SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #25!

Follow the clues to win a Kindle Fire, free books and more!  

WELCOME to the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! The Hunt begins at noon (MDT) on 10/25 and goes through midnight on 10/28, so you have plenty of time to find all the clues!!  There are 31 stops. Each stop offers something unique and interesting to read, as well an introduction to a new author and a new novel!   (Some stops will also be offering additional prizes! Including this one!)  

While you're at each stop collect the clue  (listed in red at the bottom of the post) and leave a comment (if allowed on that stop).  You will move from Stop 1 (STARTS at NOON on 10/25 MST) to Stop 32, where you'll fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter to win the Kindle Fire.  During your stops, gather all the clues to create the completed clue quote. If your name is drawn, an email will be sent to you on 10/29/12, at which time you will have 24 hours to respond with the completed clue quote in order to win, or another winner will be chosen. 

Grant Prize: A new Kindle Fire, plus 31 new novels!!  

·        

·         2^nd  AND  3^rd Prizes: $50 Amazon, B&N, CBD or BookDepository.com gift certificate

·          

(Contest is open to international entrants. If the winner lives outside the United States, they shall win the equivalent in gift certificate funds to the prize in US dollars.)

Today I have the privilege of introducing to you, not only a good friend of mine, but one of my favorite authors, Laura Frantz!

Laura was born in Kentucky and spent her childhood years roaming the woods and swimming in the rivers depicted in her books. (And if you've read any of her books, you know how vivid her descriptions are!)  She attended college in England, where she lived in a manor and studied Shakespeare and the American Revolution from the British perspective (I'm so jealous!) Her research and experience shine through in all of her fabulous novels, each one so full of adventure and romance you won't want to them down!  

 

 

 

Love's Reckoning (The Ballantyne Legacy)

On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in Lancaster. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?
In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. "Love's Reckoning" is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

Laura has graciously provided one of her deleted scenes!!  It is sure to delight those who have read the book, as well as whet the appetite of those who have not!

Deleted Scene/Love’s Reckoning

Forty-Five

A hope beyond the shadow of a dream.

JOHN KEATS

          The hotel foyer was hushed, the clerk a bit wide-eyed as they came in. Silas paused at the desk, Eden alongside him. She glanced up the carpeted stairs, her breathing shallow. Had it only been hours ago she’d come down from her room, never daring to hope she’d return a bride? Her cheeks, stained from the heat of his kisses, had hardly cooled. Her tumbled thoughts stretched to their wedding day on the morrow. What, then?

            “Have you ne’er kissed a lass these eight years past?” she’d teased when he’d taken her in his arms again in the carriage.

He’d laughed – a low rumble in his throat – not bothering to answer.

            Now at the desk she marveled he was so composed when she was so…not.

“I’d like Miss Lee to be moved to the bridal suite, if you will,” he said quietly to the clerk as another couple came in.

            “Of course,” came the obliging reply. “Anything else, sir?”

            “Aye, fill the room with flowers as befitting Mistress Ballantyne.” The clerk turned away with a smile when Silas said, “Roses, I’m thinking. From the King’s Garden.”

            Eden felt a delight clear to her toes. “Are you trying to bribe me, Mr. Ballantyne? Afraid I’ll change my mind?”

            He could hardly check a grin. “Mayhap, Miss Lee…”

            The clerk returned with a skeleton key which Silas grasped with alacrity, eyes on Eden. “Can I show you to your suite?”

            “Our suite, you mean,” she whispered.

            He took her by the elbow and propelled her up the carpeted stairs. “How early can this wedding be?”

            She smiled, wishing he’d kiss her again, loving the unfamiliar, thrilling feel of him. “Best ask Reverend Herron, though I’m partial to mornings myself.”

            “Aye, the earlier the better. That way I can be back at the boatyard by noon.”

            She laughed, turning to him on the landing, thinking how good a little levity felt. “Tomorrow is mine, Silas Ballantyne. I’ll not let some old sloop woo you away from me. Not on our wedding day. Or night.”

            He framed her face with his hands, his eyes dark with purpose. “I’ll wager I’ll not come out of the bridal suite a week.” His mouth brushed hers, sweetly-rough. She felt the beat of his heart, his banked desire. “Och, Eden. I don’t know if I’ll last through this night.”

            She was dizzy with elation, nearly shaking. He left goosebumps at his every touch…

            “Well, well. Things seem to have taken a turn for the better.”

            They pulled apart, faces flushed yet hands still touching. Stephen Elliot was in back of them, coming up the steps, a look of undisguised pleasure overriding his surprise. “Miss Lee, when I last saw you, you were contemplating a ride out the Allegheny River road. I had no idea what would become of your foray.”

            Silas smiled. “Mr. Elliot, allow me to introduce my bride-to-be, Miss Eden Lee, no longer of Philadelphia but Pittsburgh.”

            Stephen swept off his hat and bowed. “So it’s to be Mr. and Mrs. Silas Ballantyne at long last?”

            “On the morrow, else I can persuade her sooner.”

            “Well, I’ll leave you to your persuading then.” With a wink, he turned and disappeared down the steps as quickly as he’d come up.

            In the gentle flicker of the sconce affixed to one paneled wall, Silas took her in his arms again, trailing hungry kisses from her ear to the soft curve of her neck, her sigh of pleasure a promise of the joys to come.

Tomorrow would come none too soon…

Wow.. I'm hooked already!! Honestly, if you haven't read Laura's books, you are MISSING OUT!!  She has a way of writing that just sweeps you away into another world.

Purchase Laura's Novel at:  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or CBD.com

THE SCAVENGER HUNT BASICS

Before you go, write down this STOP #25 clue:  acting."  

Your next stop is Laura Frantz's blog!

BONUS PRIZES AT THIS BLOG ONLY!
I'm giving away FOUR PRIZES:  First prize is a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate. Secondary prizes are three signed copies of any of my books (1 copy to 3 winners) (That's MaryLu Tyndall's books! If you wish to win Laura's books, complete the Scavenger hunt to enter to win all 31 books!)
In order to be eligible to win, you must do all of the following

• "Like" my Author Facebook Page 
• Sign Up to Receive My Author Newsletter (Entry tab found in Green on the right side of this blog, beneath the Facebook Tab)
• Leave a comment here on my blog about anything related to Laura's post.  

Best of luck to each of you and thanks for participating in this year's Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt!

a Rafflecopter giveaway