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The Bride Wore Coveralls
ISBN 978-1-60260-031-7
Heartsong Presents
Contemporary Romance
From the Back Cover:
Can bitter rivals come to love each other? Fighting deep prejudice against her femininity, her choice of vehicle, and even her heritage, Camara Cole is determined to win the mud-bog racing championship this year. Her biggest competition seems also to be her worst enemy. Chase Lamar has been racing mud-boggers as long as Camara, and he grudgingly admits she's the best driver-mechanic he knows. Their rivalry has been long and bitter. But Chase is a new Christian. As he begins to change, he finds his relationship with Camara changing, too. When Camara's vehicle is sabatoged, she naturally blames Chase, despite a growing attraction. Chase must prove his innocence, but evidence points his way. When the smoke clears and the truth is known, will each be able to extend forgiveness, maybe even love?
Interviews:
Click this link to read an interview with Debra by Amber Miller.
Reviews:
One of the most unique and delightful Heartsong Presents stories I've read thusfar, The Bride Wore Coveralls is a fun, guy-friendly read, and is incredibly romantic. I especially loved the Chevy and Ford rivalries between Camara and Chase. Anyone who knows men and cars knows that teasing about the make and model of race cars (or any cars for that matter) is standard guy-speak and since Camara is a tomboy, it makes sense for her to be besting with them. The story behind the Lamar family's rivalry with the Coles is also compelling, especially when the truth finally comes out. I love it when God takes a situation where hate runs a muck and uses the dire circumstances to change hearts and lives. In that respect, The Bride Wore Coveralls is heads above most Heartsongs, and I applaud the author for her intense redemptive theme. Plus, that first kiss...wow! Makes you just want to keep reading to find out how Chase wins her over. Not just a romance, this story has the power of forgiveness within its pages, so it massages the spirit as well as the heart! Oh, and I adored the epilogue. It's the best one I've ever read. Awesome book!
The Bride Wore Coveralls was published by Heartsong Presents and released in April 2008.
Michelle Sutton (pen name)
Edgy Inspirational Author
www.michellesutton.net
I started reading this book, and, being a guy, wasn't quite sure of what it would be like. But, as another person has said, it is definitely a 'guy-friendly' book.
The way it is written, shows that Debra has done a lot of research on the subject matter of bog-trucks to supplement her already wide knowledge of them. She is writing on them as one who KNOWS what she is talking about.
The Christian background is also one that is drawn straight from the Bible. It's ALL there. Pride, competitiveness, the 'must win at any cost' type of determination, jealousy, retaliation, the 'Do unto others before they do unto you' personality.
There is also the other side of the story, about admitting that you DON'T know everything. Being able to say you are sorry, whole-hearted forgiveness and acceptance.
This is the kind of book that a girl could read and then hand it to a guy and say, "I think that YOU would like reading this too."
Nigel Hoare, Australia
MUD FIGHT!!
If you’re looking to get down and dirty with a good time and a great read, look no farther than Debra Ullrick’s The Bride Wore Coveralls! This delightful debut novel rises to the top as one of Heartsong Presents’ most unique and quirky tales, giving readers the real dirt on mud-bog racing and the romance that goes along with it.
Spunky Camara Cole sets her sights on winning the mud-bog racing championship of the year, proving once and for all that girls driving Chevys can wallow in the mud with the best of them. Out to prove her wrong is her bitter rival and Ford lover Chase Lamar, whose newfound Christian faith suddenly muddies the waters of a longtime family feud between Camara’s family and his. All at once, Chase is experiencing a change of heart—both with his commitment to Christ and in his feelings for the pretty driver-mechanic whose racing challenges have left him in the dust more times than he cares to admit.
With a fascinating depth and insight into the exciting sport of mud-bog racing that even impressed my husband, Debra Ullrick takes romance lovers on a joy ride they will never forget as Chase and Camara scale a mountain of obstacles on the bumpy road of love. So buckle up and get revved—you’re in for a great read!
Julie Lessman
“Passion with a Purpose”
Daughters of Boston Series
www.julielessman.com
http://seekerville.blogspot.com/
Camara Cole is the best mechanic in Alabama. She’s a whiz at bog racing too, beating most of her male competitors. In fact, Camara’s life would be perfect if it weren’t for Chase Lamar. For as long as she can remember, Chase has been her enemy. He’d do anything to win, particularly if it means besting a Cole. Chase’s father hates the entire Cole family, and his hatred has infected his son. Then Chase becomes a Christian, and everything changes, but can Camara really trust him where her truck is concerned, and more important, can she trust him with her heart? Because someone is trying to sabotage Camara’s truck, and maybe Chase hasn’t changed all that much after all.
I’d never heard of bog racing, but now I want to see it. Debra Ullrick’s The Bride Wore Coveralls is an engaging love story starring a feisty heroine with a mind of her own, and a hero who is determined to do whatever it takes to break down the barriers she has erected between them. Plenty of fast paced action and heart-tingling romance, in a unique setting. Don’t miss it.
Barbara Warren
Blue Mountain Editorial Service
www.barbarawarrenbluemountainedit.com
“Unique.” “Fun characters.” “Interesting setting.” “Great story.” Those are all things other people have said about Debra Ullrick’s The Bride Wore Coveralls, and they are all true. In fact, as someone who referred to it as “Mud bugging” when Deb was first telling me about the concept for her new book, no one could have been any greener on the subject of mud bog trucks than I was.
However, the thing that most captivates me about this book is the realness of the characters, their situation, and the great lesson of the boundlessness of God and His mercy especially when extended to those who we feel most do not deserve it.
I won’t ruin the story for you because you’ve really got to read it for yourself, but what I will say is that in The Bride Wore Coveralls, the scope of the sin of our prideful ways is laid bare and then shown for the destructive harm it causes in every life where it is allowed to take root and grow.
Every one of us has some of Camara’s pride and desire to be seen as worthy. Like Chase, every one of us has tried to change and had our past thrown back in our face again and again. Every one of us has made incredibly foolish decisions because we were hurt and angry.
But what The Bride Wore Coveralls does so beautifully is to show how God’s mercy and forgiveness can heal not only the wounds in us, but the wounds we have inflicted upon one another as well.
This book is not a must-read… it is a must-live! For if each of us in our own lives could understand God’s unending forgiveness the way these characters do in the end, and if we put that understanding into practice in our own lives with our own families and our own communities, it would literally change the world.
Reviewed by:
Staci Stallings
author & publisher
www.stacistallings.com
Can Bitter Rivals Come To Love Each Other?
Fighting deep prejudice against her femininity, her choice of vehicle, and ever her heritage, Camara Cole is determined to win the mud-bog racing championship this year. Her biggest competition seems also to be her worst enemy.
Chase Lamar has been racing mud-boggers as long as Camara, and he grudgingly admits she's the best driver-mechanic he knows. Their rivalry has been long and bitter. But Chase is a new Christian. As he begins to change, he finds his relationship with Camara changing, too.
When Camara's vehicle is sabotaged, she naturally blames Chase, despite a growing attraction. Chase must prove his innocence, but evidence points his way. When the smoke clears and the truth is known, will each be able to extend forgiveness, maybe even love?
This is a debut novel for author Debra Ullrick, and a very good one. Dealing with a subject matter that I've never seen in any of the books I've read, it drew me to learn all I could about the subject from the story.
I loved Debra's characters, and the conflict was very real between them. Her attention to detail kept the story interesting. I recommend this book.
Lena Nelson Dooley
Author, Speaker, Reviewer
Vice-President of DFW Ready Writers
(A local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers)
www.lenanelsondooley.com
WOW!!!!! I love this book !!!!! I have to say "The Bride wore Coveralls" is one of my favorite books from Heartsong.Thanks to Authors like you, myself and others are able to sit down and read a wonderful love story that is free of violence, bad language, and adult content. Thank You !!! Once again, I loved The Bride wore Coveralls.
Debra Collins ~ reader/writer
The cute cover of this novel is only just the beginning! Deb Ullrick has spun a heartwarming tale of friendship and revenge, forgiveness and acceptance, all mixed in with a little sassy spice from the tomboy heroine and the man determined to win her heart.
I think my favorite part of this novel wasn't just the chemistry between the characters, but the highly unique setting. Who wouldn't want to learn about mudbogging in the south? And come on, what better place to set a romance than in a mud pit surrounded by trucks? ::wink::
This book has true southern charm and sweeps the reader away to a place they've likely never visited - but will want to return to again and again.
Betsy Ann St. Amant
www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com
www.betsystamant.com
In her delightful debut, Debra Ullrick takes us behind the scenes of mud-bog racing. Whether you love the sport, hate it or are like me – someone who never even heard of it – this is a book I can highly recommend. I’ll admit that I doubt I’d ever attempt mud-bog racing, but the details Ms. Ullrick slipped in (very skillfully, I might add) made the sport come alive for me. In just a few pages, I became engrossed in Chase and Camara’s rivalry.
Ms. Ullrick blends the protagonists’ unusual pastime with vibrant dialogue that takes the reader deep into the South, engaging secondary characters and a heart-warming story of love and forgiveness. Don’t miss The Bride Wore Coveralls!
Amanda Cabot
The Texas Dreams Trilogy from Revell
Beginning January 2009
The bride did indeed wear coveralls, along with a few other unusual items, like mud, motor oil and monkey wrenches. Camara Cole is a unique heroine in this revvvved up story about a young woman who has made her dreams come true. Her day job is working as a mechanic, and her weekends are spent bouncing along in the mud in her bog racing truck. Even those of us who are mechanically-challenged can enjoy this story and envy Camara her intestinal fortitude for making things happen, even when the odds are against her. And the odds are certainly against her, but she has something, or rather Someone, who is for her, so what can man do unto her, right? Plenty, actually, but her faith and family are her strength, and from them she draws the necessary forgiveness that will be required of her when new heights of maliciousness lead to disastrous consequences. And what would a good mud-bogging story be without a mind-boggling romance? Chase's uncharacteristic behavior leaves Camara's head spinning more wildly than the jarring mud ruts. I especially liked the cute twist at the end, and it left me revvvved up for the sequel!
Erin Rainwater
Writer of historical love stories:
True Colors, 2006
The Arrow That Flieth By Day, 2006
www.erinrainwater.com
Camara Cole just wants to be accepted. Working as a mechanic for her father, she routinely faces prejudice in small-town Alabama. Chase Lamar is her biggest rival when it comes to mud-bog racing. Rivals all of their lives, Camara begins noticing changes in Chase after he accepts Christ as his saviour.
Due to the title of the book, the cover, even the back of the book I thought I was about to read a historical novel. Not so, I quickly found out. This is definetely a contemporary piece of work. It was fascinating and refreshing to read about something that most women have no clue about - mud bog racing. I enjoyed the little tid-bits that were thrown in that explained the sport and the rivalries that develop between auto-lovers. The main concepts that Ullrick wanted to share in her novel are very evident - its basically about two characters who are fighting to prove who they are - Camara wants to show the world that she is just as a good as any man; Chase wants to prove that he is no longer the man he was. The elements of pride and renewal can be found throughout the book.
I truly enjoyed The Bride Wore Coveralls. Both Camara and Chase are well formed characters with strengths and weaknesses. The romanatic aspect is delightfully sweet and the idea that Camara and Chase are meant for each other is neither far-fetched nor head-scratching. I enjoyed watching Chase's struggles to prove that Christ had really changed him. How many of us have had to go through that same struggle? Even more fascinating was Camara's journey in understanding what pride does to ourselves and our relationships.
A delightful, easy read, I would recommend The Bride Wore Coveralls to anyone.
Leslie Sowell
http://footprintsinthesand.us/blog
Camara Cole is one of the feistiest heroines you will ever meet. Having had to fight for her right to be a mechanic and mud-racer in a world dominated by men, Camara sets out to prove that gender has nothing to do with talent and ability. When Chase Lamar becomes her closest competitor, he also becomes her closest friend and ally, but Camara doesn’t want to see it that way because of his past behavior and attitude towards her. The Bride Wore Coveralls is a fun, easy read that introduces the reader to the world of mud-racing. Camara and Chase are the best at what they do, but when problems with Camara’s truck keep occurring just before big races Camara realizes someone doesn’t want her to be the winner. Not until a near tragic accident injures Camara does the truth become clear. Only then will Camara learn to open her heart and trust others.
Romeo and Juliet head south and take up . . . mud bog racing? In Debra Ullrick’s The Bride Wore Coveralls, two sworn enemies meet up at Swamper Speedway and prepare to go tire to tire. Camara Cole has to prove to the world that being a girl doesn’t make her any less a racer, any less a driver, any less anything. And Chase Lamar is out to prove to Camara that he’s a changed man. He may have sabotaged her in the past just to win a race, but now he’s starting to see what an amazing woman the feisty little Chevy mechanic is.
Camara knows that Chase has accepted the Lord, but the changes he claims are too unbelievable, especially when someone keeps messing with her mud-bogging truck. Sure, he seems different, and he’s been paying a lot of attention to her—but what if it’s just to get her guard down? It’s hard enough to convince everyone she belongs in the “man’s world” she so loves, she sure doesn’t need to be duped by a handsome face and some smooth words. She’d be a fool to trust Chase Lamar given the way his father hates her family . . . wouldn’t she?
The Bride Wore Coveralls moved fast, made me smile, and refused to budge from my thoughts until they’d roared through those mud pits one last time. I enjoyed the glimpse into a world I have only a passing acquaintance with, and the author explains the fun of these races in such a way that I had no trouble putting myself in Camara’s mud-soaked boots.
I really love these two characters, from their Ford vs. Chevy rivalry to their desires to be accepted for who they each are. And it has a far happier ending than Shakespeare’s version, so don’t give up on star-crossed lovers just yet!
I can’t wait to read more from Debra Ullrick and recommend this light, fun read to anyone with a few hours to spare. You’ll get a good dose of country, a glimpse into the lives of two great characters, and a story that might just inspire you to go play in the mud.
Roseanna White
www.roseannamwhite.com
The Bride Wore Coveralls is one of the most refreshing books I have read in a long time. Camara Cole is a believable character – tough but tender and her rivalry with Chase Lamar is well portrayed. The story unfolds in a natural manner and little twists of intrigue add to the mix of drama and love. I know nothing about mud-bog racing, yet after reading this book I have a clear picture of what is involved. A lovely story in an unusual setting and a most enjoyable read.
Debbie Roome
Author
New Zealand
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