Check out the first Books Galore giveaway for full contest rules and information, but here are the most important things to know:

Leave a comment between now and next Wednesday night if you’re interested in winning a book. Winners will be drawn Thursday morning. In your comment, please put the NUMBERS (not titles) of all the books from this current giveaway that you’re interested in. For example, your comment might say something like: “Put me in for #2, 7, and 9.” Include as many books as you’d like, and feel free to enter for all of them. Make sure that your comment includes an easy way for me to get in touch with you (email or your blog, etc.).

With each book listing, I’ve included where the author can ship. Please be sure to only enter for books that will ship to where you live. Thanks! (FYI: This week, the books will ship anywhere!)

1. Ransomed Dreams
By Amy Wallace
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Gracie Lang is being watched by a man who will stop at nothing to hide the truth from her. Having lost the only man she ever loved and the children who were her world, Gracie embarks on a quest to find out what really happened. Then she meets Steven Kessler, a Crimes Against Children FBI agent, assigned to uncover an international plot to kidnap the British Ambassador’s daughter. Steven awakens more than memories; he revives the possibility of a life Gracie desires. A life where healing and peace crowd out the nightmares. But his case and her past are dangerously connected. Suddenly, Gracie must decide if she’s able – let alone willing – to pay the required ransom to redeem dreams and restore hope.

2. Brigid of Irelend
By Cindy Thomson
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Born into slavery in fifth century Ireland, Brigid is surrounded by the superstitions and fears plaguing the pagan-dominated country. Taken from her mother and made a slave to her father, Brigid desperately seeks love and acceptance. She converts to the new religion popularized by the traveling preacher Patrick— and the miracles begin.

Soon opposition arises from rulers and sorcerers in fear of Brigid’s growing faith and fame. When her mother is taken by the king and Brigid is banned from performing God’s work, she must choose between obeying the law and following God. Can she find the mother she misses so much? Has she truly been called by God?

3. When the Heart Cries
By Cindy Woodsmall
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Hannah Lapp was born and raised in an Old Order Amish home, without electricity, a telephone, or the right to follow her heart. Without her parents’ knowledge, she’s been in love with Mennonite Paul Waddell for years. When he asks her to marry him, she accepts, even though to do so will cause her family to avoid her for the rest of her life.

Before Hannah and Paul reveal their relationship, tragedy strikes. In one unwelcome encounter, all that Hannah has known and believed is destroyed and she faces losing everything: her family, her fiancé, and even her faith in God.

4. Dragonquest
By Donita K. Paul
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

A new quest begins

A dragonkeeper of Paladin, Kale is summoned from The Hall to The Bogs by Wizard Fenworth to serve as his apprentice and tend his newly hatched meech Dragon, Regidor. But Kale isn’t going alone. The Hall is sending a student to monitor her performance and report back to the scholars. Worst of all, it’s Bardon–an older boy Kale finds irritating but who at least can hold his own in a sword fight.

New friendships are forged

Meanwhile, the Wizard Risto has seized another meech dragon, brining him dangerously close to gaining the power he seeks. So with only a motley band of companions, Kale sets out on a desperate quest to rescue the second meech, to free those dragons already enslaved, and to thwart Risto’s devious plans. It’s up to Kale to lead the search and to embrace the role that’s rightfully hers. But will her efforts be enough to save the land of Amara from the dark future that awaits at Risto’s hands?

5. With Christmas in His Heart
By Gail Martin
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Caring for her grandmother was a labor of love, but busy executive Christine Powers worried about the paper piling up in her office. And no sooner had she arrived on Mackinac Island during the frantic holiday season than her haughty attitude was challenged by Will Lambert, her grandmother’s enigmatic boarder. His laid-back style grew on her, as did his steadfast faith in this season of joy and wonder. But an ultimatum to return to work or lose her job forced Christine to decide between her heart and her career.

6. Scrap Everything (2 copies up for grabs)
By Leslie Gould
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Elise didn’t want to be in the town at all–and certainly not in the scrapbooking shop…

A month after Elise Shelton and her family arrive in Forest Falls, Oregon, she wanders into Rebekah Graham’s scrapbooking store. Elise deems Rebekah too perky and judges scrapbooking to be another never-gets-done chore, but she’s also drawn to the community of women who gather to crop their photos, lay out pages, and share their lives.

The women rally around Elise when her husband is called back into the army and her family is thrown into turmoil. When Rebekah’s daughter faces a medical crisis, challenging Rebekah’s desire to control her life as tightly as she plans her scrapbook pages, the women must support each other.

As both women battle to overcome their fears and to grow in faith, they discover unexpected gifts–and an unlikely friendship that will change their lives.

7. Beyond the Blue (2 copies up for grabs)
By Leslie Gould
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Two Worlds. Two Women. One Love.

In 1975, an American girl named Genevieve loses her mother when a plane full of orphans crashes in war-ravaged Vietnam. Miles away in the countryside, seven-year-old Lan, a Vietnamese girl, is forced out of her family home by her own brother who has joined the Viet Cong. Worlds apart, these two girls come into womanhood struggling to recover a sense of family–until their journeys suddenly converge.

Lan has grown up in the harsh realities of post-war Vietnam, but she yearns for a better life for her children. Meanwhile, Genevieve marries and, faced with infertility, decides to adopt a child from the country her own mother loved so deeply. But the uncertainty and risk of international adoption threatens to overwhelm both women before their hearts and their families can be healed.

Beyond the Blue is the story of enormous losses, unthinkable choices, and the transforming power of God’s love for the children of the world.

8. Garden of Dreams (2 copies up for grabs)
By Leslie Gould
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Raised by a mother who was haunted by worry and fear, Jill vowed to live a different kind of life. As a young woman, she planned out what she wanted—a husband, a large home full of children, the opportunity to paint and grow a beautiful garden, a community of believers, and a best friend—then watched as it all came true in the art-filled town of Ashland, Oregon.

But Jill has a secret that she has kept from those she loves most, including her husband and her best friend, Caye—and she’s not the only one with something to hide. Her mother also has not told Jill the whole truth about her father and the disease that claimed his life. Together, these secrets shatter Jill’s idyllic world.

Now, driven by uncertainty and questions, compassion and mercy, Jill and Caye face a test of friendship unlike any other—a test that will lead one of them to powerful revelations about faith and love, and the other to the realization that trust in God encompasses all things.

9. It’s All About Dad & Me
By Marilyn C. Hilton
Non-Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

You’re almost a teenager. And he’s the most important guy in your life–Dad! He’s your protector, guide, coach, cheerleader, and so much more. As you grow and change, so does your relationship. It’s exciting–and scary for you both. So how can you understand each other better, stay connected, and make your relationship the best it can be? This book! You can check out other girls’ stories about their dads; create cool crafts and take fun quizzes; talk, chat, and yak (even with a quiet dad!); see from the Bible how God guides and blesses your relationship. It’s All About Dad & Me will even show you how your relationship with Dad is part of God’s awesome plan!

10. Petticoat Ranch (3 copies up for grabs)
By Mary Connealy
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Sophie Edwards knows a thing or two about survival. During the Civil War, she ran her Texas ranch single-handedly and managed to raise four daughters. And when her husband was murdered and the ranch stolen from her, she kept her family hidden and alive.

Clay McCellen grew up in the West and has seen few women and even fewer girls. When Sophie saves Clay from floodwaters and he realizes she’s a woman alone with four daughters, Clay takes it upon himself to marry Sophie to protect her.

Texas cowgirls don’t require much looking after. While Clay tries to adjust to a houseful of teary-eyed females, a gang of desperados learns that Clay’s new wife—the sole witness to her first husband’s murder—is still in Texas. As Clay tries to convince his new family to depend on him, the womenfolk get to work booby-trapping the property to catch the bad guys.

11. @Home for the Holidays
By Meredith Efken
Fiction
Ships: Anywhere

Sitting by the fireside, humming carols and knitting mittens…not! For these stay-at-home moms, the weeks before Christmas are anything but mellow. How can you balance housework, home crises and the husband without losing your mind? Plug in your laptop!

Meet Dulcie, Zelia, Jocelyn, Rosalyn, Veronica and the rest of the women of SAHM I Am. An e-mail loop of stay-at-home moms, they’ve seen each other through months of domestic drama: babies who won’t come, bills that won’t leave, kids who won’t listen and spouses who won’t talk. Now, as the yuletide approaches, the SAHMs are on hand once again, bearing gifts of sisterhood, sanity, and the real Christmas spirit.

Happy Thursday, everyone! Time for the last fiction giveaway from Bethany House (there will still be a nonfiction Bethany House giveaway next week, though), and this one looks really terrific.

But first, the winner of last week’s book, In the Company of Secrets, is Once Upon a Dream! Congratulations! I’ve also listed the winners of the Books Galore #6 giveaway in a separate post. You can check it out HERE.

Now it’s time for Bethany House book giveaway #8. If the book below appeals to you and you’d like to be eligible to win it, just leave a comment on this post and I’ll put your name in the virtual hat. This post will remain open for comments until I list the next book next Thursday. At that time, I’ll randomly pick a commenter and announce that person as the winner. Please make sure that when you leave a comment, there is an easy way to get in touch with you – via email or your own blog. This book is open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada.

And now, on to the book…

In High Places
By Tom Morrisey

For Patrick Nolan, every climb tells a story. And the story of Patrick’s life? He’s been taken right to the brink, staring over the cliff’s knife edge wondering how things went wrong so quickly.

It all started after arriving home from a weekend climbing trip with his father, Kevin. That’s when word reached them. In a silent moment, they’d lost the person most important to them — her death raising unanswerable questions and dangerous doubts.

Launching a new life in a new town to escape their pain, son and father find themselves in danger of being torn apart forever. As Kevin seeks a route to solace on the dangerous high face of the rock, Patrick finds a path to hope in the unlikeliest of allies — a prim pastor’s daughter. Together, they must find the one answer that can bring Patrick’s family back from the brink of the precipice.

You can read an excerpt from In High Places Here.
You can check out some reader reviews Here.
And you can learn more about the author Here.

Here are the winners for the Books Galore #6 giveaway. Congratulations! If your name is on this list, please email me your mailing address so you can receive your book!

(Also, I think I have a couple winners here who have won before. I still need you to send me your mailing address — there are too many giveaways for me to keep track of who’s who and whose addresses I already have. So please send them, even if you’ve sent me your address before. Thanks!)

1. The Only Best Place by Carolyne Aarsen – Lorie

2. Midnight at Sea by Colleen Coble – Karen

3. DragonSpell by Donita K Paul – Stephanie

4. Spring Rain by Gayle Roper – Deborah

5. Summer Shadows by Gayle Roper – Leslie

6. Never Say Never by Lena Nelson Dooley – Dandelion Momma-Janis

7. A Daughter’s Quest by Lena Nelson Dooley – 4andcounting

8. SAHM I Am by Meredith Efken – Carey

9. Sisterchicks Do the Hula by Robin Jones Gunn – Jennifer

10. The Guy I’m Not Dating by Trish Perry – Kate

11. Too Good to Be True by Trish Perry – Trina