Recently I published an updated version of my full-length Christian romance, Substitute Family. This was previously published under the title, No Longer a Substitute. If you read the first version, you will find this one almost completely different. The characters and story line are the same, but it has been revised and updated throughout the whole book, with a surprise ending.
Even if you haven’t read the previous version, I think you will enjoy this one. Substitute Family is a story about adorable twin toddlers and their widowed father, and the nanny who steps into their lives and falls for all of them.
About the book:
Kindergarten teacher Emily Riley volunteers to babysit her late cousin’s twin toddlers for the summer. She doesn’t count on falling in love with their daddy, Garret.
When Garret transfers across country for a three-month trial period to set up a new office, he decides to leave the twins behind until he gets settled. Emily takes a leave of absence from her teaching job to become the 24/7 nanny while he is gone.
Garret decides not to tell his new employees that he is a widowed father of two. At first he calls home every week, but then a month goes by without a phone call, and he won’t return Emily’s messages.
She worries that Garret might like his freedom so much that he will decide to leave the twins, and Emily, behind permanently.
This book is available for purchase on Amazon as a Kindle book or in paperback.
With harvest season behind us and the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I thought this would be a good time to introduce book 2 of my historical series, Legacy of Courage. Courage to Trust is the second book in this story about a young widow and the hired hand who befriends her.
Here is a summary of the story:
Adam’s dreams are changing.
Instead of going away to the university, he decides he wants to be a farmer after all.
His family isn’t happy with his decision, but it feels right to Adam. He asks Cara if he can continue working as her hired hand after harvest.
Cara wants Adam to stay, but for the wrong reason. Her feelings for Adam are growing, and she is afraid he will discover what she holds in her heart. Yet she needs help for the winter months, so she agrees to keep Adam employed.
Then tragedy strikes, altering their plans.
Courage to Trust is only available on Kindle right now but I hope to have it published in paperback in the near future.
Today’s featured book is about high school friends who made a Love Pact to marry each other if they were still single at the age of 30. This Christian contemporary romance by Liwen Y. Ho is heartwarming and a great read any time of year.
Author’s Inspiration:
I was inspired by a web series I saw on YouTube titled Single by 30. That series had the same premise of my story, which is that the main characters made a pact while in high school to marry each other if they were still single by age 30. I thought the idea was sweet and fun and had the potential for a lot of tension and romance.
About the book:
Two best friends. One little girl’s prayers. And a love pact that may be the answer to all of their Christmas wishes.
Haven Alexander used to believe in happy ever afters—before she lost her husband and became a single mom. These days, she keeps herself busy as the event planner at Freedom Ridge Lodge, helping to make other couples’ dreams come true. Her other job? Humoring Miah, her spunky three-year-old daughter, who has a dream of her own: finding herself a daddy. This task proves challenging, though, when Miah sets her sights on Haven’s childhood friend who comes home for a visit.
Jeremiah Gilbert left Freedom a dozen years ago with a bad reputation and an even worse regret: not confessing his love for his best friend, Haven. He has returned, however, older and wiser, and ready to rekindle their friendship—and more. There’s a promise on the line, one they made in high school, that he longs to fulfill. Winning over her daughter, Miah, is easy, but helping to heal Haven’s broken heart proves to be nearly impossible.
When Miah gets into a dangerous situation, these old friends must put the past behind them and find new ways to trust in each other and in the One able to meet their deepest needs.
Excerpt:
Her breath caught in her lungs. It seemed like Jess couldn’t have a single conversation without mentioning her twin brother’s name. The guy Haven used to be best friends with and who was responsible for this wedding scheduling fiasco. Partly responsible, at least. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Jeremiah since they were eighteen, but she’d been following him on social media. And the day she’d scheduled December’s events into the computer happened to be the same day she found out he had gotten engaged. That bit of unexpected news had thrown her off so much, she’d gone and made a huge mistake that was coming back to bite her now.
If only she didn’t still care about Jeremiah Gilbert.
Haven decided to ignore Jess’s comment and instead asked the question that had been burning a hole in her mind lately: “Do you know if he’s bringing his fiancée to the wedding?”
“I think they might’ve broken up or will be breaking up soon.”
“Really? You think or you know?”
“It’s an inkling of mine.”
“You and your inklings.” Haven had learned long ago about the bond between the Gilbert siblings. She wouldn’t go as far as to call it twin telepathy, but there was something special that connected Jess and Jeremiah together. “What’s your inkling telling you this time?”
“That his love life’s not going so well. I thought he was finally ready to settle down with Gretchen, but he hasn’t mentioned her recently.”
“Oh yeah?” Haven tried not to sound too interested or excited at this news. She knew she’d never hear the end of it if Jess knew she’d had a crush on her brother since junior high. Had being the key word. She didn’t know Jeremiah anymore, apart from the pictures he posted online of his travels or of the gorgeous women—mostly redheads—that he’d dated over the years. He’d been fairly popular with the opposite sex and had even been named both Class Heartthrob and Class Heartbreaker. Meanwhile, she’d been voted Most Likely to be a Librarian.
It’d been nothing short of a miracle that they’d been friends. Haven chalked it up to the fact that they’d started hanging out before he’d morphed from a gangly, buck-toothed kid into a hot and hunky quarterback. Before he became more social, they, along with Jess, used to do everything together. During senior year of high school, however, they hung out less often when he started running with the wrong crowd. That was around the time Jess and Jeremiah’s dad had left their mom. Jeremiah had taken it hard and started partying and drinking and not caring about his grades. Haven and Jess had prayed every day that he’d find his way back.
Unfortunately, it’d taken a DUI three months before graduation to wake him up. Thankfully, no one had gotten hurt when he crashed his car into the church sanctuary one night, but it had shaken up his family and his future. Mrs. Gilbert moved the kids to California to escape their shame and Jeremiah decided to enlist in the Army to clean up his act.
Haven lost both of her best friends in one fell swoop, but she and Jess ended up reuniting at University of Colorado. They’d been inseparable ever since Jess moved back to Freedom after college. Jeremiah never returned, though, not even for a visit. Haven had lost any hope of seeing him again, especially when he stopped replying to her emails during his first deployment. She’d long stopped asking Jess about him, too, but she had to admit, she was growing more curious, knowing that she’d be seeing him at the wedding. She was about to ask for details about Jess’s inklings when something caught her eye.
Or rather, someone.
That profile looked so familiar. Thick dark brown hair, a straight nose worthy of a Greek statue, and a full beard. She couldn’t stop staring at the tall man standing at the registration desk ten feet away and marveling at how much he resembled Jeremiah. There was no way Jess’s twin would be here at the lodge … right?
Jess suddenly spun in place, her head cocked to one side. She scanned the area with narrowed eyes, looking from person to person, until her gaze landed on the same man Haven had spotted. “Jere?!”
The man turned around at the sound of her voice and sure enough, it was Jeremiah. His whole face brightened when he saw Jess, especially when she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was a sweet reunion worthy of a Hallmark movie.
Haven’s steps faltered as she watched her childhood friends hugging. She missed the old days when she’d be in the middle of their embrace. So much had happened, though, since they’d become adults, she didn’t know if their friendships could ever be the same.
But when Jeremiah looked over Jess’s shoulder and locked gazes with Haven, the huge grin on his face made her doubts fall away. It was as if they were eighteen again with their entire future ahead of them. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Haven felt hope stirring in her heart. It was a strange, unexpected feeling that made her want to run over to Jeremiah and wrap her arms around him.
Could she?
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author Liwen Y. Ho works as a chauffeur and referee by day (AKA a stay at home mom) and a writer by night. She creates sweet and inspirational contemporary romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).
In her pre-author life, she received a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary, and she loves makeovers of all kinds, especially those of the heart and mind. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her techie husband and their two children (AKA munchkins).
Learn more about Liwen and also sign up for her newsletter to receive an exclusive free book, news about her upcoming releases, giveaways, sneak peeks and more at liwenho.com.
September’s Theme is Hometown Pride. I’ll be posting a chapter each week of my own sweet romance about the high school quarterback and valedictorian who reconnect at a high school reunion.
Today’s featured book is also about two classmates who end up working together a few years after school. They have both been changed by their life’s circumstances and must find a way to put the past behind them.
Here’s today’s Friday Feature:
Author’s Inspiration:
I love the “forced proximity” trope, so this book began with my vision for the scene where Sydney and Grant are trapped in a stalled car together in the middle of winter. I enjoyed writing how Sydney’s walls slowly tore down after that experience, and the rest of the story eventually took shape.
About the book:
After a disastrous failed engagement, Sydney Hampson is leaving her past—and her faith—behind to focus on her career instead. However, following through with her new, albeit misguided, resolution proves easier said than done when former classmate, and reformed bully, Grant Williams signs on with her company, and they must work closely together.
Grant Williams gave up his teenage antics years ago, and now he’s looking forward to a future that includes a strong relationship with God. When he realizes he’ll be working with none other than Sydney Hampson—the girl he had a secret crush on throughout high school—he couldn’t be more thrilled. Until he discovers she’s not the same caring, compassionate woman she used to be.
When a business trip gone awry leaves the pair stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, Grant sees his chance to make things right and put their past wrongs behind them…if only Sydney can get over her distrust of men. And with a conniving coworker working to destroy Sydney’s happiness, no matter the cost, can she put her faith back in God and learn to trust in Grant before she loses her chance at happiness?
Excerpt:
They sat on the beat-up couch, with an entire cushion between them. “Sorry. The living room is one of the next things on my to-do list. The kitchen and bathroom were a lot to tackle, so I had to stop and focus on replenishing my funds for a while.”
Sydney laughed. “You don’t need to apologize. I think you’ve done an amazing job with this place. It’s unrecognizable, really.”
“Hmm.” Grant leaned over to put his glass on the coffee table. “Kind of like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Unrecognizable. I mean, I literally didn’t know it was you when I saw you at the Snowball Reunion last month. It took a few minutes for the fog to lift.”
“That’s because I lost some weight and started using a flatiron on my hair,” Sydney said with a playful smirk. “So, what did you think when you realized we’d be working together?”
“Honestly?” Grant asked, and Sydney nodded. “I couldn’t believe my luck. I knew I’d missed my opportunity with you in high school. And I know people change. Clearly, we both did. But I figured our connection might still be there.”
“Our connection?” Sydney asked, her tone incredulous. She almost wondered if she’d heard him right. “What high school did you go to?”
“I know, I know. But you get what I mean, right? If circumstances had been different, I believe we really could have clicked back then. Don’t you?” Grant paused, but Sydney couldn’t give him the validation he was after without it being a bald-faced lie, so she shook her head and gave him an apologetic look.
“Well anyway, I guess I was excited that I might have a second chance to see if something could happen.”
Sydney struggled with how to respond to his confession. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man who was insinuating that they had chemistry. Was she ready to admit the same?
“So, what did you think of me after spending some time with me in the office?” She hoped her question would force him to confess how horrible she had become as a person. Self-sabotage, Sydney. Atta girl.
After a pause, Grant replied, “Well, I knew I was right.”
“In what way? That people change? I guess I wasn’t the person you remembered, was I?” Sydney asked somberly.
“No, I mean I knew I was right that we would have clicked.”
About the author:
Katy Eeten lives in southeast Wisconsin with her husband, Jason, and their two sons. She works full-time crunching numbers and analyzing data, but her true passion is writing. She has four contemporary Christian romances and a Christmas novella due out this winter. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys taking walks or bike rides, baking goodies, and spending time with her family.
Maddie is a love lorn columnist for a newspaper. She is asked to run a contest where one of her readers wins a date with her as the prize. She thinks it’s a lark, but when she has to pick a winner it’s not as easy at it seemed to be. Especially when she’s finding she attracted to the top three. How will she ever choose?
Excerpt:
“Since Jason had reminded me, I went through the few emails we’d received so far to the initial question and set two of them to run in Thursday’s column. They were lame, weak and not enticing I ended the column with a few scathing words:
Really guys? I guess no one really wants a date with me if this is all I’ve
got to go on. Let’s crank it up a little, shall we? Get my attention!
I went home, seriously debating showing up for work the next day. As I walked into the foyer of my apartment building, I remembered there was a quart of my favorite triple chocolate ice cream in the freezer.
…
I turned the corner to my office—there wasn’t any stranger with flowers. There was Tonya and Brent standing outside my door, holding a stack of what looked like envelopes and laughing.
I rolled my eyes and pushed through the two of them to open my door. I tossed my purse and coat in a pile then plopped down on my chair, and suddenly realized that my keyboard had a couple of envelopes that looked suspiciously like mail.
I looked up at Tonya and Brent as they stood in the doorway, awaiting my reaction.
“We got actual mail?” I didn’t count the few emails we’d gotten the day before as mail.
They both grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
Brent handed Tonya his stack and she walked over, dumping the envelopes on top of the ones already on my keyboard. “Here’s a couple more and we’ve also been getting more emails.”
I stared at the letters in delight and shock. I’d been saved. I wasn’t going to have to leave town in shame… Someone actually wanted to date me. Or, they wanted their fifteen minutes of fame.
…
“Dear Maddie,” I read out loud. “What is your idea of a romantic date?What a pathetic question. Of course that’s a question a girl would pick. What about what a guy would think of? Like what’s your favorite food or sport—” I crumpled the letter in my hand, wishing the guy’s face was there instead.
…
Tonya grinned wryly before reading hers. “Dear Maddie. I think this is a strange way to get a date, but hey, I’m good for a night out on someone else’s dime. I’ve always thought you were a fox, so here’s my answer. My idea of a romantic date is a dinner for two out of the back of my pickup truck overlooking the Columbia River Gorge with the sun setting over the water. After dinner, it would be off to a drive-in theater with great seating, popcorn and soda and the stars overhead. My pickup is cool… “ her voice trailed off.
About the author:
G. Parker has been writing since she was 12. She loves anything dark chocolate, romance stories, romantic movies, her husband and family, painting, reading almost anything, and cooking when she has a chance. She has self-published a series called The Hibiscus Ladies; illustrated a book called Sorry the Stork Takes No Returns, and can be found selling her art and books at various locations around the state of Utah.
Inspirational Author 