The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan Cover Reveal

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        Well, this has been a crazy couple of weeks, that’s for certain. In what way? I truly paid for my time off (as I knew I would). The day job is just crazy busy and for the first time in my life, I feel like I can’t keep up. It’s all good though. I’m fortunate enough to have a job I love.

What else? I got my edits for The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan. I don’t know about other writers, but it seems that in each book, there is a phrase, a word or an action that is used over and over again. In The Maverick & Miss Miller, everyone breathed. A lot. In this book, it was ‘shrugged’. Everyone shrugged. All the time. Funny how I didn’t notice that on my first, second, and third read-through. Also, I had a bad habit of having my characters shake their head before they said ‘no’. I know. Dumb stuff but it feels like you get stuck on a particular action or word. Going through the edits, I admit I sighed a couple times (well, more than a couple) realizing what I had done.

The edits are done now and will be turned in this week (Monday, actually). I’m pretty excited. My editor is wonderful (and oh so patient). I also got the cover. I love it! The artists at Oliver Heber Books are fantastic. What do you think?

 

 https://www.amazon.com/Marshal-Mrs-Morgan-Matchmaker-Mischief-ebook/dp/B0FB45SYR6

And that’s all for me. Gotta strike while the iron is hot so I’m back to working on The Madam & Mr. MacLean. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The French Mis-Connection by Vicki Hilton

 Iris Hawthorne decides on a grand adventure for an un-grand reason.  She and her best friend, Chloe, decide to leave London to backpack Europe.  Iris broke up with her no-good boyfriend and needed to get away.   

Running out of money, they find a vineyard that needs temporary help.  This will also help Iris save money as she has found out that her ex is holding her cat ransom.  Time will mend her heart and money will get her cat back.  At least, that's the plan.

The sun is so hot, Iris figures a small dip in the off-limits pool will be worth the clandestine effort.  After the cool water covers her shoulders, not only did a big splashy dog find her, but also its owner, Luc Du Comtois.

Luc acted quite perturbed until he came up with a plan.  Beneficial to all involved.  

He will lose everything, which affects the whole family, if he's not married by his thirtieth birthday.  A few months is not long enough to find a wife unless it's a setup.  Perfect idea if Iris agrees.

Luc offers a payment for her to act as a fake fiancé and get married for a short time.   Iris agrees to the amount she needs to get her cat back.  A pet is like a kid.

Spending excessive time together at fancy functions, Iris and Luc get to know more about each other, and it's not all bad.  They can be civil and somewhat friends. 

It's always hard to say goodbye to friends, so if a man and woman become more than friends, will they say goodbye?  Is it inevitable, or can things change?  Can Iris accumulate enough to get her cat back, and will that be enough?  

In the vineyards under the French sun, find out if two hearts will melt together or burn apart.

Happy reading,

Dawn

   

Cowboys and Aliens Romances by Lexi Post on Sale for a limited time at only 99¢ 😊

COWBOY'S MATCH

(Poker Flat: Book 2)

Two Hearts, Two Fires...and a thousand questions keeping them apart.

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Cowboy Cole Hatcher became a firefighter to support his horse rescue ranch. He never dreamed it would lead him back to his first love, but a fire at the Poker Flat Nudist Resort lands him face-to-face with Lacey Winters. She may have started the fire that ended their relationship, but the sight of her reignites his long-buried feelings.

Lacey is shocked the hunky firefighter is the same man who dumped her eight years ago. Cole burned her in the past when he failed to stand by her, and she’s determined not to let him back into her heart. But everything about the new Cole is just too hot to resist. He melts her defenses, sweeping her away into a night of passion only to rip open old wounds.

Determined to prove who set the Poker Flat fire and the original fire that destroyed their relationship, Cole investigates both, unearthing ugly truths that reveal even more damage. Now, he's not sure he can catch the arsonist or the heart of the woman he never stopped loving.

UNEXPECTED EDEN

(Eden Series: Book 2)

Jahl, Khaos and Sandale easily save their chosen one on Earth, but convincing her to stay on Eden is going to be a lot harder.

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Pyrotechnics expert, Serena Upton, wonders if she’s been transported into one of the science fiction movies she works on. It certainly seems so when she’s rescued by three hot, naked men from another planet. She’s whisked away to Loraleaf, their home in the jungle of Eden, with the expectation that she will become their beloved. As they cater to her in every way, she begins to understand what it means to be their chosen one.

Jahl and Khaos risked everything, even the brother of their heart, to bring Serena home, but grief and self-doubt, etched in stone by their own families, seems insurmountable. Their only hope is that she can fill the void in their lives. They succeed in sweeping her up in their erotic passion, but they are unable to capture her heart.

Though Serena cares for Jahl and Khaos, she’s convinced she’s not the answer to their damaged souls. It’s better that she return to her family on Earth before she cares too much. That is, if she doesn’t already.

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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Some Time Off (And Still Busy as a Bee)

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        So, what’s been happening here? A lot!

        I have not received my edits as yet though I am expecting them any time now. My poor editor…I feel so bad for her (she’s a very lovely woman who continues to teach me things I didn’t know I didn’t know). After all the work she did editing The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan, the file ended up being corrupted so she had to start all over. I’ve had that happen (not to mention losing two entire manuscripts) so I know how devastating it is. The good news though is that she told me what she thought I was missing from the story so I got a jump on that and in the last three days, managed to write over 5400 words. For those of you who know me, this amount of words is unheard of! I usually write between 300 and 600 hundred during my morning session before the day job (I did take some well-earned PTO, which I will start paying for in terms of catching up on Tuesday and probably the rest of the week—come on Retirement! Only two years, seven months and one week to go)!

        It’s funny, since my editor mentioned what I was missing (several scenes) all those words just started…cramming my brain. I couldn’t write fast enough to get them all out, even jumping from one scene to another with the swiftness of a gazelle (granted, a relatively old, arthritic gazelle). It was crazy! Absolutely crazy! And I’m still not sure how I did it. Hahahahaha! Not even sure if the words are good or not, but for better or worse, they are written and now need to be woven(? Weaved?) into the story. The other thing that amazed me was how quickly I was able to get back into the story. As you know, I have already started book three in the Matchmaker Mischief series (The Madam and Mr. MacLean – and rewrote the opening scene twice! Yikes!) so that’s where my head has been.

        I was able to sit back and relax a little, too, and watched a movie. It’s called “Nonnas”. It's on Netflix (which I'm still not sure is a blessing or a curse for me...so many movies and series, so little time!) I loved it! Sentimental? Yes. Did it get me all misty-eyed and verklempt? Oh, definitely! It was based on true life events and just as lovely as it could be. I highly recommend it.

        And that’s all for me…got to get back to that writing thing (as well as my Sunday chores). Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Firemaster's Mistress by Christie Dickason

 Months after King James I is coronated in 1605 to lead anti-Catholicism in England, Kate Peach has survived the Plague.  

Her life is dramatically different from having a family and home.  Now, she has a gentleman who pays her to get information and to be his alone.

In her former life, Francis Quoynt was her lover.  He's a Firemaster who produces bullets and other explosives.  Hired by the secretary of James I, his job is to deliver 40,000 pounds of explosives to a group of rebels wanting to blow up Westminster and the king along with his loyalists.  

When Kate and Francis meet again, the passion is undeniable, yet they are now enemies.  Enemies that get forced to work together in order to survive the revolt.  

Francis would rather make his explosives for honest trade and take Kate home to be his bride.  Until his commitment to the secretary is finalized, he must keep his wits and watch for spies.

When Kate gets tangled up in the protest of King James I, Francis takes her away to his father's home.   The safety net is a test for their love.

The medieval age brings a great surprise to the ending of the treachery and love with fireworks and happiness for some.  

Happy reading,

Dawn  

An Unexpected Opportunity

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        So, if you read my last post, you know that Wife by Surprise was released. You also know that I took it down…and this is why.

        I was offered an unexpected opportunity that I would have been foolish to ignore. My current publisher, who released The Maverick & Miss Miller, offered to bring my last three independently published books under their banner so…I took the deal and all three—Wife for Hire, Wife Wanted, and Wife by Surprise are all up on Amazon and the Oliver Heber bookstore as well as several other platforms. That makes me happy! I'm also thinking up two (or three) more stories that will expand the Wives of Bravado County series. My brain is working overtime!

        In the meantime, I am working hard on The Madam & Mr. MacLean…and it has been a struggle. A real struggle. The beginning of the story has been giving me fits, but after discussing it with my wonderful, intelligent, and sympathetic critique partner, we came to the conclusion that I have started this story in the wrong place so…the entire first scene is being rewritten as I write this. Sometimes, that happens. And you know what? It’s been easier. I’m not struggling to get words down…they’re coming fast and furious now so that just tells me the conclusion we drew was correct. And I’m so glad!

        As you may know, I do not write in a linear fashion. I write the scenes as they come to me (I have to, otherwise I lose it) so later sections of the story are already done…I just couldn’t seem to get the beginning right!

        I’m also waiting for my edits on The Marshal & Mrs. Morgan. Hope they come over the Memorial Day weekend. I have some Paid Time Off that I need to use and it would be perfect to have that time for edits.

        And that’s about all for me. Gotta get back to that writing thing! Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino

 I feel sorry for Lily.  From beginning to nearly the end.

I don't know if I could do what she did:  accept being a bridesmaid for five friends and relatives in a span of six weeks.  Crazy!

Lily is single, thirty-two, full-time writer for a science magazine, and without a boyfriend.  She should have plenty of time to organize and attend all the functions, destroy her checking account, and let's not forget the demands of the bride.

A big time saver happened immediately at her BFF's engagement party.  Lily partied, slept over, and borrowed a shirt from the mysterious guy she woke up with.  Ashamed and afraid to know who he was, she snuck out in the morning.  Not seeing his face would help her behave at the rest of the events.

Alex, fellow groomsman, is what every woman wants. Lily allows small advances in a coffee-cup-note-passing relationship, but she dares not go any further.  Besides, whenever she turns around a new engagement, purchase, outing, or meeting is taking place for the brides.  

The commitments and requests rain down with outrageous demands.  Lily has no other way to vent the expectations except start an anonymous blog.  The blog is hilarious!  With the truth coming out, Lily finds a way to remain diligent in her duties, including keeping Alex at arm's length.

And it all hurts.  When she sits down and takes a breath, the whole gamut of friendships, relatives, and one man in particular (Alex again) leaves her wondering how she will make it.  Her bride-friends are turning on her because of her excessive effort to make them happy doesn't match their plans exactly.  

What is wrong with this picture?  I'm probably not as good of a person as Lily because I would never put up with what she does.  She won't know if any of the brides forgive her delinquencies until after all the weddings.  Will Alex allow her one mistake to end the possibility of a good thing? 

I want to make it right for Lily, she deserves it, but I'm not in charge of her story!

Happy reading,

Dawn