Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Cowboy Santa by Melinda Curtis

Book Description

Can they help each other…

Make the season bright?

A small-town Oklahoma Christmas would be charming if single dad Chandler Cochran wasn’t being called into the principal’s office to deal with his son’s antics. The instigator behind young Sam’s misbehavior? Little Della-Mae, Izzy Adams’s daughter. The same Izzy who has just taken a job decorating Chandler’s family ranch for the holidays! And even though she and Chandler are pulled together to deal with their children’s misadventures, the bubbly mom and her sweet daughter are adding light and warmth to the stoic cowboy’s world.

Will trouble turn into an unexpected gift this Christmas?

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Cowboy Santa by Melinda Curtis, set in an Oklahoma small town around Christmas, is a good holiday read. The male lead is single dad Chandler Cochran who is basically raising his second-grade son, Sam on his own. It seems Sam is prodded to do certain things by the female lead, Izzy’s daughter, Little Della-Mae. Izzy and Chandler are pulled together to deal with their children’s misadventures. Chandler Cochran is a no-nonsense single father who is the manager at the Done Roamin’ Ranch, and his little boy Sam is a precocious and mischievous. When Chandler meets single mom, Izzy Adams, in the principal’s office at the school, he isn’t surprised that her daughter Mae is in trouble, too, and Chandler blames Mae, because after all, Sam wouldn’t get into trouble without encouragement. Chandler wants everything to stay just as it always has while Izzy wants him to be willing to try new things.

As with all the author’s cowboy books readers will enjoy the journey of Izzy and Chandler on how they realize there is a definite attraction.  Of course, they are pushed along by their two children who decide to play cupid. People will enjoy the interactions between the children as well as the input of strong-hearted and loving Mary, Chandler’s mom who is recovering from cancer.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Melinda Curtis: I wanted to do an enemy to lovers’ book.  Then it evolved that the children were in league with each other.

EC:  How would you describe the female character, Izzy?

MC:  Bubbly, a rule follower, resilient, reliable, courageous, and in somewhat of a shell. This was her coming of age book where she came into her own.

EC: How would you describe Chandler?

MC: Grounded, pragmatic, obstinate, stoic, someone who likes predictability and the word ‘always.’ The past seems to be holding him back and at times he is vulnerable. He was the older brother type to his foster brother cowboys.  I enjoyed going into his character in more depth.

EC:  What about Chandler’s son Sam?

MC: He is a charmer, a talker, spunky, and can be sassy.

EC: What about Izzy’s daughter Mae?

MC: Delicate, she can be the mastermind in her and Sam’s endeavors.  Together they work in cahoots. Both she and Sam come from divorce parents.  They get into mischievous at times. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with and are smarter than the average 2nd grader.

EC:  What was the role of divorce in the story?

MC: One the divorcees wanted to put their career over raising a child, while the other tried to buy his child’s love and had all his priorities wrong. The original marriages were not the right person for Chandler and Izzy. Neither was helpful in the raising of the children.

EC: What about the relationship between Izzy and Chandler?

MC:  They both try to ignore their feelings. They change the conversation when they do not like where it is going. They appear confused and in a funk.  She takes him outside his comfort zone. They thought they were fine without romance until they realized that finding the right person is special.

EC:  What about getting a dog?

MC: I wanted to have something a little bit playful.  As a parent and grandma, I know there are times that the children trap someone into getting them things. I wanted this to be a sweet piece that is true to life. Every child should have a dog.

EC: Mary, the beloved foster mom, has cancer.  Please explain

MC: It has been an ongoing thread.  Even though I was asked not to write any dreaded diseases, but it is realistic.  I understand how grief can get in the way of romance, but it does happen in life and does affect someone’s everyday life. Everyone tends to rally around the person and remember how important life is, something we tend to forget when our noses are in our phones all the time. I wanted to write a healthy powerful way that the characters must deal with the experience.

EC: Next books?

MC: There are six more cowboy books in this series.  In spring The Cowboy Wedding Proposal will be published. And another one out in the summer.

There will be another round in the Kentucky Blackwell series.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Review: Here Comes Cowboy Claus by Diana Palmer, Kate Pearce, & Dolores Fossen

Anthology Individual Novella Descriptions and Mini Reviews

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

COLORADO CHRISTMAS CAROL – Diana Palmer

When a Texan lands in Colorado to solve a case, the last thing he expects to uncover is a sweetly pretty cook who’s also a struggling novelist—and who is more than ready to write their love story . . . 

***

Dominic “Duke” Marston is a P.I. with a 10-year-old precocious daughter, Melanie “Mellie” who arrives in Benton, Colorado chasing a lead on a case. Estelle “Essa” is the head cook in the hotel, but she has dreams of crime fiction publication. This novella gave me problems from the beginning. There is an age gap between the H/h which did not bother me, but it was Duke’s attitude throughout that I did not like. For me, he was not hero material until almost the end of the novella which was too late. This romance did not work for me, but I loved Mellie.

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THE MOST WONDERFUL RANCHER OF THE YEAR – Kate Pearce

It’s sour meets sweet when a former rancher battling more than one private demon meets a woman who lights up his heart, and proves to him that anything—even love—is possible.

***

This novella is an addition to the Three Cowboys trilogy from Ms. Pearce, but it can be read as a standalone. Bernie needs help with her wedding and asks her cousin, Pen to be her wedding planner. Pen’s ADD sometimes limits her, but she is great with customers at her other jobs and the constant shift in needs for the wedding seem to be right up her alley. Rob works for Bernie and works on Luke’s ranch. He has been afraid to follow his heart with Pen due to his past, but between the two of them, they discover they just might be perfect together. This is a wonderful novella with plenty of love, understanding, and forgiveness. It was also fun to catch up with the characters I loved in the full-length trilogy.

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HER CHRISTMAS COWBOY – Delores Fossen

A sheriff convinced to investigate an aging bigamist by the gorgeous P.I. he kissed at a party quickly discovers that the real crime would be missing a chance to get her into his arms again . . .

***

Reese Darnell is a P.I. in search of a serial polygamist named Happy Harry in Loveland, Texas. When she checks in with the sheriff’s office, she is surprised to see Zack Caldwell is the town sheriff. She once stole a steamy kiss from Zach when she believed he was someone else and neither have been able to forget. Now as the two work together, the chemistry is still there, but can it last and will they find Happy Harry to solve her case?

Overall:

I was looking forward to some contemporary cowboy romances centered around the Christmas holiday, but all the heroes have other professions and only one is actually working on a ranch part-time. Overall, these novellas deliver a mixed bag of satisfaction, one I did not like and two that gave me satisfying HEAs from these authors that I usually always love.

***

About the Author

I was born in south Georgia (USA), graduated from high school in Atlanta, married my husband, James, in Habersham County, and graduated from Piedmont College(Demorest, GA) summa cum laude in history with minors in anthropology and Spanish in 1995.

I worked for over 16 years as a newspaper reporter on both weekly and daily papers. In between reporting jobs, I had a son, Blayne, my greatest creative achievement. I love iguanas and most other animals, and am the biggest geek on earth. If it’s electronic, and non-lethal, I probably have one. I was always the kid who was out of step with the rest of the world, and I still am. My father was a college professor, so my sister and I grew up not quite understanding what prejudice was.

I traveled a lot when I was more mobile than I am now, and I never met a person I didn’t like. Writing books is more than a job to me, it’s my life, next to being a wife, mother and grandmother. I am a person of faith, but I respect all religions and all cultures.

I write romantic suspense for HQN books, mass market and series contemporary romance for Harlequin, and science fiction novels for Luna Books. In my spare time, I sleep. 🙂

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kate Pearce was born in England in the middle of a large family of girls and quickly found that her imagination was far more interesting than real life. After acquiring a masters degree in history and barely escaping from the British Civil Service alive, she moved to California and then to Hawaii with her kids and her husband and set about reinventing herself as a romance writer.

She is known for both her unconventional heroes and her joy at subverting romance cliches about exactly who gets into bed with whom. In her spare time she self publishes science fiction erotic romance, historical romance, and whatever else she can imagine. She currently writes cowboys for Kensington Publishing and Regency mysteries under her Catherine Lloyd pen name.

You can find Kate at her website at http://www.katepearce.com, on Facebook as Kate Pearce, and on Twitter as Kate4queen.

About the Author

Former Air Force Captain Delores Fossen is a New York Times, USA Today, Amazon and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author whose books have sold over nine million copies worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers Best Award for Best Romantic Suspense and the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines. You can contact the author through her webpage.

Feature Post and Book Review: Evergreen Christmas by Janet Dailey

Book Description

The first in a new cozy Christmas series where the 12 annual Competitions of Christmas in the, close-knit town of Noel, North Carolina are underway! This year horse breeder, and newcomer, Jordyn Banks decides to take on the resident Christmas tree decorating champion, who happens to be her handsome next door neighbor.

Barrel racer Jordyn Banks is thrilled to discover affordable land for sale in charming Noel, perfect for breeding her horses. But that’s not all. A nomad with no family—other than her beloved Quarter Horse, Star—she also hopes to find a home within the close-knit Appalachian Mountain community. Yet Jordyn didn’t bargain on inheriting a controversial Fraser Fir—or falling for a handsome single dad whose adorable little girl tempts her to dream of being far more than a property owner . . .

Since losing his wife in childbirth six years ago, Nate Reed has devoted himself to their daughter, Roxanna, and built up their thriving Frosted Firs Ranch. For nine years straight he’s won Noel’s contest for the most perfect Christmas tree for the Town Square. It’s a tradition he began with his late wife. But this year, Jordyn Banks is determined to harvest her Fraser Fir and compete—meaning Nate will finally be challenged—in more ways than one . . .

Throughout the event, Nate can’t help noticing that Roxanna is dazzled by Jordyn’s strength, beauty, and quirky sense of humor. Soon enough, Nate is falling for her, too. But can a feisty wanderer ever really settle down? Is Nate ready to open his heart to someone new? And is it possible that sometimes love does grow on (Christmas) trees? . .

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204294898-evergreen-christmas?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=InDckQHRUO&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

EVERGREEN CHRISTMAS (Frosted Firs Ranch Book #1) by Janet Daily is a heartwarming cozy holiday contemporary romance that features a young women looking for a place to call home. It also introduces us to the town folks of Noel, North Carolina and their traditional Christmas Challenge headed up by the four Noel Nanas. This is the first book in a new series, and I am looking forward to more to come.

Jordyn Banks has retired from barrel racing and with her quarter horse, Star, she wants to start a horse breeding and training farm. She found the perfect small ranch in Noel, North Carolina. What she does not expect is to immediately become a part of the Noel Nanas’s plans for winning the annual Christmas Challenge.

Nate Reed is a widower and father of six-year-old, Roxanna “Roxie”, who owns the Frosted Firs Ranch next door to Jordyn. He has devoted his life to raising his daughter and winning the Christmas Challenge in memory of his late wife. No one tempted him in his personal life until this red-headed beauty moved in next door. Roxie is taken with her new neighbor also and is determined to help and include her in every activity in the challenge, but Nate is afraid to let someone else into his and Roxie’s lives.

Who will win the Christmas Challenge this year?

I enjoyed this charming holiday romance that leaves you feeling warm and satisfied inside. Jordyn is a wonderful protagonist full of love for everyone she meets, which is surprising considering her upbringing. Nate is bullheaded and had me wanting to knock him on that head a time or two but is still a good man in the way he has built up his business and taken care of and raised his daughter. The Nanas were funny and wonderful even with all their meddling. This is a cozy romance with no sex scenes, but plenty of romance and romantic angst. I also liked that Jordyn and Nate were honest and discussed their feelings and did not play games.

I recommend this enjoyable cozy holiday contemporary romance with memorable small-town characters to curl up with on your favorite chair on a cold winter day.

***

About the Author

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.

Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they “retired” to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.

She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.

Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.

Social Media Link

Website: https://janetdailey.com/

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Year of Flowers by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Description

In this collection of four heartfelt novellas, three former friends have found success in the floral industry, but happiness–and love–remain elusive.

In An Apology in Bloom, wedding florist Jaime Harper is on a meteoric rise, working for an event company led by a successful and way-too-handsome boss. When a letter arrives from her past mentor with an offer too good to pass up, will she stay or head back to her hometown?

In A Bouquet of Dreams, Claire Murphy has always dreamed of owning a flower shop, and when her employers hint at retirement, she believes her moment has arrived. But first she must confront her past–and the man who caused her to flee her hometown years ago.

In A Field of Beauty, Tessa Anderson has found an acre of farmland to start her flower farm and forget the past. She’s grateful for the help of two men–her boyfriend, Tyler, and a quiet soil specialist named Dawson. But as the farm finally starts to bloom, Tessa will discover something that challenges everything she’s built.

In A Future in Blossom, Jaime, Claire, and Tessa return to their hometown, finally ready to face each other and their beloved mentor, flower shop owner Rose Reid. As they unite to pull off an extraordinary wedding, amid the flurry of preparations they just may find their way to forgiveness.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

A Year of Flowers by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a heartwarming read. In this collection of four novellas, three former friends have found success in the floral industry, but happiness and love remain elusive. The novellas follow the three former friends, Jaime, Claire, and Tess as they take a journey from leaving their sanctuary of Rose’s Flower Shop in Sunrise, North Carolina, as teenagers, to returning years later. Each story explores their reflections on the past of what happened that fateful day that chose them to leave, and why they are returning.

The first novella, An Apology in Bloom, has wedding florist Jaime Harper on a meteoric rise, working for an event company led by a successful and way-too-handsome boss. When a letter arrives from her past mentor with an offer too good to pass up, she decides to head back to her mentor’s flower shop.

The second novella, A Bouquet of Dreams, has Claire Murphy confronting her past, needing to start over, and realizing the best place to do it is to return to the flower shop she worked in as a teen.

The third novella, A Field of Beauty, has Tessa Anderson buying an acre of farmland to start her flower farm and forget the past. There is a bit of a love triangle between Tyler, her boyfriend, and Dawson, her business partner.  

In A Future in Blossom, Jaime, Claire, and Tessa return to their hometown, finally ready to face each other and their beloved mentor, flower shop owner Rose Reid. As they unite to pull off an extraordinary wedding, amid the flurry of preparations, they just may find their way to forgiveness. This final story ties everything together, revealing Rose’s mentorship and the events that drove the friends away. 

Each novella is rich with details about flowers and floral competitions. But the real theme of the books is its focus on friendship that has fragility, heartbreak, and repair. Romantic relationships are present, but friendships take center stage, showing how misunderstandings can break people apart with hope and forgiveness bringing them back together. Each story was compelling, and all were tied together in the fourth novella by an underlying mystery which would only be solved when the women returned to the North Carolina flower shop to meet up with Ruth again.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Suzanne Woods Fisher: It is a collection of a four-part novella centering around flowers.  Each novella was released separately over a course of the year with the fourth one part of this collection. I wanted to show how flowers have a universal appeal where everyone loves them. I even put this quote in at the beginning of the book, “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”

EC: Novellas versus novels.  In the “Ice Cream” themed books, it did not take center stage like in these flower books.  Why?

SWF: The flowers are the theme that kept the girls connected even though their lives took them in three different directions.  Flowers was still the focus of their lives. With the ice cream books the characters had other things going on.

EC: How would you describe Liam, the featured male in novella one?

SWF:  He is a planner, creative, kind, accessible, optimistic, humorous, a good listener, and romantic.  Plus, he has a Scottish accent.

EC:  What about Jamie?

SWF: She wants to be validated, southern, sweet, easily intimidated, nervous, guilt-ridden, and obsessed with Liam. She lacks a great deal of confidence and does not realize how talented she is.

EC: What about the second novella’s female lead, Claire?

SWF: Restless, capable, vulnerable, sarcastic, direct, opinionated, has a temper, lonely, and has trust issues. She felt rejected, hurt, and rebuffed by Chris Reid.

EC:  Why the symbolism for different flowers, is it true?

SWF:  Yes.  Yellow roses mean that someone wants you as a friend.  Yellow carnations mean rejection, red roses romance, two-tier carnations mean parting… This comes from the Victorian Age in England.  It is subtle way of sending a message to someone.  Now there is not that much attention paid to the language of flowers. I put in this quote, “Flowers are not merely tokens of beauty.  They have meaning and purpose. Things are not what they seem.” We still hold on to some of the language because most people see red roses as love.

EC: How would describe the second novella’s male lead, Chris Reid?

SWF: Stubborn, charming, angry at times, grief stricken, admirable, and spiritual.  A reformed juvenile delinquent.

EC:  How would you describe the third novella ‘s female lead, Tessa?

SWF: Determined, a hard worker, jealous, can be aloof, and was naïve. There is one scene where she is out in the dirt with dirty overalls and fingernails.  Her gorgeous looks got her into trouble, yet here she feels beautiful.  Beauty is not something that is looked at, but something that is felt.

EC:  What about her soon to be fiancé Tyler?

SWF: He is a chauvinist, takes advantage of her, self- absorbed, articulate, well groomed, politician personality with a silver spoon upbringing. He wants Tessa to be a trophy wife. I intentionally attributed the same quote to him that her neighbor told her.

EC: How about her partner in the flower business, Dawson?

SWF: Hard worker, helpful, knowledgeable, and uses compost. It is a huge part of farming where the waste breaks down into the soil. He and Tessa seem to ignore their feelings or do not realize their feelings.  Unlike, Tyler she feels she can always be herself with him.  He does not seem dazzled by her and is at first just a friend.

EC: How would you relate the three women?

SWF:  Jamie was the artistic one, Claire the managing type, and Tessa was the supplier.  They worked in harmony and inspired each other.

EC:  The florist who owned the shop, Rose Reid, what was her role?

SWF:  She was the mentor of the three. She really invested in them to bring out the best in them. She saw something in them that they did not even see in themselves. She was very hurt when they left her. She was a more of an aunt to them.

EC: Next books?

SWF: Capture the Moment is contemporary fiction, the first in a series, set in the national parks, coming out in early May. I young woman Kate Cunningham, a zoo photographer was given an offer by a National Geographic editor, to take a unique picture of a Grizzly Bear in the wild. There is a poacher in the park that is after the same bear.  Both Kate and the poacher want to shoot it.

In October the second of the Amish doctor books will be published. These are hybrid Amish because there are a lot of non-Amish characters. It is titled A Hidden Hope. “Dok’s” practice has been everywhere since the local news wrote a story on her. To help, her husband gets the idea to send in an application to a program that will send two medical school graduates. She must mentor two residents with all book knowledge and no people knowledge.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Review: The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE CHRISTMAS DRESS by Courtney Cole is an enchanting contemporary holiday romance that is perfect to curl up with on the couch and get lost in the magic of the season. Can a magical Christmas dress, a crumbling apartment building of seniors, and a handsome handyman turn a young woman’s holiday season from despair to happily ever after?

Meg Julliard has been trying to work her way up in the NYC fashion industry when she must return home to Chicago after the death of her father. Not only does she believe her future in fashion is over, but the Parkview West apartment building in which she grew up holds many sad family memories she has been avoiding. On day one, she discovers the apartment building has been limping along and needs major renovations that there is no money for and has become dangerous for the elderly tenants.

Ellie Wade befriends Meg, even as she prepares to move because her daughter no longer feels Ellie is safe at the Parkview West. As she packs, she shares a beautiful green Christmas dress with Meg that represents the worst and the best Christmas night of her life. Meg falls in love with the dress and as Ellie and her share their personal stories a friendship grows.

With Ellie’s dress as inspiration, some help from the seniors in the building, and a certain handyman, Meg begins to believe in herself and love once again. Can she find a way to continue to follow her dream in fashion and bring the crumbling Parkview West back to its past glory?

This is a perfect holiday romance read with everything I am looking for to warm my heart with just that little touch of magic. This is a sweet story that delivers all the warm fuzzy feelings, wonderful characters, and second chance at love subplots. Meg is a memorable protagonist who wants to do what is best and learns throughout the story that it is alright to accept help from friends. The romance plotline is sweet and quite frankly, I do not know how anyone could not fall for Logan. I loved all the seniors who not only helped Meg find her way to her HEA, but their personal stories brought even more emotion and realism to the story. I fell right into this story and could not put the book down until the end.

I highly recommend this beautiful holiday contemporary romance!

***

About the Author

Courtney Cole is a New York Times Bestselling author who loves eating your emotions for breakfast. She also loves witty banter, cashmere socks, and walking the beach at midnight.

Speaking of midnight, she also loves decorating for Christmas at 12:01 a.m. on November 1st. Christmas is a time for love and magic- two of Courtney’s favorite things. 

Courtney is a native Kansan who now lives in Florida and writes beneath palm trees, but she retains her farm girl heart, and her midwestern kindness. She believes that blonde hair dye and red lipstick can change your life, and a well-timed smile can change the world.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.courtneycolecreates.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneycolewrites/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneycolewrites/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/courtney-cole

Feature Post and Book Review: From Tundra to Tiara by Cassidy Carson & J.T. Hume

Book Description

A sled dog race through the tundra brings two strangers together. Travis is a former Navy SEAL with a traumatic past. Lexie is a vet tech with a mysterious present. Adventuring through the Alaskan wilderness unites this unlikely pair as Lexie and Travis try to uncover each other’s secrets. Will a brush with death amid gunfire lead to a lasting relationship before their realities drive them apart for good?

Authors JT Hume and Cassidy Carson join forces to create a sweet romance about how life brings together two lost souls to make them feel whole. Carson and Hume share more than forty years of experience in living a real-life romance, and they truly believe that love can conquer all if you give it a chance.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74668767-from-tundra-to-tiara?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hdonS9w7vk&rank=1

***

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

FROM TUNDRA TO TIARA by Cassidy Carson & J.T. Hume is an enjoyable and entertaining contemporary romance that begins with opposites in the frigid small settlement isolation of Alaska and ends up with them reversing roles in the glitz and glamour of the royal lifestyle in Europe. This is a standalone romance at this time, but the H/h’s family and friends easily could be spun off into a series.

Travis is a former Navy SEAL who has discovered he loves life as a musher in rugged Alaska. He has a close circle of friends in the small settlement and is content with his life for now. He is running the Iditarod for the first time when at a medical stop his lead dog is discovered to have a sore by the vet tech on duty.

This is no regular vet tech. Lexie is hiding a secret. The pair unite to get Travis’ dogs back home, but when Travis’s lead dog escapes, they travel into the dangerous wilderness to find her. Their trust and relationship grow, but Lexie’s secret and the realities of their everyday lives and responsibilities seem insurmountable and appear as though they will keep them apart for good, or will they?

This is a contemporary romance that reminds me of the romances I read when I first started reading and loving the genre. It is light and fun, but also has a few serious and emotional moments. The characters pull you into the story and help you easily suspend reality to believe in the H/h’s romance triumphing over everything for their HEA. There are a few surprise twists along Lexie and Travis’ road to romance which makes this a wonderful escape read that I did not want to end.

I recommend setting aside some time to enjoy this escapist contemporary romance.

***

About the Authors

We’re a couple nerds who enjoy history, pop culture, reading, and travel. Now mild-mannered empty nesters and retirees from public service, we’ve long been passionate about helping others. Much of our former work dealt with education, history, government, and public health. We now draw from those experiences as we pursue our dream career as full-time writers.

Social Media Links

Website: https://carsonhume.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassidyCarson

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/authorcarson.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jthumebooks

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jthume.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/from-tundra-to-tiara-by-jt-hume-and-cassidy-carson

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tundra-Tiara-Cassidy-Carson-ebook/dp/B0BMZG6S2Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34HCYIRRYE7NR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FS089vefqoguL7Gx4UAdCQ.-