Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Blog Tour: To Have and To Hold by Charlene Raddon (Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway)



Today, Love Saves the World welcomes Charlene Raddon and her book, To Have and to Hold.

Charlene will give away a free copy of one of her other books at each stop and for the grand prize, a $15 Amazon gift card. To visit Charlene's other stops (and to read more excerpts of her book), click here.

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About the book:



Blurb:

A woman without a prayer ...

A widow with two children, Tempest Whitney had to mortgage everything to repay the money her husband had stolen. But even as she struggles to hold onto her Utah homestead, a scheming rancher buys up her debts, demanding she either get off his land or marry him. Then a dark-haired stranger shows up, claiming to be her dead husband ...

A man without a past ...

Buck Maddux spent two years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Now a death bed promise has brought him to Tempest’s dugout. A man without roots, he doesn’t plan to stay—or to feel so fiercely protective of this feisty beauty he saves from a forced marriage. Suddenly, Buck yearns for a home, a family, a lasting love. But what can he offer Tempest? The surprising answer lies in the forbidden canyons of an ancient Anasazi tribe, where fortune and danger await—along with a passion more precious than gold ...

Excerpt:
Riding up to the house, he called out a hello and dismounted. Surrounded by barking dogs he proceeded to water his horse at a well built over a natural spring. From beneath the wide brim of his Stetson he searched for some sign of life. Finally he headed to the house, spurs jangling in his wake. His fist was raised, ready to knock, when the rough plank door swung inward and the business end of a Henry repeating rifle met with his nose.

"Judas!" He jerked back and stumbled over his own big feet. A cat screeched, letting him know he had mangled its tail. The critter got even by climbing Buck’s leg. Yelping and dancing while he tried to extract the cat, he trampled two or three more felines. Easy to do; half a dozen littered the yard, along with pigs and a flutter of chickens.

"Whoa there, ma'am." He held up a hand. "Don't mean you any harm."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The cat took off, kinked tail in the air. Buck checked for damage and decided he’d live. "That's a mite awkward to explain." He took off his hat, wiped his brow on his sleeve and replaced the hat back, buying time while he studied her.

She wasn't much to look at. The braid hanging to her waist appeared as though crows had been pecking at it. Dun-colored strands fluttering about her head gave her a wild look that belied the delicacy of her face. A strong chin balanced her large eyes and a mouth as stubborn as the mules in the pole corral. A patched apron hung to her scuffed boots and hugged her legs snugly enough hint she wasn't wearing skirts. He was wondering what might be under the apron when she spat, "Spill it, mister. I haven't got all day."


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About the author:


 photo MEDIAKITCharportrait2009smer_zps1797f8fa.jpg
Charlene first serious writing attempt came in 1980 when she awoke one morning from an unusually vivid and compelling dream. Deciding that dream needed to be made into a book, she dug out an old portable typewriter and went to work. That book never sold, but her second one, Tender Touch, became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent. Soon after, she signed a three book contract with Kensington Books.

Five of Charlene's western historical romances were published between 1994 and 1999: Taming Jenna, Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist under the title Brianna), Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist), To Have and To Hold (Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and writing as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses.

Forever Mine and Tender Touch are available as e-books and after January 24, To Have and To Hold will be as well. When not writing, Charlene loves to travel, crochet, needlepoint, research genealogy, scrapbook, and dye Ukrainian eggs.

Links:
Website: http://www.charleneraddon.com/
Blog: http://www.charleneraddon.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharleneRaddon?ref=hl

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Charlene will give away a free copy of one of her other books at each stop and for the grand prize, a $15 Amazon gift card. To visit Charlene's other stops (and to read more excerpts of her book), click here.

Giveaway for the book from Charlene's backlist is through Rafflecopter. Enter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

19 comments:

  1. lol it would be a cat named Judas that draws his attention! Thanks for sharing the blurb and the excerpt!!!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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  2. Thank you, Goddess Fish and Charlene for the opportunity!

    Hi, Andra! Thank you for dropping by! (My husband and I love cats! ^_^)

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  3. Good morning, everyone, and thanks for dropping by. I also want to thank Goddess Fish and my host, Love Saves The World, for having me today. I adore cats too, Tin. In fact, you'll find on in each of my books, some more prominent than others. In my sequel to To Have and To Hold, The Scent of Roses, due out in June, you'll find a ghost cat.

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  4. Thank you Ingeborg. How are you today?

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  5. So far, I'm enjoying what I'm reading about your book. I notice all the books you've written are set in the mid to late 19th century American West. Is that right? Do you have plans of writing in a different time period and/or setting your stories in a different part of the country or another country all together?

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  6. Yes, Karen, my stories are all set in the 19th Century American West. I do have a contemporary fantasy set in Wales I hope to get published after some more editing. But my voice seems to be primarily western historical. I love reading all time periods though.

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  7. I adore the way this book sounds! I love me a tortured hero.

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  8. Me too, Chelsea. Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. I love a good cat lady! LOL. She shows some real spunk in this excerpt. I like that.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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  10. Sounds interesting

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  11. I do love first meetings & this one's a hoot.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  12. Hey, Catherine Lee, nice to hear from you again. Yes, Tempest is quite spunky. Thanks for visiting.

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  13. Thanks for your comment, Mary. And thanks for visiting. I'm glad you enjoyed the "meet".

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  14. Ladies, I'm going to do the drawing now. Ok, just a sec. Let's see...the winner for today's drawing is MARY PRESTON!! Congratulations, Mary. I'll be contacting you.

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