Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Desire of My Heart by Heidi Gray McGill hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title:Desire of My Heart Series:Discerning God’s Best #1 Author:Heidi Gray McGill Publisher: Heidi Gray McGill Books, LLC Release Date: June 1, 2021 Genre: Christian Historical Romance with a Western (Louis L’Amour) touch
No matter how dark her night became, Rachel knew God promised joy in the morning.
1858, Missouri. Rachel faces an uncertain future as she approaches adulthood in the orphanage. With few options and a looming arranged marriage, she risks everything, escaping with her younger brother to avoid a future she never chose.
But when she encounters Melvin, a grieving widower with two young children, her life takes an unexpected turn. Desperate for help and willing to offer Rachel refuge, Melvin proposes a marriage of convenience. Together, they create a family rooted in faith, love, and resilience, navigating the joys and heartaches that bind them.
Just as hope blossoms, a tragedy tests their strength and trust in God, but with a supportive community and unwavering faith, they find a way forward.
Desire of My Heart is a stirring journey of redemption, resilience, and God’s unfailing love. For fans of Misty M. Beller, Lacy Williams, and Linda Ford, this standalone novel in the Discerning God’s Best series will capture your heart. Discover a love story built on faith, hope, and the promise that even the darkest night can lead to a brighter dawn.
Excerpt
Grammie gently touched Rachel’s arm and drew her attention away from the window.
“It’s all right, dear child,” the older woman said. “God hears our prayers even when we aren’t able to voice them.” From memory, Grammie quoted Romans, “‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.’” She turned Rachel to her.
“What is it you truly want, child? What is the desire of your heart?”
Rachel didn’t hesitate. “To be loved by the man God has chosen for me and to have a child of my own.”
Series in Order:
1. Desire of My Heart
2. With All My Heart
3. Matters of the Heart
4. Healing of the Heart
5. Written on My Heart
Prequel: Deep in My Heart (Free with newsletter signup at heidigraymcgill.com/free_book)
Available on Kindle Unlimited, with discussion questions for book clubs included!
Heidi Gray McGill is a celebrated author whose award-winning Christian fiction transports readers to the rugged landscapes of the past, where faith and fortitude reign supreme. With a talent for crafting historical and contemporary tales, Heidi has penned nine compelling books, each filled with resilient characters navigating the wilds of life with God’s love as their guide.
Heidi’s writing is as bold and purposeful as the untamed West itself. She began her literary journey in March 2020. She quickly became a beacon of inspiration, weaving stories that echo the timeless themes of redemption, courage, and the transformative power of God’s love and forgiveness. Much like the pioneers of old, her characters face adversity head-on, offering readers a chance to journey alongside them, discovering healing and insight through God’s Word.
Living in a quaint town near Charlotte, NC, Heidi shares her life with her devoted husband of over three decades. When she’s not crafting stories of grit and grace, she treasures moments with her family, especially her grandsons, and finds joy in cooking, playing games, and exploring new worlds through books.
Join Heidi on her inspiring journey into the heart of the American frontier and beyond. Visit HeidiGrayMcGill.com to discover the transformative power of God’s love woven into her stories. Connect with her on social media and sign up for her newsletter to receive a free prequel to her bestselling series.
Christian Fiction. Relatable Characters. Life-changing stories. Fusing Faith and Fiction™.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive an ebook copy of Desire of My Heart and With All My Heart!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight May 28, 2025 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on June 6, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Welcome to the Blog Tour for Broken Bondage by Carmen Peone, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title:Broken Bondage Series:Seven Tine Ranch #2 Author:Carmen Peone Publisher: Iron Stream Fiction Release Date: October 3, 2023 Genre: Clean/Christian Contemporary Western Romance
A Road Trip to Redemption
Rita Runninghorse is about to marry the wrong guy. She has to get away from him. Now. She flees to a guest ranch in Eastern Washington State that offers a safe haven for women in need only to find the owner on a month-long speaking tour.
Robert Elliot has one thing on his mind: bronc riding. The Indian National Finals Rodeo is within reach, and he’s not about to let anything ruin his chances of going pro. Not even the woman he finds asleep in the stall of their rankest horse.
When Rita’s fiancé discovers where she’s hiding out, she takes Robert’s offer to go with him on the road and prays her fiancé gives up the hunt. Saddled together, Rita and Robert must rely on each other as they go on the road to keep her alive.
Rita waved her phone in the air. “It’s him!” She followed Robert back into the office, and when he closed the door, she handed him her cell.
He peered at the text.
Almost there.
His gaze darted to hers. “Do you know where he’s at?”
She shook her head. “Don’t have a clue. And I’m not sure if he’s bluffing or not.” Oh, how she hoped his text was a sham. But he’d always lived up to what he said.
Robert pointed to her backpack. “Those your things?”
“Yeah, they are.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here.” He led Rita to the foyer, plucked his Stetson off a hat hook, took hold of her arm, and led her out into the soggy outdoors.
Robert’s touch was kind. Gentle. Secure. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had handled her in such a protective manner, and it felt good.
More in This Series
About The Author
Carmen Peone is an award-winning author of Young Adult and Inspirational Contemporary Western Romantic. She worked with a Tribal Elder, Marguerite Ensminger, for three years learning the Arrow Lakes Language and various cultural traditions, which led to her writing career. With the love of history and the Western woman’s lifestyle, she weaves threads of healing, hope, and horses into her stories that lead to happily ever after. She lives with her husband in northeast Washington and on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation.
Connect with Carmen by visiting carmenpeone.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will win a signed copy of Broken Bondage, an $25 Amazon gift card, and photo cards that pertain to the series!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 10, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 17, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for prize as described. Winners outside of the US will receive an ebook of Broken Bondage only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Two distinct sets of villains. Two orphaned children. A man without a country and a woman with too much past . . . . All in a rambunctious young country where anything goes, especially in the West. Seriously. What can go wrong?
In this latest installment of the best-selling series, “Western Dreams”, join Jenny and White Bear as they cross the historic West in an epic story peppered with grit, guns, and glory that award-winning author Kelly Goshorn calls “a sweeping tale of faith, dedication, and perseverance set in the American west.”
Kathleen D. Bailey was a child in the 50s, a teen in the 60s, a young adult in the 70s, and a young mom in the 80s. It’s been a turbulent, colorful time to grow up, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and written about most of it.
More from Kathleen
The “Western Dreams” series
The Oregon Trail was one of the premier events in American history, with people giving up everything to see what waited on the other side of the continent. Some had nothing to give up, and they joined a wagon train simply to survive. That was the case with Caroline Pierce O’Leary, a gently-bred widow whose young husband died before they could make a go of their farm. What would happen, I mused, if Caroline took the skimpy proceeds from selling her farm, signed on as a cook for a wagon master, and worked her way West? And what would happen if the scout on that particular wagon train was the man who had betrayed her years before, and they had to work together to cross the prairie? What if, what if, what if?
Everyone who hopped on a wagon for the Western Migration had a story, and I knew I’d found mine. As Caroline and Michael Moriarty struggled to rebuild their relationship, a host of other characters formed around them like a snowball. The loving Harkness family, who befriended Caroline on the way down from Ohio. Pious matrons who looked down on her and their harried husbands. Jenny Thatcher, the saloon girl who breaks from that life to save Michael’s. And Pace Williams, the wagon master, a man who had seen too much of life before he even took to the trail. The first book in the Western Dreams series, “Westward Hope,” debuted in September 2019.
I fell in love with Jenny and I fell in love with Pace. Jenny followed her new friends to the muddy Oregon hamlet where they settled, and Pace gave up the trail to make a life in the Oregon woods. But I wasn’t done with either of them – they had their own stories to tell. Pace battled his own demons and his love for Michael’s sister Oona, and it was enough to give them their own book, “Settlers Hope,” published in July 2020. I also spun off two novellas, “The Logger’s Christmas Bride” and “The Widow’s Christmas Miracle,” from the bigger books, and these were published with Pelican Book Group’s Christmas Extravaganza.
Jenny Thatcher demanded her own book, and she had a lot to offer. Saloon girl, wagon train scout, hotel cook and maid, horse breeder. Jenny could do anything, and she’d already proved it in the first two books. But Jenny had some unfinished business – the handsome Indian brave who’d saved her life, early in the westward journey. She’d never forgotten him, and White Bear had never forgotten her. What if she left the horse farm, and all she’d achieved in Oregon, to take to the trail again and find him? And what if he had the same idea? What if they crisscrossed the known world, picking up strays and meeting historical figures before coming together in New Orleans? (Honestly, what better place to reconnect with a lost love?) And what if the forces of evil split them up again, so they had to keep searching?
Though Jenny accepted Christ as her Savior sometime in the second book, her past continues to haunt her, and she wonders if she can ever be good enough for God. She’s physically given up the saloon life, but her inner doubts remain. White Bear struggles with a different facet of their union: can he sentence her to the criticism and censure of the white world if they marry?
The epic journey of two larger-than-life people formed the basis for the third Western Dreams book, “Redemption’s Hope,” out July 22, 2022. Like Caroline and Michael, Pace and Oona, Jenny and White Bear find their answers in the Risen Christ.
Am I done with the West? Not likely. While I’m working on new novels set in other time periods, the West and my personal Western Dreams keep tugging at me. What happened to the Harkness family, Caroline’s friends, when they went to California? What happened to the ragged Smith children Caroline befriended? What happened to Jenny’s traveling companion, the would-be miner Noonday? And how can I give this up when I haven’t written a cattle drive or a barroom brawl?
Q & A with Kathleen D. Bailey
Many authors say that they have always been a writer — making up stories as a child. When did you first become a writer?
I was probably six and reading Maud Hart Lovelace’s “Betsy-Tacy” books. Always loved to tell stories. “Betsy” wanted to be a writer and I figured I could, too.
Was there a special someone, such as a teacher, parent, or other relative, who encouraged you to pursue writing?
My fifth-grade teacher encouraged me and let me read my stories in front of the class.
Why did you choose the Western fiction genre?
I kind of “fell into” the Western genre. I had an idea for an Oregon Trail book, and when that was done, I had characters who demanded a sequel. And another sequel. And two related novellas. The West is so vast, and there’s so much I haven’t touched yet – the Land Rush, the Gold Rush, cattle drives and barroom brawls.
Were there any obstacles you faced in your journey to publication?
The biggest obstacle was me. I had to learn to take criticism. Could have shaved years off my journey if I’d listened to more people.
What types of research do you pursue? Books, on-site visits, etc.
Internet research, now. Not so much in person, though I’m always open to it.
What does a typical writing day look like? Are you structured or informal in your writing schedule?
Blocks of time Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the morning, then catch as catch can on the weekend if I have something left over. I live near a lake, and in the summer I’ll often go out and take a dip, then edit hard copy with my trusty red pen under a beach umbrella.
How long does it usually take to craft your books? (from outlines/first drafts to final edits)
It depends. Some “gel” for up to 10 years. “Redemption’s Hope” took about a year. The characters were set because Jenny was in the first two books, but I had a huge task with the plotting. She’s looking for him, he’s looking for her, so those are two separate epic journeys, and I had to make sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. Color-coding is my fallback for this kind of thing.
Can you tell us a little about what inspired your latest novel.
Jenny Thatcher, the heroine of “Redemption’s Hope,” appeared in my first two Western Dreams novels, the saloon girl turned wagon train scout turned hotel cook. Jenny has accepted Jesus as her Savior, but finds it challenging to let go of her murky past. She wants to see White Bear again, the Native man she met on the Overland Trail, but she doesn’t think she’s good enough for him. And as a Native man with a foot in the White world, White Bear doesn’t know where he belongs, so he’s not sure he can take her there. She has to let go of her past, and he has to recognize that she’s strong enough to live the life he can offer her. I knew I wasn’t done with Jenny yet, so I gave her her own book. Of course that meant it had to be White Bear’s book too. I also wanted to do something in the “epic” format, with two characters criss-crossing the then-world to find each other.
What do you want your readers to take away with them after finishing one of your novels?
That God is more than conqueror to anything they are facing, Then and Now.
Readers always want to know what is next for an author. Do you have any works in progress you can share about?
I was going to step away from the Oregon Trail, and Westerns in general, to see if I could be good at anything else. But those pesky characters keep nagging at me. Right now it’s Michael Moriarty’s older brother Tom, stuck in Ireland during the Famine. What will it take for me to bring Tom to the Oregon Country, first in the steerage and then on the wagon train? I’m about to find out…
Happy Friday! My husband loves a Western, be it a film or novel. So when I saw that Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig had a new series, I just had to get him book 1, The Drive. The Storm Riders series promises to have all the thing my husband likes, and I’m anxious to hear what he thinks. If you or someone you love are a fan of the Western genre, then check it out!
Here’s the first line:
Carson Budrow sat low in the saddle, his slicker doing little to ward off the chill wind and light drops of rain.
Out of the smoke and fire of the Civil War, an unlikely friendship is forged. Two men emerge from the war’s ashes, cross paths, and decide to ride together, even though Carson Budrow wore Union blue and Garrett Roads Confederate gray. They form a cautious partnership and hook up with a cattle drive heading from Texas to Colorado. Fierce twisters, deep rivers, heartless desperadoes, bold Comanche with faces painted for war, and gun-toting, strong women will be on this drive. Worst of all is the gang tracking them and gunning for Budrow’s life, something not even his partner Roads or the two women in Budrow’s life think they can do anything to stop.
Can a young widow with no faith in love, hope for a future with the man who broke her heart?
Maisey isn’t about to give Rob another chance to reject her love. Why should she believe that the man who left town without a backward glance three years ago cares about her? Life had taught her all about broken dreams, and she didn’t want to hope again. If only her young daughter would stop adopting Rob as a father, ignoring him—and her own emotions–would be a whole lot easier.
Thoughts of the woman he’d left behind haunted Rob for three long years. It wouldn’t have been fair to ask Maisey to wait while he mined a gold claim. After making his fortune, he’d returned to his family in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Rob was ready to settle down, and he’d rather do so with Maisey. But after their first encounter, it was clear that he’d lost her forever.
Circumstances force Maisey and Rob into one another’s company. They learn, through hardship and loss, that the only way to one another is to surrender first to God’s love.
Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, The Forever Sky explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west.
Janalyn Voigt fell in love with literature at an early age when her father read chapters from classics to her at night. After Janalyn grew older, she put herself to sleep with bedtime stories “written” in her head. Janalyn is a storyteller who writes in multiple genres. The same elements–romance, mystery, adventure, history, and fantasy/whimsy–appear in all her novels. Janalyn Voigt is represented by Wordserve Literary. Learn more about Janalyn, read the first chapters of her books, subscribe to her e-letter, and join her reader clubs at her website.
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 1, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on November 8, 2019. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Many of the books I review are provided to me free of charge from publishers, authors, or other groups in return for a review. The opinions expressed in the reviews are mine and mine alone. No monetary consideration is given. This disclaimer is in accordance with FTC rules.
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