Book Review: As Angels Watch by Norma Budden and Michael T. Ingram

Hi all,

 

I recently had the privilege of reading the Contemporary Christian Romance novel, As Angels Watch by Norma Budden and Michael T. Ingram. Norma and I met online, as I have many of my author friends, and when she was offering up copies of her novel to be read and reviewed, I quickly offered to do so. It was a delight. Here is more about this lovely novel and my review.

 

As Angels Watch

Norma Budden

Michael T. Ingram

 

Book Description:

"As Angels Watch – a love story… complete with comedy and heartache… characters so real you may see them in your mirror."

Jewel and Collin live in different countries yet share the same powerful convictions. Though they haven't met in person, e-mails pass back and forth every day, drawing them closer as one month rolls into the next. After almost a year, they put a plan in motion to meet face-to-face.

Just as Collin prepares to begin his road trip to Canada in search of anticipated love, Tracey - one of Jewel's abused and neglected students - graces her doorstep. Collin and Jewel soon realize there is more to Tracey than meets the eye, that this young girl has an agenda of her own.

Will Collin and Jewel be willing to share their time and attention with a troubled ten-year-old? With guardian angels guiding their every step, can their love withstand all the challenges put before them or will they realize they don't have what it takes?

 

Buy on Amazon Kindle

Kobo

Lulu

 

My 5 Star Review

 

Jewel and Collin have never met in person but already feel a connection. They met online and have emailed back and forth, finding that they have much in common, especially their Christian faith. Finally, after a heartbreaking event, Collin decides it is time to meet Jewel to see if their connection is as strong in person as it is in their correspondence. Meanwhile, Jewel, who is a teacher, has taken in one of her students who was living in an abusive situation. Jewel hopes that Collin will be able to accept the situation when he comes to visit, and that it won't ruin their chances of finding happiness together.

 

As Angels Watch is a refreshing romance novel where two people meet and fall in love in a beautiful and innocent way. It follows the two main characters as they live their everyday lives and ask the Lord for assistance when they are struggling. In the background, angels are watching these two people and helping them through their struggles. The young child, Tracey, ads humor and depth to an already delightful story as she tries to play matchmaker with the young couple. As Angels Watch is well-written, vividly descriptive, and incorporates wonderfully fleshed-out characters. A lovely Christian romance novel for readers to enjoy.

 

About the Author:

Norma Budden considers her home to be Arviat, Nunavut, Canada despite having been raised in various parts of eastern Canada. Norma has spent her adult years honing her craft as a writer, dabbling in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and song. In 2011, she branched out into editorial services and has dabbled a little in web design. Norma's ultimate goal is to be immersed in the writing industry on a full-time basis.

When Norma is not writing or working at her day job as an Administration Manager with The North West Company, she is hanging out with her three kids and grandboy.

Some of Norma's greatest passions in life are reading, writing, traveling and taking photos. She enjoys spending time with friends and spending time in the great outdoors.

You can learn more about what is happening in her world by visiting her website.  

 

 

If you enjoy Christian Romance, I hope you will pick up a copy of As Angels Watch and give it a try.

Cheers,

Deanna

Maggie's Turn is Published!

Hi all,

Cover design by Tugboat Design

I'm excited to finally tell you that my women's fiction novel, Maggie's Turn, is now available on Amazon. It should be available in the next few days in paperback as well.

Maggie's Turn is a heartfelt story of Maggie Harrison, a devoted wife, mother, homemaker, and employee, who one day, without planning to, just drives away. We follow Maggie on her journey of self-exploration as she tries to find herself again after years of becoming lost in her roles of wife and mother. Maggie leaves behind an indifferent husband and two sulking teens who soon begin to realize just how much they've taken Maggie for granted. As we follow Maggie on her adventure, the reasons for her flight begin to unfold, and we begin to understand what made her leave. We also follow her husband, Andrew, the less than perfect spouse, as he tries to reconnect with his children and figure out why Maggie left. Maggie's Turn will make you laugh, cry, and touch you with the exchanges between this family that has lost its way.

Honestly, what mother hasn't thought, at least once in her life, that she'd like to just drive away and have a few days of peace and quiet to herself to regain her sanity? The brunt of the work of the home and childcare generally falls on the mother, not to mention working outside the home and caring for the home itself. Often, women lose themselves in everything they need to do and rarely have time to spend on their own interests and passions. Maggie finally does it for all of us, and becomes a better wife and mother because of it.

I hope you get a chance to follow along on Maggie's journey. It's a fun ride.

Thank you to all my supporters, everyone who has read one of my books and/or left a review. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I hope you will enjoy this latest novel.

Cheers,
Deanna

Book Review: Reflections (Whisper Cape Book 2) by Susan Griscom

Hi all,

I just finished reading Reflections, the second book in the Whisper Cape series by Susan Griscom. Susan delights us by continuing with the story begun in Whisper Cape – and I have to say, I enjoyed the sequel as much as I did the first book. Here is more about the novel and my five star review.

 

Reflections

(Whisper Cape Book 2)

Susan Griscom

 

Book Description:

Gerry has loved Maia from the very first moment he laid eyes on her and now that she’s pregnant with his child, he’s over the moon with happiness. Likewise, Maia is overjoyed about having Gerry’s baby, except when she begins seeing and hearing an old woman who warns Maia about the pregnancy, Maia starts to think she is losing her mind. But Maia’s nightmare has only just begun...

A most sought after beautiful woman, the talented lead singer in an up and coming rock band, sets her sights on Gerry determined to rekindle an old flame. But murder befalls the sleepy town of Whisper Cape once again, creating suspicion and betrayal, and a love once considered invincible, begins to crumble and fall apart.

Buy Reflections in Kindle or Paperback

Buy Whisper Cape, Book 1 in Kindle or Paperback

 

My 5 Star Review

Reflections continues the story from Whisper Cape but this time it zeros in on the relationship of Addison's aunt, Maia, and Maia's love, Gerry. Maia and Gerry are expecting a baby, and Gerry is thrilled at becoming a father. But when Maia learns she is expecting twins, the anxiety begins, especially when she is plagued by cryptic messages from an old woman. Problems ensue when the beautiful lead singer from the band Gerry has hired sets her eyes on Gerry. And let's not forget Addie and Cael and the magical world they and Gerry belong to that stirs up problems once again in the quiet town of Whisper Cape.

Once again, author Susan Griscom delivers an intriguing paranormal suspense story that is also filled with sensual relationships between the characters. Her writing style is vivid, and it draws you into the story quickly and makes you want to keep reading to find out what is happening with these interesting characters she's created. Susan does an excellent job of continuing the story of Whisper Cape, and leaves you wanting for more. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the paranormal/suspense/romance genre.

 

I hope you will give this series a try. Currently, the books are priced at only $0.99 cents – an extraordinary deal for these well-written novels.

 

Cheers,

Deanna

Cover Reveal - A Secret Fate by Susan Griscom

Hi all,

I'm excited to announce the cover reveal of author Susan Griscom's upcoming novel A SECRET FATE. This novel is Book 3 in the Whisper Cape Series. I've had the pleasure of reading Book 1 and am currently reading Book 2 in this series. You can also read my review of Susan's collections of short stories BRIEF INTERLUDES here on this blog.

Now....The Big Reveal!

 

Cover Reveal

A SECRET FATE (A Whisper Cape Novel, Book 3) By Susan Griscom

 

 

Title: A Secret Fate (A Whisper Cape Novel, Book 3)

Author: Susan Griscom

Publisher: Amber Glow Books

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Design: Susan Griscom

Release Date: Fall 2013
Add it to your to read list.Goodreads  

 

Synopsis:

Book three in the Whisper Cape Series.

Gerry, Addie and Cael almost captured Careen’s murderer but lost Cael in the battle. Is he alive? If so, will he return? And the bigger question, thanks to Gerry's handiwork, will Cael remember Addie? Is their love lost with him?

Addie’s family and friends think she should keep the relationship a secret. Just what she needs, more secrets and on top of everything else, someone stole the crystal. How is she supposed to get over the loss of her lover, a lover she'd barely had for only a few short months and deal with the secret of the lost crystal at the same time?

Aiden wants nothing more than to help Addie overcome her grief and get over Cael. Or is that all he wants? What happens when too many people know the secret and someone slips up? 

 

An unedited Excerpt from A Secret Fate

 For the umpteenth time, over the past two weeks, Addie recited the words over and over again in her head, begging, pleading, Cael, please remember me. Please remember you love me.

Dragging her useless, helpless, and now rail-thin of a frame from the bed—their bed, his bed—she stumbled into the bathroom, hardly recognizing the person in the mirror. The sunken, dark eyes, her indented cheekbones, only made her brown eyes look larger and more recessed, giving her face a hollow look. Well, that was fine, now her face matched her hollow and empty soul.

She couldn’t work, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat. Gerry threatened to give her job to Darcy permanently if she didn’t snap out of it and get her rear end into the bar soon. She didn’t care. Why should she? Let Darcy have the damn job. She didn’t need it. She had her trust fund, didn’t she? She couldn’t face going in there, seeing all those people, everyone asking how she was getting along … without Cael—the unspoken part of the sentence. Well, how the hell did they think she was? She just lost the man she loved. Lost her dad the year before. Who would be next? Who would she lose next? Maia? The Twins who weren’t even born yet? Unthinkable. But, as the old saying went, bad things happened in threes. Maybe if she stayed home, away from other people, nobody else would die or disappear. Her family, friends, they’d all taken turns checking in on her, Darcy one day, Maia another. Gerry, Cael’s uncle Bart even stopped by. Someone, once a day would come knocking on her door, trying to coax her out of the house. “Not ready,” she’d say. “I need time.” How much time would it take? How much time does a person normally require before they learn to cope with the loss of a loved one? Learn to cope? She didn’t want to learn to cope. Addie hadn’t had much time with Cael to begin with. She felt cheated. Resentful and cheated that she didn’t get to love and enjoy her soul mate for any longer than only a few short months. According to Maia, Cael and Addie were fated. She and Cael had joked, laughing about it being a secret fate because of Addie’s secluded and sheltered childhood. Well, fate was cruel, wasn’t it?

 

About Susan

Susan Griscom daydreams often. And sometimes her daydreams interfere with her daydreams not to mention real life. Because, let’s face it, her character’s lives are so much more exciting. Sometimes it’s young adult or new adult or just plain old mainstream fiction and sometimes it’s paranormal romance, where her playing field delves into a different milieu than the usual vampires and werewolves. Some day she might write about fangs and fur, but for now she prefers sticking to strong heroes and heroines confronted with extraordinary forces of nature, powers and abilities beyond the norm, mixed with a little romance to get the blood boiling.

Susan lives in the Sierra Foothills in Northern California with her very romantic husband, her small yippy dog, Riley, and her humongous black cat, Saké. Her family consists of his and hers; four wonderful sons and one beautiful daughter, and seven grand angels.

Susan loves when a story takes hold and pulls her into the fantasy, that's magic.

You can visit Susan at http://susangriscom.com or email her at susan@susangriscom.com.  She loves hearing from her fans.

 

Links to learn more about Susan:

Amazon

Goodreads

Facebook Fan Page

Facebook personal page

Twitter

Website

Blog

 

Other works by Susan:

WHISPER CAPE (Book 1)

Amazon USA
Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFLECTIONS(Whisper Cape, Book 2)

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

 

 

ALLUSIVE AFTERSHOCK

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

 

BRIEF INTERLUDES

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

 

 

 

 

 

EROTIC INTERLUDES

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Sara's Promise Wins Another Honor & .99 Cent Promo Results!

Hi all,

I'm very excited to tell you that my romance novel, Sara's Promise, has won another honor by becoming a semi-finalist in the Romance category in The Kindle Book Review’s 2013 Best Indie Book Awards. Last year, Memories won this honor and I am so pleased that Sara's Promise did also. Now, during the next phase of the contest, judges will be reading all the semi-finalist novels and selecting the top five novels in each category on September 1st. Then, the category winners will be announced on October 1st. I will be anxious to see who wins the top five slots in Romance in September. Maybe it will be me!

Congrats to all the semi-finalists in all the categories. I wish you all good luck!


Recent Sara's Promise Promotion

Sara's Promise had more excitement this past week during a .99 cent promotion. Thanks to book buyers and all my supporters on Twitter, Goodreads,  & Facebook, Sara's Promise ranked as high as #450 in the Amazon paid store. There were several hundred downloads, which was gratifying. Not only did Sara's Promise receive a good standing at Amazon, but readers were able to get a good deal on the novel. I was up against some pretty hefty competition those days, including deals on books by Anne Rivers Siddons and Beachs author Iris Rainer Dart, but Sara's Promise held it's own and even climbed higher on the rank ladder than these bestselling authors. So exciting! Thank you to everyone who helped to promote my novel and who purchased it. I couldn't do this without all of you.

I have to make one final note, too. I do believe a well-crafted book cover can help a novel grasp the attention of buyers. Tugboat Design creates all my covers, and I do honestly believe that their exceptional cover design has helped me sell many a book!

Maggie's Turn Update
I am fast at work on finishing the edits on Maggie's Turn and will hopefully have it ready for the pre-reviewers by mid-July. The official date for publication is August 1st. I may try to get it on earlier than that if all goes well.

Have a great week,

Deanna