Wednesday Newsbytes

First-time author David Cristofano's THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is already garnering praise from reviewers. Publishers Weekly recently gave it a starred review, hailing the book an, "...intense, romantic debut...[whose] mad love scenario sizzles like garlic in hot olive oil." The book is set to release this March.

Here's the 411: When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

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Jessica Andersen's SNOWED IN WITH THE BOSS is Intrigue's top pick for March! Congrats Jessica!
Here's the 411: It was supposed to be just a quick stop at the Kenner County mansion to deal with a number of building issues for millionaire Griffin Vaughn and his secretary Sophie LaRue. But after a blizzard and a bridge collapse strand them in the isolated house, it's a matter of survival, not only from the elements but also from vicious killers and a mob boss reputed to be hiding out in the mountains. With only a dying PDA for communication, the pair dodges attacks, relying on Sophie's ingenuity and Griffin's SEAL training. Andersen is top notch, writing in the best Agatha Christie form, as the pressure and danger escalates in the time capsule of a vicious storm. Releases March 2009.

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REFLECTIONS OF GOD'S HOLY LAND by Eva Marie Everson and Miriam Feinburg Vamosh is a finalist in the Evangelical Christian Publisher's Association Awards (formerly known as Gold Medallion). Congrats!

Here's the 411: This unique armchair tour of Israel includes full-color photographs, related scriptures, historical and archaeological information about each area, and a description of what it looks and feels like to be there today.