posted on June 16, 2014 by Debra Clopton

Four Weddings and a Kiss Novella Collection: A Collection of Unlikely Brides

ROMANTIC TIMES MAGAZINE’S TOP PICK 4.5 Stars 
This amazing group of authors shares how love is sparked under unfamiliar circumstances. The tidy way these novellas are bound together makes this one of this reviewer’s all-time favorite anthologies. The most unexpected matches will make readers laugh and cry. The authors manage to draw our attention and deliver each love story in a quick, easy read. This collection is extremely entertaining and will make readers think back to their first kiss.

CBA-REVIEWERS-DISTRIBUTORS
This book contains four stories from four wonderful authors about the unpredictability of life, the amazingness of the Lord, and the wonderful ways He works within our lives to find that special someone He’s picked out for us.

fourweddingsWhen my anthology partners, Margaret Brownley, Mary Connealy, Robin Lee Hatcher and I sat down to brainstorm our second novella collection, we came up with the unlikely bride idea—can’t remember who came up with it now, I just know it wasn’t me, but I loved it instantly.  At least I did until it came to figuring out what was going to make my bride “unlikely”.  That’s when I thought of Crazy Cora from Quigley Down Under. I’ve talked before about how much I loved that movie.  Well, this was my chance to create a character that I hope would have a similar emotional impact on readers as Cora did in the movie. Crazy Katie Pearl entered my mind and I knew she was about as unlikely as they came. She’d been raised by her rancher dad to know everything a woman needed to know…problem was, since her mother had been a weak, frail woman she hadn’t lived long. Therefore, what her father taught her was everything a woman needed to know to be strong and thrive in the wilds of Texas. Katie Pearl can shoot and use a whip better than most men and she knows cattle and horses. But how to be the kind of woman a man wanted for a wife, she doesn’t have a clue. When the tornado destroyed her home, trapped her beneath it for days and killed her pa she’s left alone, confused and acting crazy (even Katie knows she’s acting odd). Then no count men with dreams of taking her ranch start trying to marry her—and that’s when Katie starts threatening to shoot…

Katie is really suffering from a concussion, grief and lack of patience. I so loved creating this character and Katie and her story will go down as one of my favorite stories of all time.

a cowboy for katieI thought I’d share the opening scene of A COWBOY FOR KATIE:

She might be as crazy as they said but Katie Pearl had learned that most men were light between the ears. She wondered which one of them she was gonna have to shoot today.

It wasn’t as if she wanted to, but if they came snoopin’ around , she was willin’ to oblige them. 

“There ain’t no sense pretending you like this, Katie Pearl, no sense at all,” Katie told herself. From her perch on the wagon seat she could see the dusty buildings of town. And as Myrtle May pulled the wagon round the bend in the road Katie’s insides tensed up.

“You’re a good horse, Myrtle May. Yes you are.” She was glad to have the comfort of her old horse with her as the fire in the pit of her stomach informed her trouble was near.

Town was trouble and there was no getting around it.

Most folks in town crossed the street and walked on the other side these days when they saw her. At least if they were smart they did.

Especially if it was any of them sodbusters who’d recently come callin’ for her hand in marriage. “No siree, Katie Pearl,” she spoke aloud again, her words reassuring to her. “Them sorry no goods have seen your fingers itchin’ on the pearl handles of your Colt and some seen the end of the barrel pointing at them too.” It was true, fools. “You don’t take kindly to none of the hogwash they’ve been trying to sell you.”

Sighing long and hard she shook her head. “No, I don’t. Ain’t that so, Myrtle May?”

Myrtle didn’t answer, which didn’t surprise Katie. Her horse was a little on the quiet side. And that was okay. Katie didn’t mind the quiet—though she sure missed conversations with her pa. She just plain missed her pa.

It was just her now. And though things were fuzzy in her head since the tornado, she was making it.  If only she didn’t have to go to town for supplies.

She tugged her pa’s hat low over her eyes and gritted her jaw down tight.

“You can do this, Katie Pearl. Yes you can,” she assured herself, then mumbled, “Long as you don’t have to shoot somebody you’ll be just fine.” 

I hope you enjoyed this preview. The book can be bought as a single ebook for only a 1.99 or in the collection FOUR WEDDINGS AND A KISS. When bought in the collection you get the fun of a fifth romance that starts in the prologue and connects the four stories that Me, Margaret Brownley, Mary Connealy and Robin Lee Hatcher wrote. This fifth romance that binds the stories together is very creative and  a special bonus.

I hope you’ll grab a copy today and also sign up for my newsletter at debraclopton.com for up to date info on my new releases. Follow me on Facebook  and Twitter @debraclopton.

Debra Clopton

Debra Clopton

Debra Clopton is a USA Today and International bestselling author who has sold over 3.5 million books. She has published over 81 books under her name and her pen name of Hope Moore. Under both names she writes clean, wholesome, and inspirational small town romances, especially with cowboys, but also loves to sweep readers away with romance set on beautiful beaches surrounded by topaz water and romantic sunsets. She recently launched the Star Gazer Inn on Corpus Christi Bay series, her first wholesome women's fiction romance series that combines her love of cowboys and beaches. Debra is a multiple award-winning author, but it is the praise from her readers she values most. If she can make someone smile and forget their worries for a few hours (or days when binge reading one of her series) then she's done her job and her heart is happy. She really loves hearing she kept a reader from doing the dishes or sleeping! In 2016 she decided to take control of her publishing career and opened her own publishing company. Her books now sell worldwide and are regulars on bestseller lists in the United States and around the world. A sixth-generation Texan, Debra lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband surrounded by cattle, deer, very busy squirrels and hole digging wild hogs. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her family. Visit Debra's website and sign up for her newsletters and updates at debraclopton.com. Check out her Facebook page, follow her on Instagram, or contact her at [email protected]

https://debraclopton.com

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