Kirjahaku

Love Song & Love Shine are two uplifting and heartwarming stories in one volume - two compelling, romantic tales about strong, resilient women, who courageously overcome rejection and learn how to move on; special women who find themselves, and the caring, devoted men they truly deserve.Love Song introduces readers to Carolee Austin, aspiring teacher and wannabe actor, who gave up her dreams to support her husband through law school, and to provide a loving, nurturing home for their two sons. When her now successful, attorney husband leaves her for a sexy, young associate in his law firm, he lays the blame for his betrayal at Carolee's feet. He accuses her of letting herself go, of getting fat, old, and boring, and she believes him. Carolee is devastated. She wonders who she is without her husband, and how she'll carry on alone, as a single parent. Finding solace in the kindness of her old friends, and the music of a popular singer of love songs, she finally begins to heal and to move forward. To cheer their mother, and thank her for the sacrifices she's made for them, her sons enter her in a "Make Dreams Come True" contest, sponsored by a popular television talk show. When she wins a trip to appear on the show, tickets to see her favorite singer in concert, and much more, Carolee finds herself, and love, again.Love Shine gives readers a glimpse into the life of a kindhearted, generous woman, who sacrificed her future to care for the aging grandparents, who raised her, and to attempt, unsuccessfully, to save the family homeplace from foreclosure. Leslie Grace Willow is plain. Willow Spring Farm has been sold for a pittance, so she now lives in a tiny bungalow with her orange tabby cat, and waits tables at the local diner, where she patiently endures the ridicule of the thoughtless townsfolk. Tall and thin, with piles of unruly hair, too-full mouth, and huge eyes, covered by thick glasses, Les, as she's not so affectionately nicknamed, has been bullied and made fun of since childhood. She's had to grow a thick skin. The taunting darts slide off of her now, without pricking her tender flesh. But when a handsome stranger appears at the diner, a man who sees past her plain exterior to the striking woman inside, Leslie's beauty shines through; she's transformed and, for the first time in her life, she's in love.

When former Marine, Sean Cody, Baldwin Aviation's premier helicopter pilot, sees wealthy, aristocratic businesswoman, Diana North, striding across the tarmac toward him, he groans. The woman, accurately dubbed the "Ice Queen" by the shuttle service's office manager, is trouble. Against his better judgement, Sean bundles her into the chopper, and takes off for a weekend outing at a West Virginia ski resort. During the ill-fated excursion, the pilot is given a brief glimpse beneath his passenger's frosty veneer, and finds himself unwisely drawn to the warm, genuine woman he sees under the ice. Unwisely drawn, because the woman is older, married, and loaded. Though Sean fights against the growing attraction he feels for the older woman, he is frustrated by Diana's quicksilver nature, never knowing which woman will appear, the "Ice Queen" or the warm woman beneath the ice. Sean wonders if he'll ever be able to melt the thick layer of frost Diana uses to protect herself when she feels threatened.Diana North embraces her "Ice Queen" nickname and uses the protection it provides to survive her loveless, unfulfilling marriage of convenience. The laser-focused executive is surprised by the immediate attraction she feels to the daring young helicopter pilot. Uncharacteristically, she lowers her guard and opens up to him, until danger threatens, then she slams down the icy cold fa ade once more.When, as a result of deliberate sabotage, the helicopter's onboard computer fails, and the electrical system shorts out, it sets off a devastating string of events, from which Sean and his passenger narrowly escape with their lives. Stranded on a deserted mountaintop, with temperatures and snow falling, they begin a desperate trek to find their way to safety, and to each other.Throughout their headlong flight, Sean and Diana fight against the mutual attraction growing between them, while they struggle to figure out who is behind the frightening attempt on their lives. Spring Thaw takes readers along with this fascinating, resilient duo, on their perilous journey of danger, betrayal, and discovery, through the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia, to the Roanoke Valley, Smith Mountain Lake, and beyond. It's a wild, romantic ride you don't want to miss