After spending her formative years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky western heroes.
When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly hiding decadent chocolate from the other occupants of her home, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.
From time to time, authors give their books new covers. It might be to follow a trend, or it could be with the addition of a new book in the series. Or they could have grown tired of the cover and wanted something fresh.
A while back, I decided a few of the Grass Valley Cowboys series could use with an update.
First up was the first book in the series,The Cowboy’s Christmas Plan. This book has had many covers since it first released.
The very first one was taken against the wall of my dad’s old shop on the farm where I grew up and the old spurs I borrowed from my brother.
And here is the updated version.
Sometimes the most unexpected circumstances lead to the best adventures…
Cadence Greer’s plans for a happy-ever-after derail when her fiancé runs off with his secretary a week before their wedding. Homeless, jobless, and jilted, she escapes to Grass Valley, Oregon, where she takes a job as a housekeeper and cook to seven cowboys on a sprawling ranch.
Trey Thompson is a well-respected pillar of the community, running a successful ranch with his brother. All he wanted was someone to cook meals and keep the house clean. When he hires Cadence Greer for the job, he gets more than he ever planned on, including a spunky orphan who quickly steals his heart.
This was version two of the book’s cover. I liked the cowboy and the daisies, but the cover felt a bit too busy.
The new cover is fun, and Trent Thompson has an enormous cowboy hat, which makes me grin every time I look at it. Right now, the eBook is on sale for just 99 cents!
One lonesome cowboy needs a few lessons in romance…
Trent Thompson doesn’t have many secrets, except for the torch he’s carried for the new schoolteacher since she moved to Grass Valley more than three years ago. Instead of asking her out, he’s dated every single female in a thirty-mile radius, giving her the impression he holds no interest in knowing her.
Lindsay Pierce moved to Grass Valley to teach and quickly fell in love with the small community as well as the delightful people who live there. Everyone welcomes her warmly except for one obnoxious cowboy who goes out of his way to ignore her.
Will Trent be able to maintain the pretense when he has to babysit his niece, who happens to be in Lindsay’s class?
Romance is in the air as spring fever hits the Triple T Ranch!
The fifth book in the series,The Cowboy’s New Heart, was the last one to get a new cover.
This was the last cover the book had. It was okay, but I felt the couple needed to be a little more … vibrant.
Maybe I just really love the red pickup!
The heart doesn’t care about age…
Former bull-rider Hart Hammond spent twenty years building a business empire while successfully avoiding love. He buried his heart the same day he made his last bull ride and has vowed to never make the mistake of loving a woman again. Then he meets the beautiful mother of the fun-loving Thompson tribe.
Years after her husband died, Denni Thompson can’t bear to think of giving her heart to anyone else. With three newly married sons, a grandchild on the way, and a busy life, Denni doesn’t entertain any notions of romance until she encounters the handsome new owner of Grass Valley’s gas station.
Can a broken-hearted widow and a heartless cowboy find love?
This time of year brings thoughts of freshening things up to mind and my to-do list.
Are you tackling any projects this spring?
Painting? New throw pillows? Remodeling projects? Planting flowers or a garden?
In the Market for Love is a story of redemption, hope, second chances, forgiveness, and listening to your heart. It’s just that the hero was originally the evil twin of the hero in my book Capturing Christmas.
Try as I might, I couldn’t think of Ransom Kressley in terms of hero material.
But my readers could.
In fact, over the years, you’ve requested his story more than any other.
After I received another flood of requests after Christmas for Ransom to please get a happily ever after, I surrendered to the inevitable and decided to try seeing him in a new light.
The result is In the Market for Love . It has laughter, love, heartache, and heartwarming moments, and I hope if you give it a chance, it will make you smile (and maybe sigh a little at the sweet ending). You can even preview the first chapter here.
He’s never opened his heart to anyone. She wears her emotions on her sleeve. When romance blooms, will they realize love is what they both need?
Ransom Kressley possesses the gift of gab, striking good looks, and a blistering disdain for his family’s Idaho ranch where he resides with his father and identical twin brother. His genuine passion is football, but a knee injury shattered his dreams of an NFL career. After years of channeling his frustration and anger toward those who care about him most, Ransom resolves to change. He accepts a job in Portland as a promotions manager for an arena football team and eagerly steps into his new life. As he makes a fresh start, his past continues to plague him, interfering with his chance to get to know the woman who lingers in his thoughts.
Despite her sunny smile and tender spirit, Kelly Truman isn’t in the market for love or even a relationship when she agrees to have lunch with her best friend’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. Familiar only with Ransom Kressley’s notorious reputation, Kelly is determined to keep her guard up around him. However, Ransom proves to be nothing like she expected. Soon, she realizes she cherishes time spent with the man, but fears trusting him with her heart.
When their friendship evolves into something more, will Ransom’s charm and silver tongue split them apart or bind them together?
A sweet romance full of warmth and humor, In the Market for Love is a story of hope, forgiveness, and redemption.
In the story, Kelly’s favorite flowers are tulips.
For a chance to win a mystery prize,
just share your favorite spring flower and why you like it.
I’ve always enjoyed thinking about tough, seasoned lawmen turning as smooshy as a marshmallow when love grabs onto their hearts.
I featured three of those marshmallow-y men in my newest release – Lawmen and Love.
Three tough lawmen aren’t prepared for the moment when love arrives and turns their worlds upside down.
This boxed set contains three full-length sweet and wholesome romances full of heart, humor, and hope featuring courageous women and brave men who uphold the law.
Corsets and Cuffs – He never knew trouble had such a pretty face. She never knew the law could be so handsome and hardheaded.
Pampered and privileged, Brianna Dumont escapes the life she’s always known in an effort to clear her father’s good name. She arrives in Baker City, Oregon, intent on selling her father’s shares in a mine. Only the mine is a bust, her father’s partner is a crusty ol’ coot who hates women, and the sheriff in town is determined to keep her behind bars.
With good friends around him, a small ranch of his own, and a fulfilling job as sheriff, Tully Barrett loves his life. Then an exasperating woman shows up, making demands and driving him crazy. No matter how hard he tries to ignore her brains and beauty, she works her way under his skin.
When trouble follows her to Baker City, will Tully be able to protect her, along with his heart?
Caterina – She’s hiding her past. He’s determined to reveal the truth.
On the run from the Italian mafia, feisty Caterina Campanelli escapes New York City with the help of her brother and travels across the country. She ends up in the small, rugged town of Pendleton, Oregon, where she makes new friends and focuses on building her future as a chef. Completely unprepared for the passionate feelings inspired by the handsome deputy in town, the last thing she needs is for a man of the law, especially one so relentless and exasperating, to dig around in her past.
Dedicated to his work as a deputy, Kade Rawlings takes pride in his community and his job protecting it. Determined to remain single and unfettered, he finds himself unable to stay away from the Italian spitfire who rolls into town keeping secrets and making the best food he’s ever eaten. Using his charm, wit, and brawn, he may just get more than he bargained for when he sets out to win her trust and her heart.
Will Kade be able to keep Caterina safe when her past catches up to her?
Distracting the Deputy – He’s sworn to uphold the law. Her life is riddled with closely guarded secrets. When the past catches up to her, will she rush to him or run away?
When he’s not evading grabby-handed octogenarians, mentoring troubled teens, or rescuing rascally youngsters from disaster, Deputy Knox Strickland can be found upholding the law in the eastern Oregon region he patrols. He avoids making plans for tomorrow, focusing instead on doing his best today. Then one chance encounter with a beautiful woman in a wheat field turns his world upside down. Knox is left questioning what secrets she’s hiding, and how hard he’ll have to work to scale the fortress she’s built around her heart.
Zadie Redmond isn’t like most women. A life spent looking over her shoulder has destroyed the promising future she’d once envisioned. Her days are spent leading hunting and fishing adventures or teaching tiny ballerinas the proper way to plié. She fills her evenings with do-it-yourself projects while worrying about the day her past catches up with her. In an unexpected moment, the local deputy swoops into her world like a storybook hero and she knows nothing will ever be the same. Zadie will do anything to keep Knox safe from the danger lurking in the shadows, even if it destroys her chance at love.
Will Knox convince Zadie she can trust him with her secrets and her heart?
What is your favorite type of hero to read about?
Post your answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card and a digital copy of Lawmen and Love!
Last month, Captain Cavedweller and I took a trip to Kansas City for both work and fun.
One day, we drove to Independence, Missouri, and had a delightful time exploring the glorious Vaile Mansion.
The house is amazing from the outside. It was built for Colonel Harvey Merrick Vaile and his wife, Sophia.
The three-story Gothic-like structure is constructed of hand-pressed red brick, trimmed with white limestone and tall, narrow windows. Construction for the house began in 1871, with the house completed in 1881 at a cost of $150,000.
Colonel Vaile built his wealth by investing in several business ventures, primarily interests in the construction of the Erie Canal. He was also part-owner of Star Mail routes. He was a prominent figure in Independence social and business circles.
It was reported by the Kansas City Times to be “the most princely house and the most comfortable home in the entire west,” in an article in 1882. The mansion quickly became a showplace in the area and was a place many notables of the day visited.
The house was decked to the nines for the holidays when we were there, which delighted me to no end.
The mansion is reported to be one of the best examples of Second Empire style architecture in the United States. The house includes nine marble fireplaces.
The 31 room mansion also includes a fabulous music room, spectacular painted ceilings, flushing toilets, and a built-in 6,000 gallon water tank.
The painted ceilings were different in each room, and all works of art.
I was fascinated with the light globes in several of the rooms because each globe was slightly different. Some had scenes, others had florals and vines, but they were all lovely.
Colonel Vaile was involved in the Star Route scandal not long after moving into the house. He faced trials in 1882 and 1883. Although he was found not guilty, he had to spend more than $100,000 in trial expenses. In February 1883, while he was in Washington D.C., his wife, who had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, passed.
Although she only had a few years in the beautiful home, her touches are seen throughout the mansion. Vaile remained at the house until his death in 1894, although he never remarried.
The house changed hands many times over the following decades, becoming a sanatorium and then a nursing home. When the threat of demolition loomed, the property was acquired by the City of Independence and underwent a long-term restoration. The house is now a museum operated by the Vaile Victorian Society, a non-profit organization established in 1983 by local residents.
I’m so glad we had the opportunity to see this glorious house, attired in her finest holiday splendor.
If you enjoy stories about amazing homes, I hope you’ll check out A Christmas Dream. The house is among the many unforgettable characters in this sweet story.
He came to build the house of his dreams, but found a home for his heart.
After an extensive search for the ideal location to build a house he’s spent years designing, Brant Hudson knows he’s found the perfect site the moment he sets foot on the land near Silver Bluff, Oregon. However, frustrating delays leave him laboring alongside the very crew he hired to finish the house in time for Christmas. His work leads the woman who catches his eye to believe he’s a carpenter rather than the owner of the grand manor.
Holland Drake grew up on a farm, but she aspires to secure a position as a housemaid at Hudson House. While delivering lunch to her brother at the worksite, the door opens to a job when Holland encounters a strikingly handsome carpenter whose charm captivates her. Soon, Holland discovers the enchanting man is none other than the owner of the house and her new employer.
As the holiday season arrives amid a flurry of excitement and possibilities, Holland and Brant face choices that could change their lives forever. Will fear hold them back from stepping into the future together, or will their Christmas dreams of love come true?
A Christmas Dream is the first book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.
Have you ever visited a beautiful Victorian home, or a place you’d consider a dream home?
Or maybe you live in your dream home? What do you like best about it?
To stay up on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!
One of the first Christmas presents I remember receiving was an Easy Bake oven. While my mom rushed around trying to get ready for 40+ people to descend on our house for Christmas dinner, I sat up my little oven on the kitchen floor and baked a batch of cookies for my grandma.
I have so many wonderful memories of spending time in the kitchen baking with my mom, and I think that’s part of the reason I still enjoy it so much.
There’s also the fact that I enjoy a good cookie!
The recipe I’m sharing today will fill your house with the most decadent delightful scent as it bakes. I used to spend hours rolling out and frosting gingerbread which never turned out just like I hoped. Then I switched to making these Gingerbread Bars. It takes far less time and mess, and they always turn out great.
Gingerbread Bars
INGREDIENTS:
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ¼ cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups packed light-brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 bag white chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a 17×12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment cut to fit and coat parchment with spray.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and molasses. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars or use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Store in an airtight container.
Pro Tip: Spray your measuring cup with non-stick spray and the molasses will slide right out.
Yield: 3 dozen bars
If you want, you can cut shapes out of the bars (then someone has the task of eating those leftover pieces)!
Mostly because it’s true. I’m always on the lookout for funny tidbits or crazy happenings to include in my stories.
In my newest release, Mending Christmas, I incorporated several details I gleaned from conversations with friends.
In the story, Beth, the heroine, has a best friend with three little ones. She and Billy (the hero) end up babysitting them a few times.
I love writing about kids. There is just something so sweet and special and innocent about them that comes out in the things they do and say.
One day, a friend told me about a little girl she knew offering “bless yous” to someone who sneezed. It’s what she calls facial tissue. How sweet is that? I just loved it and had to include it in this story.
Another time, I was visiting with friends who have a baby. Apparently while the mama was gone for a much-needed day out with her sister, the daddy was doing his best to keep their nine-month-old entertained. He said in the time it took him to turn around, the baby disappeared and he found him sitting on the bathroom floor, happily gnawing on the toilet brush. So funny – and gross! And now part of this story!
For a while, my nephew decided to refer to his baby brother as Tiny Little baby Olaf. If you called the baby by name, he would correct you and tell you the name was Tiny Little Baby Olaf. When he is all grown up, I fully intend to whip that memory out and share with him. For now, it’s what the toddler in this story calls his baby sister.
Even my own Captain Cavedweller unwittingly got in on the story sharing. When he was in elementary school, the students were supposed to perform the square dance they’d been practicing for weeks at the Parent Teacher Association meeting. The night of the performance, he was in his room, playing, and all of a sudden remembered he was supposed to be at the school. At the time, his family only lived a few blocks from the school, so without telling his parents where he was going or what he was doing, he dashed outside, ran to the school, did the performance in the T-shirt and sneakers he had on, and ran back home before anyone even knew he was gone. So I had Billy share that memory with Beth.
It’s so fun to take real life “facts” and work them into fiction.
I hope you’ll check out Mending Christmas. It’s a sweet, funny, feel-good, warm-your-heart romance.
He’s reckless.
She’s cautious.
When life throws them together, will love mend the broken pieces of their hearts?
Injuries are an inevitable part of the job for rodeo bullfighter Billy Clark. But when a feisty bull tosses him over the fence, Billy lands at the feet of a captivating woman. In that moment, he concludes the pain might be a small price to pay just to experience her gentle touch again. Having grown up as an orphan, Billy has struggled with loneliness his whole life. Yet, the way this woman gazes at him ignites a flicker of hope that he might one day find love.
After years of working in a bustling big city emergency room, Dr. Beth Moore desperately needs a break. She retreats to Twin Falls, Idaho, and settles into the house she recently inherited from her grandfather. When her best friend, Sierra, talks her into attending a local rodeo, Beth never expected to have an injured cowboy land at her feet much less to be so attracted to the charming man.
Concerned about Billy’s recovery, Beth travels with the rodeo stock company to keep an eye on him, while he unwittingly teaches her about the importance of embracing happiness. Will their budding friendship begin to mend the broken pieces of their hearts?
Mending Christmas is a wholesome holiday western filled with heartfelt moments, humor, and a tender romance.
What’s something silly, funny, or crazy you’ve experienced or heard about in real life?
Post your answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card and a digital copy of Mending Christmas!
I’m excited to share with you my new Christmas books. It’s been a busy writing year. I’ve published 13 new books this year, as well as a few short stories, and I’ve loved writing each one of them!
Last December, Captain Cavedweller and I were able to cross one trip off our travel bucket list – seeing the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. That visit inspired me to write a new holiday series of books set in a beautiful home on the Columbia River in Oregon. The four books follow four generations of the Hudson family, beginning with Brant Hudson, who builds Hudson House, and the feisty woman who captures his heart.
He came to build the house of his dreams, but found a home for his heart.
After an extensive search for the ideal location to build a house he’s spent years designing, Brant Hudson knows he’s found the perfect site the moment he sets foot on the land near Silver Bluff, Oregon. However, frustrating delays leave him laboring alongside the very crew he hired to finish the house in time for Christmas. His work leads the woman who catches his eye to believe he’s a carpenter rather than the owner of the grand manor.
Holland Drake grew up on a farm, but she aspires to secure a position as a housemaid at Hudson House. While delivering lunch to her brother at the worksite, the door opens to a job when Holland encounters a strikingly handsome carpenter whose charm captivates her. Soon, Holland discovers the enchanting man is none other than the owner of the house and her new employer.
As the holiday season arrives amid a flurry of excitement and possibilities, Holland and Brant face choices that could change their lives forever. Will fear hold them back from stepping into the future together, or will their Christmas dreams of love come true?
A Christmas Dream is the first book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.
Will Christmas spark a romance that blooms into lasting love?
After losing his brother and part of himself on a French battlefield during the Great War, Kase Hudson seeks refuge from the haunting memories at his childhood home. He finds solace in carving wooden Santa figurines in his workshop in the stables that he sends to gift shops to sell. Kase distances himself from his family’s unwanted sympathy until his sister, Sarah, arrives for the holidays with her vibrant friend. He never expected beautiful Dori to breathe warmth and joy into the house right along with his heart.
With no family of her own, photographer Dori Stanford eagerly accepts Sarah Hudson’s invitation to join her for Christmas at her family’s home in Oregon. The two friends travel from their college in California to Silver Bluff, excited to spend the holidays at Hudson House. Once they arrive, Dori makes it her mission to connect with Sarah’s sullen brother, Kase, and draws him into the wonder of the season.
Will her persistence and encouragement be the spark Kase needs to step out of the past and into his future—possibly one that includes Dori?
A Christmas Spark is the second book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.
Will a Christmas romance lead two searching hearts to a lifetime love?
Bound to the Hudson House family estate, Vienna Hudson strives to uphold the legacy her grandparents established. When she’s not busy preserving her heritage or managing the family corporation, she steals away for horseback rides across the sprawling grounds—until a chance encounter with a handsome stranger turns her world upside down.
Surveyor Sam Bishop is tasked with plotting a new interstate through the Silver Bluff area. He faces a significant challenge when his calls to an elusive landowner go unanswered, prompting an impromptu visit to Hudson House. Excited to explore the beautiful acreage, nothing could prepare him for Vienna’s fiery welcome—armed with a pistol and a courageous spirit.
As holiday bells ring across the estate, Vienna and Sam work together to navigate the complexities of both the road project and the ever-evolving feelings dancing between them. Will the pair find a way to embrace their unexpected connection? Or will the pressures of responsibility and ambition tear them apart before they realize love is the most precious gift of the season?
A Christmas Love is the third book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.
A heartfelt holiday tale of a family’s legacy that leads two hearts to love.
Reeling from the recent death of his father, Alex Hudson returns to Silver Bluff to protect his family’s legacy. Upon reaching Hudson House, he discovers the once-vibrant estate all but abandoned. On top of that, his conniving aunts seem intent on seizing his inheritance. In search of support, Alex turns to a local attorney. There, he meets a woman who becomes an ally, friend, and the one person who can give him hope and a place to belong.
Nori Laroux enjoys working as a partner at her father’s law firm. However, when he entrusts an important client to her care, Nori finds herself grappling with her feelings for Alex Hudson from the moment they meet. Committed to protecting his inheritance, she is determined to help Alex preserve the legacy of Hudson House, even if it means risking her own heart in the process.
When Alex suggests the idea of reopening the historic home for a Christmas celebration, Nori and her family eagerly step in to help deck the halls and fill Hudson House with cheer.
Will the holiday season bring Alex and Nori to the discovery that hope is a special gift and that love is the most treasured of all?
A Christmas Hope is the fourth book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.
I also have a new book in my Rodeo Romance series.
It was so fun to write because the heroes are funny guys and Mending Christmas includes a few scenes of Billy (the hero) and Beth (the heroine) babysitting her best friend’s three lively youngsters. The book releases December 12!
When life throws them together, will love mend the broken pieces of their hearts?
Injuries are an inevitable part of the job for rodeo bullfighter Billy Clark. But when a feisty bull tosses him over the fence, Billy lands at the feet of a captivating woman. In that moment, he concludes the pain might be a small price to pay just to experience her gentle touch again. Having grown up as an orphan, Billy has struggled with loneliness his whole life. Yet, the way this woman gazes at him ignites a flicker of hope that he might one day find love.
After years of working in a bustling big city emergency room, Dr. Beth Moore desperately needs a break. She retreats to Twin Falls, Idaho, and settles into the house she recently inherited from her grandfather. When her best friend, Sierra, talks her into attending a local rodeo, Beth never expected to have an injured cowboy land at her feet much less to be so attracted to the charming man.
Concerned about Billy’s recovery, Beth travels with the rodeo stock company to keep an eye on him, while he unwittingly teaches her about the importance of embracing happiness. Will their budding friendship begin to mend the broken pieces of their hearts?
Mending Christmas is a wholesome holiday western filled with heartfelt moments, humor, and a tender romance.
I also wrote a brand new short story for this collection of historical Christian romances from a group of amazing authors, including our own Karen Witemeyer!
The best part – it’s free!
Beneath A Christmas Sky is my contribution. If you’ve read any of my Pendleton Petticoats stories, you’ll be thrilled to see old friends, like Riley and Bertie Walsh and Steve the Mule, make appearances in this heartwarming holiday romance.
Provide your best caption for the picture below – humorous, thoughtful or poignant – to be entered in the drawing.
All entries will be eligible for our oh-so-beautiful Grand Prize, too!
