by Pat Simmons
LOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS SERIES
A CHRISTIAN CHRISTMAS, Book I. Christian’s Christmas will never be the same for Joy Knight if Christian Andersen has his way. Not to be confused with a secret Santa, Christian and his family are busier than Santa's elves making sure the Lord's blessings are distributed to those less fortunate by Christmas day. Joy is playing the hand that life dealt her, rearing four children in a home that is on the brink of foreclosure. She's not looking for a handout, but when Christian rescues her in the checkout line; her niece thinks Christian is an angel. Joy thinks he’s just another man who will eventually leave, disappointing her and the children. Although Christian is a servant of the Lord, he is a flesh and blood man and all he wants for Christmas is Joy Knight. Can time spent with Christian turn Joy’s attention from her financial woes to the real meaning of Christmas—and true love?
A CHRISTIAN EASTER. How to celebrate Easter becomes a balancing act for Christian and Joy Andersen and their four children.
Chocolate bunnies, colorful stuffed baskets and flashy fashion shows are their competition. Despite the enticements, Christian refuses to succumb without a fight. And it becomes a tug of war when his recently adopted ten year-old daughter, Bethani, wants to participate in her friend’s Easter tradition.
Christian hopes he has instilled Proverbs 22:6, into the children’s heart in the short time of being their dad.
A CHRISTIAN FATHER’S DAY. Three fathers, one Father’s Day and four children. Will the real dad, please stand up. It’s never too late to be a father—or is it? Christian Andersen was looking forward to spending his first Father’s day with his adopted children—all four of them. But Father’s day becomes more complicated than Christian or Joy ever imagined. Christian finds himself faced with living up to his name when things don’t go his way to enjoy an idyllic once a year celebration. But he depends on God to guide him through the journey.
A WOMAN AFTER DAVID’S HEART. David Andersen doesn’t have a problem indulging in Valentine’s Day, per se, but not on a first date. Considering it was the love fest of the year, he didn’t want a woman to get any ideas that a wedding ring was forthcoming before he got a chance to know her. So he has no choice but to wait until the whole Valentine’s Day hoopla was over, then he would make his move on a sister in his church he can’t take his eyes off of. For the past two years and counting, Valerie Hart hasn’t been the recipient of a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner invitation. To fill the void, Valerie keeps herself busy with God’s business, hoping the Lord will send her perfect mate soon. Unfortunately, with no prospects in sight, it looks like that won’t happen again this year. A WOMAN AFTER DAVID’S HEART is a Valentine romance novella that can be enjoyed with or without a box of chocolates.
MAKING LOVE WORK SERIES
A MOTHER’S LOVE. To Jillian Carter, it’s bad when her own daughter beats her to the altar. She became a teenage mother when she confused love for lust one summer. Despite the sins of her past, Jesus forgave her and blessed her to be the best Christian example for Shana. Jillian is not looking forward to becoming an empty-nester at thirty-nine. The old adage, she’s not losing a daughter, but gaining a son-in-law is not comforting as she braces for a lonely life ahead. What she doesn’t expect is for two men to vie for her affections: Shana’s biological father who breezes back into their lives as a redeemed man and practicing Christian. Not only is Alex still goof looking, but he’s willing to right the wrong he’s done in the past. Not if Dr. Dexter Harris has anything to say about it. The widower father of the groom has set his sights on Jillian and he’s willing to pull out all the stops to woo her. Now the choice is hers. Who will be the next mother’s love?
LOVE AT WORK. How do two people go undercover to hide an office romance in a busy television newsroom? In plain sight, of course. Desiree King is an assignment editor at KDPX-TV in St. Louis, MO. She dispatches a team to wherever breaking news happens. Her focus is to stay ahead of the competition. Overall, she's easy-going, respectable, and compassionate. But when it comes to dating a fellow coworker, she refuses to cross that professional line. Award-winning investigative reporter Bryan Mitchell makes life challenging for Desiree with his thoughtful gestures, sweet notes, and support. He tries to convince Desiree that as Christians, they could show coworkers how to blend their personal and private lives without compromising their morals.
WORDS OF LOVE. Call it old fashion, but Simone French was smitten with a love letter. Not a text, email, or Facebook post, but a love letter sent through snail mail. The prose wasn’t the corny roses-are-red-and-violets-are-blue stuff. The first letter contained short accolades for a job well done. Soon after, the missives were filled with passionate words from a man who confessed the hidden secrets of his soul. He revealed his unspoken weaknesses, listed his uncompromising desires, and unapologetically noted his subtle strengths. Yes, Rice Taylor was ready to surrender to love. Whew. Closing her eyes, Simone inhaled the faint lingering smell of roses on the beige plain stationery. She had a testimony. If anyone would listen, she would proclaim that love was truly blind.
TESTIMONY: IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23, God’s mercies are sure; His promises are fulfilled; but a dawn of a new morning is God’ grace. If you need a testimony about God’s grace, then If I Should Die Before I Wake will encourage your soul. Nothing happens in our lives by chance. If you need a miracle, God’s got that too. Trust Him. Has it been a while since you’ve had a testimony? Increase your prayer life, build your faith and walk in victory because without a test, there is no testimony.
HER DRESS. Sometimes a woman just wants to splurge on something new, especially when she’s about to attend an event with movers and shakers. Find out what happens when Pepper Trudeau is all dressed up and goes to the ball, but another woman is modeling the same attire.
At first, Pepper is embarrassed, then the night gets interesting when she meets Drake Logan. Her Dress is a romantic novella about the all too common occurrence—two women shopping at the same place. Maybe having the same taste isn’t all bad. Sometimes a good dress is all you need to meet the man of your dreams.
The Guilty Series
Kick Off
When do you know the most important decision of your life is the right one?
Reaping the seeds from what she's sown; Cheney Reynolds moves into a historic neighborhood in Ferguson, Missouri, and becomes a reclusive. Her first neighbor, the incomparable Mrs. Beatrice Tilley Beacon aka Grandma BB, is an opinionated childless widow. Grandma BB is a self-proclaimed expert on topics Cheney isn’t seeking advice—everything from landscaping to hip-hop dancing to romance. Then there is Parke Kokumuo Jamison VI, a direct descendant of a royal African tribe. He learned his family ancestry, African history, and lineage preservation before he could count. Unwittingly, they are drawn to each other, but it takes Christ to weave their lives into a spiritual bliss while He exonerates their past indiscretions.
One man, one woman, one God and one big problem. Malcolm Jamieson wasn't the man who got away, but the man God instructed Hallison Dinkins to set free. Instead of their explosive love affair leading them to the wedding altar, God diverted Hallison to the prayer altar during her first visit back to church in years.
Malcolm was convinced that his woman had loss her mind to break off their engagement. Didn't Hallison know that Malcolm, a tenth generation descendant of a royal African tribe, couldn't be replaced? Once Malcolm concedes that their relationship can't be savaged, he issues Hallison his own edict, "If we're meant to be with each other, we'll find our way back. If not, that means that there's a love stronger than what we had." His words begin to haunt Hallison until she begins to regret their break up, and that's where their story begins. Someone has to retreat, and God never loses a battle.
Cheney Reynolds Jamieson made a choice years ago that is now shaping her future and the future o
f the men she loves. A botched abortion left her unable to carry a baby to term, and her husband, Parke K. Jamison VI, is expected to produce heirs. With a wife who cannot give him a child, Parke vows to find and get custody of his illegitimate son by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Cheney’s twin brother, Rainey, struggles with his anger over his ex-girlfriend’s actions that haunt him, and their father, Dr. Roland Reynolds, fights to keep an old secret in the past.
Follow the paths of this family as they try to determine what God wants for them and how they can follow His guidance. Still Guilty by Pat Simmons is the third installment of the popular Guilty series. Read the other books in the series: Guilty of Love and Not Guilty of Love, and learn more about the Jamieson legacy in Guilty by Association, The Guilt Trip, and Free from Guilt. The Acquittal starts off the Guilty Parties series.
THE GUILTY PARTIES SERIES
THE ACQUITTAL. Two worlds apart, but their hearts dance to the same African drum beat. On a professional level, Dr. Rainey Reynolds is a competent, highly sought-after orthodontist. Inwardly, he needs to be set free from the chaos of revelations that make him question if happiness is obtainable. To get away from the drama, Rainey is willing to leave the country under the guise of a mission trip with Dentist Without Borders. Will changing his surroundings really change him? If one woman can heal his wounds, then he will believe that there is really peace after the storm.
Ghanaian beauty Josephine Abena Yaa Amoah returns to Africa after completing her studies as an exchange student in St. Louis, Missouri. Although her heart bleeds for his peace, she knows she must step back and pray for Rainey’s surrender to Christ in order for God to acquit him of his self-inflicted mental torture. In the Motherland of Ghana, Africa, Rainey not only visits the places of his ancestors, will he embrace the liberty that Christ’s Blood really does set every man free.
THE CONFESSION. Sandra Nicholson, Kidd and Ace Jamieson’s mother is on the threshold of happiness, but Kidd believes no man is good enough for his mother, especially if her love interest could be a man just like his absentee father.
THE JAMIESON LEGACY SERIES
GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION. How important is a name? To the St. Louis Jamiesons who are tenth generation descendants of a royal African tribe—everything. To the Boston Jamiesons whose father never married their mother—there is no loyalty or legacy. Kidd Jamieson suffers from the “angry” male syndrome because his father was an absent in the home, but insisted his two sons carry his last name. It takes an old woman who mingles genealogy truths and Bible verses together for Kidd to realize his worth as a strong black man. He learns it’s not his association with the name that identifies him, but the man he becomes that defines him.
THE GUILT TRIP. Aaron “Ace” Jamieson is living a carefree life. He’s good-looking, respectable when he’s in the mood, but his weakness is women. If a woman tries to ambush him with a pregnancy, he takes off in the other direction. It’s a lesson learned from his absentee father that responsibility is optional. Talise Rogers has a bright future ahead of her. She’s pretty and has no problem catching a man’s eye, which is exactly what she does with Ace. Trapping Ace Jamieson is the furthest thing from Taleigh’s mind when she learns she pregnant and Ace rejects her. “I want nothing from you Ace, not even your name.” And Talise meant it.
FREE FROM GUILT. It’s salvation round-up time and Cameron Jamieson’s name is on God’s hit list.
Although his brothers and cousins embraced God—thanks to the women in their lives—the two-degreed MIT graduate isn’t going to let any woman take him down that path without a fight. He’s satisfied with his career, social calendar, and good genes. But God uses a beautiful messenger, Gabrielle Dupree, to show him that he’s in a spiritual deficit. Cameron learns the hard way that man’s wisdom is like foolishness to God. For every philosophical argument he throws her way, Gabrielle exposes him to scriptures that makes him question his worldly knowledge.
THE CARMEN SISTERS SERIES
NO EASY CATCH. Shae Carmen hasn’t lost her faith in God, only the men she’s come across. Shae’s recent heartbreak was discovering that her boyfriend was not only married, but on the verge of reconciling with his estranged wife. Humiliated, Shae begins to second guess herself as why she didn’t see the signs that he was nothing more than a devil’s decoy masquerading as a devout Christian man. St. Louis Outfielder Rahn Maxwell finds himself a victim of an attempted carjacking. The Lord guides him out of harms’ way by opening the gunmen’s eyes to Rahn’s identity. The crook instead becomes infatuated fan and asks for Rahn’s autograph, and as a good will gesture, directs Rahn out of the ambush! When the news media gets wind of what happened with the baseball player, Shae’s television station lands an exclusive interview. Shae and Rahn’s chance meeting sets in motion a relationship where Rahn not only surrenders to Christ, but pursues Shae with a purpose to prove that good men are still out there. After letting her guard down, Shae is faced with another scandal that rocks her world. This time the stakes are higher. Not only is her heart on the line, so is her professional credibility. She and Rahn are at odds as how to handle it and friction erupts between them. Will she strike out at love again? The Lord shows Rahn that nothing happens by chance, and everything is done for Him to get the glory.
IN DEFENSE OF LOVE. Lately, nothing in Garrett Nash’s life has made sense. When two people close to the U.S. Marshal wrong him deeply, Garrett expects God to remove them from his life. Instead, the Lord relocates Garrett to another city to start over, as if he were the offender instead of the victim.
Criminal attorney Shari Carmen is comfortable in her own skin—most of the time. Being a “dark and lovely” African-American sister has its challenges, especially when it comes to relationships. Although she’s a fireball in the courtroom, she knows how to fade into the background and keep the proverbial spotlight off her personal life. But literal spotlights are a different matter altogether.
While playing tenor saxophone at an anniversary party, she grabs the attention of Garrett Nash. And as God draws them closer together, He makes another request of Garrett, one to which it will prove far more difficult to say “Yes, Lord.”
REDEEMING HEART. Landon Thomas (In Defense of Love) brings a new definition to the word “prodigal,” as in prodigal son, brother or anything else imaginable. It’s a good thing that God’s love covers a multitude of sins, but He isn’t letting Landon off easy. His journey from riches to rags proves to be humbling and a lesson well learned.
Real Estate Agent Octavia Winston is a woman on a mission, whether it’s God’s or hers professionally. One thing is for certain, she’s not about to compromise when it comes to a Christian mate, so why did God send a homeless man to steal her heart?
Minister Rossi Tolliver (Crowning Glory) knows how to minister to God’s lost sheep and through God’s redemption, the game changes for Landon and Octavia.
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