A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist

Back Cover:
In 1860's Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.
Joe Denton doesn't have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle, and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride- one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.
Anna Ivey's journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook-not a bride. When she's handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before she loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHST?
All of Anna's relatives are dead, casualties of the Civil War...and Now she wants nothing to do with the confederates that killed her family. And now her boss is trying to make passes at her, and she needed to get away...That's when she saw Mercer's add for widows and orphans, and how they could make a new life for themselves in Seattle.

Joe's wife died before she could get to Seattle, and now someone wants to take the land he's already work on, and cleared....There's one way that this would not matter....To have his dead wife's Death certificate...Problem...They've been burned. Next chance to keep his land...Get Married, and Quick!
So Joe Pay's Mercer $300 for a bride that he's never met...and that he thought he would never like...all he thought he would do, was provide a roof over her head, food, and anything else she required...but he never figured on having Anna Ivey for his Mercer Bride!

When Mercer contracted Anna to go to Seattle, he just had her sign on as a cook for some lumberjack...she had no idea that she was supposed to be a bride.
Will she be able to do her job, and not fall for her new boss? And will Joe be able to woe this beautiful woman to be his wife before he loses his land?

I have to say this is one of the best books, she's ever written! I just love re-reading this book!
And remember to Leave a comment to win a copy of this wonderful book...that's autographed!

Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist

Back Cover:
Essie Sprecklemeyer is the last woman anyone in Corsicana, Texas, expected to wee with a man on her arm. Independent and outspoken, she's known more for riding bicycles in outrageous bloomers than for catching a man's eye.

And the last man who seems willing to give her a second glance is Tony Morgan, newly hired at Spreckelmeyer's oil company. The disinherited son of an oil baron, Tony wants most to restore his name and regain his lost fortune- not lose his heart to this headstrong blonde. She confounds, contadicts, and confuses him. Sometimes he doesn't know if she's driving him toward the aisle for the end of his rope.

That's how life is...
Deep in the Heart of Trouble!

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHST?
A Great sequel to Courting Trouble...where Essie has resigned her life to being an old maid, running her bicycle company...where she teaches others how to ride and race.
Tony Morgan, he's handsome, he's in Texas, and he's broke. What more could you want right?
Well, he would want his family back...His Step brother has taken over his families business, and kicked him out of the city...leaving his sister and mother there, at the mercies of his brother.

But as Tony and Essie start to get to know each other, they realize there are things in their pasts that they should tell each other, but would that tear apart their relationship? Or make it stronger?
Their's Tony's family, and what they do for their family buisness...and then there is Essie's Past mistake that would shake anyone's relationship at first.

And then Essie becomes a detective, and realizes that everyone has problems...but that doesn't mean you can't love someone for who they are, and not their family!

Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

Back Cover:
Whether it's riding bikes, catching snakes, or sliding down banisters, Essie Spreckelmeyer just can't quite make herself into the ideal woman her hometown-and her moter- expect her to be. It's going to take an extraordinary man to appreciate her joy and spontaneity-or so says her doting oilman father.

Sadly such a man doesn't appear to reside in Corsicana, Texas.

It's 1892, the year Essie's thirtieth birthday, and she decides the Lord has more important things to do than provide her a husband. If she wants one, she needs to catch him herself. So she writes down the names of all the eligible bachelors in her small Texas town, makes a list of their attributes and drawbacks, closes her eyes, twirls her finger and ...picks one.

But convincing the lucky "husband-to-be" will be a bit more of a problem.

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?
As Essie tries to convince her "Husband-to-be" there happens to be a new guy in town who starts to work for her father. And he causes her to make some mistakes that will possibly make it so that her plan of picking a husband more difficult than she ever thought possible.
See most of the men in Texas, don't really want her for a wife, because she rides a bicycle, catches snakes, and wears the Biggest obnoxious hats ever thought of by women.

But when her "husband-to-be" shows up with his Bride...and they start creating their own family...she's on the hunt for a new husband. And that's when Travis shows up in town....The only thing is, He's trouble with a capital T!

Unfortunately this is one of those books, that if i say much more, you would have no reason to read the book....It's a great book, and it keeps you turning the pages to see what Essie will think of next!

The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist

Back Cover:

Speak Politely. Even when you're the only respectable woman around, protesting San Francisco's decadent surrender to gold fever.

Dress Modestly. Wear your sunbonnet at all times. Ensure nobody sees your men's boots muddies by the city streets.

Remain Devoted to Family. Protect your siblings from the temptations that surround them, even against their wishes.

Stand Above Reproach. Most difficult when a captivation man turns out to be a saloon owner.

Rise Above Temptation. No accepting gifts. No bestowing favors. No impeachable behavior...well, maybe just one...little...kiss?

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?

When Rachel Van Buren's Father dies just off the coast of California, leaving Rachel the sole provider and protector for her two siblings.

The only problem is...she's the only Sunbonnet in town ( That's what the miner's call respectable women.) And the only place for them to live is a little shack out back of a Saloon...a Shack without a door! Leaving Rachel wondering how she was going to be able to raise Lisa and Michael as proper individuals.

Rachel is nothing by trouble for Johnnie Parker, starting, when she came waltzing into his saloon demanding he give the young man his money back...From that moment on she was a thorn in his side.

In exchange for Johnnie's shack, Rachel would clean his saloon, and cook...And Johnnie thought he could get used to this treament....Until she started closing down his saloon during the day so she could clean it...and that was just the begining to what she would do to that saloon, and to Johnnie.

The only problem is, her siblings aren't as bent on staying proper as she was...her brother wanted to work in the saloon...and her sister didn't care if she were respectable...in fact she rather enjoyed the attention the men gave her....

Will Rachel be able to enlist Johnnie's help? Or will she lose her heart to him?

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist

Back Cover:

Any ship arriving from England means good news for Virginia colony farmers. The "tobacco brides" would be on board-eligible women seeking a better life in America, bartered for with barrels of tobacco from the fields.

Drew O'Connor isn't stirred by news of a ship full of brides. Still broken-hearted from the loss of his beloved, he only wants a maid to tend his house and care for his young sister.

What he ends up with is a wife- a feisty redhead who claims she is Lady Constance Morrow, daughter of an Earl, brought to America against her will. And she wants to go straight back to England as soon as she can. She hasn't the foggiest notion how to cook, dares to argue with her poor husband, and spends more time working on mathematical equations than housework. What kind of a wife is that? Drew's Christian forbearance is in for some testing.

Headstrong and intelligent, deeply moral but incredibly enticing, Constance turns what was supposed to be a marriage of convenience into something most inconvenient, indeed.

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS?

I love this book, I actually love all of Deeanne Gist's books, but this is a great read. Her Characters are so alive, and you find youself transported to their life. All of a sudden your there with Drew Picking and Planting Cotton, and with Constance washing the dishes in the stream.

Constance was on board a vessil on it's way to America to say good-bye to her uncle...the only problem is that she never got off...that is until it came into port in America. This is where she was sold as a tobacco bride...only the man that paid for her, also lost her in a card game, making her Drew O'Connor's bride.

When they're forced to get married by the governor, only they made an agreement that it would only be a marriage of convience.

Drew couldn't believe the predicament he was in, he was married -to a redhead of all things- and she didn't know how to do anything. She couldn't clean, cook, the only thing she could do was sew and do mathematical problems. What good would that do her in the colonies of America?

Follow these two wonderful characters through the trying problems of colony life...and how they go from fighting...to tolerating eachother!

Don't forget about the giveaway that's going on through out this whole week!

This week I'd like to welcome Deeanne Gist to Caffeine & Romance, Thanks for being here today Deeanne.
Thanks for having me, Rae. Caffeine & Romance is such a fun blog. I love that you spotlight one author for an entire week. That way the reader gets a more rounded picture of each work. That’s especially beneficial for authors like me whose books differ in themes, moods, time periods and locales!

1. Are you a full time writer, or do you do something else as well?
I’m a full-time writer and work an eight-hour day, but those days are also full of many other things besides writing. Email correspondence, blogging, social networking, PR, research, phone calls, etc. Once I take care of those administrative duties that need to be done, I hunker down and write.
Of course, real life sometimes interferes. My husband and I just recently became empty-nesters…in theory, at least. The four kids are still a big part of our daily lives, though.

2. I've Read a great deal of you books, and they are all in my 'Favorite' section of my bookshelves, But what is your inspiration for them?
I have always been fascinated with obscure historical tidbits about our country that we never learned about in high school. I find them in time-line books or in articles somewhere. Then I play the “what-if” game.

3. Do you have a favorite Time Period to write in? If So Why?
Not really. The premises in my books are driven by something intriguing that happens in our history. Those don’t always occur in the same time and location. So I research the time period and location surrounding the event I’ve chosen. I’ve found that by the time I spend an entire year in one particular time period, I’m usually ready for something new and different.

4. Do you have a Favorite series/book? Why?
If you’re asking about my own books, then no. Each one is different, and the characters are so individual in my mind. It’s like someone asking which child do I love the most. But if you’re asking about books written by someone else, then I do have some favorites.
My all time favorite book (which, ironically, isn’t a romance) is To Kill A Mockingbird. My all time favorite romance author in the secular industry is LaVyrle Spencer--her historicals. In the inspirational genre, I think Francine Rivers is at the top of her craft and I enjoy her books very much.

5. From reading your stories, I know that Faith is a big part of them. Would you like to Share your testimony?
I was introduced to Christ at the same time I learned about Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. One by one, the imaginary entities fell to the wayside, making way for the One and Only. I committed my life to Christ at the age of 9 while eating a bowl of Fruit Loops. (Which is still my favorite cereal!) Ever since, my faith has been an important part of everything I do.

6. What's The Hardest part of writing books?
The first draft and the time limitations are the hardest things for me to cope with. When I have an idea for a book, I visit the location and do extensive research on the history. The history is fascinating and there’s always tons more neat stuff than I could possibly include in the book. I have to just pull the plug on the research and start writing.
And then there’s the ever-present publishing deadlines that are necessary in order to meet my commitments to Bethany House, my publisher. In order to publish a book a year, I have to have the manuscript ready in time to meet the editing and printing deadlines.

7. What's the Easiest?
I love going to work in my Porky Pig slippers. And I love hearing from my readers.

8. What's Next for you? Are you currently working on a Book? And would you like to share a little bit of it with our readers?
I’ll have two books published in 2010. The next one is titled Beguiled. It is a contemporary romantic suspense and will come out February 1st. I am co-writing it with a crime fiction novelist, J. Mark Bertrand.
Beguiled, is about a spunky dogwalker in Charleston who becomes the prime suspect in a series of robberies targeting her clients. Between the Charleston Police Department and an ambitious news reporter, she is caught in a complex web that puts her life in danger and threatens everything she holds dear.
My historicals always come out in June. 2010 will be no different. Maid To Match is about two servants in 1898 who fall in love while employed at Vanderbilt’s chateau in North Carolina. Problem is, all servants at Biltmore House must remain single or they lose their job.

9. How was it to work with another author on a book?
Neither of us had ever collaborated before, and we soon discovered that our first plan – to have me write one chapter from the heroine’s point of view, then have Mark write the next from the hero’s – wasn’t going to work. The story had other ideas, so we listened. Eventually we hit on the strategy of building the book up in successive drafts. Mark wrote a draft, which I then re-wrote, and we went back and forth like that until we were happy with the result. Afterward, our editor said, “That’s how most collaborations work.” Now he tells us!

10.What's Your Favorite form of Caffeine?
Peppermint mocha, extra mocha…or chocolate of any kind.

11. Anything else you would like to tell our readers?
I have a very active online community and would love for your readers to become a part of it. If they go to my website (http://www.iwantherbook.com/) then they can click on the “Blog” tab to participate in our online discussions. I upload new posts every Monday. We also have a Chat Room where my readers discuss not only my books, but other books they are reading. If they would like to contact me privately, they can click on the “Contact Dee” tab. Those emails come directly to me and I answer every single one.

Thanks for Spending time With C&R, I had a wonderful time!
Thanks for the opportunity, Ray. I enjoyed it.




Check Back this whole week for Reviews Of Deeanne's Books, and I have a new, 10 Random Things Post Coming this month!

ALSO, Ms. Deeanne has donated an autographed Copy of A Bride in the Bargain For a Giveaway this week....I'll be taking the comments from every post, and doing Random.org.

To Qualify:

1) Must be a follower

2)Leave a comment about which ever post(s) that you are commenting on.

3)Leave your e-mail in your post so I have a way to contact you.....

4) Must be a US Resident

For Extra Entries in the drawing....

-Make comments on each post....

-post a link on you blog, and post the link on my blog...

Butterfly Blessings is giving away a signed copy of The Country House Courtship By Linore Rose Burkard
Giveaway ends, Jan. 13th.... all you have to do is leave a comment, be a follower, post about it, and live in the US....so head on over and enter!
Click photo to head to Butterfly Blessings!