Tag Archives: small town series

March 10, 2020 · 12:00 am

#CoverReveal for new #WildRosePress Series, One Scoop of Two: Vanilla with a Twist

I’ve been lucky enough to have been included in 3 previous WILD ROSE PRESS series: The Candy Hearts, The Deerbourne Inn, and the Australia Burns Anthologies.

Today, I’m giving you a sneak peek at the fourth: ONE SCOOP OR TWO, and my addition to the series ,VANILLA WITH A TWIST.

That’s my heroine, ice cream parlor owner TANDY BLAKEMORE, on the cover, and in her shop!

I loved writing the story sososo much! It’s a small town, sweet romance and 35000+ words, but the emotion that’s packed into it is powerful. At its heart this is a story about two lonely people who find one another when neither was looking!

Here’s the blurb:

Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenage son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop’s machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn’t had a day off in a decade and wonders if she’ll ever be able to live a worry-free life.

Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher’s Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy’s shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.

Can the budding friendship that follows lead to something everlasting?

I don’t have a release date yet or buy links, but it promises to be available in Summer 2020 ( which I’m hoping means June!) so you know when it gets closer I’ll be putting up lots of promo.

Here’s a very quick passage to hopefully whet your reading appetite:

For a few moments, she regarded him with a look his mother would have called insightful. The corners of her eyes narrowed, she dipped her chin a hair, and pulled her mouth into another appealing pout he was tempted to kiss.

“I bet,” she said after a long, drawn-out sigh, “you were the kind of kid who took apart clocks and fans and vacuum cleaners to see how they worked.”

“It was more washing machines and lawn mowers and anything with a motor, but yeah. I was.”

She shook her head, her own lips forming a lopsided grin. “Your poor mother.”

“She survived.”

Tandy rolled her eyes and shot her hands to her hips. “So it’s working again?” She thrust her chin at the ice cream machine.

“For now.”

“Okay, well, I can live with for now. And you think you know the real reason it’s been acting up?”

“I definitely do. But like I said, the water to the machine needs to be shut off to fix it.”

“Okay. Well, we close at nine.”

“I’ll come back a little before then. Get things ready. Is that okay with you?”

“I guess it’ll have to be.” She bit down on the inside of her cheek as her brows pulled together. “And you’re sure you want to do this?”

“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t offer, Tandy.”

Why her reluctance to have him help was such a turn-on was something he considered while he waited for his ice cream.

More to come, peeps, when I can….

Until next time ~ Peg

And when I’m not eating ice cream or writing, I’m usually here:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// Book Me

6 Comments

Filed under One Scoop or Two, Romance

Tagged as #2020mustread, #amblogging #AuthorPromo, #amreading #readromance Contemporary romance, #authorlife #writinglife, #comingsoon, #mustread #smalltownRomance, Romance novella, small town series, The WIld Rose Press #WRPbks

June 26, 2019 · 12:24 am

A new #DeerbourneInn book from Wild Rose Press #author #LuannaStewart

I’m so excited! Another wonderful DEERBOURNE INN novella has been released. This one’s called LOVE PROOF and it’s by ubertalented and multipublished WRP sistah LUANNA STEWART.

Luanna dropped by recently to give me a little peek at what she does during her favorite season, Summer. She’s an active gal, for sure.

Luanna, take it away…

Summer at last!

Summer has finally arrived in my neck of the woods, both officially and according to the outdoor temperature. A long, cold, wet spring gave us all cabin fever. But now we can open the windows, slip on the flip flops, and soak up a bit of Vitamin D – after the proper application of sunscreen, of course.

In no particular order, here are my favourite summer activities:

Camping – every summer we camp at least once in our favourite campground, Kejimkujik National Park. From before we were married, through our boy’s childhoods and teen years, and including last summer, we’ve enjoyed hiking, paddling, and listening to the call of the loon.

Long walks in the neighbourhood. We live toward the end of a dead end country road and there is little traffic – the perfect route for walking. The only neighbours I see on a regular basis are a small herd of cows.

Sitting on our beach watching the osprey and bald eagles fish for their supper. We are blessed with our own little piece of heaven and enjoy the quiet and solitude every evening at beer o’clock, provided the weather cooperates.

Exploring other beaches – we can be at any number of lovely, sparsely inhabited beaches within an hour’s drive of our house. Long stretches of sand or pebbles are the perfect spot to hunt foe beach glass.

Hanging the wash on the clothesline. You may think I’m silly, but I love, love, love making use of sunshine and wind (free to everyone) to dry the clothes. Nothing beats the scent and feel of line-dried sheets on the bed.

Kayaking – since we have water frontage, it’s a simple matter to carry our boats to the water’s edge, climb in, and paddle away. We can circumnavigate a large island off the coast, or explore nearby coves and inlets. We enjoy watching he shearwaters dive for fish, and have even been kept company by a couple of seals.

What is your favourite summer activity? Or, if you live in the southern hemisphere, how are you spending your winter days?

Blurb:

Unemployed photojournalist Raynor Elliot stops at a bakery near the famous Deerbourne Inn. Not only does he get a lead on a job but the bakery’s owner is that awkward kid he knew in high school, only now she has fabulous curves and an irreverent sense of humor. The cozy bakery, with its aroma of sugar, vanilla and spice, has more to offer than tasty cookies.

Fiona MacLeod has been plagued for years by the need to make amends for telling The Big Lie. When the lie’s victim strolls into her bakery with his icy blue stare and killer charm, she feels like she’s standing too close to a hot oven.

Between running her bakery and frosting cupcakes for the Mad River Garden Party, she’s pretty sure she’s falling in love with this infuriating, sexy man. Can Fiona dredge up the courage to confess, face the consequences, and hope for forgiveness?

Excerpt:

“I remember those days.” She pushed the calculator to the side, too tired to worry about planning the week’s baking schedule. “Why’d you study journalism?

“Truth is important to me. I was tired of all the lies in government, at every level. I wanted to change that. Ultimately make the world a better place. Easy peasy, right?” His lips quirked and he shook his head.

“That’s why I decided to be a baker. Brighten someone’s day with a special treat.”

He scooted his chair closer and pointed at the column of numbers on the page. “You want me to do the rest?” His arm, bare to the bicep, lightly tanned, dusted with blond hair, a little lighter than on his head, rested less than an inch from her own spindly pale arm. Not spindly compared to other women, hefting bags of flour and moving trays of baked goods did take some muscle power. But spindly compared to his manly toned muscles flexing under skin that she’d bet her last jar of sprinkles was smooth and warm. She clenched her hand.

No touching allowed.

“We have cupcakes to frost.” She bounded from the chair and rushed into the kitchen.

Holy moly, the guy oozed sex. In a good way. A very good way. She pulled a clean apron off the shelf and cinched it around her waist. An extra layer of armor between her and temptation in the form of Raynor. The seeker of truth. The man whose mission in life was to expose lies. The reporter who thought liars were not decent human beings.

Get your copy here:

Amazon US // Amazon CA // AMazon UK // Amazon Au // Nook // Kobo

A little more about Luanna…

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. At the tender age of twelve she discovered her grandmother’s stash of romance novels, after which all plots had to lead to a happily-ever-after.

Luanna spends her days writing sexy romantic suspense, steamy paranormal romance, and spicy historical romance. When she’s not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s either in her kitchen baking something delicious, or protecting her garden from the chickens. She lives in Nova Scotia with her incredibly patient husband and two spoiled cats.

You can connect with Luanna here:

Website // Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest // Goodreads // Amazon

And don’t forget to read all the other DEERBOURNE INN books already out in the book reading world! There are more to come in the next year, and I’ll be promoting them all.

THE DEERBOURNE INN SERIES ( to date)

By Reservation Only by Barbara Edwards

Hope’s Dream by Peggy Jaeger

Freedom’s Path By Linda Carroll Bradd

Lyrical Embrace by Amber Daulton

Spirited Quest by Julie Howard

Soul of the Storm By Jean M. Grant

Lion Dancing for Love by Laura Boon

Forever In A Moment by Charlotte O’Shay

Witches’ Cliff by Peggy Chambers

Mystic Maples by Tena Stetler

Love Calls You Home by Donna Simonetta

Lion Dancing for Love (Deerbourne Inn Series)

WitchesÃ¢ÂÂ Cliff (Deerbourne Inn Series)

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Filed under Deerbourne Inn, WIld Rose Press AUthor

Tagged as #Contemporaryromance, #mustread #smalltownRomance, #TheDeerbourneInnSeries, #theWIldRosePress, book series, Luanna Stewart, new book release, Novella series, photojournalism, Small town romance, small town series, Summertime, Vermont, Vermont Inn

May 31, 2019 · 1:00 am

Just in time for the summer: A take-a-book-to-the-Beach Sale!

I’m so excited for my first Summer Book Sale of 2019!

Eons ago, when I was ( cough, cough,) younger, I loved going to the beach on any day I had off from work during the summer. Back them we didn’t have kindles and nooks and what-evers. We had real, paperprinted books. I’d take my current read and my lounge chair, find a sunny spot and spend the day reading and getting a tan.

Nowadays, my dermatologist has forbidden me from lying in the sun, so I grab a book and sit under a beach umbrella in the shade. Either way, the common denominator is A BOOK FOR THE BEACH! Hee hee.

Book 1 in my Match Made in Heaven series, DEARLY BELOVED, is currently on sale for just 99 cents for the e-version. The sale covers Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook and i-Tunes…whatever ( phone, Ipad, you know!) Here are the links:

Amazon // Nook // i-tunes

Colleen O’Dowd manages a thriving bridal business with her sisters in Heaven, New Hampshire. After fleeing Manhattan and her cheating ex-fiancé, Colleen still believes in happily ever afters. But with a demanding business to run, her sisters to look after, and their 93-year-old grandmother to keep out of trouble, she’s worried she’ll never find Mr. Right.

Playboy Slade Harrington doesn’t believe in marriage. His father’s six weddings have taught him life is better as an unencumbered single guy. But Slade loves his little sister. He’ll do anything for her, including footing the bill for her dream wedding. He doesn’t plan on losing his heart to a smart-mouthed, gorgeous wedding planner, though.

When her ex-fiancé comes back into the picture, Colleen must choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now.

grab your e-copy and head to the beach today! And do’t forget the SPF!!!!!

Happy Reading ~Peg

Oh, and if you’re looking for me, I’m usually here:

Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// BookMe // Monkey me //Watch me

#DeerbourneInn Presenting #author Jean Grant and Soul of the Storm

The next installment in the DEERBOURNE INN series, SOUL OF THE STORM releases today!!! And I’ve got its author, Wild Rose Press sistah JEAN GRANT with me, discussing the book, why novellas are the hot thing to read and she’s even sharing some of the research she did while writing the book. Sit back and join me in sharing how this great new addition to the series came to be.

Why read a novella in a series?

You can read it in a sitting or two.
You can read more than one in the series.
Sometimes it’s “just enough” when our TBR pile is gigantic.
Fewer characters to remember.
Without committing to a larger novel, you can get a taste for that author’s voice.
There is still a compelling plot and characters with goals, motivations, and conflict. Like Goldilocks, it can be “just enough.” Not too much, not too little.
Less subplots and timelines to juggle. The story gets straight to the chase.
You can get to the HEA (Happy Every After) faster.
They tend to be less verbose.
They are just fun.

Fun.

Really. I have soft spot for reading novellas. I adore Diana Gabaldon’s big tomes, but I must admit that some of my favorites are her “bulges” as she calls them. Sweet, shorter side stories that flesh out the Outlander world.

Stories are meant to pull us in, make us think, provide entertainment, nurture whatever needs to be nurtured. So why not give the Deerbourne Inn books a whirl? I know I’ve already read a few beside my own and plan to read a few more…

What did I learn while writing Soul of the Storm?

Vermont is a LONG (tall?) state (I took a trip to the Mad River Valley for “research” and fun; it was my second visit there).
It really is a green state.
Mud season exists. And you better be careful on those hiking trails in the spring!
The river water is still icy cold at the end of May.

5. A gleaned a lot of fascinating information about civil air patrol, search and rescue procedures, search and rescue dogs/canine units, and Vermont State Police jurisdiction and procedures. I spoke to authorities in all these areas to get my facts straight. Imagine those emails to VSP: Hey, I’m an author and I have some questions…

6. Ohh… I learned lots of cool New Zealand slang words. And a few corrected Maori phrases. (A big thank you to the New Zealanders and sensitivity readers for helping me with this!)

(Jean in Queenstown, New Zealand)

7. Patagonia, Chile has moved up higher on my must hike/see list.

8. Novellas are amazingly fun to write AND read. I’m enjoying all the books in the Deerbourne Inn series.

9. Cabot Creamery is THE place to go if you adore cheese the way I do. Ben and Jerry’s has delish ice cream.

10. I learned about a new hike: the Long Trail, that spans 273 miles and runs north-south through the State. The part we hiked was muddy and fun with a fantastic view of the valley.

SOUL OF THE STORM (Deerbourne Inn)

Will love help her summit one more peak?

Charlotte MacGregor lost the thrill of conquering mountains five years ago when her sister disappeared on a hiking adventure without her. Still guilt-ridden, Charlotte heads for a vacation to rustic Vermont with a friend—where she’s surrounded by reminders of her devastating loss and plagued with unanswered questions.

Matiu Christiansen is an outdoors buff. He works multiple jobs to save for his dream of owning an outfitter in New Zealand. He’s never quite felt at home in the United States and he yearns for his Maori roots, but his attraction to Charlotte puts a kink in his plans to move home later this year.

Thrown together by coincidence, Charlotte and Matiu form a kindred bond through their shared love of the outdoors. Can Charlotte surmount her demons to assist Matiu on a rescue when a late-season snowstorm hits? And can Matiu help Charlotte heal from the pain of the past?

Excerpt

Charlotte sat on the top porch step instead of in a rocker. Her breath puffed in a misty cloud before her as she waited. Again, the scent of a fire from the back pit infused the air. She traced the knots in the planks of the porch with the toe of her shoe, ignoring her thudding pulse. Matiu shuffled through the side door. She rose to help him with the cups.

“Hi.”

“Kia ora,” he said, smile deep and teeth bright beneath the lamps. “It’s colder tonight.”

“You need a jacket,” she said with a nod to his thinner long-sleeved top that clung nicely to his muscles.

“I’ll sit closer to you. Nice quilt.”

“I’m always cold. I won’t have much heat to share.”

“Logging in my assessment file.” He tapped his temple.

She shivered from nerves as he settled beside her on the top step.

“Ya know, we could have tea inside,” he suggested.

“What about consorting? Besides, I like the clear sky and fresh air. Night is my time.”

He nodded. “Ah, clear skies are amazing. I prefer morning. Not sure about tomorrow. Neil’s sick with the flu, and so is Kelly. They work on the search and rescue team, and Kelly also does mucking with us for the US Forest Service. Seems like the germs haven’t left for the season.”

“Nor the cold temps. Both tend to bite us in the ass in April.”

“I was serious. You going to share that quilt with me?” He inched closer.

“Nope. Get your own.”

He pressed a hand to his heart. “Shot down!” Tea splashed as his laugh vibrated.

Her pulse quickened with the idea of sharing warmth with him.

He said, “I’m knackered. That paddle got me sore. Bit more wind today than I’d expected.”

“You’re not the only one.”

He was so close. She subtly inhaled his natural scent. She couldn’t place it. Probably his shampoo… combined with sweat and cooking oils. They sat quietly, unsure what to say next. His nearness upset her equilibrium. She drank the tea.

You can get your copy of SOUL OF THE STORM here:

Amazon // B&N // Apple // Kobo // Googleplay

A little about JEAN GRANT

Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.

You can follow Jean here”

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Bookbub ~ Amazon Author Page ~ The Wild Rose Press

And please enjoy the other books in the DEERBOURNE INN series that have already been released ( with more to come in 2019 and 2020!)

By Reservation Only Hope’s Dream Freedom’s Path Lyrical Embrace Spirited Quest