Friday, June 19, 2020

Launching TO HEAL A HEART with a little help from my friends!


I want to thank my fellow writers at The Wild Rose Press for helping me out with the release of TO HEAL A HEART by hosting me on their blogs and sending out tweets and Facebook posts. I'd love readers to check out their beautiful blogs. Thanks for all your help!

Vicky Burkholder/Sparkling Book Reviews - Book Spotlight https://sparklingbookreviews.com/2020/05/25/guest-author-judy-reynolds/

Shirley Goldberg - Guest Post, Stories from a Small Town - https://midagedating.com/talking-with-author-jana-richards-about-small-town-living/






Tena Stetler - Guest Post - What Inspired me to Write TO HEAL A HEART - https://www.tenastetler.com/to-heal-a-heart-by-jana-richards/

Beverley Bateman - Character Interview with heroine, Blair Greyson - https://beverleybateman.blogspot.com/2020/06/meet-jana-richards-and-her-new-book.html

Jennifer Wilck - Character Interview with heroine, Blair Greyson (a different interview!) - http://jenniferwilck.blogspot.com/2020/06/welcome-jana-richards.html


Karen Hulene Bartell - Character Interview with hero, Garrett Saunders - https://karenhulenebartell.com/f/to-heal-a-heart-character-interview

Monday, June 15, 2020

Blog Tour for TO HEAL A HEART!

I'm going on tour! Silver Dagger Tours is taking me and my newest release, TO HEAL A HEART, on a month blog tour around the internet. I'd love for you to come along for the ride!




Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.



Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?



Jun 15
Two Gals And A Book To Heal a Heart (Book 2, Masonville series)
Two Gals And A Book Child of Mine (Book 1, Masonville series)


Jun 16


Jun 17


Jun 18


Jun 19


Jun 20

Jun 21


Jun 22


Jun 23


Jun 24


Jun 25


Jun 26
Inside the Insanity  - GUEST POST


Jun 27


Jun 29


Jun 30


Jul 1


Jul 2


Jul 3


Jul 4


Jul 5


Jul 6


Jul 7


Jul 8


Jul 9
Readeropolis  - GUEST POST


Jul 10

Jul 11
4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼  - GUEST POST


Jul 12


Jul 13
My Fiction Nook  - GUEST POST


Jul 14


Jul 15

Release Day for TO HEAL A HEART!

TO HEAL A HEART releases today, June 15, 2020!
Book 2, Masonville Small Town Romance Series


Two souls in pain, two hearts in need of rescue.


Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.


Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.


Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?


Buy Links:

Amazon.fr ~ BN ~ iBooks


Excerpt:

She pulled into the Saunders’ farmyard and parked near the house. After killing the engine, she hopped out of the driver’s side door and hurried to help Garrett get out of her truck. He leaned on her as they walked to the house, and she staggered a little under his weight.

“Home to mommy and daddy. Pretty pathetic, isn’t it? A grown man living with his parents.”

She could practically taste his frustration. “I guess we’re two of a kind. I’m a grown woman living with my grandfather. Does that make me pathetic, too?”

She helped him up the front steps to the porch, and they stood in front of the door. She kept a steadying hand on his arm, worried he’d lose his balance.

“Hardly. You’re looking after him. I only cause my parents worry. “
Once more she saw the bleakness in his eyes, and she desperately wanted to ask him what had happened at Lauren’s house. But that wasn’t what he needed. She put a light tone in her voice.

“I don’t know about that. Granddad worries about me, too. Mostly he worries that I’m more interested in horses than in men.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Like horses better than men?”

“Yeah, sometimes I do.”

Garrett let out an unexpected bark of laughter. “I like you Blair Greyson, even if you did steal Everett’s farm out from under me.”

“I did not steal—”

His mouth descended on hers, and for the second time that evening, he stole her breath away.

She had so not expected this, was totally unprepared for the way her body heated at his touch. His tongue swept into her mouth, stroking her tongue over and over until her knees turned to water and she had to grip his biceps to stay upright. He tasted hot, and a little desperate. Desperate for her. Her body arched toward him as he ran his hands over her buttocks, and up her sides, his thumbs grazing her breasts and leaving a trail of fire in their wake.  

He stopped kissing her and she wanted to whimper in protest, to beg him not to stop. He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing heavily as his hands gripped her hips.

“Don’t go.” His voice was a rough whisper. “Stay with me tonight.”

She was far more tempted than she should have been. He’d had way too much to drink tonight, maybe even had a problem with alcohol. Though she recognized all the dangers, to her shame her biggest fear was that in the morning he’d regret sleeping with her.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? A short time ago she’d been afraid he was going to rape her. Where was her sense of self-preservation?

“I think your mother might be shocked to find me at her breakfast table in the morning.”

He pulled her closer, letting her feel how much he wanted her. “Then let’s go to your place.”

Blair trembled in his arms. She had a bad habit of taking in strays with lots of problems and Garrett Saunders was her biggest find yet. She instinctively understood he had the power to crush her.

“I think my grandfather might be as surprised as your mother.” She lightly kissed his cheek. “Besides, I’m not that kind of girl.”

“Too bad.”

“Sleep well, Garrett.”

She pulled away and he dropped his hands. Blair hurried down the steps and ran to her truck before she could change her mind. 

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Celebrate Weddings Bookish Event!

June is the month for weddings and to celebrate I'm teaming up with N.N.Light Promotions and several fabulous authors for a big giveaway. The winner of the event receives all 30 books in the promotion! 


I'm featuring my Left at the Altar series in this event:
Always a Bridesmaid

There Goes the Groom


Check out all the books at N.N. Light's website: 
And don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!


Good Luck!

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Audio Codes to Give Away!

Do you love audiobooks? June is Audiobook Month, so what better time to give away codes for FREE! I've got varying numbers of codes, both US and UK, for several of my Wild Rose Press books. First come, first served. I'd appreciate a review if you enjoy the audiobook. Check out my list!

Burning Love
  
After causing three cooking fires in her apartment, Iris Jensen finds herself evicted and homeless. She lands on Riley Benson's doorstep, looking to rent a room in the beautiful old home he's restoring. It's only for six weeks until Iris leaves Portland, Oregon for her new job on a cruise ship. Firefighter Riley knows firsthand what a bad tenant she can be. But he needs money to finish the work on the house he loves. And something about Iris pulls at his heart…

Meanwhile, in Heaven, two angels watch over the young lovers. Angelica and Hildegard work in Heaven's Relationship Division, where angels match mortals with their soul mates. The angels believe so strongly in Iris and Riley’s love that they break Heaven's rules to help them. Can the angels convince them their love will last a lifetime?




I've got a limited number of US codes. If you're interested, email me at jana@janarichards.com  


Chill Out

Renata Cabral needs to hide for the weekend. Her cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding means she’ll face embarrassing questions from her large, extended family. Questions like “Why aren’t you married yet?” Since the breakup of her last relationship, she’s not ready to answer that question. She invents a work-related excuse and escapes to a friend’s lakeside cottage.

Noah Brownlee has been hiding for two years. But now he’s ready to come home and mend his broken relationship with his brother. When a friend offers the use of his lakeside cottage, Noah arrives in the middle of a blizzard with his English Mastiff, only to find the place is already occupied. With her big brown eyes and quirky sense of humor, Renata stirs feelings he thought long dead.

As the blizzard rages, the candy hearts predict love. Can Valentine’s Day work its magic between them?




I have a limited number of US codes. First come first served.  Email me at jana@janarichards.com 


Flawless

France, 1942. The world is at war. The Nazis have stolen the infamous blue diamond, Le Coeur Bleu, intending to barter it for weapons that will destroy the Allies. Jewel thief Hunter Smith is given a choice; help the French Resistance steal back the diamond and avenge the death of his best friend, or stay locked up in an English prison. He chooses revenge.

Resistance fighter Madeleine Bertrand’s husband died when he was betrayed by Hunter Smith. How can she now pretend to be married to the arrogant American? How can she betray Jean Philippe’s memory by her passionate response to Hunter’s kisses? Neither is prepared for the maelstrom of attraction that erupts between them. To survive they must uncover the mysteries of the past and conquer the dangers of the present. But first Madeleine must decide if her loyalties lie with her dead husband and the Resistance or with the greatest love of her life.




I have 10 US codes left. First come, first served. If you're interested, email me at jana@janarichards.com 


Home Fires

Anne Wakefield travels halfway around the world for love. But when she arrives in Canada from England at the end of World War Two, she discovers the handsome Canadian pilot she’d fallen in love with has married someone else. Heartbroken, she prepares to return to London, though she has nothing left there to return to. Her former fiancé’s mother makes a suggestion: marriage to her other son.

Badly wounded and scarred during the war, Erik Gustafson thinks he’s a poor substitute for his brother. Although he loves Anne almost from the first time he sees her, he cannot believe she would ever be able to love him as he is – especially as he might be after another operation on his bad leg. Anne sees the beauty of his heart. The cold prairie winter may test her courage, but can she prove to Erik that her love for him is real?





I have 10 US codes only. First come, first served. Email me at jana@janarichards.com if interested.


One More Second Chance

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda—finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her men don’t stay.

Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?





I have only 2 US codes and 5 UK codes. Contact me at jana@janarichards.com if interested.


The Girl Most Likely

Cara McLeod, the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage, is now divorced and, in her own words, “fat, frumpy, and over forty.” The thought of facing former classmates—and the ex-husband who dumped her—at her high school reunion terrifies her. Cajoled into attending by her kids and her best friend, Cara enlists help at the gym to lose weight and look great for the reunion. Personal Trainer Finn Cooper is more than willing to help—but does he have to be so to-die-for gorgeous?

Finn thinks Cara is perfect just the way she is. She’s everything he wants in a woman, except for one thing—she can’t get past the fact that he's eight years younger. To Finn, age and weight are just numbers. But can he convince Cara the numbers she worries about add up to only one thing for him—love?





I have limited numbers of both US and UK codes. First come, first served. Contact me at jana@janarichards.com


Child of Mine

Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his.

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?




I have 11 US codes remaining. Contact me at jana@janarichards.com if you'd like a code. As always, I'd love a review if you enjoy the book. Thank you! 

Friday, June 5, 2020

Julie Howard's New Release: SEA-SALT LAVENDER FOR APHRODITE

Julie Howard visits today with a look at her June 3, 2020 release, SEA-SALT LAVENDER FOR APHRODITE, part of the One Scoop or Two summer series from The Wild Rose Press. All the books in this series relate to ice cream in some way. In the case of this book, the heroine Rosella operates an ice cream food truck business in a beach side community. And since Aphrodite is Rosella's dog, it's fitting that Julie is talking about her all-time favorite books featuring animals. Welcome Julie!




My top 10 favorite books that feature animals and pets

What is it about furry creatures that captures our hearts? The first book that ever made me cry was Where the Red Fern Grows. I read it in the fourth grade at least five or six times and cried every time. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young boy and his two dogs. Black Beauty, the story about a horse, was another childhood favorite.

Aside from those, here are the rest of my top ten favorite books that feature animals, in no particular order:

No. three – Animal Farm. This is a classic story and allegory about how power corrupts.

No. four – Charlotte’s Web. I always wanted a pig for a pet after reading this story. Maybe someday…

No. five – Life of Pi – This one’s a bit grim. But I love this tale about a boy who travels across the ocean with a tiger aboard a small craft. Or was it a tiger?

No. six – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. This is more about the autistic boy who sets out to solve the murder of a dog. Beautifully written.

No. seven – Jonathan Livingston Seagull – I’ve reread this one more than a dozen times. An uplifting story of a seagull with dreams of a bigger life.

No. eight – Moby Dick. I hated this book the first time I read it in high school. I read it again a couple of decades later and now it makes my top ten list. Those classics have great meaning!

No. nine – Can I slip in Game of Thrones, based on the dragons? I devoured this series and would the author please finish it soon.

No. ten – The Black Stallion. Another childhood favorite and the movie based on this book is also one of my favorite movies. An enduring classic in my mind.

And here’s my own book that features a smart standard poodle named Aphrodite. Sea Salt Lavender for Aphrodite, a cozy mystery, released this week.


Sea-Salt Lavender for Aphrodite

A case of murder with sweet complications

Blurb:
Rosella Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in the boardwalk bathroom.

Detective Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there's no time for romance when danger lurks. 
Together he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he turns his sight on Rosella.

Excerpt:

The echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach. 

“Mick?” 

A distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m. Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of anxious yips sounded. She scooted to the corner of the building and peeked toward her truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the leash. The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break free of the tether.

She returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going to step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response sounded. “All right, coming in.”

The odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xdqkl3

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/sea-salt-lavender-for-aphrodite/id1508636065?ls=1 

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sea-salt-lavender-for-aphrodite-julie-howard/1136868422?ean=2940162717829

Author Bio: 



Julie Howard is the author of the best-selling Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours writing her books.

Author Links:

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07D6CS4NQ

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward