Guest Post: ALWAYS AND ONLY by Carol James

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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Follow Zoe and her friends on Facebook or Instagram at: 3DogsandtheirAuthors 

 

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 fiancé 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:

 

Amazon: Always&Only

 

Google Books: Always&OnlyGoogle

 

Barnes & Noble: Always&Only   

 

Pelican Book Group

 

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 fiancé 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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Guest Post: CHRISTMAS LIGHTS & MOONLIT NIGHTS by Carol James

     My guest today is Carol James, an author of inspirational fiction. She loves creating Redemptive Romance. She lives in a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.
     Carol enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, and serving in the production department at her church. She’s a Frappuccino and soccer aficionado.
     Her father was a career Air Force officer, and she grew up sitting on the arm of his recliner, watching old military and war movies, reading military fiction. So there’s a special place in her heart for “guy stories.”
     And from those moments, Christmas Lights and Moonlit Nights was born. It’s a second-chance story about two people who met as teenagers, but meet again years later when she’s a successful business woman, and he’s a handsome Navy SEAL. Who wouldn’t like that?

What's it about?

     All Leah Davidson wants is to spend a quiet Christmas with her parents on Palm Island. Her father’s recovering from surgery, so she’s volunteered to take over his decorating responsibilities. Plus, it’s a good excuse to get away from her ex-boyfriend. But then she discovers her neighbors have a Christmas visitor, too. One she has a history with.

     Navy SEAL Jed  Price is spending Christmas with his aunt and uncle on Palm Island. He wants a relaxing time away from the pressures of his work, and the secluded island seems like the perfect escape. Until he sees his aunt and uncle’s neighbor.

     Jed remembers Leah as the snobby girl next door. And Leah remembers Jed as the immature boy who was afraid of the water. But they’ve both changed.

     Can Leah and Jed move past their earlier issues and work together to make Christmas a joyous time of love and forgiveness?

Read the excerpt!
(Leah is returning home to spend a quiet Christmas with her parents. Their neighbors have come for dinner, and they’re bringing their nephew, Jed, whom Leah hasn’t seen since they were kids.)
 
            When the bell rang right at six, Leah opened the front door. The Cobbs stood there smiling. Leah peeked around the doorjamb. No Jed. Mrs. Cobb clasped Leah’s hand and winked. “Jed’ll be along in a minute. His flight got in late, and he’s just about finished cleaning up.”
            As the Cobbs made their way inside, Leah was left to be the welcoming committee of one. She dropped into one of the wicker chairs on the porch and waited. Eventually, footsteps crunched against the gravel roadway, and then she saw him. Her breath caught. He looked nothing like he had fifteen years ago. Certainly, taller than she was. His orange hair had morphed into a rich auburn color, and he sported a scruffy beard. Normally, she wasn’t a beard-girl, but something about his attracted her. It enhanced his jawline and gave his boyish face an air of maturity and mystery. He might have been forty. He might have been eighteen. He would have made a good spy.
            She stood and offered her hand. “You must be Jed. I’m Leah Davidson. Welcome.”
            “Jed Price.” He shook her hand. “I think we’ve met before…maybe in an earlier life?” He grinned.
            “If you consider childhood an earlier life, then, yes.” 
            Jed nodded. “Well, it sure feels like a different life. A lot can change after those years.”
            That was true, especially in his case. “Well, it’s good to see you again.”
            “Good to see you, too.”
            She doubted he truly meant that…unless he’d forgotten how nasty she and her girlfriends had been to him that summer. How they’d teased him about not being able to swim or even enjoy wading out into the water. Kids could be so cruel. An apology loomed in their near future. But now wasn’t the time.
            She sat, and he followed suit. She watched him out of the corners of her eyes.
            He placed his hands behind his head and, leaning back in the rocker, eased backward and forward.  “Nice evening. Hard to believe it’s December.”
            “I know. It feels more like spring.”
            He nodded. “One thing I love about this part of Texas.”
            “Me, too.” She turned to face him. “So where do you live now?”
            “Virginia.”
            “Does it get cold up there? Get any snow in the winter?”
            “Pretty moderate where I am. We might get a dusting of snow in January or February, but it doesn’t usually last. Melts, and then it’s warm again.”
            “And what is it you do in Virginia?”
            Avoiding her eyes, he stared over her shoulder. “I’m in the Navy.”
            “On a ship?”
            He shrugged. “Sometimes.”
            She nodded. “Sounds interesting. Travel much?”
            “All the time.” He jumped up and held out a hand. “Hey, I’ll bet the others are wondering where we are. Better not hold up dinner any longer.”
            As she grasped his hand and stood, she studied his face. Definitely boy-down-the-block cute, but his broad shoulders and muscled arms confirmed he was no longer a boy. His eyes were the rich, golden brown of maple syrup, but instead of being warm and enticing, they were walled off. Distant. Despite his relaxed manner and easy conversation, his words seemed to be carefully chosen. Rehearsed. Almost as if he’d practiced what to say. And his face was unreadable. If he didn’t want to be a spy, he’d make a great actor.

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Purchase Links:
Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3BKHaIB

Pelican Book Group:  https://bit.ly/3NxBqEL

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/christmas-lights-and-moonlit-nights-carol-james/1146222910?ean=9781522304883

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/christmas-lights-and-moonlit-nights

 

Guest Blog: THE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS by Carol James

     Carol James has been a guest on my blog several times and I've read many of her books. (I'd like to read more.) I'm a fan! 😀 Growing up as an Air Force brat, the longest Carol 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-two years ago, they stayed put. She lives in Lilburn, GA with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

     Loving intriguing stories with happy endings, she writes Redemptive Romance. She has had five full length novels and six Christmas novellas published. Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, was an Amazon number one best-seller. Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter and get a free short story: https://www.carol-james.com

THE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS is her latest release. Here's the blurb:

 Cameron Blake has everything a man could want. Or so it appears. But in the dark of night, the contents of a twenty-two year old manila envelope remind him that the one thing he truly wants is beyond his reach.

 

Kristin Hansen has recently moved home after a messy break-up. While her parents think she’s come back to recuperate after surgery on a broken arm, she’s actually escaping from a relationship that’s turned abusive.

 

When the pastor of a local church recruits the two to supervise the building of the church’s nativity float for the upcoming Christmas parade, their hidden secrets are exposed. And Cam sees in her the one thing he truly desires…but knows he can never have. 

 

Hope.

                        

Now for a small taste with an excerpt.

            Kristin pressed the doorbell, and a muted chiming sounded from inside the apartment. At least one thing in this complex was working right. So she waited. And shivered. And prayed. 

            Just as she reached to press the bell again, the porch light flashed on, and the door swung inward. An unfamiliar man whose eyes were heavy with sleep and whose blond hair had marched right past messy and straight to explosive leaned against the doorframe. “Yeah?” He yawned. 

            “Is Steve here?” Struggling to control her shaking, she looked beyond him into the hallway for the maintenance man. 

            “Nope.” He yawned again. “I’m covering for him. Can I help you?” He opened his eyes wide and seemed to really see her for the first time. “You’re shivering.” He stepped away from the door. “Come in out of the cold.”

            She shook her head. “That’s OK. I just…” 

            He held up a hand and then disappeared down the hall. When he returned, he offered her a blanket. “Here.” 

            “Th-thank you.” She wrapped it around her shoulders. 

            “Sure you don’t want to step in for a minute? After all, you have your vicious guard dog with you.” He winked. 

            As if she understood his words, Lucy bounced toward him. He knelt and scratched behind her ears. “Aren’t you a good dog.” He looked up and grinned. 

            “Sh-she usually is but not tonight. It’s her f-fault I’m l-locked out of my ap-partment.”                               He stood. “Sorry. What’s your number?”

            She pulled the blanket tighter. “One o t-two.” 

            “Next building. Let me grab that master. And put some shoes on.” 

            “Th-thank you.” As he disappeared down the hall, she eased into the entryway and waited. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Although according to the instructor in the self-defense class she took while she was dating Dylan, those were the ones to watch. 

            But he’d bent down and ruffled Lucy’s ears. What criminal would have done that? Yet, as the instructor had said, people should always be wary around strangers. 

            She reviewed some of the moves she’d learned. Hammer strike, heel-palm strike, elbow strike, eye strike, and groin kick. She dropped the blanket, fisted her hands, and kicked forward and upward. 

            “Everything OK?” 

            She jumped. She hadn’t heard him return. “Me? Some sort of twitch. Nothing to worry about. I’m just freezing.” 

            He shrugged. “I don’t know. Might want to get that checked out.”

 

 

Purchase links: 

Amazon

 

Pelican

 

Booktopia

 

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

 

 

Guest Post: NO LONGER A CAPTIVE by Carol James

My guest today is Carol James, an author of inspirational fiction. She loves creating Redemptive Romance. She lives in Lilburn, Georgia, a small town outside of Atlanta, with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

 

Having always loved intriguing stories with happy endings, she was moved to begin writing to encourage others as she'd been encouraged by the works of other authors of inspirational fiction.

 

Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, was an Amazon number one best-seller. Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter to be the first to learn about new releases: www.carol-james.com

 

Just recently, Carol allowed Zoe to start an instagram page with two of her dog friends. Follow them at 3DogsandtheirAuthors to learn the behind the scenes info about being a writer. 

 

Carol enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, and serving in the production department at her church. And most days, in the late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, she can be found bringing her newest novel to life.

NO LONGER A CAPTIVE is the story of Ethne O'Connor. When her brother, Sean, tells her of father's unexpected death, he asks her to do something she promised herself she'd never do. Come back home. 

 

A victim of childhood abuse, Ethne left her father and the small Texas town of Crescent Bluff ten years ago on the night of her high school graduation. She's determined to end the cycle of abuse and believes the only way to do that is remain single. If she has no husband, she'll never have children that can be abused.

 

Then she meets Daniel Spenser, a handsome doctor with chocolate-kiss eyes. Daniel understands her past in a way no one else does. He's lived it. 

 

Will Daniel be able to help Ethne break the chains of captivity around her heart? 

 

And will God release her from her past, to be free to trust the man she comes to love?

Excerpt for No Longer a Captive

 

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

John 8:36 

            The gravel crunched beneath the tires as Ethne O’Connor steered the box truck onto the shoulder of the narrow country road. Today would be a scorcher. The clock hadn’t yet reached nine in the morning, and already the numbers on her dashboard read ninety-two. The birth of another lovely summer day in Central Texas. 

            The heat waves rising from the pavement in front of her mirrored the waves of nausea that had steadily intensified since she’d left Fort Worth. She shifted the truck into park, flipped on the emergency flashers, and turned the air conditioning on high. Closing her eyes, she pushed her head back against the seat and begged the cold air to rush across her face and relieve her churning stomach. 

            She couldn’t believe she was doing this. One May evening ten years ago, with her suitcase already packed in the trunk of her car, she walked across the stage in the high school auditorium, received her diploma, and made a promise to herself, a vow that had never been broken…until today. Sean’s pleading phone call on Monday had changed everything. She was returning home. 

            The nausea somewhat under control, she shifted the truck into drive, pulled back onto the roadway, and turned off the emergency flashers. One last mile to go. Anticipation was a funny thing. When she wanted something to happen, it took forever to come. If she dreaded an event, it arrived before she knew it. These last several days had gone by way too fast. 

            Slowing the truck, she turned left and began the journey down a meandering river of asphalt. As she rounded the final curve and her childhood home came into view, she gasped. In the ten years she’d been gone, absolutely nothing had changed. The two-story farm house was still painted white with black shutters. Large Boston ferns hung from under the edges of the front porch and swayed in the ever-present Texas wind. Even the flowers waving in the pots beneath them were the same—purple petunias.

            Nine o’clock and no Sean, but she wasn't surprised. Punctuality had never been expected of him. On the other hand, Vaughn had always demanded she be on time. Even early. That requirement had served her well over the years, birthing in her the organizational skills that helped her successfully start and run her business. 

            She parked the truck at the top of the circular drive, and despite the heat, slipped on her sweater, and inched across the pavement and up onto the porch. She grasped the doorknob. As she expected, it was locked, and she didn’t have a key. Years ago, she’d thrown hers away because she would never need it again. If she’d kept it, she could have at least gone inside and escaped the heat. 

            She turned and walked toward one of the rocking chairs. A forgotten green turtle with a chipped front leg smiled at her from underneath one of the pots of flowers. She picked it up and slid back the door on its belly. A key fell out into her hand. When she was a little girl, she always believed the key was there for Sean and her—in case they got locked out and Vaughn was still at the office. That was certainly one of the reasons, but when she was eleven, she’d discovered another. 

            She returned the oblivious little turtle to his home and then inserted the key into the lock. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key and pushed the door open. Cool, silent darkness greeted her as she stepped into the spotless—Vaughn would have it no other way— foyer. 

            She set the key on the console table beside the door and then tiptoed, for some unexplainable reason, further in. She paused and glanced first toward the living room to her right and then toward Vaughn’s home office to her left. There was only one choice to make. She headed right and walked to the wingback chair next to the fireplace. Sitting, she nestled into the cushions. She pressed her nose against the fabric. Even after all these years, she could imagine the soft fragrance of Mother’s perfume lingering in the ivory brocade.

            Heavy draperies hung closed over the living room windows. A shaft of light shot out from the middle space where the panels failed to meet completely and illuminated a flock of dust motes as they floated in the bright morning sun. When she was five, Mother told her the particles were tiny fairies dancing in the sunshine, but they were usually invisible. Only the magic of the sun unveiled them. 

            One day, Ethne had asked Vaughn if she could borrow his magnifying glass to see the fairies, but he’d refused, saying Mother had filled her head with nonsense. Fairies weren’t real. 

            Turns out, that was one of the few truthful statements he’d ever made to her. She now knew the ‘fairies’ were nothing more than a combination of dead skin cells, fabric fibers, pollen, and dirt. He was right. Nothing magical about that. 

            As she walked over to the window and threw open the curtains, the fairies disappeared. 

            “So, the prodigal sister hath returned.” 

            She jumped and spun to face the foyer. Her little brother spanned the doorway. He had grown up. The last time she’d seen him at his college graduation three years ago, he was at that stage where the calendar said he was a man, but his body was trying to catch up. He had certainly filled out, and he now sported a short, precisely-trimmed, chestnut beard. His hair, unlike hers, had deepened from bright copper to rich auburn. 

            “Sean. You’re late,” she snipped. This was not the way she’d envisioned their first meeting after all this time. She took a deep breath, reined in her emotions, and smiled. “Or maybe I’m a little early. I have a reputation for that.” She pulled him into a sisterly hug. 

            His grin answered hers. “Early, late, whatever. I’m just glad you came. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever see you again.” 

            “The road runs both ways, you know.” 

            “Yeah. Sorry.” He held up the key she’d placed on the console table. “I see you remembered the turtle. I figured I’d find you sitting on the porch in one of the rockers.” 

            He set a small, black gym bag on the floor. “Where’s your suitcase? Need me to get it out of the truck?” 

            “I’m not staying here. I’ve got a room in town.” 

            “Eth, I can see how hard this must be for you.” Tears filled his eyes. “Believe me. I know.” 

            He really had no idea. The man he knew as Dad was not the same one she knew as Vaughn. 

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Book Links: Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/56pdpzmy

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Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/no-longer-a-captive

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/no-longer-a-captive-by-carol-james

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