Mountain Christmas Brides: Nine Historical Novellas Celebrate Faith and Love in the Rocky Mountains by Mildred Colvin, Mary Davis, Susan Page Davis, Lena Nelson Dooley, Darlene Franklin, Debby Lee, Tamela Hancock Murray Carrie Turansky, Gina Welborn

 

Mountain Christmas Brides: 

Nine Historical Novellas Celebrate Faith and Love in the Rocky Mountains

September 1, 2016

by Mildred Colvin (Author), Mary Davis (Author), Susan Page Davis (Author), Lena Nelson Dooley (Author), Darlene Franklin (Author), Debby Lee (Author), Tamela Hancock Murray (Author), Carrie Turansky (Author), Gina Welborn (Author)

Celebrating Faith and Love in the Historic Rocky Mountains

From a Wyoming ranch in 1880, to a logging camp in Washington Territory in the late 1800s, to Denver, Colorado, in 1913, meet nine couples who find that Christmas is the perfect time for climbing to the heights of romance.

Watch as their faith and courage propel them through challenges that come with mountain winters to cozy fireside celebrations that lead to lasting proclamations of love. Penned by an exclusive selection of Christian fiction authors—including Susan Page Davis, Vickie McDonough, and Carrie Turansky—this collection of nine romances is one to treasure.

Marilyn's thoughts:   Mountain Christmas Brides is a collection of novellas with a variety of circumstances from a mail order bride to finding romance in a logging camp to a blizzard in Colorado that brought four friends from finishing school together. Each tale is penned in the author’s creative way with drama and a budding romance. It was interesting to see how the various authors interwove the same characters from the logging camp and blizzard but had their own hero and heroine to focus upon with a faith message of love, peace, forgiveness and kindness for all.

 

My top two favorites were Almost Home by Susan Page Davis and The Best Medicine by Lena Nelson Dooley. This book has been on my bookshelf for a while so with Christmas approaching it was nice to have novellas to read instead of a long novel to find the happy ending.

Things Left Unsaid by Courtney Walsh

 

Things Left Unsaid 

October 30, 2018

by Courtney Walsh (Author)

An emotional novel of family, friendship and forgiveness from Courtney Walsh, the New York Times bestselling author of Hometown Girl.

Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best―and worst―memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on.

But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets.

Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart―to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.

My thoughts:  Things Left Unsaid is a woman's fiction with a touch of romance that left me hungering for more.  At first, the story was rather slow starting,  but as I got used to the characters and into the story it grew on me and I did not want this book to end.  There was no real closure to the book. I want to know what happened next. And I wanted to start over and read it again and again and again. It is rare to find a book like that.  This book is more than a few years old but it is definitely a must read. I missed it when it first came out.  Courtney Walsh is one of my favorite authors in this genre and the story is not to be missed.  

Rooted in Love: Garden Grown Romance Book Two by Valerie Comer

 

Rooted in Love: 

Garden Grown Romance Book Two

November 14, 2017

by Valerie Comer (Author)

From a USA TODAY bestselling author comes the next installment in the multi-author Arcadia Valley Romance series!

Alaina Silva gets enough time with other people’s kids in her new job administrating the Grace Greenhouse programs. If she were looking to date — and she’s not — it wouldn’t be with a man offering her an insta-family. So why is it a struggle to keep the intriguing father of a pair of rambunctious twins out of her mind?

Divorcé Cameron Kraus has a busy life with a career and two six-year-olds. Now he’s finally scored full-time daycare at Grace Greenhouse, but his overbearing parents are in town for the summer offering to watch the boys. No thanks. Not when Cameron is hoping to build something with the gorgeous program director he sees at least twice a day.

Faced with disapproval from both families, Alaina and Cameron must dig roots deep into their faith if they hope to nurture their budding love.

About the Garden Grown Romance Series

These stories are part of the multi-author Arcadia Valley Romance series, where a foodie culture and romance grow hand-in-hand. In this sub-series, the congregation of Grace Fellowship repurposes a pair of derelict greenhouses and their attached lot, while providing a setting for romance.

1. Sown in Love (ebook only)
2. Sprouts of Love (ebook and paperback)
3. Rooted in Love (ebook and paperback)
4. Harvest of Love (ebook and paperback)

Join USA Today bestselling author Valerie Comer in this delightful contemporary Christian romance series showcasing the best in farm-to-table fiction! Then check out her many other titles in several series. Whether farm-fresh romances, small-town romances, or cowboy romances, they’re all full of her trademark engaging characters, strong communities, and deep faith. These are clean, wholesome, sweet, and inspirational romances sure to be reread over and over. Find out more at valeriecomer.com/books.

My thoughts: Rooted in Love is an earlier book by Ms Comer that I somehow missed. This is about a divorced man and a single woman who both have issues to deal with and overprotective, meddling parents despite the fact they are almost 30. She is a child care provider and he has children. The children have a lot of issues and tangency to get into trouble so there is plenty of drama in this relationship. The story jumps around in time more than I expect Ms Comer's books to but it was a good story and if you like romance you will enjoy this book

Welcome to the Pretending to be the Mountain Man's Wife Celebration Tour! #giveaway!!

 

About the Book

Book: Pretending to be the Mountain Man’s Wife (Brothers of Sapphire Ranch Book 6)

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre:Christian Historical Romance

Release date: November 19, 2024

In the wild mountains of the Montana Territory, the Coulter ranch is a place of family, second chances…and a hidden fortune.

Determined to find his missing brother and catch the elusive mastermind behind the theft of his family’s precious sapphires, Gil Coulter embarks on a solo mission to the remote town where the criminal is rumored to reside. As Gil scours the surrounding wilderness for the thief’s hidden lair, he crosses paths with a captivating young woman who harbors secrets of her own.

Jess McPharland has spent her life hidden in the mountains, doing her best to stay separate from her family’s business. Yet the secret she’s just discovered will change her life forever. She offers a silent prayer, pleading for a man to help her conceal the truth she’s only just discovered. As if in answer, Gil Coulter rides through the trees, seeking the very criminal Jess calls Father. Now she must find a way to ask this stranger for the ultimate favor—to pose as her husband and shield her from the consequences of a change she won’t be able to hide much longer.

As Gil and Jess navigate the treacherous landscape and the greater danger from her father and his cronies, they find themselves caught in a web of danger, deception, and unexpected attraction. With each passing moment, the stakes grow higher, and the line between pretense and truth blurs. Will the love growing between them be enough to protect Jess’s secret and lead them to the justice Gil seeks, or will the truth shatter everything they’ve risked their lives to build?

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a mountain saga filled with high-stakes adventure, a pretend marriage, a secret baby, and love that heals wounded hearts.

 Marilyn's thoughts:  This is another action packed tale from Beller. This story is centered around Gill Coulter’s journey to find his missing brother and the family’s stolen sapphires. His adventure ended with more than he anticipated when he saw Jess. Her scheme gave way to plenty of action, ups and downs, threats on their lives and trying to escape the cruelty of her father and his villains stealing from others. Hidden secrets come to light that compounds the dangers. How will Gill and Jess story end while they are leaning on God to see them through? Fans of Beller will want to read Brothers of Sapphire Ranch in order as there are new characters in each story.

 

I received an early copy of this book from Wild Heart Books for the book tour. I have expressed my own thoughts.

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author with over 1 million books old. She writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

More from Misty

In Pretending to be the Mountain Man’s Wife, the heroine and her father live in a cave which is part of an intricate catacomb hidden inside Montana mountain.

I LOVED researching cave systems, especially those in Montana, and I was amazed at how many extensive tunnels and caverns have been discovered!

One of the most well-known is Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, located between Butte and Bozeman. This spectacular limestone cave system features a series of caverns adorned with incredible rock formations. These days, visitors can take guided tours to marvel at the intricate stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites that have formed over thousands of years. The cave is also home to several species of bats.

Another notable cave system is the Bighorn Caverns, situated in the Pryor Mountains south of Billings. This complex network of caves extends for over 14 miles, making it one of the most significant cave systems in the state. Experienced cavers can explore winding passages, underground streams, and vast chambers with unique mineral formations.

The Bighorn Caverns are very similar to how I imagine the cave system was that Jess lived in. As amazing as the tunnels are to explore, I’m not sure I’d want to live in such darkness. What about you?

I pray you enjoy Gil and Jess’s story in Pretending to be the Mountain Man’s Wife! J

Blessings!

Misty

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 22

Melissa’s Bookshelf, November 22

Pause for Tales, November 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 23

Texas Book-aholic, November 24

Blossoms and Blessings, November 24

Lighthouse Academy Blog, November 25 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

lakesdielivingsite, November 26

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 27

For Him and My Family, November 27

Devoted To Hope, November 28

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 29

Jeanette’s Thoughts, November 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 30

Book Looks by Lisa, December 1

Holly’s Book Corner, December 1

Betti Mace, December 2

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 3

Cover Lover Book Review, December 3

Books You Can Feel Good About, December 4

Life on Chickadee Lane, December 5

Mary Hake, December 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54105

How To Live Love-Forward By Sharon Musgrove #Devotional

How To Live Love-Forward 

By Sharon Musgrove 

Jesus was in a pickle one day when dining on the Sabbath at the home of a religious leader. Before him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling in his body and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on this Holy day. Knowing he was being judged and explaining his forthcoming action, the Savior addressed the keepers-of-the-law, “... ‘Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?’" 

Luke 14:5 (ESV) 

 Of course, every man in the room would rescue a child or even an animal from a life-threatening situation! They had heart...right? Jesus was expressing to the religious leaders that showing love in a situation is upholding the law. This truth of love and law was also recorded in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus was tested with the question, Which commandment is the most important of all?

 “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” 

Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

 Those two commandments – Love God and Love people – are the foundation from which the Old Testament laws stemmed. Matthew Poole’s Commentary states it this way, “love is the fulfilling of the law.” But the challenge of love is that it does not have cleanly defined boundaries. It looks different as new situations rise and is as unique as every individual. 

Love is not black and white but is ombre. Jesus’ situation with the sick and suffering man seemed to be a double bind: heal the man and break the law of Sabbath...or don’t heal the man and withhold love from him. Where was the win? The win is in loving others.

 We often find ourselves at a similar confrontational intersection, the weight of Christianity (doing “right”) making the choice feel heavier. Do I give money to the beggar on the street? Should I attend the wedding of my gay co-worker? Is abortion wrong when a woman is victimized? Jesus knew that love was the foundation of keeping the Sabbath Holy. He chose to ignore the religious rules of the Sabbath to show love to a suffering human being. Christ’s decision-making process was what is the loving thing to do? 

The life of Christ gives us a template for what living love-forward can look like. But even more significant, the Savior’s death put an end to sin = death. So, when we make choices that are either unloving or break the religious rules, we’re covered by the blood of Jesus. Freedom to live love-forward is Christ’s gift to us. So how do we navigate nuanced situations? By leaning into both Christ’s example AND into Christ’s forgiveness when choices appear impossible. We can try to do the loving thing, knowing when we err in judgement, we will be forgiven. 

 Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we reach out to You today no longer asking for answers to what’s right or wrong, but in seeking what love looks like in our current circumstance. Help us to see others as You see them ... as children needing love and requiring help. Give us the strength to serve with compassion. And forgive us when we choose the hurtful way, guiding us gently back to Love.

Author Bio:

 

Sharon has been writing and teaching biblically based curriculum, Bible studies, and devotionals since 2007.    

 

She has had the unique position of writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served women in the homeless community.

 

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to speak in Leadership camps intended on encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young women.

 

Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

 

Sharon and her husband, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown children. 

 

Currently, Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing face to face. Additionally, she is working towards a degree in Ministry. 

 

~*~

Connect with Sharon:

Website: Sharonmusgrove.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonmusgrove_untethered/

Kisses from Heaven Epic Book Launch

 

Kisses from Heaven Epic Book Launch

God’s Intimate Presence

God’s intimate involvement defines a God Story. Remove Father’s hand, and there is no story, at least not one worth telling. Test that statement; read a God Story. Then, remove all the elements in it that make it unique, inexplicable, extraordinary, or supernatural. The result? The story ends! It becomes an unfinished event, inconclusive and void of any meaning on Earth or glowing significance in Heaven. A God Story excluding God becomes a hollow collection of thoughts, words, and actions, a narrative with no divine worth or purpose.

 

God’s Wondrous Character

A God Story always portrays the character and works of God as wonderous. What has happened in the story makes it difficult to describe or discuss without reaching beyond the ordinary and into the sublime. Applying uncertain or ill-defined words like luck, kismet, karma, serendipity, coincidence, or chance to explain a God Story only tarnishes the story’s credibility and diminishes its meaning. Father’s thumbprints, often hidden throughout a tale, are enough to confirm its place as a God Story.

 

God’s Benevolent Intent

God Stories are uplifting, encouraging, edifying, or comforting for those both participating in the story or those listening to it further on as a testimony. God Stories leave no doubt as to Father’s pristine character (proving who He is) and His infinite power (displaying what He does).

About the Book

Book Title: Kisses from Heaven, Book Three: Unique, Inexplicable, Extraordinary, and Supernatural Tales from the Heart of a Miraculous God

 

Author Name: C.B. Caleb Woodworth

 

Genre: Christian Living, Personal Memoirs

 

Release Date: December 10, 2024

 

Jesus proved who He was by signs and wonders. Here, pastors and restoration ministers C.B. Caleb Woodworth and intercessor wife, Emily Anne, are ready to serve you a banquet of real-life God Stories, personal testimonies of Jesus’ unique, inexplicable, extraordinary, and supernatural ways to illustrate, once again, He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 

If you’ve ever wondered whether God was still performing miracles in our day, this series will be a welcome reminder of his power and goodness.

 

Book Excerpt

***Insert Excerpt Here***

 

 

Missed Any Excerpts, Go Here

Excerpt One: http://kid-lit.library-lady.blog/epic-book-launch-and-excerpt-kisses-from-heaven-memoir/
Excerpt Two: https://www.amoderndayfairytale.net/2024/11/kisses-from-heaven-epic-book-launch.html
Excerpt Three: https://montanamade.weebly.com/tell-tale-book-reviews/epic-book-launch-kisses-from-heaven-cb-caleb-and-emily-woodworth
Excerpt Four: https://www.artistwriterandstudentohmy.com/posts/kisses-from-heaven-book-excerpt/
Excerpt Five: https://luannabubbles.wixsite.com/devotedhope/kissesfromheaven
Excerpt Six: https://t.co/FqsquUc8XH
Excerpt Seven: https://lightsinadarkworld.wordpress.com/2024/11/21/kisses-from-heaven-book-launch/
--

 

About the Author

A Marine aviator and family physician, C.B. Caleb Woodworth and Proverbs 31 wife, Emily, left the world to follow Holy Spirit as restoration (inner healing) missionary pastors over the last twenty-six years. Today, the Woodworths continue ministry among those in need from America’s heartland, making the most of their time, for the days are short.

Shadow of Fear: (Shadow Lake Survival - Book 6) by Susan Sleeman

 

Shadow of Fear: 

(Shadow Lake Survival - Book 6) 

October 29, 2024

by Susan Sleeman (Author)

To catch a killer…

Forensic engineer Kinsley Pierce is used to dispassionately digging into building and structure failures to determine the cause of the failure. But when she starts receiving disturbing death threats, she’s anything but dispassionate. Fearing for her life, she runs to the one place she’s always felt safe. Her hometown, Shadow Lake. But she never expected her best friend’s bossy brother to steamroll in and take over her protection.

Will he work outside the law?

Former deputy Devon (Dev) Graham now team member at Shadow Lake Survival insists Kinsley move to the company’s compound for her own safety. He could do nothing else. As a former deputy, he spent most of his adult life protecting others. He also spent years ignoring his attraction to his little sister’s best friend. He will never marry, and his sister would never forgive him if he led Kinsley on only to hurt her. Too bad. He would just have to ignore his feelings. She’s in danger, and he’s the one to watch over her. Whatever the risk. Whatever it takes. Even when they head down an upsetting path of betrayal and false trails that lead to a grisly death, he’ll protect Kinsley with his own life until the killer threatening her is behind bars.

My thoughts: Shadow of Fear is the sixth book in the series but it easily stands alone. Fans will want to read the first five books though.  The story starts out with a literal bang and doesn't let up from there. I was left guessing who could possibly be behind the attacks and why.  If you like romantic suspense you will definitely want to read this book in any other books written by Susan Sleeman.   This will make an excellent gift for someone on your list. I was giving a copy for  free and all opinions are my own.