Hearts Surrender, Marianne Evans

Contemporary/Romance /Series
Kiara Jordan is a sophisticated modernista, but beneath an engaging personality and super-model looks, her heart hungers, and she longs for deeper meaning in her life.

Ken Lucerne is the charismatic young pastor of Woodland Church ; he's adjusting to life on his own following the death of his wife and copes by keeping as busy with parish life and mission work as he can.

A home-building mission in Pennsylvania brings them together, and forces them to look hard and deep at the relationship they share, and where God means for it to go. Already bound by mutual respect and caring, love dawns, a love that takes them to a life-point neither would have expected.

After all, can a chic, vivacious woman find fulfillment within the quiet, mission-centered life of a clergyman? Can they trust God's hand strongly enough to surrender their hearts to one another…forever?


Excerpt:
“I’ve been the wallflower who bloomed. But I’ve never believed in myself enough to give up the fancy trappings. I've clung to vanity-centered ideals for too long, I suppose. I’ve worked hard to fit in, and finally I succeeded. Problem is, that kind of success is a double-edged sword. That pathway, once you start to follow it, is hard to leave.”

In an unexpected, graceful motion, Ken caught her swing by the chains. He held her in place, suspended backward, with nothing but a cushion of air between them. All at once Kiara went dizzy, tempted once more by that full, supple mouth, and the satiny-looking fall of his thick brown hair. He was close enough to touch. In this moment, she wanted nothing more than to do just that.

“Some time – at some point – I’d like to hear more about that, Kiara. I’d like know how you became the woman you are.”

“I’d bore you to tears. It’s nothing extraordinary.”

“All present evidence to the contrary.” He set her gliding once again and Kiara’s stomach performed a sparkling fall-away. She delighted in his words but forced herself to brush them aside before they could take root and sway her into believing he saw richness to her spirit. After all, it was part of Ken’s persona to be gracious and encouraging.

He continued, “You're moving forward in directions that are not only admirable, but eye-opening – not just for you, most likely, but to everyone who's part of your life. Don't hold to what other people see, or expect of you, Kiara. Be who you are. And while you're at it, create the best version of yourself you can imagine. After all, the only question, with the only relevance that matters, is this: Who are you now?"

When she sailed back his way, he caught the chains of her swing once again and whispered in her ear, "I believe in you."

With that, he released her on a push, sending Kiara on another dizzying spin of sensation. He walked away, retracing his steps up the path to the cabins and mess hall. She swung to a stop then sat in silence for long moments after he left, absorbing, shivering in a way that had nothing at all to do with the cool of the encroaching night.


Reviews:
Five Hearts – Five Heart Sweetheart Winner - The Romance Studio, Brenda Talley

Ms. Evans has once again delivered a book which I could not put down. I had looked forward to it since completing book one, Heart’s Crossing. I was definitely not disap-pointed. After setting such a high standard for herself in her first book, she just proved that she was fully capable of maintaining the level of expert writing we have seen prior to this. After reading this, I cannot wait for the rest of this series. If possible, it just got bet-ter than the first book. I anxiously await the sequels to this book. I commend Ms. Evans for her ability to write such a book and keep our interest high.


4.5 Books – Happily Ever After Reviews, Clare

A sequel to Heart's Crossing, Ms Evans has once again captured the spirit of true love in Hearts Surrender. It's not necessary to have read the first book, to be enchanted by this one, as it stands alone, second in a series of four. This tender love story, not only puts Ken and Kiara through the emotional wringer, captivates the reader's heart as well and more than once I could have done with one of Pastor Ken's hanky's!

Why Marianne Wrote Hearts Surrender:
Folks who are familiar with the Inspirational E-Books blog may recall my first visit here, when I talked about Hearts Crossing. When I finished Hearts Crossing, and waited to find out if it would even be published, the voices of Ken and Kiara, two of the secondary characters, began speaking to me. Actually, I take that back. They weren’t speaking, they were shouting at me for their story to be told. I wrote the sequel, Hearts Surrender, on faith alone – and by God’s grace these books have led to the creation of the Woodland Series. In this book I was very intrigued by the idea of taking a charismatic, energetic young pastor, and finding out what would happen when he fell in love with a vivacious, chic, stylish woman of modern influence. Not a ‘bad girl’ by any stretch, but a woman seeking more in her life than the latest in high style, and relationships that only run surface deep. Kiara is a woman on a faith journey, who struggles with self worth, and Ken is God’s answer to her hearts call.

Take Away:
Always dive beneath the surface of your most important relationships; find the deeper meaning, the God-given purpose of why people are, and remain, a part of your life.

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Author Bio:
Marianne Evans has written numerous contemporary romances. Kensington Publishing purchased her first book, Friends & Lovers. Her second, Right Hand Man, followed shortly thereafter. Her third release from Kensington, Hannah’s Heart, won critical acclaim from The Oakland Press. Her fourth book is her inspirational romance debut with White Rose Publishing – a contest winning novella entitled Hearts Crossing.

The success of Hearts Crossing as led to the creation of The Woodland Series. Hearts Surrender, Hearts Communion and Hearts Key will tell the continuing story of characters first introduced in Hearts Crossing, all of which will revolve around Woodland Church. The series will be available in both print and e-book format. Hearts Surrender will be released in late 2010.

A lifelong resident of Michigan, Marianne is an active member of Romance Writers of America. She’s a long-time member of Greater Detroit RWA where she served the chapter in a number of capacities, but most notably for two terms as Chapter President. She also belongs to the Faith Hope and Love chapter of RWA, American Christian Fiction Writers and the Michigan Literary Network.

For more about Marrianne Evans, please visit http://www.marianneevans.com/

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