Today is Release Day for my contribution to the Sleigh Ride Series…Here’s “A Sleigh Ride For Claire”!
He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever met! She was a busybody who stuck her nose in his business at every turn!
With Christmas on the horizon, Claire McAllister has far too much to do to entertain dreams of a husband and family. Even if she feels inclined to help Lincoln Wyse outwit his three mischievous young daughters, it’s impossible to imagine the handsome widower seeing her as anything but a scolding schoolteacher.
Even though the pretty schoolteacher never turned a favorable eye to him, Linc Wyse’s heart skipped a beat whenever she pinned him with her mesmerizing green eyes. Beautiful or not, Claire McAllister was a meddling spinster who placed judgments on him and his family.
Yet, neither one can imagine how three little, mischievous matchmakers and a magical Christmas Eve sleigh ride will open their eyes to love…or how the Lord will awaken their faith and hope.
Back in June, we had company coming. Friends I’d made online, but had yet to meet in person.
So, of course, I decided I wanted to make several thing I’d never made before, like a corn salad. I browsed through dozens of recipes but couldn’t find one I liked. I ended up making my own recipes.
Turns out, that was a tasty decision!
Corn Salad
INGREDIENTS
2 large ears fresh corn
4 strips bacon
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/4 cup Olive Garden Italian Dressing
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cook bacon 15-20 minutes until crisp and browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain grease. When cool enough to touch, dab away grease and crumble into small pieces. Reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Shuck corn and remove silk strands. Add corn to boiling water. Cover and cook about five minutes. Remove from heat, drain hot water, and immerse in cold water to stop cooking process.
Pat cobs dry and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. (I’ve found it’s easiest to hold cobs at an angle to remove kernels. My mom had one of those handy-dandy tools you set over the top of a cob on a cutting board, pushed it down, and it removed all the kernels lickety-split.)
Place corn kernels and bacon in a mixing or serving bowl. Drizzle with the bacon grease (just trust me on this!). Add Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salad dressing. Season with salt. Stir to combine ingredients, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. It gives the flavors time to blend. When ready to serve, sprinkle more Parmesan cheese and parsley on top of the bowl (optional).
NOTES: If you are in a hurry, you can use frozen corn instead of fresh, and substitute bacon bits for just-cooked bacon. You can also use dried parsley instead of fresh. If you can’t find Olive Garden Italian Dressing, make your own with this copycat recipe.
Seaside is a town that bustles with tourists during the summer season. It’s right on the rugged Oregon coast with miles of beautiful beaches right on the water.
The first inhabitants of the area were Clatsop Native Americans. They lived there for centuries until explorers arrived in the 1700s, seeking a water route across the continent. They are first mentioned in written history in 1792 by a merchant captain named Robert Gray. He explored 20 miles up the Columbia River, and named it after his ship “Columbia.” Sadly, the explorers and merchants brought smallpox along with them. By the time the first European settlers arrive in the area, only around 250 tribe members remained.
The famous Lewis and Clark Expedition—the Corps of Discovery—also visited Seaside. In November 1805, they reached the Pacific Coast and set up a winter camp near the mouth of the Columbia River. They’d run out of salt, so an expedition of three men were sent to find a place to establish a salt-making operation.
They established the salt-making camp in what would become present-day Seaside where they boiled 1,400 gallons of seawater to make four bushels of salt for their trip home. Today, a recreation of the original gives visitors a glimpse into the salt camp of the past. Lewis and Clark’s expedition is memorialized in a huge statue at the center of Seaside’s round-about at the end of Broadway, the busiest street in town that leads down to the beach.
John Jacob Astor was the next to come to the area. In 1811, he established a fur trading post and Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River. By the early 1820s, people arrived and began forming permanent settlements and claiming land in the Seaside area. However, the city was not incorporated until 1899.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, going to Oregon’s beaches from Portland wasn’t an easy trip.
Trunks were hauled down from attic storage. Bathing suits were cleaned and repaired. Bed linens, clothing, toys, food supplies, and cooking utensils were packed. The adventure was at least a week long and it could last all summer. Prior to 1890, the main means of travel were river boats down the Columbia River to Astoria, or by horseback and stagecoach. It was an all-day trip. Hotels were limited, and vacationers rented cottages or set up tents and camped.
After 1890, a train connected Portland to Seaside. It cut the travel time in half, even though the trip included the Ecola Toll Road with 111 motion sickness-inducing curves. Because the trip wasn’t easy or simple, families who could afford it would often stay in cottages all summer with the fathers commuting on the weekends on what became known as “daddy trains.”
Seaside grew. Hotels were constructed. A highway along the Columbia River opened in 1920, making travel even easier.
August 7, 1921, was a memorable day in Seaside. A new promenade that stretched for a mile and a half was dedicated in a ceremony that brought thousands of people to town. Visitors flocked to the area for the proceedings. Oregon State dignitaries and politicians traveled from the capitol to give grand speeches and join the throngs of merry makers. The dedication of The Prom, as it would become known, was held with parades, cornet and trumpet orchestras, and fox-trotting into the wee hours at the dance halls on Broadway. Today, people still stroll along vintage lamp-lit walk watching the waves caress the shore.
During the 1920s until World War II, Seaside was a popular place for musicians to stop along the West Coast, with names such as Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller among the most popular acts.
In 1942, Seaside witnessed the shelling of Fort Stevens by a Japanese submarine in the only attack on a mainland American military site during World War II. It happened June 21, 1942. After covertly following American fishing vessels to bypass minefields, a Japanese submarine entered the mouth of the Columbia River. It surfaced near Fort Stevens, an old Army base that dated back to the Civil War. Just before midnight, the submarine used its deck gun to fire 17 shells at the fort. Wisely, the commander of Fort Stevens ordered his men not to return fire, fearful the muzzle flashes of the fort’s guns would reveal their position. The plan worked, and the bombardment quickly ended. A nearby baseball field bore the brunt of the damage.
Seaside survived a tsunami that swarmed the coast March 27, 1964. A 9.2-magnitude earthquake hit near Alaska and sent waves down the West Coast. According to local legend, some people dancing at a club in town noticed water rising to their ankles. Thinking a pipe had burst, the dancers went outside to find water streaming through town ,carrying along debris from destroyed buildings.
Today, Seaside continues to be a popular tourist destination with many historic buildings and landmarks near the sandy beach where visitors can take in spectacular sunsets.
Just like those in my soon-to-release book Sunset Shore.
An artist, a fire chief, and a troubled teen team up to track down an arsonist.
Hallie Hart roams the country seeking inspiration for her cyanotype creations. After deciding to spend the summer in Seaside on the rugged Oregon coast, she unexpectedly encounters the fire chief, a man who captivates her. Despite her hesitancy to set down roots, she forges friendships, discovers a newfound sense of belonging in Seaside, and treasures the love blossoming in her heart.
Seaside Fire Chief Sloan Davis faces a daunting challenge as an elusive arsonist escalates from dumpster fires to burning buildings. Amid the chaos, Sloan crosses paths with a spirited traveling artist. Their immediate attraction sparks a tender romance, making him realize Hallie is everything he’s been missing in his life.
Forced to spend the summer with his aunt in Seaside, Dellas Reeves fights his boredom by following fire trucks out on calls. While his admiration for the first responders grows, he unwittingly becomes entangled in an arsonist’s scheme.
As they join forces to unravel the mystery surrounding the arsonist, their bonds deepen. When Hallie gets too close to the truth, will Sloan and Dellas be able to save her before the arsonist adds murder to growing list of charges?
Find out in this wholesome small-town romance full of hope, love, memorable characters, mystery, and humor.
Today, you can get the prequel to my Love on the Beach series (Sunset Shore is book 2) for just 99 cents. I hope you’ll check out Rose and Moonlight Cove!
Just for fun, I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of both
Rose and Moonlight Cove to once lucky winner! To enter, share your favorite beach location
My latest release, a wholesome historical romance set in World War I, just released July 11.
Mollyis the story of an American Expeditionary Forces Signal Corps switchboard operator (also known as a Hello Girl) and a soldier who is tough yet tender.
When I was researching information for Sadie’s story, the first WWI book I wrote, I discovered a little information about the Hello Girls who served during World War I.
I thought it would be an incredible thing for Molly, Sadie’s sister, to become one of the Hello Girls. When I dove into the research for this book, I learned so much about these amazing women! They were intelligent, impressive, and inspiring. Although it took them sixty years to be recognized by the Army in which they served, they are credited with opening the door to women serving in the U.S. Army.
In April 1917, America declared war on Germany and joined World War I. Soon after, General John J. Pershing was tasked with leading the American Expeditionary Forces (which would become the US Army) and went to France to begin the arduous task of preparing for the arrival of American soldiers. He had an overwhelming task ahead of him and soon realized a better telephone system was needed, as well as highly trained operators. In America at that time, most switchboard operators were women.
For the most part, men operating the switchboards lacked the patience, courteousness, and the dexterity to connect calls at a rapid pace. If someone called in yelling orders in their ear, they were just as inclined to hang up as transfer the call. The French operators didn’t always understand English and often lacked the sense of urgency for the call. Calls were delayed, or not placed at all. The need for American women to operate the switchboards for the Army became quite clear.
Advertisements were placed in newspapers across the country in late 1917 and early 1918 asking for women who were fluent in both French and English and could understand French spoken on a telephone line, since the switchboards were connected to the French government as well as the American military in France. The call to “serve your country” as telephone operators was answered by 7,600 women. Although there were age requirements, some of the girls fudged a bit, afraid they’d be turned down. More than 400 women were trained, and 223 were sent to France, becoming the first women to directly contribute to combat operations in American history.
Hello Girls
They were the first women in the Army.
When the first unit arrived in France in March 1918, under the leadership of Chief Operator Grace Banker (who was an amazing individual), it was taking an average of sixty seconds for a call to be placed.
Grace Banker
Under the leadership of Grace, the average call placement time dropped to ten seconds. By the end of the war, the Hello Girls had connected over twenty-six million calls.
The girls didn’t all go at once. There were seven units, but the Armistice was signed before the girls in the seventh group could leave New York. The sixth unit arrived in October. I chose to make Molly part of the fourth unit because of their arrival time in France in July. It worked so well with my story’s timeline.
The girls were required to purchase their own uniforms, which was an expensive endeavor. In today’s money, the uniforms would have cost around $5,000-$6,000. The uniforms made them a functioning unit, and helped in their integration.
The Hello Girls were given orders to wear their uniforms at all times, to not socialize with civilians or privates, and to not keep journals or diaries (thank goodness some of them, like Grace Banker, broke the rules and recorded details so important to history!).
Some of the girls served in cities where they had pleasant accommodations and a Y.W.C.A. hostess to keep an eye on them. Other girls were in quaint villages, several of them sharing a house or room. Then there were the girls who ended up in tar paper shacks lined with newspaper and discarded maps to keep out the weather.
Grace Banker and a handful of operators were on the front lines. At one point, their barracks caught fire, and the women went on with their duties while soldiers rescued their belongings. Grace later found her toothbrush in a shoe.
More than thirty of the women received individual commendations, and Grace Banker was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
The girls wrote about the importance of their duty. How one transferred call could save a life, or an entire battalion.
The AEF honored the Signal Corps girls with a special memento booklet for Christmas 1918. They also took up a collection to purchase gifts for them.
When the war ended, the work of the Signal Corps women was still needed. Slowly, over the months of 1919, they began to return home. The last girls left France in 1920.
Their return home was not what they expected. Despite serving under commissioned officers, wearing military discs of identification (the World War I equivalent of dog tags), wearing rank insignia on the sleeves of their uniforms with Army buttons, swearing the Army Oath, being subject to courts-martial—after all that, the Hello Girls were informed they were “civilian contractors” instead of soldiers. The Army attorneys argued the women recruited to the Signal Corps were civilian employees “engaged under contract,” although none of the girls signed a contract. They were treated, for all intents and purposes, like they were part of the Army while they served, then ignored by the military when they returned. Because the Army refused to acknowledge them as soldiers, they were not eligible for bonuses, insurance, medical care, military burials, or any of the things the military afforded the men who served in World War I.
Merle Egan was a telephone operator from Helena, Montana, who arrived in France with the fifth unit. She returned home and immediately submitted a claim for the sixty-dollar bonus granted to members of the AEF, only to be denied and told she was a civilian, not part of the Army.
The next sixty years, Merle, and some of the other women, fought a battle for the Army to recognize their service as soldiers. More than fifty bills granting veteran status to the Hello Girls were introduced in Congress, but none passed. Finally, with help from different veterans’ groups and the National Organization for Women, along with a Seattle attorney who took an interest in Merle’s efforts, the Hello Girls received veteran status when Jimmy Carter signed the legislation on November 23, 1977.
It would take until 1979 before the official discharge papers were presented. By then, only eighteen of the women were still alive, but Merle was one of them. She died in 1986 as a veteran of the U.S. Army.
After researching these incredible women and reading their stories, I can’t begin to express how truly magnificent they were. They served with dignity, grace, determination, bravery, and professionalism, and they inspired the next generation of women who would serve in World War II.
There was even a touching, beautiful poem written about them entitled “To the Telephone Girl” written by Frances A. Johnson. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it.
Right now, you can support a Congressional Gold Medal for the Hello Girls, America’s First Women Soldiers. You’ll find all the details at this website with links to each state. It doesn’t cost a penny to add your support, and only takes a few minutes.
Inspired by the Hello Girls, America’s first women soldiers who helped win World War I.
She longs to make a difference. He yearns to claim her heart.
After years of managing the Pendleton telephone office, Molly Thorsen answers the call for women to serve as telephone operators during World War I. Upon her arrival in France, she navigates the challenges of working near the front lines and battles the prejudices and skepticism of the men around her. Determined to prove her worth and skill, Molly faces adversity head-on while unexpectedly falling in love with a charming soldier.
Friday Fitzpatrick may not have been eager to engage in combat, but when he is drafted into the American Expeditionary Forces, he embraces the role of a soldier with unwavering determination. While fighting to survive the harrowing battlefield experiences, he clings to his sanity by dreaming about the captivating Hello Girl who has captured his heart. Though his opportunities to see her are limited, she serves as a beacon of hope in the midst of his darkest days.
Through their shared experiences and the trials they endure, Molly and Friday find comfort and encouragement in each other’s company, forging a connection that defies the chaos of a world in conflict. As the war draws to a close and they return home, will civilian life bring them together or pull them apart?
Find out in this sweet and wholesome historical romance filled with hope, faith, courage, and love.
To celebrate the release of the book, I’m giving away a fun prize pack that includes autographed copies of Sadie and Molly, swag, and this wonderful children’s book about Grace Banker and the Hello Girls.
When I was researching historical details to incorporate into Luna, my sweet romance that releases July 2, I happened across an article about a train robbery that took place in July 1914.
The timing was perfect for my story set during the summer of 1914. And how exciting to have my hero and heroine on a train that was getting robbed! It’s referred to as one of the last Wild West train robberies, and one of the last that had a six-shooter involved in the shoot-out. It was such a newsworthy event, newspapers all over the region carried the story of the robbers who picked the wrong train.
Clarence Stoner
Clarence Stoner was a cousin to two of the West’s notorious outlaws, Hugh and Charles Whitney, and a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch gang in Wyoming.
Albert MeadorsCharles Manning
In the summer of 1914, he was in Oregon, running around with a gambler named Charles Manning and an outlaw sheepman from Kentucky named Albert Meadors.
The three of them hatched a plan to rob Train No. 5, an Oregon & Washington Railway Navigation Co. passenger train. In real life, the robbery happened in the middle of the night, but I couldn’t figure out a reason to put my characters on the train then, so I took a bit of creative license with the timeline and made it the afternoon.
The would-be robbers received word the train would be carrying a big payroll in the express car. The point where they planned to rob the train was a bit of genius. They chose a remote spot between Kamela and Meacham, at the summit of the Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon. The train would slow down there to check its brakes, and that’s when they planned to rob the train.
When the train neared the summit and slowed to check the brakes, out came the guns, and the outlaws set their plans in motion. They collected all the train crew members, starting at the back of the train. One of the porters was shining shoes when he was forced to leave his post at gunpoint, and reportedly carried the shoe in his hand all the way to the baggage car where the outlaws would keep the crew. As they moved through the train, Manning pulled the emergency stop, and the train came to rest a few dozen yards past the crest of the summit, nose down on a 2.5 percent winding downhill grade with the airbrakes locked (for those who are train aficionados – yes, that was a very bad thing!).
Stoner went forward to get the engineer and fireman, bringing them back to the locked baggage car. Manning approached the express car and demanded entry. The clerk opened the door, and Manning soon learned there was no money inside. The outlaws were robbing the wrong train.
Instead of cutting their losses and disappearing, they decided to rob the passengers. Stoner was left to guard the train crew at the baggage car while Manning and Meadors started going through the passenger cars, stealing money and jewelry.
It just so happened that one of the passengers was Morrow County Deputy Sheriff George McDuffy. He watched as the robbers made their way toward him, waiting until they were distracted, then pulled his single-action six-shooter.
Who shot first varies, depending on which account of the event you read, but Manning shot McDuffy in the chest and the bullet hit his pencil case, which likely saved his life. Reportedly, McDuffy shot Manning through the heart, and the second shot hit close to the first. A third shot to the head ended the outlaw’s life. McDuffy’s shots, though, filled the car with smoke and made it hard to see.
Meadors escaped and was reportedly heard yelling at Stoner to run.
The outlaws had purchased a getaway car. It isn’t clear if the car was stolen, they couldn’t find it, or the getaway driver took off, but when Meadors and Stoner got back to where the car was supposed to be, it was gone, and they were left to escape on foot. They were caught walking along the railroad tracks twenty miles from the scene of the crime.
Thankfully, the brakes held until the train could get underway, otherwise the entire load of passengers and crew may have died in a train crash that day.
As for the two outlaws, Stoner reformed himself when he got out of prison and lived a fairly normal life, purchasing a farm in Idaho and leaving his career in crime behind him. Meaders was just getting started on a life of crime. After the train robbery, he was in and out of prison for any number of crimes including burglary, bootlegging, and even manslaughter.
Deputy Sheriff McDuffy was hailed as a hero and was able to return to his home after spending time recovering at the hospital in Pendleton. You can read about the robbery in an article on Offbeat Oregon, or old newspaper articles.
And you can read about Hunter and Luna, my hero and heroine, and their experiences during the robbery in Luna, coming July 2!
She’s searching for peace and grace
He’s ready to step into his next big adventure
Haunted by memories of the fateful day that changed her life, Luna Campanelli seeks a fresh start in Pendleton, Oregon. Life in the wild western town is nothing like she imagined, although the rugged beauty of the area soothes her troubled spirit. An unlikely friendship with one of the area ranch hands lifts her hopes, until she discovers the cowboy isn’t who he’s led her to believe.
Hunter Douglas didn’t intend to hide his identity from the woman he met on the train, but when she assumed he was his sister’s hired hand, he didn’t correct her. He never anticipated forming such a deep connection to her, especially when thoughts of her continue to infiltrate his carefully made plans. As a recent college graduate with an inheritance he intends to use to start his own ranch in Pendleton, Hunter must decide if he is willing to open his heart and include Luna in his future.
Will they embrace the unexpected love that has blossomed between them, or let fear tear them apart?
This sweet and wholesome romance is a story of love, healing, and the power of hope in a delightful western setting. Join Luna and Hunter on their journey as they discover what it truly means to love unconditionally.
What would you do if you found yourself in the midst of a train robbery?
Share your answer for a chance to win a mystery prize!
It’s my turn to share some of my favorite things. I could tell you about my favorite flowers (roses!), my favorite candy (dark chocolate and Peanut M&Ms), my favorite season (any but winter), or my favorite book (can’t pick just one!), but instead, I thought I’d share some favorite things that make my life easier, prettier, or better.
Our nephew moved in with us in September which meant I had two guys spilling stuff all over my tablecloths at mealtime. I tried placemats, but that still meant messes to wash away. I resorted to a plastic tablecloth.
I know. I know!
I was skeptical when I ordered this one, because plastic tablecloths aren’t generally nice. The ones I could find locally were thin, with the tacky pieces of backing that look terrible, and not of good (or even acceptable) quality.
I started searching online and found this tablecloth that had a bunch of good reviews. When it arrived, I was pleasantly and happily surprised. It is super thick, very nice quality. The floral pattern looks exactly like it does in the photo, and the scalloped edging is so pretty. It comes in several sizes and colors. I would not hesitate at all to recommend this to anyone, especially if you are tired to scrubbing BBQ stains out of your tablecloths. Wipe this with a damp cloth and you are good to go!
When we remodeled the kitchen, I bought one of these little silicone trays to keep my soap bottle in by the sink. Then I bought another one, and another one, and …
You get the idea.
In addition to using it by the sink to hold the soap bottles, I use them to hold bottles of stuff that might make a potential mess in a cabinet or pantry, like olive oil bottles, syrup bottles, etc. If they do get dirty, they are easy to wash by hand, or stick them in the dishwasher.
Speaking of silicone, this mathas been so, so handy next to my sink. We live in the country and have really hard water that leaves behind hard water residue everywhere. I have one of these mats right next to the sink on the dishwasher side where water tends to get dripped from hands and dishes. It’s easy to keep clean by wiping it down, and it keeps the hard water from building up on my counter. A big win!
One day last month, I was searching for a box to hold a special gift for a friend. Not just any old box would do. Which is when I found this one that looks like a book. The wooden box is covered in a soft, rich velvety material. I liked it so much, I ended up keeping it and getting a different box for my friend. For now, the box holds a bunch of little promotional booklets from the early 1900s that Captain Cavedweller gave me.
I don’t always have time to exercise, even though I know I should. I was looking for something I could do while multi-tasking, and came upon the DeskCycle. Oh, my goodness. I love this thing! It’s easy to use, has different settings, and it fits beneath my desk. While I still don’t pedal as many miles as I should in a day, it really is fun to use.
So there’s my list of random favorite things for the month of May.
How about you? What item is making your life easier, prettier, or better this month?
I don’t know about you, but I love it when the lilacs bloom. I mean, really LOVE it!
The flowers, from the deep purples, to the creamiest whites, make me so happy. They make me think of spring, and bring to mind memories of picking them for my mom for Mother’s Day, and gathering them from my grandpa’s garden.
Their scent isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I find that fragrance to be glorious.
A few years ago, I wrote a story about a bride-to-be who wanted a spring wedding filled with lilacs in memory of her mother.
Then it seemed like nature and everything else conspired against her getting the wedding of her dreams.
Just when it looks like it will all fall apart, some meddling octogenarians (like fairy godmothers who need cholesterol meds and Aspercreme) come to the rescue.
For a limited time, you can get Lilac Bride for just 99 cents. If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you’ll give it a whirl!
When wedding plans go awry, wily matchmakers come to the rescue . . .
Katherine Kelly has been dreaming of her wedding since she was old enough to cut pictures out of magazines and glue them into her bridal binder. When Kaden, the handsome cowboy who holds her heart, proposes on a snowy Christmas Eve, she couldn’t envision anything more perfect or romantic. The spring date is set, all the nuptial details have been meticulously arranged, and she only has six weeks to go before the big day. Then, in a blink, her carefully formed plans begin to rapidly unravel. A freak snowstorm, rampaging rodents, and a lost wedding gown are only the beginning of the troubles they face.
Cowboy entrepreneur Kaden Ford still can’t quite believe Katherine Kelly agreed to marry him. She’s beautiful, elegant, intelligent, and the woman who fills his heart with joy. He doesn’t care if they get married in a cathedral or a cabin in the woods. All he wants is to spend his life loving Kat. But when faced with one overwhelming challenge after another, will love be enough to hold them together?
Find out in this sweet, charming, small-town romance full of laughter, love, and scheming octogenarian matchmakers.
When I was thinking about the third book in my Winter Wishes series, I knew who the heroine would be. She was the former love of the hero in the second book, Sleigh Bell Serenade. Olivia Burton left town quite suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving Bo with a broken heart. Thankfully, he’s moved on and is ready to find his happily ever after – eventually.
Anyway, I knew Olivia needed her own sweet romance and the opportunity to fall in love. The only questions was what hero would be perfect for her.
I happened to see a cover Covers and Cupcakes had for sale one day and it just screamed “buy me for Olivia’s story!” so I did. Who was I to argue with a screaming book cover?
So, after studying the guy on the cover, the story for our hero, Alex Adams started to take shape in my thoughts.
Turns out, Alex is a veteran, dealing with PTSD, and in desperate need of peace and quiet away from his well-meaning but suffocating family. Alex heads to the wintery mountain town of Pinehill with his dog, Dude. (Yes, the dog’s name is Dude and every time I type it, I might smile.)
Olivia has returned to Pinehill to take over the medical practice there when the old doctor who was her mentor wants to retire. Although her teenage self had vowed to never return to her hometown, she finds she doesn’t detest living there as much as she anticipated.
When Dude eats something he shouldn’t, Alex races to the clinic and begs Olivia to help his dog (there isn’t a veterinarian in town). She does, swears him to secrecy, and the two of them begin to form a tenuous bond.
She never wanted to return to her hometown. He needed an escape from his family. When a chance meeting brings them together, will their attraction keep them from drifting apart?
Doctor Olivia Burton never intended to return to her hometown of Pinehill. After graduating high school, she set off on a new path, eager to leave her past behind. However, years later, an unexpected phone call from her mentor pulls her back to Pinehill to take over a thriving medical practice as the town’s primary physician. Determined to avoid the local gossip mill, Olivia attempts to keep a low profile as she settles back into the community.
Alex Adams is desperate for an escape from his well-meaning but suffocating family. After a life-altering explosion ended his military career, he finds himself plagued with post-traumatic stress disorder. Surrounded by his loud and overbearing family only intensifies his struggles. Seeking respite, he retreats to his aunt’s mountain cabin in Pinehill, desperate for peace and quiet.
When a chance encounter brings Alex and Olivia together, the sparks begin to fly. Olivia, cautious and hesitant to let anyone into her guarded heart, begins to question if it’s time to leave her past behind and embrace the possibility of a winter wonderland romance. Alex, yearning for connection and understanding, finds himself drawn to Olivia’s warmth and kindness.
As they spend more time together, will Olivia and Alex discover that love, much like freshly fallen snow, has a way of blanketing everything in a layer of beauty?
Uncover the joys that come with new beginnings, the transformative power of love, and the magic that can be found in the simplest moments in this sweet, wholesome, and tender romance.
If you could stroll through a Winter Wonderland,
where would it be and who would be with you?
Share your answer for a chance to win a digital copy of all three books
He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever met!
