This or That? ~ Jean C. Gordon

Simple blog this month. Which do you prefer: soft-serve ice cream or regular ice cream? I became a soft-serve fan when I was pregnant with our daughter and a soft-serve stand opened up not far from our house. What does ice cream have to do with romance or books? Besides the fact that I love ice cream, any form, the Hazard family in my Paradox Lake Sweet Romances celebrates just about anything with a trip to the local soft-serve ice cream stand.

Find Out What They Have to Celebrate in My New New Release ~ Book 3

After being widowed and subsequently discovering her husband’s infidelities and shaky business practices, Dr. Anne O’Conner Howard is restarting her life by teaching an environmental program at North County Community College and maintaining her company Green Spaces Environmental Engineering, LLC. The last thing Anne expects is for the boy who took her to Junior Prom to walk into her office as a prospective student.

Neal Hazard had planned to go to college to become an environmental engineer, but instead he became a single dad at 17 and raised a terrific daughter named Autumn. With Autumn in a nursing program and doing well, electrician Neal has left the National Guard and is going back to school to finish his dream. Discovering that Anne is his student advisor is a shock and takes a little getting used to. 

Neither Neal nor Anne’s lives turned out as planned, but both are charting new directions. Then an unexpected tragedy throws Anne’s world into chaos. Neal is a strong shoulder to lean on as Anne once again reevaluates her future. Will these unexpected life changes allow them to discover what their hearts truly want?

BUY

And if You Missed Book 2, It's 99¢ through May 15 Only!

Spending time in the small town of Paradox Lake, NY, is the last thing that Emily Hazard wants to do. Her childhood memories, including the despised nickname Jinx, are anything but fond. However, Emily’s brother Neal is deploying overseas and needs someone to stay with his teenage daughter Autumn while she finishes her senior year. Emily is going to attempt to juggle working remotely as an assistant art director for an advertising agency in New York City and keeping an eye on her niece.

With his career and life in flux, Drew Stacey is currently working for a group of non-profits that is planning to rent the Hazard family's campgrounds on Paradox Lake for a summer program. Deciding it's a good idea to have a man around while he is gone, Neal has asked Drew to stay at the house with Emily and Autumn while Drew prepares the campgrounds.

A minor fender-bender as soon as she hits town, has Emily battling old insecurities. However one person doesn’t view her as a slightly klutzy disaster magnet, and that's the disturbingly attractive Drew. The spark between them is immediate, but Emily’s emotional blinders regarding the town, threaten to derail any prospect of a relationship. Can Emily see beyond the past?

99¢ through May 15 Only

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For My New Releases

Follow me on BookBub
Sign up for my Readers Newsletter 
Visit my Website 

Have You Signed up for the 

Sweet Romance Reads Quarterly Newsletter Yet?

If not, you can at the top right of the blog page.

A new release...and we're having a Mother's Day Party! .....Roxanne Rustand

Since this is my only May post here on the Sweet Romance Blog, I would love to share news about my May 15th release, which is available for preorder now:  ONE MORE WISH, a clean and wholesome romance.  It's the second book in my Northern Pines series. Here is a quick blurb:

Facing emergency surgery, Ethan needs help with his son and small farm as much as Abby needs a temporary home that will accept her rescue dog, too. A perfect situation...until she has to deal with his flock of ornery goats, a herd of cattle escaping, and a litter of new puppies born while he's away. Those challenges she can manage.

But now, someone is trying to destroy her professional reputation. And out in the country, a dangerous, threatening stranger is lurking in the shadows...

To learn more about it (or find buy links)  CLICK HERE.

On another note...PARTY TIME!

Please join us for the Sweet Romance Reads MOTHER'S DAY party on Thursday, May 6th. 

It will start at 6 p.m. ET and end at    9 p.m. 

After the live party ends, you can still drop by and read our posts and comment on them. Offers of prizes will stay open till Friday night. 

The Amazon grand prizes will also be open until Friday night, so don't despair if you can't come when the party is live!

Our authors hope to make this fun 😁 and will share tidbits, ask and answer questions, and give away books.

TWO $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS WILL BE AWARDED, ONE EACH, TO TWO PEOPLE WHO LEAVE COMMENTS. Exciting, no?

HOW TO FIND THE PARTY? Glance at the right column on this page, and you'll see the Cafe photo. Click that and it will take you to our Sweet Romance Reads Cafe where the party will take place! See you on Thursday! 

Best wishes to you all for a beautiful spring. Hope to see you at our Facebook party!

Roxanne Rustand

A Bit About Mother's Day by @Donna_Fasano

Mother’s Day is a celebration that commonly involves giving moms cards, flowers, and other gifts. But have you ever wondered how and when the holiday began? Well, here’s a short history of Mother’s Day.

Commemorating motherhood goes back to ancient Greek and Roman times when people gathered in festivals in honor of mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. The first Christian celebrations to praise moms was called Mothering Sunday in the UK and other parts of Europe. Early Mothering Sundays had religious connotations. Held on the fourth Sunday of Lent, people would return to their “mother church”—the main church in their area—to celebrate a special service.

Over time, Mothering Sunday became more secular, and Mother’s Day was established as a day when children would give small gifts of appreciation to their moms. Even this practice began to fade in Europe until the holiday caught fire in America in the early 1900s. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

The authors of Sweet Romance Reads will celebrate Mother’s Day this coming Thursday, May 6^th, from 6 PM to 9 PM Eastern Time. Come to the Sweet Romance Reads Café on Facebook and join the fun. Two lucky participants will win a $50 Amazon Gift. Plus, the author will also be giving away prizes. Join us, won’t you?

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have put my 2-book “duo” sweet romance boxed set on sale for just 99¢. You can save $6 off the regular price. Click the image of the book cover below to go to the Kindle Store.

~  ~  ~

Happy Mother's Day!

Donna Fasano is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet romance, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction. Learn more about her at her website. Sign up for her newsletter by clicking here.

There's Romance in the Badlands by Vickie McDonough

The third book in my Romance in the Badlands series has just released. Straight for the Heart, book 3 in the series, is the story of two people facing difficult futures.

Straight for the Heart

Vickie McDonough

Marriage seems to be their only option

Orphaned and destitute, Sarah Oakley hopes to find a home with her uncle in North Dakota. But when she learns he’s an outlaw, she and her young siblings flee, taking his bag of loot. Sarah hides her siblings and takes the gold onto town alone, hoping to claim the reward. Instead, the townsfolk accuse her of being the thief, and she’s tossed in jail to await the circuit judge. She must get back to her siblings, and her only hope for release is to marry a man she doesn’t know.

Rancher Quinn McFarland never expected to marry—and then his grandma sent for a mail-order bride. When the bride doesn’t show, he’s relieved but fears Grandma will just order another one. Quinn balks at the sheriff’s suggestion to marry the gal in his jail so he can drop the charges against her. But she looks so sweet and obviously innocent that Quinn reconsiders.

A marriage of convenience would benefit them both, but could such a union ever result in love? And what will Quinn say when he learns about Sarah’s siblings?

Just $2.99 on Amazon / Free on KU

Purchase here 

Wild at Heart - https://amzn.to/33ao6iK

Outlaw Heart - https://amzn.to/3xAGCyJ

Join us for the Sweet Romance Reads MOTHER'S DAY party this coming Thursday, May 6th. It will start at 6 p.m. ET and go on till 9 p.m. After the live party ends, you can still drop by and read our posts and comment on them. Offers of prizes will stay open till Friday night. The Amazon grand prizes will also be open until Friday night, so don't despair if you can't come when the party is live!

Our fun and highly intelligent members will share tidbits, ask and answer questions, and give away books.

ALSO THERE WILL BE 2 $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS AWARDED ONE EACH TO TWO COMMENTERS. Exciting, no?

Now glance at the right column on this page, and you'll see the Cafe photo. Click that and it will take you to our Sweet Romance Reads Cafe where the party will take place! See you on Thursday!

Don't Miss Our Party! An Invitation by Lyn Cote

 

Our party celebrating MOTHER'S DAY will take place on this coming Thursday, May 6th. It will start at 6 p.m. ET and go on till 9 p.m. Even after the live party ends, you can drop by and read and comment on the posts that interest you.  Offers of prizes will stay open till Friday night. The Amazon grand prizes will be open until Friday night so don't despair if you can't come when the party is live!

Our fun and highly intelligent members will share tidbits and ask and answer questions and give away books.

ALSO THERE WILL BE 2 $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS AWARDED ONE EACH TO TWO COMMENTERS. Exciting, no?

Now glance at the right column on this page, and you'll see the Cafe photo. Click that and it will take you to our Sweet Romance Reads Cafe where the party will take place! 

Our Sweet Romance Reads Cafe Group has over 2.3K members. Are you one of them? If not, why not join today?

See you there or be square!

BTW, I have a book on sale this month, AMY'S FOREVER LOVE for 99 cents.

One frigid evening, Amy and her twin  girls find and take in two orphaned kittens. When she meets the local veterinarian, his basset hound instantly “adopts” the kittens too. Like it or not, Amy and the vets’ lives intersect with some “help." 

Can a basset hound, two kittens and twin girls succeed as matchmakers? Click here for more info.

SEE YOU AT THE PARTY!--Lyn Cote

Gearing up for Summer by Laura Scott #laurascottbooks

 

Good morning! Now that my husband and I are fully vaccinated, we are gearing up for summer. Having not been on a trip for over a year, I've decided we should try going to a state we've never been to. 

My choice? Albuquerque  New Mexico.

Hubby's choice? Staying home.

Guess who's going to win that battle, lol.

I've heard such great things about this area and I'm anxious to visit. Even a short trip is better than nothing. 

After that, we have graduation parties, a bridal shower and a baby shower scattered throughout the summer. I'm afraid the warm months we get to enjoy in Wisconsin are going to fly by really fast.

Do you have plans for the summer? Please share! 

Speaking of trips, my new series takes place in the Smoky Mountains. The first book in my Smoky Mountain Secrets series is Hailey's Haven. This book is priced at $0.99 only through May 11th so preorder your copy today!

Hailey's Haven by Laura Scott $0.99

A safe place to call home...

After escaping her abusive foster parents thirteen years ago, Hailey Donovan thought her nightmare was over. Gatlinburg Tennessee had been a safe place to live, until she’s nearly hit by gunfire while hiking the Smoky Mountains. Her instincts are to avoid law enforcement, especially handsome Park Ranger Rock Wilson, but when more gunfire echoes around them, they’re forced to stay together to escape. 

 

More attempts against Hailey convinces her to leave the city and start over someplace new. Rock talks her into staying to fight the unknown assailant. Rock senses Hailey has been traumatized in the past, and is determined to uncover the mystery surrounding her. As Hailey and Rock seek the truth behind the escalating attacks, Rock realizes he’s also in danger of losing his heart. Can Rock provide Hailey the safe haven she desperately needs? Amazon B&N Apple GooglePlay Kobo

Arbor Day! @MagdalenaScott

 

Our family has adopted the tradition that for birthdays, instead of purchasing a gift, we make a donation. I love that we do this. We're all adults, and have plenty of things in our lives. Donating to a meaningful charity is fun for the giver, and for the recipient.

Last year for my birthday, a donation was made to the animal shelter from which I adopted my sweet cat, Selina. I couldn't have been happier with that!

For the birthday this month I'm donating to the Arbor Day Foundation. I'm a tree hugger from way back, so this is one of my favorite checks to write. It's vital to the health of our planet that we replace trees lost to weather, wildfire, disease, etc. 

Plus, trees are just awesome. 

Arbor Day is April 30th. I invite you to celebrate by planting a tree in your yard or making a donation so that trees can be planted on your behalf.

Photo by veeterzy on Unsplash

Happy Arbor Day just a little bit early!

Website: https://magdalenascott.com/