Book 2 Blackstone Ranch Trilogy by Tule Publishing
Limited Time Only
Brock Paxton’s love life is suffering, but there’s no woman around who can cure him—until the raven-haired beauty in stilettos drives into town to help at his family’s vacation resort. Just his luck she doesn’t plan to stay, and though his gut tells him there’s more to her than she reveals, it doesn’t keep him from wanting her more than he should.
Lucienne Dunn is in big trouble, and she has only one hope left to save herself. To please her father and set-up the scheme to buy precious land on the Blackstone Ranch, including the Paxtons’ prized resort, even if it means clashing with an ex-military cowboy…
Except the Paxtons refuse to sell, and there’s danger on the ranch. How would it all end—and how would she live without Brock when it did?
“. . . “this contemporary western should please Crooks’s existing fans and earn her new ones.”
I have a cover for my October 2023 release MOUNTAIN STORM SURVIVAL. Whee, hee! I also have a back cover blurb:
A brutal storm. Relentless pursuers. And more than their lives are on the line…
Helping with youth wrangler camp is how Kate Spencer is atoning for her past. But now she and ranch manager Rand Walkins are trapped in the Superstition Mountains with two girls as illegal miners hunt them down. Rand has every reason not to trust Kate, much less forgive her. But working together is the only way they’ll escape from the danger that threatens them all…
In Her Sights is officially available for preorder! Hooray! You can preorder the ebook version now, but for those of you who prefer print, there will be a print version coming on release day. It will be a slim volume since it is just a novella, but I’m having it sized to match my other books. So if you have a collection on your keeper shelf, this new book should fit right in!
In celebration of the launch of our sweet western romance series, we’ve created the first issue of this lovely magazine to help spread the word about the book that sets the pistol’s journey into motion, Karen Witemeyer’s poignant novella, IN HER SIGHTS.
When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?
Mariah Stover is left for dead and with no memory when the Deadeye Gang robs the stagecoach she’s riding in, killing both her father and brother. As she takes over her father’s blacksmith shop and tries to move forward, she soon finds herself in jeopardy and wondering–does someone know she witnessed the robbery and is still alive?
Handsome and polished Clint Roberts escaped to western Wyoming, leaving his painful memories behind. Hoping for a fresh start, he opens a diner where he creates fine dishes, but is met with harsh resistance from the townsfolk, who prefer to stick to their old ways.
Clint and Mariah are drawn together by the trials they face in town, and Clint is determined to protect Mariah at all costs when danger descends upon her home. As threats pursue them from every side, will they survive to build a life forged in love?
Karen Witemeyer
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s time to stock up on some great romance reads, and here’s a fabulous giveaway that can help you do just that!
Enter for a chance to win all 26 books pictured below. Christian romance at its finest. You’ll even find a couple western romances in the bunch, including an autographed copy of my latest, In Honor’s Defense.
If you’re still enjoying romances set in winter scenes, I hope you’ll check out Sleigh Bell Serenade. The story really is fun, and their is a delicious cookie recipe at the end!
I was very excited to receive the news Moonlight Cove won the Creme de la Cover contest last week. Thank you to everyone who voted!
In other news, our six month bathroom remodel project is FINALLY finished! Yeehaw!
I am so happy with how it turned out, but what a process!
You can read more about it and see a before and after video here.
What’s your best / worst home remodel or renovation story?
Cathy McDavid
I guess I decided I wasn’t busy enough in 2023 because I just agreed to write three new books for Harlequin 🙂 The first will be another Love Inspired Suspense, this one for their Cold Case Collection. My heroine, a rookie deputy sheriff, joins forces with a local rancher to help him solve his dad’s eighteen-year-old homicide. The other two books will kick off my new Heartwarming series, The Rocking Chair Ranch. I’ve talked a little about this here at Petticoats & Pistols, but now it’s official, and the contract is signed. Whoo, hoo. Thanks for letting me share my exciting news.
Karen Kay
Valentine’s Day Give-Away. Come to my blog (Karen Kay) February 14th, and enter the drawing for a chance to win one of these e-books. Eight e-books (one each from the books listed here) will be given away on my blog on that date, February 14th.
Hope to see you there!
Karen Witemeyer
The results are in! Family Fiction ran their annual Favorite Christian Romance Author poll, and I snuck into the top 10! WooHoo! This vote is strictly aimed at readers, so I am incredibly honored and blessed to have received this recognition.
Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Cathy McDavid
Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2023 finds you well and safe and looking ahead to exciting times. I’m only just beginning to recover from the holidays (yes, I put on the obligatory extra three pounds), but I have small piece of fun news to announce. I have a cover for my April 25, 2023 Harlequin Heartwarming release, HER SURPRISE COWBOY GROOM. I do like how they got the hero’s twin daughters on a horse, something I’d requested 🙂
The book is available for preorder, and you can check it out here. Thanks for letting me share.
I’m so happy to see this beautiful cover for Book 1 of my Hangman’s Daughters series!
An outcast because of her father’s profession, Maura Taggart and her sister open a much needed orphanage in an old abandoned mission. Then she finds a man lying near death and brings him in. But who is the mysterious Calhoun? A lawman? An outlaw? Clues lead to both and keep them guessing until the end. It’s also up on NetGalley.
I’m so excited to finally announce I have a title for my Love Inspired Suspense book releasing fall of 2023!! Watch for Deadly Yellowstone Secrets, where a rugged law enforcement ranger and naturalist are hunted by a poacher. I’m so excited for this book!
Winnie Griggs
I’m excited to announce that Her Tailor-Made Husband is available for pre-order.
I’m rereleasing one of my previous Love Inspired Historical books with a new title and a spiffy new cover. It releases tomorrow, Jan 03, and is available for pre-order now.
What she needed was a clean break. what she got was a fake engagement.
Hazel Andrews has been in love with Ward Gleason since she was an adolescent. Her admiration and attraction for him have only grown over the years as she sees his dedication and integrity in action. Ward, however, continues to see her as only a friend. Frustrated, Hazel decides it’s time for a change and accepts her aunt’s invitation to join her in New York. But fate has other plans…
Ward Gleason had to grow up quickly. Man of the house by age ten, he took on all the responsibilities of a grown-up, including guilt over a family tragedy. Now serving as sheriff, Ward is determined to do the people of Turnabout proud. When he finds an abandoned child, he knows he’ll need help caring for the five-year-old until her situation is resolved. Hazel seems the perfect person to watch little Meg during the day, but when he learns of Hazel’s plans to leave Texas, it’s more than disappointment that settles in Ward’s gut. Could his feelings toward Hazel have deepened without him realizing it?
When the townsfolk spot Hazel leaving Ward’s home a late night babysitting, gossip spreads, threatening her reputation. Ward offers the perfect solution: A fake engagement until Meg’s family is located, then Hazel can break it off and move to New York.
Unless he can persuade her to stay. But after years of pushing her away, how can he now convince her his feelings are real?
(NOTE: This book was previously published under the title A Tailor-Made Husband)
I’m pleased to announce that for this holiday season, the fillies will present you with the some fascinating history involving our favorite Christmas carols. We think you’ll enjoy reading about the carols as much as we enjoyed writing about them!
I hope you’ll join us between now and January 2, when our regularly scheduled programming resumes!
Welcome to Yee-Haw Day, the once-a-month day we’ve reserved to share our news with you – all sorts of fun news!
So check out the post below to get the details on the kinds of things that make us goYee-Haw!!
Karen Witemeyer
I’m over the moon excited to share that my novella A Texas Christmas Carol won the prestigious Christy Award! This is the top award for Christian fiction, and I am incredibly humbled and honored to be a recipient. This novella is available as an e-single or in the collection in which it first appeared – Under the Texas Mistletoe.
There are many things in our lives that make us go YEE-HAW! Some are little, some are big. For us authors, some are book-related. Most are not. But for anyone, a trip of our lifetime certainly qualifies to celebrate and share.
Here’s a few pictures of our journey to the Holy Land (Israel and Egypt) that my husband and I have recently returned from, a journey that was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced! One doesn’t have to be Christian to appreciate the sights that are thousands of years old with a culture so different than our own.
My husband and me with the Mediterranean Sea behind us.
The Old City of Jerusalem. In the foreground is a sacred cemetery.
Eighteen curved terraces on Mount Carmel. Fountains, beautiful lawns (rare to see!), flowers and perfectly manicured hedges claim to be the most beautiful gardens in Israel. At the summit is the Shrine of the Bab.
Amazing how the colors have withstood time in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.
Fish from the Mediterranean Sea which is supposedly the kind Jesus would have eaten. Here, the fish is fried, gutted of course. Not much meat on the bones! Meals tend to be healthier than what we eat here in America – lots of fruits and vegetables at every meal, including salads at breakfast. Not much sugar and salt. We saw very little processed foods. And we were careful not to drink the water!!
Have you experienced a trip that was truly once-in-a-lifetime for you? If you haven’t and find yourself with an opportunity, GO! You won’t regret the memories, I promise!
Winnie
I’m excited to announce I have a new release out. His Christmas Matchmaker is a re-issue of a 2015 out-of-print book The Holiday Courtship. I gave it a spiffy new cover and a new title and released it back into the world.
A guilty secret… Vowing to put her past behind her, schoolteacher Janell Whitman has resigned herself to spinsterhood and she’s erected walls to guard her heart from all but her pupils.
A solitary heart… Hank Chandler is quite comfortable with his uncomplicated bachelor life. But when he suddenly finds himself the guardian of his orphaned niece and nephew he knows all that that will have to change. Not only do the children need a mother’s love, but he’s not fit to be a single parent. So he’ll need to marry quickly, whether he wants to or not.
A Christmas bargain… Seeing their need, Janell impulsively reaches out to help the hurting Chandler family. But when Hank proposes a businesslike marriage she draws the line at becoming his wife. She softens her refusal, however, with a counteroffer – she’ll take care of the children after school and help him find an appropriate wife in time for Christmas. After all, how hard can it be?
But as the holiday grows closer, it seems increasingly difficult to find a suitable candidate––not to mention even harder to deny their growing feelings for each other. It might take a miracle for these two hearts to become one, but Christmas is the season of miracles––and love.
Back in October, we brought home two little kittens. Someone dumped a pregnant mama cat at my niece’s house and she already had a cat with kittens, so this brother and sister duo (who look and act NOTHING alike) came home with us. Luna is the tabby. She is a polydactyl (also known as Hemingway) cat with six toes on each foot. Though she be but tiny, she is vicious! And purrs so loud while she’s being naughty. Goose is a beautiful cat with a very easy-going personality. He loves to cuddle and will tap his paw on my cheek. I think it’s his version of a hug. Or maybe he’s just saying “Hey! Hey, you! I’m HUNGRY!” Regardless, they are so adorable and fun (when they aren’t destroying things – like lace curtains), and have been quite a distraction. Every time I mention “training” the kittens, Captain Cavedweller gives me a look like I’ve lost my mind, then starts to laugh. That can’t be good, can it?
Because the kittens are in the house a few hours a day and explore everything when we do let them in, we decided not to even attempt to put up our big Christmas tree this year,. We thought a table-top version would be just the thing. So I ordered a 4-foot tree. When it arrived, it was black. Like all black. Like depressingly black. I think they had a leftover Halloween prop and just shipped it my way. Needless to say, it went right back into the box! Captain Cavedweller, my hero, stopped after work on Black Friday (see how brave he is!) and brought home a beautiful little tree that was already pre-lit.
What would you do with a black tree?
We had a heavy frost here that turned the world around us into a white wonderland. It was so beautiful! I snapped a few shots, but it was especially so neat to see the frost on my roses.
Holiday Hope (the first book in the Holiday Express series – and the imaginary world of Holiday) is on sale for just 99 pennies! It recently won a Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Romance.
Left alone in the world after losing her parents, Cora Lee Schuster travels across the country to the newly-established town of Holiday, Oregon, to become a mail-order bride. She arrives in town to be greeted by her future father-in-law with her betrothed nowhere to be found. When it becomes obvious her reluctant groom-to-be has no intention of showing up at the family ranch where she’s staying, Cora Lee must decide if she’ll follow her head or heart.
Jace Coleman has loved trains since the first time he rode on one as a boy. Now, he spends his days as an engineer driving the Holiday Express line on a new engine named Hope. When a mail-order bride turns up at his father’s ranch to wed his brother, Jace has an idea his meddling father has tried his hand at matchmaking. The longer Cora Lee stays at the ranch, the harder Jace works to keep from falling for his brother’s intended bride.
Will Jace and Cora Lee discover the gift of hope? Find out in this sweet holiday romance full of memorable characters, warmth, and Christmas cheer.
Holiday Hope is the first book in the Holiday Express series, a collection of heartwarming, wholesome, holiday romances brimming with the spirit of the season.
Yee Haw I have a new release! Ah, there’s nothing like starting a new series and this is a fun one. My familiar town of Clear Creek has some new residents. The Snow family! Mr. Snow, an inventor from New York, moves his family lock stock and barrel to the tiny town of Clear Creek. Ten children, an handful of exotic pets, (including a camel) his assistant and last but not least, his mother, have been living in the town’s hotel while his workshop, barns, outbuildings, fencing and now finally the house is built. But not everyone in his brood is happy about it.
An Angry Woman
An Unsuspecting Cowboy
And Two Inept Matchmakers…
Wilhemina Snow never wanted to leave her comfortable home in New York nor her friends. So when her father moves the family to a nothing of a town in Oregon called Clear Creek, she’s beyond furious, Unfortunately, there’s nothing she can do about it. Her father runs a tight ship and mutiny was not an option. He wanted his children raised in a small, out of the way town and that was that. But the Snows weren’t your normal family, and Clear Creek, they soon learned, wasn’t your normal town. The Snows kept exotic animals. Clear Creek had strange residents. How could they make a life here? And how was she to get past her anger at the entire situation?
Baird O’Hare had seen some shrews in his day, but none as bad as Wilhemina Snow. She was driving everyone in Clear Creek plumb loco! What was her problem? True, the Snows were a little different and had some interesting pets, but Wilhemina was just plain angry and was taking it out on anyone within reach. What could have happened to her to make her so disagreeable? And why was he becoming so attracted?
When sparks begin to fly, can a friendship cast in iron be shaped into something more?
What she needed was a clean break. what she got was a fake engagement.
Holiday Greetings!
Karen Witemeyer
A guilty secret… Vowing to put her past behind her, schoolteacher Janell Whitman has resigned herself to spinsterhood and she’s erected walls to guard her heart from all but her pupils.
Holiday Hope (the first book in the Holiday Express series – and the imaginary world of Holiday) is on sale for just 99 pennies! It recently won a Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Romance.
Yee Haw I have a new release! Ah, there’s nothing like starting a new series and this is a fun one. My familiar town of Clear Creek has some new residents. The Snow family! Mr. Snow, an inventor from New York, moves his family lock stock and barrel to the tiny town of Clear Creek. Ten children, an handful of exotic pets, (including a camel) his assistant and last but not least, his mother, have been living in the town’s hotel while his workshop, barns, outbuildings, fencing and now finally the house is built. But not everyone in his brood is happy about it.