It’s my pleasure to introduce

Bethany Turner

and her contemporary romcom

The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck

Revell

*******

Who is Bethany?

Bethany Turner is the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. A former VP/operations manager of a commercial bank and a three-time cancer survivor (all before she turned 35), Bethany knows that when God has plans for your life, it doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado. The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck is her first novel with Revell Books.

Becoming a Christian is the best thing that has ever happened to romance novelist, Sarah Hollenbeck. But it also puts her in a quandary. Up to this point, she’s made a very comfortable living as a well-known, bestselling author of steamy romance novels that would leave the members of her new church blushing. Now Sarah is trying to reconcile her past with the future she’s chosen. She’s still under contract with her publisher for the kind of book she’s not sure she can write anymore. She’s beginning to think that the church might frown on her tithing on royalties from a “scandalous” book. And the fact that she’s falling in love with her pastor doesn’t make things any easier.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading this novel (review coming soon!) and it is fabulous – clever, witty, meaningful, and oh so romantic! But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what author Liz Johnson had to say…

“The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck is a rare treat packed with humor, hope, and heart. Sarah’s struggles are real and nearly tangible, and she feels like a friend we’ve all had. I laughed with her and fell in love alongside her and couldn’t wait to hear her whole story. What a charming, delightful book!”—Liz Johnson, bestselling author of The Red Door Inn

Here Bethany explains a little about the premise of this fabulous novel…

What inspired the relationship between Sarah and her pastor? Are you a romantic?

As far as the world is concerned, Sarah’s and Ben’s careers are on opposite ends of the morality spectrum. I was intrigued by the possibilities that existed as they each attempted to understand the world the other had lived in—in Ben’s world, people don’t think Sarah is worthy of him; in Sarah’s world, it’s difficult for anyone to think their relationship isn’t either (a) illicit or (b) dull. I loved creating a relationship that is sexier than you might expect for the pastor and much more innocent and pure than anyone would see coming for the steamy romance novelist. And yes! I am absolutely a romantic! Too much Jane Austen throughout my life has seen to that. (Though is there really any such thing as too much Jane Austen?)

For a sneak peek at Bethany’s style and story, here’s an excerpt from Chapter 1 that you can read in full by following the link below. Trust me, you will want to read this story!

Chapter 1

If you’re willing to admit it, you probably know me as Raine de Bourgh. Yes, that Raine de Bourgh. Did you blush at the mere mention of my pen name? Yeah. So did I.

Three and a half years ago, I certainly had no intention of ever becoming Raine de Bourgh. I was simply Sarah Hollenbeck. Or maybe I was still Sarah McDermott? No. Sarah Hollenbeck. Sarah McDermott was the product of an empty, loveless marriage, and I was doing all I possibly could to prove—at least to myself—that I wasn’t the shell my marriage had reduced me to. But did I even remember Sarah Hollenbeck? The girl I was before I met the guy? Could I become her once again?

The answer had to be yes, so that Monday evening in June, three and a half years ago, I hoisted my Kate Spade messenger bag a bit higher on my shoulder, straightened my Stella McCartney blazer, wiggled my toes in my Christian Louboutin pumps, and took a deep breath. As I reached for the doorknob of the high school library, I noticed a slight tremble in my hand. I didn’t understand what was causing the reaction. I’d been faithfully entering that library each week for two months, and it was, after all, just a book club.

Until a couple of months prior, my life had consisted of the duties of a trophy wife, proudly—though often resentfully—supporting my husband on his rise to the top of a Fortune 500 real estate conglomerate. His Fortune 500 real estate conglomerate. But suddenly, from the moment Patrick sent me a text message that said “Bringing Dan for dinner. He’s gluten-free” followed by a thumbs-up emoji, my life as I knew it was over. Well, I suppose that wasn’t the moment. The moment came later that evening when I caught Patrick making out with Dan’s wife, Bree, in the room I had dreamt would someday be a nursery.

The dissolution of my marriage left me with a lot of free time. There were no gluten-free dinners to plan, no charity events to attend, no bigwigs to schmooze. We had been together since high school, and while the last few years certainly hadn’t been fulfilling or happy, I didn’t recognize my life without Patrick by my side. I didn’t recognize myself without Patrick by my side. All of our friends were actually Patrick’s friends, it turned out. I couldn’t blame them, really. They were social-ladder-climbers, and I was most definitely a woman whose social status was experiencing a free fall.

Read the entire excerpt here!

Connect with Bethany

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Pre-order from Amazon: The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck or Koorong

I had a lot of fun, along with some fabulous writers, to take part in a series of promos Bethany has cooked up! Here’s the first one – enjoy…or maybe just laugh at us knowing we should all stick to our day jobs! Be sure to drop by again next month when I interview Bethany and we give away a copy of The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck.