Taming Lady Temperance

Meet James & Noreen

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He’s a deputy tasked with keeping the peace. She’s the temperance reformer who’s been disturbing his peace for months. Yet despite their differences, these two rivals need each other more than they care to admit.

Taming Lady Temperance releases next Tuesday (woot!), and I can’t wait to introduce you to Deputy James Paxton and fiery Noreen O’Sullivan. I love a spunky heroine, and Noreen is as spunky as you can get. She’s determined to shut down the saloon and cares not a fig if the entire male populace of Albany, Texas considers her a menace. She’ll speak her mind to anyone who will listen and even to those who won’t. She’s a spinster and proud of it. No man to tell her what to do or to steal her freedom. After growing up with a drunkard father who was a little too free with his fists, she believes herself called by God to make a difference in her community and spare other families the trials she and her mother endured.
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James, on the other hand, is a middle child who has always been a peacemaker. I even gave him the surname of Paxton because it means peaceful settlement. He is a man of integrity, who uses his charisma to diffuse tense situations. He’s devoted to upholding the law and aspires to be sheriff one day. The town council tasks him with keeping the obnoxious temperance woman under control. Despite the fact that he admires her grit, he can’t afford to be seen as Noreen’s ally by the half of the town who can actually vote. Yet the more he interacts with her, the more he discovers that a kind and wounded heart beats beneath the militant exterior–a heart he’s coming to admire. Perhaps her passion for change is the spice his routine life needs. And maybe his penchant for calm can help her tame the destructive forces at war within her.


James and Noreen’s story is the first installment of my new Secret Society of Spinsters series. In addition to heartfelt romance, you’ll also uncover danger, a mystery villain, and a coded handkerchief exchange. 😉

Some of the tropes included in this story:

Rivals to Lovers
Opposites Attract
Duty vs. Desire
Spinster Heroine
Law Enforcement Hero
Found Family

Taming Lady Temperance is earning great reviews from early readers.


It’s not too late to grab the preorder deals. 40% off plus some great bonus goodies if you buy the print copy through Baker Books, and the preorder Kindle price is $9.99 until the 17th. Then it goes up to $12.99, so grab your copy today!

Preorder a print copy from Baker Book House here.

Preorder the ebook from Amazon here.

What are some of your favorite romance tropes to read?

The Spinsters Are Coming

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It’s always fun to start a new series, and I’m excited to welcome you to my latest – The Secret Society of Spinsters. I’ve always been drawn to the spinster trope and the idea that it’s never too late to fall in love. I also love feisty, independent heroines, and while not all spinsters fit that bill, most have some level of eccentricity that lends itself well to quirkiness, and I do enjoy quirky characters.

The heart of this series are the three friends who make up the core of the spinster society. Each of these ladies is well beyond the typical marriage age for the 1890’s (late 20’s, early 30’s), however, they each have their own reason for spinsterhood. The heroine of Book 2 is a shy, wallflower who gets hives ever time she has to talk to an unattached bachelor. Jane’s the local preacher’s daughter, and while she’s quiet, she’s fiercely loyal and the glue that holds the three friends together. She’s also very bookish. She carries a book wherever she goes. I do love a bookworm heroine. Book 3 features a career-focused heroine. She is the local schoolmarm and one of the most capable, driven women in town. In this time frame, teachers who married gave up their careers in order to tend their own husband and children at home. Martha wants none of that. Her place is in the classroom.

Noreen O’Sullivan is the heroine for Book 1. She’s a feisty reformer and a passionate temperance woman who is determined to shut down the saloon. She’s bold and brassy and not afraid to speak her mind. The men in town consider her a menace and want nothing to do with her. Suits her. She wants nothing to do with them, either. Not after growing up with a drunk for a father who made free with his temper and his fists. The last thing she wants is to sacrifice her freedom by tying herself to a man. However, when she finds an unlikely ally and friend in the local deputy, she dares to reconsider her spinsterhood.

If you enjoy reading print books, I highly recommend ordering from Baker Book House. They are cheaper than Amazon and they carefully wrap their books in brown paper before shipping so the book arrives in pristine condition. Plus – They are currently running an amazing preorder deal. Taming Lady Temperance releases on February 17, but if you order now, you get 40% off the cover price with free shipping, a signed bookplate, a custom Spinster Society sticker, a recipe card, AND an exclusive bonus epilogue not included in the book. (I’m currently writing that epilogue now!)

Preorder a print copy from Baker Book House here.

Preorder the ebook from Amazon here.

What kinds of strong heroines are you drawn to in fiction?

Petticoats & Pistols