Let Love Bloom: The Introduction

The Spring season is here and I'm simply delighted!

I love this season so much because of its natural beauty and hope of new beginnings. People often say that "love is in the air" every time Spring arrives and this year, I'd like to celebrate that with my blog's new series "Let Love Bloom".

This special series is designed to promote pure romance stories written by Christian authors.

Every Sunday from March 25 through June 17, I'll host a new author on my blog and they'll host a giveaway of their book that we're featuring on that day. So that means you'll have a chance to win their book and read it for free!

But the authors are doing more than giving away copies of their books! They're also visiting with us via author interviews, character interviews, devotionals based on the book, personal essays related to a theme in the book, along with book review and story excerpt features from their stories.

I hope that you will enjoy this and "Let Love Bloom" in your personal collection of books and in your real-life stories too!

Happy Spring 2018!

Love,

Alexis

Introduction: Fall into Love

Happy first day of Fall 2017!

I love this season because of the cool breezes, soft sunshine, gorgeous changing colors of the tree leaves, caramel apple cider and the fact that it's the perfect time to wear boots.

This year, I'm excited to introduce a new series for my blog titled, "Fall into Love." It's a weekly series featuring real stories about how my author friends first fell in love with the person they married. Every Sunday for all of Fall 2017, you will find a new feature on my blog.

Some Sundays, you'll receive a bonus that includes a blurb for the featured author's book and a fun book giveaway contest! However, since not all of the authors are published yet, so on their Sundays you will only read about their real-life love story. There is a chance that I'll feature some authors who ARE published but NOT married yet so on those Sundays, the focus will be on their book and giveaway contest.

All of the books featured in this Fall into Love blog series will be pure romance fictional stories.

You are encouraged to interact with the authors by writing notes to them in the comment section toward the end of their blog posts. Just like readers love receiving free books, the authors who give away those free books love to hear kind words from their readers! :) So let's encourage the hearts of these creative people who you will "meet" during the span of this series.

Until next Sunday,

Alexis

Summer Love: The Introduction

"Summer Love" is the name of my new series and it's purposed to celebrate summertime by promoting pure romance stories written by Christian authors.

"Summer Love" will be a weekly series with a new post published each Sunday for every week of Summer 2017. 

So each Sunday here on my "God is Love" blog will feature a Christian author who writes romance for the following categories: Contemporary, Inspirational, Suspense, Chick Lit, Historical, and Amish stories. Each author has promised to give away a copy of their featured book to the winner of the book giveaway contest hosted by Rafflecopter.

You are invited to enjoy "meeting" these authors and learning about their stories through features that vary from author interviews to character interviews, devotionals to personal essays, and book reviews with excerpts from the story. 

The "Summer Love" series ends when Autumn 2017 begins. 

I hope that you will enjoy this new series!

Love,

Alexis

14 Days of Sweet Stories: Whisper to My Heart by JoAnn Durgin

Book blurb for Whisper to My Heart by JoAnn Durgin:

The unlikely romance between a concert pianist and a construction worker. 

After a decade of touring the globe, Manhattan-based classical concert pianist Annalise Redmond needs a break. What’s a Juilliard-trained musician to do when she wants to live a “normal” life for six weeks? 

Weston Galloway, a former firefighter and member of an Atlanta-based construction crew, is as much into soul-winning as building the new bank in little Darling, Georgia.

Anna’s barely been kissed. Weston’s not looking for love. When these two souls collide in small-town Americana, is their time together destined only to be a precious memory or will they listen to the whispers in their hearts and dare to dream of a future together?

Throw in Anna’s quirky sister and brother-in-law, Weston’s challenging coworker, spirited employees at The Darling Diner, and a cast of lively townsfolk, and you won’t want to miss this journey to Darling!

Whisper to My Heart. A contemporary Christian romance celebrating love, faith, community, and family.

~*~

Excerpt from the opening chapter of Whisper to My Heart:

Anna cringed, waiting for the inevitable crash. The accident couldn’t have been prevented. Not really. She’d tripped over a child’s forgotten toy, sending that stack of slippery plates flying. Slapping her hands over her face, she waited for the impending wrath of Roz the Terminator.

Her first mistake? Rinsing her hands and then forgetting to dry them before bussing tables. Who knew there’d be so many details to remember? She’d thought this job would be easy. How could people do this for a living? After only three days on the job, she should turn in her apron and acknowledge the truth—she was a terrible waitress.

Wait a second. No crash. Only the sound of clattering, not shattering, plates. And people were…clapping?

“Go, Weston! You are the man!”

Splaying her fingers wide, Anna dared to peek. One of the construction guys who’d been sitting in the back corner booth—Weston, apparently—crouched in front of her. He attempted to stabilize the stack of wobbly plates in his hands while his comrades whistled, stomped, whooped, and hollered. Appearing unsteady, his forehead creased with a deep frown.

Anna wanted to tell his cronies to pipe down their rowdiness in case it made Weston nervous, but they probably wouldn’t listen. She glanced at the floor. Surely she’d missed one of the plates falling in the midst of all the loud cheering? Nope, no shards lay scattered across the hard floor. How had he managed to corral them without any casualties?

“Let me help you.” Anna started forward but then hesitated. On second thought, that wasn’t the best idea considering she seemed especially clumsy tonight. Who knew what chaos she might create? They’d probably both end up on the floor. That’d be interesting but would solve nothing.

“No problem. I’ve got them.” Weston’s focus didn’t waver, and he’d captured the attention of everyone in the diner. A slow grin spread across his face as he cautiously rose to a standing position—six feet or thereabouts of controlled muscle in a white but dirt-covered T-shirt and worn jeans. His light brown beard was neatly trimmed and curls peeked out from the bottom of his backwards Atlanta Braves cap. Cute guy.

Anna clapped with the others as Weston moved to the front of the diner and carefully deposited the plates on the counter. The other waitress, Candee, scooted beside her and leaned close. “Let him be your hero for the day.” She patted Anna’s arm and winked. “Every gal needs one of those. And every man wants to be one.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Walking over to the counter, Anna gave him a weary smile. “Thank you for saving my job. At least for now.”

They were only plates. She shouldn’t even care. But for some inexplicable reason, she did.

“Welcome. You looked like you could use some help. Glad I came in, well…handy.” Weston shot a disparaging glance at his clothing. “As you can see, nothing’s going to make me dirtier than I already am.” He lifted his baseball cap and scratched the side of his head. “Okay, that didn’t come out right.”

Maybe not, but she liked his deep, charming southern drawl. Baby blue eyes, offset by tanned skin, settled on her. “I’m Weston Galloway. And you are?” She appreciated how his gaze didn’t dip south of her name tag. In spite of how he was dressed, and the somewhat rough-cut company he kept, Weston seemed like a gentleman.

“I’m Anna. Anna Redmond. It’s nice to meet you.” Was it wise to give him her last name? At least she’d only given him the shortened version of her first name. The odds were against Weston recognizing her name or knowing who she was.

“You, too.” He started to wipe his hands on the front of his T-shirt. “I’d shake your hand, but it’s better if I keep my hands to myself.” His cheeks flushed, and dimples peeked out beneath his beard. “I’m saying all the wrong things tonight.” Laughing under his breath, he raised both hands. “I promise you, I’m not weird or anything.”

An embarrassed Weston was even cuter. If only he knew what a refreshing change he was compared to most men.

“Hang on a second. Don’t move.” Anna hurried behind the counter.

“Yes, ma’am.”

After lightly rinsing a paper towel in the sink, she squeezed out the excess water and then handed it to him. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Weston wiped his hands and glanced at her feet. “Is your ankle okay?”

“What? Oh, yes. It’s fine.”

“Good.” He tossed the used paper towel in the trash can beside the register. “Before all the excitement, I was coming to ask for our check.”

“Sure. I’ll have Candee bring it over to your table in just a minute.” Should she offer to comp their check? Probably not. Guys could be weird about a woman paying for things, and it might come across as odd. Besides, a woman working in a small-town diner wouldn’t be able to afford it, so it wouldn’t be a normal thing to do.

Normal. Above all, that’s what she wanted, what she needed. She hadn’t lived a normal life in so long, she wasn’t sure she remembered how. But she could try.

~*~
Author bio: 

In addition to Whisper to My Heart, USA Today Bestselling Author JoAnn Durgin is the author of eight novels in the beloved Lewis Legacy Series, as well as Prelude, the prequel to the series. 

Her other works include the Amazon bestselling Catching Serenity, Heart’s Design and its sequel, Gentle Like the Rain, the Wondrous Love Series, Echoes of Edinburgh, Perchance to Dream, Whisper to My Heart, The Christmas Challenge, and the popular Starlight Christmas Series. 

A former estate administration paralegal, JoAnn now writes contemporary Christian romance full-time and lives with her family in her native southern Indiana.

JoAnn loves to hear from her readers! Please feel free to connect with her online via the following sites:

Website: www.joanndurgin.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gr8treads

All of JoAnn Durgin’s books are sold exclusively on Amazon. com. Visit her Amazon Author Page for details, http://amzn.to/2jpDxOK

~*~
Book Review written by Elaine Holt and posted on Amazon.com on November15, 2016:

Title for book review: An Old-fashioned contemporary romance!

This review is from: Whisper to My Heart: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel (Kindle Edition)

Another fabulous romance from JoAnn Durgin. A sweet story of love at first sight between Anna and Weston. Even when you are not looking for love, sometimes love finds you - in unlikely places. Anna is looking for a "normal" life and finds it in small town Darling, GA. Working her first job in a diner, she bonds with and is accepted by the locals in this town even though Anna will only be around for a couple of months. Along with the "normalcy" she meets Weston, a contractor temporarily working on a project in Darling. Weston is a man strong in faith and character. One of the highlights of this story is watching Weston live out his faith and standing firm against the sinful world and temptations that surrounds him. His desire to court Anna, like generations past, really warmed my heart. Can Anna and Weston have a future after they both leave Darling, GA? Can they remain pure and true to God's word, overcoming fleshly desires? What will Weston think of Anna when he finds out who she truly is?

JoAnn Durgin creates realistic characters that have every day struggles and flaws. They show us, the readers, how we, too, can live out our faith in everyday lives. I am hooked with every one of her books and I can't put them down! I love her writings and genuinely care what happens to her characters. You will too. JoAnn's books never disappoint.

~*~
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