Book 2 in my FBI Profilers series, VENDETTA, drops on 3.31.26. It’s up for preorder across all digital media and is also available in print.
Here are 5 things to know about the book to whet your appetite.
Tucker Petrie and Kella Calloway are back working together again.
FBI agents are being murdered but no one in authority has figured this out yet because the deaths look random.
Anna and Tucker are married and Anna is pregnant with their first child
A family annihilator is executed.
Tucker is involved in a car crash that almost kills him.
Here’s the blurb:
A high speed car accident and the bombing of his wife’s car convinces FBI SSA Tucker Petrie that he is the target of a killer. Discovering who the person is before another attempt is made becomes the focus of Tucker’s life. With his former partner and best friend, Kella Calloway, by his side, Tucker and his team form a shadow investigation into a series of FBI agent killings no one in power has connected the dots to yet. With the clock ticking, and another agent killed, Tucker, Kella, and the team do everything in their power to put an end to the killer’s plan of revenge.
Calling all readers! It’s a new year and I’m ringing in 2026 with N. N. Light’s Book Heaven New Year New Books Fete. 16 books from multiple genres featured plus a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.
I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book, Retribution,is featured on today! I even talk about my resolutions/goals for 2026. You won’t want to miss it.
Bookmark this bookish get-together and tell your friends:
Did you make a resolution to read more books in 2026? Join in the festivities at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven New Year, New Books Fete. Fill your e-reader with 16 books plus enter the huge giveaway. https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/new-year-new-books-fete
SO for 2026, I am re-charging my #firstlinefriday blog post, where every Friday I will post the first line from one of my books.
Today’s book is the soon-to-be-released book VENDETTA, coming 3.31.26
“The relief was orgasmic.”
VENDETTA: The FBI Profilers
A high speed car accident and the bombing of his wife’s car convince FBI SSA Tucker Petrie that he is the target of a killer. Discovering who the person is before another attempt is made becomes the focus of Tucker’s life. With his former partner and best friend, Kella Calloway, by his side, Tucker and his team form a shadow investigation into a series of FBI agent killings no one in power has connected the dots to yet.
With the clock ticking, and another agent killed, Tucker, Kella, and the team do everything in their power to put an end to the killer’s plan of revenge.
Here’s hoping this year is better than 2025 because that one was a s**t-show if ever there was a year.
Now, every January 1st I choose a word for the year that will define, shape, and guide me through my career, life, and health. This year the word is: DISCIPLINE.
discipline | ˈdisəplən | noun 1 the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience: a lack of proper parental and school discipline. • the controlled behavior resulting from discipline: he was able to maintain discipline among his men. • activity or experience that provides mental or physical training: the tariqa offered spiritual discipline | Kung fu is a discipline open to old and young. • a system of rules of conduct: he doesn’t have to submit to normal disciplines.
2 a branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education: sociology is a fairly new discipline. verb [with object] train (someone) to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience: many parents have been afraid to discipline their children. • punish or rebuke (someone) formally for an offense: a member of the staff was to be disciplined by management. • (discipline oneself to do something) train oneself to do something in a controlled and habitual way: every month discipline yourself to go through the file.
For 2026 I have specific goals that I want to meet – and will – by being disciplined in my daily life with regards to my career, personal relationships, and health. By staying focused and performing disciplined actions daily, I will meet them, that is assured.
Come along on this journey with me. And tell me…do you have a word of the year that you want to define the next 365 days of your life?
I’ve never done this publicly before, but since joining Booktok, I felt like I wanted to. This year I read over 100 books and every month I picked a favorite in my reading journal. These are the top 12, one for each month, that I chose. They were all 5 stars and amazing books. They were all pretty eclectic, too. An autobiography, a few suspense books, some women’s fiction and some romance. All were by authors I love – and a few new ones that have turned into one-click authors for me.
Death of a Spouse Alcoholism One-Night Stand Reverse Age-gap Gender Sexuality The emotional price of fame and celebrity
All of these topics are dealt with humorously and tenderly in the newest book by one of my one-click authors, Elissa Sussman, TOTALLY AND COMPLETE FINE.
The title is a misnomer because none of the main characters in this book are fine. Either totally, completely, or any other way.
The Parker family has known tragedy in spades. Lauren and Gabe lost their father at a young age; Lauren lost her husband Spencer, who was Gabe’s best friend, and now she is dealing with a confused, frightened, and moody teenager as a single mom. She lives in a small town and we all know how vicious and gossipy those can be.
Gabe is a mega movie star and invites them both to a movie shoot where Lauren meets his much younger bisexual costar, Ben Walsh. Sparks fly and the two (Lauren and Ben) enjoy a very hot interlude. Just once.
That’s enough for Lauren. Or so she thinks.
I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but this book was an emotional rollercoaster after that one-night stand that was so filled with drama balanced with humor that I had to finish it in one sitting.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Random House for a sneak peek at this wonderful book. 5 stars from me. I highly recommend this author’s works and this book.
It is really a relationship if it’s based just on sex? Or kinky sex, really? That’s about at much of the plot as I a will to give away. Suffice it to say this was quintessential Hazelwood. Strong Stem character, this one a college diver. Quiet, reserved hero. Lots of sex. Kinky sex. Oh, my.
Bless her heart, this woman in everything! If you haven’t heard any of her Netflix specials, then read this book. If you HAVE watched any of her Netflix specials, then read this book! Just read this book. I listened to it via audio and Leanne narrates it, which is a blessing in itself. Her voice is her trademark and her life story is a woman’s anthem! 5 stars – which I could give it more!
Book three in this delightful series did not disappoint. There are many secrets woven into this story – for the main characters, the secondary characters, even the house they are all rehabbing. The ending, where everything is displayed, is perfection. Harper and Reid’s love story is a rocky one. Physical attraction is one this and they have it in spades. But for a relationship to foster they need to trust one another and for a large percent of the book they do not. But when they do, when they both finally let go of the fear, it’s a perfect union. 5 stars for this end of the series. Thankyou to Netgally and Lexi Blake for a sneak peek. The entire series was fab but this one was the best.
It’s no secret I am a huge Ali Hazelwood fan. I would probably read her version of the phone book if she wrote it. This latest work, PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE is one of the reasons I adore her writing. Let’s be honest: it’s not just her writing. Hazelwood has the ability to make me forget I have work to do, dinner to cook, the dog to walk. Her stories are simply put: unputdownable. I inhaled this book. Read it in one sitting. And would do it again. Maya and Conor’s love story is so filled with angest, even I got nervous reading some parts that they would never find their hea. not to worry, though. A contemporary age gap romance that is not ick or cringe-y is rare, but this book is that rarity! I hate spoilers, so none here about the story, just a few highlights; Sicily Erupting Volcano Kickass/STEM heroine/witty and fun A doomed wedding that really isn’t…doomed Dogs Friends Lots of wine! 5 stars – wish I could give it more! Brava. Ms. Hazelwood.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for an advanced peek at JDRobb’s next In Death series book, FRAMED IN DEATH. The saying ‘art imitating life’ is turned on its ear in September of 2061. Someone is killing LCs ( Licensed Companions), dressing them up as famous paintings and depositing them on gallery-adjacent properties. The reader learns pretty fast the killer artist is a trust fund baby with ego and narcissism issues who thinks he’s the next best thing ever. Eve Dallas and her team are called in to investigate the first death, which rapidly accelerates to three victims in three days. Through non-stop investigative work and with everyone on the team from ME Morris down to New Detective Truheart, with ADA Reo and even Nadine Furst thrown in, the story quickly unfolds until a name is assigned to the killer. For the first time that I can remember in an IN DEATH book, the story doesn’t end with the typical “get themin the box and get a confession” scene. For the first time, we are taken into the arraignment hearing. I admit, I liked this. I liked Eve not getting a slam dunk out of the box. IYKYK that she will eventually, but the trip toward it is perfection. As always, these books just keep getting better and better and everytime a new one is released I am thrilled to revisit old friends. The shared house of Mavis/Leonardo and Peabody./McNab is finally finished and getting to visit with Bella is just perfection. Since Summerset was such a big facto in the previous book, Bonded in Death, he is only featured in one scene in this book and that was fine. The full story surrounded the police team and I’m glad we got to spend so much time with them. Another 5 star story from the Queen of Fiction.
What happens when two people who don’t think they’re worthy of love actually find it? With each other? HE FALLS FIRST, the newest fabulous book from Jill Shalvis, answers that question! Both Penny Rose and Ryder Colburn are the “responsible” people in their family’s lives. Penny helps support her grandmother and her little brother, while Ryder runs a family business. Neither have time for romantic love, and in fact, neither is looking for anything in that realm. Penny’s just come out of a physically and emotionally abusive relationship and Ryder has too many other responsibilities to add a woman to the mix. Now, if you believe in legends, the 3 shooting star legend of Star Falls, the town they live in, states that if you see 3 falling stars in a row, you’ll get your HEA. And guess what? One of them sees the stars. I hate spoilers so I’m not going to tell you who sees them, but when it happens, a lot of things fall into place in the story. Told with the wit and great banter that is common to a Shalvis story, the heavy themes of spousal death, grief, and domestic violence are interwoven into a very often laugh-out-loud narrative. Penny is awkward and feels she has a black cloud following her around, which may be true. An errant Cheeto tells a tale of this awkwardness ( IYKYK!) Thanks to Netgalley, Ms. Shalvis, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a sneak peek at this soon to be released romance, the first in a new series – I can’t wait for the rest of the Colburn kids to get their HEAs!!! 5 stars for an emotional and fun read!
Brilliant. Simply…brilliant. Brilliant characters. Brilliant plot. Brilliant writing. There’s nothing I can say that comes close to describing how fabulous this book was. I simply adore Rory Moore and this story – her story is one of the best books i’ve read in quite a long time. Bravo, Mr. Donlea. Bravo.
Another 5 star story from the Queen of the futuristic police procedural! The death of a tech company nepo baby leads to the discovery of a vault filled with stolen priceless art pieces and jewelry decades in the hording. Eve Dallas is cited to solve the murder, but the discovery of the vault and what it houses poses problems in a very personal way. Her beloved Roarke was the thief of many of the items in the vault during his misspent youth. Keeping his name out of the investigation proves one of her biggest work challenges to date. When the current thief is identified by Eve, and proves to be an old nemesis of both she and her husband, the story takes a decided turn. Protect Roarke, recover the stolen items, solve the murder AND make sure the person responsible is sent away forever. No easy feat. One part of this story that I especially liked is the way Robb is softening up the relationship between Summerset and Eve. They will never be friends, but their animosity is definitely cooling and he respects the hell out of her, something he didn’t always feel. Twists, turns, suspects, and an international inquiry finally allow Eve to get her person – or in this case, persons – responsible for the murder and theft. I hate spoilers so you wont get any from me, but suffice it to say, the ending is pure Robb gold. 5 stars-wish_i-could-give-it-more from me.
The Colburn Bros. Book 2 , FREE FALLING is as wonderful a read as book 1 was. Maybe…even better. There’s Caleb, the middle brother in the trio. Former college hockey star. Charming, Witty. Sexy as all you know what. And for me the best part…he wears glasses! Swoon. But he has to wear them to ward off the migraines that cripple him from a devastating career-ending fall during a hockey game. Caleb works with his brothers in their rehabbing/construction business and has been put in charge of a new project. The lead architect of that project? Emma Sumner, a girl he knew in college and who was immune to his wit, charm, and celebrity status. Or so he thought… Emma is at a crossroads in her difficult life. She has no real job – she is just subbing for an architect out on maternity leave right now – her apartment building recently burned down so she has nowhere to live but her car, and she has no touchstone family like Caleb does. In college, she was the smartest girl int he room, the one that did 99 percent of the work and took no credit while Caleb got 100% of the adoration. To say she’s not his biggest fan is to downplay her feelings. But…the more these two work together, the more they each realize they were wrong about the other. Caleb comes to see her as someone so worthy of the love she’s never gotten from anyone, and Emma learns that the man she thought was shallow and narcissist is anything but. He’s adopted two boxers he found abandoned; his once abusive father now lives with him. He cares for his niece and nephew and his siblings as if his life depends on. Is it any wonder Emma falls for him, hard? Is it any wonder I did, too? LOL Thank you to Jill Shalvis for an advanced reader copy of what is sure to be one of my top 5 books of 2026! 5 stars- why can’t I give it more??
Any story by Annabel Monaghan is a must read for me. DOLLY ALL THE TIME has everything I love about her writing. Witty dialogue, a strong female character, a quiet love story that develops naturally and without and ridiculous plot clichés.
This is a fake dating, later in life romance between two people who are absolutely perfect together.
Dolly Brick, single mom, never married, comes back to her hometown for the summer to help her father with his business after a fire at her childhood home. If Dolly were a man she’d be called a factotum – someone who can do everything from plastering to changing a tire, to installing drywall, to managing a business. She is wired for leadership.
Stewert Whitfield, scion to the Whitfield family real estate business, is her polar opposite. He does business stuff. That’s all. He can’t even change a blown tire, which is how these two meet on one of the worst days of his life. His fiancée has been seen canoodling with another man and now Stewert feels his family will not be able to trust his judgement with running the family business and will choose his horrible cousin Grant to run it instead. Grant is everything Stewert is not, most of all, married.
Fiance-less he offers Dolly a proposition: Pretend to be his girlfriend and he’ll make it worth her while, financially.
This deal can’t come at a more opportune time for Dolly because the roof on her family home needs to be replaced. A bargain is struck, and the two begin a fake dating relationship.
Of course, this turns out to be more than either of them expected, and through the lovely telling of their fall into love, Monaghan gives us insight into how two opposites can make a whole.
I adored this book and just know it’s going to be another bestseller for this talented author. 5 stars – wish I could rate it more!
There’s nothing I love more to read than a heroine I can get behind one million percent, and in Katherine Center’s new romcom, THE SHIPPERS, I found that person in Josephine “JoJo Burton. Wicked smart – hey, she’s a STEM math gal, ridiculously funny and quick witted, she is also gloriously flawed in the love and relationship department. She’s dumped every guy she’s ever dated, and now she’s leaving her fiancé at the altar. The reason she can’t commit to one guy? Well, she thinks it’s because none of them have ever given her the heart-stopping kiss she received when she was 10 years old ( yeah, you read that right!) from her heartthrob, neighborhood boy Finn. But now she’s going to be on a wedding cruise with him for 8 days while her sister gets married, so JoJo’s determined to make Finn fall in love with her because she really thinks he’s the one. JoJo’s best friend-for-life, Cooper Watts, doesn’t agree. But he’ll do anything to make his bestie happy, including buying into her plan to make a guy who’s so wrong for her fall in love with her. What ensues is a tale of miscommunication, missed timed, and everlasting love. Before the story begins, the author tells us that she loves a romance story because you always get the happily ever after, and that’s what we’re all searching for. It’s the journey to that HEA that matters, the growth, the longing, the commitment. In THE SHIPPERS, Ms. Center has given us an HEA that was decades in the making and so satisfying, I re-read the last two chapters three times because I was so happy. Brava for an amazing story of love, longing, forgiveness, and humor. 5 stars-wish-I-could-give-it-more
And my absolute favorite book of the year was… THE SHIPPERS. Everything I want in a book and a FMC was in this story!! Everything.
Can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for me!!!
While the plot of this tale was good – really good! – it took forever for something to happen. Sop much telling, rehashing, and backstory told out of sequence. I struggled to finish it, glad I did because the payoff was nice. But still… not the best thing I’ve read, to be sure …more
MY 2025 BOOKS
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
it was amazing
My last review of the year
it was amazing
this book was way too short!!! I Want more Vero and Victor!!!! So good. So good!!!
If you’re looking to stuff that kindle/ nook or however you read digitally, now is the time. Midnight, January 1, starts a new year and the end of this amazing sale.
On a very cold and windy December 26, 1987, I got married.
Yeah…it surprised me, too! Lol
From those first seven years in Wisconsin, which saw us buy our first home, experience parenthood, and sit on too many hospital and community boards to remember…
To our move to New Hampshire and the new life we started.
From all the family vacations and visits…
and my ever-changing weight and hair…
To our daughter’s marriage…
and becoming grandparents ( which we both agree is just the best thing ever!)
From the good times, the bad, the illnesses, the family deaths; our first dog, cat, and rabbit, and now our present “baby”
We’ve weathered every storm, every hiccup, every setback, every difference of opinion, by remembering the three tenets we always agreed on: Family, Faith and Finances.
Here’s to the next 38 years…still dancing through life together.
Since I’ve been working so diligently these past few months on a few new projects for 2026, I figured now was a good time to start promoting them – which in itself is a shameless plug for my work, but…hee hee.
First…new books.
March brings VENDETTA, the second book in the FBI Profiler series.
A high-speed car accident and the bombing of his wife’s car convince FBI SSA Tucker Petrie that he is the target of a killer. Discovering who the person is before another attempt is made becomes the focus of Tucker’s life. With his former partner and best friend, Kella Calloway, by his side, Tucker and his team form a shadow investigation into a series of FBI agent killings no one in power has connected the dots to yet. With the clock ticking, and another agent killed, Tucker, Kella, and the team do everything in their power to put an end to the killer’s plan of revenge.
In May, I’m releasing a book about the grieving process I went through when my mother died, suddenly, in 2023, titled, “My love to you all.”: A daughter’s journey through grief.
“Grief comes in waves, tsunamis, and droplets.”
When her mother died unexpectedly, Peggy Jaeger used her writing blog to help her navigate through her grief. Detailing her mother’s tortured life – and their oftentimes contentious relationship – allowed her to understand the decisions and events that comprised her mother’s 87 years and made her the woman she’d grown to be. With brutal and, at times painful honesty, Peggy details her mother’s life; one that knew suffering, heartache, supreme loss, mental illness and paranoia.
This is the story of how two women – mother and daughter – learned the power behind the gift of forgiveness and helped Peggy come out on the other side of her grief a stronger, wiser, and more understanding person.
No date is set for this book yet, but another suspense, CHILDREN OF THE PROPHET, will hopefully becoming to you sometime in the early fall.
I don’t have the blurb officially written for this yet, but the premise came to me a few years ago when the 25th anniversary of Waco occurred. I watched a documentary about it and started wondering what in the world happened to all the kids who’d survived the tragedy. That’s when an idea sparked about 2 girls, members of a religious cult, and a similar tragedy occurs and they are left as the only survivors. What happened to their lives as they grew up? This one is a suspense and there have been times when I’ve been writing it I’ve had to step away because it’s…too much.
As far as reprints go, I got the rights back to Dirty Damsels and am going to release it under my own brand, independently, probably in July 2026. Here’s the new cover – and I’ve added an epilogue and changed a few things inside, so if you’ve already read it, there are some new parts you might want to explore.
What happens when a modern day Cinderella has a one-night stand with a man named Prince?
Cynderella Jones, Ella to her friends and family, owns a thriving and successful cleaning service called Dirty Damsels. 32, single and a self-imposed recycled-virgin, Ella is looking to keep her company private and her bed empty of going-nowhere relationships, But when her business manager tells her he’s heard scuttlebutt about a takeover, she realizes she needs a plan to protect her business. Before she can, she has to navigate through a week where sick calls and marriages lighten her workforce. When she goes out on a cleaning call for a very influential client, she meets a man so hot, so exciting, she literally comes out of her exiled celibate-state and has one hot night of passion with him.
But when Cynderella discovers he’s the front man for the supposed takeover, she scrambles to protect her company…and her heart.
That’s it for now. I have a new series in the works but want to keep it on the down low for a while because I want to get at least two of the books written before I start promoting it…but it’ll be a goodie!
Every year I make a new vision board for the year ahead of me.
Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you…
A Vision Board allows me to see, visually, what I want to manifest in my life for the year ahead. Whether it’s financially, career-wise, or in personal relationships, defining and actually seeing every day what I want my life to look like is something I believe in, wholeheartedly. I truthfully feel if you speak what you want into the universe, and make a visualization of those wants, they will come true for you.
This is my 2026 vision board: (ignore my feet at the bottom of the photo!)
There are some key elements I want to point out.
My word of the year, 2026, is DISCIPLINE. ( more on that in another blog to come)
my mantra of the year, 2026 is SUCCESS IS MY DESTINY
I am dreaming BIG for this year and manifesting an increase in book sales, personal wealth and in my relationships.
I am going to be FOCUSED and FEARLESS in my undertakings as I try several new things to elevate my writing career, gain new readers, and increase sales of my books.
This board sits on the windowsill in front of my desk ( as do all my vision boards each year) so that I can look at it several times a day while working and remember the goals I have for the year. I will speak into the universe over and over the things I want to happen to my life, and while I am speaking them, I am performing tasks to ensure they happen.
You may think this sounds like a lot of hooey, nonsense, and extra work that isn’t needed. If you think that, fine. I won’t try to change your mind. I’ll just tell you two facts.
11 years ago, I wrote a story and entered it in a contest. My vision board that year (2014) had a picture that said, “Get published this year.” I won the contest, and my first traditionally published book was contracted and published in 2015.
5 years ago ( 2020) while in the middle of lockdown, my vision board had a picture that said, “I want to teach.” I did 4 writing lectures via zoom that year when I had never done any before, and since then have gone on to do dozens in person and via zoom.
Still believe it doesn’t work? Okay. But for those of you who see this as a tool to change your views on what you want in life and how to get it, a vision board just may be the thing that takes you there, or at least to the next level.
If you have questions, or if you are in a writing chapter and need a guest speaker, I actually have an entire class on vision boards. Just hit me up and we can discuss.
Saturday, 12.13.25, I attended the premier A VERY MERRY BOOKMAS FAIRE in Manchester, NH. When I say premier, it was because this was the first time this event has been put on. Billed as a holiday book fair, it was meant to draw romance readers and encourage a little book holiday shopping. As a first time event, I had some hopes it would go well, but my expectations weren’t too high because it was, after all, a first time event.
I lovelovelove when I am wrong. And I was…SO WRONG!
Not only was this the most organized event I have been at in years ( YEARS!) it was also unbelievably well attended by the romance book reading community. I spoke with two women who drove 4 hours to attend that morning. Several had stayed over in hotels the night before, having traveled from up to six and seven hours away!!
MINDBOGGLING, I tell you. And so very heart-warming.
Lila Gray and her incredibly well-trained crew of volunteers, were what made this event the absolute success it was. I have never been to an event where the authors and readers were so well taken care of and seen to. This is what a reader event should be. I even told Lila at the end that I think she should do this full time – be an event organizer, because she is brilliant at it!! She is also a brilliant writer, so I don’t think she’s going to take me up on my suggestion, lol!
I met so many wonderful readers and influencers that I actually follow on Instagram and TIktok! And guess what? They follow me, too! Again…mindboggling.
I am a horrible picture taker when I am at these events because I am always so busy talking to people, selling my books, and generally having a great time that I forget to use my phone and snap away. These are the only ones I took before the event started of my table:
Whenever I go to one of these events I am hopeful I will sell a few books to new readers. This event? I sold out of 4 titles ( a first for me!) and did some serious sell-damage to the rest. Everyone was in the mood for holiday romance books, and these are the titles I brought with me.
I came home exhausted because the drive was 1.5 hours for me, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but my sciatica says it’s too much, lol, but so elated emotionally, spiritually, and career-wise that I had trouble sleeping Saturday night because my excitement level was still so high.
I saw old, treasured author friends and readers, and made some new reader friends as well.
In all, it was day I am not going to soon forget. I can’t do the event in 2026 ( and yes, it’s already booked solid with authors) but I am hopeful Lila Gray, the organizer, will let me know when the 2027 sign up form comes out because I am definitely going to move hell and high water to be at that one! Thank you to all the organizers and volunteers. I seriously don’t know how you will surpass this event next year, but you know what? I have a feeling you will.
Happy holidays, everyone. And don’t forget: Books make great gifts!
So, today’s book isn’t a romance or holiday love story, but a love story about…food.
The DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE COOKBOOK, titled IT’S A DICKENS OF A COOKIE is chockful of delicious and festive sweet recipes you can serve your guests (and yourself!) during the holiday season- or really any time of the year.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Dickens … the Dickens kitchens that is!
The authors of the Dickens Holiday Romance Series are baking up a storm to make your holiday perfect. Look for new recipes this year. Plus, many, many more from previous years.
The series authors wish you and your loved one a joyous holiday season!
No tropes in this one, kids…just fun food to savor and die for!
So this book is in another series, not the Dickens, but the HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER one. I’m including it because LOVE MATCH takes place during the holiday season. You can tell just from the cover flower arrangement it’s a holiday book!
Running away from a public scandal may be cowardly, but to Layla Warton, it’s her best option.
After her politically connected fiancé is indicted for a laundry list of crimes, Layla wants to put the public ridicule and shame of her guilty-by-association status behind her. Not easy to do when all her supposed friends and supporters lose her number and the taint of scandal-adjacent destroys the successful design business and life she’s built for herself.
Happy childhood memories and the blessing of a local friend push her toward the tiny New England town of Heaven where she spent summers with her loving grandparents. Hiding out in the town until the scandal dies down is the perfect plan.
With the paparazzi hot on her tail, an ancient family home she needs to get livable, and a contractor too hot for her sanity, Layla worries she’ll never be able to get her old life back.
But would that really be such a bad thing?
Tropes: small town, matchmaker, starting over, public scandal, surviving celebrity, later in life, divorce, and second chances at happiness
So the next book on my list isn’t necessarily a Christmas book, but a Thanksgiving one. Since the holidays around this time of year all get lumped together, I figured why not include it. It’s only available if E-copy, so you’ll need an ereader to get it.
Hope Kildaire gave up her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner when a car accident killed her father and left her mother an invalid. Working two jobs and caring for her mother leaves the twenty-seven-year-old with no time for fun or relationships. When a law firm representing her paternal grandparents sends her several letters, Hope ignores them. She despises the family who disowned her father and wants nothing to do with them.
Lawyer Tyler Coleman’s job is simply to obtain Hope’s signature on a legal document. Getting it is harder than planned, though, when an unexpected attraction blossoms between them. If Ty is honest with Hope about why he’s in Willow Springs, he’ll fulfill his assignment but may risk hurting her.
The opportunity to have everything she’s ever desired is at Hope’s fingertips. Will her dream come true at the expense of Tyler’s love?
Tropes for this little gem include: smalltown, holiday vibe, surviving loss, independent woman, inheritance, bettering yourself, family strife and secrets, and past tragedy
Just a reminder, kids, I have a bunch of my books for sale on the SMASHWORDS end of 2025 sale – some are half price, some are dropped by 75%!!! this would be a good time to take a stroll over to the site and see for yourself. There are thousands of books on sale this year, so have fun choosing ( and I hope you choose mine! LOL) When you get to my page, scroll all the way down, don’t just stop at the top. Many of the books are listed way down the page. I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the sale prices.
Back to Dickens for my final addition to the series. A CHEF’S KISS CHRISTMAS. This story was difficult for me to write because the underlying theme was death of a spouse from Covid. But I felt the story needed to be told no matter how upsetting it was to me to write it. I was able to inject some humor into the tale so that helped. And of course the ending didn’t hurt!!!
Successful Chef Anton Saparosa had the perfect life. Great marriage; beautiful and adoring wife; trendy, SoCal restaurant frequented by celebrities – many of them his friends. Then Covid hit. Anton’s perfect life dissolved before his eyes. With nothing left to keep him in California he starts an itinerant cross-country journey searching for something to give his life meaning again. Happenstance lands him in the tiny town of Dickens just as Dorrit’s Diner is thrown into chaos. Literary Agent Portia Avon needs a rest. A messy divorce has her craving quiet and the company of her friend and client A.B. Cards, nee Abra Bree. She comes from the western heat of California to the eastern cold of Dickens and plans to do nothing but rest, relax, and read during her holiday stay. When Portia spots a familiar face in Dorrit’s, she’s confused. Why is Anton Saparosa, one of the most recognizable chefs in California, working as a fry cook in Abra’s mom’s diner, and going by the name Tony Smith?
A question Portia wants an answer to, but one Tony isn’t willing to share, especially with a woman he can’t stop thinking about.
Here ya go, you trope peeps:
small town, christmas vibe, celebrity chef, cooking, surviving loss, loss of a spouse, Post-Covid, mental illness, depression, finding oneself after tragedy,
Today’s story is Michael Charles. A terrible, horrific past as a child lead him to be nonverbal and fearful. Amy Charles’ love helped him heal and grown to a successful man. He comes home for Christmas never expecting to find something he didn’t even know was missing in his life. DON”T MESS WITH THE MISTLETOE is a heartwarming sweet romance that will make you believe in miracles – and not just for the holidays!
It’s the holiday season in the tiny town of Dickens and pilot Michael Charles is home for his annual visit. His wanderlust has him itching to get back up in the skies as soon as possible, especially since he’s got a full schedule of rich and famous clients waiting to be transported to warm, exotic locales for the winter.
When his heavily pregnant sisters present him with a plan to give their workaholic mother some time off from managing the family diner, he balks. But one look at how tired the woman who took him into her home and heart is, and Michael agrees to run Dorrit’s Diner for a month so Amy Charles can get some well-deserved rest.
He’ll be back in the skies by the New Year.
The diner staff functions like a well-oiled machine, most of them long-term employees. The exception is new waitress Julia Maryland. The beautiful blonde has a past filled with heartache, a charming six-year-old daughter, and a smile Michael could spend the day getting lost in. But starting a relationship with her wouldn’t be wise because his visit is temporary and Julia seems like a permanent kind of girl.
When a family emergency requires him to rethink and reassess his life, Michael wonders if it’s time he becomes a permanent kind of man.
Tropes abound in this one:
small town, holiday vibe, coming home, divorce, found family, alcoholism, friendship, adoption, losing your way, surviving loss.
For those of you who know, in November I did a book sales fundraiser for one of my favorite local food banks, FEEDING TINY TUMMIES.
For every book I sold in digital or print, I donated 20% of the royalties to the organization. But then I remembered I had a new release in November, YOU’RE MY MATCH, so I decided to donate 100% of all the royalties on sales of that book to the pot.
When all was said and done, I was able to send a check to the organization for $200.00. Not as much as I’d have liked, but here’s the thing most non-writers don’t know. When I sell an ecopy of my book ( kindle, nook, kobo, ) i make .35 cents a sale. When I sell a print copy of the book, I make $2.10. So you can see why most writers have a day job – we’re never going to get rich off our royalties.
The majority of the sales I made in November were kindle, but some readers, knowing about the fundraiser, went all out and ordered print copies either directly from me or from retailers, so that helped me up the donation a bit.
To everyone who took the time to go on the fundraising journey with me I say a profound and heartfelt THANKYOU! As someone who dealt with food insecurity and working-class poverty as a child, organizations such as TINY TUMMIES do so much good for so many families.
But the need for funds to help them isn’t only relegated to the holiday season. These types of organization need funds all year long, so if you can find it in your heart to donate to the ones of your preference throughout the year, and not just during the Christmas donation-ask rush, you’d be doing a great service to others.
I’m not usually big on Bible verses or quotes, but these two speak to me all the time:
Isaiah 58:7 says “Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.”
Matthew 25.35 says,” For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
We’re a week into it already and today’s book is one of my favorites because it’s about a nurse.
SASHA’S SECRET SANTA tells the story of Amy Dorrit Charles’ second adopted daughter, Sasha. Her love interest is one of my favorite guys because he’s caring and works hard. Plus, there’s a whole secret santa game in the book that has a nice twist at the end!! ( At least, I think it’s a nice twist, lol.)
After a terrifying incident derails Sasha Charles’ career and confidence, she moves back to her hometown of Dickens to heal, reorganize, and start over.
The only problem? The paralyzing panic attacks that plague her whenever she thinks about going back to nursing. Sasha is mentally, and emotionally stuck, and has no idea how to move forward.
Steve Caldwell is the new Director of Services at Dickens Memorial Hospital. After witnessing her save the life of a local resident in Dorrit’s Diner, he knows Sasha would be perfect for the new trauma center he’s planning. When she refuses his job offer outright, he sets out to change her mind.
But Sasha has thick, protective walls erected around her so Steve must first break through them. With patience and kindness, he does. As the two grow closer, each begin to have second thoughts on what their futures should look like, until idle, small town gossip threatens to derail their budding relationship.
With the imminent arrival of Christmas, will Steve be able to convince Sasha he has her best interests at heart?
For the trope lovers: small town, holiday vibe, PTSD, coming home, surviving tragedy, secrets, moving on, divorce, adoption, found family.
Friday you read the origin story for Amy Dorrit and her discovery of an abandoned baby on Christmas eve. Today’s book, FIXING CHRISTMAS, tells the story of that grown up baby, Abracadabra Charles.
Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure.
If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well.
Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or floods.
Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt, can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at despite being a little neurotic and a whole lot of snarky.
Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?
For you trope girlies, this one has: A grumpy/sunshine theme with the roles reversed; abandonment and trust issues; death of a spouse; adoption issues, and a small town holiday vibe
The second addition to the DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE series from me was another novella, this time an origin story. In my first book I’d had a character appear that I just fell in love with and wanted to tell her story. the only issue? She was in her sixties, maybe even 70s when I introduced her. So…I did an origin backstory for Amy Dorrit of DORRIT’S DINER.
It’s Christmas Eve morning in the tiny New England town of Dickens. Santa’s arrival is imminent, and a hint of snow is in the air.
Amy Dorrit is just about to open her popular diner for the breakfast rush when she discovers an abandoned baby on her back doorstep.Amy knows she should call the authorities and turn the infant over to them, but she just can’t. Thoughts of her own abandonment as a baby flood through her and she wants to keep the little one out of the hands of the authorities until the mother – hopefully –returns.
But will the mom come back? And if she doesn’t, what is Amy prepared to do about the baby who has, already, claimed her heart?
If you’re a trope person, this one has abandoned baby; friends to lovers; small town vibes and a holiday miracle.
For those of you who don’t know, the DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE series is a book community of authors who collectively write holiday romances centering around the fictional town of Dickens. The original series was 10 authors who each wrote a novella that was placed into an anthology. After the amazing response we garnered the first holiday season, we decided to branch out and write full-length books for the next year. And the next. And it’s still going strong. I have 6 books in the seires and for the next 6 days I’m going to be showing them to you, starting with that first novella.
ANGEL KISSES AND HOLIDAY WISHES.
Can a first love be rekindled when the past is filled with heartache?
After a personal tragedy, Sage Hamilton left the town she’d grown up in and the boy she’d given her heart to. With a vow never to return, Sage forged on with her life in order to forget the sadness of her past.
Keith Mills loved Sage from the first moment he spotted her ambling down the hallway of their middle school. And she’d felt the same about him. Or so he’d thought until she’d walked away from everything they’d meant to one another with a tearful and rushed goodbye.
But now, eighteen years later, she’s back and, as the town’s new doctor, it looks like she’s staying. Can Keith put the hurt of Sage’s dismissal to bed for good? And will she want to rekindle the love that had burnt so bright all those years ago?
And now we come to the one San Valentino book that wasn’t published by the Wild Rose Press, but by me, independently, MISTLETOE, MOBSTERS, & MOZZARELLA.
I can assure you, nothing about that title was left to chance! I had a specific image for the book, and a plotline that was part funny, part heartwarming, and a little bit dangerous in mind, so the title is perfect for the story between the covers.
Finding a body in the freezer of the family deli isn’t the way Madonna San Valentino planned to start her day.
Adding insult to injury, the investigating detective is the one guy she’s never been able to forget. After seven minutes of heaven in the back seat of his car when they were teenagers, Tony Roma skipped town without so much as a thanks for the memory.
Just when Madonna thinks the present situation can’t get any worse, Tony is ordered to go undercover at the deli to ferret out a killer. Forced to work together, she vows to keep their relationship cool and professional. But with the sexy, longing looks he tosses her at every turn, Madonna’s resolve is weakening.
With Christmas drawing closer and Tony’s investigation taking an unexpected turn, Madonna is at her wit’s end. Can she really be falling for him again? And will he wind up leaving her brokenhearted and alone like the last time?
Many of you know I am a member of my local New Hampshire chapter of Romance Writers of America ( RWA). We are always brainstorming ideas on how to get more members, fundraise for the chapter, and discover ways to encourage one another with our writing, plus cheer on writing in others.
Well… March 2026, we’re trying something new: a writing challenge.
What better excuse do you need to stay inside and write than to keep away from those wicked winds?? Even if you live somewhere that’s warm ( I’m jealous!!) you can still join us!!
And I really hope you do join us!! You’ll be getting daily encouragement from our members plus a sense of community that’s supportive and caring while you create away.
Today, the second book in the San Valentino Christmas romances, CHRISTMAS AND CANNOLIS is highlighted.
For this book, I wanted my heroine to have a sad past. Why? Because I think triumphing over tragedy to find joy after heartache is such a worthwhile trope, don’t you? But how to do it, and still have the story filled with the essence of the crazy San Valentinos? Well, since the heroine, Regina, is Uncle Sonny’s daughter, the humor kinda wrote itself!
With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him.
Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company’s reputation—in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.
Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart?
Published initially by The Wild Rose Press, this book was my very first Christmas San Valentino family book. After 3 WISHES, which was a Valentine’s day story came out, I wanted to give Chloe’s sister, Gia, her own HEA. How do to it in a funny, unique way was a big consideration for me. When I thought of a case of mistaken identity, well then…the story kind of wrote itself!
With Christmas just a few weeks away, Gia San Valentino, the baby in her large, loud, and loving Italian family, yearns for a life and home of her own with a husband and bambini she can love and spoil. The single scene doesn’t interest her, and the men her well-meaning family introduce her to aren’t exactly the happily-ever-after kind.
Tim Santini believes he’s finally found the woman for him, but Gia will take some convincing she’s that girl. A misunderstanding has her thinking he’s something he’s not.
Can a kiss stolen under the Christmas lights persuade her to spend the rest of her life with him?
If you’re a trope person, this book has:
mistaken identity, a holiday theme, forbidden love (but not really!), family hijinks and drama.
I am super stoked for my last author/reader event of 2025 – A VERY MERRY BOOKMAS taking place in Machester, NH.
Take a look at all the wonderful authors who are taking part in this Holiday Book event! In addition, there are some fabulous Book Influencers and Vendors who will be there as well.
Since this is a HOLIDAY book Event, I’m bringing ALL – yes ALL – my holiday books. The entire DICKENS HOLIDAY ROMANCE line, including the 2025 Cookie cookbook, and all my Christmas SAN VALENTINO family holiday rom-coms as well. Plus, I’ve got extra copies of the anthology, LOVE, LATTES, and Holiday tales, which is no longer in print!!
If you want to preorder any of the books – including any that I’m not bringing – you can do so by using this order form to ensure you get the books you want. PEGGY BOOKSTORE
If you’re looking for a fun event that’s book related with the added special ingredient of ROMANCE – this event is for you!
By now you all know that for the entire month of November, since the last government shutdown and the suspension of the SNAP benefits to families and children, I have been trying to do my part to help my local family food organization, TINY TUMMIES, raise funds to help them help others.
If you purchase any book in my catalog this month, I am donating 20% of each sale to Tiny Tummies. If you purchase my newest book, YOU’RE MY MATCH, I am donating 100% of the royalties for this month to the organization. I am trying to do my part to help and give back.
I was a victim of food insecurity as a child, and many times we had nothing but mayonnaise and bread for dinner. Not the most nutritious meal in the world, and something, which, I feel contributed to my 40+ year eating disorder. If I can make one child feel more secure by giving them a few meals to eat that are nutritious and will help them grow, I feel it is my duty to do so.
So…won’t you help me help them? And if you don’t want to buy one of my books to do this, no worries. Maybe you’d like to donate to them directly with a cash gift. If so, here is their information. FEEDING TINY TUMMIES
Back when I was in my twenties, Black Friday was a serious thing with my sisters-in-law and me. We would wake up at 430 am, still stuffed from the day before’s meal, quickly get dressed, and then drive over the local mall or Nordstroms in Long Island and wait for the doors to open at 5 am. Why, you ask? Because this was before internet shopping and you had to physically GO to a store in order to make sure you got the gifts you wanted before everyone else bought them up.
5 am would come around, the doors to the stores would open and the pandemonium would ensue. We’d already plotted what we wanted to get, and each of us set off in the direction of the gift section we needed. If you have ever been in a stampede, you know what it felt like on those mornings. Hordes of women with no makeup, some with hair still in curlers, running as if being chased by the bulls of Pamplona just to ensure they got what they wanted.
We did the same thing on December 26th for the after Christmas sales.
Good times.
The advent of online shopping has robbed us of those escapades, maybe for the better since I am 65 now and can’t run, shove, or grab as quickly as I used to.
This year though, millions of Americans are participating in a big store/internet buying blackout to show their displeasure with corporate greed. If you are one of those people, I applaud you. I am doing the same. But as a small business ( and as an indie author, I AM a small business) i still need to make sales to survive.
So…
If you are looking for a way to avoid the lines, avoid the internet and still want to get a gift or two for yourself or the romance reader on your shopping list, why not order from me directly? There’s an order form at the top of this menu, but I’ll put it here, too, for you to do so. ORDER MY BOOKS from me. And please remember, for every book sold before 11.30.25 I am donating 20% of the sale to my local food bank FEEDING TINY TUMMIES. If you purchase my newest release in book or e-form, YOU’RE MY MATCH, I am donating 100% of the royalties to the same organization.
So if you want to avoid the lines, the being online all day, or you have to work and don’t want to be bothered shopping, take advantage of my website bookstore. You’ll be saving time, money, and also doing a service for a local charity.
Because reviews are so important in getting your book and your name “out there,” I took the plunge and finally placed Retribution up on Netgalley. If you haven’t read it and want to for free ( if you’re a Netgalley reviewer) just click this link and request it: RETRIBUTION/REQUEST. Book two in the series, VENDETTA, will be releasing in March 2026, so now is a good time to get caught up on the characters!
RETRIBUTION
6 teenage girls have been kidnapped, brutalized, and murdered in the Washington DC area and the FBI’s SPCD Unit – the Sexual Predators of Children Profilers – are nowhere close to finding the monster responsible. How are the victims chosen? How does the killer find them, contact them, lure them into his sick web? Questions the team has no answers for.
When a high-ranking US Senator’s daughter is the next victim, SPCD team leader, Tucker Petrie, is forced to call upon retired profiler — and his last partner — Kella O’Brien for help. Kella’s been out of the game for 10 years, but her expertise and insights into a serial killer’s mind are unparalleled. If anyone can discover who this madman is, it’s Kella.
But as the team rushes to prevent another young girl’s death, clues the killer leaves behind have Kella wondering if his endgame is all about…her.
I know millions of people are taking part in the economic big business blackout from today until December 1 to try and drive down the ridiculously rising prices of everything in our economy right now.
Believe it or not, I am one of those people.
But….
You can still support small and independent businesses to keep them going by buying directly from them. I am one of those businesses.
If you want to purchase one of my books, you can do so, directly from me. In the menu above is a link to a drop down that will take to you and order form page. Fill it outand you can have the book(s) you want and eliminate the big business middleman ( in this case, Amazon!)
And as a reminder, my newest release, YOU’RE MY MATCH released yesterday, and I am donating 100 % of all the royalties from its book sale(s) to my local food bank FEEDING TINY TUMMIES. Here is a way to support an independent business and a worthwhile charity during the blackout.
Bless you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Celebrate with your loved ones and be well. And shop indie and small!!
I’ve been waiting so long for this final chapter in the HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER series to be born and today’s the day!
YOU’RE MY MATCH is a sweet with heat, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, workplace romance about two people who never thought the other was their soulmate, or even a person they would want in their life.
Charity Quinlan is a workaholic, independent woman who wants nothing more than to have a successful career and a marriage as happy and long as her parents.
Kolby O’Brian in a professional photographer and a man who thinks one-night stands are as far as a committed relationship goes. He has a reason for keeping women at arm’s length, and once Charity discovers what that reason is, she is stunned. And intrigued.
YOU’RE MY MATCH ends the HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER series and ties the original series, A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN, into it, giving us a glimpse at the O’Dowd sisters’ lives and how they all interact with Charity and Kolby.
As a reminder, 100% of all the royalties on every book sold in the month of November is going toward my local food bank charity FEEDING TINY TUMMIES. FTT serves the children and families of the Monadnock region and they are one of the most worthwhile organizations I have ever known. I am proud to help sponsor them, so please, help me help them and buy the book! LOL ( Shameless plug and ask!)
I know I’ve been obnoxious lately, advertising and hawking my release for tomorrow, YOU’RE MY MATCH, but I wanted as much exposure as I could get because of what I’m doing with all the royalties earned in the month of November for the book.
If you preorder or buy YOU’RE MY MATCH in November, until the 30th, 100% of the royalties earned on each sale is going directly to my local food organization, FEEDING TINY TUMMIES. This is one of the most worthwhile and deserving food charities I know. They feed families in the Monadnock region, and with each family they “adopt” they not only feed the child food, they feed its mind as well, with a scholastic donation of a book or tool for learning.
I was a victim of food instability when I was a kid, and I wish an organization like TINY TUMMIES had existed back then. Please help me make a child and a family’s life better through helping me elevate my donation. As I’ve said, all the royalties on each sale will go directly to the organization for November 2025. I can’t think of a better way to give back.
Her job as an assistant wedding planner means everything to Charity Quinlan. She’s got a bullet-point plan for her future, and she’s not about to let anything get in the way of her goals. But a drunken hookup with a coworker – a guy she’s had a hate/hate relationship with from the get-go – may put her plan in jeopardy. Charity has to ensure that her boss never finds out about her indiscretion. But every day it’s getting harder to hide how much she wants a repeat of that amazing night.
His life is a series of one-night stands, and Kolby O’Brian is not about to change his status for anyone – not even the little fireball who’s been the bane of his existence since the first day they met. Why, then, are his eyes always straying to Charity when he should be concentrating on work? And why does being around her suddenly make him want to be a different kind of man? A better one? One who thinks about…the future?
These two polar opposites need to decide if they want a future together or a life without the other in it, because an emotional volcano is churning…and it’s about to erupt.
It’s a little hard for me to believe this has come around already, but YOU’RE MY MATCH, book 4 in the HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER series, releases in just one week. Next Monday, 11/24/25, it comes out across all digital media.
If you’ve read any of the books in the series, you know Olivia Joyner, the matchmaker in Heaven, NH is featured. In this book, though, she plays more of a background role. The two main characters, Charity Quinlan and Kolby O’Brian, are front and center for 99 percent of the story as they weave through the twisty road to an HEA.
This is a workplace, enemies to lovers romance that’s a really slow burn/sweet with heat story of two people who don’t make sense on paper to be together, but sometimes, the fates intervene, and the road to an HEA is mixed with trouble, understanding, and finally, everlasting love.
Here’s the official blurb to whet ( hopefully!) your reading appetite:
Her job as an assistant wedding planner means everything to Charity Quinlan. She’s got a bullet point plan for her future and she’s not about to let anything get in the way of her goals. But a drunken hookup with a coworker – a guy she’s had a hate/hate relationship with from the get-go – may put her plan in jeopardy. Charity has to ensure her boss never finds out about her indiscretion. But every day it’s getting harder to hide how much she wants a repeat of that amazing night – eventhough she can’t remember much of it.
His life is a series of one-night stands and Kolby O’Brian is not about to change his status for anyone – not even the little fireball who’s been the bane of his existence since the first day they met. Why, then, are his eyes always straying to Charity when he should be concentrating on work? And why does being around her suddenly make him want to be a different man? A better one? One who thinks about…the future?
These two polar opposites need to decide if they want a future together or a life without the other in it, because an emotional volcano is churning and it’s about to erupt.
And don’t all four books look pretty next to one another??
So, with the way things are going in the Capital City this November, and 42 million people – most of them children – having limited access to the food subsidies they depend on, I tried to think of how I could give back and help a little with this crisis.
I’m not wealthy – not by a long shot, but I have food on the table every day and don’t have to worry about where my next meal is coming from. What I do is write, so I am going to tie my writing into my desire to give back.
I have a new book coming out in a few weeks. That book, You’re My Match,
is available for preorder right now across all digital media, and I am pledging to donate 100% of the royalties for the month of November if you preorder it right now, to my local food bank.
In addition, any and all books in my catalogue- whether print or digital, that I sell from 10.31 until 11.30 – I will donate 20% of each and every sale to the food bank as well. YOu can buy the books commercially, or use the order for on this blog to get them directly from me. Here’s the link to that: Buy books from me.
I’ve written many times that during my poor childhood I suffered from food insecurity because my parents were part of the working poor. Many times we had mayo or ketchup sandwiches for dinner because there was no food in the cupboards. I don’t have that issue any longer, so I want to ensure no child goes hungry. No adult either.
Won’t you help me help me? If you’re a romance reader and like the types of books I write, we can both give back in this simple way.
Yesterday i was doom scrolling on Tiktok ( don’t judge!) and came upon 4 author posts who’d each done a pity post.
Don’t know what those are? Let me es’plain, Lucy.
THese are the people who video themselves either crying ( crockodile tears) or bemoaning the fact that they have no book sales, or their sales are way down and they don’t know if they can keep doing this and they are considering quitting writing altogether if people don’t start buying their books. NOw, these same 4 content creator authors I remember vividly doing the same types of posts LAST YEAR.
Yup.
So, because this pisses me off so much, I did my own post saying to stop with the pity posts. No sales are a fact of life in publishing, especially indie publishing. This is not an easy industry. Grow a set, people.
You not only make yourselves look foolish when you do these posts just to garner attention and in the hope someone will take pity on you and buy a book, you also make the rest of us who understand the industry and don’t make veiled threats about giving up just because we didn’t sell a book look bad, too.
I’ve mentioned this here before, but I’ve used this blog to try and help me resolve my grief over my mother’s death in 2023. I’ve written many posts dedicated to how I was coping – if I was coping – things I had to learn to do as a 60+ woman, and how I was trudging through the quagmire of her sudden passing. I’ve been collecting these posts in a file on my desktop with the hope to compile them into a book on grieving. Along the way I began recording what was going on with Jack, as well.
The last entry in that book was on Mother’s day of this year. I simply haven’t been able to write anything else. No desire, no willingness, nothing to say has filled me with angst. I wanted to complete the book before Mother’s day of this year, but found I…simply couldn’t. And I couldn’t figure out why I was unable to put a period on the two saddest years of my life.
Until last Monday when Jack died.
Since then, the words have been pouring out of me like a morning rainfall in the tropics.
It hit me today why I haven’t been able to finish that book: with Jack still alive, my mother’s story wasn’t over yet.
Simple right? You’d think that I, as someone so attuned to her thoughts and emotions would have seen that.
But I didn’t.
The day he passed, I had this sudden urge – almost like an obsession – to finish that book.
I realized with Jack still alive, struggling, and missing my mother, her story wasn’t ready to be completed. Now that he is in Heaven with her, I can put a period on a a life – two actually, – that were filled with struggles, hardship, loss, and ultimately, love.
I’ll keep you all updated on the progress, but I’m thinking if my mind and fingers keep up at this pace, that book will be out in the reading wild by Mother’s day 2026 as a tribute to two people who completed one another.
It’s a terrible thing to realize that you’ve known someone for almost 59 of your 65 years, lived with them for most of your childhood and young adult life, and know practically nothing about them. This is the situation between me and my stepfather, Jack.
He came into my mother’s life in 1965 when I was barely 5. Because his second divorce hadn’t finalized yet, they lived together in what was called “sin” back then (by both their families) for 1 year. I always thought their wedding anniversary was 12.11.65. It wasn’t. Add a full year and that’s when it really was.
I’ll admit, as a child I didn’t take the time to get to know Jack. I was a kid after all, didn’t have the mental wherewithal to analyze the situation, and was used to life being just me and Mommy. Then one day, this skinny guy with a big nose moved in and changed the dynamic. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize that’s what he’d done. I just knew things were different now and I had to sleep on a couch instead of in my mom’s bed. The resentment for him being in our lives started right then and there and continued for all my childhood, through college, and even when I got married. But that’s jumping the gun on the story I want to tell, so let me slow down.
Jack was an odd man. I know now he was plagued by so much mental angst and depression, but when I was a kid all I knew was that he rarely smiled and he yelled a lot. A lot.
And at my mother.
She yelled right back. I’ve written before that my mother was the kind of fighter that if you went low, she went down to the earth’s crust in retaliation. That’s the way they fought during the entire 50+ years of their marriage. Dirty, mean, and nasty. And neither knew how to apologize. Nor did they ever, verbally, do so.
There are so many memories I have of Jack screaming, “I’m packing my bags,” and my mother replying, “Go on and run back to your shitty family who think you’re a joke.”
See? Earth’s crust for sure.
Not all the memories I have are like this. There was more good than bad at times. Because we had no money left over after the bills were paid, we never traveled or did things other families did like go to Disneyworld. We did the stuff that was free. Did you know there are more than 100 museums in NYC alone? When I was a kid, most if not all of them had free admission, so we’d take the trains and buses and the ferry from Staten Island and go into the city and visit them. Back then the Ferry cost 0.5 cents and the train was a quarter. We could go anywhere for less than a few bucks in travel expenses.
The Brooklyn Botanical gardens was a favorite, too.
The bad times, though, when they occurred, were really bad. Jack’s family hated my mother and me – no lie or exaggeration. Two of his brothers told her to her face, with me watching, that she was the worst thing that ever happened to their little brother. Since one of his 4 brothers was “connected” I grew up worrying that they’d find our bodies in the bottom of a ravine one day.
My psychotic grandmother hated Jack because he was Italian. Racism ran long and hard in her, and I have too many memories of the disgusting things she called people who weren’t just like her, especially when she was drunk.
Jacks’ depression took a huge turn for the worse when I was about 10. I don’t know the details- my parents never spoke to me about anything, even when I got older – but I remember he did something at work that the bosses were considering firing him for. It resolved, but I think Jack was demoted. A crushing blow for a man who already had a fragile ego. The fights after this time were more frequent.
Even though he threatened to leave my mother time and time again, he never did.
Misery loves company, right?
There was a time his weight skyrocketed to 250 pounds because all he ever did was eat, and he was diagnosed with kidney disease and high blood pressure. I wasn’t a nurse then, but even I knew screaming at the top of your lungs couldn’t be good for your blood pressure.
I actually caught him with an opened, one pound bag of M&Ms in the grocery store one night when he volunteered to shop for my mother. He ate about half of it and then put the remainder back on the shelf, still opened. I was so embarrassed someone had seen him do it and worried he’d be arrested. With age, wisdom, and a psych degree, I now know his eating disorder was a symptom of his depression. He ate because it gave him a sensation of pleasure – something he wasn’t getting a great deal of in his life. And he snuck the food because he was, subconsciously, ashamed he was doing it and knew if my mother caught him there would have been a huge blowout.
It’s amazing to me the amount of wisdom I have about his behavior now that I wish I could have had back then.
Jack didn’t smoke; didn’t drink. He had no friends – guy or girl – and his family looked down their noses on him because of his three marriages and the fact he never went to college. Only one of them did, so I could never understand why this was such a horrible thing for them to think of their youngest brother.
I never even knew he’d been married twice before until he was in the nursing home and by then 85 years old. He never spoke of it, and neither did my mother. He had no children from any of his marriages. His entire adult life was going to work each day, sleeping in on the weekends, and going for walks with my mother as they got older. I never knew what he’d wished his life would be like when he was younger. I never knew the root cause of his lifelong depression. I can guess, but that’s all it would be: a guess.
I never knew why he married and divorced those two other times, but stayed committed to my mother even though they fought so much. I don’t know why he didn’t learn to drive, something everyone in his generation learned. Well, except for my mother. I don’t know his favorite movie, book, teenage crush. I don’t know where he went to school, why he opted out of college when it was offered to him by his parents. I have no idea why his family disliked him so and yet hated that he was with my mother. It makes no sense. I have no idea why he had no friends. Again, I can guess, based on both his and my mother’s behavior when anyone new came into their lives, but it would still be just a guess.
I do know he was a simple, very private man who didn’t ask for anything in life other than to be taken care of. I do know he loved cats ( we had several when I was growing up), going for walks, and watching old western movies on TNT. He loved Hershey bars and Coke.
I never saw him without a button down collared shirt the entire time I was growing up. In fact, I’d never seen him in an undershirt until he was admitted to the nursing home. That’s the kind of man he was: private.
I have vivid memories of him helping me with my math homework when I was in third grade and just not understanding long division and fractions. He was patient, kind, and guided me in ways to help solve the problems by myself. I have vivid memories of how sweet and loving he was with every single one of our cats. They used to sleep on his chest and he never wanted to roll over in bed because they were so comfortable.
When I was getting married I’d elected to walk myself down the aisle because I wouldn’t choose between Jack and my birth father. My mother, naturally, was pissed I hadn’t chosen Jack. Jack wasn’t mad at all. He even said if I wanted my father to do the honors, it was okay with him. In all honesty, if I could have done so without causing a family war, I would have chosen Jack. He had more interaction with me growing up than my real father did. But if I’d done that I can only imagine the carnage I would have suffered through. The Red Wedding comes to mind.
Lost opportunities are so sad, aren’t they.
Today I meet with the funeral director to finalize Jack’s cremation plans. He wanted no service, no mass. There’s no one to grieve except for me, anyway.
Which I’m doing.
When I get his cremains back, I’m going to join them with my mother’s. Then they will be together in Heaven and on earth again.
So it’s been 24 hrs and I can process things a bit more, and am able to write down everything that’s been happening in Jack’s life during the past 2 weeks to give everyone some clarity. I haven’t talked about this – or written about it – because I’ve been living, daily, with his rapid decline. Everything in my life went secondary for the past 14 days.
Now, with him joining with my mother, I can get it all down.
What started as flank pain, a fever of 103.5, and a bout of vomiting, landed Jack in the local hospital two weekends ago. I got a call from the nursing home at about six that friday night saying they were transporting him over.
I called the ER and spoke with the PA and the doctor on call who both told me that Jack had an antibiotic resistant UTI, ( I already knew this) and they’d done a cat scan and he had a blockage in the only kidney that worked on him – his left – and that they weren’t equipped to take care it so they were going to ship him out to another hospital. I asked that they not do that because the last time they shipped him to Connecticut and I had to drive 6 hours every day to make sure he was being cared for. I said it was unfair to do that to him and me, since I live in New Hampshire. The doc said, “Let me see what i can do.”
That was at 9 pm. I never heard anything again and finally decided to call at 4 am for an update.
The nurse on duty told me my stepfather had been transferred to Dartmouth in Lebanon at midnight and was surprised I hadn’t been called.
She may have been surprised, but I was supremely pissed. Supremely. I filed that little tidbit away along with my anger.
I called up to Lebanon and spoke with the ER doc who told me they were sending Jack for a urology consult in the morning but that he was admitted, they were giving him pain meds, and I could see him when I arrived, which I did at 9 am Saturday morning.
The urology people never arrived until after 4, which, by then I was long gone.
When the urologist called me, he gave me three options for Jack. Two required surgery and probably would do nothing more than give him a postop infection and a great deal of more pain. My thought was that he’d suffered enough. I opted for door number three: do nothing and let him go back to the nursing home. The urologist agreed. Jack was an 86 year old, demented man with one kidney that was failing. If it did and they were going to treat it, he was looking at dialysis.
There was no way on earth, in hell, or heaven above, I was going to let that happen.
He was classified as “Comfort care” from that moment on by the hospital.
Let me tell you, the hospital’s definition of comfort care: put the patient in a private room and basically forget about him. Which is what they did.
And I’m not exaggerating.
I went up on Sunday morning to see him. He was in a private room sitting at a weird angle in bed. He didn’t know how to right himself because he couldn’t reach the bed controls and didn’t know when anyone had last come in to see him, meaning staff. I got him repositioned and asked if he knew what he had for breakfast.
He didn’t. Then he said, “I’m so hungry. I don’t think I got breakfast.” When his stomach growled, audibly, I knew he hadn’t. One thing about Jack, no matter how lousy he felt, he always – always – ate.
I went out to the desk to speak to his nurse. I was told Jack had been moved because, as comfort care, he was getting the basic treatment they could give.
Their definition of basic, to my eyes was this: Jack was admitted there Friday night. It was now 12 on Sunday. He was wearing the same undershirt he’d been wearing when they transferred him from the nursing home -hadn’t even given him a hospital issue gown – no socks, no pants. He hadn’t been shaved and from the smell of him, not washed either. He’d been put in a room and forgotten. He wasn’t getting any care, wasn’t given any meds, and didn’t know what was going on.
Now, I could have complained. Wanted to, badly. But that would have only hurt Jack. So I did what my mother made me promise I would do and advocated for him. I called the nursing home from his hospital room and spoke to the head nurse on his unit ( an absolute doll of a woman) and the social worker-admittance girl for the home ( another peach of a person) and told them what was going on. They immediately set up a dialogue with the social worker in the hospital and got orders to transfer him back to Vermont. Since it was Sunday, this wasn’t going to happen until Monday morning. Okay, I got that. The wheels of progress on the weekends move slowly. I stayed with Jack for most of the day, made him as comfortable as I could, fed him his lunch when it arrived, and then left when he fell asleep.
He was transferred back to the nursing home by noon the next day and he was so happy to be “home.”
I went to see him the next day. He was very tired -more so than I’d ever seen him, but the staff had gotten him up in the wheelchair washed, dressed and looking good.
For the next week he was tired, twice when I went to visit him he wasn;t out of bed, telling the staff he just wanted to laze around. At 86, I couldn’t blame him.
Then, last Saturday night I got a phone call that changed everything.
Jack had been awake, tired, and slipping in and out of sleep all day. When the nurse went in to give him his dinner pills, he was unresponsive, moaning in obvious pain, and had a slight fever.
They called me right away and we discussed what was going to happen, care wise with him.
When I saw him the next morning ( which was only two days ago), he was comatose, his breathing labored, and his body twitching. I knew, the moment I saw him, the end was very near for him. The staff put him on a standing order of morphine to help with the pain. He couldn’t eat, drink, move. I sat at his bedside for a few hours, did about 10 decades of the rosary, and talked to him about my mother and his life. I kissed him goodbye, knowing in my heart I probably wasn’t going see him alive again.
Yesterday morning, at 5 am, I got a call that he had passed a few minutes prior.
Honestly, the first reaction I had? Relief. He was finally out of pain.
I am what is termed a cafeteria Catholic, which basically means, I believe most of the tenets of the mother church, but I believe it is a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions, and for people who are terminal to have a say in how they die.
If you don’t agree with me, that’s your choice. I just checked, and we still live in America, where we have the right of freedom of speech and ideas.
I’m telling you this because if you know anything about the rites of the church, Jack, as a Catholic, should have received the Sacrament of the sick ( last rites) prior to death. He didn’t. The Church claims his soul will reside in purgatory now and not go to heaven because of this.
I call supreme bullshit on that.
Jack, and everyone else who suffered through their final days and hours in my opinion, have their souls air expressed right up to Heaven, even bypassing St. Peter and his questions. Their mortal suffering is more purgatory than they deserve. Again, this is my opinion. Don’t agree? Okay.
The second emotion I had was gratitude: for the nursing staff who took such fabulous care of him, and all the people involved in his isolated life the past two years since my mother’s death.
The third? Happiness that he and my mother are together again. That’s all he really wanted. Just to be with her.
And he finally is.
It’s now Monday evening as I write this. I have to call the Funeral home to make sure the arrangements for his cremation are all okay. I don’t have anyone to notify about his death because Jack was the last of his line. He buried 4 brothers and a sister, all in their early 50s. Jack was the only one to last this long.
He died, penniless, having been put on Medicaid just last month. One thing he used to say has been repeating in my brain all day. “How can a person get to the end of their life after working like a dog and have nothing left?”
My mother was the one who managed the finances in their home. She was the one who planned for the day they would enter a long term care facility on their own dime. And I paid the monthly fee on that care until the money ran out, ridiculously, last month. Jack qualified for Medicaid and was placed on it. I never told him the money was gone when he asked because I knew how it would weigh on him.
Instead, he died – I hope – knowing that he was cared for, loved, and will be missed.
Best stepfather ever…and I wish I’d told him that more.
This Saturday, September 20th, I will be in Lancaster, PA along with over 100 authors and vendors participating in the annual Books, Books, Books event.
I will have a wealth of my Paranormal romance books for sale…
In addition to RETRIBUTION and DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES
On a lighter, more romancey note, I’m also bringing my MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN series and the current HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER books
There’s a charm bracelet giveaway for the first 100 people through the door and I’m one of the participating authors.
And….as a special offering – I’ve got 3 of my books that are no longer in print available under the BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK category. Stop by my tables, #61 and 62, to check everything out!!
So, Come join me at Books Books Books 2025 on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at Wyndham Lancaster Resort EXPO CENTER, 2300 Lincoln Hwy E, Lancaster, PA 17602 from 12:30 – 5 p.m. 135 authors (including me!) from various genres will be on-hand selling and signing their books. Purchase tickets in advance through JotForm for $5 to be eligible for raffle prizes. VIP tickets are available for $50. VIPs get a special tote, an anthology, and a dedicated hour with the authors from 10-11 a.m. This event is weather independent – rain or shine, we’ll be there! Come join us!
Don’t they look so pretty all in a series row on Amazon? LOL
Now, the final book in the HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER series, YOU’RE MY MATCH is up for preorder across all digital media. On Amazon, you can preorder it here: ZON On every other platform such as Kobo, Apple books, etc, You can order it here: universal.
Now, this book is dedicated to someone I have never met, and probably never will, but she was instrumental in helping me develop one of the most important secondary characters in the book, CarlieRae Quinlan, Charity Quinlan’s mother, our FMC.
Charity is from Mississippi, as are her parents, CarlieRae and Rory Quinlan. And on the page, they SOUND as southern as they can be – in the best possible way. To get the phraseology and cadence down pat, I used comedienne LEANNE MORGAN as my spirit guide for CarlieRae, and because she was perfection – I dedicated the book to her. Here’s the dedication:
To comedienne and fabulous human being, LEANNE MORGAN. Why, you ask, am I dedicating a book to a celebrity I have never met? Because she was the inspiration for CarlieRae Quinlan. Without Ms. Morgan’s wit, comedic timing, and insight into human nature, mothering, and menopause, CarlieRae would never exist.
When you read YOU’RE MY MATCH, and if you have ever seen Ms Morgan perform, you will HEAR her voice when CarlieRae is on the page, speaking. I guarantee it.
It seems like it took me forever to do this, but I finally have links for preorder for the fourth and final book in the HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER series, YOU’RE MY MATCH.
As of today, the book is available for preorder across all digital media, using this link: UNIVERSAL LINK
Her job as an assistant wedding planner means everything to Charity Quinlan. She’s got a bullet point plan for her future and she’s not about to let anything get in the way of her goals. But a drunken hookup with a coworker – a guy she’s had a hate/hate relationship with from the get-go – may put her plan in jeopardy. Charity has to ensure her boss never finds out about her indiscretion. But every day it’s getting harder to hide how much she wants a repeat of that amazing night.
His life is a series of one-night stands and Kolby O’Brian is not about to change his status for anyone – not even the little fireball who’s been the bane of his existence since the first day they met. Why, then, are his eyes always straying to Charity when he should be concentrating on work? And why does being around her suddenly make him want to be a different kind of man? A better one? One who thinks about…the future?
These two polar opposites need to decide if they want a future together or a life without the other in it, because an emotional volcano is churning and it’s about to erupt.
I am so glad this book is up for preorder. As the last book in the series, I had an emotional time writing it, and I think I was able to convey all that emotion into the story!
And don’t forget, until September 7, 2025, the first three books are all available across digital media for just 99 cents each. You can read all three books for less than $3.00 before the fourth comes out!!
If you’re on Booksprout, I have a new book campaign for you to join. I’ve put the arc to YOU’RE MY MATCHup on the read and review platform for 1 month, starting today.
If you like sweet with heat romances, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, matchmakers and small town romance books, you might want to give this one a read through.
I will tell you about some triggers, though, before your request it: the book deals with the mental health concerns of bipolar disorder, hoarding behavior, and self-harm. If any of those are triggers, emotionally for you, you might want to pass, or just know about it in advance so it doesn’t sneak up on you.
I loved telling Charity and Kolby’s story. From the first time you met them in DEARLY BELOVED, A Match Made in Heaven, book 1, I’ve been thinking about their story and how to get them to their own HEA. It took a while ( 9 years, lol!) but they finally got to learn to love one another.
Requesting YOU’RE MY MATCH on Booksprout means you will read the book and write an objective review of it to be uploaded to either Goodreads or Amazon on publication day, which is 11.24.25. So you’ve got plenty of time to read the book before the review is needed.
Thanks for requesting it ( if you do) and happy reading, kids.
Happy NATIONAL MATCHMAKER DAY! I love a matchmaker story, don’t you?? In real life and in fiction, lol! I actually know a few people who were matched using one, so I am especially happy for them today.
Now, my little present – I’ve put all the ebooks in my HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER series on sale starting to day and going until 9.7 for just 99cents each. You can get all three for less than 3 bucks across all digital media ( kindle, nook, apple, etc.)
And pretty soon I’ll be putting the last book in the series, YOU’RE MY MATCH, up for preorder for the 11.24.25 release date!
So, sit back and enjoy this momentous day with a series all about…the day!! Lol. Or I should say…Matchmakers!
As a little after-Christmas present, I just put VENDETTA up for read and review on Booksprout. So, if you’re a reader/reviewer on this site, here’s your chance to get an ARC of the book, which releases on 3.31.26.
A high speed car accident and the bombing of his wife’s car convince FBI SSA Tucker Petrie that he is the target of a killer. Discovering who the person is before another attempt is made becomes the focus of Tucker’s life.
Along with his former partner and best friend, Kella Calloway, by his side, Tucker and his team form a shadow investigation into a series of FBI agent killings no one in power has connected the dots to yet.
With the clock ticking, and another agent killed, Tucker, Kella, and the team do everything in their power to put an end to the killer’s plan of revenge
Or, if you’re not a Booksprout subscriber, you can PREORDER the book here: VENDETTA
As an indie author, I am always looking for reviews to boost my Goodreads and Amazon ranking and be discoverable to new readers, so if you’re a serious reviewer, please request this book!
Peggy Jaeger, Author 