Robbed of the family ranch that should have been his legacy, Raleigh Beaumont is a man with no roots and no purpose. When a friend drags him to Vegas, he figures he’s got nothing to lose. But after a hell of a lot of whiskey and a high stakes poker game with a beautiful stranger, he finds himself the alleged owner of a barony in Scotland.
An heiress with a crumbling heritage
When her brother’s bride disappears just days before the wedding that’s meant to save their ancestral home from the mad marriage pact that’s held their family captive for generations, Kyla MacKean believes they’ve been granted a reprieve. Until she finds out about the new, single—male—owner of Lochmara and knows she’s next on the chopping block or ownership of both their estates reverts to the crown.
A modern answer to a three-hundred-year-old problem.
Raleigh’s lost his land once. He’s not about to lose it again. Not even because of some lunatic pact made centuries before he was born. Kyla’s desperate to save Ardinmuir. She agrees to marry him on one condition: They wed for one year to satisfy the pact, then get a quick and quiet divorce. There’s no stipulation against it, and they’ll both get what they want.
But this displaced Texan and his fiery bride are about to find so much more than they bargained for.
COWBOY IN A KILT (Kilted Hearts Book #1) by Kait Nolan is a contemporary romance that has everything I want in a romance read! This is the first book I have read by this author, and I have been missing out. A centuries old marriage pact, a Texan cowboy who gambles and wins a Scottish Highland estate and a Scottish heiress hanging on to her heritage by a thread come together in a heartfelt romance that satisfies on every level.
Raleigh Beaumont has studied and trained his entire life to be able to one day take over his mother’s birthright Texas ranch, but it doesn’t happen. His best friend drags him to Vegas to drown his sorrows and he ends up in a high stakes poker game with a mysterious beautiful woman. He comes away the new owner of a barony in Scotland.
Kyla MacKean has been waiting for the end of the marriage pact which has hung over Ardinmuir for over three hundred years with her brother’s marriage, but the bride has disappeared. Now with the new owner of Lochmara being a single male, Kyla must satisfy the pact.
Raleigh is not going to lose everything again because of a stupid ancient pact, so he proposes a marriage of convenience for one year to satisfy the pact. They can then divorce and still end up with what they want, but they end up discovering their lands are not all they need.
I love the H/h in this story so much! Ms. Nolan was able to bring together two people from completely different countries and upbringings by making what is important to them at their core be the same. Raleigh is a swoon worthy hero who cares for all those he feels responsible for, cares for the prosperity and future of his land, and is willing to adapt to his new circumstances. Kyla is a heroine who has had the weight of her family’s legacy always foremost in her life. Raleigh is able to show her other solutions to their problems and get her to enjoy her life more. As Raleigh and Kyla’s relationship grows there are so many heartfelt moments throughout this romance. The sex scenes are explicit, but only come about with their emotional growth into a real relationship. I was also happy with the way the author handled Kyla’s relationship with her previous boyfriend with honesty and integrity. All the secondary characters were fully drawn and added to the feeling of living in a small Highland village.
This is a contemporary romance that I highly recommend! I am waiting anxiously to read the next book in the series not only to see where this series goes, but also because of the little teaser peak the author left the reader with at the end of this HEA.
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About the Author
Kait Nolan is a RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author who calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin’, and can wield a ‘Bless your heart’ like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world’s most perfect food. When she’s not writing, reading, working the evil day job, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and the four-), you can find her obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off.
Since the death of his twin brother, Oliver’s caught between pleasing his fans and finding himself. Emery finds him first.
Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold on to her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them—no support system—any unexpected expense or late bill could turn their whole world upside down.
Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn’t very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low.
He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people whose paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?
THE MIXTAPE (Mixtape-Reihe Book #2) by Brittainy Cherry is an emotionally intense rock star contemporary romance that is heartbreaking in so many ways. You will need the tissues for this read. While this rock star romance is the second in the series, the characters are completely different from book one TheWreckage of Us in the series and stands on its own.
Emery is a single mother working as a bartender barely making ends meet, but she is a strong, kind-hearted and loves her little girl more than anything. Five-year-old Reese is Emery’s light and with the help of a neighbor in her apartment building, who is also a therapist, she is dealing with her fear of not being enough for her daughter and other personal issues.
Oliver is half of the twin duo of super pop stars. When his brother, Alex is killed in a car accident that he survives, he falls into an intense depression for months. Skipping a return concert, Oliver is drunk and while Emery helps him escape paparazzi, she loses her job as a result. When Oliver finds out what he has done, he hires Emery as his cook and she begins to show Oliver that he can trust her and with help, he can learn to deal with his anxiety and depression.
The main characters in this romance both start off in different places with difficult lives but are able to come together and help each other to move forward in their journeys. Music also plays an integral role in their entire lives and aids in their coming together and healing. You learn through flashbacks that Emery is dealing with so much more than just being a single mother and it is amazing that she is the loving and giving person she is in the present. Reese is a spot of sunshine and laughter when things get too heavy. All the secondary characters where fully fleshed and realistic, good and bad. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. I feel all the exceptionally difficult mental health issues interwoven throughout this story were handled in a believable manner by this author.
I highly recommend this emotional roller-coaster rock star contemporary romance!
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About the Author
Brittainy Cherry has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing–poorly of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in! Brittainy lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Mini Book Reviews for the first four stories in Naima Simone’s Rose Bend series. I have been binge reading all of these fantastic romances and I am happy to still have four more to go.
These romances are multicultural, have characters that break your heart before healing them with their HEAs, and do have some very smokin’ hot sex scenes but they are not gratuitous. This series is set in the small town of Rose Bend which is located in the Berkshires and I really hope there is a place just like it in the real world.
Each book numbered with a 0.5 is novella length and features new side characters from the town and all of the whole number books feature a brother or sister from the Dennison family who you follow throughout the series.
I highly recommend this romance series and I am so glad I found this author because when I am done with this series, she has written more.
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Book Description
Goodbye is never easy…but neither is love.
Cherrie Moore is just passing through, the same way she does every year. Rose Bend’s annual motorcycle rally has been her sanctuary—two solid weeks just for herself, just for a little while; one long, peaceful ride through the Berkshires, then back home to bustling Chicago. In and out, and gone again. No strings, no commitments. Until she meets Maddox Holt.
The man is pure temptation, and he sure has a mouth on him—a redheaded bullet Cherrie knows she’d be smart to dodge. When the mysterious dive bar owner pulls her onto the dance floor that first night in town, her plans for a clean getaway turn muddy. Something’s there between them, sure…but Maddox has roots in quiet Rose Bend, and he’s looking for more than a fling.
Cherrie came here for a break from it all. After the year she’s had, her heart can’t take another hit. But before long, she’ll have to decide—should she risk her freedom for a second chance at love…or just enjoy the ride while it lasts?
My Mini Book Review
SLOW DANCE AT ROSE BEND (A Rose Bend Book #0.5) by Naima Simone is an intense novella length contemporary romance featuring independent jewelry maker Cherrie Moore and Rose Bend bar owner Maddox Holt. This love at first sight novella is packed with more emotion than some full-length books.
Cherrie is once again in Rose Bend for two weeks to attend the annual motorcycle rally, to sell some of her jewelry, and catch up with old friends. When the hot bartender hits on Cherrie, she is at first not interested after just getting out of a difficult relationship, but the sparks are flying around her and Maddox. She agrees to two weeks of fun, but Maddox has other plans.
Explosive chemistry, hot sex, and finding the person who loves you for who you are. Yes, please!
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Book Description
If it was only about her, she might never have come back to Rose Bend.
But it’s not only about her anymore.
Sydney Collins left the small Berkshires town of Rose Bend eight years ago, grieving her sister’s death—and heartbroken over her parents’ rejection. But now the rebel is back—newly divorced and pregnant—ready to face her fears and make a home for her child in the caring community she once knew. The last thing she needs is trouble. But trouble just set her body on fire with one hot, hot smile.
Widower and Rose Bend mayor Coltrane Dennison hasn’t smiled in ages. Until a chance run-in with Sydney Collins, who’s all grown-up and making him want what he knows he can’t have. Grief is his only connection to the wife and son he lost, and he won’t give it up. Not for Sydney, not for her child, not for his heart. But when Sydney’s ex threatens to upend everything she’s rebuilt in Rose Bend, Cole and Sydney may find that a little trouble will take them where they never expected to go.
My Mini Book Review
THE ROAD TO ROSE BEND (A Rose Bend Book #1) by Naima Simone is an emotional contemporary romance that features the return of rebel Sydney Collins to her small hometown in the Berkshires and the widowed mayor of Rose Bend Coltrane “Cole” Dennison. This story brought me to tears in so many scenes and yet it is balanced with happiness and love throughout with an extremely satisfying HEA.
Besides the main romance plot, Sydney is dealing with being pregnant by her ex-husband after their divorce and unresolved issues which lead to her rebellion all through her teen years with her parents after her sister died from cancer when she was younger. Cole is a widower of only two years and besides losing his young wife, he also lost his son. Even with all this angst, Ms. Simone is still able to find moments of joy and love between these two because they really have empathy for each other’s pasts and present problems. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous.
The entire Denison family is introduced in this book, and they are fully drawn and realistic. I am looking forward to following them in future books in this series.
I love Sydney and Cole, the entire Dennison family, and the small town of Rose Bend. I highly recommend this contemporary romance!
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Book Description
It starts with an unexpected kiss…
Remi Donovan doesn’t know what possessed Declan Howard to sidle up to her desk and ask for a kiss—but she’s not about to turn him down. After all, she’s had a secret crush on the sexy-as-sin wealth manager ever since he set foot in Rose Bend two years ago. Still, why steal a kiss from a small-town librarian when a man like Declan could have any woman he wants?
For Declan, the plan is simple: fake a relationship with Remi to keep his ex off his back and his matchmaking mother happy. As the charade brings them closer, it ignites something real—something neither can ignore. But before they can build a happy future together, they’ll both have to reconcile with the past…
My Mini Book Review
A KISS TO REMEMBER (A Rose Bend Book #1.5) by Naima Simone is a fake relationship contemporary romance novella in the Rose Bend series featuring small town librarian Remi Donovan and wealth manager Declan Howard. What starts with an unexpected offer of a kiss in the library then turns into a declaration of a relationship to family and friends which leads to an emotional journey for both Remi and Declan. Ms. Simone is able to pack so much emotion in such a short novella.
I especially loved and had empathy for Remi in this story. She has learned to love herself and her plus size even with the negativity from some people in town including her own mother. Declan may have started out just trying to make life easier for himself, but he truly appreciates the full bodied and intelligent Remi. I enjoyed their fake to real relationship and their journey to get there.
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Book Description
The holidays have never been her thing. But Christmas in Rose Bend has more than one surprise in store…
Grieving ER nurse Nessa Hunt is on a road trip with her sullen teen half sister, Ivy, and still reeling from her mother’s deathbed confession: Nessa’s dad wasn’t really her dad. Seeking answers, they arrive in Rose Bend to find a small town teeming with the kind of Christmas cheer Nessa usually avoids. But then she meets the innkeeper’s ruggedly sexy son, Wolfgang Dennison.
Wolf’s big, boisterous family is like a picture-perfect holiday card. Nessa has too much weighing on her to feel like she fits—even though the heat between her and Wolf is undeniable. And the merriment bringing an overdue smile to Ivy’s face is almost enough to make Nessa believe in the Christmas spirit. But with all her parental baggage, including lingering questions about her birth father, is there room in Nessa’s life for happy holidays and happily-ever-after?
My Mini Book Review
CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND (A Rose Bend Book #2) by Naima Simone is a an emotional holiday contemporary romance featuring ER nurse Nessa Hunt who is visiting Rose Bend with her stepsister and staying at the Dennison’s Family Inn. She is literally knocked off her feet by carpenter Wolfgang ‘Wolf’ Dennison as they wait to check in. The attraction is immediate, but Nessa has been hurt so often by men in her past, she no longer lets anyone completely into her heart.
Nessa no longer celebrates Christmas, but here she is in small town Christmas hell. Both Nessa and Wolf’s histories are heartbreaking and yet Wolf is determined to help Nessa bridge the rift with her stepsister and get her to enjoy the Christmas season again. The realistic dialogue between these two was either making me laugh or cry. Even with their fears, they could not stop their intense physical attraction to each other which led to sex scenes that are explicit, but not gratuitous. The road to the HEA in this romance is rough, but very satisfying.
This romance is full of angst, love, laughter, family, small town life and Christmas cheer. This series can be read as standalone romances, but they are so well written that they pull you in and you will fall in love with the Dennison family and Rose Bend and want to read them all, just like me.
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About the Author
Published since 2009, USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing “crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil.”
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
ALL IS BRIGHT (Hope’s Crossing Book #8) by RaeAnne Thayne is an emotional holiday contemporary romance featuring a young female architect who returns home to Hope’s Crossing for the holidays to oversee the completion of her most ambitious project to date. This story is a complete romance plot and can be read as a standalone, but so many people from town are pulled in for the community holiday theme from previous books in this series, I feel I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books first.
Sage McKnight is making a name for herself in the world of architecture with her unique designs for inclusiveness and accessibility for everyone. Her largest and most challenging project to date was completely redesigning Wolf Ridge in Hope’s Crossing to meet the needs and wishes of her current client, Mason Tucker and his daughter.
Mason Tucker was a famous professional baseball player until the helicopter crash which killed his wife and unborn son as well as leaving him partially paralyzed. He has become bitter and reclusive since the accident and feels the smaller community of Hope’s Crossing can give him and his daughter a new start, but his property needs extensive work to make it appropriate for his needs.
Sage is excited about the project, but Mason makes the project difficult with his attitude and constant interference. Slowly Mason becomes more involved with the community through his daughter and Sage, but Sage is only in town through the holidays and Mason believes no woman would want him with his disabilities. It will take some holiday magic and friendly interference to make Mason realize what he has before he loses it.
This is a wonderfully heartwarming holiday romance with memorable main characters. Sage is such a loving and caring person, and she makes Mason face his anger and bitterness head on. The discussions of inclusive design are very interesting. There are several minor plot threads with Sage’s previous pregnancy, Mason’s mother, and the secondary romance between Taryn and Charlie which kept me turning the pages and were all tied up satisfactorily in the end. I did get slightly irritated when there were occasionally to many names and relationships discussed which I felt were not necessary and at those times I wished I had read the previous books in the series. This is a cozy romance with no sex scenes, but lots of love, family, and romance.
This is an enjoyable contemporary romance that will fill you with holiday warmth, love and cheer.
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About the Author
#1 Publishers Weekly, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including seven RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews magazine. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers.
FLIRTING WITH THE BEAST (Modern Love Book #2) by Jane Porter is an emotional romance/women’s fiction addition to the Modern Love series. This is a story featuring a mature woman in her sixties moving forward after major life changes. This book is a part of a series, but each book stands on its own.
Andi McDermott has mourned for her husband and long-term marriage for five years and has decided it is time to move on and date again with the encouragement of her girlfriends. When her stepson disappoints her by not coming for her planned Christmas dinner to meet his fiancée, she refuses to mope and takes off for the family cabin at Lake Arrowhead and invites her best friend, Margo to join her. Everything is going well, until Andi once again must deal with her closest neighbor, who had been feuding with husband for years.
With the threat of a major snowstorm, Margo returns home, but Andi does not leave in time to safely get home and finds herself snowed in. When her power goes out, she turns to the neighbor who is not quite what she imagined.
Wolf Enders enjoys the solitude of living full time at Lake Arrowhead. The Marine vet, divorced father lives as he pleases and while Andi has always found him intimidating, when she comes to his cabin, she finds him kind and uncomfortably sexy. Wolf finds he is attracted to Andi and wants to take this good girl to bed, but he is not interested in a relationship. But life keeps throwing these two together and Andi just might be the one to tame the beast.
This is a wonderful read, not just a romance, but an all-around emotional journey not only for the H/h but their family members also. Andi has grown personally since her marriage ended and while she now stands up for herself and what she wants, she is still kind and loving. Wolf needs his space, is gruff on the outside and is one of those men that takes care of his family in the things he does for them and not necessarily verbally. The on again off again relationship is very believable as they both deal with family drama, grief, and fear. The sexual relationship was well written and steamy. This story is based around the romance between Andi and Wolf, but the realistic situations with grown children, friends, and life in general makes this story multilayered and memorable.
I highly recommend this mature romance/women’s fiction!
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About the Author
USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author of 65 romances and women’s fiction titles, Jane Porter has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award six times, with her Tule Publishing novella, Take Me, Cowboy, winning the Novella Category July 2014. Today, Jane has over 15 million copies in print, including her wildly popular Flirting with Forty, a novel picked by Redbook Magazine as it’s Red Hot Summer Read in 2006 before being turned into a Lifetime movie in 2008 starring Heather Locklear.
Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and makes her home in sunny San Clemente, CA with her surfer husband three sons, and two dogs. You can learn more about Jane at janeporter.com.
Grab your mug of hot chocolate, your favorite fuzzy blanket, and get ready for a dose of holiday spirit! Here are three connected, sweet holiday romances set in charming Christmas Town where local legend has it that a kiss beneath the gazebo on the town square during the holiday season means a wedding in the new year.
Book Description
Welcome to Christmas Town, Maine!
The Banning siblings are in need of a little magic this holiday season, the kind that brings love and happy-ever-afters. There’s Jack, a trauma surgeon who would prefer working to dealing with memories of his time in service. Then there’s Callie, a grade school teacher who’s trying to fill the void left by her mother and volunteering too much around town. And finally, there’s Nick, one of the town’s handymen. He’s got an unrequited crush on the owner of The Tea Pot and is going to great lengths to get a date with her this Christmas.
This set kicks off the Heartwarming Christmas Town series which has over 60 connected sweet romances, all written by Harlequin Heartwarming authors (past & present). Be sure to check out our companion series – The Christmas Carousel (The 12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas) – featuring one novella and 12 full-length holiday romances. These books, also set in Christmas Town, feature the restoration of a carousel and preparation for a Christmas wedding.
CHRISTMAS, ACTUALLY (Christmas Town, Maine series) by Anna Adams, Melinda Curtis, and Anna J. Stewart is a trio of sweet holiday romance novellas featuring three siblings living in Christmas Town, Maine. This Christmas may be the one where they will finally meet the person they want to kiss beneath the mistletoe in the gazebo and fulfill the local legend.
The Banning siblings have all grown up in Christmas Town, but they all have led very different lives.
In the first novella, The Christmas Gift by Anna Adams, Dr. Jack Banning has come home to work as a trauma surgeon in the local hospital after years of service in Afghanistan. Since he has been home, he has buried himself in his work rather than deal with his memories. Sophie Palmer is on her way to Bangor to try to reconnect with her mother and work in a less stressful job than the ER since she is going to be a single mom. After she is hit by on oncoming car, her reflexes kick in and she saves the other driver’s life until Jack and the hospital’s Life Flight arrive. Jack is instantly attracted to Sophie and recognizes her PTSD symptoms. Will Sophie be able to share with Jack and take a chance on an instant attraction or will Jack’s own reticence to share keep them apart.
The second novella, The Christmas Wish by Anna J. Stewart, has Callie Banning trying to fill everyone’s expectations and requests for help over the Christmas season, since her mother is away. Callie is a second-grade teacher and has duties of her own, but she just cannot say “no”. When Callie calls in single father, Dean Galloway about his daughter Eliza’s problems with all things Christmas, she wants to help get to the reason rather than punish her. Dean is a free-lance photographer who is constantly on the move with Eliza in their RV home since his wife’s death three years ago. They have their work cut out for them because Eliza no longer believes in Christmas wishes.
In the third novella, The Christmas Date by Melinda Curtis, Nick Banning is a divorced father of one young son and the town handyman. He has never felt as accomplished as his siblings who all have college degrees, but he has a dream of getting his contractor’s license and restoring historic homes. He has had a crush on Gina Vernay, the owner of The Tea Pot since they were young. Gina had an accident that left a scar on her face and has eroded her confidence around people. When Nick discovers Gina has gone on a dating website, he replies, and they share things they haven’t in person. Nick is learning that people believe in him more than he does himself and he wants Gina to realize she is more than her scar that he just considers a part of her. Nick and Gina have the same dreams if they are willing to rely on each other and bravely face the future together.
I enjoyed this trio of novellas so much! I do not normally give novellas five stars, but these three stories have beautifully fully drawn characters and realistic scenarios all leading to heartfelt HEAs. They are the perfect sweet quick reads to get you in the mood for holiday romance.
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About the Author
Anna Adams was in the US Navy, also working on a business degree full-time, when her first child was born. That little guy changed her life–created priorities. She wanted her children to grow up, believing they could do the most unlikely things.
Like writing–which she’d done since she was old enough to force someone to listen to stories and then old enough to pick up a pencil and a piece of paper.
She switched to an English degree–and ignored her husband when he asked if she planned to “open an English store,” and eventually found jobs doing any kind of writing. And she learned to write books.
Twenty-something books later, she’s a USA Today Bestseller, and she’s still believes in unlikely things. Like true love that everyone can believe in.
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About the Author
Prior to writing romance, award-winning, USA Today Bestseller Melinda Curtis was a junior manager for a Fortune 500 company, which meant when she flew on the private jet she was relegated to the jump seat—otherwise known as the potty. After grabbing her pen (and a parachute) she made the jump to full-time writer. Between writing sweet romance and sweet romantic comedy, Melinda finds time to bond with her husband over home remodeling projects. She recently came to grips with the fact that she’s an empty nester and a grandma, concepts easier to grasp than jet-setting on a potty.
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About the Author
A geek at heart, USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes “refreshingly unique, quietly humorous, and profoundly moving romance.” (RT Book Reviews) Her books include The Butterfly Harbor series for Harlequin Heartwarming, along with the Blackwell continuity series. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and has written in the ongoing Colton family saga. As her first love is paranormal romance, she’s published a number of novellas, including the Tome Wardens trilogy collection. EXPOSED, her first book of The Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series with CAEZIK Romance will be released in November of 2022. Readers can get a taste for what’s to come with her Nemesis Files Trilogy (light romantic suspense), available on audio through Scribd.
Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Jason Momoa addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates two devious cats named Sherlock and Rosie.
