Beguiled Is. . . Well,Beguiling!

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Beguiled
(Bethany House March 1, 2007)
by
Deeanne Gist
and
J. Mark Bertrand



ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her... Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston's wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.

Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything. As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?

If you'd like to read the first chapter of , go HERE



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MY THOUGHTS:
I didn't think Deeanne Gist's books could get any better. The sometimes-quirky historical element intertwined with a romance is a never-fail formula that she has developed. But her collaboration with J. Mark Bertrand in writing Beguiled raises the bar to a whole 'nother level! Set in Charleston, the book contains real-life landmarks, making it recognizable to those familiar with the city. (They did admit fudging just a bit on some landscaping details, conveniently providing additonal parking for the characters' use!) The story itself is compelling. The element of suspense provides additional tension to the relationship between Rylee and Logan. Logan must decide what he believes about Rylee's innocence or involvement in the break-ins which are occurring. For her part, Rylee isn't sure if Logan is really concerned about her or if he's just being the consummate newspaper reporter. As the level of the crimes escalates to the climactic ending, it is obvious that Beguiled is an apropos title for this captivating novel.

I posted my interview with Deeanne Gist yesterday. (Be sure to check out the giveaways of two of Deeanne's previous books!) And in a fun but unplanned bloggy collaboration, Kim at Window To My World has an interview with J. Mark Bertrand, along with a giveaway of this book! Go check it out and tell her I sent you!

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