Saturday, April 15, 2017

Surrendered

About the Book

Book: Surrendered
Author: Elaine Manders
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: December 28, 2016
The fight never ends until someone surrenders.
Having vanquished his political enemies, Rhyan Cason is anxious to get home to his beloved Carianne. Then he receives word an anthrax outbreak threatens his ranch. Even as he ponders how he can afford to take a wife, dark secrets from the distant past shake his beliefs to the core and convince him he’ll never be able to find forgiveness or make Carianne happy.
Carianne Barlow is stunned when Rhyan breaks their secret engagement. She leaves Sollano, the beautiful ranch house she loves almost as much as its owner, and returns home to Westerfield. While waiting for her shattered heart to heal, she shifts her attention to building the library she’s promised the town.
Even though Colt Holliman offers her a new courtship, circumstances keep drawing her back to Sollano and Rhyan. Torn between her affection for Colt and her love for Rhyan, Carianne realizes almost too late Rhyan’s troubles lie deeper than saving the ranch. He fights an evil that threatens more than his love for her—one only God can defeat.
My Thoughts: Sometimes you pick up a book to read and from the first page it grabs you and won't let go, this is one of those books. I enjoyed how the characters were flawed yet real. Rhyan has pretty much everything a guy could ever want, except a relationship with the Lord. He knows in order for Carianne and him to be able to marry he must be a believer. I like how he didn't let that sway him though. He knew if he was going to have a relationship it had to be true and on his terms, not just for Carianne. 
Carianne basically knew she loved Rhyan from the first time she laid eyes on him but she's made a promise to herself, she refuses to marry an unbeliever. I like how she loved him in spite of himself. She could've beat him over the head with verses or pointed out his many flaws, yet that's not what she does, she asks him questions designed to make him think deeper thoughts than he would on his own. She also lives out her faith by using her means, int his case her money, to provide for the town and for individuals in need. She's not desperate for a husband. Don't get me wrong she loves Rhyan and has every intention of marrying him but she's not going to sit around pining after him. 
All in all I truly enjoyed Surrendered and believe you will too! I can't wait for the next book in the series to see if Rhyan ever finds his mom and to see if Colt finds himself a wife.
*I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own. 

About the Author

Elaine Manders writes wholesome Christian romance and suspense about the bold, capable women of history and the strong, dependable men who love them. She prefers stories that twist and turn and surprise, told by characters who aren’t afraid to show their love for God and each other. She lives in Central Georgia with a happy bichon-poodle mix. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, crafts, and spending time with her friends, daughter, and grandchildren.




Guest Post from Elaine Manders

I was born with the gift of story. The make-believe of childhood never left me, but it wasn’t until my daughter left for college, and I was left with the empty nest, that I decided maybe it was time to start writing the stories crowding my mind. I joined a local writers’ group, took a fiction writing course, developed the craft, went to conventions, and started pitching to editors.
Since I wrote romance, I found the publishing industry pushing me to a place I didn’t want to go. The secular publishers wanted steamier writing, and I complied as much as I could. Then when I was offered a chance for publication, I couldn’t allow my name to go on the book. The Christian publishers had a very narrow marketing concept. Again, I tried to comply until I felt the joy of story being squeezed out of me. I took a twelve year hiatus from writing.
Then in 2012, I was sitting in church listening to the familiar parable of the talents. When my pastor asked the question, “Are you hiding your talent?” I immediately visualized that closet filled with my unpublished manuscripts. I rededicated myself to putting my talent to use, and I asked God to send me a new story, if this was what he wanted me to do.
Later that week, I was on the golf course when I laid down on a little hill waiting for my husband to chase a ball in the woods and stared into the deepest, bluest sky I’ve ever seen. The sun was high in the sky, but the shade of blue was so dark I could actually see, not only the moon, but some of the stars. Looking into that sky, I experienced a strange sensation, as if I’d lost contact with the earth and was moving into infinity. I wondered, as I had many times before, how an atheist could look into the heavens and not believe in the Creator. This led me to an investigation of scientific atheism, Darwinism, and the entire series, Intrigue under Western Skies, was born. My protagonist is a Darwinist of the 1880s. Book 1, Pursued, is his spiritual journey to belief in Christianity, and Book 2, Surrendered, takes him to acceptance. The heroine, of course, helps him on this journey, while dodging all the dangers the old west has to offer. Incidentally, Pursued will be free on Amazon Apr 18-19.

Blog Stops

April 11: 100 pages per hour
April 11: Karen Sue Hadley
April 14: Bigreadersite
April 17: cherylbbookblog
April 17: Baker Kella
April 18: I Hope You Dance
April 21: Pause for Tales

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elaine is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b5ae

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2 comments:

  1. stitchesthrutimeApril 15, 2017 at 8:20 AM

    Hi Chas, Bingo, you are indeed a book nerd. You defined the subject of the next book in this series perfectly, which should come out sometimes in Nov. In the meantime, Book 1, will be free 18-19 Apr, in case your readers are interested. Thank you for your professional and encouraging review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Caryl KaneApril 23, 2017 at 6:53 PM

    Great review!

    ReplyDelete

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