Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt & Denise Hunter

Synopsis:~

Welcome to Smitten, Vermont.

With the help of four friends, it's about to become the most romantic town in America.

The proposed closing of the lumber mill comes as unwelcome news for the citizens of Smitten. How will the town survive without its main employer? A close-knit group of women think they've got just the plan to save Smitten. They'll capitalize on its name and turn it into a tourist destination for lovers-complete with sweet shops, a high-end spa, romantic music on the square, and cabins outfitted with fireplaces and hot tubs.

But is this manly town ready for an influx of romantically-minded guests?

Country music sensation Sawyer Smitten, the town's hometown hero, wants to help by holding his own wedding there on Valentine's Day. And little Mia's lavender wreaths hang all over town as a reminder that faith can work miracles. Along the way, four women spearheading the town's transformation-energetic Natalie, sophisticated Julia, graceful Shelby, and athletic Reese-get in the spirit by reviving their own love lives.

Join best-selling inspirational romance authors (and real-life BFFs) Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for an inspiring stay at the (soon-to-be) most romantic town on the eastern seaboard.

One visit . . . and you'll be smitten too.

My take:~

A stellar idea from four close friends who are also very talented writers offers a sweet, escapist read yet didn't quite fulfill the hopes I had for their stories. Smitten includes four novellas written by Colleen, Kristin, Diann, and Denise with their heroines imbued with their particular personalities and quirks. From that perspective, the book is a fun and fast read and will appeal to those who love their romance lighthearted and the insight into the writers themselves is a great premise. The repetition of each heroine having to convince her guy of their plan to turn Smitten into the romance capital of America meant each story was similar and I would have enjoyed a little more diversity in that regard. My views are coloured by the high expectations I have in respect to these authors' stories and I also acknowledge the challenge of in depth characterisation and plot in much shorter novella. All in all, Smitten is still an enjoyable read and I look forward to returning to Vermont when Secretly Smitten releases in December, 2012.

With thanks to Thomas Nelson for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit the websites of Colleen, Kristin, Diann & Denise

Visit their blog Girls Write Out

Check out Smitten's own website

Buy Smitten from Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Sue Duffy's Liesl Bower & Cade O'Brien

Sue Duffy brings back a hint of the Cold War in her latest suspense, The Sound of Red Returning, available now from Kregel.

Synopsis

After losing everyone she loves, concert pianist Liesl Bower has nowhere to go but to escape into her music. Searching for the peace she usually finds in her concertos and sonatas, Liesl can't shake the feeling that she is being haunted by her past...and by someone following her. 

As she's giving a concert for the president in Washington D.C., she looks out into the audience to see a man that she'd seen before--that eerie face--she'd seen that face the night her Harvard professor was attacked, and now he's back!

Enjoy meeting Liesl & Cade

Brief physical description

Liesl Bower is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist. She’s 37, tall, slender, long amber hair and eyes to match, striking.

Cade O’Brien is a laid-off news reporter. He’s 39, taller than Liesl, lanky/athletic build, tousled brown hair, rugged good looks.

Actor/famous person

Liesl: (See book cover.) I would think Julia Roberts (on the run in a Pelican Brief mode) or Nicole Kidman would look the part and display the required intensity and spunk.

Cade: Perhaps Jake Gyllenhaal or a young Liam Neeson

Strengths and weaknesses

Liesl: fiercely independent, strong-willed, resilient, willing to admit her failures/emotionally isolated from others, self-absorbed, unforgiving

Cade: loyal, kind, gentle, protective/ used to run away from his hurts and coddle them

Quirk (if any)

The whole bunch is quirky in some way.

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Your inspiration for the character 

Liesl: As a magazine editor/writer, I once interviewed an internationally acclaimed concert pianist from Ukraine. From insights to her family’s plight, a story began to percolate.

Cade: After conceiving Liesl, I needed a counter personality to balance her head-strong ways.

Background to the story

It’s been fifteen years since famed pianist Liesl Bower saw her beloved Harvard mentor gunned down, since the CIA disclosed his double life as a Russian spy. She was interrogated and released, with no incriminating evidence against her. But now, something has happened to set Russian and CIA agents on her heels. New intelligence suggests that Liesl possesses a coded message critical to a resurgence of Soviet power.

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As global tensions mount, the Russians are in a frenzy to find the code before the Americans. Standing in their way, though, is the young pianist from the tidal creeks and secret-shrouded lanes of old Charleston. As Liesl outruns the tip of the Russian spear, she must reckon with the wounds of her past, the love of a man she never thought could be hers, and the prevailing power of God.

In the final hour, on a world stage, Liesl must deliver a message of her own. 

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Sue's website

Buy Sue's books at Amazon or Koorong

Coming in late 2012 from B&H Fiction

Here's some late 2012 releases from B&H Publishing for you to ponder!  Historical, suspense, Amish and more.

Any catch your eye?

A Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie

Award-winning writer Jamie Caries concludes her most epic storyline with a wonderful twist in A Duke’s Promise, the final Forgotten Castles novel.

From the Land of Fire and Ice back to England’s shores, Alexandria Featherstone finds herself the new Duchess of St. Easton. Her husband has promised a wedding trip to take them to the place where her imperiled parents were last seen -- Italy and the marble caves of Carrara -- but a powerful Italian duke plots against Alex and her treasure-hunting parents.

Hoping to save them, Alex and Gabriel travel to Italy by balloon. Fraught with danger on all sides and pressured by Gabriel’s affliction to the breaking point, they must learn to work and fight together. The mysterious key is within their grasp, but they have yet to recognize it. This journey will require steadfast faith in God and each other -- a risk that will win them everything they want or lose them everything they have.

September, 2012 

To Write A Wrong by Robin Caroll

In Angola State Penitentiary, a man is serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. Riley Baxter is an eager reporter desperate for a story to make a name for herself. When she stumbles upon the daughter of the incarcerated man, Riley sees a little too much of herself in the teen, and vows to help prove her father’s innocence.

At the same time, Hayden Simpson has his hands full with keeping his little sister in line, worrying about his job as Police Commissioner, and dealing with his past emotional baggage. The last thing he needs is someone blowing the lid off his emotional bucket. But when Riley Baxter storms into his life, struggling to understand why God would let bad things happen to good people, Hayden has no choice but to follow his heart.

Now, Riley and Hayden must work together to uncover the truth of the past . . . before someone shuts Riley up for good.

September, 2012 

Saving Gideon by Amy Lillard

Gideon Fisher wants one thing out of life -- to be left alone. This is not the Amish way, but he’s devastated after the death of his wife and son to the point of losing his faith. He buys a farm on the outskirts of the district and pulls away from his community. But when a freak spring snowstorm brings a beautiful Englisher to his farm, what choice does Gideon have but to let her in?

Dallas socialite Avery Ann Hamilton is intrigued by the Amish farmer who pulls her out of the snow and into his austere lifestyle. Poor little rich girl, Avery has just gone through (yet another) bad breakup. Every man she meets only wants her for her father’s money. All she has ever wanted is to be loved for herself. Avery soon discovers the Oklahoma Amish country is the perfect place to hide out and heal her broken heart.

But she finds a peace in those back roads that she’s never felt before. Now her life has purpose and meaning as she connects with God and those around her. And there’s something more as she begins to care for this man who needs both love and forgiveness.

Gideon never wanted to live again much less fall in love, but Avery finds her way into his heart, showing him the beauty of life and God’s greatness. Yet as the feelings between Avery and Gideon grow, can they overcome their dissimilar lifestyles, or will their sheer differences pull them apart?

October, 2012 

Double Blind  by Brandilyn Collins

Twenty-nine-year-old Lisa Newberry can barely make it through the day. Suddenly widowed and a survivor of a near-fatal attack, she is wracked with grief and despair. Then she hears of a medical trial for a tiny brain chip that emits electrical pulses to heal severe depression. At rope’s end, Lisa offers herself as a candidate.

When she receives her letter of acceptance for the trial, Lisa is at first hopeful. But—brain surgery. Can she really go through with that? What if she receives only the placebo?

What if something far worse goes wrong?

Written in the relentless style for which Brandilyn Collins is known, Double Blind is a psychological thriller with mind-bending twists. Lisa faces choices that drive her to the brink, and one wrong move could cost the lives of many.

October, 2012

Take the Trophy and Run by Gail Sattler

Like Mitford and Lake Wobegon before that, Bloomfield is a place we could all call home. Here, the residents enjoy a splash fountain in the town square, dine at the “Fancy Schmantsy” on tree-lined Main Street, and dream of reaching the 10,000 population mark -- only 22 more folks to go!

The Bloomfield Garden Club, an all-ages group of lovable oddballs that will stop at nothing to make everything beautiful, maintains this piece of heaven on earth. But even such idyllic places as this have their share of dramatic characters and stories to be told.

Take, for instance, craft store owner Amber Weathersby. She wants to be a member of the garden club but has never received the blessing of a green thumb. Her friend, Stan the mechanic, has helped as much as he can -- even adding a timed sprinkler system to Amber’s garden -- but the results never live up to the club’s expectations.

Her only claim to fame with that gang is her semi-famous garden gnome, Gnorman, who gets to hold the prized trophy each year in the Bloomfield Spring Fling contest’s winning garden.

But this year, instead of being the life of the party, her little star is gnomegnapped, and worse, the club’s irreplaceable trophy has gone missing with him. While Amber is chasing the gnome around town trying to win the trophy, Stan is chasing Amber, trying to win her heart.

November, 2012

Saving Hope by Margaret Daley

Synopsis:~

When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it's personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.

My take:~

Saving Hope was my first read from the experienced Margaret Daley. Delving deeply into the horror that is child prostitution, Margaret writes with genuine urgency about the topic, not flinching from the realities but not dwelling on the details. The story clips along at a good pace as the three main characters' - Wyatt, Kate and troubled teen, Rose - stories unfold. Kate's compassion and care is admirable but just a little too perfect, but Wyatt's struggle to solo parent his daughter Maddie is painfully authentic. Rose really grabbed my attention as she battled her fears and guilt with courage and tentative faith, struggling with past abuse and the growing hope of a brighter future. A layer of romance along with snappy dialogue, alleviates the heaviness of the subject matter just when it's needed. Saving Hope has given me a new to me author to enjoy!

With thanks to Abingdon Press for my review copy via NetGalley

Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Margaret's website and blog
Buy Margaret's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Ginny Yttrup's Jenna and Andee

Ginny Yttrup's second novel, Lost and Found, is garnering rave reviews

and is available now from B&H Publishing

Synopsis

It appears Jenna Bouvier is losing everything: beauty, family, and wealth. When her controlling and emotionally abusive mother-in-law accuses Jenna of an affair with her spiritual director and threatens to expose them, Jenna also risks losing her reputation as a woman of faith. Will she capitulate to her mother-in-law’s wishes again or fight for what she holds dear? As Jenna loses her life, will she find it?

Andee Bell has found exactly what she wanted: fame, fortune, and respect. There’s also a special man in her life—Jenna’s brother. Despite her success, a secret quells Andee’s contentment. As memories torment, will she find peace in a relationship with God, or will she sabotage herself while also taking down the only person she cares about? As Andee finds her life, will she lose it?

Moving between San Francisco and the Napa Valley, Jenna and Andee form an unlikely relationship that leads them to a crossroad. They can follow familiar inclinations, or risk it all and walk in faith.

Enjoy meeting Jenna and Andee!

Brief physical description

Jenna Bouvier is a petite, slender, brunette, with sapphire blue eyes. She is beautiful, but suffers the shame of a jagged scar on her chin--something she see's as ugly and debilitating and claims as her own responsibility.

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Andee is a tall, slender, blonde, with chocolate brown eyes. She is aware of her beauty and uses it to manipulate others.

Actor/famous person

I am not one of those authors who looks for a picture and then assigns it to a character. I usually have such a strong visual in my mind, that when I look at a picture I think, that's not my character. In fact, when my fabulous cover designer from B&H, Diana Lawrence, put a picture of a person on the cover for Lost and Found, I recoiled. I couldn't embrace that picture as being Jenna. However, I sat with the picture for a day or two and finally concurred that she'd done a great job based on my descriptions of Jenna in the book.

Strengths and weaknesses

When the story begins, Jenna is just beginning to break out of her passive, people pleasing ways. But she's struggling. She's sought the approval of people and has put them in the place of God in her life. But her strength is self-awareness and a burning desire for intimacy with her Creator. Ultimately, she is willing to give up her life, all she's known, to follow Him.

Andee is ferocious. Deeply wounded and in denial, she has sought the life she thought she wanted and succeeded. She controls her own destiny--she's beautiful, successful, and wealthy. But when those things don't satisfy, she's at a loss, and sabotages herself and those closest to her. She is in danger of losing the life she's fought so hard for.

Quirk (if any)

Andee is obsessive about her espresso.

Wikipedia

Your inspiration for the character

My inspiration for Jenna, my main protagonist, was Madame Jeanne Guyon, known as one of the most important women in Christian history. While I was going through a painful time in my own life, a friend quoted Jeanne Guyon. The quote sent me on a journey of discovery and after reading Jeanne Guyon's autobiography, I began wondering what a contemporary Jeanne Guyon might look like--what would her life look like, what choices would she make, how would she handle some of the struggles that Jeanne Guyon encountered. Thus, Jenna Bouvier came to being.

For the most part, I am a seat of the pants writer, so I developed Andee Bell as I wrote. Her personality needed to be the opposite of Jenna Bouvier's for the story to work. While writing, I began thinking about modern-day women who are familiar with the world of business and finances. I actually took the model for the book Andee writes from one of Suze Orman's books. I created her based on high-power women I've seen in the media and read about--women who base their security on themselves rather than depending on God.

Background to the story

In my personal life, I was learning what it meant to lose my life for Christ's sake (Matthew 10:39). When I read Jeanne Guyon's autobiography, much of her teaching was about picking up our cross and following Christ, and dying to self. Her life experiences and lessons seemed to mirror my own, although we lived hundreds of years apart. I wanted to create a story that would show what it looks like today, to lose one's life for the sake of Christ. To perhaps even show what it would look like to walk away from those who hinder a relationship with Christ.

In addition to reading Jeanne Guyon's autobiography, I'd also read Leslie Vernick's book, The Emotionally Destructive Relationship, and was identifying a destructive/abusive relationship in my own life and was seeking God on how to handle it. An emotionally abusive relationship was also part of Jeanne Guyon's life. I contacted Leslie Vernick and asked if she'd be interested in consulting on the novel I was writing. She agreed. With Leslie's insight, and all I'd learned from her book, I was able to create the destructive relationship between Jenna and her mother-in-law, Brigitte.

My hope is that any of my readers who might be bound by such a relationship in their own lives will see themselves in this story and learn from Jenna's commitment to seek God and her willingness to make changes as she follows Him.

Relz Reviewz Extras
View the trailer
Review of Words
Character spotlight on Kaylee & Sierra
Visit Ginny's website and blog
Buy Ginny's books at Amazon or Koorong

The winner of Where Wildflowers Bloom is...

Jenn C ~ congratulations!  Look for your book to arrive soon :) 

Thanks again to Ann and Revell for this giveaway.

Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot

Synopsis:~

Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont with her sweetheart, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong ring false, so Abigail heads West to Wyoming. The endless prairie seems monotonous, but when her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

When circumstances--and perhaps a bit of matchmaking--put Abigail and Ethan together, there's certainly attraction. But Abigail is planning to marry another man and return to life in Vermont as soon as she is finished attending to her sister. And Ethan loves his life in the Army and the wilds of Wyoming. When summer ends, will Abigail go back East? Or will she fall in love with this rugged land herself?

My take:~

Amanda Cabot's Westward Winds series commences with Summer of Promise, an historical romance with a twist of suspense and an interesting premise which includes the hero's job pursuing army deserters. A solid plot and traditional romance will have many readers engaged in the story, however it meandered a bit for me and it was a struggle to maintain my interest in the characters' journeys. Amanda researches her novels well and I enjoyed the detailed aspects of army life, the reasons for desertion and the plight of soldiers' wives confined to a fort far away from the comforts of home.  The aspects of mystery and suspense lacked the higher level intrigue and fast pacing that I enjoy but readers who like just a smidgen of those in their romance novels will probably enjoy the lighter balance.  Summer of Promise wasn't my cup of tea but it just may be yours!

Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

With thanks to Revell for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Tomorrow's Garden, Scattered Petals & Paper Roses
Character spotlight on Priscilla & Zach
Character spotlight on Sarah & Clay
Interview with Amanda
Visit Amanda's website
Buy Amanda's book at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Jon Lewis' Colt McAllister

Jon S. Lewis returns with his second C.H.A.O.S. series novel, a cyber-tech retelling of the story of David.  Look for Invasion and Alienation from Thomas Nelson.

Synopsis

Alienation parallels Saul's attempts on David's life, the tension Jonathan faces between his father and his best friend, and the joining of the Mighty Men.

In this sequel to Invasion, Colt McAllister finds himself training at the secret Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural academy with his best friends Oz and Danielle. Strange accidents seem to be following Colt, even with the security of the academy, and what seems to be random soon turns deadly . . . is someone targeting Colt? When the new recruits are forced to join the fight, Colt learns startling revelations about himself, his friendship with Oz, and why he was chosen to defeat the aliens attacking earth.

Enjoy meeting Colt!

Brief physical description

He’s kind of small, maybe 5’9” or so, and he only weighs about 150 pounds, but he’s extremely fit because he’s spent most of his life surfing. He’s always tan, has blonde surfer hair, and a killer smile. He’s never had a problem meeting girls, but he’s too shy to ask them out.

Actor/famous person

I imagined that Colt McAlister looked a bit like an actor named Cody Linley.

Strengths and weaknesses 

Colt’s strength is that he’s willing to do just about anything, even if there is a good chance that he will fail. In life, sometimes the difference between getting ahead and “making” it is as simple as taking risks, knowing that you might fail. If you never try, you’ll never know if you will succeed or not. As far as weaknesses go, Colt is shy and would prefer to stay in the background, but unfortunately the way things are going in his life, that will never happen.

Credit: Rel Mollet

Quirk (if any) 

He’s a good looking kid who likes to surf and play the guitar, but he’s also a bit time comic book geek.

Your inspiration for the character 

My inspiration was the greatest underdog in history, King David. I grew up loving to hear the stories about how David killed a lion and slew the giant before going on to be a great king, and there wasn’t anything super special about him other than that he made himself available to be used by God.

 
Background to the story

Colt’s parents were murdered, and at first all he wanted to do was find out who the killer was. Instead, he got pulled into a secret world where aliens actually exist. And not only that, it’s up to him to save the world . . . and if he fails, all humanity will die. Of course, he has to survive in order to fulfil his destiny, and right now, that’s anything but a slam dunk. 

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Jon's C.H.A.O.S. website

Buy Jon's books at Amazon or Koorong

Coming soon from Tyndale House

Here's a couple of mid 2012 releases from Tyndale House.

Maureen's story sounds quite intriguing ~ a different angle on a Gilded Age novel and I can certainly recommend Janice's writing having just finished her first Pacific Coast Justice story, Accused.  I also think the cover is striking.

You?

Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang

Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue’s finest, Meg Davenport has all she’s ever needed . . . but none of the things she’s wanted most, like family, or dreams of a future that includes anything other than finding a suitable match. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn’t the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age’s most talented thieves.

Poised to lead those loyal to Meg’s father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York’s wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?

July, 2012

Abducted by Janice Cantore

After solving the mayor's murder and exposing corruption among the top brass in Las Playas, Carly Edwards is happy to be back on patrol with her partner, Joe, putting bad guys behind bars. For once, everything in life seems to be going right.

But then everything starts going wrong. Slow to recover from an injury, her ex-husband, Nick, begins pulling away just as they were starting to get close again. Meanwhile, when Joe's wife lands in the hospital with a mysterious illness, their baby is kidnapped. As Carly chases down every lead in a desperate search to find the baby, her newfound faith is pushed to its limits.

August, 2012

Dee Henderson News

Just heard some interesting news many of you will be interested in!  I often receive questions about romantic suspense author Dee Henderson and whether she will be writing another book ~ the answer is yes!

Bethany House will be releasing Dee's first new novel in six years in October, 2012!  

That's all I know at this stage but I'm sure, given the tight time frame, we will all know more soon :)  Here's hoping it is a fabulous story ~ I'm looking forward to it!

For those who adored her books, do you think she can top her O'Malley series?

Character Spotlight ~ Courtney Walsh's Campbell & Luke

Courtney Walsh's debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, the first in the Sweethaven trilogy, is now available from Summerside Press.

Synopsis

Suzanne's daughter, Campbell, journeys there in search of answers to her questions about her mother's history.

Suzanne's three friends-Lila, Jane, and Meghan-were torn apart by long-buried secrets and heartbreak. Though they haven't spoken in years, each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together in Sweethaven.Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers. 

As the scrapbook reveals secrets one by one, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored-just as Suzanne intended.

Enjoy meeting Campbell & Luke

Brief physical description

Campbell Carter is in her mid-20's. She's tall(ish) with cropped blonde hair. She's somewhat lanky, with long fingers which don't resemble her mother's. The differences between them contribute to
Campbell's need to find out who her father is. There's a naivete about Campbell. She's wide-eyed and doesn't expect Sweethaven to have the impact on her that it does.

Luke Barber is in his late-20's with dancing green eyes and a kind smile. He's tall, muscular and a little disheveled. Sandy blonde hair that's always perfectly mussed. Luke chose to come back to
Sweethaven because he'd learned to appreciate the peace of a simpler life.


Actor/famous person


It's so funny you ask this because the other night, I said to my husband "I can't think of a single actress who would play Campbell in a movie." When I was writing her, I dug around for a long time trying to find a photo of what she looked like in my head and came up empty! I wish I was a better artist, I'd draw her for you. Luke, on the other hand...this one is easy! He looks a lot like Scott Speedman did in the show "Felicity". I was always a huge fan of that show, and Ben Covington stole my heart. Luke is a little more outgoing than Ben was though. But the hair the smile...those are largely Ben-inspired. (Now I have to go break out the Felicity box set!)


Strengths and weaknesses

Campbell is very passionate, and a little bit stubborn. (I see those both as strengths.) Because she gets her mind set on something, she perseveres until she achieves it. However, she doesn't trust people easily. She makes her mind up about them quickly and tends to keep everyone at an arm's length. She walks through life expecting people to let her down. That's why the women (and men) of Sweethaven are so important to her. They show her she doesn't have to live that way.


Luke is, above all, kind. One of his greatest strengths is how much he cares for other people, especially Campbell (at least as the story goes on.) He's grounded and "safe", and people are naturally drawn to him. He is, however, a man. And men don't share their feelings as readily as women. Luke tends to keep some of his own issues bottled up, though you'll see that more in books two and three.


Quirk (if any) 

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Campbell cracks her knuckles when she gets nervous. (This is something I do.)


Your inspiration for the character

Well, I've already come clean about Ben Covington (swoony-Ben, I like to call him)...and Campbell is, I think, a younger version of me. The issues she has really are my issues (not the part about her father, but her weaknesses are mine and some of her strengths are mine.) I made her a photographer because it's something I'm interested in and I wanted her to have an artistic tie to her

mother, who was a painter.

Background to the story

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A couple of years ago, our family was given the gift of a weekend in a friends' cottage on Lake Michigan. They told us about the little community and how the cottages--some of them--had been there for generations, and they're often kept in the families. Houses passed down through the years like Downton Abbey on a smaller, beachier scale. I fell in love with that idea, and I've always wanted a spot where we go every year on vacation, with our "vacation friends". A place where families gather and do all the small town things that make a small town so wonderful--festivals and fireworks and parades.

My imagination really took off from there, and I wanted to integrate the scrapbook because scrapbooking is something that's always been so important to me. It was such a natural fit in a town with so much history.

If Sweethaven were a real place, I think I'd have a hard time not moving there!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Courtney's blog

Buy Courtney's books at Amazon or CBD

Author Alert ~ Beth Vogt

 Beth Vogt

I'm delighted to introduce a non-fiction author and editor who vowed she’d never write fiction! 

Beth Vogt is set to release her debut contemporary romance Wish You Were Here from Howard Books, in May, 2012.  Here's how she first pitched her story to editors: 

"What happens when a woman kisses her fiance's brother five days before the wedding? Which is the mistake? The wedding? Or the kiss?"

Synopsis:~

Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.

Still, kissing the groom's brother in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison's life is nothing but mistakes at this point. And pulling a "Runaway Bride" complete with stealing, er, borrowing her best friend's car doesn't seem to solve her problems.

Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Maybe she just needs to stop orchestrating everything. Allison prefers being the one in control, and giving it up is not going to be easy. But to find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her and find the strength to let Him lead.


  

Be sure to check out Beth's informative website to learn more and enjoy a favourite passage of Beth's from the opening of Wish You Were Here:

She never should have said yes.

Allison smoothed the bodice of the wedding gown, the fitted lace sleeves clinging to her arms. 

Waves of material billowed out from her waist, threatening to overwhelm her like a silken tsunami. 

The style was all wrong.

She'd known it months ago -- the moment the saleswoman released the dress from its protective plastic covering. Allison doubted all those layers of ivory lace and silk, bows and beads would ever fit back into such a small bag. 

Securing the myriad of tiny pearl buttons marching down the back took precedence over her request for something simpler. She'd been instructed to stand on a round carpeted platform in front of a wall of angled mirrors. Encouraged to turn this way and that for the assembled critics -- her best friend, Meghan; her mom; her younger sister, Hadleigh; and Seth's mom. Her future mother-in-law's breathless "Perfect" sealed Allison's fate.

While her mother paid a price as outlandish as the dress, the bridal shop attendant stressed the "no returns/no refunds" policy. And now . . . well, Allison couldn't do anything about her decision five days before the wedding. 

Connect with Beth

Author Website: www.bethvogt.com

Author Blog: http://thewritingroad.blogspot.com.au/

Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/beth.vogt

Author Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bethvogt 

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Beth's website

Buy Beth's books as Amazon or CBD

The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer

Synopsis:~

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender's family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley.

When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm's way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio.

What is a father to make of his daughter's obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?

My take:~

Dale Cramer's literary craftsmanship is both beautiful and engaging, taking my breath away in the continuation of Caleb Bender's story, The Captive Heart. Drawing from the personal history of his own family, Dale uses skilful prose to write a masterpiece of forbidden love, family ties, tragedy and, ultimately, hope. Depicting the forbidding Mexican frontier in all its danger and beauty, Dale offers readers insight into the constraints placed on a people deeply committed to pacifism surrounded by men bent on evil and selfish ambition. Caleb's integrity, Miriam's heart and Domingo's honour will make you weep and fill you with joy as they seek to love and protect their families and community the only way they know how. Jacob and Rachel's relationship grows but is challenged by a secret Rachel can't disclose as El Pantera seeks retribution. Suspense, action, danger and romance abound with an ending that will satisfy yet leave you desperate for more. For those like myself who are not usually into Amish tales, don't let the bonnet put you off ~ Dale's storytelling is of the highest calibre and should not be missed!

With thanks to Bethany House for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Paradise Valley and Summer of Light
Interview with Dale ~ 2007 & 2011
Visit Dale's website and blog
Buy Dale's books at Amazon and Koorong