Title: The HEART Of The Matter: A Mother’s Love
Author: Dr. Julia E. Antoine, et al.
Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance
Publisher: ENVISION Business & Computer School Publishing
Book Blurb:
The love of a mother, whether you've never had it, have it, or miss it, affects us all in a million different ways. Nine talented authors: Best-sellers and Award-winners, bring you BRAND NEW, suspenseful and romantic, short stories in this awe-inspiring novel, The HEART of The Matter: A Mother's Love. These nine stories are sure to make you smile, laugh, cry, and fall in love. They've stirred in a diverse collection into this anthology! There is sci-fi, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, and many more... Something for everyone! The Scent of a Man: Dr. Julia E. Antoine
Danielle Jefferson is young and in love when she volunteers to work at the same archeological dig as Robert (Rob) Raffone. Surrounded by the staggering natural beauty of Kennecott, Alaska, Danielle gives herself freely to the most extraordinary man she's ever known. They share a passionate night, but even the passion they share can't keep him with her. Rob leaves Danielle with a broken heart...and, nine months later, with a cherished reminder of their lost love. Now Danielle is older and wiser and about to make a momentous decision that will affect not only her life but also the life of the one person she holds dearer than her own.
Holding On to Love: Solange St. Brice
Philippa thinks her life is complete. She's married to her high school sweetheart, Roger, and they have two wonderful children. Life couldn't be better, or so she thinks. She lives for her family, and then, one day, her whole world comes crashing down around her when Roger tells her he's not happy and he's going to do something about it. Philippa tries to talk him out of the outlandish plan he's concocted, but no amount of talking on her part is able to sway him.
Dead Witch Talking: T. A. Moorman
Some witches are better off left dead. Elyssia loves her sisters, but she can't help the green monster of envy when she sees them with their mates,and their father, while she is now literally an orphan. Their mother dead, her own father dead, her mate still unclaimed... When yet another Mother's Day comes around and slaps her in the face, Elyssia cooks up a plan to bring Mama back from the dead. Problem is, it might not be their mom she brings back.Witches, vampires, and demons, the perfect combination to make a true hot mess.
One Night of Love: Izzibella Beau
All Bobby Jo wanted was a baby to complete her family. A little person to make her feel closer to her straying husband. But, month after month she was let down, never to feel the joy of announcing she was pregnant. After another failed pregnancy test, Bobby Jo drove for a while in the pouring rain. Then she saw a stranger fighting against the blowing wind to walk wherever it was he had to go. Bobby Jo offered him a ride. It was one night of love, one night of strangers sharing their bodies, minds, and souls. One month later, Bobby Jo got the pregnancy results that she always wanted. But is the child her husband's or the man she left a note, the one she said never try and find her?
No Greater Love: Mariyam Hasnain
Everything was smooth like a fairy tale until....A year and a half into marriage and life grind sets in. Sara and, her husband, Kabeer have less time for each other as they are focusing more on their jobs. Top of that Kabeer has a question mark on his face all the time. What's the question mark about?
The Blue Box: Jan Raymond
An urgent call intrudes rudely into the ideal life that Layla has built for herself. She returns home to bury the past for good. But, the past carries its own secrets that can worm their way into the present. Will Layla be able to come to terms with the secrets of the past and deal with its consequences?
A Very British Mother: Lucinda E. Clarke
It can be a shock to realize that the mother you thought you knew turned out to be something quite different. The moment I was pushed to the front of the stage that night, the nightmare began--one that would shake the world.
Excerpt from The Scent of a Man:
I couldn’t have heard right. Danielle Jefferson could hardly stand still. She was hopping from one foot to the next. Hand clenched on the phone, she prayed that this time the bid she had placed on the house wouldn’t fall through or she wouldn’t be outbid.
She had been searching for a property in Alaska for the past twelve months. Not anywhere in Alaska but Kennecott, a small hole-in-the-wall town.
Nothing much happened in Kennecott, but she loved it. The one and only time she’d experienced true happiness had been in Kennecott, and she had been saving every penny she earned in her career as an anthropologist to return to Kennecott. When she’d read they were reviving the town and there were several properties going dirt-cheap, she couldn’t let the opportunity go by without owning a piece.
Unfortunately, a big developer was buying up everything in sight, and every time she thought she’d found one, she’d lose it in a bidding war. This time, it appeared her luck had held, and she had been successful in her bid.
She had been suspicious of the fact that the agent said the developer had let this one go, but she wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had jumped on it and instructed the agent to go ahead and close the deal, sight unseen.
The house was old and needed a lot of work, but it was in an ideal location right off the beautiful ice-covered mountain capes of Alaska. It was rugged and isolated. Her closest neighbor was almost a mile away, but that was the appeal for her. She didn’t know how Paige would handle it, but it was worth a try.
She knew what she was doing was risky. She had been in that house nine years ago, so when she read they were selling properties in Kennecott, she recognized the name of the town. It had good memories for her, and she wanted to own a property there.
The minute the idea came to her, she thought of nothing else. She couldn’t rest until she owned a piece of Kennecott; it was as if it was calling to her.
The ad had captured the beauty of the spectacular landscape. It was just as she remembered it all those years ago. She was trying her best to remain calm while her agent gave her the details.
Everything he was telling her about the house she already knew, but she remained silent while he rattled on. Her physical body was in Sedona, but her spirit was back in Alaska. She was so busy reliving the memories, which refused to remain buried, that the agent had to say her name twice before she truly heard him.
“Hey, Danielle. Danielle, are you still with me?”
“Yes, I am, John. Please tell me I really did get the house?”
“You really did get the house, Danielle. You almost lost it twice, but the other two deals fell through. Yours held because you have your financing in place.”
“Great! Whoopee do! What’s the next step now? I’d like to fly out there to go visit the place if I can get the time off. Otherwise, I’ll arrange to have a local contractor from up there do the repairs before I fly out.”
“Let me finalize things here. I have a couple of excellent contractors. I’ll see if any of them are available to take on your project. You realize it will be a huge project?”
“Yes, I know. Let me sit down to take it all in. Get back to me when you have all the details, John.”
“Will do.”
The next day, John called to confirm that she was now the proud owner of a property in Kennecott. Initially, she considered allowing John to hire a contractor and have the place renovated before she went to see the property, but she couldn’t wait.
She was impulsive. It was in her nature to make snap decisions, and she made another one that, as soon as the papers were all signed and ownership had changed hands, she would book a seat on the next plane to Alaska. It would be good to be away from the hustle and bustle of Arizona to McDougal/Kennecott, Alaska.
It had taken her more time to convince herself that leaving Paige behind with the Holmes family was her best option. Paige loved spending time with the Holmeses, and their daughter, Susan, was her best friend. The two girls were both the same age, eight years, born only months apart. They had been inseparable ever since Paige had been born, and Susan’s parents had helped welcome her into this world.
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Author Biography:
DR. JULIA E. ANTOINE, aka Ju Ephraime, is the author of numerous bestsellers and award-winning novels, including, I Will Follow: to Eternity and Beyond and her highlander historical series, The Campbell Brothers. Dr. Antoine always knew she would be a writer. She started writing short stories for the local radio station in her hometown before she had even graduated high school. These days her time is spent plotting and creating new stories. When she’s not plotting out her next book, she travels extensively researching new locations to color her stories. She lives in the New England area with her wonderful life companion and her favorite pet, her dog, Gus.
Visit her at www.juliaeantoine.com or www.too-clever.com
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