Marian P. Merritt - Lagniappe

Where the Bayous Meet the Mountains

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

How Nick and Holly Wrecked...SAVED Christmas by Carla Rossi


How Nick and Holly Wrecked...SAVED Christmas
Blurb:
Holly Moreau and Nick Zernigan aren’t friends at school – or anywhere else.  Especially since Holly blames Nick for her broken nose after a freak accident.  But when they find themselves unexpectedly dropped with older relatives at a retirement complex over Christmas break, they must make peace. They have to.  It’s the only way to survive karaoke night and a senior citizen Christmas dance.
Holly thinks Nick is a careless loser.  Nick thinks Holly is a too-serious choir nerd.  Can one party and a crime spree change their minds about each other?   And can Nick and Holly remember the miracle of Christmas and find the answers to some of their hidden questions?



Bio:
 Carla Rossi is a multi-published, award-winning author as well as a cancer survivor, life-long music minister, and speaker. She has been writing inspirational romance for Pelican Book Group since 2007. Carla lives north of Houston with her husband and writing partner - a Maine Coon Cat. She has three grown children and one grandson.










Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

Marian

Monday, December 16, 2013

A Christmas Homecoming by MaryAnn Diorio


 A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING by MaryAnn Diorio

Book Blurb:

When Sonia Pettit’s teenage daughter suddenly disappears for seven long years, Sonia faces losing her mind, her husband, and her son as she struggles to forgive her wayward daughter and trust God for her return.





Author Bio:

Dr. MaryAnn Diorio is a widely published, award-winning author who writes compelling fiction that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart. Her latest work, A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING, recently ranked fourth out of 100 in Amazon’s Top Christian Short Stories category.  MaryAnn is Adjunct Online Professor of Fiction Writing at Regent University. She is married to Dominic Diorio, an ER physician. They are blessed with two amazing daughters, a wonderful son-in-law, and a beautiful one-year-old granddaughter. MaryAnn and her husband reside in New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia.




Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

Marian



Friday, December 13, 2013

Christmas Wishes - Special Delivery by Mary Manners

Christmas Wishes - Special Delivery


Tagline:

Love comes full circle when a child’s Christmas wish arrives special delivery.


Blurb:

When attorney Riley Harper comes home to Maple Ridge following the death of his grandfather, the last thing he expects to find is Kaylee McKenna living in his grandparents’ guesthouse. Though they were once best friends—even more—Riley cannot find it in his heart to forgive Kaylee for the death of his mother ten years ago as a result of her father’s reckless actions. His heart, full of bitterness and resentment, has room for little else.

Kaylee has not time to dwell on events of the past—or all she’s lost; she’s too busy raising her six-year-old niece, Rosie, and working as an ER nurse. With Christmas quickly approaching, her days are spent helping with charity events and filling the wishes on Rosie’s Christmas list. But when Rosie’s father makes and unexpected visit, Kaylee must call on Riley’s legal expertise to ensure Rosie of a safe and secure future.

Will Rosie’s special Christmas wish heal Riley’s damaged heart and bind the trio together as a forever-family?


Excerpt:

“I’m sorry.” Riley broke the ice, so to speak, with those two simple words. “This has gone on long enough, this—whatever you want to call it—disagreement, argument, debate. I take full responsibility. I was wrong. I hurt you.”
The heartfelt words shocked the chill from her. Warmth flooded, and Kaylee huffed out a long, ragged breath. “It’s OK.”
“No, it’s not.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, gave them a gentle squeeze. “It’s never OK to hurt someone you care about.”
“I don’t…” She shrugged from him, turned to clomp through the snow as a slow burn ignited in her belly. “Why now, Riley? After all this time, why now?”
“We’ve left this undone long enough.”
Kaylee picked up speed, putting distance between them. “On the contrary, it was done a long time ago.”
“I have things to say—things that need to be said. I’ve changed, Kaylee. I don’t know why or how. I just know I feel…” His boots crushed the snow as he came after her. His voice held an edge sharp as steel, pleading. “Don’t walk away, Kaylee. I want to work this out. We have to work this out.”
“There’s nothing to work out.” She spun back to face him, matching his heat spark for spark, ember for ember. “We’ve both changed, Riley. Time—events beyond our control—have changed us—altered what we once shared. It’s OK. I’ve come to terms with it.”
“Have you?”
“Yes. Change, however painful, is a part of life. I have Rosie to consider now. I don’t have time to be…all muddled.”
“Muddled? Is that what you’d call it?” He reached for her hand, drawing her close. His breath rushed out in puffs like the smoke of a coal engine as he dipped his head, blocking the glare of the sun. In an instant, his lips claimed hers. One moment, two, seemed like eons as the ground shifted beneath Kaylee’s feet. Her heart jolted as a shockwave shuddered through her. Powerless, she leaned into him, let go of the thin fiber of resolve that had bound her for so long.
“How’s that for muddled?” Riley’s husky voice broke the spell.
“What have you done?” Kaylee gasped as Riley loosened his grasp and stepped back. Her eyes flew open and his gaze, dark and dangerous with need, speared her. “That’s…not fair, Riley. None of this is fair.” She pressed a gloved finger to her lips. The warmth of his touch, the shock of raw emotion, left her reeling. Her breath rolled out in small, white puffs as the chill rushed in once again—a slap of cold, harsh reality. “You can’t just march back into my life, say the things you said yesterday—the things you’re saying now—and then do that.”
“I believe I just did.” He stroked the length of her hair, his fingers full of the tenderness she’d once taken for granted. “I care about you, Kaylee. I do. I’m just not sure what to do with this feeling—so powerful. I’ve never felt anything like it before you—or since. I thought going away would change things, but coming here again, seeing you, has made me realize it’s only grown stronger.”
Kaylee stood there, her heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird. She thought, for a moment, that the raw depth of his words might short-circuit her breathing, quite possibly bring on a heart-attack.
 “You don’t mean that, Riley. Maybe you feel something now, or maybe you just think you feel something. But when the courtroom calls—when the next high-profile case hits the headlines—you’ll feel the wanderlust, and, just like that”—She yanked off her glove, snapped her fingers to drive the point home—“you’ll be gone again.”
“You think so?” His gaze lingered a moment while he smoothed a strand of hair from her cheek, let the callused pad of his thumb slide along the length of her jaw to sear her skin. “Well, I suppose we’ll see.” He dropped his hand and turned away. 




Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus.
Mary’s debut novel, Mended Heart, was nominated Best Inspirational Romance and was finalist for the Bookseller’s Best Award and her follow-up, Tender Mercies, was awarded an outstanding 4 ½ star rating from The Romantic Times Book Reviews and was also a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Buried Treasures, her third novel, was named Book of the Year by The Wordsmith Journal. Light the Fire took top honors for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award while Wisdom Tree garnered National Excellence in Romance Fiction. Mary was named Author of the Year by Book and Trailer Showcase. She writes romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.
Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com and at her author pages at http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/ and www.Amazon.com



Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

Marian


Thursday, December 12, 2013

Starlight, Star Bright and Meet Me under the Mistletoe by JoAnn Durgin


Starlight, Star Bright

Dante Moretti, Texas-born goalie of an Italian World Cup champion team, expects Starlight, Iowa will be only a blip on the radar of his life. Grabbing a quick meal at Barney’s Diner during the holidays, Dante meets two women who capture his heart in very different ways. Then his rental car won’t start and leaves him stranded. Does the Lord have a plan for bringing him—and keeping him—in Starlight?

Amanda Marston is excited to be home for her brother’s wedding. When she drops in for a cup of coffee at Barney’s, she’s charmed by the mysterious, Italian-spouting cowboy. Before she can blink, the handsome stranger is helping with projects all over town and working his way into her heart. Does God have a plan for Dante in her beloved little Starlight or will he take her heart with him when he returns to Italy?




Meet Me under the Mistletoe

Jacob Marston, Starlight, Iowa’s hometown hero made a long-ago promise to the Lord: he won’t kiss a woman until he knows she’s “the one.” Now at age twenty-eight, the rugged firefighter questions if it’ll ever happen. Then, he meets his best friend’s sister, and Jake believes he’s found the woman of his dreams. But what will she think when she discovers his vow?

When Julia makes an unexpected confession on Christmas Day, Jake shares his secret with her, and it looks as though happily-ever-after will make a holiday appearance.

But somehow, everyone in the tiny town of Starlight learns Jake’s secret, and he’s instantly transformed from town hero to laughingstock. Did Julia reveal his secret? Can Jake forget the humiliation and find
 his way under the mistletoe to share a forever kiss with Julia?



"I’ve been around in the nicest sense. Meaning that I’m a native of southern Indiana, but have also lived in Texas (Dallas), California (Visalia, Riverside and Moreno Valley), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), and Massachusetts (Burlington). More specifically, I lived in Big D when J.R. Ewing sat on the wall outside our downtown office building at noon and ate lunch with us lowly working types. I met my husband, Jim, when he was a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, wore a Stetson, answered to J.D. and swaggered – just a little. By the time we married in 1987, it was a case where the girl from Indiana met the guy from Rhode Island in Texas, married in Kentucky, honeymooned in Hawaii and then settled in California. As Sam Lewis would say, “Hang on. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” 


Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

Marian

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

A Blessed Blue Christmas by LoRee Peery


A Blessed Blue Christmas

Dahlia Delisi has poured her life into her store, The Blue Dahlia.  Once her faith was strong, and her life was on a different course.  But when Sloan Letheby left town, Dahlia drifted away from God.
Sloan Letheby has been transformed. His brush with death brought new meaning to his faith in God, and he needs to right old wrongs.  However, there's a murder plot in the way of his reunion with Dahlia.  Can he find a killer before it's too late?  And can Dahlia accept him...and God, back into her life?






LoRee Peery writes Christian romance, where characters learn through spiritual struggles how to come to terms with the Lord’s will.

LoRee has written for many years. She tried to quit more than once, seriously in the middle of 2009. Then after several months the words, the voices, started resonating in her head. She found herself jotting notes in the middle of the night, trailing toothpaste across the floor on her way to pen and paper, or noticing character and conversation while out and about.

She is drawn to reunion stories because the past often needs to be dealt with before we can move on in life. MOSELLE’S INSURANCE is the first in a series centered around Frivolities, a crafty, kooky shop in a small fictitious Nebraska town. The creative owners have fun as they deal with life issues and they take spiritual issues seriously. The timing of God bringing love into their lives takes each one by surprise, since their initial focus is on their main street business.

LoRee attempts to see God’s presence every day. Often that gift comes from nature, and she is most relaxed in the outdoors. The call of a cardinal draws her to look for the distinctive flash of crimson. A meadowlark’s melody always transports her to the farm where she grew up. A rainbow holds special significance, since one appeared the day of her father’s funeral and means the promise of the Lord’s presence in her life.

Nature is great, but the people God creates are the miracles. What could be better than a grandchild’s smile and a young voice greeting, “Grandma!” Well, maybe the
hug that follows.


Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

Marian



Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Lea's Gift and A Cowboy Christmas by Tanya Stowe & Delia Latham


Today's showcase (2 books)


LEA'S GIFT

At twenty-one, Lea Dale is well-adjusted and happy, despite the facial scars she's carried since infancy. She has friends in high places (with a connection to angels); possesses colorful vision (since for some reason she can see auras around folks); and her family and friends adore her. Corrective surgery is a possibility, but not one Lea has felt the need to consider…until wealthy investor Laren Meadows walks into her life and turns it upside down. Suddenly, Lea is painfully conscious of her lack of perfection, given Laren's flawless looks and ultra-charming personality. What a blessing that he's attracted to her despite her scars—and even her special angel seems to approve of the match.

Then a secret from Laren's past threatens to destroy any hope of a future for the two of them. Now there's only one way for Lea to know if Laren's love is true, but taking that action could mark the end of their relationship.

Can love survive such a tangled mess of physical and emotional scars?


A COWBOY CHRISTMAS

A mom on the run. A special child and her “imaginary” friend. A cowboy. And God. Heart’s Haven is at it again…

Layne Mabrey is on the run.

Her ex-husband wants to have six-year-old Chloe institutionalized, but Layne will go to any lengths to keep her Down's Syndrome child.
Dex Beckett falls immediately in love with both Layne and Chloe, but Layne can't afford to get close to anyone—not even the shy, gentle cowboy next door. She and Chloe have to be ready to run…again.

Concerned that Chloe's sudden creation of an imaginary friend could be used to substantiate her father’s claims, Layne is shocked when Dex offers an unbelievable opinion about the child’s invisible visitor. But there's more to Heart's Haven than meets the eye. Is it possible a Christmas miracle awaits Layne and Chloe on the Heart's Haven Angel Tree?

COMBINED BIO:





















Tanya Stowe is an author of Christian Fiction with an unexpected edge. She fills her stories with the unusual…gifts of the spirit and miracles, mysteries and exotic travel, even an angel or two. No matter where Tanya takes you…on a journey through time from the Old West to contemporary adventures in foreign lands…be prepared for the extraordinary.
Writing Heaven’s touch into earthly tales, Delia Latham puts her characters through the fire of earthly trials to bring them out victorious by the hand of God, His heavenly messengers, and good, old-fashioned love. You’ll always find a touch of the divine in this author’s sweet tales of romance.
Delia Latham (a word crafter) and Tanya Stowe (a story teller) combine their special gifts to create heartwarming Christian romance chock-full of inspiration, emotional challenges, thought-provoking dilemmas, happy-ever-after romance—and the brush of angels’ wings!


Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

Marian