confounded by the man who runs the livery. The unsmiling fellow riles her with his arrogant assumptions and gruff manner, while at the same time stirring her heart with unexpected acts of kindness. Which side of Jericho Tucker reflects the real man?
When Hannah decides to help Jericho's sister catch a beau--leading to consequences neither could have foreseen--will Jericho and Hannah find a way to bridge the gap between them?

No sooner is Shawn Collins home from the fighting in Europe than he's called upon to serve his country as a war hero on a USO bond tour. Others might jump at the chance to travel all around the country with attractive
Hollywood starlets. But not Shawn. He just wants to stay home with his son Patrick, his aging father and to grieve the loss of his wife in private. When Shawn asks Katherine Townsend, Patrick's former social worker, to
be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea how this decision will impact his life. Could it be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart? Or will the war once again threaten his chances for a
new start?

Widower Graham Lockwood hasn't stepped foot in church since he lost his family. So he can't possibly say yes to his new neighbor's request that he lead the handbell choir she's trying to form. But widowed mother Reeny Landry is so hopeful - and her fatherless children so in need - that Graham finally agrees to help. Suddenly, the man who closed himself off is coming out of his shell. And he finds himself acting the father figure to Reeny's sweet mute daughter and loner son. But going from neighbor to husband is another matter altogether.
Until a loving family teaches Graham to once again hear THE HEART's SONG.

In 1846, young widow Mariel Wolfe survived the grueling voyage from
Germany to start a new life in the "promised" land of Texas. Forced by
circumstances to become a servant, Mariel is now determined to quit a
harsh master. But how can a single woman face the frontier on her own?

Texas Ranger Carson Quinn is responsible for leading her party of
German immigrants safely through dangerous Comanche-held territory. As
he watches Mariel hold her head high in spite of everything, he will
stop at nothing to protect her.

But war is brewing: Mexico will not accept the U.S. annexation of the
young Texas Republic without a fight. Honor bound to fight for Texas,
Carson's deepest longing is to lay down his rifle. As Mariel and
Carson fall deeply in love, could her painful past or this new war
destroy all their hopes? Will the tide of history sweep them far from
peace, far from a life together?

India Hayes, a college librarian and reluctant bridesmaid, is thrown into the role of amateur sleuth as she hunts down the person who murdered her childhood friend and framed her brother for the crime.

When bride-to-be Olivia turns up dead in the Martin College fountain and the evidence points to India's brother Mark, India must unmask the real culprit while juggling a furious Mother of the Bride, an annoying Maid of Honor, a set of hippie-generation parents, a police detective who is showing a marked liking for her, and a provost itching to fire someone, anyone--maybe even a smart-mouthed librarian.

"I'll be seeing you again..."

The attacker's words still ring in Deputy Megan Peters' ears. Her attempt to trap a serial rapist terrorizing Lost Falls failed, but she has succeeded in becoming the target of his attention. Undaunted, she moves forward in her investigation, and Scott Anders, the only newcomer in town, draws her suspicion. Is his gentleness just an act? Yet as Megan and Scott grow closer, she finds herself questioning her instincts. What will she believe--her heart, or the evidence against him?

Losing her husband and daughter to the flames of Boston, Kaitlin Dupree, knows what it feels like to dwell In the Manor of the Ghost. Debilitated by her sorrow and the burns she sustained trying to reach her family, she closed herself off and lived with the echoes of her past. Until she finally found the strength to get on with her life. She gives her singing, and takes on the job as a music teacher in Minnesota, hoping to eradicate the haunting whispers of her past.

Devlin Clayborne is tired of hiring governesses who only want him and his fortune, with little regard for his son. Knowing Kaitlin has cared for his son, Derrick, when she didn't know the father, Devlin offers Kaitlin marriage, with the understanding that he will be her husband, and will act accordingly, but he will not share her bed. Because of her loss and her scars from the fire, Kaitlin accepts the marriage agreement, for the opportunity to have a child in her life and a home.

Shortly after arriving at the manor, Kaitlin realizes the house is filled with secrets. Even the staff harbors them. Those she meets the first day bear strange oddities. She has new ghosts to dwell among. Not only the living, whose steps echo the halls of Clayborne Manor, but the unseen that reside there, haunting the manor, enveloping it in a haze of gloom and sorrow.

Despite her father's attempts to marry her off, Anna Finch dreams of becoming a reporter. A chance encounter with legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, but Pinkerton agent Jeb Sanders is about to ruin everything.

Though her father hired Jeb to keep her out of mischief, Anna's inconvenient attraction to her hired gun only multiplies her troubles. She doesn't realize Jeb has a score to settle with Doc Holliday, or that her association with the famous outlaw will affect more than just her marriage prospects. Between her father's desperation to see her wed and Jeb shadowing her every move, getting the story and fulfilling her journalistic ambition just got far more complicated than she ever imagined.

Marnie Wittier has life just where she wants it. Quiet. Peaceful. No drama. A long way away from her past. In the privacy of her home, she fills a box with slips of paper, scribbled with her regrets, sins, and sorrows. But that's nobody else's business. Her bookstore/coffee shop patrons, her employees, her friends from church - they all think she's the very model of compassion and kindness.

Then Marnie's past creeps into her present when her estranged sister dies and makes Marnie guardian of her fifteen-year-old son--a boy Marnie never knew existed. And when Emmit arrives, she discovers he has Down syndrome - and that she's woefully unprepared to care for him. What's worse, she has to deal with Taylor Cole, her sister's attorney, a man Marnie once loved--and abandoned.

As Emmit--and Taylor--work their way into her heart, Marnie begins to heal. But when pieces of her dismal past surface again, she must at last face the scripts of paper in her box, all the regrets and sorrows. Can she do it? Or will she run again?

A Love of Her Own is the eagerly awaited concluding book in Maggie Brendan's Heart of the West series. Available in June 2010, it will take readers on an adventurous, spark-filled ride through love in turn-of-the-century Montana.

It's here, in Lewiston, Montana, where April McBride travels to attend her brother's wedding. Still cautious after a broken engagement, she fully intends to guard her heart. One look around the small mining town convinces April that doing so won't be difficult--just a bunch of dusty shops, bad service, and ill-bred cowboys. But a run-in with horse trainer Wes Owen opens up vast possibilities for frustration, embarrassment, friendship, and . . . love?

Can April and Wes see past their differences to envision a future together? Or are they destined to live the rest of their lives alone?

It's the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother's "nerve" problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her.
As her life careens out of control, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious boy from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there's the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past.
Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

From the day she arrives at Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled -- by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. After all, the one rule of the house is NO romance below stairs.

But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations...and their hearts.

Liz Peterson's mother is brutally murdered--and then her son is arrested for the crime, devastating the family to the point that Liz wonders if any of them will be left standing when it's all over. Can God's love and grace reach the deepest agony of the soul and bring, if not a meeting of the minds, a meeting of the hearts, as well as healing to a family torn apart by murder and betrayal?

Ruby Red is a fictionalized tale of a true event. Homeless children roamed the streets of New York City from the late 1800s through the 1930s. Death and disease were heaped upon poverty and overcrowding, causing thousands of children to be abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Eleven-year-old Ruby is taken in as a maid. Believing life holds more for her than washing someone s clothes, she makes a risky move by faking insanity. After being expelled from the household, Ruby sneaks onto the Orphan Train. With her best friend, a cockroach named Red, housed in a canning jar, Ruby searches for a place to call home and runs into adventure and heartbreak. Both an enigma and a young teen, she is the perfect reflection of how life once was in America. Ruby embodies goodness, and simplicity of truth; a rare gem which bespeaks her name. Softened a bit through suffering she refuses to be hardened and keeps believing that the world holds a special place for her. Written beautifully by author Robin Jansen Shope for young teens and adults, the indomitable spirit of Ruby Red triumphs and will live in your heart far beyond the pages of the book.

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear, but could it also set her free? Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam. But a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved. Now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer.

Olympic hopeful Emilie Gill is beautiful, rich, successful--and in danger. Someone's targeting her stable, her friends, her life...and there's nowhere for her to turn. The police? They've charged her with murder. Her father? Out of town--again. Her best friend? He's the man she's accused of killing. There's no one to count on--until Derrick Randall rides into her life. The stable manager's support encourages Emilie to open up her carefully guarded heart. But just as she's learning to trust, it all comes apart. Her faith--and newfound love--are all she'll have when the sabotage turns deadly once more...

Who says a woman can't keep a secret?
It's 1918, and Daphne McKinley, heiress to a small fortune, has found contentment in the town of Bethlehem Springs. But Daphne has a secret.
A series of dime novels loosely based on local lore and featuring a nefarious villain known as Rawhide Rick has enjoyed modest popularity among readers. Nobody in Bethlehem Springs knows the man behind the stories ... except Daphne.
When newspaperman Joshua Crawford comes to town searching for the man who sullied the good name of his grandfather, Daphne finds herself at a crossroads, reassessing the power of her words, re-thinking how best to honor her gifts, and reconsidering what she wants out of life.

ALL OF THESE BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED BY CLICKING ON DEBORAH'S AMAZON ONLINE BOOK STORE LOCATED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY BLOG!

HAPPY READING!

Three Great Reviews!

I've been busy reading, but haven't had much time to blog so I am going to do three reviews at one time. This time I will not be giving my take on each one separately. Suffice it to say that you can't go wrong with any of these books. I enjoyed all of them and I think you will, too. Here we go!

BEYOND SUMMER BY LISA WINGATE: When soon-to-be college student Tam Lambert learns that her family's finances are collapsing, the life she's known is forever changed. Her father, facing prosecution for financial schemes, has fled to Mexico. Their upscale home is in foreclosure. Tam, her high maintenance stepmother, and four preschool age siblings have no choice but to move to a tiny house owned by her father's company. Householders, in a changing Dallas neighborhood called Blue Sky Hill.

New resident Shasta Williams knows nothing of real estate schemes when she and her husband purchase a cozy little home. For her it's the perfect place for her children to grow up. better yet it is getting to know Tam, right across the street. But even as Tam and Shasta form a bond, something about Tam's family doesn't add up. When you use of Householder's corrupt mortgage schemes breaks, and neighbors realize that barring a miracle, they will soon be forced from their homes, new friendships and old loyalties are tested.

Over the span of a summer, in the most unlikely of places, two young women discover a strength and maturity that no amount of money could provide. In helping each other to do the impossible, a find that even in Blue Sky Hill, life altering relationships and amazing possibilities can begin to blossom...

LISA WINGATE

HOPE'S PROMISE BY TAMMY BARLEY: Jake Bennett is finally wed to the love of his life, Jessica Hale -- but he isn't convinced she won't leave him. Life is a constant struggle for the Bennett's as they battle drought and live in fear of raids on Southerners, and he is not sure that Jess knew what she was getting herself into when she married him. Jess, however, despairs for another reason-- she is unable to conceive a child. While trying to prove their unconditional love for each other, the Bennetts are devastated to discover that a former friend of Jess's parents, Miriam Van Dorn, isn't who they thought she was. Together, they must stand in faith through betrayal, danger, and barrenness, trusting that God will reward their hopes for a better future. TAMMY BARLEY I have lived in twenty-seven places in eight states (so far) and have visited nearly all. When I'm not writing? I judge a number of top writing contests and love my work as a manuscript editor and biographer. I am also Mom to two sons, one daughter, a rescued American Eskimo dog, thirteen parakeets, and an aquarium full of fish. The children I homeschool; the dog I taught to sit. She also barks at parked cars. In my spare time, you're likely to find me baking, gardening, behind a camera, or hugging a horse. In 1896, after her parents deaths, 17 year old heiress Lucinda Bishop is sent to Oklahoma to live with her aunt and uncle. But Oklahoma ranch life brings her more than she bargained for when she meets Jake Starnes, a drifter who is running from his past. As her friendship with Jake grows, Lucinda faces emotions she's never before experienced. As Jake learns more about God's love for him, he realizes he must face his past and the consequences of his actions, even if it means he will lose the one girl who loves. Will he be able to get his life together before someone else claims her hand... Or even her life? MARTHA ROGERS Martha Rogers is a former teacher with experience writing both fiction and nonfiction, including Not on the Menu, a part of Sugar and Grits, a novella collection with the DiAnn Mills, Janice Thompson, and Kathleen Y'Barbo. Rogers has a Masters degree in education and has worked as a secondary teacher and an instructor of English composition. She lives with her husband in Houston, Texas. I hope you will check out the websites of each of these writers and see what other great books they have to offer and learn more about their genre. HAPPY READING!

Thank You!

I want to thank Julia at Dark Glass Ponderings for giving me the Beautiful Blog Award. I have really enjoyed working on my blog, but at times I wonder if anyone is really taking notice. Thank you Julia for reaffirming that yes, someone is!