I Love Weddings

 

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

By the time you all read this, I will be winging my way to Texas for my son’s wedding. I’m so excited, I can hardly contain myself! She’s a lovely woman—beautiful in her heart and soul. Sweet. Kind. Compassionate. Funny. There are no strangers in her life—just friends she hasn’t met yet. They love each other and make each other happy, which is all any mother can ask for (both the DH and I love her, too. She’s the daughter we never had).

Of course, I’m already packed because that’s just how I am. I’m a planner. I have my lists (several of them actually. Some might say it’s a compulsion, some might say I’m a little controlling—they would not be wrong). Can’t arrive somewhere and not have essentials – like underwear (no, I have not done this, but I know people who have. I did forget to bring my medications for a last minute trip once, which could have turned out very badly). I have sticky notes all over the place, reminding me not to forget anything important.

The DH is the complete opposite. He is NOT a planner. He’ll pack the morning of our flight, running around the house, asking me where things are. I have made a list for him, but well…can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This is his way. I know this. I also know, after being married for more than forty-three years, that this is the way he wants it (and yes, he is very resistant to me packing for him…I’ve tried and it didn’t go well).

I’m also not one of those who goes running through the airport, dragging my worldly possessions behind me, because I didn’t leave myself enough time. Doesn’t matter if I need to sit there at my gate for an hour or more. I dislike being late. For anything. I am always early (yes, I’m sure this drives some people nuts). Again, the DH is not this way. If his appointment is at three o’clock, he will be there at three o’clock, whereas I will be there at two forty-five. Makes for some interesting conversations in my house with me trying to push us out the door and him not cooperating.

In other news, Wife Wanted is out and available on Amazon (ebook and print) and Books2Read and I’m almost done with book three, Wife by Surprise. I’m writing the epilogue. Whoooo-hooo!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Accidental Inheritance by Cate Woods

 Sacramento to Dithercott, England is quite the lifetime move.  Cassidy Beeswhistle's family lineage started here in a grand castle along with the Beeswhistle Inn, and her decision is made rather quickly after her father's passing. 

Cassidy's profession as a Cordon blue chef had puddled out.  Her eleven-year-old daughter didn't fit in at school, so nothing stopped Cassidy from wasting no time in purchasing the Inn unseen to start a happier and more productive life for both.

The Inn held a lot of unimaginable surprises upon arrival.  Heart sinking, Cassidy mentally tallied the time and money to fix the Inn.  A glimpse of the family's former castle didn't help her mind ease because the castle had been lost two hundred years ago in a hasty gambling bet.  

The majority of the English community didn't welcome the American taking over the Inn, yet she found a friend in Angeline and her daughter, Jim, the vicarage, and possibly Ned, the current owner of the castle.

Cassidy rarely made time for relationships with men, but now she had interest in two men.  Jim's personality exuded friendship and delight from day one, and it was a chore to get to know Ned.  

Take the easy mark or make it another task?  Only the heart can figure this riddle out.  

With little spare time while opening the Inn, battling a local sabotage on her profession, assuring happiness for her daughter, and figuring men out, it's a pot filled road to the end of Cassidy's to-do list.  Romance and love will find its own way to the heart! 

Happy reading,

Dawn

Wife Wanted is almost here!!!!

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

        Squeeee! It’s almost here. Just a few more days until Wife Wanted, Book Two in the Wives of Bravado County series is available on Amazon and all the other ebook platforms (print will take a little longer).

If you read Wife For Hire, then you’ll remember Gabriel Wescott, Jared’s sweet, funny, and charming brother. Well, Wife Wanted is his story. And I had so much fun writing about him and Doctor Andi (well, after his initial heartbreak). Here’s what the story is about:

 Gabriel Wescott has waited years for the woman he loves to return from medical school, only for her to arrive in Possibility, Texas, with a husband and sister-in-law, Alexandra Gracen, in tow. Nursing his broken heart, he finds distraction in teasing the straight-laced, oh-so-proper Doctor Gracen, or Dr. Andi as he likes to call her. He’s bound and determined to help her adjust to western life.

        Doctor Alexandra Gracen is not sure what to think of the cowboy with the irresistible grin and unwavering good nature, but he is definitely different from any man she’s had to put in his place before. For some reason, he insists on making her a part of the town, but her Bostonian ways are not an easy fit. Though she too blames her sister-in-law for his heartbreak, she’s not about to let him distract her from her lifelong career.

As Gabe slowly cracks the shell of the good doctor, he finds beneath a woman with a soft heart and a passionate nature, who has always been married to her work first. She knows nothing about being a wife and mother, which is what he has always wanted in his life…or so he thought.

And that’s it for me…so much more to do…like finish Wife By Surprise, the next story in the Wives of Bravado County series.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Cover Reveal of UNCOVERING THE LORD by Lexi Post

 

I'm thrilled to reveal the cover of my next release, UNCOVERING THE LORD (Courting a Curious Lady: Book 1). It's not easy to get a couple in a cave in the jungle.

This is a second chance at love story. They first met in STEALING THE DUKE (Marrying a Mabry: Book 1) and Lord Mabry proposed, only to be turned down. Gasp!

Now it's a year and a half later and many things have changed. It's a different time, different continent, and different circumstances. Besides, he no longer loves Lady Elsbeth.

As for Lady Elsbeth, she's on a mission to get back to England to save the Curious Ladies and the school they all attend. Running into Lord Mabry again was not in her plans. His escapades through various countries have changed him significantly. The question is, for better or worse?

This story will be releasing in May.

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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Wife Wanted Cover Reveal

   

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

         So….lots of things happening here at the homestead! The DH and I are getting ready for our son’s wedding next month! We’re both so excited! She’s a wonderful woman—sweet, kind, funny—just altogether lovely, inside and out. I love her to pieces!

The other thing I’m excited about? I’m getting ready to release Wife Wanted, Book Two in the Wives of Bravado County series. I’ve been working with H.D. Thompson with Bella Media Management and she is wonderful! That’s no exaggeration! Case in point, I really didn’t know what I wanted on the cover for this book though I had picked out the couple. The heroine is a doctor, the hero a rancher, but other than that, I just didn’t know what else should be there. H.D. came to my rescue. I mentioned that I thought a nice house with the word ‘Doctor’ on it as well as some horses would be good to show the flavor of Wife Wanted. And flowers. Love the wildflowers that grow in Texas, where this story takes place. This is what she came up with…

I love it! She managed to capture everything that I wanted and it’s beautiful. I’m so happy with it (though there may be another small tweak or two).

In case you’re interested, this is what Wife Wanted is about… 

Gabriel Wescott has waited years for the woman he loves to return from medical school, only for her to arrive in Possibility, Texas, with a husband and sister-in-law, Alexandra Gracen, in tow. Nursing his broken heart, he finds distraction in teasing the straight-laced, oh-so-proper Doctor Gracen, or Dr. Andi as he likes to call her. He’s bound and determined to help her adjust to western life.

Doctor Alexandra Gracen is not sure what to think of the cowboy with the irresistible grin and unwavering good nature, but he is definitely different from any man she’s had to put in his place before. For some reason, he insists on making her a part of the town, but her Bostonian ways are not an easy fit. Though she too blames her sister-in-law for his heartbreak, she’s not about to let him distract her from her lifelong career.

As Gabe slowly cracks the shell of the good doctor, he finds beneath a woman with a soft heart and a passionate nature, who has always been married to her work first. She knows nothing about being a wife and mother, which is what he has always wanted in his life…or so he thought.

And that’s all for me…still so much more work to do!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Rent Yourself An Elf by Savannah Scott

 Not too late for a great Christmas story.  Don't forget Easter is just around the corner and the holidays are related!  For whatever reason, I was in the mood to read this.

It's a delightful rom-com, and Noelle has a problem with Christmas.  It's not that she doesn't like it, but rather it was always centered around her grandmother who has passed and left her home for Noelle as an inheritance.

The house is old and needs a few minor repairs.  As a grade school teacher, Noelle has little time to do much more than plan to teach and teach.  She squeezes in a few dinners with her best friends.

They surprise her with an elf because she needs entertainment other than just work.  

His name is Liam.

Liam is a handyman for hire, wearing a Santa hat for the occasion, and appears at Noelle's door to do handywork for two days.  He's too busy and consumed with his trade to think about women.  

Noelle isn't perfect like her sister.  Yet, Liam notices everything good about her immediately.  

The kindling is set for the fire.

When she gets herself in a pickle over needing a date for a family event, let's see if Liam can fill the ticket. 

The match is lit and will the fire burn?!

 It's a feel-good read and can be enjoyed even without decorations and snow for the holiday!

Happy reading,

Dawn

  

A Woman to Admire

     

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

        Yesterday, my DH and I attended a birthday celebration for a dear friend. She’s 98. Yes, you read that right. 98! But one would never know that to look at her or talk to her. She doesn’t look 98. Not at all. She doesn’t act it either.

She is young at heart and she is stunning. Beyond beautiful. When we saw her yesterday, her hair and makeup were perfect and she was dressed to the nines and that wasn’t because it was her birthday. She dresses like this every day. She has a collection of hats that she wears whenever she goes out…and not just any hats…these are the wide-brimmed fashionable hats of a bygone era when women wore gloves and didn’t dare step out of their homes without looking their absolute best.

The woman has boundless energy, too. Her own personal fountain of youth, it would seem, hidden somewhere inside. I get tired just watching her! At this age, she is still very active in her community, attending chamber of commerce meetings to help small businesses grow (she was a small business owner at one time), traveling to visit her children and grandchildren (and yes, great grandchildren), posts twice a day (at least) on Facebook (always uplifting, inspirational messages—she calls her Facebook friends ‘her peeps’, which is adorable. She’s adorable!), reaches out to those who need help, and volunteers with hospice and one of the local mental health agencies here.

This is a woman who has lived and lived well. That’s not to say she didn’t have hard times because everyone does, but no one would ever know that in speaking with her. Every hard time was a lesson to be kinder and that’s how she looked at it. She learned that lesson well because she is kindness itself. 

And love. She exudes love…there’s no other way to say it. And I do love this woman. She is no relation. Like I said, a friend, but she has never treated me as anything other than another daughter and my DH as a son.

Did I mention she gives the best hugs? I was happy to receive several of her famous hugs yesterday!

As I watched her greet her guests, moving through the crowd with infinite grace and uncommon style (there were a lot of guests—she is well loved), I thought…not only is this woman someone to admire, but also someone to emulate. She is the grand dame, the matriarch, the queen, and I am so fortunate to be part of her world. Happy birthday, my friend!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie