Jody Day and Joy Express

Book 3 in the Express series

The Washout Express, 2013

The Wedding Express, 2016

Joy Express
Pelican Ventures LLC, Harbourlight Books
November 8, 2019
Christmas inspirational fiction

$4.99

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About the Book:

Nearly a year has passed since Scott and Bailey’s Christmas wedding. Now they are expecting joy in the form of twins! The day arrives for the opening of Barkley House, a missionary retreat provided by Bailey’s inheritance, but an unspeakable evil descends upon Bailey as she awaits...

Shocking revelations accompany Bailey's ordeal. Will she ever find joy again?

My Review:

The third book in the series set in Texas, in this story we are re-introduced to Bailey and Scott West, and literally come in the middle of frightening action and dreadful secrets.        

Told in alternating first person, Bailey and Scott, who married a year earlier, are expecting their first baby…babies…like, any second. Complicating the matter is Grandpa Brown, on the lam with embezzlement charges on his head and serious anger issues, has a strange way of “just trying to talk” to his oldest daughter for the first time in twenty years. There’s much more to his story, and Bailey comes to learn just how dark the world can be, but also how big her heart can grow. With Bailey at such a desperate place, Scott fears not only for her, but worries over his own abilities to be the husband of strength and faith she can rely on.

As we come in the middle of a traumatic event, references to friends and family, an inheritance, settlement, and a dedication of a missionary retreat are somewhat vague in the early going. I recommend reading the stories in order to get the full picture.

Joy Express is a sweet, detailed episode in the Wests’ lives as Bailey faces peril and then she and Scott learn about parenthood and reliance. Set during Bailey’s favorite time of year, Christmas, Joy Express is a warm Texas holiday treat of a read.

About the Author: I am an author who looks at life through love-colored glasses. My passion is inspiring people to live a life that embraces who they are in Jesus Christ. I write poems, articles, devotionals, and novels from West Texas, where I am President of the Fort Stockton area writers group called Critique Café. I am a member of ACFW and Faithwriters.com. My debut novel, Washout Express, and the sequel, Wedding Express are published by Harbourlight Books/The Pelican Group. My poems and articles have appeared in Mature Living, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Christiandevotions.us, and EveryDayPoets.com. I'm published with Pelican Ventures under the imprints of Harbourlight and White Rose.

Revisit Christmas with Jody Bailey Day

Mistletoe Mix-Up
Jody Day

Christmas Holiday Extravaganza

Pelican Ventures LLC

December 1, 2018

Ebook Novelette

$2.99

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About the Book

Evan Edwards faces another lonely Christmas in the dorm, so when he chances upon a rain-soaked ad for holiday room and board in exchange for decorating, he wastes no time in driving to the empty home, dreaming of a cozy, if lonely, Christmas.

Across the street, Rise' Larkin is also home from school, and has some bad news for her dad. As Evan and Rise’s friendship deepens, and Christmas nears, Evan discovers he’s been decorating the wrong house.

Will this mix-up ruin everything?

My review

I am starting to get hooked on novellas/novelettes, shorter complete books that are longer than short stories but shorter than a full length book. They don’t have time for complicated plots or side stories, yet have nicely developed characters and a problem to solve. For Evan Edwards, it’s what to do with himself. As a student he’s looking the future in the nose, as a musician he knows he needs something else that will push his playing to the next level. As a son he feels like a failure to a mom who is constantly on the lookout for the next man. For Rise Larkin, the problem is how to tell her father her life is a disaster but she’s already started a do-over about which she’s worried he won’t approve.

Mistletoe Mix-Up is a cute story of two lonely hearts finding home and a future and making peace with the present through an odd turn of events one special Christmas.

About the Author

Jody Bailey Day writes inspirational fiction, poems, and devotionals looking through love colored glasses - the love of Christ.

Holiday Read Mistletoe MixUp

Mistletoe Mix-Up

Jody Day

From White Rose, an imprint of Pelican Ventures LLC

A Christmas Holiday Extravaganza novella

$2.99

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About the Book

Mistletoe Mix-up - Evan Edwards faces another lonely Christmas in the dorm. His mom is on her fourth, or maybe it's her fifth, honeymoon. A rain-soaked ad promises free room and board in exchange for holiday decorating. Evan jumps at the chance to spend Christmas in a cozy home. The owners won't even be there until Christmas Day, so he'll have plenty of time to practice their piano for his graduation recital. He heads for Candle, Tx. Across the street, Rise' Larkin, also home from college for the holidays, has some bad news for her widowed father.

As Evan and Rise's friendship grows, Evan wonders if he might have a future with a family of his own. Evan realizes, nearly too late, that he's been living in, and decorating the wrong house! Will this crazy mistletoe mix-up ruin his Christmas, or possibly, even his future?

From the Author

Tell us why Mistletoe is part of your Christmas story.

Honestly, the theme of this story is a super crazy mix-up at Christmas time, and with a hint of romance, Mistletoe was the logical choice.

What would you like your readers to know about Christmas after reading your story?

Evan has retreated into his music to hide from his sad life. Music is the only thing that has never let him down. His one experience with church was a disaster. I hope readers will learn through Evan's experience in this book that God loved him all time, even when Evan didn't know him, and that God has a purpose for his life.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Our family has a tradition of coming over to decorate my tree. Even though all six children have their own households now, they still come, along with 14 grandchildren, to deck the halls. My husband serves his special red hot punch, and jalapeno cheese roll. One day we'll have decorations above the bottom half of the tree, but in the meantime, it's so much fun.

About the Author

Jody Bailey Day writes inspirational fiction from her home in West Texas. She is the author of the

Washout Series from The Pelican Book Group. She enjoys her job at the local library, and when not working or writing, can be found crocheting candy corn action figures to go with her children's book Yellow Bottom Bob, spending time with her grandchildren, or watching silent movies with her husband of 33 years.

The Wedding Express with Jody Day

Sequel to The Washout Express

Inspirational romantic novella

Scott West is about to marry the woman of his dreams, but when delayed grief and a life-or-death event jeopardizes their relationship, Scott is forced to ask himself what kind of man he really is. Can he own up to the truth and risk losing the love of his life? And if he does come clean, will it be enough for Bailey? Discover the power of hope, forgiveness, and love in Wedding Express.

November 2016

Harbourlight Books

eBook

$4.99

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My review:

Scott takes a turn to tell his side of his romance with Bailey. He may have only met her a few months ago, but he’s had a washout engagement years past and knows this time Bailey is the right woman. Whether or not it’s the right time is the big question. When his former fiancé reenters his life in a frighteningly dependent way, both Scott and Bailey play truth or consequences for life.

This story takes up right after Washout Express. Set in a quaint Texas community, readers who love miracles and spectacular weddings will have fun with this story. It’s not necessary to read the first story to fall in love with these characters and their story in the Wedding Express. Told from multiple viewpoints, the reader is carried along by the whirlwind events of loss, a medical emergency, and surprise knots of every kind. It’s short and sweet.

Holiday time read with Jody Day

Washout Express

Jody Day

About the Book

Bailey Brown has just lost her job, her birthright, and her fiancé. Loaded with enough insecurities to fill a suitcase, she prays for God to show her the way and then hits the road feeling like the ultimate loser.

Exit 477: Washout Express.

The roadside sign taunts Bailey. Is God confirming she's expressly washed-up? Or does He have something better for her waiting at the end of the exit ramp?

Ebook 2.99

Inspirational Romance

Short book

Harbourlight Books

June 2013

Kindle 

Nook 

My Review: 

Looking for a cutie quick holiday read? Jody Day’s Washout Express will fit the bill!

You just know when the story opens with a devastating and cruel breakup, the sweeter the real romance that follows. And that’s exactly what you get.

I love less than twig perfect runway model heroines and six-pack ab heroes. If you like real people doing real, but sweetly heroic things like running into a fire to save mementos and proposing a lot, and realizing that bolstering each other in faith is truly the most important part of any relationship, Washout Express is for you.

Told in dramatic first person, Day’s Bailey Brown will grab your sympathy from page one. The author winds a mystery letter through the story, tantalizing the reader with its contents. Bailey meets the overworked young man, Scott, the owner of the truck wash business on Exit 477 in Texas, who holds the keys to her true purpose. I loved Bailey’s mom, Gwen, and especially Scott’s dad, Peeps. In fact, I enjoyed the story so much I bought the sequel, Wedding Express.