I’m delighted to introduce you to debut author
Melissa Jagears
and her historical romance
A Bride for Keeps
Bethany House
~~~~~~~~
Who is Melissa?
I am a stay at home mother on a tiny little farm with a fixer-upper house. As much as I love writing and reading about homesteaders, I am so glad I’m a homesteader during an era with modern grocery stores to take up for my slack. I am an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher by trade, and I still work occasionally in that field along with being my church’s financial secretary.
A Bride for Keeps
Although Everett Cline can hardly keep up with the demands of his homestead, he won’t humiliate himself by looking for a helpmate ever again–not after being jilted by three mail-order brides. When a well-meaning neighbor goes behind his back to bring yet another mail-order bride to town, he has good reason to doubt it will work, especially after getting a glimpse at the woman in question. She’s the prettiest woman he’s ever seen, and it’s just not possible she’s there to marry a simple homesteader like him.
Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. Having finally worked up the courage to leave her life in Massachusetts, she’s determined to find a place where people will value her for more than her looks. Having run out of all other options, Julia resorts to a mail-order marriage in far-away Kansas.
Everett is skeptical a cultured woman like Julia could be happy in a life on the plains, while Julia, deeply wounded by a past relationship, is skittish at the idea of marriage at all. When, despite their hesitations, they agree to a marriage in name only, neither one is prepared for the feelings that soon arise to complicate their arrangement. Can two people accustomed to keeping their distance let the barricades around their hearts down long enough to fall in love?
Enjoy this favourite snippet from Melissa:
She’d proven she intended to stay—at least bodily. But this was not how he envisioned living with her for the rest of his days. She’d drive him insane. “I don’t need you to work so hard, especially if you could get hurt.”
She glanced up in between a hammer blow, but kept pounding until the nail lay flattened, nice and sideways. She sat back on her heels. “That was the deal. You provide for me. I work for you.”
“But that’s not why you’re here.”
“What else do you need me to be doing?”
Warming me at night, laughing with me, sitting under the stars and dreaming up names for our future children.
I want you to live with me.
How could he tell a woman so attractive, so distant, what he desired?
Looks like another one to add to the wishlist ~ it releases this October!
Connect with Melissa
Website: www.melissajagears.com
Inspirational Historical Fiction Index Blog: http://
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/
FB Inspirational Historical Fiction Page: https://www.facebook.com/
Preorder A Bride for Keeps at Amazon or Koorong
August 31, 2013 at 8:16 am
So good to see this. And the book sounds romantic!!! It’s already in my TBR pile and I’m definitely planning to read it. Thanks for sharing!
September 2, 2013 at 10:55 am
Ganise » Love it!
August 31, 2013 at 8:32 am
I can’t wait to read Melissa’s book! Already enticed by that excerpt. 🙂
September 2, 2013 at 10:54 am
Melissa Tagg » Oh, yeah!!
August 31, 2013 at 8:58 am
Yep. This one is going on my TBR list… I’m a Bethany blogger, so I hope to get a review copy! That snippet y’all shared was perfect to pique my interest… I really enjoy those slowly-realizing-that-they’re-falling-in-love stories, and I’m certainly looking forward to this one! The cover is beautiful too… I’m particular about covers. 🙂
August 31, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Didn’t they do good on the cover? And not only is it beautiful, but when I saw it, I said “My story truly belongs behind that cover.” They did such a good job representing the story!
September 2, 2013 at 10:56 am
Love hearing when an author adores their cover, Melissa 🙂 Thanks for dropping by and sharing with my readers xo
September 2, 2013 at 10:54 am
Faith » Nice comments, Faith – thanks for dropping by. We’ll be talking covers soon in an upcoming Bookish Question of the Week so hope you’ll stop by for that and share.
August 31, 2013 at 9:17 am
Melissa’s a dear friend of mine , and I can tell you… it is as good as it sounds. I am sooo excited that it’s almost here!
August 31, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Andrea, you’ll have to make sure you see the picture going up on FB………..
September 2, 2013 at 10:53 am
Andrea » Good to hear, Andrea – thanks for sharing 🙂
August 31, 2013 at 9:21 am
Melissa, I really look forward to reading this book. The teaser you gave us I can think of so many plots that could come before or after. Do needless to say I am intrigued. Great post.
September 2, 2013 at 10:53 am
Katrina » Isn’t the teaser excerpt fabulous? I think Melissa will hook a lot of readers just from that passage – LOL!
August 31, 2013 at 10:18 am
Sounds like a wonderful book! I’m adding it to my list, I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. Love the cover too, so pretty.
August 31, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Melissa’s description of her life is priceless and sounds wonderful. I am excited about her new book as it is just the type I enjoy reading. Wishing her a lifetime of blessings with her family and her writing career.
August 31, 2013 at 1:09 pm
Aw, thanks Judith. I really wouldn’t trade any of it for the world…well, maybe the fixer-upper house, sometimes it would be nice to have doors in all the holes and matching flooring, but you know, it’s better than no roof, so I’ll take it. 🙂
August 31, 2013 at 3:19 pm
Can’t wait!!! 🙂