Choices of The Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes

Laurie Alice Eakes's newest book is filled with realistic characters living during a time when family loyalties were strong, strong enough to fight for. This book kept me turning the page as I was transported to 1840s Appalachia. The romance and suspense is well done and from start to finish I enjoyed ever word.

Book Description:

Esther Cherrett comes from a proud line of midwives and was trained by her mother to take over the family calling. But when a scandal threatens all she holds dear, Esther takes a position as a teacher in the western mountains of Virginia instead. There she finds herself in the midst of a deadly family feud and courted by two men on opposite sides of the conflict. When it seems as though her past has followed her all the way into the mountains, all she wants is to run away again.

In this gripping story of trust, deception, and bittersweet loss, a young woman learns the true meaning of choices of the heart.

A Blog Hop

Are you ready to be introduced to some new authors through a Blog Hop? Here’s how it works: I’m going to answer ten questions, then at the bottom, I’ll be adding links to several authors I’d like you to meet on January 9th.

What is the working title of your book?

Choices of the Heart

On the trail of outlaws, Pinkerton agent Jacob Hanley comes across a tenacious woman with a secret that puts her at odds with a small frontier town. Determined to honor a deathbed promise, Laura Prescott vows to hold her ground. Choices of the Heart takes place in the Reno Nevada area in 1883.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Part of a dream. I saw a ranch house set in the mountains with a large orchard. The image stuck with me and I tried to image who would live there and what their life would have been like in the late 1800's. (my favorite time period to write)

What genre does your book fall under?

Inspirational Historical Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

None come to mind. I'll have to give that some thought.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  

Laura Prescott, the unlikely guardian of two young children and a teenage boy helps a lawman running from his past fulfill his mission while trying to keep her safe.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Requested revisions have been sent to a major publishing house in New York.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I believe it took just over a month. I found myself struggling midway through and wondering if it would ever come together. At that time I'd won a copy of one of Julian Heart's books. In my thank you email I asked her to pray for my writing and after that the words just flew.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Marrying Miss Marshal by Lacy Williams and The Preacher's Outlaw Bride by Mildred Colvin are both books I've enjoyed and believe are comparable to Choices of the Heart.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?  

Actually an editor at Love Inspired. I won a pitch contest almost two years ago with Tina James. At that time I had not read a Love Inspired book but my story fit the submission guidelines. After I sent the manuscript I read  the first of many LI books (I'm a big fan now) and realized my story was not one that fit their line. Ms. James sent me the kindest letter encouraging me to send another story and explained what they were looking for. When I got the idea for Choices of the Heart my goal was to write something just for Love Inspired Historical.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? 

I love the location of the story. We went out west for a vacation a few years ago and there's something about the high dessert with all it's unique beauty and mystery that stirs my creativity. In Choices of the Heart there's a family closeness with love and humor that touches the heart.

Go to http://reginatittel.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-blog-hopcherished-stranger.html to see what
Regina Tittel's been up to.

Follow me on Twitter:  @roosgal

Waiting For Spring by Amanda Cabot

 

 

 

Waiting for Spring is the second book in Amanda Cabot's Westward Winds series. Charlotte Harding, a widow who uses her skills as a seamstress to support her blind child moves to Cheyenne, to hide from an evil man.

Barrett Landry gets to know Charlotte and he finds himself  drawn to the well liked dressmaker. Romance isn't possible as Landry is running for political office and is expected to wed another. 

Amanda Cabot is a skilled author who's stories keep the reader's interest and present a real picture of the old west. I enjoyed this book and believe it is an excellent choice for those who love to read Christian fiction.

 

Publisher's Description

After the loss of her husband and the birth of her baby, Charlotte has had a long, hard year. But when a notorious robber believes she knows the location of a long-lost treasure, she flees to Cheyenne and opens a dressmaker's shop to lie low and make a living. When wealthy cattle baron and political hopeful Barrett Landry enters the shop to visit her best customer, Charlotte feels drawn to him. If Barrett is to be a senator of the soon-to-be state of Wyoming, he must make a sensible match, and Miriam has all the right connections. Yet he can't shake the feeling that Charlotte holds the key to his heart and his future. Soon the past comes to call, and Barrett's plans crumble around him. Will Charlotte and Barrett find the courage to look love in the face? Or will their fears blot out any chance for happiness?

Secretly Smitten

I've been looking forward to returning to Smitten, Vermont ever since I finished the first book in the series. Sometimes the second book's a disappointment but not when you have four talented writers who know their craft well. 

Once again I was transported to a town I'd jump at the chance to live in surrounded by characters I grew to love.  Tess, Clare and Zoe as well as their extended family are people I know I'd like to know. The only drawback is the book comes to an end (a very satisfy one at that) ... but I believe there's more in the works. When the next Smitten book is available you can bet I'll be one of the first to get a copy.  Thank you Colleen, Kristin, Diann and Denise for creating this continuing community of romance and faith.

 

Book Description

Summer, fall, winter, spring—Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!
There’s a secret in Grandma Rose’s attic—a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?
The mystery intrigues Rose’s three granddaughters—Tess, Clare, and Zoe—and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?
Join popular romance novelists—and real-life BFFs—Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.

An Angel by Her Side

 

To be honest I knew when I picked up this book I would like it. Ruth Reid is a very good writer. Her Heaven on Earth series is one of the best Amish series I've read. She adds a twist to a popular genre that keeps it fresh.

An Angel by Her Side hooked me in from the first sentence and did not let me go until the end.  I could not put this book down. I was so caught up in the story of Katie and Seth that I shed happy tears at the end. I love to read a book that's so well written the characters seem not only real but like people you would love to have in your life.

Book Description

Please note that this is Book 3 in the A Heaven on Earth series
Katie has lived through tragedy and heartache. But with the angel Elias by her side, the best years of her life are just ahead.
When Katie Bender’s fiancé died in a tragic accident, so did her hope of finding love. Though heartbroken, Katie is also practical. In the years since the accident she has discovered her gift for teaching. But when a tornado destroys her small Amish settlement, including the schoolhouse, Katie doesn’t know how she will provide for herself.
Seth Stutzman arrived in Hope Falls days before the storm. And when he helps usher Katie and the children to safety, sparks fly. But Seth is only in town to help his brother, Amos, get back on his feet following the death of his wife. He can’t afford to have feelings for Katie.
Rebuilding the community is a huge task, and soon, Katie and Seth are working side by side. As they privately wrestle with their feelings for each other, another silent—and ultimate—battle for their hearts rages unseen.
Sworn to protect what God has ordained, the mighty angel Elias appears to them as a mysterious visitor. And with his guidance, Katie and Seth find the courage to take the first small steps toward the life, and love, they were destined for.

 

 

In An Amish Kitchen three talented writers join together to give us three lovely stories of faith and love. The stories are well written and short but sweet. I highly recommend this book to those that share my fascination with the Amish.

  

Book Description

The Amish Kitchen is the Heart of the Home – and the Ideal Setting for Stories of Love and Hope.
Fall in Paradise, Pennsylvania, always brings a brisk change in the weather. This season also ushers in unexpected visitors, new love, and renewed hope for three women.
Fern has a green thumb for growing healing herbs, but longs for love to bloom in her life. Then the next-door neighbor’s oldest son, Abram, comes running into Fern’s kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance—until mistrust threatens to end the growing attraction.
Nearby, Hannah runs her parents’ bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn—but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?
When a storm blows a tree onto Eve’s farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents’ home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can’t agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.
Three Amish stories—each celebrating love, family, and faith—all taking place in a tight-knit community where the kitchen truly is the heart of the home.
Also Includes Reading Group Guide and 45 Old Order Amish Recipes

 

 

 Recently I have become swept up by the Amish Fiction movement. Good thing too, since Amish stories are in great demand right now. Kelly Long's A Marriage of the Heart kept me turning the pages.  Three stories in one book is a bonus any time, but this one is outstanding!  I especially enjoyed the second book: Christmas Cradles. I did not put the book down once I started.  Up all night but worth every moment.

 

Book Description

Three Stories That Share the Adventures of First Love and Second Chances.
A Perfect Secret—Rose Bender’s betrothed, Luke Lantz, is safe and dependable, maybe a little too much so. Or so she thinks until she sees him in the woods one night and discovers a secret he’s been keeping. Now his secret haunts her. She wasn’t sure about marrying a man she knew too well. But should she marry a man she doesn’t understand at all?
Christmas Cradles—When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers’ quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp.
A Marriage of the Heart—Since her mother’s death, Abigail Kauffman has lived alone with her father. She longs to escape the emptiness of the farmhouse that has never felt like home. Joseph Lambert is a newcomer in their close-knit community. Only after suddenly marrying do they begin to understand the tender truths of life-long love.