Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Contests Galore!

I'm busy at work on the premier issue of Waterfall Books. Yes, I tend to procrastinate, but there have been a number of changes in my life since I first conceived the concept of this enewsletter. One directly impacts Waterfall Books, and I'll share the details in the newsletter (which will hopefully arrive in the inbox of subscribers tomorrow!).

I awarded the influencer packs (two of which have to be mailed to the Philippines - my bank account is cowering in fear), but there's still the subscriber grand prize to be awarded. For the sake of my bank account, the randomly chosen subscriber must offer a US address, or be willing to provide the shipping cost difference, or they can pass on the prize pack and I'll award it to another subscriber.

But, I'm not awarding the prize until tomorrow, so there's still time to subscribe and enter!

The pack consists of:

Eden Hall by Veronica Heley
Every Fixed Star by Jane Kirkpatrick
Sins of the Fathers by James Scott Bell (some black markings - received it that way from the publisher)
A Nest of Sparrows by Deborah Raney
King's Ransom by Jan Beazely and Thom Lemmons
Only Glory Awaits by Leslie S. Nuermberg
Love Rekindled by Candi Adermatt

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Mission: Russia

I first fell in love with Susan May Warren's writing with her Team Hope series (though I had enjoyed Ekaterina - co-written with Susan K. Downs - earlier). In her Mission: Russia series, she brings her trademark romantic suspense (I'm not sure who does the genre better, Susie or her friend Dee Henderson) back to the country where she and her family served as missionaries.

In Sheep's Clothing has doubtful missionary Gracie Benson stumbling onto a murder scene. Terrified, she flees. FSB agent Vicktor Shubnikov recognizes the kills as trademark of a man simply known as the Wolf. Gracie could be next, but how can Vicktor protect her when she thinks Vicktor is the threat?

In Sands of Time, medical missionary Sarai Curtiss watches helplessly as two children die from an unexplained illness. A government takeover brings a 48-hour notice for all foreigners to leave the area, but Sarai can't abandon her work and the clinic she is about to open. Her brother David asks Roman Novik, the man whose heart she shattered years ago, to get her out in time. Roman still loves her, and while he's realistic about her rebuffs of nearly a decade, he still hopes for a miracle. But Sarai's not happy to see him, and she's not leaving without a fight.

Filled with compelling characters, haunting secrets, and twisting plots, these novels are a must-read for romantic suspense. (The only good reason they should wait in your to-be-read pile is if you're in the middle of one of Susie's Team Hope novels.) I give both novels the Waterfall Books rating of Cascade, though In Sheep's Clothing is my favorite of the two (likely because I can't see myself breaking a guy's heart because I feared for his safety and disagreed with his occupation).