Seasons Change – Fall Into Love with Margaret Brownley

by | Oct 17, 2010 | Fiction Book Reviews | 10 comments

Her  inspirational novel, A Lady Like Sarah, was fantastic and her second book in the series, A Suitor for Jenny, has already received praise from readers. If you’ve never had the opportunity to read Margaret Brownley’s novels, then get to the nearest bookstore as soon as you can.

I had the wonderful opportunity of sitting in on her class at ACFW – with a load of resources.

Today, she is my special guest and I’m so happy to welcome her to Words Seasoned with Salt.

Margaret, welcome – and thank you for being here today.

Hi Pepper, lovely idea.
So, Margaret, what do you think makes for a nice ‘falling into love’ scene?
Falling in love can be beautiful but it can also be torturous.  The hero in my book A Suitor for Jenny accidently killed his best friend during the War Between the States, and he’s never forgiven himself.  For this reason he doesn’t believe he deserves any sort of happiness.  Realizing he is in love with Jenny nearly kills him.
 
Oh Margaret, I cannot wait to A Suitor For Jenny!! Do you have a sneak peek for us today? Yes, you say!!
 

Excerpt from A Suitor For Jenny
The following scene picks up after Jenny’s two sisters tell the marshal that Jenny likes him.
 
  Rhett sat at his desk in a state of confusion. She liked him. He shook his head. Jenny likes him?  Not possible.

            He didn’t meet her standards. His bank account was pitiful. What extra money he had, he sent to Leonard’s elderly parents. It was the least he could do for killing their son.

            Her sisters were simply . . . what? Confused? Misinformed? Imagining things!

            And what did it matter if she liked him or not? She’d been nothing but trouble since blowing into town. Thumbing her nose at his profession. Stirring up the men.

Riling up the women. Now that she was leaving, maybe the town could get back to normal, and he could concentrate on restoring order.

            Yes, it really was for the best, Jenny leaving and all.

He stood and paced around his office. Of course, Rocky Creek would never be the same once she was gone. Big blue eyes that seemed to change color at the drop of a hat. Yellow hair that turned to liquid gold in the moonlight.

            He shook the thought away. Maybe once she left town, the annoying memory of her sweet lips would go away. Perhaps then he could concentrate on work instead of wasting time watching for her to pass by his office.

            The last thought struck him like a bolt from the sky. He hadn’t really thought about it, but that’s exactly what he did. He stopped pacing. He smiled at the memory of her walking by in that determined way of hers, shoulders back, head held high. His smile faded away. No denying it; he waited for her to walk past his office. Now why would he do that? To make sure she stayed out of trouble? Or . . . ?

            He shook his head. There was no other possibility. He was simply doing his job and that required him to watch her like a hawk.

It didn’t matter that she was leaving town. Didn’t matter all. He didn’t care if she stayed or left. Made no difference to him either way.

            Oh, but it did. It did.

            No matter how hard he tried to convince himself he wanted her to go, he couldn’t ignore the pain that ripped through him. Mary Lou’s words continued to claw at him and refused to go away. Jenny liked him.

And he liked her.

Blasted!

He’d denied it, ignored it, and pretended it wasn’t true, but no matter how hard he fought his feelings for her, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. It started with a simple kiss—a kiss meant to disarm her, nothing more. Instead, it broke through the guilt and grief that had encased his heart all these years. He had killed his best friend. He didn’t deserve to love or be loved. He didn’t.

And yet . . .

He couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving town.

Leonard, will you ever forgive me, my friend? Will you ever ever forgive me for wanting what you can no longer have?

            With quick, determined movements, he plucked his hat off a nail and pressed it hard on his head. He had run his share of misfits and troublemakers out of town since taking over as marshal, but never had he wanted anyone to go as much as he wanted Jenny to stay.

Thanks so much for being here, Margaret, and sharing this excerpt from A Suitor for Jenny. If it’s as good as A Lady Like Sarah, I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Inspirational Moment:

Ephesians 1:3-6

“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.”

Remember, there is nothing you have done or will do to make God love you. He just does.

In the same way, there is nothing you have done or will do to take his love from you. He just will. Always. The most beautiful part of His love, His ‘lavish gifts’, is that he takes pleasure in it. He loves loving us. Oh what a Savior!

10 Comments

  1. Renee Ann Smith

    What a poignant excerpt! Sounds like a touching story!

    Reply
  2. Sherrinda

    I love getting into the hero’s head! This sounds like a wonderful book!!!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Sherrinda,
      we’ve talked about this before. Isn’t there just something so cool about trying to get into guy’s head.

      Reply
  3. Audra

    I love the angst the hero feels from word one. Humble heros are my favorite!

    Thanks for sharing, Margaret.

    And Pepper? You’ve got another great theme going. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Pepper

      AUDRA!!!
      You sent answers to me, didn’t you??? Huh, Huh???

      Reply
  4. Sarah Forgrave

    Love that title, A Lady Like Sarah. 🙂 And it just so happens my sister’s name is Jenny.

    Reply
    • Pepper

      Sarah,
      A Lady like…er….SARAH is a fantastic book. I couldn’t put it down.!

      Reply
  5. Susan Mason

    What a great excerpt! Now I want to read the story!

    And what a beautiful inspirational passage. Thanks for this lovely post!

    Sue

    Reply
  6. Julia

    This sounds fantastic. I love all the old-fashioned advice.

    Reply
  7. Barb Shelton

    This has to be one of the best stories around. The cover is darling and says a lot even before reading the story, which I haven’t done yet! This read appeals to me very much and I’m hoping I’ll get lucky on this giveaway. Thanks for your giveaway and the chance to win the book. I sure hope I do!

    Blessings,
    Barb Shelton
    barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

    Reply

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