Review: Gypsy’s Game

BACK COVER COPY FOR GYPSY’S GAME:

Gypsy Lovell stands to inherit an enormous amount of money from a father who never gave her anything except a ridiculous name. Even now, he doesn’t make it easy. A stipulation in the man’s will demands that Gypsy be married in order to claim what is hers.

Desperate for the monetary windfall that could save her mother’s life, Gypsy visits a Christian dating agency, hoping to find a temporary husband—someone easy to handle for the required six months, and easy to get rid of when she no longer needs him.

What she doesn’t know is that Solomon’s Gate is a dating agency with a divine connection. What she finds there may save more than her mother’s life…it could very well change Gypsy’s heart and soul.

          

                                           

Having been abandoned by her father at a young age, Gypsy doesn’t believe becoming serious about a man is worth the time and trouble. So when she needs to marry one, it’s strictly on a temporary basis. Jal Garridan has his reasons for agreeing to marry Gypsy, but none of them leave room for the word “temporary.”

Gypsy starts out tough—sure of what she wants and doesn’t want. Yet, Ms. Latham does a good job in seeing to it she’s not hard. She has a need for her inheritance that has nothing to do with greed. Jal is the perfect gentleman—caring and considerate. And, in my opinion, a bit too perfect, even if he must make Gypsy see that not all men are like her father. But he is a sweetheart.

This is the third novel in Delia Latham’s Solomon’s Gate series in which an angel named Solomon stands ready to assist those involved with the Christian dating service run by Destiny Gallagher. (I reviewed Kylie’s Kiss here.) It was nice to “meet” again the characters from the first two books, including Solomon, who makes his presence known enough times to be fun but not turn the book from a romance to a fantasy. And she didn’t shy away from showing her readers exactly how to accept God’s gift of salvation.

All in all, Gypsy’s Game is well written and an enjoyable read, so if you’re looking for a romance with a touch the angelic supernatural, this is the novel for you.

     

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book came to me free from the publisher with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

 

Trailer Tuesday: Journey’s End

Today’s book trailer is for Journey’s End by Dora Hiers.

    

     

Devastated after the brutal murder of her husband, Chelsea Hammond vows never to love another lawman. Intent on rebuilding her shattered life, she turns her focus to helping troubled teens. But when an angry father bent on retaliation, threatens her, Chelsea must turn to the one man she never thought to trust: Deputy U.S. Marshal Trey Colten.

Trey wants only to protect Chelsea, but she blames him for her husband’s death.Trey can relate. He blames himself, also. As danger lurks, Trey begs Chelsea to heed his warnings. He let down one Hammond. He won’t let down another—especially one who now holds his heart.

When Chelsea is snatched from her home, can she put aside her fear, and trust Trey with her life? Can she forgive him for destroying her past and let him help to rebuild her future?
Where one journey ends, another begins…

     

After a successful auditing career, Dora left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. Eventually, needing something more to fill her days, she started writing heart racing, God-gracing books. Dora belongs to the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Carolina Christian Writers. Dora and her husband make their home in North Carolina. When she’s not writing, Dora enjoys spending time with her family, kicking back in her recliner with a good book, teaching Sunday School, vacationing in the mountains, cheering for the Panthers, and walking her dog. 

 

Too Much of Me?

No, this isn’t a post about my weight, although I could probably…well, never mind. Right now, I have some questions for those who enjoy reading books–fiction or non-fiction.

In these days, we have an amazing amount of outlets for keeping in touch with family, friends, friends of friends, and people we’ve never heard of before. More social sites seem to pop up every twenty-four hours.

As a writer who expects to market a book one day, there are ample opportunities to stay connected with people who enjoy the kind of writing I do—namely, historical romance for the Christian market.

So, I blog here. I tweet. I can be found on Goodreads. I’m on Google+. And recently, I joined the Facebook community (I know, one of the last remaining dinosaurs). Shameless self promotion break: Links to all of these can be found in the sidebar. The next latest thing is Pinterest. From what I can tell, it’s like a public bulletin board. My friend, Nicole Miller, wrote a wonderful post on this here.

To my surprise, I have found that I enjoy the sharing (for the most part), though it takes time and sometimes that’s hard to come by.

So, my questions are addressed to you as a READER because I want to know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to connecting with authors:

Do you even follow an author on a social site?

Do you follow an author simply because you enjoy their work? (As writers, we follow other writers in the business, but as a reader, are there writers you follow simply because…?)

What is it you like about following that author(s)? Are they amusing? Are you looking for informative content?

Which online sites do you prefer participating in when wanting to learn more about a particular author: blog, Twitter, Facebook/Google+, Goodreads, other?

Do you follow to learn what book is coming next—more about their career, or do you want to connect on a more personal level? 

Have you found new books/authors through a social site?

Do you feel the author does a good job in relating to you?

Do you like shared links to other writing-related sites, such as authors, publishers, book sources, etc?

Does having that connection make you more likely to purchase a book by that author?

What don’t you like when it comes to following authors on social sites?

Realizing security issues exist and safety can’t be compromised, what should an author blog about, tweet, or share that would draw interest from a non-writing reader?

  

Your answers in the comment section to any or all of the above questions will be appreciated (as long as they’re not snarky or indecent ). Next week, I’ll share some of the reasons I follow certain people.

 

Trailer Tuesday – In the Shadow of Evil

Today’s book trailer for Robin Caroll’s novel In the Shadow of Evil will get your heart pumping!

     

     

Informed by the real-life fallout of the U.S. economy and devastation caused by multiple hurricanes along the southern coast, In the Shadow of Evil tells a modern day story involving the exposure of a building rebound scam. Amidst the layers of unethical practices, supply shortages, and excess murders, a top Louisiana homicide detective loses his heart to a charitable contractor while uncovering a secret about his tragic past.

Author Robin Caroll

 

An Irresistibly Sweet Blog

   

I was honored to learn this blog was nominated for The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award by author Tracy Ruckman. A great, big thanks to you, Tracy!

There are certain rules that come with this nomination. First, I must display the badge and thank the person who nominated me. (See above.) Second, I need to nominate ten other blogs and let them know. And third, I’m to share seven random things about myself or my blog. (See below.)

Ten blogs I find to be sweet:

Anita Mae Draper’s Draper’s Acres – Writing updates,  personal with lots of photos

Dora Hiers’ Heart Racing, God Gracing blog – Reviews, devotions, and fun “Thanks Givings” posts

Edwina Cowgill’s Musings of Edwina – Reviews and devotions

Heidi Chiavaroli’s New England Inspiration – Faith, writing and real life

Jillian Kent – Writing and real life

Keiki Hendrix - I’ve often taken advantage of her Vessel Project website

Nicole Miller’s To the Heart of History – Horses and history – Who could want more?

Phyllis Keel’s The Gifted Writer - Focuses on God’s work in our lives

Rachel Wilder’s Romance with Old World Charm - 19th Century Fashion

Reflections in Hindsight – Encouraging posts for writers

    

Seven random things about me or my blog?

I truly enjoy promoting the works of other Christian authors on this blog and letting readers know about the awesome novels being written by them.

After all these months, I’m still trying to get used to a half-empty nest. (The child does have college breaks.)

I’m probably one of the last people on this earth to sign up for Facebook. (Waving hello to my friends!)

My favorite part of gardening is putting a plant in the ground. I’ve been known to move the same plant over and over again.

One day, several years ago, I spotted a poster in a kid’s movie. It was created by Argus using one of the quotes I sold them. (Don’t ask which movie. I was too flummoxed to write it down and have regretted that ever since. In case the movie is ever shown again, the poster is hanging on a schoolroom door. It has black and white stripes like a referee’s uniform and says “Life has rules. Play fair.” Just in case…)

After twenty-one years of publishing small pieces, God gave me the go-ahead to write novels. We never know what He has in store for us.

The beginning of January marked two years of writing this blog. For a total non-techie…wow! 

   

Thanks for the opportunity to do this, Tracy!

   

Now for you: What blogs are your favorites or what are two  things we should know about you?