Guest Post: JORDAN VALLEY ROUNDUP by Susan Spess

My guest today is Susan Spess with her latest release JORDAN VALLEY ROUNDUP. She said, "This story fills my heart! It’s the story of rodeos, which I adore, and iconic cowboys, much like John Wayne in the movie, HONDO. (Watched it this morning for probably the 100^th time.) My favorite character is Retta, the mother and spiritual leader of a red-headed group of boys, who are far from perfect but are extremely loveable. It was great getting to know this group of souls, even the evil mare, Man Eater. I watched as Jessie calmed her and made her able to get along with others, including her own filly. For me, the best part is the way they gently guide Jessie to know Jesus as she gives her heart to Him."

Here's a bit more about the story!

While barrel racing to earn enough to pay her uncle's debts, Jessie Cobler's horse falls. She cries out to God, certain she's about to die, but the quick action of Mitch Tanner saves her life. She accepts an offer to stay on the cowboy's family's ranch so she and her horse can rest and heal. It's the perfect place to hide from those who threaten to tear her dreams apart.

Bull rider Mitch Tanner is determined to earn professional status to honor his deceased father, but running a ranch and helping with his younger siblings leaves time for little else. Having Jessie on the ranch is a distraction he can't afford. After all, he doesn't have time for love.

As Mitch and Jesse work together to rescue abused animals will Mitch discover there's more to life than earning a status? Will he be able to help heal Jesse's broken heart and spirit and lead her to the Lord?

Now a sweet taste of the book with an excerpt!                                                                        

Focusing on the ride, she walked Buck into position. The excitement built, adrenalin shooting through her muscles like lightning strikes. 

Tugging her Stetson low so there was no chance of losing it, she leaned into the saddle, took a firm grip on the reins, inhaled, and blew it out long and slow until her lungs were empty. Finally, she booted him in the ribs. 

He took off in an explosion of energy while she leaned into the run. She concentrated on the first barrel, the cheers of the crowd dimming to near silence. Spectator faces blurred past as they rounded the second barrel. Yes! It felt good. This was where she belonged. 

Buck ran flat out as they charged the third turn. Heading into the pocket, he dug in, and the world shifted. Dipped. She snatched a breath and held tight to the saddle horn, her heart pounding as he fought for footing in the loose earth. She gave him his head, hoping, by some miracle, he could stay on his feet. 

Buck’s back left leg slid from under them. Fear ripped through her as they dropped, then slammed into the ground. The saddle horn jerked from her grip. He floundered, trying to get up. She kicked her foot free and tried to shove away from the panicked animal, but she couldn’t move. Her left leg was under him. 

Stories of riders killed from similar falls flashed through her mind. Buck fought his way to his feet, yanking her leg high in the air with her foot through the stirrup and leaving her head on the ground. 

His shod hooves cut so close, he kicked dirt in her face as he danced with anxiety. If she could catch her breath, make him hear her, he might calm. But she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t find words to ease him. He threw his head back, gathering himself as he looked for a way to escape the nightmare. 

Slamming shut her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her head. 

God! Help me.

Available at: 

Amazon

Pelican Book Group

Kobo

Visit Susan online and find out more:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sshay74020/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/susanspessshayauthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/shaywriter

http://susanspess.com

Guest Post: CHRISTMAS HOUSE by LoRee Peery

My guest today is Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery. She writes fiction that appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series launched her releases, and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, was a personal relief. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author.

The Plot for CHRISTMAS HOUSE:

     Pepper Rainwater has just bought the first real home she's ever had, and she' s decorating and celebrating Christmas with everything she has. The neighbor's miniature donkeys and meeting Foxx interrupt her life. Can she turn from all she' d been taught and trust strangers?
     A startling discovery after his father' s death forces Foxx Haven to face an unknown past. His life has been a lie. He' s distracted from work for the first time—by his heritage and his new neighbor. Can he fight his attraction to an unbeliever and discover his new life chapter at the same time?
     Miniature donkeys and learning about Christ have a profound impact on Pepper. But God has a mighty work to bring her hurting soul and Foxx' s new perspective into alignment. Can hope override hurting souls and enable a happily-ever-after?

Now for a sampling!

     Foxx pedaled hard the few blocks to Dad’s―no―his home now. Pepper was a beauty. He relived the meeting with her. Pert and pretty, but way too serious. And secretive. He grinned. She hadn’t liked it, but he’d drawn her out to talk about herself. Her caution made him more curious, but he wanted to know all about Ms. Pepper Rainwater. Unusual, the way both their names weren’t common to the human race.
     His life had been so crazy lately, following all those months of caring for Dad. Lack of sleep and more apartments to clear before the next tenant. He almost regretted that Dad hadn’t lived in Lincoln, where proximity and traffic kept his driving thoughts turned to his surroundings. Traveling the bike trails in the city, he concentrated on the exercise. Greeted others with a nod, and gloried in the passing air currents he created.
     He secured the house and garage, hopped in his oversized SUV, and left for the job. During the commute from northwest of Lincoln, life and people and the past kept hitting him as distractions. Where did Pepper work? Somewhere on this side, or did she head into traffic for a busy commute?
     It was much easier to let his mind go blank while on two wheels. Thoughts wove from Fred’s donkeys back to pretty Pepper. Where had she come from, what was her story? Why was he so drawn to her?
     And all those months with Dad. Mesothelioma was a killer. Watching him go downhill hurt. It was over. Why relive it? But his memory was relentless. Shortness of breath had led to oxygen tanks. The pain in Dad’s chest hurt Foxx as his elder fought for life. The cough, fatigue, weight loss, swollen abdomen.
     “Stop!” He loosened his grip on the steering wheel. “Oh Lord, take it away. It’s over. Dad’s full of joy in Your presence now.”
     No sooner than he’d asked, a racing motorcycle cut into his lane from the right. And the light changed. He hit the brake pedal. From then on, Foxx concentrated on his surroundings as he pictured his route to the apartment building where a water heater element needed reset.
     Yet Pepper returned to the foremost presence of his mind. The serious woman was a mystery he wanted to unfold.

You can find CHRISTMAS HOUSE at:

Amazon 
Pelican 
Barnes and Noble 
BookBub

 Connect with LoRee: www.loreepeery.com

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

Find her publications at Pelican and Amazon