Hearts, Homes & Holidays by Various Authors / #Extract #BookTour @RABTBookTours

On 30 oktober 202123 oktober 2021 door elsinVarious - Hearts, Homes & Holidays4 reacties

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Family Ever After

Longing hearts, loving homes, and lively holidays combine in this Romantique Treasury. This warm-hearted anthology combines friends, families, and faith as hope blossoms in the lives of orphaned children.

ADOPTED IN ARKANSAS

Socialite Emily Simpson feels out of place. So, when Emily consults her aunt, Lachele suggests she use Matchrimony to find a husband. For farmer Derrick Bobo, he hopes an arranged marriage will give him a better chance of gaining custody of his autistic nephew, Zach. Can Emily adjust to a farm wife’s lifestyle? And more importantly, how will she deal with a boy on the spectrum?

A HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Madeline Collier finds solace in charity work and fundraising for a local children’s home. Peter Townsend moves west from Philadelphia to escape his past and begin a new life. When an idea is planted for an orphan’s possible future, Madeline realizes she needs help. Can Maddie persuade Peter to commit to a marriage of convenience and, in so doing, help her give a child a forever home?

A NEW FAMILY

Eliot Graveney fought his entire life to be seen as the equal of those around him, but a flash of fire enters his world in the shape of heiress Marianne Daltrey. And Eliot’s life will never be the same. Can Eliot outsmart a wealthy man to help Marianne get her inheritance? Will he lose his heart in the process?

FOREVER FAMILY

Susan Vuichard is committed to making sure no child is forgotten in the foster system, which means opening her family farm to three sisters that have nowhere else to go. Richard Petra still suffers from a tragic loss, but sparks fly when he finds his high school sweetheart. Can this group somehow become a forever family?

JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING

Anna Beckett has a soulless job at Gallagher Industries. When she becomes a volunteer cuddler, holding the sickest babies in the neonatal unit, Anna begins to realize there’s more to life than work. Thrust into a Santa Claus suit at the children’s hospital, Jack Gallagher is surprised to recognize the accountant from work. Can they overcome their misguided perceptions to form a lasting bond?

KANDIE KISSES

Frazzled by a hectic lifestyle, Rachel Boulton has no choice but to rearrange her priorities when a surprise gift is left for her at work. With the help of her secret crush, Mick Polenz, can Rachel meet the overwhelming needs of this special delivery, or will she lose the greatest joy she’s ever known to the demands of unfulfilled ambitions?

LONG TO BELONG

Mark Diamond has never had a family of his own, but being on the spectrum makes relationships extra complicated – until Katie Reed, owner of the Bountiful Blueberry Coffee Shop, stole his heart faster than an underpriced IPO offering. For Katie, her shy beau has been as yummy as a dandelion-cocoa latte, but can they handle each other’s situation, or will their dreams be thrown out like yesterday’s brew?

MACY’S GIFT

Macy Williams loves her career as a photojournalist, but when her brother and sister-in-law die, Macy is drawn back to her small hometown to handle their estate. Cord Adams is surprised by his deceased friend’s choice of guardian. He only met Macy once, and the meeting was anything but cordial. Can two strong-willed individuals set aside their differences for the good of two young girls?

NOT PART OF OUR EVENING PLANS

As one of the couples who found love at River’s End Ranch, Jace and Dinky Cunningham struggle with the loss of their dreams for a family; but, circumstances can shift in a split second. Dare they hope this change of plans will bring them everything their hearts desire?

Proceeds from this collection of inspiring stories will benefit special-needs adoption grants through Reece’s Rainbow.

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Extract

Spirit of Romance: Kandie Kisses by Michele Pollock Dalton

Hope for the Heart Series – Book 1

First part of chapter 1

The packed bar along the backshore of Lake Superior was stuffed to the gills and stifling hot as Mick Polenz set up his Bose sound system. Despite the governor’s “half capacity” orders, the Down Low Bar & Grill still hosted a wall-to-wall crowd every weekend. And Mick certainly didn’t mind. The tips he earned from the gig always put him in a better frame of mind.

Although music was his first love, Mick’s job as a first responder for the township paid the bills. The area that comprised Magellan was essentially Michigan’s last outpost before the land gave way to Lake Superior, but the quaint village was a welcome change from the hectic pace of Lansing.

The atmosphere at the Down Low pulsed through the heavily timbered room and spiked Mick’s enthusiasm for his upcoming show. Still, the nerves that lingered before each performance set his foot to tapping as he waited for one of the waitresses to deliver his water bottle. “Thanks, Chel,” he commented when the harried woman handed off his beverage.

Rachel Boulton paused for a moment and gave the shy man an equally bashful smile before turning to hurry away. “Heaven’s above!” she whispered to herself, wishing she had a hand free to fan her face. One simple brush of the burly firefighter’s calloused fingertips made Rachel think of things a good girl would never admit.

Tamping down her runaway hormones, Chel pressed through the rabble rousers to greet the next group of diners. “How many?” she called above raucous laughter and the opening song of Mick’s first set.

After leading the trio of suggestively clad women toward the last table, Rachel scanned the crowded bar room adjacent to the dining area. Intrigued, the busy waitress caught a glimpse of her favorite musician on the low-slung stage.

Alone under the weak spotlight, Mick’s rich baritone belted out Waylon Jennings’ “Good ‘ole Boys” then quickly segued into Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Always a fan favorite, wooden train whistles “tooted” in all the appropriate places while he played.

At the end of the song, he turned a lopsided, boyish grin to the boisterous group hamming it up at the front table. Self-named “Mick’s Clique,” the rowdy bunch cheered and hollered out song suggestions as the evening wore on, but the affable musician was always glad to have their support. Their energy fed his, and Mick played his heart and soul out.

When the dining room closed down several hours later, Rachel rushed through the evening clean-up, so she could get home and begin her preparations for the following morning. Run ragged between her job at the Down Low and the supplemental work she picked up by baking sweet treats for the Merry Hollow Tree Farm; the weary woman wondered how long she’d be able to keep pace.

As Chel exited the back door off the prep kitchen, she gave a perplexed glance at her vehicle. The hatch of her older SUV was aloft. “Well, what the heck?” she mused in consternation as she approached the mismatched Santa Fe. After a recent fender bender, the

predominantly black car now sported a red front quarter panel and driver’s side door. “Must have hit the button,” the buxom brunette mumbled as she pulled the key fob from the front pocket of her faded jeans.

Thank you, RABT Book Tours

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Author Links

Michele Pollock Dalton https://www.michelepollockdalton.com/

Michele Brouder – https://michelebrouder.com/

Nancy Fraser – http://nancyfraser.ca/

T.C. Hester – https://teddyhester.com/

Jean Jacobsen – https://jeanjacobsenauthor.com

Caroline Lee – http://www.carolineleeromance.com/

Kirsten Osbourne – http://www.kirstenandmorganna.com

Rose Pearson – https://www.rosepearsonauthor.com/

Christine Sterling – https://www.facebook.com/ChatSipandRead