Teaser Tuesdays: Georgia on My Mind

Today's Teaser Tuesdays by MizB - click here

"Georgia on My Mind" by Marie Force

Book Teaser:

"Yesterday I heard them talking about 'annual' sex," Georgie said with a cringe and shudder.
Groaning, Tess said, "Please tell me they were talking about once a year and not---"
Georgie held up her hand. "Don't even say it. The visual is enough to give me nightmares."
Tess laughed until there were tears in her eyes. "Your mother was a saint." ~ within Chapter 1

Blog Tour - Idolizing In: My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade | Review & Giveaway

Today I'm turning my blog over to Becky Wade, with a review of her debut novel "My Stubborn Heart!!"

ALSO -- Be sure to sign up for this tour's GIVEAWAYs (listed below)!! [Blog Tour will run from May 7 - 24, 2012 | Giveaway ends on May 24, 2012 | Becky's Facebook Author Chat Party is on May 24, 2012]

---

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 343; Kindle Edition - File Size: 1172 KB | Expected Release Date: May 2012 | Publisher: Bethany House Publishers | Obtained: LitFuse Publicity Group

"My Stubborn Heart" by Becky Wade

My Book Summary : Ever since Matt's wife died, he couldn't find joy in anything. So, he quit his job of being the star athlete of the NHL's New York Barons and moved back to the town he grew up in knowing that it was the one place where no one would bother him. That lasted quite a few years .... that is until Kate moved into town.

After dealing with some hard times at her job and having a nonexistent love life for so long Kate agrees to take three months off from her everyday life to move into her grandmother's, Beverly, old estate and fix it up with her. However, when she meets Matt, who has been hired to help them renovate the house, she can't help but be drawn to him. Yet after she hears about Matt's past, she knows she doesn't have a chance romantically with him but she still wants to be friends with him. To be friends though means trying to get him to open up, even a little, which will be hard since Matt keeps pushing everyone (friends and family) away.

After a while, it seems like Kate is making progress with Matt and becoming his friend. But as they become closer Kate's heart has other ideas as she starts to fall in love with him. Too bad falling in love can't make everything better when it comes to saving someone. Will Kate's friendship be enough to bring Matt back to his old self? Or will Kate be required to give up more for Matt than she ever planned?

My Book Review : 5 out of 5 stars!! I loved the setup of this novel!! The prologue sets up this novel in a way that it fills in what happened, a bit, in the main characters' pasts while leaving you curious to read more about them. Then to read the build-up between Kate and Matt throws you for a loop and back again. When you finally realize what each of them have gone through and how they get into this sweet relationship where they both want more from each other but because of God or their pasts or just life itself makes it so they have to fight for what they want you might just fall in love with this novel too! What also makes this novel is "the seniors!" They are a group of Beverly's friends, who Kate hangs out with too. And boy do they have their own share of antics! =0)

When I read this novel it hooked me and didn't let go, making it so, I read it in one day! Nevertheless, if you get into this novel as much as I did then be sure to have a tissue on hand since I did cry a few times while reading it.

I HIGHLY recommend this novel to anyone who likes contemporary romances!! Also, this is for anyone who enjoys inspirational romance novels!

Author's Novel Extras : Matt’s Character Interview | Kate’s Character Interview | Deleted Scene from "My Stubborn Heart"

Author Book Interview(s) :

Book Teaser(s) :

Yes. It truly was gray. A beautiful gun-metal color, slightly darker near the temples, slightly lighter in a streak over his right eye.
"Morty!" She rinsed the suds out, practically bouncing on the footstool with excitement. "It worked!"
"It did?"
"It did!"
And then, before he'd even had a chance to see it, or form his own opinion about it, he asked, "Do you think Velma will like it?"
"Oh, Morty," Kate replied. "She better." ~ within Chapter 6

What was it with churches and single people? In all spheres of life---work, social, athletic, academic---singles mixed with married people. Not so in Sunday school.
What were the married people studying in their classes, anyway? Top secret marriage info? Racy sex tips? What could possibly be so juicy that it merited separating the married and the single adults into two separate areas of the building? Like the L sign for loser, she sometimes felt like she wore a big S for single on her forehead whenever she set foot on a church campus. ~ within Chapter 12

For more information on this book and/or any other books by Becky, then please check out her website.

---

About the Author :

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing.

She published three historical romances with Avon Books, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her kids, then recently returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She felt led to move to the genre of contemporary Christian romance and couldn't be more thrilled with it.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Learn more at: www.BeckyWade.com.

---

Giveaways!! :

Celebrate with Becky by entering her "My Stubborn Heart" Giveaway to win a Nook Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™ and connecting with her during the Author Chat Party on May 24!


One fortunate winner will receive :

• A Brand New Nook Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™


• A $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card


• "My Stubborn Heart" by Becky Wade

To Enter : Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on May 24th. Winner will be announced at the "My Stubborn Heart" Author Chat Facebook Party on May 24. Becky will be hosting an book chat, testing your trivia skills and giving away some great prizes!

So grab your copy of "My Stubborn Heart" and join Becky on the evening of the May 24th for a chance to meet Becky and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning! Hope to see you on the 24th!

ALSO -- Be sure to check out LitFuse's other Blog Tour Stops for this novel!!

---

Find Becky Wade :

• Becky Wade - Website
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Guest Post :: What I Didn’t Know by Rhonda Schrock | Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl & Giveaway

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl!
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John and more)! I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs May 6th - May 13th and the winner will on May 14th. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of "Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace" or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

---

"What I Didn’t Know" by Rhonda Schrock

I always knew I wanted to be a mother. As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads.

Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn't know. This morning over my fresh-ground coffee, this mother of 22-1/2 years scratched out a list of 10 things she didn't know then that she knows now.

1. I didn't know - how could I? - just how completely a tiny, helpless scrap of humanity can capture the heart and hold it forever. From that first whooshing heartbeat and the first butterfly brushes, a mother's heart is never again her own. For all eternity, it enlarges, walking and pulsing and moving outside of her body; in my case, in the shape of a blue-eyed boy with rooster tails. Times four.


2. I didn't know that the size of a mother's heart is always changing, stretching to embrace each new baby that comes, then growing again to love their friends and then their own families.


3. I never knew, as I changed my dolly's dress, how many reasons there are to worry when you're a mama. Didn't know about the nighttime vigils. Didn't know the anxiety of separation, the terror that floods when you turn around in the grocery store and they're gone. Didn't know about the fear of the pond next door or the concern that pays for swimming lessons. Didn't know the thousand-and-one reasons that keep a mother awake, whispering prayers on her pillow in the dark.


4. No one told me that loving so much means that you will hurt hard and keen; that what pains your child hurts you even worse. I didn't know then that a playground taunt travels through that smaller heart and lands square in yours, stinging and burning like fire. I didn't know that motherhood makes lionesses of us all and that there'd be days I'd have to bite my tongue and pray to not sin.


5. I didn't know how exhausting it is, being a mother. I didn't know that it takes everything you've got and then some. Didn't know the bone-deep exhaustion; how it strips you bare and shows how selfish you can be, but, too, that you have more strength than you know.


6. I didn't know, playing house, how much joy mothers feel; joy so big that it makes up for the pain. Just looking at those eyes and the curve of the cheek can make you so happy it hurts. Watching them grow and find their talent and win at something...all the money in the world can never buy that kind of happiness.


7. I didn't know how making babies and raising them, how it binds you to their father. I didn't know the intimacy you feel when your eyes meet above those tousled heads, and your smiles say, "Just look at what we've done."


8. That girl in the homemade dress, she didn't know that letting go is one of the hardest things a grown-up mama will ever do. Rocking those babies in that small rocking chair, she didn't really know that babies grow up and walk away and there goes your heart, out into the big, wide world. No one told her that part.


9. I had no idea how rewarding it is, being a mother. How the happiness that comes from boy kisses and awkward hugs can't be bought or sold. How proud you feel when you see what they're growing up to be and that all the planting and pruning and watering and feeding is finally making fruit!


10. I didn't know how much my babies would enrich my spiritual life or how they would change the way I pray. I didn't realize they would lead me to a deeper dependence on the Heavenly Father or how I much I would need His wisdom to raise them aright.

These are things I didn't know before I was a mother. But I know them now. Oh, how I know them now! And I’d do it all again.

---

About the Author :

Rhonda Schrock lives in Northern Indiana with her husband and 4 sons, ages 22, 18, 13, and 5. By day, she is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist. In the early morning hours, she flees to a local coffee shop where she pens “Grounds for Insanity,” a weekly column that appears in The Goshen News. She is an occasional guest columnist in The Hutch News. She’s also blogged professionally for her son’s school of choice, Bethel College, in addition to humor and parenting blogs, and maintains her personal blog, “The Natives are Getting Restless.” She is a writer and editor for the magazine, "Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living." She survives and thrives on prayer, mochas, and books.

---

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, "Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith" will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls™ Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Guest Post :: He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey | Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl & Giveaway

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl!
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John and more)! I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs May 6th - May 13th and the winner will on May 14th. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of "Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace" or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

---

"He Will Walk With You" by Carey Bailey

As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much and feared never getting it? That was me.

My day finally came at the age of 34. I soon realized that God knew what He was doing when He had me wait. To my shock, it wasn’t as easy as playing with dolls. I was surprised that it wasn’t the dream world I imagined it would be! I felt like life became a gigantic prayer.

“God, HELP me!”

“Please, God. Please, please, please make it all better. I can’t do this!”

“God, this feels impossible. Where are you?”

While I adore motherhood, it is harder and there are more adjustments than I expected. (I am hoping there are some nodding of heads and Amen’s being said out there in cyberworld.) Not only did I have a new life to care for, but my identity suddenly felt all scrambled up. It took me until my son was one to finally feel confident in my new role as a mother, confident that I could drop my child off at preschool without crying, confident that I could go out with the girls’ and the world wouldn’t fall apart, and confident that I could go on a date night and have conversations that didn’t revolve just around our son.

I was feeling settled in my new world and then WHAM! I discovered I was pregnant again. Can I be vulnerable with you? I actually cried when I found out. And they were not tears of joy. I feel awful saying that out loud, and I hope you will give me a moment to explain. It was not that I didn’t want another baby or feel like I couldn’t love a new life, it was just that I got scared. Discovering a little person was on the way sent a panic through me. Would my son still receive the love and attention that he deserved? How was my husband going to feel about my body changing again? Would I ever be able to pursue the vision I felt God had for me in writing and publishing? I was truly wondering if I was going to be able to handle another intense wave of identity crisis like the one I had just been through. I wasn’t sure.

God and I needed a serious talk. And in that conversation He carefully reminded me of this:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

He reminded me in our time together that I, too, am His child and He has every intention of loving me, caring for me, and giving me the future that He has planned for me.

As mothers, we can get so caught up in parenting that we forget that we, too, have a spiritual parent who loves us as His child. He loves you as much as He loves the children He has given you. He will never forsake you. And on those days when motherhood seems too overwhelming and too impossible I step back and take a deep breath. Then I remember that this journey I am on, right now, is the one He has designed and create uniquely for me. I simply need to live in it, learn from it, and allow His love to sweep over and through me.

He will walk with me! He will walk with you! Grab His hand.

---

About the Author :

Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama, and the Family Life Director for her church in Arizona. She hosts an online community for moms called Cravings: desiring God in the midst of motherhood where she strives to make God time easier. Not less meaningful, just easier. She is the author of Cravings {The Devotional} which is a set of forty devotional flashcards for the mama on the go. Visit Carey online blog: www.cravingstheblog.blogspot.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CravingsOnline and Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/careycbailey/

---

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, "Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith" will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls™ Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Made the Grade: Amoveo Legend Series, Book 2

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 320; Kindle Edition - File Size: 935 KB | Expected Release Date: April 3, 2012 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca | Obtained: NetGalley

"Untouched" [Amoveo Legend Series, Book 2] by Sara Humphreys

My Book Summary : Kerry was born with a disabling gift, she's a strong psychic, making it so every time she touches someone she is overcome with pain and visions (usually scary ones). Because of this, Kerry has built her life around being able to NOT touch anyone, even if the people are related to her. She even found a job where not touching people isn't that weird of thing, becoming a world-renowned model. Even though she's felt alone for most of her life, she thankfully has always had her best friend, Samantha (the heroine from "Unleashed"), to help her through it all.

However, Samantha just married Malcolm and now Kerry thinks it's time to get back to her own life by taking a modeling gig in New Orleans. Because of the recent troubles Kerry, Samantha and Malcolm had to deal with Kerry's friend wants to make sure she's safe so they "hire" Dante (who owns Inferno Securities and is Malcolm cousin/best friend). What Kerry doesn't know yet though is that Dante is also her mate and will do whatever he can to protect her. Once Kerry arrives in New Orleans, her world is going to be turned upside-down! Will she take to the changes with open arms or will Dante have to protect her from herself?? Especially when it seems that, her secret heritage is coming out into the open and into the wrong hands. Soon Kerry will find herself fighting more than her own desire from Dante. She'll be fighting for her life.

My Book Review : 3.5 out of 5 stars, this is one series that once you read a book from it you'll be hooked and wanting to read them all!! Plus, if you decide to read the second book (this book) before the first DON'T WORRY as you won't get lost within the plot!! The characters really make this series .... especially this novel!!! I thoroughly enjoyed Kerry and Dante as a couple!! They both are strong lead characters with intense and intriguing personalities!

Then top off the secondary characters! Samantha and Malcolm are sweet in their newlywed bliss. William (or as his friends teasingly call him: Willie) is very old fashioned and "stiff" compared to his friends. Steven is a laid-back doctor who always has an easy smile. In addition, with the way the plot ran in this novel the build-up to "what could be" for the next novels in this series is very intriguing! I especially can't wait to see what will happen between William and Layla in "Untamed," or what will become of Steven and Boris!

I recommend this novel and series to anyone who wants to read a new take on shapeshifter romances!! Also, this novel is perfect for anyone who likes to read paranormal mysterious romances!

Author's Series Extras : Amoveo Legend Series Playlists

Author's Book Trailer :

Book Teaser(s) :

William hated being wrong. Dante was tempted to let him squirm but decided to let him off the hook.
"She's a powerful psychic, William. She has built and maintained an incredibly strong shield around herself." He shrugged one shoulder. "I don't even think she knows she's doing it, but it's been very effective in keeping her hidden all these years."
"That must be one hell of a shield." Steven leaned forward and rested his elbows on his wide spread legs. "She's in pictures all over the world. I can't believe none of us picked up on it."
"Especially you, Dante." William nodded toward him. "If she's really your mate," he added offhandedly.
Dante's eyes shifted and flared brightly. His gaze landed harshly on William. "She is my mate." His voice stayed just barely above a whisper. "You would do well to remember that."
William cocked his head and raised one eyebrow. ~ within Chapter 6

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Sara, then please check out her website.