Faith of the Heart
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By: Sandy James | Other books by Sandy James Categories: Mainstream Romance, Contemporary, Women's Fiction Word Count: 82,895 Heat Level: STEAMY Published By: Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
This title is offered at a 33% discount. Offer ends midnight CST, February 14th. [BookStrand Contemporary Romance] Investigative reporter Joshua Miller has turned his back on life. Since cancer claimed his wife, he can't bring himself to write another story. Then he hears about a fascinating woman who piques his curiosity. After being struck by lightning, Sarah Reid finds herself with a gift... and a curse. She can heal the sick and dying. She soon realizes that along with the special gift also comes danger to her own life. Feeling responsible for the death of her best friend, Sarah reasons that perhaps she has received the gift to make amends, no matter the personal cost. Neither expects sparks to fly when they meet. Sarah discourages Josh's persistence in investigating her while he fights his attraction, refusing to acknowledge that she can truly save people. Can Sarah break through Josh's stubborn cynicism and show him that miracles really can come true by leading him back to love?
Romance Writers of America's 2008 Lone Star Winner, 2008 Winter Rose Winner, 2008 Reveal Your Inner Vixen Second Place, and 2007 GOTCHA Third Place
"I get story ideas at the strangest times. Heroine Sarah Reid was born on a snowy Christmas Eve as I sat in church. Following the brilliant Stephen King's suggestion, I was engaging in the game of letting my imagination answer the question, 'What if?' As I waited for services to begin, I thought, 'What if someone really had the power to heal?'" ~Sandy~ A BookStrand Mainstream Romance
Now Available! Damaged Heroes     14 Ratings
Avg - 4.6
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 Faith of the Heart
Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket, EPUB Price:Cover Art by Jinger Heaston ISBN: 1606014080 |
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Professional Reviews
Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Finalist 2010 2010 Finalist Write Touch Readers Choice Awards 5 TEA CUPS, RECOMMENDED READ: "Joshua Miller doesn’t believe in magic or faith healers. Why should he when they failed him in the one person he had loved? Now years later he must do something he swore he would never do again. He has to believe in one, a healer. He only has his daughter now to help him cope in life. Yet when he meets Sarah Reid he is starting to feel something. Joshua knows it is all a hoax what she does. Each day with her though Josh sees something in Sarah that reminds him of good times when he was young falling in love for the first time. Sarah shows him a life that he never expected to see again and it hurts him. He knows that in some way it feels like cheating but he can’t help it. As a journalist he must always uncover the truth but Sarah is more than just finding the truth. Can he believe in her and love again? Sarah Reid is a woman who has demons inside and regrets. Something happened years ago to give her a gift that no one understands. Only she knows what it entails and tries to stay normal. Yet her family uses her in a way that is killing her every day she uses her gift. It is a gift that people like Joshua Miller hate her for having. She doesn’t know exactly why he hates her but knows that somehow he is important to her in a way no man has been before. Each day with Joshua is making Sarah feel, for the first time, like a woman instead of a healer like everybody sees her. Just when she thinks things could be okay with him she finds out the truth about him. Can she ever forgive Joshua and make a life with him before her healing kills her? Oh my god, I love Sandy James’ Damaged Heroes series for they have action, suspense, romance, passion and most of all, the chance of finding that everlasting love. I loved Sarah Reid for she was an unusual character in this book—nothing I have seen before. Here is a woman who has never known real love but pain, turmoil and regrets all her life. Now Joshua is a man who is perfect for her in every way from his compassion and his faith in still believing about love. These two were great and I loved Josh’s little girl for she is truly bright and smart in this whole book. This is one that will definitely stay in your heart like it has mine. Sandy did a beautiful job in making these characters memorable. Great job and keep up the talented work!" -- Lena, Happily Ever After Reviews 5 CUPS: "Faith of the Heart is an unforgettable poignant read. I love the way the story cements the two characters together. Both souls ache within their hearts as they reach out for the other. I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom as the concrete within their hearts slowly cracks and breaks away. I could relate to Josh in many ways. The ending captivated me. Sandy James creates in-depth characters that engage the reader. It was hard letting go once the story was finished. She captured the expressions of the players tremendously and I must admit, Josh and Sarah’s first kiss was melting in this precious read." --Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance & More
5 HEARTS: "Book 4 in the Damaged Heroes series by Sandy James is another blockbuster. I have come to expect it after reading the previous books in this series. The cast of players in this offering were totally different. They were all individuals who came together to give us a great story with an emotional plot. The highs and lows of this tender storyline gave readers the expected dose of James' magic. As usual with one of her novels, I couldn't imagine how a happily-ever-after could come from the story but I knew I would get one--somehow. This book had so much heartrending activity it was impossible to put it down. This definitely was not a predictable book. The sensuality was charged and tastefully done. The sizzle was there even though the circumstances were definitely unusual. I loved this book and highly recommend it. You will see why Sandy James has found her own special place on my "must-have" bookshelf." -- Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio 5 BLUE RIBBONS: "Faith of the Heart is another heart warming, emotional read delivered by Sandy James, a highly talented author who knows how to create a connection between the reader and her characters. The combination of the unique plot and the very real feelings of grief and guilt grip you from the beginning. Touching on a subject not often portrayed and rendering it spectacularly, Ms. James makes every aspect believable. The journey of finding faith in others as well as within, the healing of emotional wounds, and of learning to love again, stands out beautifully in this touching story. I highly recommend this book as well as her others in the Damaged Heart series; they're treasures you'll enjoy again and again." -- Pamela Denise, Romance Junkies 4.5 RATING: "Faith of the Heart is Book Four of Sandy James's Damaged Heroes series. In this story, we revisit a few old friends as well as make some new ones. It is not necessary to have read the previous novels in this series to enjoy this story, but it may enhance the reading experience somewhat. I found this to be well-written and involving, a mixture of both sweet and sensual romance. Along with the interesting paranormal aspect of this novel, Faith of the Heart is a novel about a woman who must learn to love herself before she can move on with her life and accept the love of others. In this story, Ms. James addresses the painful issue of life in the aftermath of losing a loved one. Both Sarah and Josh have suffered losses that have left them emotionally scarred Sarah with a soul-deep sense of guilt and Josh with anger and resentment. Each clings to the past and needs the intervention of something earth-shattering in order to move on. Sarah has punished her body almost beyond its limits by healing people; Josh holds on to both a stone from his wife's graveside as well as his anger at the faith healer who fleeced her. It is only through these two coming together that they realize that they still have a future in spite of the tragedy they have suffered. As I have noted in the past, one of Ms. James's great strengths lies in her character development. This story is filled to the brim with vivid and believable characters, from our two main characters all the way down to the small supporting roles. Josh is overall a sympathetic character. He's a loving father, a thorough journalist, and is obviously bowled over by Sarah. Sure, he makes a few missteps and is sometimes clueless in a way that only a man can be, but there is no malice in his heart. Sarah believes whole-heartedly that she has been given her gift in order to make up for her past. Even though she pushes herself to the point of disaster, she doesn't give the impression of being a martyr. She's just someone who refuses to forgive herself. Yet even through her grey haze of sadness, she shows the occasional spark, and this keeps her from being a maudlin figure. Sarah's sister Hannah and her brother-in-law Doug fill the role of villain in this story, although calling them such may be a bit of a stretch. They are more annoyances than "bad guys." They are quintessential ne'er-do-wells and freeloaders, and the character Doug is almost comically so. Ms. James does an excellent job of making them individuals that readers can revile and boo and hiss at. This story is for the most part sweet and emotional. I certainly found myself sniffing a time or two, and then looking around to see if anyone on the bus noticed. The lovemaking scenes are sensual without being overtly graphic, and they fit comfortably into the rest of the narrative. While I had to suspend my disbelief a tiny bit in order to accept the fact that a thirty-year-old woman could be a virgin, the reasoning behind this is actually quite plausible, and while the contortions that Josh goes through in order to reconcile with Sarah may have felt like a little bit of a stretch, they were still entertaining. Any man who is willing to admit his errors in public like he does is definitely worth hanging on to. In all, I found Faith of the Heart to be involving and agreeable. I truly enjoyed the characters and their story, and I thought that the faith healing aspect was both unique and well done. Ms. James has definitely given us a treat with this story. Those who enjoy romance are bound to be pleased by this book." -- BD Whitney, BookWenches 4 STARS: "The sex scenes were passionate. They did not overpower the plot. The ending was sweet and hilarious. I recommend this!" -- Stephanie Rollins, BookreviewsRus You Gotta Read: "I am so in love with the entire Damaged Heroes series. Faith of the Heart did not fail to amuse, captivate and enthrall me! Joshua Miler's character was incredibly moving. He had just lost his wife the year before and in all reality had ceased living. Sarah had lost someone extremely close to her and found herself blaming the only person she felt was responsible, herself. The instant attraction Joshua and Sarah had kept just enough sparks flying for me to rapidly turn the pages waiting to find out what happened next. The way Sarah was able to heal took my breath away. I thought the fact that Joshua had a teenage daughter made this book very relatable with very believable characters. This is truly a story about finding your hidden strengths. The ending was brilliant! This is a book that could be read on it's own but it was so wonderful to revisit the characters from some of the previous books. Ms. James never fails to bring the heroes that are less than perfect emotionally but make up for it in the deeply devoted way they treat the women they fall in love with. This is one author who writes a touching story with very real emotions and a romantic story line that will leave you craving more. I highly recommend not just book but the whole series to everyone who is a fan of an intelligently written novel that is enchanting, intriguing and just down right sexy!" -- Val, You Gotta Read Reviews Excerpt
Jumping up from the bench, he jogged over to the swing set. His gaze scanned the area until he finally saw her crouching in the grass next to a large oak tree, cradling something in her cupped hands. She slowly rose to her full height, slight as it was. “What do you have there?” Josh asked as he walked up to stand beside her and peer down at what she held. There was no reply as she concentrated hard on her tiny burden, not even acknowledging him. “What is it, Sarah? What have you got?” “He must’ve fallen from his nest,” she replied as she slowly opened her palms to reveal a baby robin. Immature enough to still be covered with pinfeathers, the poor thing shivered with fright. It was clearly too young to survive without parents. A closer inspection revealed that one of the pathetic bird’s legs was bent at an odd angle. He knew it had no chance to survive. “It’s hurt. It’s probably best to let nature—” “No,” she whispered. “I can’t stand to see an animal suffer. He’s not going to die.” Closing her eyes, she let her hands encase the little bird again. Her body began to tremble. “Are you all right?” She didn’t answer him. Josh watched, wondering what she hoped to accomplish. Slow minutes passed. “Sarah, you can’t—” She didn’t let him finish. “I can,” Sarah insisted as she opened her eyes and grinned. She slowly opened her palms. The baby robin rested there, both legs now straight. Blinking against the image, Josh fought to understand. Reaching out to touch the tiny bird, he ran a fingertip along each spindly leg. “I don’t—” “I couldn’t just let it die. It had a broken leg.” “I saw. Sarah, I... You didn’t...” But she did. She had actually healed it. The proof was right there in front of his skeptical face. He didn’t want to believe it. “I need to put him back in the nest.” She began to look up at the branches of the tall oak. Josh shook his head. “The parents won’t take care of it if they smell humans—” “That’s a myth,” she interrupted again. He was starting to get used to that habit of hers. “Listen.” “I don’t—” “Just listen.” He waited patiently but didn’t expect to hear anything. He sighed. She shot him a scolding glance. He tried to listen again. There it was. Bird song. He followed the melody to another tree that rubbed branches with the oak. Two infuriated robins were watching out for this baby as they shifted from branch to branch, squawking and flapping their wings. Sarah must have realized he heard the parent robins because she favored him with an arrogant smirk Josh suddenly realized he could learn to love. “They haven’t left him. If I can get him back in his nest, they’ll still care for him.” Sarah slowly circled the big tree, gazing up through the branches and frowning. Josh let his gaze follow hers up several limbs until he saw the nest. “There,” he said, pointing to the junction of several medium-sized branches. She nodded. “I see it, but I can’t reach it. Maybe we can find a ladder or something.” Josh had a better and much more convenient idea. “Come here,” he coaxed as he crooked his finger. She took a few hesitant steps toward him. Crouching in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her knees and stood up. Her shocked gasp made him smile, that and the fact that her thighs were pressed to his chin as he looked up at her. “You can reach now.” Sarah gently placed the baby robin back in the nest. “You can let me down now, Joshua.” Gradually releasing his tight hold on her legs, Josh let Sarah’s body slowly slide down his. He was aware of every inch of her. Thighs, stomach, and breasts passed eye level. Josh tried to control his body’s reaction to the feel of her, the smell of her, the perfection of Sarah. He stopped her descent before her feet touched the ground, content to simply stand there holding her against him. Staring into her eyes, he saw the confusion he knew must mirror his own. Sarah’s hands rested on his shoulders, but she didn’t resist his embrace. Slowly, her arms stretched out to encircle his neck. Josh gazed at her pretty pink lips, wondering how she would taste. He gave in to the urge, gently settling his mouth on hers. She tasted like heaven, her lips as soft and just as sweet as he’d anticipated. He only savored her for a moment before pulling away. Then he let her slide down the rest of the way until her feet reached the ground. “You shouldn’t have done that,” Sarah whispered as she slowly drew her arms away and let them fall to her side. “No, I probably shouldn’t have,” he replied, wondering if the kiss had affected her the same way it had affected him. He could still smell her delightful flowery scent, taste her sweeter than honey on his lips. Wondering if he should apologize, Josh was taken entirely by surprise when Sarah suddenly stood on tiptoe, slipped her arms around his neck again, and pressed her lips gently to his. Just a quick peck, but he had no idea what had possessed her. Their eyes locked, her arms still holding him close, his hands settled on her waist. Suddenly, a peck wasn’t enough. Josh set his lips against hers, but not for an innocent kiss. No, there was nothing chaste about it. Nudging her lips open, his tongue swept into her mouth in blatant possession. |
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