Blog Tour: To Have and To Hold by Charlene Raddon (Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway)

Today, Love Saves the World welcomes Charlene Raddon and her book, To Have and to Hold.

Charlene will give away a free copy of one of her other books at each stop and for the grand prize, a $15 Amazon gift card. To visit Charlene's other stops (and to read more excerpts of her book), click here.

* * *

About the book:

Blurb:

A woman without a prayer ...

A widow with two children, Tempest Whitney had to mortgage everything to repay the money her husband had stolen. But even as she struggles to hold onto her Utah homestead, a scheming rancher buys up her debts, demanding she either get off his land or marry him. Then a dark-haired stranger shows up, claiming to be her dead husband ...

A man without a past ...

Buck Maddux spent two years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Now a death bed promise has brought him to Tempest’s dugout. A man without roots, he doesn’t plan to stay—or to feel so fiercely protective of this feisty beauty he saves from a forced marriage. Suddenly, Buck yearns for a home, a family, a lasting love. But what can he offer Tempest? The surprising answer lies in the forbidden canyons of an ancient Anasazi tribe, where fortune and danger await—along with a passion more precious than gold ...

Excerpt:

Riding up to the house, he called out a hello and dismounted. Surrounded by barking dogs he proceeded to water his horse at a well built over a natural spring. From beneath the wide brim of his Stetson he searched for some sign of life. Finally he headed to the house, spurs jangling in his wake. His fist was raised, ready to knock, when the rough plank door swung inward and the business end of a Henry repeating rifle met with his nose.

"Judas!" He jerked back and stumbled over his own big feet. A cat screeched, letting him know he had mangled its tail. The critter got even by climbing Buck’s leg. Yelping and dancing while he tried to extract the cat, he trampled two or three more felines. Easy to do; half a dozen littered the yard, along with pigs and a flutter of chickens.

"Whoa there, ma'am." He held up a hand. "Don't mean you any harm."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The cat took off, kinked tail in the air. Buck checked for damage and decided he’d live. "That's a mite awkward to explain." He took off his hat, wiped his brow on his sleeve and replaced the hat back, buying time while he studied her.

She wasn't much to look at. The braid hanging to her waist appeared as though crows had been pecking at it. Dun-colored strands fluttering about her head gave her a wild look that belied the delicacy of her face. A strong chin balanced her large eyes and a mouth as stubborn as the mules in the pole corral. A patched apron hung to her scuffed boots and hugged her legs snugly enough hint she wasn't wearing skirts. He was wondering what might be under the apron when she spat, "Spill it, mister. I haven't got all day."

***Click here to visit Charlene's other stops and to read more excerpts.***

Buy the Book! To Have and To Hold

* * *

About the author:

Charlene first serious writing attempt came in 1980 when she awoke one morning from an unusually vivid and compelling dream. Deciding that dream needed to be made into a book, she dug out an old portable typewriter and went to work. That book never sold, but her second one, Tender Touch, became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent. Soon after, she signed a three book contract with Kensington Books.

Five of Charlene's western historical romances were published between 1994 and 1999: Taming Jenna, Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist under the title Brianna), Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist), To Have and To Hold (Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and writing as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses.

Forever Mine and Tender Touch are available as e-books and after January 24, To Have and To Hold will be as well. When not writing, Charlene loves to travel, crochet, needlepoint, research genealogy, scrapbook, and dye Ukrainian eggs.

Links:
Website: http://www.charleneraddon.com/
Blog: http://www.charleneraddon.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharleneRaddon?ref=hl

* * *

Charlene will give away a free copy of one of her other books at each stop and for the grand prize, a $15 Amazon gift card. To visit Charlene's other stops (and to read more excerpts of her book), click here.

Giveaway for the book from Charlene's backlist is through Rafflecopter. Enter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway