Backcover
blurb:
Didi O’Brien is
engaged—at least she was an hour ago. Now she’s not so sure. Her fiancé, the
suave Kevin Cabot, has just revealed that he’s been unfaithful, and he’s not
the least bit sorry. Reeling from the betrayal, with her plans for a
happily-ever-after life in doubt, she prays for direction. The answer comes as
a complete surprise. God has someone better in mind.
Middle school
teacher, Jake Montgomery, is struggling with some issues of his own. Sadly, a
year previously his fiancée had been killed in a car crash. Battling anger and
despair, in a mountain-top experience, Jake wrestles with the Almighty, and is
ready to live again. In his youth, he’d felt an unmistakable call to the
ministry but, like the prophet Jonah, since then, he’s been running hard in the
wrong direction.
Through a crisis
of faith, and glimpses of mercy, Didi and Jake find each other. But can they
find the strength to resolve the many obstacles that conspire to keep them
apart?
Long
Excerpt
Love, Lies, and Fireflies
Jan Elder
“But, Kevin, I don’t understand. What do you mean
you went out with another girl? What girl?” Didi O’Brien’s swiped at eyes
brimming with tears.
Kevin sipped his single malt. “Her name’s Mindy,
and she relocated here from the Midwest a few months ago. She’s a Pilates
instructor at my gym.” He squirmed in his chair and shrugged. “Look, she’s just
a kid of twenty-four, and she doesn’t know anyone here in the area.”
Stomach churning, Didi shoved her dinner away,
barely noticing when the sauce from her beef bourguignon splashed onto the
white tablecloth. She swallowed, words refusing to come.
Kevin continued in a monotone. “It’s not like I
planned it. I was just being a nice guy and showing a stranger around town. You
know, being neighborly. Believe it or not, she’s a real nut for baseball, and
last night the Nationals were playing the Cardinals….”
“You took her to a baseball game? Last night?”
Didi managed to squeak out the words despite the block of granite in her throat.
“Oh, come on. Stop getting so defensive here. You
don’t even like baseball. When I saw her last Friday….”
“You went out with her last week, too? On a
Friday?” Didi’s voice started out shaky but managed to rise over the
conversational hum of the other diners.
“Shhh. Pipe down. Don’t go getting all ‘female’
on me.” Kevin picked up his fork and speared a green bean almondine. “So what
if we’ve been to a baseball game, the museum, and had coffee a few times? Last
Friday, the Smithsonian had this cool special exhibit on the life of Roberto
Clemente. You probably don’t know this, but he’s a Hall of Famer who won the
National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1966. He led the league in batting
average.”
“Have you slept with her?” She had to ask,
though she didn’t really want to know the answer.
Kevin didn’t deny it. Instead, he growled, “So
what if I did? I told you it’s not serious. Plus, you had some ridiculous
church thing going on last Friday, so you weren’t available.”
Her breath caught as she lowered her voice.
“That’s hardly the point, Kevin. Did you tell her you’re engaged?”
“Why would I?”
“I’ll take that as a no. Do you love her?”
“Of course I don’t love her, and I’m getting
tired of this tête-à-tête. I knew you were going to overreact. Mindy’s a cute
kid from Dubuque who needed someone to show her around, and now you’re getting
all weird on me, when I was only being considerate.”
Glancing down at his Rolex, Kevin huffed out a
sigh. “Maybe we should talk about this after you decide to behave like an
adult.” He flagged down the waiter and signaled he was ready for the check. “I
decide to be honest, as a courtesy to you, and you put me through a Spanish
Inquisition.”
With a
hot flush pricking her cheeks, Didi slipped out of the booth, storming toward
the exit. She refused to hear any more of his flimsy excuses.
Dodging the
other patrons leaving the restaurant, Didi sprinted across the asphalt to her
car. She fell into the driver’s seat, jammed her key into the ignition, and
zoomed out of the parking lot. She had to get away from that man! On autopilot,
she drove through town, barely remembering to stop at the stop signs. Leaving
Chez Monte Carlo far, far behind, she headed to the safety of home.
She came
to a fork in the road. In no mood to dally, she chose the shortcut home,
veering left onto Deer Hollow Road.
Bad
decision.
She drove way too fast, but right now, she
didn’t care. Sliding on shallow gravel down the first steep hill, she missed
the deep ditch on the right side of the road by a narrow margin. Instead, she
slammed into a mud-drenched pothole, skittered sideways, and careened toward an
ancient oak.
Stamping hard on the brake,
she yelped as the car jarred to a halt. Maybe she did care after all. “Please,
Jesus, help me get home in one piece. And if Kevin’s still on the road, crash
him into the biggest tree you can find!”
Deer Hollow, slippery and dangerous when wet,
was rarely her route of choice. Now she remembered why. She shoved her two-door
coupe into gear and edged her way toward home. The tires slowed, but her mind
raced in circles like an Olympic speed skater. In one tortured hour, her
balanced world had been tipped topsy-turvy. She closed her hands tightly around
the steering wheel, desperate to make it home before this crazy country lane
tore her little red car apart.
With great caution, Didi drove down a steep
slope, eased over the one-lane bridge, and rounded a curve. She’d nearly made
it to the end of the road when a rabbit darted in front of her. She had just
enough time to wrench the wheel hard to the left to avoid it. She braced
herself for that horrifying “thump-thump” announcing she’d killed one of God’s
furry creatures, then sighed with relief. Missing the bunny was the only happy
event in what was otherwise a thoroughly rotten evening.
A cavernous empty space grew in the pit of her
stomach as waves of fury crashed over her. Heat crept up her face and tears
trickled from her eyes. Why did she always cry when she was mad? Kevin’s
announcement had left her reeling. With her adrenaline surging from the near
bunny-cide, Didi breathed in and tried her best to calm down. She pulled to the
side of the road and stopped the car before she did something stupid. Resting
her head on the steering wheel, she slumped deep into her misery. After this
terrible night, did she have a clue where her life was going? The uncertainty
was unnerving.
A dreary, gray sky hung heavy with unshed
moisture. Sheets of rain had drenched the area for three days straight, and
another whopper of a storm had been threatening for the past few hours. As she
headed again for home, the first drops came splashing and splattering down. Great. Just great. As if to match her mood, wicked forks of lightning
streaked across the sky, static electricity crackled in the air, and the rains
crashed down with a vengeance.
Didi breathed a quick prayer her car would start and turned the
key. Her trusty vehicle purred to life on the first try, even with 138,567
miles and an oil filter that should have been changed a thousand miles ago. She
patted the dash and glanced up to the sky. Thank
you. Tonight, she would have crawled the three miles home in the driving
downpour rather than call Kevin Francis Cabot, a.k.a. The Rat, to come and
rescue her.
How could he do that
to her? Didn’t she deserve better?
The problem was…she
loved him. Until an hour ago, she’d have sworn he loved her, too. What was
wrong with her that he’d wanted
someone else?
She didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want
to try and understand it tonight. With a heavy heart, she banished the
conflicting thoughts from her mind and pointed her car toward home.
Short
Excerpt:
With sleepy, half-closed eyes, Jake
yawned and opened his arms in invitation. Without hesitation, Didi slid into
his embrace. “You’re welcome,” he murmured into her ear. He stroked her hair as
she nestled into his shoulder. His arms around her were warm and comfy.
Knowing Jake needed his rest, Didi
stretched up and planted a light kiss on his cheek. When she tried to let him
go, Jake tenderly drew her closer.
“Not this time, Didi.” Pulling back
slightly, his gaze full of longing reached out to her. Gentle fingers wound
themselves in her hair as he whispered, “Close your eyes.”
His husky voice sent shivers of
anticipation down Didi’s spine. Heart pounding, she drew in a deep breath and
lowered her eyelashes. Slowly, so slowly, he drew her closer and kissed her
with soft, chocolate-scented lips. With her eyes still closed, she melted into
him, and he kissed her again—this time not quite so softly.
They stood in the hallway, arms draped
around each other, until a drowsy Jake bent back against the door and groaned.
“Now I really do have to go before I
collapse on your floor, but I’d love to see you again. What are you doing
Friday night?” His eyes held a trace of fire as he brushed a strand of hair
from her face.
The touch of his fingers on her
cheek warmed her heart and gave her shivers. He was a good kisser—no, a great kisser. Beating back apprehension,
she made a quick decision. This man was a gentleman, unlike Kevin. “Instead of
going out, why don’t you come here? I’ll make dinner if you bring popcorn and a
movie. Does that work for you?”
“A nice, quiet evening sounds
wonderful, but don’t fuss over dinner. I’m easy to please. Around seven?”
“Perfect.” He leaned in for a swift
final kiss, and Didi was charmed that he seemed to have a hard time letting her
go.
She picked up his lunch bag from
where he’d let it drop to the floor, handed it to him, and stepped back. “Night,
Jake.”
Bio:
Jan is an inspirational romance
writer with a passion for telling stories other women can relate to on a deep
level. She strives to write the kind of book that will strengthen the reader’s
faith, while also providing an entertaining and engrossing love story. Love,
Lies, and Fireflies is her third novel. The book delves into weighty subjects
such as betrayal, suicide, lost dreams, and the magnitude of God’s mercy and
grace. The reader is introduced to a loving and forgiving Lord who walks beside
us in our daily lives.
Besides writing romance, she enjoys
the occasional hazelnut cappuccino as well as tuning in to Turner Classic
Movies. Always an avid reader, she devours books voraciously, both Christian
and secular. She was born a cat-lover and all books will, no doubt, feature a
feline in some way or another.
Happily married for thirteen years
to loving (and supportive) husband, Steve, the two live in central Maryland
along with Jamie (a chubby black and white tuxedo cat), and Shu-Shu (a willowy
tortoiseshell cat). On the weekends, Jan and Steve comb the nearby countryside
in search of the perfect ice cream flavor.
You can visit Jan at JanElderAuthor.com
Amazon author page
my review:
Didi and Jake seem to be in the right place at the right time for each other. Both have broken relationships, both feel an almost instant attraction for each other, and both are cat people. But is this what God wants for them in the long run? And can they trust God to lead them through the rain into the sunshine the other side.
True love never runs smooth and that's certainly true here. With a hero and heroine you have to root for, an amazing cast of true to life secondary characters, and two adorable felines each with their own personalities, not to mention a villain I wanted to thump a couple of times, this is one gripping, unputdownable novel. I think my new favourite colour is twilight blue.
I loved this book. Pulled in from the get go, my brief read in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, turned into non stop reading, until I realised it was time to leave for church and several hours had passed. Definitely a keeper and going straight back into my TBR pile.
I was given a copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
You can buy the book HERE
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