Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 55

Book 12 – The Fruitcake Bride

This final tale in the 12 Brides of Christmas collection is well worth the wait. The delightfully complex heroine had me empathizing with her insecurities and laughing at her dilemmas—not in a bad way. But who doesn’t need a good chuckle now and then?

Lighthearted moments in this story are peppered with frustrations and fears, as well as some of the most thoughtful gifts from…well, I don’t want to give that away before you get a chance to read.

Do you have a favorite gift you’ve received, one that meant a lot to you, not for financial value but for heart-felt value?

May you have a truly blessed Christmas this year, and thanks for reading The 12 Brides of Christmas!

 

About the book: Pastor Clayton Parsons waited a year to bring his fiancée, Karen Briggs, to his new church post. They plan a Christmas wedding, but in the meantime Karen helps the church ladies with various projects, including a bake sale. But revealing her fruitcake recipe could spell disaster for her future in Bakerstown, Missouri.

Vickie McDonough is the author of 33 novels and novellas, including two books in the Texas Trails: Morgan Family series, The Texas Boardinghouse Brides, The Pioneer Promises series and A Pioneer Christmas Collection. Vickie has been married 39 years and she and her husband live in Oklahoma and have four grown sons. Connect with Vickie at her website, on Facebook and at Heroes, Heroines and History.

 

 

Book 11 – The Snowbound Bride

I had such fun writing The Snowbound Bride, imagining that I could really step back in time to a cold Colorado winter in 1885 … and wondering what I would do if I were the one traveling alone, stalked by a less-than-reputable character.

And then I met Beetle. How I love that dog! But I don’t want to spoil any surprises, so I won’t say much more about him other than to mention his owner, Nate Horne.

The closest I could come to my mental picture of Nate is Chris Hemsworth (as seen on my Pinterest page).

 

Of course that picture doesn’t show the neckerchief and low-riding cowboy hat that made my heroine Ara Taube shudder when  … He slanted her an eyes-only look she’d expect from a bandit. What kind of person had she attached herself to?

I hope you enjoy reading The Snowbound Bride and all of the 12 Brides of Christmas novellas. The last one releases next Monday.

Hint: Christmas is THAT close!

 

 

 

 

 

Book 10 – The Christmas Star Bride

Christmas traditions play such an important part of the holiday for many people. Most of us like to celebrate with specific foods, gifts, and company. But what happens when those expectations are not met?

Can it still be Christmas?

For some, it’s hard to find hope once dreams have been shattered.

But God is at work even when we don’t see His hand. In this story, two characters have resigned themselves to get by the best they can. However, as author Amanda Cabot puts it, “love comes when it’s least expected.”

About the book: Esther Hathaway lost her one true love at Gettysburg twenty years ago, but she is still willing to celebrate her niece’s wedding by commissioning Jeremy Snyder to paint her portrait. Will Esther’s prayers for God to ease her loneliness be answered by a wounded vet?

Amanda Cabot is the author of more than thirty novels, including the CBA bestseller Christmas Roses and Waiting for Spring.  A Christmas-time bride herself, Amanda now lives in Cheyenne with her high-school sweetheart husband, where they celebrate a fairly simple Christmas tradition. Visit her on her website, blog, or Facebook.

 

 

Book 9 – The Festive Bride

This is my favorite time of year – getting ready for Christmas – because it’s so festive.

Book 9 in The 12 Brides of Christmas collection has a very picky Alma Pickens—but in a good way. I so enjoyed reading about this spunky heroine who refused to lower her standards and give up what was important to her.

Have you ever doled out conditions before agreeing to participate in an event, even if some of those conditions were near impossible for others to meet?

Like flowers in November—in 1886? You’ll love where love and consideration lead in The Festive Bride.

 

About the book: When Roy Gibbons finds Alma Pickens as a mother to give his daughters for Christmas he thought it would be a simple arrangement. But this is the only wedding Alma will have, and she is determined to make it festive. Will this bride be more than Roy bargained for?

Multi-published author, Diana Brandmeyer, began her career in 1987 writing devotionals for children. From there, she moved to contemporary fiction, and then wrote about the journey her family took to become well blended. Now she writes historical fiction and loves the surprising way God works. Connect with Diana on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

 

 

 

Book 8 – The Christmas Tree Bride

Author Susan Page Davis invites us to the hearth of a loving family’s bleak Christmas on the Wyoming plains.

Well, maybe not so bleak, if a certain hardy, young stage driver has his tree-hunting way.

But all that snow and wind … is such a temporary gift worth the risk?

Have you ever received a gift that was the result of sacrifice or risk?

 

 

About the book:  Polly Winfield lives at the stagecoach station that her father operates and often sees Jacob Tierney, one of the drivers. But winter arrives on the prairie bleak and uneventful, and she confesses to Jacob that all she longs for is a Christmas tree. Will a stagecoach accident prevent him from making her wish come true?

 

Susan Page Davis is a veteran author of 50 novels. She loves historical fiction and often finds inspiration from her family history. A native of Maine, Susan spent most of her life there, with forays to her husband’s home state of Oregon, and is now relocated to Kentucky. Visit her website or check out her blog on the 23rd of each month at  Christian Fictional Historical Society.

 

Book 7 – The Nativity Bride

The Nativity Bride by Miralee Ferrell touched my heart with its setup of tender young love thwarted by outside circumstances.

And I wondered: Would love win?

Even in the face of long-standing resentment?

You won’t be disappointed with The Nativity Bride.

 

 

About the book: Deborah Summers has waited five years and prayed for Curt Warren to return to Goldendale, Washington, passing up another marriage proposal by believing in her first love. When tragedy finally brings him home, will a rift with his father drive him away too quickly?

 

Miralee Ferrell is an avid reader with a large collection of first edition Zane Grey books—her inspiration to write fiction set in the Old West. She rides horseback with her adult daughter and lives with her husband on 11 acres along the Columbia River in southern Washington. Learn more about Miralee at her website and on Facebook.

 

For a fun Christmas contest, visit my author Facebook page and look for Christmas Wedding Bell Brides for a chance to win a special Christmas tree ornament!

Book 6 – The Gingerbread Bride

 

Fall is snuggling into its wintry coat and we’re halfway through the 12 Brides with Gingerbread Bride by Amy Lillard.

Seeing is believing, right? But what about believing the wrong thing, in spite of the evidence?

I couldn’t help but laugh my way through this delightful Christmas tale of gingerbread misgivings and longed-for love.

How about you? Has a gingerbread man ever changed the way you view love?

 

About the book:

Maddie Sinclair loves Harlan Calhoun, but feels like she can’t get his attention, so she visits an eccentric woman in the Ozark Mountains for an herbal mixture—a love potion—that she bakes into a batch of gingerbread cookies. When Harlan suddenly proposes, Maddie is torn by guilt and confusion. Is this true love or just the herbs talking?

Published author, expert corn bread maker, and Squirrel Princess. Amy is a native of Mississippi who currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and son. For more information about Amy, please visit her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

For a fun Christmas contest, visit my author Facebook page and look for Christmas Wedding Bell Brides for a chance to win a special Christmas tree ornament!

Book 5 – The Yuletide Bride

Music – the voice of the heart. Especially at Christmas!

I loved the part music plays in The Yuletide Bride and you will too if you set out looking for author Michelle Ule’s hint of “eleven pipers piping.”

Obstacles abound, in this delightful romance but so does faith. And if you like surprises, you won’t be disappointed with The Yuletide Bride.

Life is often hard, but God made a way for us all when he sent His Son. Have you seen His hand in your life?

 

 

About the book:

Ewan Murray and Kate McDougall hold a mutual appreciation for music—and each other. But as she comes of age, Ewan realizes he must do something to prove his worth to her banker father. Will a refurbished heirloom and a sudden snowstorm be the key to earning permission to marry?

Michelle Ule’s novellas have appeared in the New York Times best-selling A Log Cabin Christmas Collection and last year’s best-selling A Pioneer Christmas Collection. She lives in northern California where she writes, reads, and plans the next trip to an exotic location. Find Michele at www.michelleule.com and on Facebook.

FUN TIP:

This week, exclusively at select Walmart stores, look for Christmas Wedding Bell Brides. Inside you’ll find my story, No. 11, “The Snowbound Bride” that releases as an e-book Dec. 15.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also check for White Christmas Brides (with Michele Ule’s story) and The Heartland Christmas Brides. These three Walmart-only books contain all the 12 Brides stories.

Book 4 – The Gift-Wrapped Bride

The weeks are flying!

Today Book 4 in The 12 Brides of Christmas debuts with a feisty heroine forced to ask, “Do bullies ever change?”

This story reminded me that sometimes the Christmas miracle takes place in the heart.

Can we really forgive – and forget – the past?

 

About the book:

Sophie Stewart’s family has just moved to Chicago to join her brother and help start a church. Sophie is an artist with big dreams, but she feels her parents are pushing her to marry someone like Noah Jackson, a young man from their Ohio hometown. But forgiving the past and recognizing Noah’s maturity and changes may take a miracle.

The award-winning author of eleven books, Maureen Lang has been writing since childhood. Her latest release is part of The Gilded Legacy Series: All in Good Time. She lives with her family in the Midwest.

Connect with Maureen on her website and on Facebook.

 

Book 3 – The Evergreen Bride

It’s here! – The Evergreen Bride, by Pam Hillman, book 3 of the 12 Brides of Christmas collection.

I enjoyed this story because it took me where I’ve never been – the piney woods of Mississippi. However, as a California girl originally, I could relate to the heroine’s longing for a white Christmas.

The Evergreen Bride is a heartwarming historical tale of almost missing what you truly value because it’s so close you don’t see it.

Has that ever happened to you?

 

About the book:

Mississippian Annabelle Denson dreams of visiting cousins in Illinois and enjoying a white Christmas. In the face of her excitement, Samuel Frazier hides his growing affection for her behind a quiet smile and a carpenter’s lathe. Samuel starts to worry that if she goes, Annabelle won’t return. Can he convince her to stay?

Award-winning author Pam Hillman writes inspirational fiction set in the turbulent times of the American West and the Gilded Age. Her debut novel, Stealing Jake, was a finalist in the International Digital Awards and the 2013 EPIC eBook Awards.

Connect with Pam on her website, Facebook  and on Twitter @PamHillman