Pumpkin Spice and Not So Nice by Becky Monson

 Lighten up a little and enjoy this romcom with more pumpkin than spice!  All the scents, flavors, tastes, and energy of fall bringing us to a plentiful Thanksgiving.

Jenna loves her family, and the pumpkin patch attached to it.  This includes a lot of work and little time for substantial relationships.  When autumn comes it's everything pumpkin, which includes pumpkin pies, drinks, painting, games, rides, clothing, and a field of pumpkins to sell.  Besides, her relationships with men are one sided.

Her side of the deal is as follows:  He's all perfect except he has communication problems with feelings.  Once Jenna shows her date how to be more open, communicative, and confident, he thanks her by finding a new girlfriend and inviting Jenna to their wedding.

She ponders giving up on men.  She must concentrate on helping to save the pumpkin farm from foreclosure.

That's when she finds a fifty-dollar bill in the tip pumpkin.  Wonderful!  Except the personal message written on it clues her in that someone may have deposited the bill on accident.

Aiden believes in being generous.  Jenna locates him and returns the money.  That should be the end of their communication and nearly is because he is at a loss for a meaningful discussion.  

As usual.  A good-looking man who can't open up.

For some reason, they keep being pushed together, that's called fake dating, and he advances from the two-word (noun and verb) sentences.  Maybe there's hope, but he also has to stick around after he can speak a whole paragraph.  

There's hope for the pumpkin patch and there's hope for Aiden and Jenna!  The farm flourished in its fall festivities, and after Aiden opens up, he is still at her side.  Does Jenna decide that her counseling is done or is she willing to spice up her season?

Happy reading,

Dawn

The Return of Yellowstone

         

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        Well, I am off my schedule. I knew it would happen, but that’s all right. Sometimes, breaking out of your routine is a good thing. So, how am I off my schedule? I didn’t write this blog on Sunday, which I usually do…I’ve been a bit busy. Distracted. Off my game, so to speak.

        The day job is crazy busy (when isn’t it?) but it seems to have become more so and for the first time in a long time, I find myself behind on the things that need to get done. It’s all good though. I’m thankful I have this job…it allows me to pay the bills so I can write (and I will admit, I’m looking forward to retirement. At last count, it's three years, one month, two and a half weeks before that day happens, but as we all know, time flies). 

        The Marshal and Mrs. Morgan, book two in the Matchmaker Mischief series is coming right along. That’s not to say I haven’t written myself into a corner. I have. Several times, but I’m able to get myself out of that corner. Sometimes it’s a struggle and I find myself cutting a bunch of words (yes, there was a whole chapter that I ruthlessly cut because it took me in a direction I didn’t want to go). I usually just write on weekday mornings before the day job, but find myself, more and more often, writing on the weekends, too, which puts me behind in other things but that’s all right (and the reason I am late writing this blog).

        Anyway, I finally sat down Sunday night and watched the season premier of Yellowstone. I’ve been waiting for a while…and it was worth it. Definitely worth it. At least, I think so. In my opinion, this is such a good show and I am totally hooked on it. I do miss Kevin Costner not being in it, but that’s all right. The writing is still good, the other actors are wonderful (I have a special fondness in my heart for Rip), and the camera action is fabulous, especially when they pan over the beautiful countryside. Yeah, it was worth the wait, I think, and continues to give me inspiration for my own stories. 

        Speaking of which, I should get back to it. Marshal Devlin Goodrich and Tresia Morgan are waiting. I think I left them in the middle of a kiss! 

        Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

 Kya Clark, known as the "Marsh Girl", is an astounding person.  With the desertion of her mother, father, and siblings, it's amazing she survives and eventually thrives in the marshland of North Carolina circa 1969.

Kya is left on the crumbling homestead, fending for herself by finding food, fishing for money, and studying the birds in the marsh.  The townsfolk know about her but keep their distance.  It's when she becomes a young woman, and her exotic beauty is evident that Tate watches her and dares to meet her.

Tate teaches her to read and is captivated with her self-taught knowledge of marsh birds.  He leaves for college with a promise to visit, a promise delayed for years.

Another teenage male, Chase Andrews, wants her attention.  It amazes me how patient Chase is with approaching her.  It takes a long time for her to trust his offered friendship.  During this time, Kya continues her studies in the marsh while logging all rare information.

Heartbreak happens in many ways, and when Chase is found dead at the bottom of an old watchtower, the town turns on Kya.  

Not sure if the death is murder or an accidental fall, Tate returns from college and gives Kya his trust once again.  

A very rich and colorful setting allows survival, love, and trust to grow slowly and solidly.

Happy reading, 

Dawn

Countdown to Christmas

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

Well, it’s that time of year (I know, not even Halloween yet) but Hallmark has started their Countdown to Christmas…and I love it!

        Yes, you can call me a romantic (I do write romance novels) but I absolutely love these Hallmark Christmas movies. I think it’s mostly because—no matter what has happened throughout the story—everything turns out the way it should in the end. It’s the happily-ever-after that always gets me and gives me hope. Always.

        I will admit that, sometimes, that happily-ever-after brings a tear to my eye (well, maybe not tears but my vision does get a little fuzzy and my throat constricts). And let’s not forget about the big, dumb smile on my face. Yeah, I get that, too.

        Fortunately, I’m not the only one. My DH likes these movies, too. He says they’re addicting and they are. I explained to him that, no matter our backgrounds, no matter what we do in life, we ALL want that happily-ever-after. Some of us need it.

Funny, even though there’s a formula to the story….meet cute (or not so cute), get to know each other, the Big Black Moment when you think all is lost, and then…sigh…that kiss at the end. Yeah, gets me every time. I’m a big softie. Or maybe I’m not. Maybe it’s knowing that the ending will be happy that draws me to these romances.

        My late mother-in-law would have loved these them (I so miss that woman!). She was a big, old softie, too, and read romances by the thousands. Her all-time favorite movie was An Affair to Remember. No matter how many times she watched it, she cried (I admit, I get all kinds of misty-eyed, and to borrow from Linda Richmond (Mike Meyers of Saturday Night Live fame) I get a little verklempt when I watch it, too).  

        Hmmmm, I think I’ll go watch a Hallmark movie right now.

        Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

ONCE UPON A HAUNTED HAVEN by Lexi Post has Re-Released for only 99¢!

Once Upon a Haunted Haven 

by Lexi Post 

has re-released at only 99¢!

This novella was originally part of the Once Upon a Haunted Romance Anthology.

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon DE

Widow Lady Juliet Finch Hastings of Abercorn has nowhere to go when her brother-in-law forces her to leave her late husband’s home. Plagued by sexy dreams of a mysterious man, she now must travel to haunted Brambling Cottage, her inheritance from her great-aunt. Generations of Finches have avoided the cottage for a reason, yet it’s her only haven. Or rather, it and the man from her dreams who greets her upon her arrival.

Noah Kingman has been caring for Brambling Cottage since he turned sixteen, taking over what his father and grandfather had done before him. As a friend of the ghost that resides there, he’s excited when his dreams fill with images of a young woman of the exact likeness of the past occupant, for he knows a Finch will finally return to the nest, an event he’s waited for since a young boy.

Lady Juliet is grateful and not a little attracted to Mr. Kingman. As she learns more about him, the cottage, her ancestor, and herself, she begins to adjust to life on her own. But making life-changing decisions is a new experience for her. Sooner than she expects, she must decide whether to follow in her ancestor’s footsteps or forever embrace the past, a decision that will greatly impact them all. 

About Lexi

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

 Yes, this is my salute to Halloween! 

I love the characters; they are quirky, fun, and have such real emotions and habits.  The atmosphere, or setting as you may call it, is divine.  A village called Goodwinter in Essex oozes funny, witchy, creepiness.  

It all starts with Essie Winterscale and her love of doing magic and living however she wants.  She shares her house with a goofy group of other witches, all having their own specialties in magic.

The coven of witches has an enemy- no surprise, I'm sure.  Essie is the one who keeps the enemy at bay because she can freeze him at every start to winter.  Granted this story is in the autumn coming up on Halloween.  Winter is right around the corner and Essie needs to practice her talent.

In comes Josh, the new owner of her Victorian and ever changing and growing house.  Apparently, he inherited nearly the whole village and needs to collect back rent from the last couple hundred years.  

Essie's home is impossible to find without help.  Maybe because Josh is so sweet and handsome, she allows him a visit.  She does not trust herself to have a boyfriend.  Had to state that fact.  But she really likes him.

Josh could easily spend many hours with Essie, if she allows him.  

When the coven enemy rallies to take over the house and the land, Essie confides in Josh.  As long as he can handle that her and her coven are witches for real, he has an in.  He also has to help destroy the enemy to open the door to her heart.

The amount of trust and magic used to free the heart is grander than a magic carpet ride, and I hope you're all aboard for a fantastic trip!

Happy reading,

Dawn

It's Here! The Maverick & Miss Miller

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

It’s here! It’s here! And I’m so excited! Tuesday, October 15, was release day for The Maverick & Miss Miller!

        Believe it or not, this story had been sitting in my computer for over four years (I wrote it the first year of the pandemic even though I didn’t feel much like writing at that point). And it just sat there for the longest time, not doing anything. Just…waiting…while I wrote three more stories. But it’s here now and I couldn’t be happier!

The Maverick & Miss Miller

Who ever heard of a mail-order husband?

Evie Miller certainly hadn’t until Jake Hannigan showed up on her doorstep thanks to an advertisement her niece placed in papers all over the country, unbeknownst to her. Evie has absolutely no need for a husband. She has managed Montaña del Trueno, the Silva family ranch, and raised her late sister’s children to full-grown and married. Now, she plans to spend her days enjoying the fruits of her labor. But the man did come a long way, so rather than send him home, she offers him a job. Though she has no use for a husband, she can always use another ranch hand.

        Jake Hannigan, a former gambler, has no desire to marry either—not really—he’s just looking for a place to hide until the gambling kingpin in San Francisco stops looking for him, and what better place to do it than this ranch in New Mexico? He’s happy to accept the position as ranch hand even if he knows nothing about cowboying or how to ride a horse. He’s a fast learner, though, and it could be entertaining to see who else answers the husband-wanted advertisement.

        It doesn’t take long for Jake to catch on, even discovering he has a special talent with horses. He’s also quick to understand what a catch Evie Miller actually is. As their friendship blossoms, he finds himself dreading the next suitor to come to the ranch and the possibility Evie will accept an offer of marriage. How can he reveal his growing feelings to her when he came under false pretenses, especially now that word from San Francisco says the kingpin is close and his life is in danger? He has only one choice. To protect Evie and her family, he must leave and quite possibly break both their hearts. 

        

        I hope you like this story! Now, on to book two: The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie