by JoAnn Durgin
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
The Lewis Legacy Series Box Set: 4-in-1 Special Edition is Copyright © 2014 by JoAnn Durgin. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce in whole or in part in any form or medium.
ASIN: B00JT028EE
All Scripture contained within is from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the author.
Cover Design: Lynnette Bonner/Indie Cover Design
Books currently available in
The Lewis Legacy Series*
Prelude (Prequel)
Awakening (Book 1)
Second Time Around (Book 2)
Twin Hearts (Book 3)
Daydreams (Book 4)
Moonbeams (Book 5)
Enchantment (Book 6)
Many More Adventures to Come!
Abide (Book 7, releasing in May 2016)
Pursuit (Book 8, releasing in Fall 2016)
Roundabout (Book 9)
Underground (Book 10)
Assurance (Book 11)
*Available Exclusively on
Amazon and Amazon Kindle Unlimited
(Paperbacks Also Available)
Information for other books in
The Lewis Legacy Series
can be found at the end of this boxed set.
WHISPERS OF LOVE
Available for Pre-order Now!
Releasing June 28, 2016
Over 2000 pages of ALL NEW contemporary Christian romance novels from bestselling authors for only 99 cents! Order now before this spectacular limited time offer disappears forever!
A Change of HeartbyKimberly Rae Jordan
Only one thing stands between Ethan Collins and the job he desperately needs: office manager Makayla McFadden. She hates that he represents a major change in her family’s business, but finds herself intrigued by him, too. Will Makayla be able to see that change can be a good thing, professionally and personally? Or will Ethan be back to square one—in need of a job in a new city?
Not This Time by Leah Atwood
Amie Reynolds wakes up on her wedding morning to find a note from her fiancé that he left the country. Needing to escape her heartache, she visits her great-aunt’s lake house for the summer and meets Drew Sullivan. Romance between them blooms, but will Drew’s secret tear them apart?
Homestands by Sally Bradley
A pro athlete stumbles across his ex-wife, the son she hid from him, and the rare opportunity to right his wrongs, but a secret from the past threatens their attempts to repair their shattered relationship.
Secrets of Sunbeams by Valerie Comer
One animal control officer with her own escapee goat. One solar architect whose report has been eaten. Can romance and urban farming blossom on the same city block?
Overture and a Prince by Christina Coryell
She’s an actress who can’t seem to get out of character. He’s a mechanic who puts little stock in imagination. Will their love story make it to the opening curtain?
Gentle Like the Rain by JoAnn Durgin
Isabella Caccavale’s stable life plunges into a tailspin after she buys her aunt’s general store in Evergreen, Maine. When runaway lawyer Sidney Prescott roars into town, he jump-starts her wounded heart. Will Sidney find what he seeks in quaint little Evergreen or will he take Isabella’s heart with him when he returns to Boston?
Teapots & Tiaras by Autumn Macarthur
When their best friends’ wedding in London pushes medical missionary Matthew Coalbrooke and bubbly shoe-aholic kitchenware saleswoman Anita Kiernan together, it’s dislike at first sight. But God has a bigger plan for them than they can possibly imagine.
Oceans Apart by Lesley Ann McDaniel
This is the Inn at Crescent Cove’s biggest weekend since Lily Duarte bought it last year—a wedding. Now if only she can stop dwelling on the last wedding she planned then called off at the eleventh hour…her own. When an employee quits and handsome best man Matthew Case steps in to help, Lily’s thoughts of what might have been start to fade away.
The Lifeguard, the Abandoned Heiress, and Frozen Custard
by Carol Moncado
Adam Wilkerson is looking forward to a summer of fun working at the Serenity Landing Aquatic Center. Gwendolyn Cranston-Schmidt is looking for a fresh start. Can they see past both of their secrets to find their way to a real relationship?
Flight 259 by Staci Stallings
It was only a chance occurrence. When Jenna Davis happens to sit next to Dr. Scott Browning and his young son on the plane to Newark, she has no idea how that one chance decision will change all of their lives forever.
Smile for Me by Jan Thompson
A workaholic assistant principal who meticulously plans his schedule months in advance meets an easygoing potter and art teacher with no sense of time, living her life as the seasons come and go. Crossing paths again at the Summer-by-the-Sea Day Camp sponsored by his church in the Bahamas, how can they work together if they cannot see eye to eye?
The Other You by Marion Ueckermann
Five years spent searching for her identity brings photojournalist Taylor Cassidy no closer to the truth. When Taylor is sent to South Africa to uncover the story behind winegrower Armand DeBois’s flagship wine, Aimee Amour, their meeting raises questions that demand answers—for them both.
Available for pre-order now
on all major eBook websites!
Order Now from Amazon! http://amzn.to/1TlywBt
About the Author
~~♥~~
A former estate administration paralegal, JoAnn writes contemporary Christian romance full-time and lives with her family in her native southern Indiana.
JoAnn loves to hear from her readers! Please feel free to contact her:
Website: www.joanndurgin.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin
Twitter: JoAnn Durgin@Gr8tReads
Other Books by JoAnn Durgin
The Lewis Legacy Series
Prelude (Prequel)
Awakening
Second Time Around
Twin Hearts
Daydreams
Moonbeams
Enchantment
Still to Come
Abide (May 2016)
Pursuit (Fall 2016)
Roundabout
Underground
Assurance
The Wondrous Love Series
Love So Amazing
Love So Divine
By Grace Draw Near (Fall 2016)
The Starlight Christmas Series
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Starlight, Star Bright
Sleigh Ride Together with You
Starlight in Her Eyes
Other Novels
Catching Serenity
Heart’s Design (Gentle Like the Rain,
A Heart’s Design Novel, is coming Summer 2016)
Echoes of Edinburgh
Perchance to Dream
You can find all of JoAnn Durgin’s books on her author page on Amazon! By clicking on the gold + Follow button, you should receive an e-mail from Amazon notifying you of her newest releases.
Click on this link to take you there: http://amzn.to/27wfXAF
If you enjoy this Special Edition 4-in-1 Box Set of the first four books in The Lewis Legacy Series, please consider leaving a review on Amazon for the set or for any of the individual books. Positive reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations truly honor an author and are an effective way to help others find quality Christian fiction.
Thank you, and happy reading!
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
ASIN: B00HMN0YGS
Awakening is Copyright © 2010 by JoAnn Durgin. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce in whole or in part in any form or medium.
All Scripture contained within is from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the author.
Cover Design: Dino Piccinini
Awakening
Book Description
A God-fearing man. A God-seeking woman. For Sam Lewis and Lexa Clarke, it proves a combustible combination.
Lexa Clarke signs up for a TeamWork Missions summer assignment expecting adventure in a far-off, exotic country. Instead, she’s sent to sweltering San Antonio to help rebuild homes destroyed by sudden flooding. She survives the four-hour bus trip from Houston, dust in the lungs, a flat tire, a tool-throwing incident and a spitting goat—not to mention an inquisition from a distractingly handsome cowboy—all before reaching the work camp.
TeamWork director Sam Lewis isn’t sure what to think of his newest volunteer. She’s feisty, witty, and incredibly pretty, but looks more prepared to board a cruise ship than build houses. Burned by a past betrayal, he’s got a job to do, a reputation to uphold. Sam can’t afford to be distracted by a woman who attracts animals, defies his rules, finds trouble at every turn and questions God’s purpose. But when she tumbles from the top beam of one of the houses into his arms, Sam suspects his life will never be the same. During their weeks together in the TeamWork camp, Sam and Lexa learn the power of forgiveness and healing.
Enduring a chain of incidents which challenge their faith, trust and growing relationship, they look to the Lord for guidance as together they discover a love greater than either could ever imagine. At the end of the eight-week work camp, Sam is committed to a year-long, dangerous overseas mission for TeamWork. Can Lexa trust the Lord enough to let him go? Will Sam safely return and keep his promise to meet her at the Alamo? You’ll keep turning the pages of this sweeping romantic adventure.
With great characters, plenty of humor, enough emotion to make you shed a tear or two, and an ending that’ll have you cheering, Awakening will leave you breathless. Hold on tight. The adventures of Lewis and Clarke have only just begun!
From the Author
My Dearest Readers,
Thank you for choosing to read Awakening. Bringing this book to you has been a true labor of love, and was first written more than a decade ago. It is loosely based on my love story with my own hero—my husband, Jim. A lot of the strength of character, unwavering faith and goodness in Sam Lewis is based on Jim (and yes, we even met in the great Lone Star State). Some of the feistiness and stubbornness in Lexa is based on yours truly, but I choose to believe I share her resourcefulness and resilience. In part, that’s why you’re holding this book in your hands now.
I thank Jim for his encouragement and support through the years to help make this dream a reality. To our children—Sarah, Chelsea and Matthew—may your mother’s passion for writing inspire you, and leave a written legacy of faith for your own children in the years to come.
Thank you to my dear mother who looked the other way when, as a young girl, I crawled under the sheets with a flashlight, staying up into the wee hours to finish Nancy Drew’s latest adventure. Reading those mysteries fostered my imagination, and my love of reading and writing, and I pay loving homage to the titian-haired sleuth in Awakening.
For my first readers, Joyce and Kathy, you are my rocks, and I couldn’t do it without your faithful support. Thank you to all the friends and encouragers who read Awakening in its various forms on the way to publication, as well as the numerous prayer warriors. You know who you are, and I thank you most sincerely.
The Lord is truly my Partner. He has paved the way and opened the doors of His choosing in this fascinating journey. It never ceases to amaze me the miraculous way in which He works in all things to accomplish His perfect will. May you each receive a unique blessing as you read this book. As Hebrews 12:1-2 tell us, we should run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
Until His Nets Are Full,
JoAnn Durgin
Matthew 5:16
Theme Verse
in Awakening
Isaiah 50:4
The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
Chapter 1
Mid-June 1997
Lexa Clarke was on a roll, and it wasn’t even noon.
San Antonio—40 miles. The highway marker filled her with anticipation. Soon, she’d be a survivor of the four-hour bus trip from Houston. So far, so good. The guy with the beady eyes seated beside her reeked of knock-off drugstore cologne and offered her things, none of them legal. With nearly every seat occupied, she was stuck. Burying her head in her dad’s old police union newsletter did the trick. Smart thinking, bringing that along.
The senior flirt across the aisle graced her with a gap-toothed smile and nudged her with his cane a couple of times. A young mother attempted conversation, but finally gave up when her two rambunctious boys demanded constant attention. When Beady Eyes snored—a loud, obnoxious wheeze—Lexa attempted to read her novel, but her thoughts always strayed to the upcoming eight weeks.
Maybe building houses in a summer predicted to be one of the hottest on record wasn’t the smartest idea. Lexa swallowed her doubts and lifted her chin. When you want to make a difference in the world, you’ve got to make some sacrifices. The TeamWork driver would pick her up in less than an hour, and then the real adventure could begin . . .
The bus pulled into the Greyhound bus station along with Lexa’s high hopes. Holding out one hand, the driver helped her to the curb and grinned with surprise when she handed him a generous tip. He hurried to retrieve her rolling suitcase. “Enjoy your stay in San Antonio, Miss.”
Lexa broke into a grin, equal parts relief and excitement. “Thanks. I’m sure I will.” It might be long hours of hard work with no pay, but it’s how she chose to spend her summer. High hopes should count for something.
As she toted her designer suitcase through the terminal, Lexa’s grip tightened when she glimpsed curious stares directed her way. A middle-aged couple waved and called to the frazzled mother with the two boys. Lexa’s eyes misted with unexpected tears at the sight of their Going to Grandma’s suitcases. Her version had been pink with daisies for all those weekend trips to Nana’s house in Galveston. The man swooped the older boy into his arms and peppered his face w
ith kisses while the woman bundled the toddler in a tight hug.
She squinted against the assault of late morning sun as she made her way outside. The sunglasses left on the dresser in her Houston townhome would come in handy about now.
Lexa jumped when a teenager’s bulging backpack sideswiped her arm. With earphones strapped across his head, he was oblivious to the outside world as his thumbs worked furiously over some type of electronic gadget. A group of boisterous guys and girls piled into a compact car. Its tires squealed when it roared away from the curb, spewing a cloud of dust in its wake. Alone on the sidewalk, Lexa’s throat clogged. She clamped a hand over her mouth, her other across her stomach, sputtering and choking. Nothing like coughing up a lung.
Recovered from her attack a few minutes later, Lexa spied a white Volvo station wagon putt-putting in her direction. A tall man in a cowboy hat sat behind the wheel. A trickle of perspiration made its slow, winding path down her back as the car simultaneously wound its way toward the curb. It stopped with a rumble inches from where she waited.
Lexa brushed a hand across her damp forehead and peered through the open passenger window. “Are you from TeamWork?”
