Category Archives: Tuesday Wedding Tales

Tuesday Wedding Tales–Carolina Mercy by Regina Rudd Merrick

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in books, Romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series,  where wedding-themed stories are the fare.

Today’s guest is Regina Rudd Merrick, who will be talking about her book Carolina Mercy.

Welcome, Regina!

 

Weddings. Ah, the mere thought brings forth thoughts of white satin and organza, romantic music, flowers, wedding cake, and LOVE.

As a musician, I have played for my fair share of weddings. Some have gone off without a hitch, and some have been fraught with disaster. Like the time I was supposed to play “Somewhere, My Love” for the parents to enter, and after playing it for twenty minutes learning that the father of the bride was LATE, and they wanted me to play that song until time for the Bridal Chorus – another ten minutes. Oy. I haven’t played that song since that night.

Those experiences, plus hours on Pinterest and binge-watching “Say Yes to the Dress,” make me look forward to the opportunity to plan my daughters’ weddings, but it hasn’t happened yet. The next best thing? Writing about it.

Carolina Mercy, book 2 in the “Southern Breeze Series,”is written from the perspective, for the most part, of Maid-of-Honor Lucy Dixon and Best Man Tom Livingston. They take on most of the wedding planning for their best friends, Sarah and Jared (introduced in book 1, Carolina Dream) in the aftermath of a catastrophe. Lucy is a ball of fire whose motto is “very organized people have time to be spontaneous,” and Tom is a neat-freak whose attention to detail has probably scared off more women than have enticed them.

Both Lucy and Tom learn a lot in the course of events that lead up to their friends’ wedding — about weddings, about their relationship with God, and about marriage. They find out that it’s not about having the perfect wedding, the perfect house, or the perfect situation, but about trusting God and being thankful for His mercy and grace.

Here’s an excerpt, from Tom’s point of view:

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Lucy coming down the aisle toward them was a sight to behold. Her dress swirled around her feet, and the sparkling shoes on her tiny feet peeked out with each step. She was as beautiful as the bride, in his opinion. After giving her a wink, he smiled as she blushed. It was like having a super power, to be able to make a woman blush like that.

Walking past the flower-laden pews, the three little girls strewed flower petals along the aisle. Yeah, somebody would have to clean that up, but he wouldn’t think about that, now. Jared’s nephew, Alex, named after Alex Crawford, had done a good job of ushering in the greats and grands.

As the girls got to the altar, finishing up their task and taking their places next to their mothers, Tom turned to smile at Lucy before Sarah came in.

What he saw scared him to death.

She was staring at him, her face looking like she’d seen a ghost. What was wrong? Had he forgotten his tie? He reached up to his hair. Had he messed it up after she’d fixed it?

Carolina Mercy

By Regina Rudd Merrick

She’s always gotten everything she’s wanted. He thinks he has to give up everything.

Her best friend’s wedding is foremost on Lucy Dixon’s radar. Her biggest concern is once again meeting Tom Livingston, who has ignored her since an idyllic date on the boardwalk of Myrtle Beach the previous summer.

At least, it is her biggest concern until tragedy strikes. Where is her loving, merciful God, now?

When Tom Livingston meets Lucy, the attraction is instant. Soon after, his mother is diagnosed with an untreatable illness and his personal life is pushed aside. His work with the sheriff’s department, his family – they are more important. He knows about the love of God, but circumstances make him feel as if God’s mercy is for everyone else, not him.

Can a wedding and a hurricane – blessing and tragedy – bring them together?

Buy links: Carolina Dream Carolina Mercy

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About the Author:

Regina Merrick began reading romance and thinking of book ideas as early as her teenage years when she attempted a happily-ever-after sequel to “Gone With the Wind.” That love of fiction parlayed into a career as both a school and public librarian, and more recently, as a full-time author. Married for nearly 35 years and active in their local church, Regina and her retired-teacher husband have two grown daughters who share her love of music, writing, and the arts. She resides in a 100-year-old house in Marion, KY with her husband and their dog, Cedric, whose late litter-mate, Oliver, was the model for Sarah’s Schnauzer-mix.

Connect with Regina at:

Facebook: Twitter: Website:

 

 

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Tuesday Wedding Tales–The Handyman’s Heart by Katie Clark

19 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by in Romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to the Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding-themed stories are the fare.

 Today’s guest is Katie Clark and she’ll be talking about her book Securing the Handyman’s Heart. Welcome, Katie!

 

The Story Behind The Story:

Securing the Handyman’s Heart

One morning I woke up from a dream, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The dream was about a girl, and she had a boyfriend whom she had been with for years. Yet, they weren’t married. In my dream, she was so frustrated with him because he hadn’t ever proposed.

I kept thinking of this gal, and how this scenario happens all the time. I kept thinking of romance stories, and how much we all love them—yet, a lot of times in life things just don’t work that way. I started thinking how, in spite of our lives not following a set pattern, they’re no less special and romantic and fantastic.

My mind went to work from there, and I began putting together elements of Securing the Handyman’s Heart. I thought it would be fun to get to push the hero into finally making a decision (hee hee!). And I wanted to showcase that life is special regardless of the path it takes.

I like how Securing the Handyman’s Heart isn’t the typical “head over heels” romance (though there’s definitely lots of romance!), because sometimes in real life things just don’t work that way. We don’t always get our happy endings exactly the way we’d thought they would happen, you know?

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ABOUT THE STORY:

Local cupcake queen Kayla Dobbs is feeling the heat—just as her bakery is finally taking off, her retired parents start pressuring her to move to Florida. Determined to prove her success, she takes on extra work at the bakery and fibs a little about the depth of her love life. When her mother announces an upcoming visit to meet the lucky guy, Kayla makes a pact with her friends to get a proposal from George Marks, town handyman extraordinaire. The problem is, George seems totally indifferent.

George Marks has enough on his plate with running his business, taking care of an ailing but feisty grandmother, and the possibility of a new business venture on the horizon. But when bumping into Kayla becomes a strangely routine thing, he’s surprised to realize it has also become the highlight of his days. As business spirals out of control and Granny takes a turn for the worse, he’s sure he made one too many commitments.

With a dash of matchmaking granny and a pinch of secret cupcake recipe, Kayla and George find themselves in one messy kitchen. But will they find themselves in love?

EXCERPT:

Kayla Dobbs studied the handyman leaning into her commercial oven. “Can you fix it?” she asked. The stupid thing wouldn’t come on this morning when she’d arrived at 4:00 a.m.

George jiggled a few pieces back into place, grunted, and hauled all six-foot two of himself out of his crouched position. His white T-shirt was slightly too small—not that she was noticing—and his brown hair now hung slightly down his forehead. He brushed it aside before answering. “Heating element’s bad. I have one in the truck.”

“You just happen to have one on hand?” She eyed him, suspicious. She’d hoped to score a few hours with George out of this broken oven mess. An emergency fix was the only time she got to see him, and she did like seeing him.

He shrugged one shoulder. “I figured what it was when you called, so I stopped by the warehouse before I came.” He wiped his hands on a towel and tossed it into her sink.

Kayla sighed and leaned against the counter as he strode outside to his truck.

The broken oven was an inconvenience—she’d had to bake all of her goodies for the bakery this morning in a single oven, which had taken twice as long—but she’d been excited to see George. It’d been two months since they’d last gone out, though they’d gone on a handful of dates over the last few years. She liked his easy smile and bright green eyes, the warmth of his hand holding hers, and even his smell—sawdust and glue. He obviously didn’t return the sentiments, or he would have asked her out again.

George returned, his dark hair shimmering with sweat. “It’s a hundred degrees out there.”

“Hot summer,” Kayla said. She leaned her elbows on the counter, facing him as he worked. “So, what have you been up to?”

“Mostly work.” He leaned into the oven again.

Kayla waited for more, but it didn’t come. “Don’t you ever take a break?”

“Not lately.”

She bit her lip, racking her brain for something to say. It shouldn’t be this hard to talk to him. Seriously. They’d known each other for three years, ever since George had installed the very first ovens in The Cupcakery. Conversation should be easy by now.

“I have a big order tonight, so I’m glad you could get to this so fast.” And she was. Baking everything in one oven for tonight would have been a nightmare. The kitchen of The Cupcakery was large and airy. It was perfect, really, but working with one oven when you were making a few hundred cupcakes was no easy task.

He pulled his head out of the oven long enough to grin at her. “I had to postpone some jobs, but it was worth it.”

Warmth crept through her belly. Maybe he wasn’t totally indifferent.

Want to read more? *Buy it now on Amazon

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About the Author:

KATIE CLARK started reading fantastical stories in grade school and her love for books never died. Today she reads in all genres; her only requirement is an awesome story! She writes inspirational romance as well as young adult speculative fiction, including her YA supernatural novel, Shadowed Eden, as well as The Enslaved Series. You can connect with her at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–One Choice by Ginger Solomon

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Christian fiction, Sweet romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series,

where wedding-themed stories are the fare.

 

Today’s guest is Ginger Solomon. Ginger will be talking about her book One Choice, which has a very interesting concept in it—a forced Bridal March. I’ll let Ginger tell you all about her book. Welcome, Ginger!

 

Thanks, Catherine. I’m going to start off talking about Mercies in Disguise and then introduce your readers to my book.

The other day I heard the song “Blessings” by Laura Story. It’s been around for a while, but for some reason this time something about the lyrics struck me. It’s like reading that same Scripture over and over and then one day it comes to life in your heart.

I can relate to these words in so many ways. I know that blessings can come through raindrops – the first date I had with my husband it was raining. I know that healing can come through tears – I have cried to the Lord and felt a physical hug from Him that healed the broken places in my heart. I have doubted His goodness and His love, and I have spent countless nights awake and wondering what the next day would bring. And yet, through it all He has loved me WAY too much to let me stay in a place of comfort too long.

Through the greatest disappointments in my life I know God has been beside me. I may not have felt like it at the time, but feelings are fickle creatures and should not be trusted. It reminds me of the Footprints in the Sand picture. Sometimes when we least feel God it’s because He’s carrying us rather than walking beside us.

James 1:2-3(NKJV) says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” This verse doesn’t say IF, but WHEN. We’ve all had trials, and we’re likely to have a few more before our time here on earth is complete.

In One Choice, my heroine, Cahri, is angry at God because her parents were killed in the country where they were missionaries. She felt God had abandoned her. Then she was summoned to participate in the Bridal March. She once again felt as if He had forsaken her. We all know God is always with us and will never forsake us (Heb. 13:5), but how often do we forget it when we’re in the dark places? Cahri feels God’s presence at various times throughout the book, and finally remembers how much He loves her later in the book – three long years after the death of her parents.

Will we allow God to turn our raindrops into blessings and our tears into healing? Will the sleepless nights send us to our knees crying out to God? How long will it take us to remember that God always wants the very best things for us?♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

One Choice

By Ginger Solomon

Cahri Michaels is American by birth, but Belikarian by choice. Being selected to participate in the Bridal March forces her to give up the independent life she’s created for herself. She’s not ready to be anyone’s wife, much less to a man she doesn’t know.

Prince Josiah Vallis despises the centuries old tradition—the Bridal March—that is forcing him to choose a wife from fifty women. Why does it matter that he’s twenty-five and still single?

When Cahri and Josiah meet, passion ignites. Will it spark a godly love that can see them through or will they be burned, never to be the same?

 

EXCERPT:

Chapter One

15 miles northeast

Sehirgrada, Belikara

One week later

Cahri Michaels trudged through the market, tired from a week of pressures and schedule changes at work. So many people crowded the aisles, just getting to the fruit and vegetable section proved difficult. A few apples, a small eggplant, and salad ingredients were all she needed from this section. Dodging other shoppers, she plucked a few cans of broth from a shelf and then headed for the cereal aisle to grab oatmeal.

With her basket in her hand, she rounded the corner and collided with a solid wall of muscle covered in a blue cotton shirt. Strong hands kept her from falling, but she lost her grip on the basket. It plunged to the floor, scattering her groceries.

“Ozur dilerim.” She lowered her eyes as she excused herself. He released her arms. A sudden chill replaced the warmth where his hands had rested. A hand to her favorite white wool cloche made sure it remained in place and hid how much the contact affected her.

“Hicbir sorun.” The deep, velvety voiced reply of “no problem” caused goose bumps to raise the hairs on her arms. She glanced at the stranger. Tall and good-looking. Incredibly good-looking.

Embarrassed, Cahri lowered her eyes again and bent to retrieve her groceries. At the same moment, he also bent over and their heads collided.

“Oh!” Her exclamation joined his grunt. “How clumsy can a person be?” she murmured under her breath. She took a deep breath and his scent, masculine with a hint of musk, inundated her senses. It was familiar, but why?

A foreboding fell on her spirit even as her heart was drawn to him.

“Excuse me? Did you call me clumsy?” The sudden chill in his voice sent ice through her veins.

What happened to the velvety tone? Then it hit her. He understood her words. He spoke English.

She gasped and heat burned its way up her neck and into her cheeks as she glanced at his face. He had the most breath-taking pair of chocolate-brown eyes she’d ever seen, which said a lot in a country full of brown-eyed people. His gaze bore into hers, and he lifted an eyebrow, waiting for her response. Her cheeks burned, and she shifted on her feet, looking away from his scrutiny.

“No! I….” She paused and took a steadying breath. “I was talking to myself. I didn’t think… few people here understand me when I mumble to myself. Please forgive me.” Her voice grew quieter as her face grew warmer. She’d come so close to insulting him. A shudder rippled through her body at the trouble it would have caused—an American insulting a native, and if his attire meant anything—a prominent, rich man.

Her parents had reminded her every day as she grew up about how to behave around native men, to always show them deference. “It’s not like America,” they would say, “where women are considered equals. Many Belikarian men are willing to give more freedoms to women, but others are quite strict in their philosophies. You must be careful unless you know to whom you speak, you could cause undue trouble.”

Which kind of man was he?

She picked up the last can and stood. As he handed her the basket, their hands touched and an unexpected awareness filled her. Her breath caught. She released the pent-up air with deliberate care.

“Thank you.” The earlier mistake was forefront in her thoughts, so she kept her eyes averted and her words few to avoid another incident.

“You’re welcome. Do you need further assistance?” The velvety voice again. A tingle ran down her spine.

 

Want to read more? You can find One Choice at Amazon

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About the Author:

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre, and if she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, books are on her mind. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.

Connect with Ginger at:

Author Links:

Website : Inspy Romance Blog:  Facebook Author Page :  Twitter @GingerS219

Amazon Author Page

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–Counting on the Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

10 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Sweet romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series,

where wedding-themed stories are the fare.

 Today’s guest is award-winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter who writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance. Who doesn’t love a guy in a cowboy hat and boots? I know I do. Shannon will be talking about her newest Inspirational Contemporary Romance book, Counting on the Cowboy.

She’s also offering a chance to win one of ten copies which will be split among names drawn during her blog tour from March 13 – April 10. Leave a comment on her post to be entered in the giveaway. Today she’s not only on Tuesday Wedding Tales, but at http://craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/ and http://www.gingersolomon.com/ More details about the giveaway are at the end of the post, so be sure to read through for that as well as a great excerpt. So, without further ado, here’s Shannon!

 Thanks, Catherine.

Devree Malone is a sought after Dallas wedding planner in my latest book, Counting on the Cowboy. At twelve years old, she attended her cousin’s nuptials and decided she wanted to spend her life creating stunning weddings. Her goal has been to put together perfect days for brides without breaking the bank.

Until six months before the book begins, when she met with a potential client bride only to discover her boyfriend was the potential groom. Soured on weddings, she decides to take her business in a new direction with event planning.

She ends up at a dude ranch in Bandera Texas owned by her sister and brother-in-law. With her sister in the last month of a high risk pregnancy, Devree agrees to stay and keep an eye on her. While at the ranch, she has to plan one last wedding booked there. The wedding is for a high-profile client and Devree hopes if she aces the ceremony, the bride’s father will hire her to plan his company retreat. But she doesn’t plan on having to count on the cowboy.

Brock McBride shows up at the dude ranch to apply for a job as the handyman. His dad was the handyman there when he was a kid and Brock was childhood friends with Devree’s brother-in-law. He moved away after his dad’s death when he was eight. With experience in building resort cabins, Brock gets hired to help with cabins being built on the dude ranch. But when he discovers someone from his past working at the ranch, he turns down the job. Until Devree begs him to stay so the cabins will get finished and her sister will remain stress-free.

She’s all city—afraid of fish hooks, doesn’t like getting dirty, isn’t outdoorsy, and isn’t fond of farm animals. She can’t wait to get this one last wedding over and for her sister to have a healthy baby so she can get back to her life in Dallas. Brock hates the city, loves everything country, and never wants to live anywhere else. But he’s just as anxious to get away from the dude ranch and that painful reminder from his past I mentioned.

In the midst of wedding planning, she’s tasked with readying an old cabin for the bride and groom’s honeymoon cottage. With Brock on hand to make repairs, they end up working in close proximity. Despite a growing attraction, they’re still on separate paths. Will Devree realize Brock’s a cowboy she can count on?

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Counting on the Cowboy

By Shannon Taylor Vannatter

 Ranching is his whole life… until he meets one special city girl
Texas Cowboy

Brock McBride knows better than to fall for a city girl. She’ll leave and break his heart—just like his ex-fiancée did. But his job at Chasing Eden Dude Ranch requires working alongside Dallas wedding planner Devree Malone. And despite fierce resistance, he’s falling hard. Yet with Devree’s business back in the city, can he convince her she’s found her home…with him?

Excerpt:

Devree was cutting it close with her wedding party arriving today and the rehearsal tonight. She wound tulle around the pillars on each side of the stage, draping it just so. She’d done it so many times, she could almost do it in her sleep. Next, the ivy-and-pearl garland.

The door to the chapel opened. “Heard you could use a hand.” Brock strode up the aisle.

“I thought you were busy with Chase and Landry’s house.”

“I did too. But Landry doesn’t want you climbing the ladder in here alone.”

“Well, you’re too late, I’ve already been up there and I’m none the worse for wear. She’s a worrier, but I’m fine.” Finished with the pillars, she started to move the ladder to the lattice archway behind where the preacher would stand.

His hands landed on hers. “I’ll get that.”

Warmth moved up her arms. Reluctantly, she pulled away. “Over here, then. Underneath the archway.”

He placed the ladder for her as she grabbed more tulle from a plastic bin and started up the rungs.

“I can do the climbing if you’ll tell me what to do.”

“I’m fine. And you don’t seem like a decorating guru.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Guess I’ll stand here and make sure you don’t fall, then.”

She climbed the ladder, wound the tulle through the lattice. “Can you hand me the ivy-and-pearl garland.”

“This?” He held up the greenery.

She took it from him, wound it among the tulle, then started down the ladder to do the sides. But her foot slipped. “Oh!” She teetered, lost her balance. Strong arms caught her, lowered her safely to her feet but didn’t let go.

“What are you thinking climbing a ladder barefoot?”

“It was either that or my heels.”

“Why do you always wear those ridiculous stilts?”

“The wedding party is arriving today. I wanted to look the part.”

His gaze held hers prisoner, then lowered to her mouth as he dipped his head.

Her breath hitched as his lips neared hers.

The chapel door opened and they sprang apart.

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Want to read more? You can find Shannon’s book here.

 Now Shannon has a question for the readers: Have you ever changed careers?

About the Author:

Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does.

She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad, and she married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.

Social Media: Shannon’s Website            Shannon’s Blog           Shannon’s Facebook

 

Giveaway details:

 

Comment to enter the drawing for a copy of Counting on the Cowboy. Ten copies will be split among names drawn during the blog tour from March 13 – April 10. One winner will get to pick the theme for a custom made memory board personally crafted by the author. Deadline April 20. Winners will be revealed on the author’s blog on April 21. Go to my website http://shannontaylorvannatter.com/ and sign up for my newsletter to enter more giveaways and get a free book download.

 

Follow my blog tour for more chances to win Counting on the Cowboy:

 

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–The Christmas Bride by Jenna Brandt

03 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in books, Sweet romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding-themed stories are the fare.

 

The Christmas Bride: Christian Western Historical (Window to the Heart Saga Spin-off Book 3)Today’s guest is Jenna Brandt, author of Christian Historical Romances. She’ll be telling us about her western historical The Christmas Bride. So, without any further ado, here’s Jenna!

The Christmas Bride is the first novella in my series, Window to the Heart Saga, and focuses on the courtship and wedding of two of the supporting characters from the previous book, The Oregon Pursuit. Lucy was only supposed to be a character to give a contrast to my main heroine in the that book, but I fell in love with writing her, I ended up giving her a bigger part and setting her up at the end of that book to have her own story. The Christmas Bride originally appeared in the Christmas anthology, Under the Mistletoe, which I co-created with fellow author, Lorana Hoopes. We invited 6 other authors to join us in the anthology full of HEA novellas. A few weeks after the release of the anthology, I released The Christmas Bride independently.

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The Christmas Bride

By Jenna Brandt

Lucy Rogers traveled west, running from a troubled past. As a new Christian, she meets and forms a relationship with Matthew McCoy, the son of the local pastor. Lucy runs the Trail’s End Saloon while Matthew works for the local saw mill. As they plan their Christmas wedding, Lucy’s past comes back to haunt her. Will her past allow them to build a future together? A heartfelt, sweet read full of romance, sure to warm your heart this holiday season.

Excerpt:

Matthew placed his arm around Lucy’s shoulders as he gathered her in against his side. He leaned his head down, allowing the side of his face to rest on the top of her head. Just as the last few candles glowed, flurries of snow fell from the sky. Not enough to put out the candles but just enough to make the moment perfect.

“What do you think?” Matthew inquired.

“It’s magnificent,” Lucy murmured.

“I told you this Christmas would be better. Am I keeping my word?”

Lucy angled her head up to view Matthew. “And then some.”

Bonus Short Story, The White Wedding is included. The prequel to The Christmas Bride.

Want to read more? You can find Jenna’s book at Amazon

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About the Author:


Jenna Brandt is a Christian historical romance author and she is branching into contemporary romance in 2018. Her books span from Victorian to Western to WWI eras with elements of romance, suspense and faith. Her debut series, the Window to the Heart Saga, has become a bestseller and her newest venture is the multi-author series, The Lawkeepers. She is also an author in the First Street Church kindle world.

She has been an avid reader since she could hold a book and started writing stories almost as early. She has been published in several newspapers as well as edited for multiple papers. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in English from Bethany College and was the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper while there. Her first blog was published on Yahoo Parenting and The Grief Toolbox as well as featured on the ABC News and Good Morning America websites. She is a contributor and curator for the website, Novel PASTimes, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers Association (RWA) Associations.

Writing is her passion, but she also enjoys cooking, watching movies, reading, engaging in social media and spending time with her three young daughters and husband where they live in the Central Valley of California. She is also active in her local church where she volunteers on their first impressions team as well as writes for the church’s creative team.

To find out more about Jenna, to sign-up for her newsletter, or to purchase her books, visit her website at http://www.jennabrandt.com/

Social media: Amazon author page https://www.amazon.com/Jenna-Brandt/e/B0711MSFXW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1497269877&sr=8-1

Like her on Facebook www.facebook.com/JennaBrandtAuthor

Stalk her on Instagram www.instagram.com/jennnathewriter/

 

 

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–The Reluctant Groom by Kimberly Rose Johnson

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in books, Romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

 

Today’s guest is Kimberly Rose Johnson. I had the chance to read Kimberly’s book The Reluctant Groom and found it to be a delightful read. So, without any further ado, here’s Kimberly!

 

I am excited to be on Catherine’s blog with you today to tell you about my latest adventure in writing. Weddings happen to be pretty important to romance writers, and in the case of The Reluctant Groom the wedding takes on a whole new meaning.

 

I’ve always enjoyed reading books with a marriage of convenience theme, but being a contemporary writer, I didn’t think I could pull it off. All that changed one night as I was lying in bed, and the inkling of a story idea began to formulate out of the blue. I was chewing on something in my mind and asked myself what would happen if I took an old-fashioned situation—marry by a certain age or lose everything, and put a modern-day spin on it.

Ray is a very eligible bachelor to Katie Fairchild’s thinking, so the idea that he was stuck in this predicament seemed nuts. She couldn’t imagine how a successful business owner didn’t have women lining up to marry him. She’d marry him in a heartbeat and accidentally blurted that out to Ray. She never dreamed a simple night out with friends would change the course of her life.

The story takes place in Seattle where Ray O’Brien owns an athletic club with a boxing ring in the basement. He never imagined the historical boxing ring would become the site of his wedding or that he’d say his vows in the ring. But that’s exactly what happened, for better or for worse.

Here’s the back cover blurb.

When everything goes wrong, can two friends discover true love?

When Ray O’Brien’s world is turned upside down, Katie Fairchild wants to help, but the personal cost is high. Neither desires a marriage of convenience, but when Katie blurts the first thing that comes to her mind Ray can’t dismiss her offer of marriage. It would solve all his problems except for one thing—they aren’t in love.

Can these two friends team up for the greater good and perhaps find love along the way, or are their expectations impossible?

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Here’s a sneak peak at their wedding.

Ray nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” They stepped out of the locker room into the gym. Two rows of folding chairs were set up facing the boxing ring. As promised, Rusty had the ropes removed from one side and added centered stairs. The ring had been transformed into a stage.

Hailey and her friends had done the impossible. They’d turned this gym into something beautiful. A white arbor with vines woven through it stood in the center of the ring. A white runner went down the center between the rows of chairs and up the stairs all the way to the arbor. A violinist and a cellist sat off to the side playing classical music.

He walked up the stairs to where the minister waited.

“You ready for this?”

Ray nodded. “I think so. Have you seen Katie?”

“Yes, and your bride looks lovely. Here she comes.”

Katie walked up the stairs. His eyes took her in from head to toe. The overhead lights caught on his bride’s sparkly headpiece. He sucked in a breath. The white dress was perfect. She held a simple bouquet of red roses. He let his eyes roam further and noted her fancy white sneakers. He held in a chuckle, afraid she’d bolt if he laughed.

Katie stopped beside him. Her lipstick stood out on her pale face. Had she suddenly become sick?

He slipped his hand around her ice-cold hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You okay?” he whispered.

“Yes.” A wobbly smile tipped her lips.

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I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek! It’s been quite a few years since I last attended a wedding. One of the things that stuck out to me from that wedding was the arbor on the stage. When was the last time you attended a wedding? Did anything besides the bride grab your attention?

Thanks for having me on your blog, Catherine!

 

It was my pleasure, Kimberly. If you’d like to read more of Kimberly’s book check it out at Amazon

 

About the Author:

Faith Hope and Love Reader’s Choice Finalist, Kimberly Rose Johnson, married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website. Her book may be purchased at Amazon. Kimberly loves to connect with readers on Facebook.

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–Cindy’s Perfect Dance by Bonnie Engstrom

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Christian fiction, Romance, Sweet romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

 

 

Today’s guest is Bonnie Engstrom. She’ll be talking about Cindy’s Perfect Dance, one of the books in her Candy Cane Girls Series. Bonnie is giving a way a copy of Cindy’s Perfect Dance, either ebook or a print copy, to one lucky commentor. To be entered in the drawing, just leave a comment on her post. Welcome, Bonnie.

 

 

 

Thanks, Catherine.

What if your best friend is getting married to a gorgeous hunk who is rich? And you are the Maid of Honor? And his brother is the Best Man?

Cindy never planned to be attracted to Rob, but because he felt it was protocol he insisted they dance together. Neither really expected to feel the chemistry between them. And, dancing in the parking lot? What was that all about?

Cindy and Rob’s story of love captured my heart. It was so surprising, especially with all the problems attached to it. Rob’s alcoholism and his commitment to AA, as well as his physical problems seemed monumental . . . at first. Cindy believes she can overcome those, until Emily confronts Rob saying she believed he loved her.

Cindy is a strong woman, but her love for Rob is stronger.

This story grew out of the first of The Candy Cane Girls Series. The six girls have a strong bond formed in a former high school swim team. They stick together in prayer and support.

I started to write this series before I realized it could become a series. Suddenly, it became close to my heart. I hope you will explore the series, now in its sixth book, Melanie’s Blue Skirt. In Cindy you will see all my grandchildren and a beautiful wedding on the beach of Playa Hermosa Costa Rica. I think it will make you want to follow the Candy Cane Girls to learn what Noelle, Candy and Connie and Natalie and Melanie have in their future. Oops, Doreen, too. But her story may be last. She’s in love with the most gorgeous man of all, an international model.

All the Candy Cane Girls stories are set in Newport Beach. I use many actual places in each story. Cindy and Rob shop for her engagement ring in Fashion Island outdoor mall. I wanted them to finally purchase it at Traditional Jewelers for several reasons; the owner attended my church (Mariners, which is also the church that sponsors the couple to mission in Costa Rica) and he and his family lived in my community. I had the scene where Rob goes to pick up the ring all set up, then he learns the owner suddenly died a few days ago. That is what actually happened, so I wrote it into the book.

I had also been searching for a way to include my grandchildren in a book. Since our son and his two boys live in Costa Rica I decided to have Cindy and Rob’s wedding take place there on the beach. (Costa Rica is also the mission assignment for the couple). The Arizona grandchildren flew there to share a wedding adventure with their cousins. It was a fun scene to write, including Lucy the Costa Rican French bull dog.

 

Cindy’s Perfect Dance

By Bonnie Engstrom

 

The Candy Canes are a tight-knit group; the six girls are like sisters. They share everything from successes to secrets. Even marriage doesn’t keep them apart. Then …

Cindy caught the bridal bouquet, and Rob caught the blue garter. Neither of them believed in fate or tradition. But, something happened when she stepped on his toes dancing.

When Rob agreed to help his brother by working in the Love In Bloom Floral Shop while Braydon was on his honeymoon, he asked Cindy to join him. He didn’t know what to expect, especially over Christmas break. Would she take over with her promotional ideas and anger his mother, the owner?

Would their relationship flower? Could Cindy accept Rob’s secrets? How would that change her love for him? And, what about Emily, the woman who claimed Rob loved her?

Cindy has decisions to make. She is supposed to receive her unique engagement ring on Valentine’s Day. Should she accept it, or say no to Rob because of the secrets he recently shared? If she accepts, they will have a lifelong commitment. Is she strong enough to go through with the plan, or should she back out and be safe?

 

EXCERPT

“Ouch!”

“What?”

“You stepped on my toes.”

He said it so matter of factly that Cindy wondered if he was kidding. She looked down at his black patent shoes. Aw, oh. A scuff on the right one. Guess Rob was right. Question was … his fault for not being a good leader or hers for being a bad follower?

“Sorry.”

“S’okay.” He pulled her closer and she felt her body melt into the warmth of his.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free copy, either ebook or print, of Bonnie’s book Cindy’s Perfect Dance. Winners will be chosen next Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

 

About the Author:

My husband Dave and I were blessed to raise our three children in Newport Beach, California. When our first grandchild, Miss Mookie, was born twelve years ago in Arizona we moved to Scottsdale to be near to her. Since then she has acquired three siblings, a younger sister, and twins, a boy and a girl. We don’t miss Newport at all, except for our wonderful friends and neighbors, and Bible study fellowships. Now, we spend many afternoons picking kids up after school and taking them to gymnastics, doctor appointments and chess tournaments. It’s a different life we thrive on.

We both thought we would retire. Didn’t happen. I am especially blessed to be multi-published by Forget Me Not Romances, a dream come true. You can see almost all my books at http://amzn.to/2Ish792. Dave quips he is the oldest new hire in the U.S. by accepting the position as a Core Counseling Faculty member at the University of Phoenix, for which he also teaches many online classes. He is on the staff at Honor Health Hospital in Scottsdale where he teaches pre-op and post-op classes for bariatric surgery. Honor Health is recognized in several of my books. Not a surprise!

Our grandparenting and our situations keep us busy.

To meet all of our grandchildren read Cindy’s Perfect Dance. They all play a part in Cindy and Rob’s wedding on the beach in Costa Rica. Or, visit my website at http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see Dave and me with the crew. You can also sign up for my newsletter there and a chance to win great prizes. In the last contest I gave away a Kindle Fire!

I love connecting with my readers, so I hope you will write to me at bengstrom@hotmail.com and especially tell me what you want to see happen to Cindy and Rob in the future. Will they be successful in their church planting mission? Your ideas inspire me. I feed on them.

Thank you for reading my books. Writing them for you is a privilege and a blessing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–A Heart’s Gift by Lena Nelson Dooley

13 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

Today’s guest is multi-published author Lena Nelson Dooley, who will be telling us about her historical Christian romance  book, A Heart’s Gift. The book is the winner of the 2017 Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award for Long Historicals.

Welcome, Lena.

Thanks, Catherine,

A Heart’s Gift is marriage-of-convenience novel set near the continental divide in Colorado in the 1890’s. Both the Franklin Vine and the Lorinda Sullivan have legitimate reasons for not wanting to allow another person into their hearts—deep hurts from the past. They were thrown together in the same house, complete with a housekeeper, and the household runs smoothly for quite a while.

A marriage in-name-only looks like the perfect solution for both of them. He wants an heir; she has a baby from her first marriage. She wonders how she’ll provide for her child; he owns a large successful ranch, so she’ll never have to worry about that again.

What could go wrong?

They don’t want anyone else to know the situation of their relationship, so they keep it a secret. Something happens at the wedding that puts each of them in a sudden and dramatic downturn … Or is it an upturn?

You, as the reader will need to decide for yourself. Events spiral out of their control until someone from the heroes past reappears in their lives and puts the heroine in mortal danger. The event from the wedding becomes the one thing both of them cling to in their minds and hearts.

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A Heart’s Gift

By Lena Nelson Dooley

Because of an earlier betrayal, Franklin vows never to open his heart to another woman. But he desires an heir.

When Lorinda is finally out from under the control of men who made all the decisions in her life, she promises herself she will never allow a man to control her again. But how can she provide for her infant son?

A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect arrangement, until two people from Franklin’s past endanger Lorinda. How can he save her? And how will this affect the way they feel about each other?

Excerpt:

Flames danced on the opposite side of the room from the cold black stove sitting on a slab of rock. The smoke didn’t come from the pot-belly. Flames? Her heart jumped into her throat and thrashed like a bird caught in a snare. She stared, fascinated at the macabre dance before her. The fire leapt, eating its way through the log wall and wooden floor. Wavering tongues of light took a bite from her curtains then raced up the fabric, consuming everything in their way.

Panic rose like a specter in her mind. The fear stole her breath away. She had to get out of here. Lorinda took a deep breath and held it. She quickly turned around and thrust her feet into the men’s boots beside her bed. Her breath swooshed out. She leaned over for a moment, light-headed. She’d never make it across the burning room if she couldn’t hold her breath any longer than that.

Her agitation reached the baby, and it squirmed and thumped inside her. She grabbed a handkerchief from the top drawer of the chest and held it tight over her nose before plunging into the mounting inferno. She pulled her garments close, trying to keep the flames from grabbing them as well.

Lorinda lumbered across the dwindling floor to the front door. The door stuck. Panic screamed inside her. The metal handle was almost too hot to hold. Using the hem of the robe, she grasped it again. She put her whole weight into wrenching the heavy door open and stumbled away from the intense heat melting an ever-widening circle in the dwindling snow. Tongues of fire burst after her, and she was barely able to stay out of their reach.

When the flames no longer scorched her, Lorinda stopped and took several deep breaths, trying to cleanse her lungs from the choking smoke, but the hacking coughs continued. She felt woozy, swaying a moment before straightening her spine. She walked around the log cabin, watching the fire that consumed everything she owned. Her hands clutched the hard pokes in her pockets. Everything, except the gold.

Want to read more? You can find A Heart’s Gift at Amazon.

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About the Author:

Multi-published author Lena Nelson Dooley has had more than 875,000 copies of her books sold. She is a member of ACFW and the local chapter, ACFW – DFW. She’s a member of Christian Authors’ Network and Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.

She has been on the ECPA and CBA Bestseller lists, Publisher’s Weekly bestseller list, and several Amazon Bestseller lists as well as a reviewers’ Top Ten Books of 2011. She has won a dozen awards.

She hosts “The Lena Nelson Dooley Show” on the Along Came a Writer blog radio network.

Connect with Lena at her

Website:  Official Fan Page

Tuesday Wedding Tales–Exposing Love by Christina Rich

13 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in books, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

 

It’s the final week in the Trying Out for Love promo and giveaway. For the past six weeks, week readers have been able to enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post’s book excerpt for a chance to win one of six books in the Trying Out for Love boxed set or the complete boxed set of six books. Seven chances and seven winners! Be sure to read to the end of the post for an excerpt of Exposing Love and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance at a free ebook. To see the list of books in the Rafflecopter just click on the circles below the entry box and you can scroll through the book titles.

 

Today’s featured book in the boxed set is Exposing Love, by Christina Rich. I think you’ll find her take on the bridesmaid auction an interesting one, and maybe even a bit personal for Christina. It’s been a lot of fun sharing how each of us got to our very different book plots from a single idea. We hope you all have enjoyed reading about our writing journeys in these books as much as we enjoyed writing them and sharing with you all.

Good luck to everyone who entered the Rafflecopter, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway and pass the word along to your friends about the great prizes!

 

Behind the Scenes of Exposing Love

By Christina Rich

 

I’m an amateur photographer, working toward become a professional photographer, so it was only natural that my heroine, Mia Collins would be a photographer longing for that one chance at stardom, but this story wasn’t inspired by my love for photography. It actually came out of an incident that happened a few years ago when we tried to begin a church in a small art district in my town. We started renovations on a building, and did quite a bit of work, but our future neighbors were not too happy about a church being in their midst. I decided to give my heroine’s grandparents a happier ending in their urban church.

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Exposing Love

By Christina Rich

Mia Collins has been running from love since her first broken engagement with her high school sweetheart, nearly ten years ago, but after being dumped by her former boss and losing her job as one of New York’s sought after wedding photographers, she finds herself back home and in the middle of a wedding photographer auction for a former friend where the one man she’s never been able to extract from her heart is one of her subjects.

Gavin McHugh doesn’t regret choosing the Marines over marrying his first love, not even now with injuries from combat. He does regret how he treated her after their reunion two years before when they nearly died after a tandem jump and with her back in town and one of the finalists for his cousin’s wedding photographer auction, he’s going to do everything he can to mend the damage he’s done and win back her heart.

Exposing Love Excerpt

 

“What are you doing here?”

“You wouldn’t answer your phone.” One corner of his mouth turned upward. “Looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

She growled. “I think that is my prerogative to not answer if I don’t want to.”

“So, you were screening your calls?”

“I would have had to look at my phone to do that.” She filled the kettle, set it on the burner, and crossed her arms in front of her.

“You missed lunch with Colleen.”

“Lunch?” She glanced at the clock. How had she slept passed three in the afternoon? Because she’d been up half the night trying to convince herself to back out of the competition. She spent the other half watching every sappy romance movie she could find on the movie channel and bawling her eyes out.

“The meal most people have midday.”

“I know what it is. I didn’t know I had a lunch date with her.”

“If you would have answered your phone you would have.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “She is going to announce the top three winners tomorrow, but she wanted to talk to you first.”

“About?”

“If I’m going on assumptions, to know if you’re going to finish this out, or quit.”

“I’m not a quitter.”

“No, you’re not, Mia.” He rose from the chair. The top of his head mere inches from the low basement ceiling.

She wanted to move closer, to crane her neck as he glanced down at her. She wanted to feel his warmth and his strength. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. She wanted to throw her coffee mug at his hard head and knock some sense into him. “Are you asking me to quit?”

“Not at all.” Gavin leaned across the counter and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. She jerked from his touch, but not before it sent old feelings for him spiraling through her blood stream. “I’m asking you to win.”

“Why? Why would you do that?”

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Want to read more? Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win the book. No purchase necessary. Or if you can’t wait, Exposing Love is available on Amazon. Winners will be announced next week, February 20, at the end of the Trying Out for Love author guest posts. Remember, all six authors are giving away an ecopy of their book in the series. A boxed set of Trying Out for Love is also in the giveaway. Seven chances and seven winners! Click on the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win. Remember to scroll through the titles on Rafflecopter, using the circles below the title boxes, to see all the giveaway book titles.

Enter Rafflecopter Giveaway by clicking box below:

 

About the Author:

A mother of four children and a grandmother of one, Christina Rich is a romance author with Love Inspired Historical and Forget Me Not Romances, a speaker, a photographer, and painter.

You can connect with her on Facebook at Author Christina Rich, Twitter @Christinainspy, Instagram at inspyscribe, or at threefoldstrand.com

 

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–The Matchmaking Wedding Planner by Bonnie Engstrom

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Romance, Tuesday Wedding Tales

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Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

 

It’s week five in the Trying Out for Love promo and giveaway. Each week readers can enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post’s book excerpt for a chance to win one of six books in the Trying Out for Love boxed set or the complete boxed set of six books. Seven chances and seven winners! Be sure to read to the end of the post for an excerpt of The Matchmaking Wedding Planner and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance at a free ebook. To see the list of books in the Rafflecopter just click on the circles in the entry box and you can scroll through the book titles.

Today’s featured book in the boxed set is The Matchmaking Wedding Planner

I’m pleased to introduce Bonnie Engstrom, the woman who started this whole crazy bridezilla/bridesmaid bidding journey. Bonnie was the one who sent the original news story about the bridezilla’s bridesmaid auction to the ACFW email loop. This bizarre story made the rounds on social media, garnered a lot of social media comments, and provided loads of inspiration for six authors. Thanks for an interesting writing journey, Bonnie, and some great story ideas. It’s been a lot of fun!

Behind the Story

By Bonnie Engstrom

I love, love, love weddings! Almost all of my books have one, and I’ve always been fascinated by all the details and frou-frou that they require. Designing a wedding is like producing a play, hopefully an award-winning one. Almost twenty years ago while “producing” my daughter’s wedding, I became close friends with her wedding coordinator, Jill. I learned so much from Jill and admired her expertise. Thus, Jill has become a fictitious character in many of my books, but she’s never had a story of her own . . . until now. I think she handles the crazy bride situation with aplomb in difficult circumstances, and I hope you do, too. Look for more Jill stories in the future.

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The Matchmaking Wedding Planner

By Bonnie Engstrom

What’s a wedding coordinator to do with a crazy bride?

Jill Spooner is the ultimate wedding planner, a role she loves . . . until the Trumble wedding. She’s been in her wedding coordinating business, Divine Weddings, for over twenty years, but she’s never encountered a situation like this one. Nor, a bride like this one. She had privately nicknamed Jessica the bride a “spoiled brat” for insisting on having an auction to fulfill her bridesmaid spots. With the bids starting in the hundreds, she wonders if anyone will show up.

When her niece Lizzie and her friend Carolyn drive from Scottsdale to Newport Beach to participate in the auction, mostly for the fun of it, Jill predicts one of them will win the Maid of Honor spot. They even devise a dress up scheme based on the bride’s idea of a storybook wedding. It works well, until Carolyn raises her bidding paddle.

Lizzie’s love struck friend Brad shows up in Newport Beach to court her. Jill helps him with a plan, but what to do with Carolyn while he romances Lizzie? Suddenly she’s a matchmaker, and a problem solver for the wedding party. None of that was in her contract. Fortunately, as an experienced consultant, she pulls ideas and answers out of her sleeve when shocking love secrets are revealed. Who really loves whom? Was Jessica the bride-to-be lying? What about her twin brother’s college roommate? Thank goodness Jill took an iron-clad, non-refundable deposit from the Trumbles. She will earn every dollar as the wedding coordinator in captivity. She is almost ready to give up the wedding coordinating business when her matchmaking proves fruitful. Suddenly, she finds herself planning two more weddings that take her out of her element, and out of state. Will she be able to pull them off? Maybe she should start a matchmaking business.

Excerpt:

“This is the most ridiculous wedding I’ve ever coordinated.” Jill Spooner flared her nostrils, scrunched up her nose trying to ignore the age lines, and pursed her lips. Agh. More wrinkles. “What is the point of hiring Divine Weddings and me when she doesn’t even have attendants? Stupid girl, stupid wedding.” Jill looked in the mirror and glared at her image. “Fortunately, I have the huge, non-refundable deposit,” she mumbled to the woman in the reflection trying to ignore the lines around her eyes and lips. After all, they were lines earned.

“I can’t wait for the auction. Wonder if anyone will show up? I know Lizzie and Carolyn will be there tomorrow. I wonder what characters they decided to play.”

She tweezed a stray gray hair on her left eyebrow and made a face in the glass. “Guess I will have the ‘privilege,’ as Margaret Trumble the bride’s mother called it, to open the responses and make a list. At least I will know what to expect. Will two show up? Or two hundred?” She put the tweezers back in her little makeup bag, shoved the pink pouch in her enormous utilitarian purse and slung it over her shoulder just as her cellphone chimed The Wedding March. What was her niece Lizzie calling her about? Hopefully, the girls hadn’t had any trouble on the drive from Arizona to California.

She pressed the green dot on her phone to hear boisterous laughter. “I hope you remembered to get gas, Liz. The desert can be lonely if you run out and get stuck.”

“Hi, Aunt Jill,” Lizzie yelled. “We are halfway there. Yes, we have lots of gas.”

She was relieved they were simply checking in and had just crossed the state border. The silly girls were singing “California here we come from our Arizona slum,” giggle. “Newport Beach for all your glare, we will show you we don’t care.” Then there was something about a dare, but reception had faded, and Jill couldn’t hear the rest of the frivolity, so she hung up as her phone chimed again. She was running late so she stuffed the phone in the special pocket of her brown purse.

The call was from another Arizona number, one she didn’t recognize. “Wonder who?” she mouthed. She would answer that call later, especially if the person left a voicemail.

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Want to read more? Enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win the book. No purchase necessary. Or if you can’t wait, The Matchmaking Wedding Planner is available on Amazon. Winners will be announced February 20 at the end of the Trying Out for Love author guest posts. Remember, all six authors are giving away an ecopy of their book in the series. A boxed set of Trying Out for Love is also in the giveaway. Seven chances and seven winners! Click on the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win. Remember to scroll through the titles on Rafflecopter, using the circles in the entry box, to see all the giveaway book titles,

 

Enter Rafflecopter Giveaway by clicking box below:

 

About the Author:

Bonnie Engstrom is a multi-published author of contemporary Christian romance. She is also a multi-grandma with six blessings. Four of her grandchildren, including twins, live a stone’s throw from her and her psychologist husband Dave. Two live in Costa Rica – Pura Vida – where they surf, even at seven and nine, thanks to lessons from their surfing teacher dad.

 

When she and Grandpa Dave aren’t taking the Arizona kids to gymnastics, chess tournaments, riding lessons and watching soccer games, she moderates two online prayer chains. They reside on a lagoon where Canada geese flourish every winter, and sometimes a snowy egret. Their two rescued mutts, Sam and Lola, love to chase the geese. Well, Sam does, but even though scruffy Lola is the bossy one, she doesn’t understand the chase part. She still doesn’t know she’s on the cover of the latest book in The Candy Cane Girls Series, Melanie’s Blue Skirt. Won’t she be surprised!

Bonnie is a long time member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a Pro member of Romance Writers of America.

Visit Bonnie’s website http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see all the grandkids and sign up for her newsletter Life On The Lake.

She loves to hear from readers, so be sure to email her at bengstrom@hotmail.com with BOOK in the subject line.

You can see her books and the collections she is in at http://amzn.to/2CVT8Mc. All her books are available on Amazon.