The Taming of Lady Kate by GG Vandagriff

Jack Bailey-Wintersham, Marquis of Northbrooke, meets Lady Kate Derramore in an auspicious manner, but their fortunate meeting is soon overshadowed by espionage, kidnapping and betrayal. Regardless of how they met, Jack falls almost instantly in love with Kate, but in addition to all the many pitfalls he encounters, including being wounded (twice!), he finds Kate high-spirited, willful and almost foolish  - well, downright foolish when it comes to her attempts to "save" Jack from being killed or thrown into dangerous situations which his occupation demands of him.
Set in historical England, near the same time frame as Jane Austen wrote, and with a similar flare, The Taming of Lady Kate is a fast-paced, engrossing tale of Lady Kate and her desire to marry for convenience. She will not inherit her father's fortune until she marries well. To complicate affairs, her younger step-brother, whom she adores, has been sent off to boarding school where she fears he is being mistreated because of his stutter, and she will not gain custody of him until she marries properly. She is, therefore, motivated to pursue matrimony with the handsome Marquis, Jack Bailey-Wintersham. Kate is also surprised to find herself drawn to Jack in ways she never would have expected. But, how could she love Jack? She had thought herself to be in love with an Italian whom her father had completely and utterly refused her to marry and had threatened that such an unworthy marriage would bring about her disinheritance of her father's estate entirely.
The plot is thick with surprises and twists and turns. Yet it is surprisingly easy to follow and flows from one scene into another at such a quick pace that my heart raced a little faster with each turning page.
GG Vandagriff has hit the mark with The Taming of Lady Kate and has given her readers a story they will enjoy from cover to cover.

One Last Gift . . . FREE June 15-16, 2012

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! One Last Gift will be available for FREE at Amazon's Kindle for two days only. June 15-16, 2012.

If you don't have a Kindle, don't worry. You can get a Kindle App for your smart phone, iPad or computer. 

Please SHARE this information with all your family and friends.

Click here to go to One Last Gift on Amazon.com

Circle your calendars, it's only a week away!

One Last Gift, first book in the Gift Series: Kayla Dawn Allen gave up religion ten years ago to pursue a lifestyle completely foreign to her upbringing. When she receives a disturbing telephone call from her father, Mont, she reluctantly leaves her fiancé, her sailboat, and her challenging career in San Diego, and hastens to her childhood home high in the Uintah Mountains. Her return stirs up questions from her past she thought she'd buried years before: Why does Mont tenaciously cling to his faith, regardless of his daughter's denouncement of it? Isn't God just a crutch people use when they don't understand science? Does her mother really live in the Spirit World, as Mont insists? Kayla conquers one issue after another until she faces the greatest obstacle of her life in a desperate race for survival. Will a tragedy turn Kayla's analytical heart back to God, or will it take a miracle? Can lovely Kayla be rescued from her own scientific disposition, her infatuation with Ed Sparkleman, and even more desperate and dangerous elements in One Last Gift?

You’re going to love all five novels in Sherry Ann Miller’s popular Gift Series, which take you on the individual sojourns of Kayla Dawn Allen and the six men who have influenced her life for good: the Sparkleman boys, Ed, Abbot, Tom and William, who grew up with Kayla on the Bar M Ranch; and the seafaring Clark twins, Joshua (who loves Kayla more than life itself) and Hans (who is always one step behind in finding his soul-mate). Each novel will plunge you into a miraculous, spine-tingling journey about life, love, heartache and triumphant joy. If you’ve a thirst for suck-you-in adventure, drama, action and romance, you’ll want to read all five novels in Sherry Ann’s award-winning Gift Series.


Note: The Gift Series can be read out of sequence without losing continuity, except for The Refiner’s Gift, which should be read last.

Étude, by Melinda R. Morgan, is a promising new novel, the first in a series called The Birthright Legacy. Once I had invested some time into the story, I could not put the book down until I'd read through to the very last word. Spellbinding is not a word I often use to describe a novel, but Étude is good enough to deserve the word.

Based on the premise of "immortals among us," Étude weaves its story around Elizabeth Anne Arrington (Beth), an intelligent young woman in her last year of high school, who had to skip her senior year in California due to an auto accident (with mysterious undertones) that destroyed not only her ability to play piano, but her life's dreams, as well. Told in first person, Beth begins her journey on a train to Andersen, Wyoming, where she will live with her Uncle Conner and his new wife as she attends her senior year at high school, yes, a year older than the other seniors there. Her father is abroad, serving with the military's special forces and her mother was killed in the auto accident that maimed Beth's left hand. Beth has not fully come to terms with what happened to her mom, nor has she fully accepted the fact that her left hand is useless to her.

Drawn to a remarkably talented pianist named Jonathan, who has startling secrets of his own, Beth soon begins to have feelings for him that she hadn't expected to find in Andersen, Wyoming. From that point on, the story deepens and swells with action, adventure and mystery. Forces beyond Beth's understanding are at work in Andersen, and she is terrified and confused by the startling series of events that make her doubt everything about the accident that happened in California and the terror that followed her to Wyoming.

This is one novel I couldn't put down, even though I wanted to cover my eyes and only peep at it a few times. At the conclusion, I was ready to scream, "Isn't the next one out yet?"

Melinda R. Morgan has a way with visual imagery that most authors only dream about. I could see, feel, taste and hear every last terrifying note played out in her remarkable novel, Étude.

Would I recommend Étude to others? After my glowing review, you need to ask?

Victoria's Lullaby - - Now available on Kindle

Victoria’s Lullaby is a balance of light-hearted drama in a delightful time-travel, comedy-romance. Don’t miss the fun as Victoria travels from 1893 to the twenty-first Century, dramatically impacting the life and heart of Ian McClary and his family.

Here's a condensed version of excerpts from the first chapter:

In the year 1893, after reading a passage from Pinkerton’s Book of Enchantments, a great rushing wind surrounded Victoria Langford as she forced her hands to clutch the skirts of her velvet dress, holding them down so as not to expose her pantaloons.

Her lovely hat and parasol blew away and she had the distinct impression they had arrived out of thin air into an older woman’s bedchamber, frightening the woman into a complete faint.

Victoria’s long, flame-red hair came loose from its pins and swept about her face, blocking her vision as it wrapped around her head. She would not abandon her grip upon the lifting skirts of her dress to repair the disheveled damage to her hairstyle when she was whisked forward in time within the whirling vortex of a tornado.

At the exact same time of day, yet more than a century later, the architect, Ian McClary, poked his head around the bedroom doorframe to see what had caught his young brother, Charlie’s, attention. Ian’s mouth dropped open and he watched in wide-eyed wonder as a small tornado seemed to fill the center of the spacious room, growing in size until it was about five feet tall and had the color of a dark, green forest.

Charlie squealed in delight and jumped up and down upon the bed, his arms waving Pinkerton’s Book of Enchantments around like a flying fish trying to escape the restless sea. “It’s working! Ian, it’s working!”

When the whirlwind dissipated, a woman wearing a floor-length, velvet gown, complete with bustle, appeared out of nowhere. She was bent over, her thin arms and hands holding the green folds of the dress down, the fabric still trying to blow away from her slender ankles. A small, drawstring handbag dangled from her left wrist. Her long, curly red hair hung disheveled around her face and the look in her emerald eyes was nothing short of absolute astonishment.

“Oh, Charlie,” Ian moaned as he leaned against the door frame. “Now, what have you done?”

You won't want to miss this one. Here's the link to the Amazon Kindle edition of Victoria's Lullaby:

http://www.amazon.com/Victorias-Lullaby-ebook/dp/B007S3WNDO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334087852&sr=1-1

Kindle Editions Now Available, including Sariah's Back Door

How happy I am to announce the arrival of my novels and novellas on Kindle, including my new novel, Sariah's Back Door:

When Sariah Brown, a woman with a secret past, finds a skeleton buried in her back yard, she calls upon Dr. Reuben Sands, a renowned archaeologist, to help her unearth it. While Sariah makes contact with a young Native American from the 1500's, she must also determine what her mission is regarding him. As she prepares to begin another journey to ancient America, one question haunts her: Will Reuben join her?

Lured into a web of mystery and danger, Reuben’s heart is torn between his attraction to Sariah and his logic for the laws of nature. Entangled in matters that defy science and sanity, Reuben must learn the truth about Sariah’s Back Door, or die trying. His discovery throws all his previous beliefs into an unfathomable abyss, leaving him shaken to the core. What he does with this newfound knowledge will impact his life in ways he never imagined possible, if only he has the courage to believe . . . .

Sariah’s Back Door is a compelling, inspirational, time-travel mystery-romance.

All of my other novels, written prior to 2008, are also available on Kindle.
Be sure to look for:

One Last Gift, first book in the Gift Series: Kayla Dawn Allen gave up religion ten years ago to pursue a lifestyle completely foreign to her upbringing. When she receives a disturbing telephone call from her father, Mont, she reluctantly leaves her fiancé, her sailboat, and her challenging career in San Diego, and hastens to her childhood home high in the Uintah Mountains. Her return stirs up questions from her past she thought she'd buried years before: Why does Mont tenaciously cling to his faith, regardless of his daughter's denouncement of it? Isn't God just a crutch people use when they don't understand science? Does her mother really live in the Spirit World, as Mont insists? Kayla conquers one issue after another until she faces the greatest obstacle of her life in a desperate race for survival. Will a tragedy turn Kayla's analytical heart back to God, or will it take a miracle? Can lovely Kayla be rescued from her own scientific disposition, her infatuation with Ed Sparkleman, and even more desperate and dangerous elements in One Last Gift? At the supremely satisfying conclusion, you will be left with the question, “What about Ed?”

An Angel’s Gift second book in the Gift Series: Ed Sparkleman meets his match when Alyssa drops in on the Bar M Ranch (literally!) and disrupts his life forever. As ranch foreman, Ed is responsible for keeping his men in order, but with Alyssa around, all the ranch hands begin to act oddly out of character, especially Ed. Is Alyssa truly An Angel’s Gift sent straight to him from heaven? If so, what about his brother, Abbot?

The Tyee’s Gift third book in the Gift Series: Set in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, adventure meets Abbot Sparkleman when he discovers the greatest archaeological site of the century and falls in love with the beautiful and mysterious Bekah. The Tyee’s Gift will bring tears of laughter, joy and heartache while Abbot learns where much is given, much is required.

Charity’s Gift fourth book in the Gift Series: When Hans comes face to face with a ferocious shark, it strikes less fear than vivacious and attractive Charity, who throws his heart into a spiraling nose-dive deep in the Pacific Ocean. The only way he can salvage their crumbling romance is to find her missing father, who's been absent from Charity's life for almost twenty-five years. Charity's Gift will touch your heart forever.

The Refiner’s Gift: the fifth and final novel in the Gift Series, should be read last in order to maintain the continuity of suspense. Tom Sparkleman confessed to a brutal crime eight years ago, and he has been paying the price ever since. Parents shun him and women want nothing to do with him. As Tom agonizes over questions in his mind and heart, he asks the Lord, Am I still a child of God? Is there no miracle in store for me? Then, a raging flash flood sweeps Tom’s tainted world aside . . . setting in motion events that will shape the man Tom is yet to become, and he is astounded at just how much the Refiner is truly mindful of him. In The Refiner’s Gift, Tom learns God carries each of us during our most difficult trials, while giving us courage and strength to lift the burdens of others. The Refiner’s Gift includes the ultimate gift for Tom Sparkleman, a man who let liquor nearly destroy his life five years ago. What miracles the Lord has in store for him, Tom can only dream about, for Tom does not believe he will ever find a woman who will love him regardless of his past. The miracle for Tom will exceed his wildest expectations, and will thrill the Sparkleman and Clark Clans for generations still unborn.

* * * * *
Gardenia Sunrise: Brandje (pronounced Bran-dee) never considered herself one of the Shepherd’s lost lambs until she learns that she has cancer. Broken-hearted and frightened by the drastic measures it will take to provide even the remotest hope for a cure, she flees to her villa on the west coast of France where she hopes to prepare herself emotionally and spiritually to meet God. Her plans are altered when Nathan, an American with a hot temper, arrives for his annual holiday at the villa, unaware that his reservation has been canceled. Brandje’s remarkable journey of spiritual and romantic discovery touches both heart and soul with enlightenment, hope and inspiration. Gardenia Sunrise is a stand-alone novel and not part of any series or saga.

Excerpt: Nathan pondered the situation carefully as he nudged the door open again with the toe of his shoe. A woman was sleeping in his bed. His bed! His reaction changed from surprise to anger, which frustrated him even more because of his struggle to conquer his quick temper. She had no right! He’d rented the villa legally and she would have to go . . . then Nathan grinned mischievously and arched an eyebrow. This might prove a very interesting situation, he decided at once. Very interesting indeed!

Gentle reader, please be aware that while medical science has expanded far beyond the medical parameters in this novel, Gardenia Sunrise was written when transplantation was in its infancy. It is the author’s hope that current medical knowledge will advance even further. Perhaps in the future a patient may be able to swallow a simple pill and grow his or her own new organs, bones, muscles, etc. Regardless, Gardenia Sunrise gives a message of hope and resilience that may be able to mend even Brandje’s broken heart.

* * * * *
The Warwick Saga is historical fiction at its very best! Story is complete in two books:

Search for the Bark Warwick: Beginning with the stowaway who interrupts and changes John’s life forever, and concluding with John’s desperate search for his captive son, this historical novel, based loosely on a true story, is a stirring tale of surprise, compassion, love and tenacious devotion to family. The story of a genuine hero in 1630's England, Search for the Bark Warwick will keep you on the edge of your seat, and leave you begging for more.

Search for the Warwick II: Proving once and for all why she is known as the writer of miracles, Sherry Ann Miller’s absorbing sequel, Search for the Warwick II, concludes the search for John Dunton's son who is enslaved in 1630's Algeria, where a generous reward has been offered for John's capture. Now, John must not only find Thomas, he must avoid recapture while he and his devoted crew attempt to out-sail and outmaneuver a horde of evil pirates. Nothing else matters to John or his men . . . not even their own lives.

* * * * *
Mama’s Lemon Pie ~ a Celebration of Motherhood :
This inspiring biography is condensed from the original story of the author’s remarkable mother and the challenges she overcame. Daughters everywhere are going to love it!

* * * * *
Scottish Legend: this novella will whisk you from San Francisco to Great Britain and back again, taking your breath away in a fast-paced, action-packed tale of danger, intrigue and edge-of-your-heart romance. When FBI undercover agent, Jacey Munroe, meets legendary Scottish Lord, Rob McLennan, she is disguised as Katie Chester, the spoiled, wealthy daughter of a man standing trial in America for treason and murder.

Rob, however, suspects there is more to this beautiful woman than meets the eye. Jacey diligently prevents Rob from learning the truth about her at every encounter, which not only angers him, it boggles his understanding of women.

To complicate matters, Jacey and Rob are drawn to each other like a flame toward oxygen . . . a situation Jacey cannot allow. Falling in love with someone you are deceiving while working undercover is not permitted in the FBI, regardless of what your heart tells you.

Oregon Flame: This novella opens with a punch, has white-knuckled, page-turning power, and delivers the miraculous impact for which Sherry Ann has earned her reputation. Nicole Travis could easily fall for Wade Reilly’s fiery charm . . . if only she could trust him. But, how can Nicole ever believe Wade’s sincerity? He took advantage of her brother, and destroyed her relationship with her fiancé.

I hope you're as happy about these new Kindle editions as I am.

The Price of Gold by Alison Palmer

Alison Palmer has a knack for pulling a reader into a story and keeping their interest all the way through to the very last sentence. The Price of Gold is such a novel, and it kept me going page after page. Admittedly, I know very little of Egyptian mythology, but learned a great deal while reading The Price of Gold.

An engaging story of two teenagers, Cassie and Met, I felt drawn into Cassie's life more than I had anticipated. She is a very sympathetic character and one I wanted to understand better. Her ingenious way of staying alive, surviving against all odds, made her a loveable person, almost real . . . to me. I ached with Cassie, felt hunger with Cassie, and craved someone to care about me, as Cassie does throughout the story.

Met, the dominant male in The Price of Gold, is the descendant of the ancient Pharoahs and a fascinating example of an Egyptian legend in the flesh. His ability to change from human to bird form I found completely absorbed by, and his interest in Cassie, while bordering on stalking in the beginning, soon revealed something far more worthwhile . . . a budding romance and an eternal compassion for a beautiful girl who wanted nothing more than to be loved and respected, which Met does admirably.

While their relationship starts out a little rocky, mostly because Cassie doesn't seem to trust anyone (understandably so), it soon grows much stronger and steadier, until Cassie discovers Met's secret quite accidentally. Then, she is thrown into a nose dive, and is torn between wanting Met in her life and knowing she doesn't belong in his.

An intriguing tale from start to finish, I read the entire book twice before writing the review and found it equally as fascinating the second time through. Alison's strengths lie in POV, visualization and her keen ability to keep the reader's attention page after page.

While I enjoyed The Price of Gold, it has one serious flaw: it was not well-edited. There were numerous typo errors, which stopped the flow of the story, a problem which Alison will, hopefully, correct with future issues.

All That Was Promised, by Vickie Hall

All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall brought me quickly through its front page to 1847 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. I was immediately interested in this LDS novel because my grandparents were from Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales. The backdrop has always fascinated me, which only added to my being "hooked" by Vickie's engrossing tale of conversion and persecution in and around Cardiff. Vickie weaves a beautiful story of love and betrayal within the pages of her book, along with backstory from the point of view of many of her characters. The reader empathizes with the Latter Day Saints plight, struggles as they struggle, rejoices as they rejoice, fear as they fear . . . .

Not only does Vickie have the ability to catch my interest, but she kept that interest in the engaging tale in All That Was Promised. I found danger, humor, concern, anger, laughter, compassion and a multitude of other feelings as she captivated me at each new turn in the road.

Richard and Leah Kenyon are the main characters: a young Methodist minister and his wife, who had already known disappointment and bereavement in the loss of their unborn children. It seemed as though the very gates of hell had opened up its wide mouth to consume them, yet they came through the Refiner's fire with conviction and spirit.

Add to the Kenyon's fiery storms a deranged brother (and his evil wife), a niece caught up in a terrible drama, a missionary whose family suffers tragedy of their own, a barmaid who ultimately cleaves unto the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a deluded murderer who would kill all "Mormons" if given the opportunity, and you have All That Was Promised . . . an engaging story that doesn't let you up from its absorbing pages until the very last word is spilled out.

Would I recommend the book to others? Yes, it was a tale that needed to be told . . . in a beautiful country, the county of my own ancestors.

That said, please be aware that the book is seriously flawed with a multitude of POV changes within each scene, something its editor(s) should have pounced on from the very first page.