Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter

MADISON'S HEART HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR YEARS. BUT ONE SUMMER CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING.

In the years since her twin brother's tragic drowning, Madison has struggled with her ability to trust God--or anyone else, for that matter. It was her brother's dream to win the annual River Sail Regatta in their small harbor town of Chapel Springs, Indiana. And Madison's determined to honor his legacy by making his dream her own. Maybe then she can finally find closure.

But learning to sail means learning to swim. And her instructor is Beckett O'Reilly, a man who already has two strikes against him in Madison's eyes. Being on the water terrifies Madison. But Beckett's calming presence and unwavering confidence eases her fear. And as much as she'd like to deny it, the chemistry between them is electrifying.

As her feeling for him grow, a fledging faith begins to take root in her soul, as well. With Beckett, Madison feels alive for the first time in years--carefree and confident she can win the regatta, maybe even find love.

But Beckett harbors a secret that will test the limits of their love and the depth of Madison's faith. Will their love survive summer's challenge? And will achieving her brother's dream give Madison the peace she desperately seeks?


Author: Denise Hunter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Theme Verses: Luke 8: 5-8 and 2 Peter 3:9


About the Author
Denise Hunter is the Award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including A Cowboy's Touch and Sweetwater Gap. She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. In 1996, Denise began writing her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later, it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!


My thoughts
First of all, isn't the book cover phenomenal? I love it! Secondly, I loved that this book was set in Indiana (not too far from my neck of the woods actually). With the family's farmhouse, the corn fields, the small Hoosier town . . . reading this book was like being home. Good strong characters and a constantly twisting plot kept the pages turning--along with the romance. She's an expert at romantic tension and creates the best heroes! My favorite part was Madison's resolution (her Ah-ha! moment), where Denise tied the faith message and book title together beautifully. Barefoot Summer is a must-read, available June 4, 2013.

Thanks again, Denise, for the Advance Reader's Copy!



Visit www.denisehunterbooks.com to learn more about Denise, her books, and to sign up for her e-newsletter. Check out her blog, www.girlswriteout.blogspot.com where she shares ideas with her four bestfriends.

Visit my baking blog at www.candicakes-bakingdesign.blogspot.com for my Barefoot Summer inspired cake design!

My Deeanne Gist Giveaway!

Confession: I can't get enough of Deeanne Gist!

I started with Love on the Line and over the last month have read every book of hers I can get my hands on (confession #2: I've now read all of them, which is a good thing because I've been doing more reading than writing). I've not only fallen in love with her unforgettable characters and unique plots, but I love how I learn something new about history every time I read one of her books. She researches for her stories so thoroughly, and adds details to the pages that come alive, I feel like I'm there, learning the old way of life along with the characters.

 

That being said, I'd like to pass my love for this author's work onto you. I'm giving away four copies of Deeanne's novels:

Beguiled

A Bride Most Begrudging (Christy Award Winner)

The Measure of a Lady

A Bride in the Bargain

 

 

The winner will receive all four novels!

 

 

To Enter:

Leave me a comment on this blog between now and April 19, 2013, telling me what your favorite book is, and you're automatically entered in the contest.

"Like" my author Facebook page, and you'll be entered again, doubling your chances of winning!

(Liking my page is a great way to keep up on other great giveaways I have planned throughout the year!)

 

The winner will receive all four novels!

A winner be chosen at 12:00pm EST on April 19, 2013 and announced on this blog and my Facebook page.

 

Tell your friends, share this link. This is a great opportunity to read Deeanne's books if you haven't before. And if you have, this package would be a great gift to yourself!

 

(The link to my Facebook page is to the right of this article on the Full Web Version site. Otherwise, you can type in my name Candice Sue Patterson in Facebook's search engine.)

 

 

Best Wishes!

(4/20/13)  THE WINNER IS:
Mary Smith!!!
Congrats, Mary :)

Send me your address at: candicesuepattersonbooks@yahoo.com



Love On The Line by Deeanne Gist

IT'S A BATTLE OF WILLS . . . AND LOVE IS ON THE LINE!

Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world . . . which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.

Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.


Author: Deeanne Gist
Publisher: Bethany House, 2011
Genre: Historical Romance



Deeanne Gist has skyrocketed up the bestseller list, capturing readers with her very original, very funny historical and contemporary romance novels. She's earned four RITA nominations, two Christy Awards, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base. Visit her website at www.IWantHerBook.com for news about her upcoming stories, behind-the-scenes info, giveaways, and to sign up for her e-newsletter!


My thoughts
Love on the Line was the first book I read by Deeanne Gist. I loved it so much, I've went back and read all of her previous novels and am very impatiently awaiting her next stories. Love on the Line has very real, unforgettable characters. Georgie is an independent spitfire who, against her better judgement, falls for Luke, a heart-throb undercover Texas Ranger who sees Georgie as an inconvenient pebble on his road to capturing the "bad guys." Their banter had me laughing out loud at times, and the non-stop action had me turning pages long into the night.


Tempest in the White City is an e-book prelude to Deeanne's newest novel It Happened at the Fair available April 30th. It features the first chapter of each novel, and is just enough to have you scrambling for more. The full version of Tempest in the White City will release in 2014. Don't miss Deeanne's other books: A Bride Most Begrudging, Courting Trouble, Deep in the Heart of Trouble, Beguiled, A Bride in the Bargain, The Measure of a Lady, and Maid to Match. As I mentioned above, I've read them all, and they're all excellent!

As American As Apple Pie

My husband and kids, standing by the
world's largest baseball bat.

Last week was Spring Break for our kids. We tried to squeeze a little bit of fun into each day, which snowballed into being away from home the entire week. We had a great time being together as a family, but I have to admit, we're thoroughly exhausted.

One of our day trips was to Kentucky to the Louisville Slugger factory and museum. With Little League season gearing up, this was the perfect trip to get them motivated. We toured the factory, learning how Louisville Slugger baseball bats are made from start--trees in the Pennsylvania forest-- to finish--delivered to the players. The tour guide taught what each symbol on the bat represents and told interesting stories of the company's relationship to individual major/minor league players. We got to experience, up close and personal, a ball pitched at 90 mph. Life size replicas of famous baseball players adorned sections of the museum, along with historical baseball memorabilia. The best part was seeing Louisville Sluggers from the past, used by legends such as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson. I really enjoyed the interview they played of Hank Aaron in 1974, after hitting his 715th home run, where he said he went home humbled, praising God  for his faith and the talent bestowed upon him.

After a week away from the computer, Hank's interview motivated me to get back to writing again. To keep on swinging until I hit my home run.


What does your family enjoy doing together on Spring Break? Have you ever come across anything inspiring along the way?