Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Sweet Romance Book Bargain by Lyn Cote and Margaret Daley

Bred to be the perfect Southern belle, Chloe faces the young 20th century and becomes more than she ever imagined~

On sale for 99 cents--Meant for Me,the first ebook in my historical series, "The Carlyle Women." If you'd like to sample the first three chapters , 

please click this link 

or to purchase, click this link

The Carlyle Women-four generations, 

each facing the challenges of her time 

and each harboring her own painful secret~


Love Gone to the Dogs—FREE through Oct. 30th

Blurb: Single mom, Leah Taylor, has her hands full with a grandfather, an inventor, who lives a bit risky when it comes to his job and two sons, one a rambunctious genius. But it is her free-spirited beagle who gets her into trouble with her new neighbor, Dr. Shane O'Grady, when her dog makes a move on his champion bichon that he wants to breed. 

Leah and Shane clash over their dogs that clearly like each other. Leah is determined to ignore her neighbor, but when her youngest son who tries to defy gravity and fly ends up hurt, it is her neighbor, the doctor, who takes care of her son. Can Leah and Shane find love or has love gone to the dogs?
Buy link: Amazon

Monday, October 29, 2018

Bargain Books by Merrillee Whren and Donna Fasano

The third book in my Front Porch Promises series, A FAMILY TO CALL OURS, is now on sale for 99 cents. Grab your copy now.




Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.


~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Donna Fasano's MADE IN PARADISE is FREE for a very limited time!






~  ~  ~  ~  ~


Sunday, October 28, 2018

Book Bundle 2 - by Magdalena Scott

Whee! I'm here today to let you know (in case you missed my yeehaw earlier this month) that Serendipity, Indiana Small Town Romance Bundle 2 is available for download at your favorite ebook retailer.


Want to know more? (I hope so!)

Serendipity, Indiana Small Town Romance Bundle 2 contains books 4, 5, and 6 in the series:

The Blank Book
~ Alice’s life was hijacked by a story she wrote in an antique blank book. In movie star Robert’s recurring dream, Alice has the lead role. Does she dare write a new future for them both? ~

A year ago her husband died suddenly, and Alice Williams’s calm, predictable world changed in an instant. Most everybody in the small town of Serendipity, Indiana has rallied around her, and Alice’s new life is beginning to take shape. But something is very wrong.

A girls’ night out results in an unusual writing project, for which Alice chooses an antique leather-bound blank book. The story she’s begun to pen starts to alter her reality, and that of the man she has met only in her dreams.

Movie star Robert Diamond doesn’t want anything to do with Alice, or with her little hometown. His only reason for coming to Serendipity is to put an end to the life-altering dreams he’s having. Dreams that feature a woman who looks just like Alice…

Only by working together can they uncover the secret behind the Blank Book, and create the future each of them wants.

Writer’s block can be maddening when you’re literally writing the story of your life.

THE RING
~ Carla makes wishes come true for everyone but herself. Widower Jared and his kids have won her heart. But is the future possible without forgiving the past? ~

Carla Standish is the go-to person for whatever her friends and family need, and is world-renowned for creating one-of-a-kind, swoon worthy dresses. She’s even surprising herself and the folks in town by dating a decent guy these days. If one missing piece would fall into the jigsaw puzzle of her life, everything would be perfect. But she ruined that possibility long ago, didn’t she?

It’s been a couple of years since widower Jared Barnett and his kids moved to Serendipity for a much-needed new start. They were settling in, but now he’s getting some confusing signals from the vivacious shop owner he’s dating, and the small town “good old boy” network seems determined to treat the Barnetts as outsiders. An offer he shouldn’t refuse would mean pulling up stakes again, but Jared will do whatever is required to take care of his family, and to protect his own heart.

The Road Not Taken
Francie and husband Brad are spending Christmas in her hometown. There are marital problems, career decisions, and a major change on the horizon for the Standish family Christmas tree farm.

Can Francie find a way through all this, to a happy ending for anyone?

Find your copy of Bundle 2 here:






The third and final bundle releases on November 1st. Be sure to grab your copy at the pre-order price of only $4.99.

Links for all three bundles are at this page of my website: https://magdalenascott.com/serendipity-books/serendipity-indiana-bundles/

I hope you'll enjoy your visit to the small town where many things aren't as they seem--in a good way!

Happy reading!
Magdalena Scott

USA Today Bestselling Author Magdalena Scott writes sweet romance and romantic women’s fiction. A lifelong resident of Small Town America, she invites readers into her world to find out what’s hidden just below the surface of those tiny dots barely visible on the map. Romance, mystery, and the journey to be one’s best self are all part of a day in her neighborhood. Readers have commented that they’d like to move to the imaginary towns Magdalena writes about, which she takes as high praise indeed.

Magdalena is a practicing minimalist, having downsized from a 3,000 square foot house to a studio apartment, where her Giant Closet continues to resist taming. When not writing at home or spending time with family and friends, she loves to travel–carry-on baggage only–and is always pleasantly surprised at the kindness of strangers.

Visit her website: www.magdalenascott.com


Remember to join all the authors of Sweet Romance Reads at the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe on Facebook!

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Halloween and Candy by Margaret Daley

Halloween is just around the corner. I'm prepared though for October 31st. I've gotten my candy and now the hard challenge of not dipping into the candy bowl before Halloween has started. The Snicker bars are calling me. As you can see, Snicker Bars is my favorite candy. What is your favorite candy?

Facts about Halloween from Reader's Digest:
1. Reese Peanut Better Cups is the most popular Halloween candy.
2. An average of over 2 billion dollars is spent on Halloween candy each year.
3. Halloween isn't the most popular holiday for candy. Easter is #1.
4. Candy with chocolate is America's favorite.
5. American children eats between 3500-7000 calories at Halloween.
6. Leftover chocolate can be frozen for use later.
7. Too much sugar (fructose) in candy can mess with your mind.
8. Nearly half the population of the U.S. participate in Halloween.
9. Candy Corn used to be called Chicken Feed by the company making it.


Hunted, Book One in Everyday Heroes
Murder. On the Run. Second Chances.
Luke Michaels' relaxing camping trip ends when he witnesses a woman being thrown from a bridge. He dives into the river to save her, shocked to find her wrapped in chains. As a canine search and rescue volunteer, Luke has assisted many victims, but never a beauty whose defeated gaze ignites his primal urge to protect. When Megan Witherspoon’s killers make it clear they won't stop, Luke fights to save her, but can he keep her alive long enough to find out who is after her?

Friday, October 26, 2018

Book Memes by Mary Alford



Hello everyone, Mary Alford here to talk to you about book memes.


As a reader, I’m a huge fan of book memes. If I see one that catches my eye, I usually head over to Amazon and check the book out. I’ve bought many books this way. The book memes that capture my attention the most are the ones with eye-catching photos that depict the book genre well. I feel like I know something about the story even before I read the blurb.    



As a writer, I love to create book memes for my new releases. They are a fun way to create a mini story about the book for the readers to get a glimpse of what the book is about. Being a romantic suspense author, I tend to go for the more dramatic memes that capture the suspense feel of the book. 



I’ve included several memes that I created for my October Love Inspired Suspense, Grave Peril. 




As a ready, what are your thought on book memes? Do you love them, indifferent to them, do you prefer another way for the author to grab your attention?






Mary Alford is a bestselling author who loves giving her readers the unexpected. Combining unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots that result in novels the reader doesn’t want to put down.  

Her titles have appeared on the Publisher’s Weekly bestselling list, and have finaled in the Daphne Du Maurier award of excellence in mystery, The Beverly, The Maggie, and The Selah Awards.  

Mary is a member of the American Christian Fiction

As a writer, Mary is an avid reader. She loves to cook, can’t face the day without coffee, and her three granddaughters are the apple of her eye. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two cats and one dog.   

Mary is very active online and would love to connect with readers on Facebook: www.facebook.com/maryalfordauthor. Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryalford13 or any of the social media platforms listed at www.maryalford.net.




Wednesday, October 24, 2018

October Birthdays by Pat Simmons


There are three months out of the year where birthdays dot my calendar—February, September, and October—these are just for family.

First, let me say, there was never a shortage of children in my husband’s family. His mother and two aunts had twenty-three children among them and now those adults have children.
Everyone who has a birthday in October is within a three year age difference. First, Lizzy kicks off the October birthdays. Marcus, Freddie, Maya, Diamond, and Jared fill in the rest of the month.

Can you imagine one birthday party for all the guests of honor? There is another October birth I’m excited about too—my new release. My latest Christian fiction, The Guilty Generation, is the ninth book in my popular Jamison Legacy series.

It took nine month to mold this baby. A couple of times, I experienced false labor pains when I thought the book was ready for release. It wasn’t quite developed until finally, the fifty page short story I had envisioned turned into a full novel.

The Guilty Generation is about the Jamieson family. It’s true no two children have the same personality. This book’s story line is somewhat different from the other eight books in the series. It serves as a bridge from the old to the new with hints of romances budding for future books.

Here’s a little about The Guilty Generation: How deep are Kami Jamison’s Christian roots? Her values are about to be tested when she meets her first love. Will her family stand on the sidelines and allow Kami to make her own mistakes, or pray that she can recognize a blessing from heaven or a decoy?

What are the most popular birthday months in your family?
--------------------------------------


Pat Simmons has penned more thirty plus titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about casting her ancestors in starring roles. She is a three-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as a life-altering experience. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues. Pat has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

New Release: A Christmas Romance by Milou Koenings

I've got a new release to share!

Sort of …

I just released The Gift of Yesterday, Book 5 in the Green Pines Romance series. Those of you read our Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 last year may remember the story. But that anthology is no longer available, so if you missed it there was no way to know what happened next in Green Pines.

Now you can!




Bailey's looking for a new start, someplace where she's got nothing and no one to lose. But small-town Green Pines, where she's come to open a pastry shop, turns out to hold far more memories and temptation than she bargained for.

For Joe, having Bailey back in town is like having all his Christmas wishes come true—if only he can convince her to risk her heart again.
A tender second-chance romance about overcoming loss and letting love in.

This is a stand-alone story, so even if this is your first visit to Green Pines, that's okay. And be sure to read all the way to the end, for a scrumptious, marvelous holiday recipe. 

Get The Gift of Yesterday now from Amazon or your other favorite retailers!


Would you like to get Book 2 in the Green Pines Romance series for FREE? Sign up for my newsletter and it's yours!

Do you like to review books?

If you love reviewing books almost as much as getting advance reader copies of soon-to-be published ones, join my Sweet-Street Team! It's where I offer books I'm working on and occasionally gently nudge the team to let the word out about them. You can sign up here.





Saturday, October 20, 2018

Have you read it already?

Last month, we published the book bundle Sweet Christmas Kisses 5, with nine sweet romance stories. Have you read it already?
Which was your favorite story out of all 9 and why? Tell us the name of the story and the name of the author at our Facebook café, and you might win a free e-book from one of the authors!

Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SRRCafe1/

Friday, October 19, 2018

My Favorite Book, by Jeanette Lewis

People often ask me which of my books is my favorite. I'm up to fifteen published books, but my answer is always the same.

My favorite book is the NEXT one. The one that's still bouncing around in my brain and that I haven't put down on paper yet.

That book is still shiny and new with possibilities. It hasn't developed any of the warts or frustrating plot holes that immediately start cropping up when you put pen to paper. There's no tricky scene to navigate or 4,000 words to delete from your second draft because they simply don't work. My favorite book is the perfect one that I'll never write.

Right now, I'm working on Taming the Mountain Man, Book Three in my Tamarack Ridge Romances. I've made some good progress and got a huge boost this week when a new research item arrived. My hero, Jack, is a knife maker, so I ordered this from BlueApeBlades on Etsy.


The craftsmanship is astounding and the weight is surprising. There are conclusions you can draw from a person who makes a knife like this and it's already changed some of my perceptions of the character.

Taming the Mountain Man will hopefully be released next month. In the meantime, check out the rest of the Tamarack Ridge series Book One: Loving the Mountain Man, and Book Two: Charming the Mountain Man

I'm having such fun with this one! But I'm far enough into book three now that book four is my new favorite book - the one that's simmering in my brain and still perfect in every way!









Thursday, October 18, 2018

Love’s Light, Book 1 in the First Street Church Series!



Serenity Wright has spent her life taking care of others, putting her life on hold. And at twenty-six, with a sister in college, another in high school who’s headed down the wrong path, and a father addicted to pain pills, she’s the only one keeping the family together. However, part-time waitress and weekend honky-tonk singer was hardly the life she’d envisioned. Her chances of ever performing at the Grand Ole Opry were diminishing with each family crisis. Until Axel Scott, songwriter to Nashville’s finest enters her life.

Sweet Grove, Texas seems like the perfect place for Axel to clear his head and overcome a year-long writer’s block. But he never expects to find his muse there or fall in love with a woman whose problems run deeper than his own.

Will love’s light be enough to heal their hearts?



~*~



USA Today bestselling author Raine English writes sweet small-town contemporary romance, along with paranormal and romantic suspense. She’s a Daphne du Maurier Award winner and a Golden Heart finalist. To receive information on all her new releases, you can sign up for her newsletter, visit her website, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

A Sequel for My May-December Couple by Liwen Y. Ho

Have you ever heard of a May-December romance? This term refers to a relationship between two people who have a considerable age difference between them. One example of such a couple is Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-lee Furness, who is twelve years older than him. Knowing that "Wolverine" found love and happiness with an older woman made it easy for me to write a realistic story featuring a May-December couple.

You may remember Izzy Sutton and Chase Lockhart from my book, Chasing Romance, that came out last fall. When several readers expressed how much they loved this couple and the way they found romance despite their age gap of eleven years, I knew they deserved a sequel. I'm super excited to continue their story in Holding Onto Love in Romance this year.

Here's a look at the book cover (which the lovely Shanna Hatfield made!) and also a teaser from the story:


“Here, let me do the dishes.” Chase walked over to where Izzy stood in front of the stainless steel sink. The kitchen lights he’d recently had installed for her shone from above, highlighting the red in her hair. His heart skipped a beat just looking at her. He took the blue checkered apron she was in the process of slipping over her head and put it on himself. “I think this looks better on me anyways.”

Her hazel eyes lit up in amusement. Placing her hands on her hips, she gave him an appreciative once-over. “Hmm, not bad, not bad.”

“Not bad?” Chase raised a brow and pulled her flush against his chest. His body instantly warmed at their contact. He loved being close to Izzy. They’d been apart from each other much too often this summer when he’d gone on tour. He dreaded having to leave her again tomorrow. “Maybe you need a closer look.”

“Are you implying I need bifocals?” She gave his bicep a playful slap. “I may be old, but I can still see fine, young man.”

He pretended to study her face, from her smooth porcelain skin and defined cheekbones to her full red lips. “You are far from old. My perfect vision doesn’t see a trace of a wrinkle anywhere. You look just as young and gorgeous as the day we met.”

“Which was only a year ago, need I remind you.”

“One year, one month, and four days,” he remarked proudly. “I’ve been keeping track.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’re pretty adorable, you know that?”

He chuckled softly. “It must be the apron.”

****

Aren't Chase and Izzy just perfect for each other? :) I can't wait for you to read their sequel, which (spoiler alert!) has a wedding in it. 

The best part about this story is that it takes place in the sweetest fictional town of Romance, Oregon. I guarantee that once you visit Romance, you won't want to leave! You'll be happy to know that Holding Onto Love in Romance is one of six books in the Christmas in Romance series. Five other authors, including our own Shanna Hatfield, and I have created a wonderful little getaway for you to experience, beginning November 1st! I invite you to take a look at the series page on Amazon to see the wonderful books in this series. I've read them all and thoroughly enjoyed the sweetness and humor of each story. 


Click here for the series page: Christmas in Romance. Pre-order your copies today!




Be sure to join us over at the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe on Facebook for a great community of like-minded readers who enjoy reading sweet/clean romance!



Monday, October 15, 2018

Let's Hear it for Pumpkins by Alicia Street


They show up every fall to entertain us with their bright arresting color, captivating grins and jolly round shapes. They’re the spotlight-grabbing, star-powered, irresistibly cute and mysterious members of the Curcubita family (aka squash)—the pumpkin.

Each fall we see them lining our neighbors’ walkways, lawns, and windowsills. One of the most beautiful sights is an entire convention of them congregating en masse across fields in the countryside for as far as the eye can see.

Here are some fun-filled facts about pumpkins:

Pumpkins are 90 percent water and they’re loaded with potassium and Vitamin A.

Their seeds were used by Native Americans for medicine and food.

The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 2,600 pounds (Germany, 2016).

Pumpkins date back to ancient Central America some 7,500 years ago.

The whole idea of carving them is part of an old Irish custom. 

Pumpkins grow on every continent except Antarctica.

Each year America produces over 1.5 million tons of pumpkins.

Pumpkins were once used to get rid of freckles and treat snakebites.

The Pilgrims made pumpkin beer.

Pumpkins are actually a fruit, not a vegetable.

Pumpkins got their start in America and were taken back to Europe.

Pumpkins, like people, come in all sizes, shapes and colors.


And here’s an easy recipe for ~

Pumpkin Soup

2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 15 oz cans pumpkin puree
1 16 oz package chicken broth
2 cups water
½ cup heavy cream
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg (I leave this out because I don’t like nutmeg!)

1.     Melt butter in large soup pot.
2.     Add onions, then garlic, then the salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to keep from sticking.
3.     Add the chicken broth, water, and pumpkin puree, stirring to combine.
4.     Simmer for 20 minutes.
5.     Turn off heat and cool slightly, then stir in the heavy cream


Do you have favorite activities or recipes with pumpkins?


Alicia Street is a USA Today bestselling author and a Daphne du Maurier
award-winner. A compulsive reader of every genre, she writes
both sweet and spicy romance. She spent many years as a dancer,
choreographer and teacher.
Alicia loves to connect with readers~
Website   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads


Don't forget to join the Sweet Romance Reads Authors at the Café!