Rugged Heroes ~ Resilient Heroines ~ Heartwarming Romance |
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Welcome To Redemption ~ Excerpts Order Read the reviews...  A Fair of the Heart: Donna Marie
Rogers
Chapter One
"I believe this belongs to you."
Lauren Frazier met the handsome stranger's teasing gaze as he handed her the knob to her front door. She promptly burst out laughing, examining the ancient piece of crap with a shake of her head. "Sorry," she said once she'd brought it down to a chuckle, "but the handle on my back screen door fell off this morning." The stranger grinned. "I might stay home today, if
I were you."
"Ya think?" She set the doorknob on the counter and stepped back. "So, what can I do for you?" His keen brown eyes searched her living room,
landing on the barber's chair in the corner with obvious relief.
"Wasn't sure if I was in the right place."
"Yeah, the beauty shop sign fell off the house a few weeks ago." His lips twitched. "I need a trim. The librarian recommended you." He held out his hand. "Caleb Hunter." "I'll have to send Matt a thank you note. Lauren Frazier." She shook his hand, then gestured toward the barber's chair. "Have a seat." He sat down and leaned back with his long legs sprawled out, making himself comfortable. Lauren studied him from the corner of her eye as she pulled out a clean plastic cape and her trimming shears. About six feet tall, with broad shoulders, slim hips, and a muscular upper body, Mr. Caleb Hunter could have walked right off the cover of GQ magazine. He had big bedroom brown eyes, full sexy lips, and a patrician nose that looked as if it'd seen a fist or two. His crowning glory, a thick mop of wavy auburn hair, needed at least an inch trimmed off--Lauren itched to run her fingers through it. Thank you, Matt.
~*~
A Fair to Remember: Stacey Joy
Netzel
Chapter One There was no such thing as love at first sight, but Tara Russell needed someone to explain that to Sugar. Her arm was ready to detach from its socket as her brother's nine-month-old Great Dane pulled her along the fairway, intent on her latest infatuation. So far, Tara had managed to keep Sugar from attacking the man as he ambled past the games and rides with their flashing lights and cajoling carnies, but her strength was waning. Truth be told, so was her will. Sugar's target was easily the sexiest guy Tara'd seen in a long time, and believe you me, she'd been looking. Unfortunately, the small town of Redemption, Wisconsin, didn't provide its women with much to choose from--in her opinion, anyway. But this guy--mmm. The sun picked up a suggestion of auburn highlights on the top, but the shorter sides were dark brown. A faint shadow of a beard darkened his jaw, softening his chiseled profile and enhancing his rugged appeal. She hadn't caught the color of his eyes, though he'd glanced in her general direction a time or two. Before she started drooling, she forced herself to
acknowledge the most intriguing thing about him: his black suit that
fit his six-foot, nicely built body like it was tailored especially for
him. Wait a second. Intriguing? No. A shake of her head made her long
ponytail swish against her back.
Off-putting, that's the word she meant. Because,
really, who wore a suit to a fair? She started imagining likely
explanations and came up with lawyer and--um--nope, that was it.
Bummer. Imagine trying to bring a Suit home to her Hog-loving family?
Bad enough she didn't fit the Russell mold, they might disown her if
she fell for some uptight, bloodsucking, sexy--
Geez, wasn't he hot in all that material? Because just looking at him made her hot. ~*~
The Perfect Blend: Donna Marie
Rogers
***
By
the time four o'clock rolled around, Matt wasn't much in the mood for
socializing. Maybe he'd just swing past Lauren's to say 'hi' and head
home. Maybe he'd pack his bags and head to L.A., see for himself that
his father was all right. And hell, maybe he'd stay. After today he was
fairly certain he didn't have a future in Redemption anyway. The one
woman who heated his blood could barely remember his name. Yep, he'd
made some impression on Ms. Carrie Lowell, hadn't he?
Matt
pulled into Lauren's driveway and killed the engine. He sat for a
minute, hands clutching the steering wheel as he debated whether or not
to stay. He was torn, especially if this turned out to be the last meal
he shared with these two. In just a few short months, Caleb Hunter had
become one of the best friends he'd ever had. And Lauren Frazier was a
dream; kind, generous, funny, not to mention knock-out gorgeous.
Thank God neither of them knew what a damn fraud he was. "Hey,
you daydreaming or what?" Caleb said, slapping the hood and scaring the
hell out of him. "Come on, I got an ice-cold Bud waiting for you."
Matt
shook his head as he climbed out of the old Jeep Wrangler he'd
purchased on his first day in town. The cheapest vehicle he'd ever
owned, and by far his favorite. "Sounds good." He guessed it couldn't
hurt to stay for a beer.
Matt
followed Caleb inside and froze when he heard an all too familiar
voice. Sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee was Carrie,
laughing at something Lauren had said. Matt felt a ridiculous surge of
jealousy. How come the ornery woman never cracked a smile when he was
around?
Carrie
looked up and saw him, her smile fading. She shot Caleb a look, then
Lauren, who in turn sent Matt a sheepish grin. A set up? A blind date?
He almost laughed, but caught himself. Carrie looked ready to blow. A
grin tugged at his lips.
"Please
tell me he's not the" Carrie made air quotes "great guy you've been
raving about."
Caleb grabbed Matt a beer out of the fridge as Carrie glared daggers at her friend. Lauren
cleared her throat and looked to Caleb, who shrugged. "We just
thought...you know, that you'd hit it off. And we'd planned this
before..."
Lauren
glanced over at Matt. He took a fortifying sip of his beer and
supplied, "Before I opened my big mouth and became her least favorite
person in Redemption?"
Carrie
scowled at him. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. And you did
more than open your mouth, you pompous ass."
Matt
took a step forward. Infuriating woman. "I offered you sound business
advice. But hey, you wanna lose your shop? End up in bankruptcy court?
Be my guest."
"It's summer!" "Okay," Caleb said, moving to Lauren's side, "time to calm down. Matt, why don't you have a seat. Carrie, please," Caleb added when she started to rise. "Lauren spent a lot of time and effort making this meal. The least you two can do is sit and eat it." "You're
right," Matt said, embarrassed by his childish behavior. He shot Carrie
a look. The woman brought out the worst in him like no one ever had.
"Lauren, dinner smells incredible, thank you."
Carrie crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Matt, hard-pressed not to laugh, took the seat across from her and openly stared. Let her squirm, he thought, admiring the view. He took a swig of his beer. The woman was sexy as hell with those big blue eyes and waist-length auburn hair. She wasn't tall and stick thin like Lauren. Carrie had curves...lots and lots of luscious curves. His gaze unwittingly dropped to her chest. He couldn't help it. Matt was a breast man, and Carrie Lowell filled a T-shirt so well it should be a crime. "Hey,
perv, you wanna quit staring at my boobs?"
Matt
choked back a laugh. "Kind of hard to do when you put 'em on display
like that."
Her
eyes grew round with indignation. "I do not!"
Matt gestured toward her chest. "Well, could that T-shirt be any tighter?" "Now you're calling me fat?" Matt
thunked his beer down on the table. "Don't put words in my mouth,
woman. I was merely--"
"Enough,"
Caleb said. "Jesus, we're going to have to put you both in a time-out
if you don't start acting like adults."
"He
started it," Carrie pouted, eyes narrowed.
"No,
you called me a pompous ass."
"You
are a pompous ass...perv."
"All
right, one more word and you're both getting your mouths duct-taped,"
Caleb threatened.
"Fine."
Matt swiped up his beer and took a long pull.
"Fine."
~*~
Grounds For Change: Stacey Joy
Netzel
Chapter One Charlie Russell scowled at the bright afternoon sun and wished he hadn't had so much to drink at Rowdy's last night. That, and Sugar's hell-bent-for-leather path down the sidewalk, intensified the headache pounding at his temples. Most days he could keep the ten-month-old Great Dane in check, but today she was like a souped up Harley on nitro. At least she pulled him in the right direction—straight to Carrie's Coffee to Chai For on Salvation Street. In front of the shop's window, he lifted his sunglasses and squinted inside to see Carrie wiping down the half-dozen or so tables. He raised his hand to knock on the glass, only Sugar jerked his arm, and tugged him toward the door as it opened with the tinkling of a bell. "Sugar, no. Come here, girl," he admonished, catching his balance after stumbling a step. He managed to stop the dog seconds before she accosted the woman walking out with two iced coffees in her hands. "Sorry." "No problem." The woman looked up from Sugar to him with a smile, and Charlie blinked when he saw her startling light green eyes. Long blonde curls rioted about her face and shoulders, and she wore a white sleeveless blouse with a frilly collar and a pair of tan pants. Dropping his sunglasses back into place to cover his bloodshot eyes, he tried not to stare, but found the combination of wild curls and sophisticated clothes on a beautiful woman impossible to resist. She
sidestepped in her strappy high heels and walked toward a metallic
green Toyota Hybrid parked in front of the shop, her gaze sweeping over
him before her smile faded. He ran a self-conscious hand through his
dark hair that needed a trim, wishing he'd showered and combed it
before taking Sugar for a walk. Maybe worn something other than a ratty
tee shirt, cutoff jeans and holey tennis shoes. Yeah, so what, he'd
brushed his teeth, but he should've shaved, too. Not that she'd look
twice at him anyway, but still. He
turned back to the coffee shop and saw Carrie hold up a hand to let him
know she'd be out in a minute. Anticipation for the reviving cup of
French Roast she'd bring out made his mouth water. "Excuse me?" Charlie heard the feminine voice and turned to see the beautiful blonde standing by her car. She lifted the iced coffees, and with another smile, asked, "Would you mind getting my door?" His heart skipped a beat. "Of course." He took a quick step forward, then, too late, realized Sugar came with him. She rushed forward and shoved her large black nose under the woman's hands in an excited demand for attention. With a gasp of surprise, the woman's fingers clenched on the plastic cups, popping both clear tops off. Charlie pulled on the leash, but watched helplessly as one cup dumped down the front of her shirt and the other spilled along the length of her right thigh. "Oh, God, I'm sorry." Charlie couldn't help but notice the lace of her bra now one hundred percent visible through her wet, previously white, blouse. The ruffles that'd swayed with her walk moments earlier hung limp against her breasts. As he watched, she leaned forward, plunged her hand into the front of her shirt, and then pulled out a handful of ice cubes. Welcome to Redemption
Anthology
****************** REVIEWS ****************** Welcome
to Redemption
Reviewer: Brenda Talley from The
Romance Studio
October 18, 2007 Sensuality
rating: Mildly sensual
Overall rating: 5 HEARTS This
marvelous book was a compilation of four couples who meet and fell in
love; what they all had in common (in addition to being kin to each
other, in some cases) was that either one or both of them lived in
Redemption, Wisconsin. Redemption was a small town which was typical of
all the small towns across the U.S. Ms. Rogers and Ms. Netzel each
wrote two stories; they intertwined together flawlessly. The first two
stories intersected at the town fair...I loved
the book and highly recommend it! Full
Review
~*~
Jane
Toombs, multi-published, award-winning author says...
"Welcome
to Redemption by, Donna Marie Rogers and Stacey Joy Netzel offers four
refreshing and heartwarming stories. These stories bring readers right
into the heart of this town, and the lives of its
people,
with four happy and romantic endings. Reading this book was a
real
pleasure."
~*~
Reviewed
by multi-published, award winning author, Barbara Raffin
Welcome to Redemption is an anthology of four interwoven, heart grabbing, love at first sight stories written by Donna Marie Rogers and Stacey Joy Netzel. The book opens with Ms. Rogers' utterly enchanting A Fair of the Heart followed by Ms. Netzel’s totally charming A Fair to Remember, then continues with Ms. Rogers' witty battle of opposites in The Perfect Blend and ends with Ms. Netzel’s heart warming Grounds for Change. A FAIR OF THE HEART by Donna Marie
Rogers From
the moment Caleb Hunter hands Lauren Frazier the doorknob to the front
door of
her house and beauty shop, I was in love with this couple. In
spite of being a divorced mother of an
angry pre-teen son and trying to hold together a crumbling house,
Lauren faces
life with witty-tongued optimism. Her
sense of humor is a perfect match to Caleb’s. Immediately
charmed by the short-on-funds Lauren and her adorable toddler daughter,
the
at-loose-ends handyman Caleb offers to fix her doorknob among other
things in
exchange for a home cooked meal. Enter
Lauren’s angry son and she figures Mr. Perfect Handyman will
be gone in a
heartbeat. But
Caleb understands the boy
better than anyone realizes. It
seems
Caleb had returned to Redemption for his mother’s funeral and
too late to ask
her forgiveness for his past digressions.
Behind
the witty dialogue and crackling attraction, a real family works out
real
problems. The very
talented Donna Marie
Rogers not only gives the reader an endearing romance in this compact
format in A Fair of the Heart, but
a heartfelt
story worthy of healing wounded souls. A FAIR TO REMEMBER by Stacey Joy
Netzel Tara
Russell doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but the Great
Dane puppy dragging
her through the fair crowd toward the hunky guy in a suit was wearing
on her
strength and her will. Wes
Carter didn’t
know what hit him. One
minute he’s
standing eating a hamburger and the next he’s face down on
the ground being
puked on by a lactose intolerant Great Dane. Whether this constitutes a
“cute”
meet or not is best left to the reader. But our hero has a sense of
humor about
the dog…eventually and that’s all the reader and
Tara Russell needs to know. Of
course Tara, who lives only a few blocks from the fair, takes Wes home
to clean
up. Wes’
first impression of Enter Ms.
Netzel’s characters don’t leap off the page and
into your heart, they invite
you into theirs. THE PERFECT BLEND by Donna Marie
Rogers Carrie
Lowell is up to her eyebrows in mortgage payments all because she had
to pay
off her ex-husband to get him out of her life.
Men were scum.
Though, some were
still yummy looking, like the librarian across the street from her
shop, Matt
Jacobs. The man
gave glasses a whole new
sexy appeal. But
he is full of business plans for her place and no man is ever going to
get his
hands on her Coffee to Chai For. Unfortunately, money flow problems
force her
to take on a partner and the only man up for the job is Matt Jacobs. Promising
her she can trust him, she hesitantly lets down her guard as they work
together, very hesitantly. After
all,
he’s gorgeous and she has unfashionable curves, not to
mention a temper that
scares away most men…but not Matt. Things are going so well,
she even opens her
heart to him a wee bit and then a bit more until she’s
confessing the horrible
history of her former marriage. Just
when Carrie is ready to cast caution to the wind, Matt’s
sister arrives in a
Ferrari, followed by the paparazzi, and Matt’s mother and
father in a stretch
limo. Matt Jacobs true identity is about to be revealed. So much for
honesty,
and forgiveness is in the hands of the wounded by lies Carrie. Once
again, Ms. Rogers tantalizes the reader with witty dialogue and layered
characters. The Perfect Blend is just that. A blend
of two characters meant for
each other. GROUND FOR CHANGE by Stacey Joy
Netzel Opposites
may attract, but not without a few shared likenesses.
In Charlie Russell’s and Dana
McClain’s cases
that would be a fondness for coffee from Coffee to Chai For and a love
of an
unruly, nine month old Great Dane.
Liking long morning jogs, fishing, and
football…even if for rival teams
proves helpful at pulling these two reluctant lovers together. Now if only psychologist
turn animal
behaviorist Dana will accept the job offer from the local vet and turn
Charlie’s life into happily ever after.
Or as happy as he can be considering
he’s spent the last fourteen years
secretly harboring the belief he’s responsible for his
sister’s death. At
least it’s a secret until he bares his
soul to Dana. But
Dana gave up psychoanalyzing people because she was too empathetic with
her
clients. She even
had two relationships
that ended when the men no longer needed her to fix
them. She’s
not falling
into that trap again, no matter how much Charlie turns her on. Stacey
Joy Netzel’s writing shines in this wonderful story of
redemption. She
makes me want to know what Charlie
Russell’s kisses are like.
My toes
tingle at the mere thought. I’m
also a sucker
for any story that includes a dog as secondary character. Stacey Joy Netzel’s and Donna Marie Rogers’ Welcome to Redemption has turned me into a fan of these two new writers. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. ~*~*~*~*~*~*All rights reserved. |
