My guest today is Carol James. She was raised as an Air Force brat, the longest she ever lived in one place was a year and a half. Maybe that’s why when she and her husband bought their first home forty-three years ago, they stayed.
Wife, mother, grandmother, and dog-mama to Zoe, Carol loves writing stories of redemptive romance. When asked the difference between redemptive romance and standard romance, she replied, “A standard romance has two main characters––a hero and a heroine. A redemptive romance adds a third. God.”
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Carol's latest release is ALWAYS AND ONLY. In this book, Caleb Daniels returns home to Texas after his wife has an affair and asks him for a divorce. When he temporarily goes to work for an ex-fraternity brother, he’s assigned to share an office with Aurora Prentiss. There’s only one problem: Rory and Caleb were high school sweethearts, but to please her father, Rory ended her relationship with Caleb soon after graduation.
Aurora Prentiss never stopped loving Caleb, but has always felt a filial respect to her father that makes her bend to his will. When Caleb returns, Rory thinks this may be her chance to make things right with him. The only problem? She's engaged to a man chosen by her father.
Will Caleb be able to forgive the woman who broke his heart years ago? And if he does, will Rory be willing to risk her relationship with her father, cancel the wedding to the fiancΓ© she doesn't love, and finally make a life with the only man she’s always loved?
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EXCERPT:
Aurora Prentiss stared at the image on her laptop’s screen. Only one word came to mind. Ugly. No…two words. Unbelievably ugly. Her stomach churned. Never in a million years would she have chosen this design. The gold, silver, and pearl embossed lilies, hearts, and doves made the invitation look like something better suited to a funeral or a Las Vegas wedding rather than one at First Redeemer Presbyterian in Dallas.
She leaned her head in her hands and closed her eyes. Burton was right. Letting his mom choose their wedding invitation was a small concession, if it made her happy. Plus, after the ceremony was over, who would remember a piece of paper they’d received weeks earlier? Aurora could live with this…as long as his parents didn’t frame one and expect she and Burton to hang it in their new house. It was so ugly.
The alarm on her phone sounded. Time to gather her stuff and head to work.
***
Caleb Daniels didn’t even open the menu. He hadn’t had Tex-Mex in over a year, and he knew exactly what he wanted. Cheese and onion enchiladas…topped with tons of chili. None of that red sauce stuff.
He turned as the bell above the restaurant door sounded. Jason waved. When he reached the table, Caleb stood and pulled his friend into a hug.
Jason grinned. “Great to see you, man. Almost didn’t recognize you with the beard. Plus you’re skinny. Been on a diet?”
“Yeah. The missionary diet.” They slid into the booth. “But I’m getting ready to change that.” He raised his hand and motioned to the server.
They ordered, and then Jason leaned back in his chair. “Glad you called me. I can always find room for a fraternity brother. Especially one who’s a hard worker, and who just happens to have an MBA. We’ll take you on as contract labor until you figure out if this is going to be a good fit. I’d love for it to be permanent, though, to have you hop on the bus.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.” Caleb dunked a tortilla chip into the salsa and shoved it in his mouth. He’d missed this.
“Nobody’s keeping score. Besides…you’re the only reason I passed that final in Econ. Staying up all night helping me cram.”
***
Stuffed with enchiladas, Caleb’s stomach approached the bursting stage. But the Tex-Mex was worth the pain. He followed Jason down the hall toward the last office on the right.
Jason stopped and leaned toward him. “So…you’ll be sharing an office with Rory. Her strength lies in carrying out—meticulously, I might add—any ideas given to her. If you provide her with the germ of a thought, she’ll race ahead and take the gold.”
The two stepped through the door. A huge flower arrangement provided the backdrop as a beautiful brunette stood and smiled.
“Cale, this is Rory Prentiss. And Rory this is—”
Caleb’s gaze locked onto the chocolate eyes of his office mate. His heart plummeted. “Been a long time, Aurora.”
Purchase Links:
Google Books: Always&OnlyGoogle
Website: https://www.carol-james.com
Book Video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ofo79e9Vcs
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My Review of ALWAYS AND ONLY:
Aurora Prentiss is having pre-wedding jitters. She will soon be married to Burton, a man her father hand-picked for her. However, her future mother-in-law is choosing the wedding invitations, the flowers, and even the furnishing for her house. Burton is a wealthy businessman and Aurora loves him but when her former high school sweetheart turns up working at her office, newly divorced, Aurora begins to seriously question everyone else’s plans for her life. She knows that once she’s married, her father will be happy and her fiancΓ© and his family will be happy. But what about her?
Her long ago love, Caleb, is a perfect gentleman even when they must travel out of town together to a sales conference. Aurora broke his heart in high school, and now his wife has betrayed him, though he admits some of the problems with his wife were his fault. Then Aurora’s father offers him a job, which involves going to another country.
There’s so much going on in this story! I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what would happen next. Faith and trust in God are woven in gently as Aurora and Caleb question God’s will. I loved this story.
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