Good morning, friends!
After two grueling weeks back to back, I'm taking a little breather this week. You can put in the hours for this business, but breaks to breathe and regroup are also necessary. Maybe with someone you love.
Good morning!
There's nothing like a good Christmas story to make a 101* day seem less miserable. We didn't stay that high very long and I spent most of the day watching storm trackers as tornado warnings were all around my daughter in Kentucky. Everyone is safe thanks to trackers like Chris Hall, Jordan Hall, and Ryan Hall (though not related, as far as I know)
Two wounded people, no longer able to risk love, plus one little girl and her puppy. Can she bring them together in time for Christmas?
Kate Larssen lives in Mistletoe Falls, a small, charming town in northern Minnesota, and runs a no-kill animal rescue, a cause dear to her warm and loving heart. After too many romantic disappointments, she has far more important things to focus on: The abandoned and abused animals she wants to save. And the return of an angry ex-con she helped send to prison.
Deputy Brad Bailey recently left big city life and moved to Mistletoe Falls with his six-year-old daughter. His wife died just before Christmas last year, and his only goal is to raise his grieving six-year-old daughter and help her heal. While on duty, he brings a stray dog and her puppies to the animal shelter, and meets Kate, the pretty manager. He hopes taking Janie to visit the puppies will lift her spirits, though soon realizes his mistake when she begs to adopt them all. Kate tries to help fill the void in Janie's life, though she's determined to keep things on a friendship-only basis.
When Kate's house is set
on fire, Brad desperately tried to track down the arsonist before anything
terrible happens to her. And suddenly, a friendship teeters on something
more...
I found The Mistletoe Puppy to be a great read. Roxanne Rustand knows how to build the base of a sugar cookie, adding sprinkles of information when they are needed most. An example in this story is how we learn about Brad and Janie's story out when we need to know something specific about their pain and heartache. Kids may be resilient but nothing prepares them at any age for the loss of a parent. Even as adults we can't always comprehend why something had to happen.
The setting for this family coming together is perfect. Bright colorful lights or the softer white lights all tell the story. Add fairytales from a little girl's perspective, a Princess puppy, and two people finding their way after relationship problems and you have the perfect sweet romance. But no romance is complete without stumbles along the way. A Hollywood actor once said "If the apple is on the table, there is a reason the apple is there." In this case, the 'apple' was represented in the carvings throughout Kate's home. Not only were they a sign of protection, but of the evil that lurks in her kingdom, and that a knight in shining armor (or badge) will protect her.
Roxanne Rustand brought all the elements of a true fairytale together to form a heartwarming read in the confines of one hundred pages. That, my readers, is pure talent.
The Mistletoe Puppy is Book 1 in a four-book series. I'm linking all of the books below, and when I take a break in December, I plan to curl up on the sofa enjoying the Christmas lights and reading every one.
I'm giving, The Mistletoe Puppy...
All my best!
~ Angela
Good afternoon.
With storms the past couple of days, and again today, I've lost track of time.
Roxanne is the USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author of forty romantic suspense, mystery, and heart-warming, emotional relationship novels in the clean & wholesome and inspirational romance genres.
She got her first horse at the tender age of six, and grew up riding bareback with wild abandon throughout her small Minnesota town year around. It was like giving a child car keys! She has never been without a horse since. She showed horses for many years, and later, she and her husband raised quarter horses and thoroughbreds until their kids came along.
She's living her
childhood dream, living on an acreage in the country with her husband, three
horses (all elderly pasture ornaments now), a golden retriever rescue, and six
fluffy barn cats--a much smaller menagerie than when their three kids were
still at home. Ranches, animals, and small-town life frequently find their way
into her books.
While you're waiting for tomorrow's review of The Mistletoe Puppy, please check out the links below:
All my best!
~Angela
Good morning, friends!
I'm deep in trying to finish the book this week as I take part in Sarra Cannon's Virtual Retreat.
I hope the photos I post inspire you to write something.
Good morning, friends!
I have a bit of a twist for you today, as well as a confession.
When I go searching for books I put in key words such as Christmas Novella KU romance.
What I failed to do this week was ask for romance. The first one that came up turned out to be a cozy mystery. I also seldom look at the blurb until after I've copied it to my file. I search the page count and that's pretty much it.
When the Harding sisters return to Newport Beach for the holidays, they expect cozy traditions by the sea — twinkling lights along the boardwalk, carols drifting from the chapel, and stockings hung in their beloved family home. What they don’t expect is a sealed letter hidden in the attic…a letter that whispers of betrayal, a missing heir, and the shocking possibility that the beach house they love may not belong to them at all.
From the career-driven eldest sister to the free-spirited youngest, from the cousin no one trusts to the aunt who raised them all, each woman must face the past she’s been running from. And when old flames reappear under the glow of Christmas lights, second chances stir hearts already weighed down by secrets.
As snow falls over the
sandy shores of Newport Beach, the Harding family is pulled into a web of
twists and turns that will test their bonds, rekindle lost loves, and challenge
everything they thought they knew about loyalty, forgiveness, and home.
While this wasn't a romance, the story was about love and family and how the love sometimes isn't what you think.
Coral Harper writes beautiful description. I could smell the salty air as the waves crashed against the shore and feel Claire's angst as she struggles figure out who is following her as she and Jake move from clue to clue trying to find answers to a twenty-year mystery and who was responsible for everything leading to her father's death. If I want to read another cozy, I'd turn to Coral Harper books in a heart beat. Christmas at Newport Beach is Book 3 in a 6-book series. She is a very prolific writer with great titles. I encourage you to check out her Amazon Author Page link below.
I'm giving Christmas at Newport Beach...
All my best!
~Angela
Good morning, friends!
Trying to get back on track between events. The writer's conference was full of great information; lots to think about. The Hearties Virtual Retreat is this weekend giving me an opportunity to apply some of what I learned.
One thing was BIC HOK... if you know what that means, tell me in the comments. In able to treat this like a business, I have to be writing, prolifically.
Coral Harper does this well. Check out her author page in the link below to see just how she treats her writing as a business. Another thing we talked about was what image to use in place of your headshot for privacy reasons. Coral uses her logo image.
Coral Harper is an author
of feel good beach reads along with other clean and wholesome fiction. When not
publishing books, Coral enjoys soaking up the sun with family and traveling the
world. Be sure to check out The Seahorse Cottage, Trip of a Lifetime, Stargaze
Island, and The Nantucket Estate.
You can find out more about Coral Harper by clicking any of the links below.
All my best!
~ Angela
Good morning!
I had a great time at the RSJ Convention last weekend. So much great information for both indie and traditional published/ and new folks to the romance genre. Our next conference will be in 2028, However, there are mini events planned throughout the year. I'll keep you updated.
