SUPERROMANCES
 Sanctuary
Book #2 in the Birth Place Series*
 Ten
years ago, Hope Tanner escaped from the polygamist colony where
she was born and raised. She was only sixteen at the time, and
pregnant, but she managed to find refuge in Enchantment, New Mexico,
where Lydia Kane, owner of The Birth Place, took her in.
Hope had her baby in Enchantment, and put the child
up for adoption, then spent the next several, difficult years
getting an education, learning to appreciate her new freedom,
and finally working as an obstetrics nurse. At twenty-seven, the
last thing she wants is go back to Superior and face down the
people from her past, especially her father and the man she refused
to marry – her own uncle. But she has a sister who wants out,
and she's determined to help her...
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Research:
Letter from a Polygamist
*For more information on the authors who wrote the
other books in the series
(books 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 - which were released beginning September
2003,
at one title per month) visit the following author's websites:
Darlene Graham (www.superauthors.com)
Roxanne Rustand (www.tlt.com/authors/roxannerustand.htm)
CJ Carmichael (www.cjcarmichael.com)
Kathleen O'Brien (www.superauthors.com)
and Marisa Carroll (www.superauthors.com)
Excerpt
Her mother's hand dropped, and dread settled in
the pit of Hope's stomach as she looked up to see her father entering
the park. A scowl generally served as his customary expression--anything
less would have been too frivolous--but his face darkened considerably
when a little girl ran up to him and brightly announced, "Her
name's Hope, Daddy. I heard her say it. Ain't she pretty? Ain't
that a pretty name? Daddy?"
Her father passed the child without acknowledging
her. Tall and imposing in an Abraham Lincoln sort of way, he still
wore his beard untrimmed. Two gray streaks broke the black of
it at each corner of his mouth, accentuating his frown. He'd lost
a good deal of his hair; his face, on the other hand, hadn't aged
a bit. Time couldn't soften his granite-like features any more
than it could soften his granite-like heart.
"What is this? What's going on here?"
he cried, his long legs churning up the distance between them.
Next to him hurried her two uncles, Rulon, a taller version of
her father, who had eight wives at last count, and Arvin, the
runt of the family--and the man she'd refused to marry. Almost
skeletal in appearance, the bones of Arvin's hips jutted out beneath
a tightly cinched belt and his chest looked almost concave beneath
his wrinkled white shirt. But at fifty-something, he still had
his hair. Black and stringy, it fell almost to his shoulders.
He was older than her father by a year, yet she would have been
his tenth wife.
Hope's grip on the flowers instinctively tightened
until the prick of a tiny thorn she'd missed removing reminded
her to ease off. She wanted to leave, but her feet wouldn't carry
her. Not while Charity was standing in front of her looking so
haggard and careworn at twenty-three. Who had her father arranged
for the sister closest to her in age to marry?
"Hope's back," her mother volunteered
in a placating tone as Jed came upon them.
Her father's eyes climbed Hope's thin frame, the
frame she had inherited from him. She knew he was taking stock
of the changes in her, making special note of her khaki shorts
and white cotton blouse. She was dressed like a Gentile, an outsider,
and he wouldn't like that, no more than he'd appreciate the fact
that her apparel showed some leg. When she was in St. George,
she'd considered wearing a dress, but putting on one he'd consider
suitable seemed like too great a concession. She was one of these
people, and yet she wasn't. She was an outcast. As much as she
missed her sisters and her mother, the years she'd spent here
seemed like another lifetime. She now knew the freedom of making
her own decisions, the power of education, the joy of being able
to support herself. She lived in a world where women were equal
to men. She could speak and be heard and have half a chance of
making a difference.
That was what she wanted to give her sisters. A
chance to know what she knew--that there were others in the world
who believed differently than their father and that didn't make
them heathens. A chance to get more out of life.
"Father," Hope murmured, but the old resentment
came tumbling back, making the word taste bitter in her mouth.
If not for his final betrayal, if not for his support of Arvin's
salacious interest over her own happiness, maybe she wouldn't
have done what she'd done in the barn. Maybe she wouldn't have
had to pay the terrible price she'd paid...
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Reviews
Wordweaving
Powerful and poignant...Novak's carefully crafted tale of heartbreak
and triumph becomes one of those powerful reads that is impossible
to put down.
~Cynthia Penn, Senior Editor
Writer's Unlimited
SANCTUARY is a fast-paced, emotion filled romance sure
to hold readers spellbound from the moment they crack open its
spine and start reading the first couple of sentences...SANCTUARY
is supposed to be just a romance, but it's so much more than that.
It's a great lesson in acceptance...and forgiveness. Ms. Novak
knows how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats from
beginning to end."
--Diana Tidlund
A Romance Review.com
A fascinating look into polygamist communities, Sanctuary will
have the reader spell bound from the beginning... Sanctuary didn't
skimp a bit on characterization or plot lines and while there
is plenty of sensuality and romance in the pages, it didn’t
take over the entire story. I highly recommend picking up a copy
of Sanctuary and when you're done, you might want to clear some
space on those keeper shelves because you will soon have a new
addition with this one!
--Katy,5 roses Newandusedbooks.com
"Get out the hankie box and settle down for
a compelling read!"
--Suzanne Coleburn
Romancejunkies.com, 4-1/2 Stars
SANCTUARY is a very fast-paced romance that will keep you on the
edge of your seat and turning pages.... I recommend it to anyone
seeking an emotional story of second chances and hope for a brighter
tomorrow. --Sherri
Old Book Barn Gazette "Ms. Novak writes an
evocative and emotional story that will stay with you long after
the last page is read."
Allyn Pogue, Reviewer
Romantic Times Book Club 4-1/2 Star Review
Reading Brenda Novak is like eating chocolate. Rich in texture.
Smooth and fulfilling. And you never get enough.
Contemporary Romance Writers
...a compelling, intense, and beautiful story about love, second
chances, and emotional recovery. Novak beautifully describes how
Hope comes to face her past and grows into a stable, loving, and
strong woman. Parker, who must face his own ghosts, is also a
very interesting and well developed character. Parker's relationship
with his son is touching and some of their dialogs really made
me smile. This was my first book by Novak, but it will not be
my last.
--Nathalie
LDSFictionreaders.com
Sanctuary written by Brenda Novak is well researched book about
Polygamy and the effects of Polygamy on it’s followers both
in the sect and those who have left the sect. I have thoroughly
enjoyed this book. Her characters are all very believable and
you can actually see the various characters in these real life
situations. I find the subject of Polygamy to be a timely subject
in the era of Big Love the new HBO series. Being a Mormon it strikes
a familiar cord with me even though the main church. The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints discontinued the use of Polygamy
amongst it followers in 1890 when the US Government outlawed it
so Utah could become a state. Brenda tastefully treats any intimacy
between her characters in a discreet and tasteful way. I would
highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a good entertaining
and educational read. Brenda is an awesome writer.
~ Monique R. Winkel
President of http://www.ldsfictionreaders.com
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Awards
Winner of RT BOOKclub Magazine's Reviewer's Choice
Award for
Best Superromance of 2003!
Finalist in the Golden Quill
Finalist in the Writer Touch Reader's Award
Finalist in the Smoky Mountain Laurie
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