Kay D. Rizzo

Mr. Russo stepped into the kitchen, brandishing a pistol. Towering menacingly over his daughter out of Iraq, he forced her back against the cupboard."As your father, I commend you not to go back to that church again. I'd rather see you did that to have you marry a man 11 years her senior."Shocked and trembling, Elvira searched for an answer. "Papa, I have never answered you back before, but this time I have to. My church means everything to me. I don't attended because Brother Rizzo is there. I go because that's where my Savior wants me to be. Poppa, you can kill the body, but you can't kill my spirit. It belongs to Jesus."The tall man stared at his tiny daughter for several minutes, pointing the weapon straight at her for head. She watched conflicting emotions flicker across his face. Finally, he lowered the gun and pointed his finger instead. "Don't you dare defy me. Don't you dare go to that church this Saturday. I'll be down at the store and I'll be watching. And I will kill you."Elvira's mother had died when the girl was less than two years old. The young new stepmother wanted to have nothing to do with her, so the child had been raised first by her grandparents, then in a convent. When the father had finally brought the girl home, the second wife made the girls life a secret misery. Widow by rev or have someone to love her, to care for her?… (mer)

Devastated by a broken engagement and feeling betrayed by God, Megan Daniels decides she needs to get away. Sarah, her adventurous college roommate, supply, sir, with the "perfect" retreat – – a church school in the heart of New York City that urgently needs a teacher. Desperate enough to try anything, Megan leaves the security of her southwestern farm, never dreaming that this venture will completely change her life.There she meets Momma Grace and her seven foster children, a room full of grade schoolers who can melt her heart or rip it to shreds at will, and her biggest challenge of all – – Mike Feldman, a youth pastor determined to convince her that God is leading in that excepting a date with him just might be part of his plan. Before long, Mike's caring personality wins Megan's heart.Then suddenly an icy road and violent wreck shatter their dreams, and Mike wants to end the relationship. But Megan won't give up. Having learned that the Lord will never leave her, she pleads with God for help. His answer, well, not what she expects, is beyond your wildest dreams!… (mer)

Surrounded by her 165 "daughters" in the academy girls' dorm, Dean Rizzo sometimes felt like the old woman who lived in the shoe. Other times she felt like a mother hen. Or a referee. Or maybe a drill sergeant.Imagine the sheer panic of coming up empty after searching everywhere for a missing girl. Or the "excitement" of being confronted with a surprise visit by a state health inspector. And how does one go about catching a dormitory thief? Or solving the case of the blushing, riverbank skinny dippers?If you want peace and quiet, comfortable routine, and the familiarity of the humdrum, keep your distance from an academy girls' dorm. For its halls reverberate with nonstop energy, drama, mischief, tears, and laughter. "But if you love young people and can appreciate a Dean's challenge of reaching through barriers with the love of Christ, you're in for Never a Dull Moment as you read this touching story.… (mer)

If you love something, set it free. If it never returns, it wasn't yours in the first place. If it does, it's yours forever.Kelli Saunders' whole world was suddenly coming unglued. She knew Jeff would never approve her going to Alaska for a year to be a live-in tutor while he went east to begin medical school, thereby postponing their marriage. Yet Kelli needed time to be sure of her feelings about Jeff, and even at the risk of losing his love, she felt she had to go.Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness, the secret dreams of a young woman's heart collide with the mysteries of Providence. What results is an unforgettable adventure with three young children in a widowed scientist that propels Kelli into confrontations with her family, bouts with wild animals, life-and-death struggles against the elements, and finally the return of love.When Love Returns is an exciting yet tender story of how God does direct the paths of those who acknowledge Him. And even better, it really happened!… (mer)