Thursday, June 20, 2019

Stay-cations: Books Take You To Beautiful Places by Jackie Castle

A couple of years ago, I visited a real Lavender farm, right here in Texas.
Honestly, I didn't even know that lavender grew in this state, but if you give it the right conditions, and pamper the plants a little...then you will have success.



So, a couple of friends went along with me to this lavender farm. It was such a charming place, with its gift shop, petting zoo, and lavender ice cream and iced tea. I knew it would end up in a book.

That day, The Lavender Vale Farm series was born.

Merciful Love:
They’d been kept apart because of secrets and fear. When they finally meet, will their fractured pasts keep them from seeing their common connection?

Faye Andrews wants to keep the shameful truth about her real father a secret. 

Chase Michaels wants to make his guardian's last days as peaceful as possible and vows to protect him at all costs. 

Faye’s life is heading down the road to nowhere when her mother shows up with a request Faye wants to refuse, but can’t. Her bio-dad is dying and she needs to head south to Thistle, Texas, and help set his affairs in order. Except, bio-dad doesn’t want her help, he wants reconciliation. He wants her love.

Chase’s life is spiraling out of control. His guardian, Heath, the only person left who cares about him, is dying. Vowing to protect him, Chase is wary when the legitimate heir arrives and worries that she’ll make Heath’s last days miserable and ruin all the hard work Chase has done to the farm.

A man on his deathbed. An estranged daughter. A young man who belongs to no one. And the mercy they find in a loving God who brings them all together. 


Followed by  Graceful Love:
Melanie Brown's life was sinking into a miry pit. She hated her job, had an apartment she couldn't afford, and her pride was taking a downward tumble. After being dismissed from her teaching job, as a music instructor, Melanie's mother, Lilly Brown showed up with her flying eagle RV, ready to take her to a 'safe place' on her sister Faye's lavender farm. There, in the quiet town of Thistle, Texas, she could recoup her losses. Melanie had thought her life couldn't get any worse. She was wrong.

Wild Billy Higgins loved taking risks. He'd rode bucking broncos and ran into burning buildings, but none of that prepared him for the bristly, sharp-tongued woman that had come to stay at his best friend's farm. He could have believed that Faye's beautiful sister was an angel sent from heaven if her horns weren't tilting her halo.

He'd never backed away from a challenge, then again, he'd never been up against the likes of Melanie Brown before. They say opposites attract. Billy just wasn't sure if they could ever get along and live in harmony.

Graceful Harmony is on sale for only .99¢ if you are not a Kindle Unlimited Member.

The final book in this three book series is Blessed Gifts:
Ben wasn't sure if he was father material. Then in a stopped heartbeat, he became a single parent.

Benjamin Brown wasn't proud of his mistakes, but he did intend to try to step up and do what was right, even if the baby's mother wanted nothing to do with him. When the delivery goes bad, Ben is left holding his son with no idea of how to take care of a baby's basic needs.

Lively Lilly has a plan.
Ben's mother, Lilly, takes him to his sister's farm in Thistle Texas. There is nothing for miles around except fields of lavender, gardens of produce, and an ornery old goose.
However, his sisters Faye and Melanie promised to help Ben get back on his feet. Unfortunately, he fears that he's slowly sinking in the mud.

Olivia Canales wants out.
She has outgrown her family home and nagging/interfering mother. She wants her own place, but jobs in town are few and far between. Besides, she loves working on her best friend's Lavender Farm and Faye has promised her full-time work once they get everything going and open up to visitors.

When Faye's brother shows up with a baby he has no idea how to take care of, Olivia's heart goes out to his dilemma. The deceased mother's parents show up and give Ben an out to his "little" problem: They will raise the baby, but only if he gives up all his rights.

Ben doesn't want to lose his son but desperately needs help so he can finish his last semester of college.
Olivia agrees only to end up going in deeper than she ever anticipated.


All three books take place on a lovely farm in the Texas hill-country of rolling pastures filled with an abundance of wildflowers. And lavender.... on this particular farm.

All three books are also available on Kindle Unlimited. Again, the second book is on sale until June 23rd. 

If you find yourself needing to stay home this summer, don't despair. Grab a book and there is no limit to the wonderful places you can go- in your imagination. 

Do you have any summer destinations you are looking forward to? 


11 comments:

  1. Your series sounds great, Jackie - and so does the lavender farm! I'm doing some small trips this summer, with plenty of take-me-away reading in between. :)

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  2. I visited a lavender farm in Virginia a couple of years ago, Jackie, and loved the lavender tea. Thanks for the heads-up on your books and the sale.

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  3. I love lavender and the fields look beautiful.

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    1. The ones in the pictures are stunning. The little Texas farm was just getting started and the plants they did have were picked over. They let you go out and pick your own lavender. But it was a wonderful idea for turning a large plot of land into something that earned the family money.

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  4. I never knew there were lavender farms that people could visit. How lovely!

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    1. Yes, check in your area. Who knows what you'll end up finding.

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  5. There are lavender farms in northern Arizona. They even have a festival that actually starts today. I'm looking forward to visiting my granddaughters in July and again in August. On the August trip, I hope to attend one day of the US Open Tennis Tournament.

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  6. I'm currently in CA at a writer's conference. It's the only place I'm traveling to this summer.

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