D.E.A.R. DAY by Vickie McDonough

Have you heard of D.E.A.R. Day? I bet you'd be surprised to learn that today is actually D.E.A.R. Day, also known as Drop Everything and Read Day? It's an annual celebration that takes place on April 12. As the name suggests, this holiday is intended for everyone to dedicate a significant period during the day to reading. The date is a reference to the birthday of one of the most renowned American authors, Beverly Cleary, as she was the first to create the concept of D.E.A.R.

So why not take a half hour of your day to read a fun story? The relaxation will do you good, and a fresh tale will exercise your brain. 

Have you heard of the Prairie Roses Collection? It's an amazing set of 24 ebooks written by different authors that features stories with a wagon train setting. Each novella is a stand-alone story, so you can read them in any order, and they are guaranteed to have a happy-ever-after ending. I have two books in the series: Julia and Laney.

JULIA

Vickie McDonough

The War Between the States may have ended, but prejudice is still strong among the families journeying together on a wagon train headed down the Santa Fe Trail.

Julia Scott is traveling to New Mexico with her father and younger brother. Her pa fought for the North in the war where her two older brothers lost their lives. Pa is looking for a fresh start in a new place, but Julia just wants him to be happy again.

Taylor Marshall, a Southerner who fought for the Confederates, is on his way to Colorado to raise horses. He’s attracted to Julia, but her father adamantly forbids them to talk to one another.

Circumstances continually throw Julia and Taylor together, and their attraction grows. Will a forbidden romance bloom? Or will they go their separate ways when the trail splits?

Available on Amazon / Free KU

LANEY

Vickie McDonough

A woman fleeing her past runs straight into her future.

Laney Dawson is desperate to leave Council Grove, KS. Her abusive father is getting out of prison in a week, and she refuses to allow him to hurt her again. With few options available for a young woman, she poses as Lane, a teen boy, and hires on with a family traveling the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico. Laney regrets lying to the kindhearted Buckley family, especially Ethan, the oldest of the five siblings. As her feelings for Ethan grow, she knows she needs to tell him the truth, but will he leave her at the next town when he learns she's a woman?

Available on Amazon / Free KU

Vickie McDonough is a CBA, EPCA, and Amazon best-selling author of more than 50 published books and novellas. She writes exciting historical and contemporary romances and has also created several puzzle books.