Spotlight: Trust of the Heart by E.A. West

Today A Bed of Roses...Thorns Included welcomes E.A. West as she introduces her recent release, Trust of the Heart. Don't you just love this cover?

Blurb:

Josh Teague has dark memories from his time in Iraq. While he longs to share the burden of those memories with someone, he is afraid they will scare his girlfriend. Unwilling to risk losing her, he keeps the memories to himself and tries to keep a cheerful attitude despite the holiday season threatening to bring his mood down.

Leann Robak has her own set of memories causing trouble. Abandoned by her father when she was ten, she is devastated when her mother announces she’s taking a month-long trip to Europe over Christmas. Although Josh’s invitation to spend Christmas with him at his parents’ house holds exciting prospects, Leann can tell he’s hiding something from her. That knowledge leaves her wondering how well she truly knows him and whether he even wants to be in a relationship with her.

Can Josh and Leann learn to trust each other fully, or will their insecurities drive them apart?

Short Excerpt:

Leann eyed him, suspicious about the hand she couldn’t see. “Why are you grinning like that?”

“Because I’m wondering what you think about me making a snow woman.”

“A snow woman?” She gasped as she realized what he planned to do. “Don’t you dare!”

“Sorry, family tradition.” He ran after her and caught her arm; then he dumped a huge, lightly packed snowball on the top of her head. It burst on impact, sending snowflakes cascading down around her.

She shivered as some of the snow slid down the back of her coat and chilled her neck, but it was all she could do to keep from laughing as she looked into Josh’s sparkling eyes. “It’s a family tradition to dump snow on your girlfriend?”

“Yep.” He drew her close and gave her a kiss, warming her up despite the melting snow soaking through her hat. “We dump snow on anyone we can catch.”

“And Megan thought you couldn’t be a goofball.” Leann shook her head and gave into the laughter.

“That reminds me...” Josh released her and scooped up a handful of snow. “Hey, Megan!”

His sister turned around as he let the snowball fly. It hit her in the shoulder with a thump, and she grinned. “Yes! It’s about time!”

~~

ME:  I haven't read this book, but it sounds good, doesn't it?  LOL 

Trust of the Heart is available from most online booksellers including:

Astraea Press
All Romance eBooks
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Kobo 

About the Author

Award-winning author of sweet and inspirational romance E.A. West is a lifelong lover of books and storytelling. In high school, she picked up her pen in a creative writing class and hasn't laid it down yet. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, knitting, and crocheting. She lives in Indiana with her family and a small zoo of pets.

Connect with E.A. West and learn more about her books in the following places:

Website: http://eawest.mcphitty.com

Blog: http://thewestcorner.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/EA-West/34280264617

Twitter: http://twitter.com/eawest

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/eawest

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/eawest

Commenting puts your name in a drawing to win free books from my collection. For more information click here.

Blessings,

What Does It Mean When I Say I'm a Christian? by June Foster

Today, we welcome June Foster.

June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day – February 1, 2012, As We Forgive – September 1, 2012, and Deliver Us – April 1, 2013, and Hometown Fourth of July – July 1, 2012. June's book, Ryan's Father, will be available from WhiteFire Publishing January 2014. For All Eternity, Red and the Wolf, and Misty Hollow, God willing, will be published in the near future. June loves to write stories about characters who overcome the issues in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives.

What Does it Mean When I say I'm a Christian?

Being a Christian means I carry the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, who's birth we celebrate this month. But what did He save me from? An eternity without Him.

Being a Christian doesn't mean following a set of rules or rituals. It doesn't entail having to do a certain number of good deeds or say a given number of prayers. It doesn't mean I have to go to church on certain days and contribute a specified amount of money. Doing good deeds, saying prayers and giving of one's money is great, but that doesn't make me a Christian.

You see, I'm a sinner who can't please God in my own strength. I'll always come up short no matter how hard I try. I deserve punishment for the wrong I've done. But Jesus took the punishment that I deserved when He died on a cross two thousand years ago. He invites me to acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord over my life. If I reach out and receive this free gift, I can be assured I'll spend all eternity in His presence.

It would be as if you got caught speeding and went to the courthouse to pay your fine. The judge tells you that the fine has already been paid. You're free to go. That's a picture of what Jesus did for us. Paid the fine and asked nothing in return. 

Are you a Christian? If not, I invite you to accept God's free gift of His son Jesus Christ.

About Ryan's Father: 

Ryan Reid is a first-grade teacher and a Christian with a heart for neglected kids, but a chance encounter during an earthquake with Sandy Arrington, a beautiful young nurse, rocks Ryan’s carefully guarded world and unearths the secret he has held deep in his heart. Though Sandy falls in love with him, Ryan’s forbidden affections lie elsewhere, and he must depend on the Lord to see him through a battle he always hoped he’d never have to face.

Pre-order here. 

See the trailer here.

You can learn more about June at her two blogs:

http://junefoster.blogspot.com

http://infinitecharacters.com

Thanks for visiting with us, June.

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win books. Click here for more information.

Blessings,

Knight of the Dead by Jennifer Gravely Excerpt - It May Surprise You :)

Today we welcome Jennifer Rae Gravely to A Bed of Roses...Thorns Included. She brings us an excerpt from her book, Knight of the Dead. The title is a play on words, so keep reading all you romance lovers. :)

Born in Ohio but raised in Pickens, SC, Jennifer Rae Gravely graduated from Converse College with a triple major in history, politics, and English before earning her master’s degree in education. Returning to her high school alma mater to teach English and coach volleyball, Gravely’s teams won five state championships and seven upper state titles in eleven years. Both her Astraea Press novels feature the fictional Southern town of Keowee. She lives with her husband, daughter, seven beagles, and one rescued barn cat. 

Thanks, Ginger, for inviting me to your beautiful blog. Seeing the roses reminds me of my romantic suspense novel Knight of the Dead, published by Astraea Press. The story features an adorable little girl named Rose, her amazing father Mark, and the beautiful but unlucky heroine Persephone. I teach high school mythology and I adore the story of why we have winter. Using the tale as a springboard, I came up with the idea of the goddess of the dead and her knight. I hope you enjoy this short excerpt from chapter two.

Mark hired Persephone to babysit his four-year old daughter Rose at his office.

When Mark returned to the conference room about three hours later, Rose and Persephone sat at the table drawing. “Daddy, I drew a picture of the different seasons. Miss Purr-So-Funny told me the story about her name.” The child frowned. “I wouldn’t want to be kidnapped.” “Your father would never let that happen.” He patted her head. “I know.” Her smile stretched into a yawn. “It’s time to go home and get to bed. Are you ready?” Rose nodded. “Say good-night to Persephone.” She jumped up and threw her arms around Persephone’s neck. “I can’t wait till tomorrow.” “Me either,” Persephone said. Persephone stood and moved toward her black sweater coat draped over a chair. Mr. Lawrence handed her money and followed her to the front door. “Thank you for helping out with Rose tonight. I hope she wasn’t any trouble.” They stood in front of the flowers and the mirror next to the door. He loved the smell of freshly cut flowers, even in the dead of winter. “Not at all. Goodnight, Mr. Lawrence.” “Please, call me Mark.” He ran his fingers through his hair out of habit. “Will you be okay driving home?” “Yes, Mark.” She smiled, pulling her arms through her sweater coat and tightening the belt around her trim waist. He leaned forward and opened the door for her. The gush of wind brought a hint of lavender to his nose, and he realized it was the smell of her hair. She stepped out to the porch. About a third of the way down the stairs she turned and waved at him. He caught his breath.

I also coach varsity volleyball (we won the State title this year. Yay!) and my second novel Set to Love is a volleyball romance. Go figure! 

Come find me. I love to talk sports, books, and beagles. 

  

Blog 

Twitter: @JenniferRaeGrav

Facebook 

Amazon author page 

Y’all have a great Christmas season. And remember, sometimes in the dead of winter love blooms!

Thanks for the post, Jennifer. I haven't read your book, but your title intrigues me. :)

Remember to comment for a chance to win books in my drawing. For more information click here.

Blessings,