Unfit for Love? Pregnant-by a man who will never know or care. Gloria, born into a life of prostitution, sees only one solution: get rid of the child. But then she meets John William MacGregan, a miner, left with a newborn daughter and no one to care for her when his wife died during childbirth. So John and Gloria strike a deal. Gloria will care for Kate, and John will eventually raise her son. There is no offer of, nor seeking for, a hand in marriage. When John leaves the mines to seek his fortune in the new Oregon Territory , Gloria, Kate, and baby Danny must go with him. Yanked away from a life of prostitution, Gloria must finally face the pain that has always plagued her, and her longings for a home, a family, and a life free from shame. Ten Thousand Charmsis a beautiful tale of an empty heart floundering...and falling straight into the arms of Christ. A woman with no future. A man with no hope. A God who knows the key to their deepest need lies in each other... Wyoming Territories, 1860.Gloria is in trouble. A mining camp is a merciless place when you're young, pregnant...and a prostitute. No matter. Life will notdefeat her. John William McGregan is in despair. His beloved wife died in childbirth. And while John is a resourceful man, raising an infant daughter on his own seems impossible. Thrown together by a seemingly cruel fate, Gloria and John William make a pact: She will nurse his daughter; he will raise her son. Neither asks for marriage. They are joined by necessity, nothing more. But after a move to the new Oregon territory, facing John William's faith day after day, and receiving an older woman's motherly mentoring, Gloria longs for something more. For the love she's been denied all her life. If only that life hadn't made her unfit, not only for John William...but for God. Then tragedy strikes-making even the resolute John William question his faith. Terrified, Gloria turns to the One she has never been able to trust. But can even God save what now means more to Gloria than life itself: her newfound family? READER'S GUIDE INCLUDED "If you took Fran cine River ''s classic Redeeming Loveand merged it with Janette Oke''s quaint prairie style, you could almost envision the masterpiece Allison Pittman has created with her poignant tale of God''s redemptive power. If you''re in need of a fresh touch of God''s grace, TenThousand Charmsis the story for you." Janice Thompson, author of Hurricane "Are you thirsty, weary, or heavy laden? Come-rest and let Allison Pittman take you to another place and time where you will find joy resting in the arms of Jesus." Lauren L. Briggs, author of The Art of Helping, What to Say and Do When Someone is Hurting, Making the Blue Plate Special, and The Joy of Family Legacies {include James Scott Bell endorsement on front cover} " Ten Thousand Charmsis a terrific debut for writer Allison Pittman, a tale of love and redemption that grabs you and won't let go. It will leave you like it left me-anxious to see this author's future work." James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Presumed Guilty Story Behind the Book "Having grown up watching reruns of Gunsmoke, I knew all about Miss Kitty and the prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold cliché. But when I looked at those women, I couldn't imagine their hearts full of gold. Their hearts were just empty. That's when Gloria was conceived. The story itself came about much later, when at church we sang 'Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy.' The chorus promises, 'In the arms of my dear Savior there are ten thousand charms.' This was the gold Gloria's heart needed. I wanted to write a story about a woman who fallsinto the arms of Christ, not even really knowing that she is seeking Him." -Allison K. Pittman Views: 70
Novelist and thinker Iris Murdoch died on 8 February 1999 after living for three years with Alzheimer's disease. Her husband, novelist and academic John Bayley, had previously written movingly of the impact of her illness in Iris: A Memoir. Iris and the Friends tells of the final year of Murdoch's life, when she was visited more by her own imaginary "friends" than by the exigencies of real life. It brings the story through Bayley's increasingly precarious hold on present reality, to his own breakdown, Murdoch's final happy weeks in a home for the terminally ill and finally her quiet death. Although ostensibly a sequel, it is more an exploration of Bayley's new friends: the memories that were sparked off precisely as Murdoch lost her own—of his childhood, army years, first loves and, of course, their marriage. But there are other "friends". At one point Bayley writes: "The old Eng. Lit. again. I taught it for nearly fifty years and feel detached from it now." Yet... Views: 70
Hearts, cupids, and diamond rings … bah humbug! Amanda Goodwin inherited her Valentine grinchness from her Grandpa George, so when she returns home for her Grandma Elvira’s Valentine’s Day wedding, it’s bah humbug all the way. Fortunately long time friend Dane Weatherby totally gets her grinchly attitude. And if Dane has his way, he just might convince her to say I do instead of bah humbug. Views: 70
Actress Isla Blair's extraordinary, moving and uplifting story of her childhood in India and her separation from her parents when she was sent "home" to boarding school in gloomy, post-war Scotland – and afterwards, when she became one of the youngest students at RADA, training alongside Anthony Hopkins and others and throwing herself fully into life in swinging '60s London. Views: 70
She's beautiful - blue-eyed, blonde-haired and utterly aloof. Her colleagues think barrister Abigail Corrigan is frigid. But at night frosty Abigail turns into raven-haired, coal-eyed Carmel whose sensual needs burn like fire.Then comes a case in which her two worlds collide. The case of MP Stephen Sigmund, a man with his own sexual secrets, now facing exposure and ruin. A man for whom Abigail - and Carmel - are prepared to go to any lengths to prove his innocence. Views: 70
When newly widowed Hattie Rommel chooses a second husband, she doesn't expect him to fulfill her most secret dreams. She just wants him to take her to Oregon.Emmet Lachlan marries Hattie with the understanding that he will be free to leave her behind, once she is safely in Oregon. He is a wandering man, not a settling-down farmer. Then an old trapper bequeaths them a map to a valley where gold lies on the ground for the taking.While Emmet and Hattie gather the gold, they also discover each other. Even lost in love's magic, they both know it cannot last. When they run afoul of murderous renegades, they must flee across untamed mountains to the hidden valley Hattie calls Cherry Vale. In the home she's always longed for, Emmet discovers a peace he's never sought. The end of summer means they must resume their interrupted journey. Can Hattie leave the only place that's ever felt like home? And if she does, will Emmet give up looking for what's on the far side of the hill? Views: 70
Silas Dewitt, newly arrived in an Idaho gold camp, saves two Chinese boys from a mob of drunken miners. But one of them turns out to an independent, stubborn, lovely woman who decides her role is to protect him.Soomey, shaped by poverty and sexual slavery, sees Silas as her means to freedom and independence—until she falls in love with him. Knowing that she is assisting in her own heartbreak, she guards his back as he searches for a cache of gold nuggets.A vicious killer stalks them both, hating Soomey for her race, Silas for his wealth. Silas faces him in a desperate knife battle, but is too late to save Soomey from painful torture. Scarred in body and soul, Soomey tries to leave him. Can Silas holds her with passion, tenderness, and a promise of eternal love? Views: 70
Samantha Owens, the lovable "co-star" of THIS BOOK ISN'T FAT, IT'S FABULOUS gets her very own story in this hilarious tale of romance and friendship gone awry!Samantha Owens is sick of being a good girl. So she's skipping out on her stuffy boarding school and finishing up her senior year in New York City. There, Sam reunites with her former fat-camp roomie, the irrepressible Riley Swain, and is drawn into Riley's high-glamour, high-fashion world of deluxe makeovers, dates with wealthy boys, and wild nights out. Then Sam meets D., the gorgeous, wicked boy who once broke Riley's heart. Sam is supposed to hate D., but she can't. And D. can't seem to stay away from Sam, who never wanted things to get this complicated. Views: 70
