~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE THE THORNKEEPER ~

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~ --  'THE THORNKEEPER'  -- AUTHOR PEPPER D. BASHAM~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Excerpt,Unique Guest Post by the Author, 
Author Bio & Giveaway~
   Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Thorn Keeper by Pepper D. Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK Title: The Thorn Keeper
Series: Penned in Time #2
Author: Pepper D. Basham
Publisher: Vinspire Publishing
Release Date: February 28, 2016
Genre: Historical Romance

With her past in shambles, how can she fashion a future of hope?

Catherine Dougall’s past of manipulation has left her future in threads. With a new faith, she longs to take the remnants of her life and make something beautiful, but shame, societies’ judgments, and the natural consequences of an unplanned pregnancy test her newfound hope.

Dr. David Ross doesn’t help either. His kindness, sacrifice, and tenderness tempt her to impossible dreams. A fallen woman doesn’t merit a fairytale. David Ross has made every effort to keep his life above reproach. His passion for the sick pump fresh purpose through his choices, but without financial support to maintain his war hospital, all is lost. When his notorious aunt offers an easy solution, David is tempted to give in to her demands, but his growing affection for the reformed flirt, Catherine Dougall, unwinds the careful wall around his heart and offers an unexpected choice.

When the worst of war tears them apart, can love renew the memory of what was lost or will tragedy steal away their hope forever?

From the beautiful Derbyshire countryside to the trenches of World War One, Catherine and David must learn to trust in a God who designs a masterpiece out of brokenness and fashions hope in the most unlikely places.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

EXCERPT: 

Music rose from a room to his right, another massive room opened to his left, and a grand stairway ascended in the center, curving up into the recesses of the house. A figure on the stairs brought his breathing to a full stop.

Catherine.

His Catherine.

He’d always known she was beautiful, even from the first moment they met on the streets of Ednesbury, but never had he imagined something as breathtaking as her in ravishing red. He finally understood why every social circle within Ednesbury’s vicinity spoke of Catherine Dougal’s infallible beauty. Why men waited in lines to enjoy her company. Why a man would hover on the brink of impropriety to gain her favor. And this vision of beauty was smiling at him – the bookish, introverted, nearly penniless surgeon. The word ‘captivated’ took on new meaning.

She bypassed the crowd congregating outside the ballroom and made her way to his side, bringing her lavender scent and lovely glow with her. Her lips were tinted a darker shade, like a forbidden fruit. He placed his palm to his chest and took in every detail. Overwhelmed.

“You look quite fetching in your tails, Dr. Ross.” Her gaze of approval kindled a deeper smolder in his chest. “A definite improvement from your surgeon’s coat.”

“Catherine.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips, never taking his eyes from hers. “If I’ve been hesitant to respond, it’s only because I fail to find words accurate enough to describe how beautiful you are.” 
 
PENNED IN TIME SERIES   
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her most recent historical romance, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge, showcases her Appalachian heritage and history, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

 Pepper loves getting to know readers and other authors through social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You may also learn more about her on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com

CONNECT WITH PEPPER: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram  


Character Spotlight on Catherine Dougall:

~Catherine Dougall surprised me.
Actually, God surprised me through Catherine Dougall, but that’s a story for another post