Author: Stacy T. Simmons

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Release date: January 18, 2022

Secrets have the power to ruin lives. Faith and love have the power to disarm those secrets.

Failure isn’t an option for Faith Fuller, She wants to prove to herself and her very successful parents she can stand on her own, even if it means accepting a job offer from someone she wanted to forget. To add to the problem, that job means facing her biggest fear.

Caleb Gaines is looking for a manager for his coffee shop. He’s in over his head running his successful river outfitters business, and being a single dad to a preschooler. But the perfect candidate wants nothing to do with him. Risk-taker Caleb is up for a challenge and wants to convince Faith to help him.

If neither one relies on faith and learns to trust, any chance at love will be washed downstream.

An out-of-work chef and successful river outfitter are both hiding secret tragedies. How much faith will it take to learn to trust in each other, overcome obstacles, and find love?

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An Author’s Take Review

I was looking for my next Christian Romance novel and came upon A Promise for Faith by Stacy Simmons. I am so glad I did; it turned out to be a great story.

Initially, I was drawn to the story by the cover design, which depicted a couple gearing up for an exciting adventure with what appeared to be a romantic balloon outing. I was pleasantly pleased to read about that adventure in full detail as the story unfolded. However, the story did not start out with love in the air. Instead, the author began by introducing Faith Fuller and Caleb Gaines, who were far from perfect and not exactly looking for love. Faith, an out-of-work chef, and Caleb, a successful river outfitter, faced life with uncertain futures. Both had experienced heartbreak and tragedy and were just trying to make their way in life.

The author did a great job of letting the romance unfold naturally. I appreciated how she allowed the characters the opportunity to become friends before diving headfirst into a relationship especially given their struggles. The book was an easy read with some exciting twists and turns that kept the story interesting.

If you are interested in reading books that fall under Contemporary Christian Romance, you will want to check out A Promise for Faith. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Note: I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for sharing my thoughts. I am disclosing this per FTC regulations.

About the Author

Stacy T. Simmons writes uplifting fiction that delights the reader’s romantic sensibilities. Thirty-four years of marital bliss is a great contributor. She is a mom of two grown children, and she and her family have a menagerie of pets she likes to call “Noah’s Ark.” You can find her working on her next manuscript with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of coffee nearby. She loves to connect with her readers via her website at www.stacytsimmonsauthor.com

More from Stacy

Why did I write this novel? I’ve had both friends and family members ask me this question over the years it’s taken to craft this story. The reason I decided to write it was my family has experienced some job transitions in the past.

A Promise for Faith Briar Creek Love Book One has a talented chef Faith, who undergoes some of the similar things my family faced. When you dive deep into your faith, it makes you stronger as you head toward the “water’s surface.” This novel has some romance, heart-tugging moments, a few cups of coffee and delicious baked goods woven into the storyline.

Like Faith, I enjoy baking, and trying new recipes. As a trained chef the treats mentioned in the novel are a bit more time-consuming than I usually make. I’ve included one below from “Faith’s kitchen.” It’s raspberry twists, and you can make your own puff pastry or purchase it. That’s half the fun of baking, you’re able to do what you’d like to do with the recipes.

I hope you enjoy both my upcoming novel, and this recipe. Soon I’ll have two more novels which will release that are nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina as well in a cozy little town named Briar Creek.

Promised Recipe

(Makes eight twists)

Puff Pastry Directions:

You will need:

Large mixing bowl

Pastry blender

Rolling pin

Whisk

Ingredients:

2 ½ sticks unsalted butter cold (cubed into ¼ in squares)

2 c all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup cold water

In a large bowl, combine the flour and cubed, cold, butter, and salt, work with a pastry blender to cut in the butter. It should end up being pea-sized and the mixture blended enough to press with a hand into a clump. (About 8 minutes total).

Make a well in the middle, and pour in the cold water, mix with a whisk gently until the ingredients become combined with the water. (6 minutes). Shape into a ½ inch thick square and place in plastic wrap. Chill dough for an hour.

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle that is ten inches in length.

Fold over the bottom third of the dough to the middle, fold the remaining top portion to the middle. Then, fold it lengthwise in half. Turn 1/3 of the way and roll out again to another ten inches in length. Fold bottom and top and in half lengthwise. Turn another ¼ and roll out. Repeat process five more times. Shape the dough into a round and put in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. (Dough can be kept for three days in the refrigerator before use).

To make Raspberry filling:

You will need:

Greased baking pan

Pizza cutter

Rolling Pin

Ingredients:

2 pints fresh raspberries

½ c sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

Powdered sugar (optional)

Filling cooking directions:

Place ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for about eight minutes, set aside to cool.

To prepare twists:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cold dough on floured surface and roll to ¼ inch thickness and ten inches in length.

Cut the dough into 1 ¼ inch strips, place a thin layer of raspberry filling along one side, filling one-half of the strip. Then, fold the other part of the dough strip over the side covered with raspberry filling. Twist three times and place on the greased pan.

Put the remaining filling in a container to enjoy later. It lasts five days in the refrigerator.

Bake the twists for 28 minutes and cool. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the twists and serve. Enjoy!