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MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n Can we say “AWKWARD!!”? Interactions between several of the primary characters in “Going Up South” are strained through a good portion of the book, mostly due to past history with one of them. I can say that definitely kept things interesting. Oh, but what chances those fine Christians had to practice their love and forgiveness! As you can well imagine, it wasn’t easy for any of them. That’s what made this novel so good – the characters were all so real and down-to-earth. They had the same life struggles with which many readers might actually be able to relate.<\/p>\n “Going Up South” is the second book in Ferguson’s Southern Hearts series but it easily stood on its own merits. I had not previously read the first book “Leaving Oxford” but I now hope to go back and read it as soon as my review schedule will allow. It is already waiting on my Kindle. I really want to know the backstory on these characters before the next book of the series is released.<\/p>\n With a strong character driven plot laced with lots of drama, adventure, and romance, I found myself flipping the pages quickly and reading until the wee hours of the morning to see how everything would turn out. I personally was satisfied with the resolution of the story that illustrated so well that even Christians mess up sometimes but God is always there waiting for them to turn back to Him. A copy of this book was provided for review by Celebrate Lit.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n No one told him he had a son.<\/p>\n Actor Dylan Conner is furious. Not only has he been left out of his child\u2019s life, the baby boy has been given another man\u2019s last name. Determined to be a better father than the sorry guy who\u2019d left him and his mother, Dylan fights to ensure a significant place in his son\u2019s life. Unfortunately, his bad-boy reputation overshadows his good intentions. Only one woman in this small town sees beyond his Hollywood image. And he\u2019s falling for her. Too bad she\u2019s the custody mediator.<\/p>\n After her scandalous divorce in the small town of Oxford, Mississippi, attorney Cassie Brooks has no intentions of practicing law again. The humiliating experience left a bitter taste for love, marriage, and her profession.<\/p>\n Now friends need Cassie\u2019s help in a custody negotiation, and her role demands she remain objective. She never expected to be drawn to Dylan Conner\u2014the actor who everyone warns is bad news. Not only is the mediation at stake, but so is her heart.<\/p>\n To purchase your own copy of Going Up South<\/em>, click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n GUEST POST FROM JANET W. FERGUSON:<\/strong><\/p>\n Hi, I\u2019m Janet W. Ferguson, and I\u2019m so excited to meet the readers of Celebrate Lit!<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been an avid reader, but I\u2019ve had an odd career path prior to writing.<\/p>\n With a Banking and Finance degree, I took my first job working at a brokerage firm handling their mutual fund trades. After the market crashed in the late 80s, I took a job managing a large, upscale apartment community. During this time, I married and became a stay-at-home mom and church volunteer. My volunteering eventually led to a staff position as children\u2019s minister. After five years, I felt my calling had changed, and I left the job, not really sure what God had in store. Haphazardly, my husband suggested I apply at our local schools. Not long afterward, I certified in teaching and became the library media specialist at the large public high school near our home. I met so many wonderful young people as children\u2019s minister and high school librarian.<\/p>\n During my times as a librarian, I had a story idea for about seven years, but never made time to try my hand at writing. Finally, after my elderly parents passed away, and I felt it was time. I wrote every evening for three months, and finished my first story which was Leaving Oxford<\/em>. I spent the next three years learning about the craft of writing and editing that story. Yes, there was much<\/strong> to learn! In the meantime, one secondary character from Leaving Oxford<\/em> demanded his own story\u2026 From that, came Going Up South<\/em>.<\/p>\n I tend to write what I know, and I\u2019m from the peculiar and wonderful state of Mississippi. My first story was set mostly in Oxford, Mississippi. The charming town made the perfect backdrop for book 1. So book 2 is also mostly set in Oxford, although the characters go on a mission trip to Honduras.<\/p>\n The hero of Going Up South<\/em>, Dylan Conner, is a funny and charming actor that made a number of appearances in Leaving Oxford. From outrageous costumes to intense flirting, he just had a personality as large as the characters he portrayed on the screen. In Going Up South<\/em>, he realizes that he fathered a child, but he had been left out of the baby boy\u2019s life. Though he\u2019d never planned to have a family, due to his disappointment in his own father, seeing the child, his <\/em>child, changes his mind.<\/p>\n Dylan\u2019s not sure how he\u2019ll raise a child or what to do, but he finds help in his new friend and custody mediator, Cassie Brooks.<\/p>\n The scripture theme for this series comes from Isaiah 61. This particular book draws on \u201cHe binds up the brokenhearted.\u201d<\/p>\n The heroine, Cassie Brooks, is still hurting from her scandalous divorce in a small town. Unlike my last heroine in Leaving Oxford, Cassie had done things the way she\u2019d been taught, avoiding alcohol, drugs, and sex outside of marriage. And her heart was still broken by an unfaithful husband. I wanted to show that life just hands out some tough blows, no matter how hard we try to do the right thing, but God is there in the midst of it all. He does bind up our broken hearts.<\/p>\n I pray that you are uplifted by this story, and whatever hurts life has dealt you, that you find comfort in the arms of our faithful Father. Blessings!<\/p>\n BLOG STOPS:<\/strong> July 7: Debbie\u2019s Dusty Deliberations<\/a><\/p>\n July 8: Bigreadersite<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 8: inklings and notions<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 9: A Greater Yes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 9: Reviewing Novels Online<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 10: Chas Ray\u2019s Book Nerd Corner<\/a><\/p>\n July 11: Pause for Tales<\/a><\/p>\n July 12: Cindy\u2019s Book Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 13: Daysong Reflections<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 14: Blogging With Carol <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 15: His Grace is Sufficient<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 16: Karen\u2019s Krayons<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 17: Christian Chick\u2019s Thoughts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 17: Quiet Quilter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 18: Cassandra M\u2019s Place<\/a><\/p>\n July 18: A Bakers Perspective<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 19: Texas Book-aholic<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n July 20: Book Bites, Bee Stings, and Butterfly Kisses<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n GIVEAWAY:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/divider2.png\" "\\"divider2\\"")
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\nJanet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served her church as a children\u2019s minister and a youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space.<\/p>\n
\nJuly 7: A Reader\u2019s Brain<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n