COTT Presents Intriguing January Releases-Vote Now

In the Winter Doldrums between Post-Valentine’s Day and Easter, 

we all need a little pick-me-up.

We at COTT are pleased to present these amazing stories for you—from Biblical times to World War Two to Witness Protection to Dramatic subjects—something to intrigue every reader.

Check out the following New Releases. Which one is calling you the loudest? Take a moment to browse, then make your choice below to let us know which you're most likely to read first.

VOTE BELOW from Now until next Wednesday - tell your friends - then come back and see which book is this month's champion!

Happy reading! 

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Ryan Reid is a first-grade teacher and a Christian with a heart for neglected kids, but a chance encounter during an earthquake with Sandy Arrington, a beautiful young nurse, rocks Ryan’s carefully guarded world and unearths the secret he has held deep in his heart. Though Sandy falls in love with him, Ryan’s forbidden affections lie elsewhere, and he must depend on the Lord to see him through a battle he always hoped he’d never have to face.

Mayor Clarinda Finch and high school principal clash over tradition vs. change during World War II. Can they put aside their differences and fight for both their town and a future together?

Witness Protection promises they can keep anyone safe if they follow the rules, so she follows every one of them to keep her daughter safe. But her husband just called--from the grave!

Forced to flee war-torn Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Rebekah and her husband, Ethan, each take something of value: Rebekah, the cup of the Last Supper; Ethan, a copper scroll detailing the whereabouts of a vast Temple treasure. Ahead, separation and danger face them as the struggle to survive and discover where their true treasure lies.

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COTT: February is the month of romance!!

It's February, the month of romance! So here's a book to make your heart go pitter-patter.

Lacy Williams's Return of the Cowboy Doctor was one of our January runner-ups. Today I am thrilled to give you a closer look!

~~~

PURCHASE BOOK

About the Book
Two years shy of his medical degree, cowboy Maxwell White is out of money. So, he's back in Bear Creek, Wyoming, working part-time for the local physician. Though he is immediately drawn to the doctor's lovely, whip-smart daughter, she seems to be irritated by Maxwell's very existence.

Hattie Powell can't quash her feelings for the town's new would-be doctor. But that's exactly why she must keep him at a distance. Hattie is closer than ever to fulfilling her lifelong wish of becoming a doctor. Now, the only thing standing in her way is the man of her dreams.

The Wyoming Legacy series: United by family, destined for love

What COTT Readers Had to Say
*I just finished reading Return of the Cowboy Doctor, and Lacy Williams did a fabulous job bringing her shy, a bit insecure hero to life.
*What a great story! Fun to read. The author's use of descriptions really sucks you in to the story!

Editorial Reviews

* Publisher's Weekly says, "Williams delivers a smart, gentle, and uplifting fourth novel set in 1890s Wyoming...sweet, poetic Max is a lovable hero, and Hattie’s desire to have both career and family will resonate strongly with readers." (October 2013)
* Return of the Cowboy Doctor was an RT Book Reviews TOP PICK! with a 4.5 star review and also received a nomination for the December Seal of Excellence. They say, "I picked up Return of the Cowboy Doctor by Lacy Williams feeling nostalgic for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and was soon transported to an even wilder West for an aspiring lady doctor."
* The USA Today HEA blog says, "If you enjoy Western romance series with fresh characters in each book... you'll enjoy this Love Inspired Historical series from author Lacy Williams."

About the Author
Lacy Williams is a wife and mom from Oklahoma. She grew up on a farm, which is where her love of

cowboys was born. In reality, she's married to a right-brained banker (happily with three little ones!). She gets to express her love of western men by writing historical romance. Her books have finaled in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards (2012, 2013 & 2014), the Golden Quill and the Booksellers Best Award. Her latest release, Kissed by a Cowboy is part of the First Kisses anthology, available March 15, 2014.

Connect with Lacy
http://www.lacywilliams.net
http://www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks

Congratulations on your latest release, Lacey! COTT wishes you the best in your writing career.

Our next clash starts February 19th. Be sure to come back then and cast your vote!

Four Great Novels Brought to You By COTT

As the below featured novels attest, 

Clash of the Titles staff is a talented group!

Please enjoy this sampling of our latest releases. 

The Last Detail
by Lisa Lickel
Hope, love, and loss meld two polar opposite personalities. How long can they keep passion for their ministry and each other after the wedding? Merit ushers in new life; Amalia ushers it out. Love? Obviously. Marriage? Check. Dealing with the family closet? Step back…When tragedy strikes, they must learn to rely on each other in ways they couldn’t have prepared for.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH LISA


Lea's Gift
by Delia Latham (& Tanya Stowe)
A victim of a house fire during infancy, Lea Dale’s severe facial disfigurement pales in comparison to the scars Laren Meadows carries inside...and his painful secret could destroy their chance at true love. For the first time ever, an emotional Lea questions her special connections with Heaven even as she investigates cruel pranks
at her father’s ranch for disfigured teens and tries to deal with her roller coaster heart.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH DELIA


A Cowboy Christmas
by Delia Latham (& Tanya Stowe)
A mom on the run; a special child and her “imaginary” friend; a cowboy; and God. Shy horseman Dex Beckett longs to help lovely Layne Mabrey and her daughter, but Layne's lack of faith and stubborn refusal to relinquish her distrustful heart could get in the way of even Heart's Haven's heavenly residents.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH DELIA



                                     Stopped Cold 

by Gail Pallotta

Margaret McWhorter lives in tranquil Mistville, North Carolina, but there’s no peace in her life since her brother, Sean, took a steroid and nearly died. Margaret and Sean’s father demands excellence in sports, but Sean fell short. Margaret’s still hustling to win at swim meets at Meriwether Christian High, where Sean was the number one quarterback for the football team. In quiet moments she asks God to heal Sean. She’s angry at her father for pushing Sean, but hate for the drug dealers drives her to find them. A clue overheard at a teen hangout sends Margaret and two friends to the edge of this dangerous sub-culture.   

PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH GAIL

COTT: Merry Humbug Christmas by Sandra Bricker

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Merry Humbug Christmas B&H Books (October 15, 2013) by Sandra D. Bricker

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country to take on a new role: Caregiver.

The author says that it was her 8th novel that opened the door to finding her way as a writer. "I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So it was a bit of a dream-come-true when Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch the Love Finds You line."

Sandie's real-life role as cancer survivor has parlayed into her steadfast commitment to raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research. Spearheading a series of devotionals for Summerside Press (such as the popular His Grace is Sufficient...Decaf is Not), the author has stipulated that a portion of each contributor's proceeds will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.


"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with raising funds for my pet projects ... and still pursue my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"

And one of the author's pet projects is animal rescue, evidenced by the special bond she has created with one particular formerly-abandoned puppy -- a red-haired collie with "killer brown eyes and the heart of the class clown."

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Merry Humbug Christmas features two holiday romance novellas from hilarious and heartwarming author Sandra D. Bricker. -- the perfect gift to yourself or someone else at this most wonderfully stressful time of year.

 In "Once Upon a Jingle Bell," A Bah! Humbug cruise to the Mexican Riviera is Joss Snow’s answer to this year’s quest to avoid the holidays completely; at least until she’s rebooked on a different kind of cruise altogether. Candy canes, holly wreaths, reindeer and ornaments seem to be stalking her on the 12 Days of Christmas holiday cruise extravaganza. An escape back to land is her only goal . . . until she meets a kindred spirit in rugged Irishman Patrick Brenneman, and then the game is on! Avoid Christmas festivities at all costs . . . except maybe for that one stop under the mistletoe.

In "It Came Upon a Midnight Deer," Reese’s guilt over abandoning best friend Joss on their holiday tradition of avoiding all things Christmas is trumped by the joy of her recent engagement. Meeting Damian’s family for the first time on idyllic Sugarloaf Mountain is about as far from that Bah! Humbug cruise as she can get, and Reese can hardly wait to get there. But from the moment they hit that deer in the road just two miles from the cabin, everything seems to go wrong. There are no drummers drumming or pipers piping this particular year! And once she sets her future in-laws’ family cabin ablaze, she’s pretty sure there won’t be even ONE golden ring in her future.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Merry Humbug Christmas, go HERE.

This is such a super cute little collection of novellas!! There is nothing like reading a holiday book during this time! Sandra Bricker is a fabulous and witty author who will keep you interested in her stories!!

I love Joss's character in "Once Upon a Jingle Bell." She's the perfect Grinch and someone after my own heart!! LOL Patrick is an adorable bloke who makes Joss go crazy about his thoughts about the holidays. Joss's way of dealing with the holidays is humerous!!

In "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,", the extension of Joss's story entertwined with her friend Reese's story is quite joyful as well. Poor Reese has the kind of luck that only someone on Friday the 13th would!! 

Read these cute novellas to get you more in the holiday spirit! These books were fast reads for me and something I would read again! :) 

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

COTT: Youth Fiction with a Timely Message

For all those who need to unplug from our high tech world, Clash of the Titles presents a novel about reconnecting with those dearest to us, about turning off the cellphone and living in reality. Although written from the perspective of a new teen, Edna in the Desert applies to all ages.

About Edna in the Desert:
Edna is a precocious trouble-maker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna's determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?

PURCHASE:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Electio Publishing

What readers have to say:
*  "Maddy Lederman is a 21 st Century Judy Blume"
* "The author displays literary maturity in her subtle, nuanced and patient treatment of Edna's movement from self-centered to other-centered.I recommend this book to all - not just the YA group & I hope to read other books from this author."
* "Loved this book, brought up so many things I think about in terms of kids, technology and our materialistic society."

About the author: 

Maddy Lederman's writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Sun

Runner, a magazine about California deserts. Maddy has an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College. After school she discovered what it's like to wait around at auditions all day, and so she did not pursue an acting career. Edna In The Desert is Maddy's first novel.

Q&A with Maddy:
What has drawn you to writing for the YA market?
I wanted to write a warm, amusing story about how a modern teenager would react to being totally unplugged. Some of my friends’ kids don’t even look up from their phones to say hello, and I wonder where this is taking our culture. My character, Edna, is thirteen, so the YA market was naturally drawn to my book, but I wasn’t drawn to a particular market. I’ve found that adults enjoy Edna In the Desert as much as teens.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I’ve done many quirky things, a lot of them in the desert! I took a “sound bath” at The Integratron. I hiked up a mountain in 110 degrees on a first date and eventually married the guy. My job in film and TV creates endless quirky opportunities, for example, covering Adam West, TV’s Batman, in creamed corn. We met years later in Palm Springs and laughed about it.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
On Facebook and my website, MaddyLederman.com.

Visit Clash of the Titles for the latest in Christian fiction!

*taken from Amazon reviews

Review: Stress Test by Dr. Richard Mabry

Stress Test by Richard L. Mabry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Richard Mabry has done it again!! I have yet to read a book by Dr. Mabry that I have not enjoyed!!

Dr. Matt Newman is working his way through the world while falling in love with a legal assistant named Jennifer. He wants to marry her and start a life with her but she is wishing he didn't have such long, unpredictable hours. Dr. Newman decides to close up his practice and go into a more laid back physicians role to honor her.

He ends up kidnapped, in the back of a car, going who knows where one night after shift. Was this planned or a freak coincidence and the kidnappers got the wrong guy? Why him? What did he do? He narrowly escapes and wakes up in a hospital room attached all sorts of wires and machines to find out he is now being charged with murder.

In the meantime, everything he had planned is now on hold. His girlfriend won't return his calls, the police are after him for a murder he doesn't know anything about, and he gets a call that his new job is now on hold.

Sandra Murray is a redheaded lawyer who has just learned about Matt's case. She's leery of taking it because, after all, she isn't fond of doctors right now. Especially the one covering Matt's medical case. She decides that she will represent Matt anyway, after the way her responds with her line of questioning in the hospital room. Is she making a mistake?

Matt gets discharged from the hospital and that's where the real nightmares begin. Will he ever get his life back? Will he be cleared of the charges? What about those who kidnapped him?

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat!! I loved how the story never really lets up. I think my heartbeat finally went back to normal a couple hours after finishing this book!!

I will say that there is only one fault I find in the book. If you read this book (or any other book for that matter) and see that the "Sinner's Prayer" will save you, I strongly encourage you to search your Bibles more. Nowhere in the Bible is the "Sinner's Prayer" mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is that to be saved and covered in the blood of Jesus, one must first Hear the Word of God. Second, one must Believe in that Word of God. Next, one must make a public confession and repent of their sins. This is where most people stop. However, in Acts 2:38-39, it reads, "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'" There was a line also mentioned something to the effect of "you don't have to go to church to be a Christian" (I paraphrased that). That is also not true according to the Bible. Hebrews 10:23-32 discusses the implications of forsaking the assembling of the saints. I would love to talk to you about this further should you have questions. Also, please understand that there are many other versus besides the ones I have listed above that will help to answer these questions.

I do wish you, my readers, well and I hope that you will diligently search for the truth yourselves and not rely on what any man has to say in Biblical matters. Our Bibles should serve as our roadmaps.

View all my reviews

Review: Muscle and a Shovel by Michael Shank

Muscle and a Shovel by Michael J. Shank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have you always wondered why certain things you hear from the Sunday morning pulpit don't always match up when you read your Bible? This book is about several characters, all of whom are looking for change in their life. They don't all understand why or how at first, but eventually it all comes to light.

Randall is such a caring individual. He is always cheery and helpful no matter what his lot in life is. He is someone most people either naturally gravitate towards or completely ignore. I need more Randall's in my life!! He shares something most precious to others he works with and the outcome may surprise you.

Christianity takes a lot of muscle, and sometimes the shovel, but in the end, it will be well worth it!

I don't want to give much of this book away because it's one that, once you start it, you won't be able to put it down. I highly recommend this book for EVERYONE and I hope you take some time to read it!

View all my reviews