Tag: historical romance

Would You Rather with Keli Gwyn! Plus, a Giveaway!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

I’m excited to host one
of the sweetest women on the planet today! The kind and lovely Keli Gwyn is in
the house and we’re playing a few rounds of WYR with her and her characters in
her newest novel through Love Inspired Historical. Let’s get right to it. Also,
you can enter to win a copy of Family of Her Dreams (US residents only). See how below!

Would you rather…
…fly or read minds?
Spencer: Fly. I’d like
to get a bird’s eye view of my ranch.
Tess: I’d love to read
minds, especially Spencer’s. I’m eager to find out what goes on in his head
because very little of it comes out of his mouth.
Keli: I’m with Tess. I’d
love to read minds. Learning how different people think would make it easier to
get into my characters’ heads.
…fall in love and have your heart broken or never fall in
love?
Spencer: I did fall in
love. My heart was broken when my wife was taken from me, but I kept going. I
had to. I have two small children to care for, but now I have the help of my
headstrong housekeeper, Tess. She’s brought light and laughter back into my
life.
Tess: Having been raised
in an orphanage, I long to love and be loved. I dream of the day I have a
husband and children of my own. Even though I could get hurt in the process,
the rewards far outweigh the risks.
Keli: I’m all about love
and romance. Loss and broken relationships are an inevitable part of life, but
the pain eases over time, enabling a person to experience love anew.
…be wealthy and successful but never find love or find love
and live meagerly?
Spencer: I’d choose love
and a modest life. The pursuit of wealth robbed my father of happiness, and I
want no part of that.
Tess: Love is essential.
With it, one is rich even if she has little.
Keli: What a timely
question. Gwynly retired just last week. As a teacher’s family, we’ve lived
modestly, but we’ll be cutting down even more now. I’m up for that. My guy and
I have a wonderful marriage, and I’m dearly loved. Talk about being blessed.
That’s me.
Keli, tell us what inspired this story?
I love California’s Gold
Country where I live. There’s a wealth of history here, which fascinates me.
When I learned that the sleepy Gold Rush-era town of Shingle Springs nearby was
once home to the busiest rail station in the state, my curiosity was piqued. I
imagined what life would have been like for the stationmaster, and Spencer introduced
himself. A grieving widower, he needed help. Who better than Tess, a confident,
outspoken woman who has a heart overflowing with love she’s eager to shower on
two motherless children—and their handsome father?
What are you working on currently?
I’m writing a story set
in my historic hometown of Placerville. Once again I’m working in local
history, which I love to do. I’ve fallen hard for my hero and heroine. Flynt
and Jessie are bright, determined people eager to overcome their shameful
pasts. When they’re forced to spend time together both on and off the job,
secrets come to light. Secrets that could destroy everything.
Thanks for hosting me,
Jess. It’s great to be here. I have a question for your blog’s readers.
 Since
I’m learning to live on less, what is one money-saving tip you’d recommend?
(Jess here) I’ll chime
in with my answer. I’ve discovered that if I create the weekly menu, then go
through the pantry to see what I’ve got and only add to the grocery list what I
need, I save money. I also include a snack or two for the kids but they know
when it runs out, it’s out until I hit the grocery store the following week!
Award-winning author Keli Gwyn, a native Californian,
transports readers to the early days of the Golden State. She and her husband
live in the heart of California’s Gold Country. Her favorite places to visit
are her fictional worlds, historical museums and other Gold Rush-era towns.
Keli loves hearing from readers and invites you to visit her Victorian-style
cyber home at www.keligwyn.com, where you’ll find her contact information.
Here’s a look at Keli’s
novel Family of Her Dreams: 

Buy Now! 
A Family to
Cherish 
Headstrong Tess Grimsby loves her new job caring for the
children of a recently widowed man. But she never imagined that she’d fall for
her handsome employer. Yet Spencer Abbott is as caring as he is attractive, and
Tess can’t help but feel for him and his family. Though, for the sake of her
job, she’ll keep any emotions about her boss to herself.
Between his stationmaster responsibilities in a gold-rush
town and trying to put his family back together, Spencer has his hands full. He
soon finds his new hire’s kind personality warming his frosty exterior. But
could he ever admit to seeing her as more than just an employee?
Copyright © 2015 by Harlequin
Enterprises Limited
Cover and cover copy text used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises
Limited.
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dawn Crandall and the cast of The Hesitant Heiress

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
Hey everyone! It’s so great to have Dawn Crandall here! A graduate of Taylor
University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at
Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010 when her
husband found out about her long-buried dream of writing a book. Without a
doubt about someday becoming traditionally published, he encouraged her to quit
working in order to focus on writing The
Hesitant Heiress. It didn’t take her long to realize that writing books was
what she was made to do. Dawn is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline
Literary.
Apart from writing
books, Dawn is also a first-time mom to a precious little boy (born March 2014)
and also serves with her husband in a pre-marriage mentor program at their
local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Dawn is a member of
the American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter
(Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter.
The Everstone
Chronicles is Dawn’s first series with Whitaker House. All three books
composing the series were
semifinalists in ACFW’s prestigious Genesis Writing Contest, the third book
going on to become a finalist in 2013.
In honor
of her debut novel, The Hesitant Heiress,
she’s here to play a few rounds of Would You Rather along with her main
character Amaryllis and the handsome Nathan Everstone. Let’s get started.
Would You Rather…
…be replaced or
ignored?
Dawn: I like to be alone, so being ignored
would be perfectly fine by me. Before I had my son this spring, I could go for
days without leaving my house. So, I guess I pretty much ignore the world as
much as I would enjoy it ignoring me.
Amaryllis: “I’ve been ignored for so long, and
it’s the only thing I knew for such a long time. Only until I was forced to
take part in my aunt’s society did I realize what it was like to form
meaningful friendships. And then there was Nathan—I totally expected he’d want
to ignore me—which I was completely fine with too… for a while.”
Nathan: “I would rather be replaced—I have no
qualms if someone could take my place in society.”
…make a bad first
impression or a bad second impression?
Dawn: “I would rather make a bad first
impression… and then totally change their mind. I think I do this a lot
actually because I’m a bit scatter-brained and say the silliest things at
times. Hopefully the second impression someone has of me will be accompanied
with the knowledge that I have ADD but don’t take anything for it because I
write better without it.” 
Amaryllis: “I’d actually rather not make an
impression. I’d rather not be noticed at all. Meeting new people in general is
not something I enjoy doing.”
Nathan: “Oh, I’d usually want to make that
first grand impression… I’m so used to giving it, after all! However, that has
to do with the family I was born into, and not truly me.
It seems the only time I wasn’t able to make that first dashing impression was
with the young woman who happened to intrigue me the most… Amaryllis.”
(wink)  
Fun answers, you guys! Dawn, tell us
what inspired you to write this story.
I wanted to write a novel reminiscent
of old classical romantic suspense novels like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier—but I also wanted to tie in a very
relevant spiritual thread. The heroine of The
Hesitant Heiress, Amaryllis Brigham, thinks she knows what she wants, as
well as how she will achieve it. But as circumstances beyond her control keep
her from her goals, she finds that accomplishing her dreams of founding a music
academy in Seattle are only secondary to finding the peace she desperately
needs pertaining to the events leading to her mother’s death eleven years
before.
Thanks for being here with us today, Dawn!
Here’s a sneak peek of The

Hesitant
Heiress:

After being unjustly expelled from the
Boston Conservatory of Music, Amaryllis Brigham sees her dreams of founding a
music academy disappearing before her very eyes. Now the only way to achieve
her goal comes with high stakes for someone set on avoiding men as much as
possible: marry within the year to inherit her grandmother’s fortune. Amaryllis
reluctantly takes part in her aunt’s society, intent on getting to the west
coast on her own… and without a husband.
Despite her own misgivings, she soon
finds herself falling in love with the most unlikely of men, Nathan Everstone,
whose father not only had a part in her expulsion, but whose ominous presence
has haunted her dreams for a decade since her mother’s tragic death. Nathan
turns out to be much more than he seems and everything she never knew she
wanted. But just as everything Amaryllis has recently hoped for comes to
fruition, it all falls apart when she finds that the real culprit who has been
managing her life isn’t who she thought at all.

CONNECT
WITH DAWN
Facebook: facebook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst 
Book Review Blog: APassionforPages.blogspot.com 
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/dawn_crandall
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/dawnwritesfirst
Email: dawncrandallwritesfirst@gmail.com
Twitter: @dawnwritesfirst

***Join me next Friday with special guest, author Krista Phillips! Until then, have you signed up for my newsletter–Patched In? No? Well, for the love you should! Just click on the link at the top right hand corner of the website! Easy peasy! Don’t you feel better for having done it? 🙂 
Have a great weekend, friends! 

Would You Rather with Karen Witemeyer!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

KAREN WITEMEYER
FACEBOOK 
WEBSITE
One of my all-time favorite authors is with us today! Karen Witemeyer! If you enjoy historical romance, Karen should be one of your must-read authors! I had the pleasure of meeting Karen at ACFW last year and she’s as kind as you might imagine. She didn’t even run from me when I gushed on and on about her books. 🙂 I also had the pleasure of reading Karen’s newest book, Full Steam Ahead! You can read my review on GOODREADS! 
Here’s a peek at the book and then we’re going to play a game with Karen, her heroine Nicole, and her hero Darius!
When Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston from an eastern finishing school, she’s stunned to find her father in ill health. Though she loves him, he’s only ever focused on what she’s not. Not male. Not married. Not able to run their family business, Renard Shipping.

Vowing to secure a suitable marriage partner, Nicole sets out with the Renard family’s greatest treasure: a dagger personally gifted to Nicole’s father by the pirate Jean Lafitte. Many believe the legend that the dagger is the source of all Renard Shipping’s good fortune, though Nicole is sure her father’s work ethic and honorable business practices are the keys to their success. Before she can board the steamer to New Orleans, Nicole finds her father’s rivals–the Jenkins brothers–on either side of the gangplank, ready to grab her and steal the dagger. Quickly, she decides to instead travel north, to Liberty, Texas, where she can decide what to do next.

Darius Thornton needs a secretary–someone to help him get his notes in order. Ever since the boiler explosion aboard the Louisiana, Darius has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. The pretty young socialite who applies for the job baffles him with her knowledge of mathematics and steamships. He decides to take a risk and hire her, but he’s determined her attractive face and fancy clothes won’t distract him from his important research.

The job offer comes at exactly the right time for Nicole. With what Darius is paying her, she’ll be able to afford passage to New Orleans in mere weeks. But Mr. Thornton is so reclusive, so distant, so unusual. He can create complex scientific equations but can’t remember to comb his hair. And his experiments are growing more and more dangerous. Still, there are undeniable sparks of attraction between them. But Nicole is leaving soon, and if she marries, it must be to a man who can manage a shipping empire. Darius certainly doesn’t fit that description. And the Jenkins brothers have not given up on kidnapping Nicole and seizing the Lafitte dagger for themselves.

BUY THE BOOK! 

Would You Rather…
…go way back in time and meet your ancestors or
go way into the future and meet your great grandchildren?
Karen: As much as I
love imagining life in the past, I would actually pick meeting my great
grandchildren. I would love to see how the legacy of faith we’ve worked to
instill in our children has trickled down through the generations. And it would
be fun to see what kind of grandparents my kids turned out to be. Wonder if any
of my books would still be around?
Nicole: Back in
time. I’d love to be in the pirate colony Campeche
when my grandfather, Henri Renard, took the bullet meant for Jean Lafitte. That
pivotal moment shaped my family’s history for generations.
Darius: Future. I’d
love to see all the mechanical advancements that take place in the shipping
industry. Maybe we’ll finally find a way to power our ships without those
blasted boilers.
…have a rewind button in your life or a pause
button in your life?
Karen: Pause – I’m
in constant need of more time. More time to write, more time to spend with my
family, more time to just relax. A pause button sounds heavenly.
Nicole: Pause – With
my father’s illness, I want to savor each moment I have left with him.
Darius: Rewind – I’d
give anything to go back to November 15, 1849 and warn the captain of the Louisiana to get his passengers and crew
to safety. I’ll always regret that I couldn’t do more to save those who lost
their lives that day.
…be a thief or a beggar?
Karen: Hmm – that’s
a hard one. I guess I would have to choose beggar. Swallowing my pride would be
excruciating, but it would be better than forfeiting my moral code.
Nicole: With all the
years I played pirate on the beaches of Galveston with Tommy Ackerman, I’d have
to say thief, but only if the situation were dire enough to justify such
action. For instance . . . if one needed to protect her family from certain
harm. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Darius: Thief – when
it comes to providing for my family, I’ll do whatever it takes, go to any
length to see that they are safe. Thankfully, with my family owning King Star
Shipping, the likelihood of facing this dilemma is slim.
…reduce hours of sleep needed to 5 or need 10
hours of sleep, but you get to control your dreams every night?
Karen: If I could be
as fully rested after 5 hours as I am after 10, I would definitely choose the
5. Just think what I could accomplish with those extra hours!
Nicole: Between keeping
the accounts for Renard Shipping, watching over Jacob, and helping my mother
tend my father, I could use all the extra hours I could get. I’ll take the 5.

Darius: After being
tormented by nightmares for months, the thought of controlling my dreams is an
enticement that is hard to resist. Yet after meeting Nicole, my dreams are much
less troubling, and I really can’t afford to waste 10 hours of every 24 in
sleep. People are dying due to malfunctioning boilers. Sacrificing my comfort
to continue my research is a small price to pay.
Choose one or all and answer in the comments below! 

Thank you, Karen, for hanging out today!

Joanne Bischof: Does God Make Mistakes?

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

I’m truly honored to have debut author, Joanne Bischof here! Her book Be Still My Soul recently released and let me tell you, it’s amazing! Today she’s sharing with us about how her story came to life and answered the question: Does God make mistakes?
Do you ever look around you and wonder… “How did I
get here?” As a new author, I have this thought every single day. I’m amazed by
the blessing of it all.
I never planned on writing Appalachian
Romance. I never woke up and thought “today is the day I’m
going to write a book about romance in Appalachia.” It just sort of happened. I
was listening to this
song
by Alison Krauss and instantly, Lonnie’s character came to me. I saw her
sitting there, this question filling her heart—would she ever be loved? Right
then, Gideon’s character came to me as well. And while at first, the
possibility seemed unlikely between the two of them, I knew that God works
miracles and that this love story had to be told. In this moment, Be Still My Soul was born.
The story took off from there and true to its musical
origins, it begins
with a dance, deep in the mountains, one autumn
night. As I thought about it, I knew that Lonnie, the shy wallflower of Rocky
Knob would want little to do with singing on stage. But of course, that’s
exactly where she ends up. Right next to cocky bluegrass musician and handsome
ladies’ man, Gideon O’Riley. While they knew one another from afar, this is the
first moment they are thrown together. Gideon who has a reputation as being the
town rebel, ends up walking her home—almost stealing more than a kiss—and ends
up changing her life forever.
My heart breaks for Lonnie, but I see redemption on
the horizon and pray that hope will breath it’s peace into her spirit.
Isn’t life funny that way? We find ourselves in a
situation and we’re questioning if maybe God made a mistake. Maybe He fell
asleep at the wheel for a minute and didn’t hear our pleas. We think, “God you
know my needs and this is NOT what I need right now.” I think God just listens.
Because He knows what He can build out of nothing. What he can build from a
flurry of broken hopes. Broken dreams. But do we? Do we forget that God is so
mighty that nothing is too big for Him? No distance too far. No heart too cold.
There have been moments in my life when I’ve forgotten this truth. But then it
fills my heart with peace and healing begin. Because nothing is impossible for
God.
Let’s chat! Has there been a time in your life when
you felt this way? A moment when you thought “no good can come of this” yet
down the road, God’s blessings unfolded in a surprise way?
 Here’s a sneak peek at Joanne’s historical romance:
 Night’s
chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He
was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of
Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers
whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.
 
Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background
within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills.
Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet
faith.  But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon
O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows
and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities,
Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing  Lonnie on an arduous journey
away from her home in Rocky Knob.

Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the
forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life.  What will it take
for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that
can heal their two fractured hearts?

Married to her first
sweetheart, Joanne Bischof lives in the mountains of Southern
California where she keeps busy making messes with their home-schooled
children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about
faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to
life. Be Still My Soul is her first novel.
Connect with Joanne at her website/blog, facebook, and twitter @joannebischof
*I loved all your names! Thanks for entering the contest. It was a toughy. Here’s my Top 4 Names I battled with for the Sailboat contest:
4. I Promise it’s Safe
3.Early Inheritance
2.Sinking Feeling
1. Parayoso (Paradise in Spanish) 

But the winner goes to…


Seas the Bay by Katelynn Evans! Perfect for a guy in Tampa Bay!

*photocredit: freedigitalphotos

Love on the Range and Jessica Nelson

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

I’m excited to hang out with author, Jessica Nelson today. Her sunny smile exudes tons of fun and sincerity. Her blog usually has short posts, but packed with good stuff. I encourage you to pop over and follow if you don’t already.

Jessica, in keeping with her romantic inclinations, married two days after she graduated high school. She believes romance happens every day, and thinks the greatest, most intense romance comes from a God who woos people to himself with passionate tenderness. When Jessica is not chasing her three beautiful, wild little boys around the living room, she can be found staring into space as she plots her next story. Or she might be daydreaming about a raspberry mocha from Starbucks. Or thinking about what kind of chocolate she should have for dinner that night. She could be thinking of any number of things, really. One thing is for certain, she is blessed with a wonderful family and a lovely life.
JP:  Raspberry mocha. Um…yum! And I agree the most intense romance I have is with God! I had the chance to read Jess’s Love Inspired historical romance debut novel, Love on the Range. Ah! Sigh. I was hooked from page one and I journeyed through the pages of a beautiful and fun love story! When did you get the writer’s bug, Jess?
JN: I think maybe I always had it, but it didn’t morph into finishing a story until my twenties. My local paper editor (where I freelanced) told me I should write a book because I’d get paid more money. That sparked off an amazing realization that writing books could actually be a career.
JP: Pretty awesome to be able to do what you love for a living. Not everyone can say that, can they? I’m sure you hold that editor close to your heart for giving you that first nudge. And now you’ve not only finished a book—you’ve been published! Awesome! Tell us one favorite line in one from Love on the Range and tell us why?
JN: “A man should know when a woman fell madly in love with him.”
I like that one because it’s funny to me (because why does a man need to know that? lol) Can I explain why? Not sure, except she thinks she’s in love with one guy but then falls for another guy who ends up being…well, you’ll have to read to find out. *wink*
JP: Tease! Men are generally oblivious to this, I think. Tell us, how did you come up with this story?
JN:I came across a link on the influenza pandemic and had a sudden image of a girl on a train, sent away because of the flu in her city.
JP: As I read this story, the flu was running rampant in my area and I thought about that, being sent away from my family due to illness. That’s who I want nearest in those times. You did a wonderful job with your history and I learned a lot! Other than writing, what’s one thing you’re passionate about?
JN: Reading. J
JP: LOL! Me too, me too! Books take us off to all sorts of wonderful places we’ll probably never go. Speaking of places, name one place you’d like to go that you’ve never been and why?
JN: Maybe Ireland. Or Australia. Italy. Does it really have to be one place? *grin* I think all of those places are interesting because of their cultures and history.
JP: There are so many places to go, so many things to see! I guess 3 is okay. 😉 I’ll go with you! Books also show a darker side to the world, enter: villains. If you could pick one villain from a book to be for a day, who would you choose?
JN: Oooh, this is such a good question!! And I’m drawing a complete blank. Eeek! Hmmm. Okay, I can’t even think of any villainesses. This is horrible!
JP: LOL! I think people have a hard time picking a villain because no one wants to be evil or do heinous things. You’re too sweet. Wish I could say the same of myself. I have ½ a dozen villains I’d like to be! Ha! I’m kidding…maybe…I obviously think good things about you, what would your characters say about you if they had the chance?
JN: Gracie might find me a bit boring but Trevor would definitely be in love with me. Teehee!
JP: That’s hilarious! I wouldn’t mind if Trevor were in love with me either and women should know when a man is madly in love with them! Ha! I guess we writers think of ourselves as boring because we’re always planted in a chair writing exciting lives for others. Our minds are definitely not boring! What are you working on currently?
JN: It’s the story of Mary and Lou, secondary characters from Love On The Range.  They find a child in the desert and disagree over what to do with her, igniting sparks, danger and revealing the secrets both of them have been hiding for years. Which of course only draws them closer and then they fall in love. *grin*
JP: Oh good! I was interested in those characters, especially Uncle Lou. I liked him A LOT! Can’t wait to read it when it comes out!
Thanks, so much, Jessica, for hanging out today and sharing a little about your debut novel. I enjoyed so much! I know readers will too!
Jessica has graciously offered to give away a copy of her debut novel! All you have to do is answer the question in the comments AND leave your email address. If you don’t leave your email, I’ll assume you aren’t entering the drawing! Here’s a sneak peek:

“Any other socialite would view being packed off to a remote Oregon ranch as a punishment. But Gracelyn Riley knows that this is her opportunity to become a real reporter. If she can make her name through an interview with the elusive hero known as Striker, then she’ll never have to depend on anyone ever again.
Rancher Trevor Cruz can’t believe his secret identity is being endangered by an overly chatty city girl. But if there’s one thing he knows, it’s that Gracie’s pretty little snooping nose is bound to get her in trouble. So he’ll use her determination to find “Striker” to keep an eye on her…and stick close by her side.”

JP: So, Jess, what’s your question?
JN: Hmmm. How about, what’s your favorite kind of chocolate and if you could be a villain, who would you be? (sorry, had to steal that question because it’s GENIUS)
You can connect with Jessica through her website and on facebook!

Some stuff…and my review of The Colonel’s Lady!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
This is the sign inside our
favorite place to eat, The Flying Fish.
  I laugh every time I see it!
You can see why this is my
kind of establishment! 
So Saturday night, to end my birthday week, DH took me downtown to eat at our favorite place, but when I got there…SURPRISE! He’d been sneaky and invited our friends who made a fun spectacle of me! We ate lots of seafood and birthday cake.   


AND…

I’ve been blogging an entire year since last October! Truth is I wasn’t sure I’d even like blogging. “What would I say?”  “Do people really read blogs?” “What if no one likes me?” Turns out, I find all kinds of stuff to say whether it’s important or not, people do read blogs, and I’ve made some lifelong friends because of it! I love y’all! I appreciate you taking time to stop by and read whatever it is I’m writing about and then taking more time to actually comment! You’ve made it so much fun! And for you lurkers, keep lurking. I hope you laugh at times, are ministered to at others, and keep coming back. If you don’t like leaving comments, send me a private email! I’d love to know you’re hanging around. 🙂  




NOW…. A review of….


THE COLONEL’S LADY by Laura Frantz


In the last six months, I’ve just begun branching out of my normal genres of reading. I’ve only read a handful of historical romances. Most of them I’ve liked, but NOT The Colonel’s Lady.

I LOVED The Colonel’s Lady.

Laura Frantz grabbed me from the first page with a heroine who was fragile, yet strong. Naive, yet intelligent and I fell in love with her instantly.

Her hero, Colonel McLinn, well… sigh, dream, wow! Interesting thing about Colonel McLinn; he’s a red head. You don’t see that often with heroes. An Irish tall drink of water with red hair.

The tension between the two was superbly written, the angst for them to be together at an all time high and the twists, fun and delightful…and surprising!

The soft themes of forgiveness and trust blanketed each page in a way that was far from preachy. 

I sighed, swooned, and at the very end…in the words of Casey Herringshaw at her goodreads review “I couldn’t write this book review right after closing the final page of “The Colonel’s Lady”. Why? My heart was too full.” 

I lived at the Fort in Kentucky and near and in the stone house for days after reading this book. 

A romance to read. A book to keep. An author to follow.

My rating: 5 perfect stars

author, Laura  Frantz

Here’s a peek at The Colonel’s Lady. 
In 1779, when genteel Virginia spinster Roxanna Rowan arrives at the Kentucky fort commanded by Colonel Cassius McLinn, she finds that her officer father has died. Penniless and destitute, Roxanna is forced to take her father’s place as scrivener. Before long, it’s clear that the colonel himself is attracted to her. But she soon realized the colonel has grave secrets of his own–some of which have to do with her father’s sudden death. Can she ever truly love him? 

Unrelated to the post, what is your favorite fall candle scent? I just bought Yankee Candle scents: Farmer’s Market & Pomegranate Cider!

MUST MEET MONDAY: LACIE NEZBETH

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch



If you could mix cotton candy, an apple, and glitter together, you’d get Lacie Nezbeth! She’s sweet, sparkly, fun and good for you! I’m so excited to have her today.


 Lacie Nezbeth is a stay-at-home mom with three young children. She spends her time running them all over town and loving it. Her love of books and history began when she read Little House on the Prairie as a young girl. Since then “the good ole days” have fascinated her and made her writing genre an easy choice! She loves to live “in the moment” with her family and enjoys traveling, shopping and baking decadent desserts…which doesn’t bode well for her shopping!

When did you get the writer’s bug? Has it always been something in you? Did you pen your first story with a jumbo crayon?
Nope. No jumbo crayon works of art for me. Although, I did write a short story in the 4th grade that I was pretty proud of. Got an A+ and everything but that’s as far as writing went for me as a child.
I first got the writer’s bug when I was pregnant with my first child, back in 2004. I was stuck at home a lot due to the constant retching that plagued me daily for my first trimester. Reading was the only thing that kept me from cursing motherhood altogether. One particularly rough morning, after I finished reading an especially frustrating book, I said, “I’m gonna write my own book. One without all those stupid problems that keep the heroine and hero apart for so darn long.” That tells you how much I knew about what I was getting into. J But the idea stuck and I’ve enjoyed learning more and more about how great books come to be.
We do ache to have them together quickly don’t we? It’s fun keeping them apart as the writer, though! Yum! Speaking of yum, do you snack while writing? If so, what do you munch on?
No. I’ve found that when the words are ready in my head, trying to eat and type at the same time just slows me down. Apparently, I’m not a very good multi-tasker. But when I’m stuck somewhere in my story, bring on the food! Something sweet and chocolatey…if I can find it.
Bake one of those decadent desserts, then call me over! What do you love most about writing? What do you find most challenging?
My favorite thing about writing is getting lost in my stories. For me (since I write historicals) it’s fun to imagine what it must have been like to live without all the modern conveniences that we all love. I’m constantly wondering if I would have survived. I like to think so.
Finding time to write or being consistent in my writing is the hardest thing for me. When I have 37 other things I know I need to do, I sometimes feel guilty taking the time for myself. And then there are those days when I’ve hit a road block in my story anyway, so those 37 other things can also look pretty good.
37 things? Really? That’s all? You need to be busier. 😉 How do you come up with story ideas?
This is one area where I don’t struggle at all. Thankfully!  A new idea will randomly sneak into my head…usually while I’m driving or researching. I keep a running list of book/plot ideas on Evernote. Some really need to be fleshed out and others are ready to go. I just can’t write fast enough.
I have tons of ideas while researching and driving too! We’re twins! If you could be one hero/heroine from a book who would you choose and why?
I would probably choose Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. She is so spunky and fun and imaginative. And she never lets anything stand in the way of her goals. Plus, who doesn’t want to use phrases like “kindred spirits” and “bosom buddies” without creeping people out? J
LOL! Yeah, bosom buddies is a tad frightening! If you could be one villain from a book who would you choose and why?
I’m using “villain” loosely here because personally, I don’t think she is one, but Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind would be my choice. Man, that woman had some nerve and determination like I’ve never seen. Her methods were a bit…let’s say…skewed. But her motivations of protecting her family and land were very noble.
She happens to be one of my favorite characters. I could go on and on, but “I’ll have to think about that another day.” (Hand over forehead as if I might pass out.) So, what are you currently working on? Tell us a little about it.
Prairie Breeze is a mail-order bride story gone terribly wrong. Victoria Sutton impulsively accepts an advertisement to marry Benjamin Black, who is headed west to Oregon Territory. Only Benjamin has no interest in marriage whatsoever and is clueless to the marital ad his well-meaning father placed in his name. When the two meet, naïve to the others’ identity, sparks fly. But not just the good kind.
Is there a question you’d like to ask everyone?
I love to shop! And I’m always curious where other ladies buy their clothes. So, share with me. Are you a designer diva or do you hunt for the sales? Where do you go most often when shopping for your clothes? J
I, personally, love to thrift shop and I find all sorts of divalicious designs for penny prices! Well that’s my two cents…get it…two cents…;) I’ll stop now.
You can connect with Lacie on twitter, facebook and her blog! You can…and you really should!

See you Wednesday!