May Mornings: A Backyard Bird Story by Josie Riviera

You know what's making my mornings more delightful lately? My smart video bird feeder. What started as a simple gift that I purchased for myself after a book signing has turned into an amazing window into the secret lives of birds. In a few months, it's documented 30 different species visiting my yard. And the Carolina Wren has shown up 370 times!

May mornings are too perfect not to appreciate. The air still has a cool edge before the real Carolina heat kicks in, and my hydrangeas are starting to show off their first blooms of the season. I've already spotted three different shades of blue in the neighborhood.

Technology can be frustrating sometimes, but my bird camera is one of my best purchases ever. I used to see random birds and think, "Oh, pretty!" Now I'm getting detailed photos and data about every visitor. It's like having my own private nature documentary playing right in my backyard.

Even better, I can share the camera, so my husband, son, and granddaughters can also access the data.

I'm thrilled to offer all my readers a FREE inspirational eBook this month: A Homecoming to Cherish.

All relationships require a commitment, but is she ready to sacrifice her heart again?

Available in eBook, paperback, large print paperback, and audiobook. FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Grab your copy of A Homecoming to Cherish today.

If you're looking for your next great read, the complete Sweetwater Springs series is my newest release and now available in a boxed set. These three sweet romances will transport you to a charming small town filled with hope, heart, and the kind of community we'd all love to find.

The three books in the boxed set include:

WHISPERS OF LOVE IN SWEETWATER SPRINGS
One mysterious letter. Two childhood friends. A love story decades in the making.

WHISPERS OF MAPLE MEMORIES IN SWEETWATER SPRINGS
A century-old secret. A stolen chronicle. Could unearthing their past cost them their future?

WHISPERS OF HOLIDAY MAGIC IN SWEETWATER SPRINGS
A struggling baker, a determined financier, and a small-town mystery where secrets spark holiday magic.

Grab your copy of Whispers of Sweetwater Springs today at the special introductory price!

FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Who else is fascinated by the hidden world of birds in their backyard? Drop a comment below and tell me about your most frequent visitors.

Josie Riviera is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and inspirational romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully support husband. They share their home with an adorable Shih Tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovation.

Sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE ebook on her website: josieriviera.com

Looking Back at 2015

Skipping ahead two years from last month’s blog, in 2015, Harlequin released Winning the Teacher’s Heart, the first book in my Love Inspired series The Donnelly Brothers. Winning the Teacher's Heart  was later rereleased as Her Very Own Champion, book five in my Paradox Lake sweet romance series. I also released a holiday novella, Holiday Escape, as the second book in my Team Macachek series.

Writing/Publishing Tidbits

With the popularity of cowboy and rodeo short romances and my lack of inclination to write cowboy books, it struck me that motocross racers were similar to rodeo competitors. That thought was behind both of my 2015 books.

She’s never had a champion before. She doesn’t need one now.

High school history teacher Becca Norton is too sensible to expect a fairy tale life with a knight in shining armor. But she never dreamed she’d be on her own, a divorced single mother fighting for her kids, her home, and her heart. The last thing she needs is a reformed bad boy on a vintage motorcycle “rescuing” her. And taking her breath away.

Motocross champion and local bad-boy-made-good Jared Donnelly is back in Paradox Lake. He’s here to give back to his hometown and polish up the tarnished Donnelly family name. With a motocross school to give needed guidance and encouragement to troubled kids like himself, he doesn’t have time for a romance with Becca. She was out of his reach in high school, and with the even more complications of single motherhood, she should be off limits now. Except he can’t deny the attraction when old flames fan hot. What starts as simple attraction becomes a complex battle for a happy ever after Jared never knew he wanted so bad.

Jared’s hitting too close to home for Becca, with the proximity of his school and the growing connection between Jared and her son. It doesn’t matter that Jared’s kindness to her and the kids melts her long-frozen heart. She can handle her life and family just fine. She should be pumping the breaks with him, especially considering the brewing trouble with her inlaws over custody of her kids and the bad blood with the Donnellys. No good can come of tangling with the town bad boy, no matter how much he’s reformed. Her heart, however, has other plans and is fighting for the happy ending and all the fairy tale feels love has to offer. How high will the price tag be, and is she ready to pay?

Could the best way for Jared to show his love for Becca be to walk away from her and Paradox Lake or to stay and fight—winner takes all? Find out in this engaging small-town sweet romance with a hint of historical family intrigue.

BUY: Amazon | Apple | B&N | Kobo |

TEAM MACACHEK: Meet the strong women and fearless men of the motocross circuit

Bridget O’Brien lost her fiancé to a dangerous job. And, while she’d love to have a relationship like the one she lost, the last thing she wants is one with another man who willingly puts his life in danger. Luke Foster is a motocross racer whose track record with women runs short and no-strings-attached on both sides. He’d never seriously pursue a forever-after woman like Bridget.

All they want is a holiday week away. Bridget from her well-meaning family’s condolences about her planned Christmas Eve wedding and her memories of a future that won’t be. Luke from his family’s annual critique at which he and his life choices always fall short of expectations.

But, under the blue Caribbean skies, anything can happen.

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