Just out of college and completely alone in the world, Maggie Montgomery has one shot left to save her life from an abyss of poverty and hopelessness. Clinging to the last shred of fuel and hope, she arrives at the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer. Although Maggie is clearly not what Mr. Ayer and his wife have in mind for a nanny, they agree to hire her temporarily until they can find someone more appropriate to fill the position. However, Maggie's whole world is about to be up-ended by two way-over-scheduled children and one incredibly handsome hired hand. As she struggles to fit into a world she was never made to fit in, Maggie wonders if she can ever learn to become a perfect version of herself so she can keep the job, or is she doomed to always be searching for a life she can never quite grasp?
Keith Ayer despises his life. As the son of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer and the fiance to a Senator from Texas' daughter, everything looks great on the outside, but inside, he is dying. He would vastly prefer to manage and train his father's racehorses. However, everyone else thinks that is beneath him. He needs to get into industry and build on his father's success. Suffocating under the constrictions of his life, he meets Maggie who begins to teach him that wealth and power is not everything in this life. But can Keith defy the most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?
One of the most inspiring Contemporary Christian Romance novels available, Deep in the Heart is an Amazon #1 Best Seller. It is truly Christian romance at its very best. Filled with faith, hope, and love, Christian romance kindle books aim to inspire women and men alike while giving them an exceptional romantic love story they will not soon forget. This is one book that will surely find its way onto your most inspirational books list!
A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including:
While this book held few surprises I don't necessarily find that a bad thing when it comes to a romance novel. And this one, unlike a few I have read lately, was well written and plotted, with the characters well drawn. The Christian element was strong, but I felt it was appropriate for the story and it never felt forced or overdone. Very enjoyable.
Whilst Maggie Montgomery struggles to fit into a world that seems like it's cut a few sizes too big for her, Keith Ayer struggles to earn his father love by doing what everybody expects from him. Maggie is an orphan turned nanny, whilst Keith is the son of a billionaire about to marry the daughter of a state senator. Years earlier, a tragic accident took away the glue that held their lives together and just as the circumstances were intertwined, soon their hearts followed.
This is a beautiful love story that is expertly told. The twists in the plot keep you glued to the book. It is a source of inspiration to all who have felt like misfits at some point in the lives. It also serves as a gentle reminder to those who may have forgotten what is most important in life. There are lessons of forgiveness, hope, strength and love. The overall story is great and the book flows freely. Whilst this is a love story and it may be easy to guess the outcome, the plot throws darts at you that you never saw coming.
This is a very inspiring read and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves good, clean romance.
This was an awesome book! Staci Stallings is an incredible writer. I fall in love with her characters; like I'm living the story.
Absolutely lived Keith and Maggie, the two main characters. Didn't care for Dallas or Ike, two of the secondary characters. Keith, the rich kid, has tried it all to please his dad and to try and make himself happy. Maggie, the poor kid, ends up in the world of the rich and famous, teaching them all love and forgiveness.
There are a couple of, didn't see that coming; a finally got what she deserved (Dallas); and the ending (sigh) WOW! So sweet. There were also a few, are you kidding me moments (Keith) or times you just wanted to shake Keith until he did what his heart told him to do, instead of what he was expected to do by everyone else.
Well worth the read. You'll think about the characters for days after finishing the book.
Strong storyline with some very likable characters, as well as some not-so-likable ones, in this new-to-me-author's book. *It was not and should have been noted that this is an inspirational story with heavy emphasis on religion.* There are several romantic moments but behind closed doors. Recent college graduate, who has been raised in foster homes from the age of eight with $2.00 to her name, signs on as a nanny for a millionaire's two adorable children. What she doesn't realize is that there's also a third "child" -- who just might change her life forever. There's a major twist to this story that sadly touches both rich and poor characters. Some parts of this story had me sniffling and wiping my eyes.
SUMMARY: Just out of college and completely alone in the world, Maggie Montgomery has one shot left to save her life from an abyss of poverty and hopelessness. Clinging to the last shred of fuel and hope, she arrives at the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer. Although Maggie is clearly not what Mr. Ayer and his wife have in mind for a nanny, they agree to hire her temporarily until they can find someone more appropriate to fill the position. However, Maggie's whole world is about to be up-ended by two way-over-scheduled children and one incredibly handsome hired hand. As she struggles to fit into a world she was never made to fit in, Maggie wonders if she can ever learn to become a perfect version of herself so she can keep the job, or is she doomed to always be searching for a life she can never quite grasp?
Keith Ayer despises his life. As the son of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer and the fiance to a Senator from Texas' daughter, it looks great on the outside, but inside, he is dying. He would vastly prefer to manage and train his father's racehorses. However, everyone else thinks that is beneath him. He needs to get into industry and build on his father's success. Suffocating under the constrictions of his life, he meets Maggie who begins to teach him that wealth and power is not everything in this life. But can Keith defy the most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?
REVIEW: This was a deeply inspiring book with a wonderful focus on the disparity between riches of the heart and riches of the world; a Christian romance novel at it's very best. The themes in this book are deep and thought provoking: dealing with past mistakes, learning to forgive both yourself and others, following God's path vs. following man's path and can you find God again if you have strayed far from his path.
Staci Stallings pours her heart out through her writing and will evoke tears, joy and laughter as you read through this novel. I loved her characters and their strengths and weaknesses. Her minor characters were often as profound as the major characters especially the pastor and some of his "sermonettes." I look forward to reading more from this author.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "Having everything isn't what makes you feel loved....It's knowing that you're loved juat because you're you...Every kid deserves that."
"When the Scripture says, 'He will provide you with the desires of yoour heart' that means that H will provide you with what He knows you really need--those things that He has put in your heart."
"I think that depends on if you want to look rich or to be rich......Mrs. Malowinski used to tell me 'Maggie, there are people in this world who look really rich, but they are so poor you should feel sorry for them because they are poor where it counts--in the heart, in the places only God and love can fill."
Do excuse the blaspheming but this story irritated the hell out of my romantic bone.
Except for her faith in God Maggie Montgomery is alone in the world. Down to her last penny she gratefully accepts a position as a nanny for the rich and famous Ayers but only one Ayer catches her eye - oldest son Keith.
Keith has a host of issues stemming from never feeling good enough to follow his father's much vaunted footsteps. Keith is unhappily resigned to his lot in life and goes with the flow of what is expected of him even to the point of being engaged to marry for status rather than love but Maggie's intrusion in his life has him questioning everything he's ever known.
Not for me but clearly I'm one of a few who think so going by the other reviews.
Ever have a "right time, right book" moment? This was it for me. I wasn't going to do anything other than read the sample, but I could not get the characters out of my head... or the cover (it did me in). I really loved the moments that brought them together, the struggle and the restraint they endured, and the messages throughout. I even read some of the church sermons to my boys and found myself wanting to pick up my Bible. The ending was a little rushed for me, considering the entirety of the book was paced so well, and there were a few small issues I had here and there, but despite those, it was a book I could not put down.
This is my all time favorite novel. I like the way the love story was developed and how the author the book to share the Gospel to those of us who read it. I truly enjoyed to book from cover to cover. It is definitely a sweet love story with an unexpected twist at the end. I highly recommended to those of us who like to read romance
What a great book from beginning to end. No matter the problems in your life no matter the hurt, no matter the pain, no matter the bitterness or no matter the hate when you put God in charge everything is beautiful!
A story about love, perseverance and forgiveness. Maggie Montgomery overcomes numerous obstacles in her life and chooses to be an advocate for children, especially those who are neglected. God's love helps her triumph over all the ugliness in her past and present.
Keith Ayers is a billionaire's son who appreciates the opportunities wealth provides, but despises all its trappings. He despises how people assume he is lazy and how they want to dictate his worth based on his dad's money or on his job title.
Keith comes to understand the real meaning of life and what truly makes him happy. There are a lot of things which take place to help him to come to this realization. Maggie sharing Mrs. Malowinski's quote, "I think that depends on if you want to look rich or to be rich," is one which causes Keith to contemplate external riches versus internal riches. I shall not spoil the story for you! You'll just have to read it!
Staci does a wonderful job developing the characters and the story. Highly recommended.
Wow is what I would say about this book. Some call it a love story which it is, but it is way more than a cheap love story. Maggie is destitute without a means to her name. She goes to the Ayer mansion hoping to get the nanny position and she gets the job, but little did she know how hard it would be to keep the job as high expectations are made for all the staff especially the nanny. Maggie falls in love with the Ayer children. She also falls in love with the Ayer son even though he is engaged to be married. It doesn't stop Conrad, the Ayer millionaire from falling in love with Maggie as well. This book was filled with emotional twists and turns. I was crying and that doesn't happen very often for me! Awesome read!
Synopsis & Review - Alone in the world with only her college education degree to speak for her, Maggie Montgomery believes she has but one chance to escape her past filled with poverty and insecurity, which typified her foster kid experience for many years. It is at this point we enter the story, as Maggie’s “on its last legs” vehicle struggles to a stop in front of the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer. Maggie hopes to conquer the world, but Maggie is clearly not the type of nanny the Ayers had in mind. The Ayers decide to temporarily hire her, which free them to take a vacation, but she understands they will be looking for someone they deem more appropriate. Maggie struggles in this entitled world she finds herself in; She struggles with the requirements that are placed on her and the children. The children are over-scheduled, expected to be always quiet, must be perpetually perfectly costumed, and appear to be unloved, except by the “hired-hand cowboy.” The longer she works at the mansion, the more she feels she is doomed to fail that she will never have a secure life. She connects with “cowboy” Keith, who is really the son of Conrad Ayer. Keith has never felt he measured up to his dad’s expectations, this appears to have become more pronounced after his mother died. Keith has two burdens in his life, he is the son of Conrad and he is engaged to a Senator’s daughter, who is as demanding as his father and his father’s wife. He has a history of making bad choices and blaming his troubles on others. Maggie is a baby Christian, but through her prayers, her testimony, and even inviting Keith to church, she facilitates his confrontation with his problems, his choices, and the ultimate answer. Although not stated, this book has a two-part vibe. The first half of the book was OK, but I became weary of the repeated angst between various characters, the drawn-out details concerning uncaring and entitled people, and the whining. For me, this first part would move faster, if the author had hinted at certain behaviors instead of hammering us with the behaviors. The second half of the book moved in a more direct pattern as Keith came to understand God’s will and way and Maggie grew more secure in her choices. Negative: Keith and his fiance Dallas were staying in the same Guesthouse for a time and Maggie also stayed in the Guesthouse for a night (albeit with the two children), which I would consider not a good Christian practice between unmarried people whether in fiction or life. She marries Keith shortly after he dumps his fiance at the altar! Maggie should have given him some time to grow & mature in his new faith. Positive: I loved the couple of sermon synopses that were included when Maggie & Keith attend church. Good sermons, they were directive and pushed both characters in productive directions.
This is what a romance novel should be. While it is heavily laden with Christian prayers and a few sermons, it is written with such emotion. It took me on a rollercoaster ride of feelings and even made me cry. That is probably the highest praise I can give an author. Staci Stallings is absolutely amazing at what she does.
Maggie is a doll. Even though she has absolutely nothing, and realizes she doesn’t fit into this world of money and power, she does her absolute best. All the while, she’s asking God for guidance and help.
Keith is a walking contradiction. All he wants is to work with his father’s racehorses, but he also has to be the son of a billionaire. He puts aside what he wants more than anything in an attempt to make his father proud of him.
I could go on for ages about how wonderful this book was and never do it justice. Staci Stallings has an amazing gift. Every person she introduces the reader to is brought to life. With a few words, the reader is transported to walks through tree-shaded lanes, horseback riding, to sitting beside a waterfall. The reader feels each emotion Maggie and Keith go through. When introduced to Dallas, Keith’s fiancé, the reader knows right away she’s had a privileged upbringing and fully expects it to continue without Staci Stallings saying anything about it. She has definitely perfected the axiom “Show, don’t tell.”
As I mentioned above, there are a few sermons in the book. Maggie goes to church with her two young charges, and instead of glossing over the time, Staci Stallings uses that time to impart a few excellent messages. Each one reached out and grabbed me. I can’t help but believe the three sermons she includes in this book can be applied to anyone.
For anyone who likes Christian romance, I’d fling this book at them in a heartbeat. As such, I’m looking forward to reading more books by Staci Stallings in the future. I’m positive they will be just as well-written and engaging as this book was.
Maggie Montgomery's parents were killed in a car accident when she was eight, sending her into the foster care system. Now in her mid-twenties, she applies for a nanny job with the ultra wealthy Ayers family. It doesn't take her long to fall in love with four-year-old Peter and toddler Isabella, and they with her, though their regimented schedule is rather insane. She assumes Keith, the handsome cowboy who helps with her bag, is a hired hand. They have spent quite a bit of time together with the children before she learns he is Keith Ayers. Keith is a very interesting character. His mother was killed in a car accident when he was 12, seventeen years earlier, and he has never felt close to his father, never being able to meet his expectations. As a young man, he chose a life style that doesn't fit with him now. Keith can be himself with Maggie and the kids, even going to church with them, though he hadn't gone since his mother died. He loves working with his father's horses, though his father wants him to join his business and use his MBA. He's also engaged to Dallas, daughter of a senator, who seems to be more in love with the idea of being Mrs. Keith Ayers with all their money can buy than with Keith. She doesn't even know the real Keith and keeps pressuring him to get some high profile desk job. I felt sorry for him that he continued to be a doormat for other people's expectations and cheered when he finally made some good decisions. Maggie was a great help to him when he started to understand through the pastor's sermons what he was really missing in his life. There is a lot of angst to go through before there can be a happy ending. This is Christian fiction at it's finest. I highly recommend this book.
Just out of college and completely alone in the world, Maggie Montgomery has one shot left to save her life from an abyss of poverty and hopelessness. Clinging to the last shred of fuel and hope, she arrives at the mansion of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer. Although Maggie is clearly not what Mr. Ayer and his wife have in mind for a nanny, they agree to hire her temporarily until they can find someone more appropriate to fill the position. However, Maggie's whole world is about to be up-ended by two way-over-scheduled children and one incredibly handsome hired hand.
Keith Ayer despises his life. As the son of Texas billionaire Conrad Ayer and the fiance to a Senator from Texas' daughter, everything looks great on the outside, but inside, he is dying. He would vastly prefer to manage and train his father's racehorses. However, everyone else thinks that is beneath him. He needs to get into industry and build on his father's success. Suffocating under the constrictions of his life, he meets orphan an penniless, Maggie, who begins to teach him that wealth and power is not everything in this life.
As an inspiring Contemporary Christian Romance it was uplifting and romantic. It was also predictable on the outcome though not how it was going to be accomplished - that played out well. The editing needed a once-more-over and perhaps a thesaurus as there were a lot of repetitive descriptors (a favorite: she crossed her arm over her stomach/chest [for whatever reason] or "pulled down her shirt" - what an odd phrase to put in several times for no apparent reason.) I did feel compelled to read it as often as possible, so it had my attention, I just didn't love it.
This book wasn't what I expected, but it was good in many ways. 1. It is most definitely an inspirational romance with lots of instances od church attendance, prayer, and characters working through how to live a life that pleases God. 2. It shows that Christians are human beings with faults and they have to work hard to do better every day. 3. I became invested in the characters. 4. I enjoyed seeing how the author wrote the sermons for the church scenes.
Since I was looking for a clean, fast, easy read, this book surprised me in that it wasn't so easy to get through. It made me wonder where the author was going and when the characters would wake up. In some places, I kept thinking, "How long are y'all gonna drag your feet? When are you gonna wake up and grow up?" But if I'm honest, everything that happened needed to happen the way it did.
Technical stuff...no misspellings that I noticed...some formatting issues in switching POVs that kinda threw me, but not too often...
This story continues in a series, but I'm satisfied with the closure in book 1. So in my opinion, this book stands on its own pretty well. But, if you like to see how characters' lives continue after the HEA, the author has provided their continuing adventure.
If you're looking for a story with more depth, one that contains strong Christian themes and characters who are struggling to overcome serious obstacles, this might just be the book for you.
This book had some good moments, I really liked the way the author works in biblical truth. But I had a hard time liking Keith and the entire situation with his feelings for Maggie and his relationship with Dallas. I know that this is life and it’s messy and things happen that aren’t clean cut and perfectly packaged...so the flawed situations made for a believable read. It was just hard to sympathize with him throughout most of the book. Maggie is kind of a pushover. The biggest example I can give is with Greg. She doesn’t have any real feelings for Greg but let’s him talk her into more than one date. She should have just been clear and let him be. Still, I think she helps him see some errors in his partying ways and for that her influence over him might have been part of the growth shown eluded toward in his character Peter and Isabella are basically ignored by their parents. But I think, by the end of the book that has changed. I think my favorite part was seeing Keith and his dad, Mr. Ayers and Mrs. Ayers and their young children renew their relationships. I’m happy for Maggie and Keith and their desires mingling, their decision to foster coming into fruition and the foundations they’ll run beginning. It was a beautiful ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was an amazingly good book. I gave it five stars, would have given it way more, but five is all you offer. Staci, you done a wonderful job writing this book.
Maggie came to the Ayers home in a car she prayed would make it to the door and two dollars to her name. She applied for a Nanny position. She had been a foster child, because of the death of her parents, when she was eight years old. Keith was the son of the Ayers, but Maggie thought he was a hired hand. The two children was wonderful children that Maggie fell in love with, along with their older brother, but Keith was engaged to Dallas, a spoiled rich brat that was the daughter of a Senator who wanted, and expected everything to go her way.
Maggie was a very easy going and believed deeply in God. This is a wonderful book about forgiveness and love. Not just between a man and woman, but also for family members. How she more or less taught them about God.
This was such a well written book. I loved it. There is so much more to this story than I have written, even a little bit of a mystery. I hope you will get this book and read it. I found it hard to put down.
First, I like Maggie. I like Keith. They just don't really have all that much chemistry together.
I don't like Mr. or Mrs. Avery. I despise Dallas.
I love Izzy and Peter. They are the saving grace of this book.
There is so much emotional, verbal, physical abuse in this book. No one does anything about it until a serious injury occurs that never should have happened if just one person had said something with the first noted sign of physical abuse.
There are only like two instances in this book where the parents have any real contact with their own children and only at the behest of the nanny, Maggie.
Now, about Dallas. If my then fiance had ever called me stupid once, he'd have gotten "The Look". Had he done it a second time, he'd have gotten the boot. No. Just no. You don't call someone you love stupid for any reason. Everyone was calling the nanny a "Gold Digger": hello, Meet Dallas. She was digging for gold all over the place.
Loved this book! It was difficult to put it down because it kept my interest with no lagging in the story. Keith is a wealthy, hardworking young man who is seeking the approval of his father and others around him. Maggie is down on her luck but determined to succeed. She loves children and the Lord. She is also a breath of fresh air in a home that is very rigidly run and adheres to strict schedules. There are so many complications that both Keith and Maggie are surrounded by, but they find reprieve in leaning on each other for support and strength. Will they be able to maneuver and overcome their obstacles to find what they truly want and need?
I would have given this book a couple more stars of they were available. This book started with a bang and just kept getting better and better. Maggie was so kind and sweet and even though life had not been so kind to her she kept a strong Faith in God. Keith also had been dealt some hard knocks, but he didn't handle his as well as Maggie. Keith was a very complex person. This book had lots of twists and turns and some real surprises. The spiritual parts were excellent.
A delightful, but predictable romance of rich boy falls in love with girl of humble origins. It is a Christian romance which is its saving grace if you are a believer. In my opinion it was totally unnecessary to repeat entire sermons as a Christian reader would know this and understand with much less words. The non-Christian reader will be completely put off and skip it or give up. All in all it was an OK light holiday read.
Taking into consideration this is a Christian Romance Novel it is a genre book. It is a sweet, uplifting story about love and the power of faith. The sermons felt a little heavy but it is a cute story. Christian Romance novels are not my forte but it is a nice story. More character/conflict development could have been used to flesh out the problems more or if a conflict had been discarded it might have flowed better but overall not bad.
This book was a very touching book for me to read. I was so afraid that Keith was going to go through with the wedding to Dallas even though he knew they not meant to be together and he was in love with Maggie. He told Dallas they were not meant to be together. Eventually it all worked out for good. Highly recommend this book for a good read even though you may shed a few tears along the way.
Deep in the Heart - PG Violence: intimated, no details Language: fewer than five swears Sex: none. There was some alluding to a past life of promiscuity, but there were no details. I liked this book. It's clean. I liked the H's journey to Christ. I like that the h and H prayed together, but I do not appreciate, nor was I interested in, having every single one of their prayers written out for me.
So much to learn from this book! Maggie grew up in several foster homes. Her parent were killed by a drunk driver. She became a nanny for a rich family who had everything, money with all 5he trappings. But as she fell in love with Keith, The son. Her one question was “ do you want to look rich, or be rich.” That’s a question for all of us. Which do you want?
Christian Romance at its best, when it is love at first sight.
It is so good to read a Christian Romance book where you don't have to worry about the foul language or sex scenes. Maggie Montgomery turns out to be a wonderful nanny for Peter and Isabella Ayer, children of billionaire Conrad Ayer. Enter the picture of older half-brother Keith and even though he is engaged to a Senator's daughter he can't forget Maggie.....