My Favorite Cover

This week I've chosen, That Certain Spark by Cathy Marie Hake.

From Amazon:
(compliments of Publishers Weekly)

Christian fiction writer Hake, who is also a nurse, offers her fans a mixed blend of fun, witticism and romance and a theme of medicine, with scenarios involving the care and keeping of man and beast. Against a backdrop of male chauvinist prejudice and smalltown small-mindedness, twins Enoch and his sister Taylor Bestman, veterinarian and medical doctor respectively, arrive in Gooding, Tex., with the best of intentions. What they find is a great deal of anti-female sentiment when it's discovered that Taylor, the new medical doctor, is a woman. Determined to prove herself, Taylor takes on whatever the little town can throw at her and slowly wins over most of the people's affections, including that of a stubborn blacksmith who views medicine as an inappropriate profession for a woman. Hake's text is sweet, to be sure; still, the plot resolves all too neatly and swiftly, almost like an unlikely miracle cure. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing--a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient...against his will.

Though hesitant to believe in Taylor's doctoring skills, Karl finds himself oddly protective of this surprising woman who dares to drive about town on her own, wearing the color red, for heaven's sake! Taylor, on the other hand, wants only to prove that doctoring is her life's calling, despite the town's opposition. The result? Pride meets attraction head-on, and sparks begin to fly.

I've really enjoyed all of Cathy's books, especially these:

Letter Perfect

Fancy Pants

Bittersweet

Forevermore

Whirlwind

Be sure to check them out, as well, at Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com.

Friday Fill-ins

(compliments of Lori @ Lori's Reading Corner)

Here we go ---->

1. I feel over-whelmed.

2. Chatting with Renee is always fun.

3. Right now, I can hear these things: the lawn guys cutting my neighbors grass; Deezel barking from time to time.

4. Last night I hosted my 2nd Uppercase Living party and I'm glad because we had a blast!

5. The last time I went to the movie theater was to see the 2nd Transformers movie.

6. We don't have any definite plans for this Labor day weekend.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my sister Lindsay's Housewarming Party!, tomorrow my plans include shopping for new books (hopefully!) and Sunday, I want to try to make it to church this week!

~ Heartfelt Award ~

Thank you to Heather at Gofita's Pages for presenting me with The Heartfelt Award! I am honored to have received this award!


Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you're relaxing, seeking comfort, or sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about...feeling warm inside.

The Rules for the Heartfelt Award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I'm passing this award on to:

Butterfly Blessings - 2 Cor 5:17

Never a Dull Moment

So Many Books...So Little Time

Southern Sassy Things

Steeler Girl's Blog

strange and random happenstance

This That and the Other Thing

Thank you, ladies, for being such great friends!! :)

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill @ Breaking the Spine; however, I first saw it on Jen's blog So Many Books...So Little Time.

This week I've chosen:

The Jewel of His Heart

(Heart of the West, Book 2)
by Maggie Brendan
Release Date: Oct. 1. 2009

From Amazon:

Romance readers have taken to Maggie Brendan's softer romantic style that perfectly captures life on the American frontier, introducing them to rugged, independent souls and their inner spiritual struggles, and the quest for love that makes for a satisfying read every time. Set in 1890s Montana, The Jewel of His Heart finds Juliana drawn to a handsome, gentle sheepherder--but sparks fly when he considers mining, the occupation that lured her father away from his family. Both Josh and Juliana must make a choice--the world's riches and promises, or the eternal value of love. Praise for Maggie Brendan's first book: "You won't want to set this book down."--Romantic Times, 4½-star review "This gentle romance set among the rugged beauty of the Colorado foothills will warm readers' hearts."--Kim Vogel Sawyer

From back cover:

Their future is as wide open as the Montana sky Juliana Brady is alone in an 1890s Montana mining town, with few prospects for making a living. But she is determined not to be dependent on the charity of others. Josh McBride is trying to scrape up a living from his sheep herd while he builds his ranch. But when he discovers some rare stones on his property, he's tempted by the prospect of fast money. When their paths cross, Juliana and Josh must make a choice--the world's riches and promises, or the eternal value of love. "Maggie Brendan is adept at weaving a sweet love story, and The Jewel of His Heart showcases her penchant for capturing the Old West in authentic dialogue, in vivid descriptions, and in the struggle of two hearts destined to become one. Within these pages indeed lies a jewel."--Tamera Alexander, bestselling author of From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and The Inheritance "With its tender love story and vivid imagery of a time gone by, Maggie Brendan's gentle style of prairie romance is reminiscent of Janette Oke, capturing the heart of both the Old West and the reader with romance that will make you sigh."--Julie Lessman, author of the Daughters of Boston series Maggie Brendan is a member of the American Christian Writers and the American Fiction Writers Association. She is the author of No Place for a Lady and lives in Georgia.

I've been, not so patiently, waiting for this book to be released for a few months now. I can't wait to find out what happens with Josh and Juliana. I'm also anxious to catch up with Crystal and Luke. If you haven't had a chance to read the first book in Maggie's debut series, No Place for a Lady, be sure to pick up a copy now, so you can read it before The Jewel of His Heart is released in less than a month. You won't be sorry! :)

ABC meme!

I got tagged for this ABC meme by...Renee @ Steeler Girl's Blog...it's a lot of fun!


Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Share your ABC’s
3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs
4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag

Available or married? Married (9 yrs.)

Best Friend? My hubby, Allen ~ but my online BFF would be Renee ~ even though I've made quite a few "new" friends since I started blogging! :)

Cake or Pie? CAKE!! My mom makes this AWESOME Chocolate Marble cake for my b-day every year...it has homemade fudge icing! LOVE IT!!

Drink of choice? Barq's Root Beer (when I splurge) but usually water

Essential item for every day use? computer

Favorite color? red

Google? all the time!

Hometown? LaGrange, GA

Indulgences? BOOKS!!!!

January or February? February...we got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2000 <3

Kids and their names? No kids yet...probably not ever!

Life is incomplete without…? friends/family ... and books!

Marriage date? June 17, 2000

Number of siblings? three younger sisters :)

Oranges or apples? apples ... I'm not big on fruit

Phobias and fears? Public speaking, losing loved ones

Quote for the day? ??? no idea ???

Reason to smile? It's finally stopped raining!

Season? Fall - college football GO DAWGS!!

Tag 3 people?
Christy @ Southern Sassy Things
Angie @ Never a Dull Moment
Miss Eliza @ Strange and Random Happenstance
And anyone else who would like to play!

Unknown fact about me? I had a younger brother, but he passed away when he was only 3 weeks old. :(

Vegetable you hate? Most of them! I like potatoes, lima beans, fried okra...to name a few...

Worst habit? I don't exercise much...nor do I eat healthy!

X-rays you’ve had? only dental recently

Your fave food? chicken

Zodiac sign? Sagittarius ~ Dec. 14th

Teaser Tuesday

Tuesday is here already ~ let's have some fun!

(Compliments of MizB @ Should Be Reading)

Here's what you're asked to do:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Let the book fall open to a random page.
3. Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
4. Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from ~ so people can find the book if they like the teaser.
5. And remember – avoid spoilers.

Here's mine:

"Hand over the women!" Called the man outside.
"The next one won't be a warning shot!" Mr. Thompson shouted back.



My teaser, this week, comes from Breathe by Lisa T. Bergren

Book Review: A Passion Most Pure (Daughters of Boston, Book 1) by Julie Lessman

A Passion Most Pure (Daughters of Boston, Book 1)

by Julie Lessman
Revell - a division of Baker Publishing Group
Copyright 2008
477 pages
ISBN: 9780800732110




I had never heard of "edgy" Christian Fiction romance until the release of Julie Lessman's debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. I wasn't sure what that meant until I finally had an opportunity to read it. There has been quite a bit of controversy over her books. Personally, I don't understand why. In my opinion, it's refreshing to see an author who is brave enough to write a book (especially in the Christian Fiction realm) that covers some of the "delicate" issues. What's wrong with reading about the romantic relationship between a married couple, as long as it's tastefully written? I don't have a problem with it at all, in fact, I would like to see more authors join her. It's exciting to read something a little different from the "normal" Christian Fiction romance!

Faith and Charity may be sisters, but they've never really been friends. Charity has always been jealous of Faith's close relationship with their father, Patrick. Faith has always felt that Charity is "better" than her, i.e.: more beautiful, more sophisticated, more experienced at attracting attention from the opposite sex. As you will discover, Faith is actually correct in that last observation.

Collin McGuire has been Faith's secret crush ever since he rescued her from a bully back in the fifth-grade. Unfortunately, Charity now has her eye on him as well. This leads to much gut-wrenching turmoil and heartbreak not only for the sisters, but for the rest of the O'Connor family.

Julie has a gift for making her characters so life-like that you feel as though you share their feelings every step of the way. Be sure you have some tissues nearby.

A Passion Most Pure gets 5/5 stars in my book ~ I absolutely loved it!

For more about Julie, and the rest of her Daughter's of Boston series, visit her here.

The other books in her debut series are:

A Passion Redeemed (Book 2) - Charity's story
A Passion Denied (Book 3) - Lizzie's story

To order your very own copies of these 3 books ~ go to Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com

~ Another Award ~

I just received another award, compliments of Miss Eliza @ Strange and Random Happenstance. Thank you so much! I'm honored to receive this award. I'm still very new to blogging, even though I "created" my blog in May 2009, I didn't really start seriously blogging until this month. I'm hoping to start posting Book Reviews sometime this week ~ I will mostly be reviewing Romance...Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Historical...to name a few.

The Award: Let’s Be Friends Award:

What it means: Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

Rules: Deliver this award to 8 bloggers.

My nominations go to my most faithful followers (not quite eight):

Renee @ Steeler Girl's Blog

Christy @ Southern Sassy Things

Angie @ Never a Dull Moment (Angie...love the new "decor"!)

Ruth @ This That and the Other Thing

Thank you ladies for being such great friends, and followers! You're the best!