Barb Warner Deane
Award-Winning Women's Fiction Author
& Public Speaker
Stories of Strong Women
and Small Towns
So happy and proud to have On The Homefront be included with Tracie Peterson, Gail Dwyer, Miranda Liasson, and Laura Drake in this wonderful feature from the Women's Fiction Writers Association on BookTrib!
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And Then There Was You
Harper's Glen novel #2
4.7 Stars on Goodreads
On the Authors on the Air Recommended book list
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When her world falls apart, he's there to help her find herself again.
Marnie Edwards thought she had her life together. Then State Trooper Scott Randall starts asking mysterious questions, and she learns her mother has been hospitalized with cancer. When a bedside confession reveals she was adopted*, suddenly Scott’s investigation into child-trafficking becomes personal.
Every time Scott turns around, he learns Marnie has something to do with his current investigation. Finding himself falling for the beguiling, strong-willed brunette isn’t helping, especially when he’s still nursing the wounds of his failed marriage.
When he and Marnie find themselves thrown together to help a pregnant teen, they have to figure out what’s important and who they are to each other, before it’s too late.
NEW: FINALIST in the CLUE International Book Awards for Suspense & Thriller Fiction by Chanticleer Book Review
NEW: FINALIST in the CHATELAINE International Book Awards for Romantic Fiction International by Chanticleer Book Review
*Marnie learns she was born in the back of a VW microbus during the 1973 Summer Jam rock concert in the small town Watkins Glen, NY, which is the next village over from Harper's Glen. This story, the town, and the characters are fiction, but inspired by some factual events.
Summer Jam was truly one of the largest rock concerts ever presented and took place at the Raceway in Watkins Glen, New York on July 28, 1973, five years after—and more than 200,000 people larger—than Woodstock.
Watkins Glen, a village of approximately 2,000 people, is the home of American auto racing. As such, residents were used to crowds of 100,000 for the Formula One races.
When the promoters of the concert approached the town, they estimated 100,000 young people would attend the one-day event. Instead, over 600,000 people came for more than a weekend, blocking roads, over-running the racetrack and adjoining campgrounds, depleting the water, food, and restroom facilities, and occupying the entire area for more than a week.
While it was larger than Woodstock, Summer Jam never received the same notoriety, except among the residents of the Finger Lakes area of New York, who had lived through the chaos.
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Reviews of And Then There Was You:
4 Stars...Deane's books strike that delicate balance between sweet and suspenseful...There was a great combination of character development and suspens...just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat...Barb Warner Deane creates loving romance and enticing mysteries and this story was no different." Romantically Inclined Reviews
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5 Stars...Great romantic suspense - This romantic suspense will take your heart on a voyage to uncharted territory. The emotions range from desperation to contentment. However, this is a necessary journey your heart and head need to take. The ending may just surprise you, but in a great way and I strongly recommend you read this book - KBRC NetG
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"Deane did an incredible job weaving multiple storylines and managing to bring all to a satisfying conclusion. She wove in real events to add sustenance to the plot. I highly recommend this book for sorting through life’s problems to find a desired future." - Book Review Crew
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5 Stars - "I absolutely loved the intermixing of fiction with bits of non-fiction as it relates to a music festival called Summer Jam (a mini-Woodstock) in Watkins Glen. And how discovering what happened in the past helps figure out the present. This story is filled with romance, suspense, suspicions and surprises.." -USA Today Bestselling Author Wendy Byrne
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5 Stars - "And Then There Was You has a lot of romance and even more mystery make this a really good book. You will get information on black market adoptions - child selling and how it can flourish. I recommend this for all the curious readers." Amazon reader
When their men marched off to war, these women stepped up.
ON THE HOMEFRONT
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4.8 Stars on Goodreads
Available now on Amazon & The Wild Rose Press
The year is 1941. As WWII begins, life will never be the same for three women as they send their husbands, brothers, and friends off to war. Ruth, a young wife and teacher, Lilly, her teen-aged sister-in-law, and Helen, a British war bride, learn to cope with rationing, change, fear, loss, humiliation, and brutality while they forge an impenetrable bond and grow to be stronger than they ever dreamed possible. They lean on each other for support, but when one decides to go to the front lines as part of the the American Red Cross Clubmobile program, can the two remaining women cope with her absence and even more loss?
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Reviews:
"Barb Warner Deane gives us a nostalgic love letter in On the Homefront. Full of heartache and triumph from days long gone by, it brings the reader home again." Julia London, NYT bestselling author of The Devil in Tartan
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"5 Stars...A heart-warming and heart-riveting story that vividly (and with historical accuracy) recreates an extended rural family coping with the harsh realities of World War II. Helen, Ruth, and Lilly will stay with you long after you put down this wonderfully written historical." - Parris Afton Bonds, New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 novels
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"A riveting tale of three women as they support, grow and change while faced with the reality of WWII. This book combines history and story-telling as the reader becomes engrossed in the highs and lows of these women's lives while simultaneously incorporating historical events into the mix. These women exemplify the power in women coming together to support each other and persevere despite obstacles. If you love history and/or women's fiction, you will love this book. 5 stars" - USA Today Bestselling Author, Wendy Byrne
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"The story is lovingly told using the jargon and expressions of the times. The author provides a heartfelt picture of the way each life was affected by the war. The novel also embeds historical references to customs and culture so that the reader learns about the times and values from the era. The author is a fan of genealogy—that is evident through the meticulous research she gathered in presenting the simple, yet complex lives of women in the face of war." Historical Novel Reviews
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"A fascinating story about women who test their strength due to circumstances, creating impenetrable bonds as well. It's a perfect blend of history with women's fiction. A reflection of the times where women took the lead because they had no other choice and became strong and resilient together. As a reader, this was one of those books that is difficult to put down because you NEED to know what happens next; historically and personally, you see through the lives of these women. This book is a MUST read from new author,Barb Warner Deane, if you're even a slight fan of historical fiction and/ or women's fiction. I HIGHLY recommend this book." - Book Review Crew
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Secrets can kill. But she's a survivor.
KILLING HER SOFTLY
Harper's Glen #1
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Available now from Amazon & The Wild Rose Press
4.3 Stars out of 5 on Amazon & Goodreads
Afraid for her life after spending ten years in an abusive marriage, a surprise inheritance finally gives Kate Finelli a chance to get out, if she can find the courage. When she calls the sheriff’s office, she hears the familiar voice of Jack, the first man to show her love. Can Kate trust him to help her get away from the long-suffering abuse? She has to hide from her husband to stay alive.
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A former FBI agent, Jack returned to Harper’s Glen at the request of his dying friend, the town sheriff. Jack has been estranged from his family for years because his father never appreciated him as compared to his brothers and because Kate, the girl he fell in love with in high school, married one of those brothers. With strained family ties, Jack doesn’t plan on staying in this small town for long, until a panicked call comes in from Kate. He left when she chose his brother, but must stay to help her now.
With the backdrop of a murder investigation and threatening notes, Kate and Jack find each other again. Will the tension within their family keep them apart? Or will their struggle for safety bring them together after all these years?
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Reviews:
"...KILLING HER SOFTLY, is a fast-paced, frightening, and thoroughly enjoyable read...romantic suspense at its best." NY Times Bestselling Thriller Author, Linda Castillo
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"...An emotional roller-coaster ride of lost love, overcoming life-and-death challenges and reclaiming one’s self and soul. I loved the romantic relationship between Kate and Jack as they rediscovered themselves... And, watching the killer in the background added such tension and danger! A tense, fast-paced story of danger, lost-love-found and redemption, KILLING HER SOFTLY kept me turning the pages!” USA Today Bestselling Author, Terri Brisbin
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"5 Stars...Well-written and suspenseful. Kept me engaged to the last page." Lisa Pulitzer, NY Times bestselling author of Fatal Romance, Stolen Innocence, Imperfect Justice, and Mob Daughter, among many others.
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"...a suspenseful, emotional rollercoaster that, all things considered, is really quite a lovely read.. the story quickly moves from sadness to a more hopeful undertone, and then quickly dives straight into suspense, frustration, and danger...Every woman wants to be like Kate. Every woman should be like Kate: courageous, intelligent, and someone who, when everything looks like it's going to shit, believes in herself...it packs a wallop between the pages. Lots of emotion, lots of danger, lots of love." -Romantically Inclined Reviews
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"Deane inserts the sharp sting of suspense into a heartwarming small town, showing how those we love can both hurt and heal." - Allie Pleiter, best-selling author of over 30 novels
My 2007 Trip to Normandy and the American Cemetery
