Romance Sweet Reads is pleased to welcome Author
Krystal M. Anderson to the blog. Today we’ll be sharing more information
about her book, Harvey’s Bashful Bride, Book 4 in the Matchmaker’s
Mix-Up multi-author series.
In theory, sending for a bride through a Matchmaker was a
sound plan. In reality, it couldn't have been more disastrous...
As Cottonwood Creek's newly elected Mayor, Harvey Dennett is in need of a
bride. Utilizing Chicago's most successful matchmaker certainly seemed like the
answer to all his problems, but when Martha, his wife-to-be, faints the minute
she arrives, he wonders whether he made a giant mistake.
Bashful Martha, on the other hand, is happy for her change in circumstance but
unaccustomed to the wilds of her new frontier home. When a string of robberies
plague the citizens of Cottonwood Creek, Martha enlists the help of two
stalwart friends to conquer the threat, endearing her to the people of the
town. Will her efforts be enough to win the heart of her husband?
A movement from the coach’s dim interior alerted Harvey that
someone was still inside… but was it she? Two round midnight-blue eyes peered
out and disappeared with what sounded like a squeak.
“Don’t be shy, dear, come on out,” Lilac coaxed.
Hesitantly, as though afraid someone in the crowd would
pounce, the eyes appeared once more, followed by a head of crimson curls that
had been pinned up. Slim shoulders covered in drab brown material were enough
to reveal the woman still half-concealed within the coach. She seemed frozen in
place except for the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Impossibly, her sizable
eyes widened as they took in the gathering, darting from face to confused face
until the pallid color of her skin whitened even more.
Gingerly, Harvey stepped forward, extending the bouquet of
dainty desert blooms. “Miss Hume? I’m Harvey Dennett. Welcome to Cottonwood
Creek.”
Her gaze snapped to his, she opened her mouth but no sound
came out before her irises rolled to the top of her head and her body went
limp, tumbling out of the stagecoach and into her bewildered groom’s
arms.
Krystal M. Anderson is a Utah, USA native and a wife and
mother of four young children, including a set of twins. She grew up on
horseback and treasures any time spent riding through the red sands and
sagebrush, always yearning to find out what is over the next ridge.
Nothing makes her happier than being a wife and mother...
but reading is a very close second!
Get the entire Matchmaker’s
Mix-Up Series on Amazon
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Reader Group on Facebook
Thank you for joining us today for another peek at a great
book in this series. Please feel free to scroll back through previous posts to
see more on this series. And, don’t forget to come back again soon.
Romance
Sweet Reads is pleased to welcome author Annee Jones
to the blog to tell us all about Dalton’s Dual Brides, Book 6 of
the Matchmaker’s Mix-Up series.
A naughty
cat…a mixed-up matchmaker…an outlaw’s ghost…and now dueling brides - what’s a
cowboy to do?
1870,
Wyoming Territory. Dalton
Sweetland is one stressed-out cattle rancher.
Notorious outlaw Butler Robb was recently caught following a life of
crime spent stealing cattle, robbing stagecoaches, and committing murder. Right before being hanged, Robb uttered one
final word… “Sweetland.” In the months
since, a rumor has popped up in town that the outlaw buried his loot somewhere
on Sweetland land. Multiple townsfolk are
claiming they’ve seen Robb’s ghost wandering the property, purportedly to
recover his lost gold. To make matters
worse, Dalton’s ranch hands keep quitting out of fear of being accosted by the
apparition, and Dalton himself keeps being accosted by mischievous young ladies
wishing to marry him, find the treasure, and get rich quick. After Dalton’s brother suggests hiring a
matchmaker to help him find true love, Dalton hopes the end to his problems are
finally in sight. Little does he know…
1870,
Chicago. Cleo the cat, after
enjoying a bit too much catnip, lost her balance while prancing along the high
bookshelf where Agatha Sinclair, matchmaker, keeps her files. While skittering down, Cleo’s weight proved
too much for the flimsy wood and the structure came toppling over, sending
Agatha’s papers flying. Nobody could
blame poor Agatha for promptly having an apoplectic fit upon seeing the
mess. Now her granddaughter, Maggie, is
left with trying to sort out her grandmother’s matches. The files indicate that Dalton Sweetland was
matched with a “J. Knight,” but Maggie can’t seem to locate the woman’s address
to contact her. Hence, she takes out an
ad in the newspaper looking for a marriageable lady named “J. Knight” who
wishes to claim her ticket out West to meet her match. Much to Maggie’s distress, not one, but TWO
Miss J. Knights come knocking at her door ready to claim the golden
ticket. Was Dalton matched with
Jessalynn or Jenna? Maggie doesn’t have
time to figure this out, so throwing up her hands, she apologizes for the
mishap and agrees to foot the bill for both of them to take the stage to
Wyoming.
Temperatures
were unusually warm so early in the summer season, and Maggie fanned herself as
she sat on the settee in the parlor at 10:45 am Saturday with Miss Knight’s
travel funds secured in a small parcel along with Mr. Sweetland’s address and
corresponding stagecoach route. She had written to the gentleman earlier in the
week, congratulating him on being paired with Miss Knight, a most delightful
and beautiful young woman he was sure to fall head over heels in love with
instantly. He could expect her to arrive in Laramie and present herself at his
doorstep within the week.
Having
assured Agatha that she had the matchmaking for that month well in hand, she shooed
her grandmother off to enjoy her Saturday book club free of concern. Maggie sighed
and patted her forehead with an embroidered handkerchief where she could sense a
droplet of perspiration looming.
The bell
sounded.
Maggie
rose and pulled open the door to a young, dark-haired woman who was in the process
of lugging an enormous suitcase up the porch steps. Maggie wasn’t sure where she
got the strength due to her noticeable thinness.
Yet, the
girl accomplished her task, now standing slightly out of breath and smiling widely,
her hat somewhat askew. Her dress was almost too elegant for a weekend calling at
first glance, but upon closer inspection, Maggie could see frayed hems, and
there were stains about the skirt. She certainly was lovely, with ivory skin
and luminous dark eyes, but wait—was that dirt smeared across her nose? The
woman was either unaware or didn’t care. She held out her hand in greeting.
“Good
morning! You must be Maggie Shoemaker,” the lady took Maggie’s hand and shook
it vigorously. “I’m Jenna Knight, and I’m here to accept my travel fare to meet
the man of my dreams!”
Annee Jones is an inspirational romance
novelist who enjoys sharing her heart and imagination with others. She is
passionate about writing stories that offer hope and encouragement and likes to
think of her books as “romance filled with faith and a sprinkle of fairy dust!”
Annee is
also a professional book reviewer for Publishers Weekly in the genre of
faith-based fiction (fun tidbit: she writes many of the editorial reviews you
see on Amazon).
Professionally,
Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate
through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness
in Spirit.
Romance Sweet
Reads is pleased to welcome author Barbara Goss to the blog to talk about her
book, Conner’s Contrary Bride, the very first book in the Matchmaker’s Mix-Up
series.
“They were as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.”
Elsie Crenshaw of Gobbler's Knob, West Virginia, runs from a cruel stepfather to take refuge with a widow who introduces her to a successful matchmaker. Elsie, having no family, feels the need of a protector after what she endured from her stepfather. Elsie gives the matchmaking ad a try.
Dr. Conner Beauregard Van Gates the IV, has lost his wife during childbirth. He lost his successful practice in Missouri and moves to Hays City, Kansas. After two years, he finds himself lonely and needing help running his clinic. His faithful housekeeper talks him into trying the matchmaking service.
How could either Elsie or Conner know a naughty cat messed up all the matchmaker’s matches? How could Conner put up with such a contrary bride? How do bank robbers and the evil stepfather bring them to realize opposites can attract?
Conner and Elsie were cleaning up after a busy day and were preparing to close the clinic for the day when some men on horses galloped up to the clinic and came storming in. “Doc, my brother here’s been shot.”
Conner patted the closest bed, as cool as ever. “Bring him over.”
The two other men half-walked, half-carried the man whose chest was bloody and his face looked pale as death. Elsie knew enough from working in the clinic it didn’t look good.
Once on the bed, Conner ripped the man’s shirt open to examine the wound, while the other two watched anxiously.
“The bullet,” Conner told them, “is near the heart. I know it couldn’t have hit his heart, or he’d be dead by now. The bad news is I must operate to remove the bullet, and being so close to the heart, it’s a dangerous procedure.”
“Well,” the tallest of the scruffy men said, “we’ll take your assistant here, as collateral.” The man grabbed Elsie and held her in front of him. “If Mac dies, we kill her.” The man held a knife to Elsie’s throat. “So, Doc, you’d better make sure my brother lives.”
Elsie trembled in fear. The man’s hands were rough, and her arms hurt from his grip on her as he held the icy blade of his knife to her throat. She hadn’t prayed in years, but what else could a human in trouble do but pray? If there was a God, He’d help her. She thought about what she’d gleaned from the Sunday sermons that she’d pretended not to hear. She could still recall Reverend McDougal once say something like, “I will protect him who acknowledges my name.”
Barbara Goss lives in Western New York and to date has written 50 Christian and/or Sweet Romance books, mostly westerns. She enjoys crossword puzzles, penny slots, reading, swimming, and her two cats, but not necessarily in that order. She tries to write exciting stories with a bit of God's word spread within, without dominating the story.
Barbara began writing in 1988 and her first book, Forbidden Legacy, won first prize for fiction at a Christian Writers Convention in Titusville, Florida in 1989. This won her a book contract with Publishers: Fleming Revell and later Baker Books. She wrote four books for them under contract. She then took a few years off to work full time as a secretary to the county hospital and the local school system.
Barbara's greatest influence in writing is the 100 books written by Grace Livingston Hill. As a Christian writer, she weaves a bit of godliness into the romance and adventure yet her books are always clean. Barbara is well on her way to catching up to Ms. Livingston.
Welcome to Romance Sweet Reads. Today, we’re going to continue our visit to the Matchmaker’s Mix-Up series with author, Cat Cahill, and her book, William’s Wistful Bride, Book #9 in this fantastic set.
Can two mismatched hearts find love?
All Jenny Andrews has ever wanted is a family of her own. But since she can't have children, that dream has always been only a dream—until she asks Mrs. Sinclair's matchmaking agency to find her a widower in need of a mother for his children.
William Denzinger prefers the horses in his livery stable to children. Growing up on his own, he has little need for family. What he does need is a good woman to cook and to keep the books for his business, and so he requests a bride from a matchmaking agency. But when his new bride arrives, she isn't exactly what he had in mind—particularly when she takes in an orphan boy and requests William put young Charlie to work in his stable.
William finally acquiesces, and in return, Jenny tries to find the reason his books don't add up. Love slowly blossoms between them, and William begins to soften toward Charlie.
But what will he think when Jenny brings home an abandoned baby—and discovers who is behind the missing money in William's ledger books?
William halted the horses and gestured at the house. “That’s mine. I can’t say it’s particularly clean inside, but I should have everything you need to keep house.”
“It’s absolutely perfect. Where are the children?” Jenny turned expectant eyes to him.
“Children?” He looked around. Not a child was in sight.
“Yes. The children I’m to help you raise. I can’t wait to meet them.”
His new wife appeared as if taking responsibility for a horde of children was the most wonderful thing she could imagine. William took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how she thought he had children. He certainly hadn’t mentioned any such thing on the form he’d filled out for the matchmaking agency. In fact, he distinctly remembered stating that he disliked children and didn’t wish to have any.
“Well, Miss—”
“You should call me Jenny. And I will call you William, unless you prefer Will or some other shortened name? We are married, after all, aren’t we? We can’t go about calling each other Mr. Denzinger and Mrs. Denzinger.” She laughed at her own notion, and William wondered yet again how she managed to approach life with such . . . zeal.
“Just, uh . . . William,” he said, trying to pull his thoughts together. “Jenny, I don’t . . . Why do you think I have children?”
She frowned for a second before it seemed she couldn’t keep her lips in such a position for too long and the smile came back. “Of course you do. I asked the matchmaker specifically to match me with a widower gentleman who had children that needed a mother. The more, the better!”
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “But I most certainly don’t have children.”
A sunset. Snow on the mountains. A roaring river in the spring. A man and a woman who can't fight the love that pulls them together. The danger and uncertainty of life in the Old West. This is what inspires me to write. I hope you find an escape in my books!
I live with my family, a couple of dogs, and a few cats in Kentucky. When I'm not writing, I'm losing myself in a good book, planning my next travel adventure, doing a puzzle, attempting to garden, or wrangling my kids.
Romance Sweet Reads is
pleased to welcome Author Marisa Masterson to the blog to celebrate her
Book Birthday for Beau’s Elegant Bride, Book 11 in the Matchmaker’s
Mix-Up series.
A cat, an accident, and a pile of
mixed-up letters send a bride to a man she otherwise would never have met. Only
time will tell if she and this new marriage can survive the match.
Francine 'Francy' Dinsmore loses the security she's always known with the death
of her father. Life so far has treated Francy tenderly and expected very little
from her.
Beau LeFevre abandons a hopeless future to venture west. The only thing he
needs before he leaves is a wife. When the elegant woman arrives from the
matchmaker, he marries her wondering all the while what made the matchmaker
send this bride to him.
How can he make a marriage work
with this spoiled woman? Life on the trail leads him to believe someone made a
mistake!
Will this turn out to be a happy
accident and a sound pairing with the only woman who can win his heart?
Watching in horror, Francy saw the woman drive away in the fine buggy that she felt sure belonged to her new husband. She was wrong about his owning the buggy, about him living in St. Joseph. What else would she discover that was different from what she expected?
Returning to his bride after helping the older woman into her buggy, her groom’s face beamed. “We’re getting a late start. Wagon master said he always allowed a late morning when he started west with his new train.”
Shaking her head at him, the dazed woman stiffened visibly. He threw an uncertain glance at her and then put a hand to her arm. Rubbing up and down her upper arm to comfort her, Beau struggled for words to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. Wagon trains don’t really have as many deaths as people and the newspapers say.”
At his very public touch and the mention of death, Francy grew impossibly more rigid. She pulled away from his touch to stare at her new husband. What about the banker or business owner her father requested in his letter to the matchmaker?
“I-I…” Her tongue came out from a suddenly dry mouth to wet equally dry lips. She saw his pupils flare as he watched the movement. That also confused her.
Father and Mother both emphasized one rule. She must never question the person in charge of her. Francy knew her husband had become her provider, so she should never question his decisions. Even so, this shoved her past any restraint taught in her youth.
Softly, the questions pushed past her lips. “Aren’t you a business owner? Why are we at these wagons?”
She sneaked a peek under lowered lashes to watch her husband’s face. His confused scowl disheartened her. He looked as baffled as she felt. In reaction, Francy’s breath caught and held.
“Not sure how you got that idea. I wrote out my plans for the Matchmaker. Didn’t she share ‘em with you?”
Beau put a hand under her chin and raised her face so he could focus her attention on him. “I’m a farmer, headed west to Oregon.”
To keep her scream from escaping, the astonished bride squeezed her mouth shut tight. She held her breath for several long minutes. Francy saw her husband’s stunned face before she slipped into the grasping darkness.
The smiling teacher-- That's what her students called her.
Marisa Masterson spent twenty-two years teaching writing and literature, loving
almost every minute of it. After a disability kept her from teaching from the
tops of desks, she wondered how she could still impact others.
Fast forward to 2021. After twenty-four books, she loves the
connection she has found with readers. In fact, she would love to connect with
you as well.
Follow the entire Matchmaker’s
Mix-Up Series on Amazon
It’s been
my pleasure hosting Marisa for a first peek at this sweet historical romance
series. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll feature the first ten books in the
series. I hope you’ll come back to visit soon.
This blog site will introduce you to some wonderful authors, their new books, and a few older ones as well. All of the books featured on Romance Sweet Reads will be clean, wholesome romances. Some will be contemporary romances. Some will be historical or western historical. All will be fabulous!
To get us started, I'd love to introduce you to a bit of Christmas in July by featuring my 1980's vintage romance, Making Christmas, part of the Dickens Holiday Romance Collection.
A Peek at the Book
A 1980s Vintage Romance ...
It’s been five years since William
Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent
these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade
toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life.
Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.
Catherine Gates moved away from
Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s
returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and
get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.
When Will and Cat meet up again for
the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their
friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even
the secrecy of the new toy lines.
Can these two childhood friends make
up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or,
will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?
“Isn’t it a bit
early for Christmas carols?” William asked, motioning skyward where the factory
speakers were blaring a string of both classical and modern holiday songs. “If
we don’t vary it every once-in-awhile, I’m going to end up ripping the wires
out of the ceiling.”
His father shot him
a pained look. “Is it ever too early for Christmas music in a toy factory where
we spend every working hour up until the beginning of December getting ready
for the rush?” Waving his hand dismissively overhead, Wilfred Barrett added,
“Besides, it keeps the production line moving like clockwork.”
“How’s the new head
of design working out? What’s his name? Gibson?” Will asked.
“Ted Gibson. He’s
got some great ideas for sure. Including inviting that magazine editor to send
someone to write an article on our new state-of-the-art assembly line.”
“Somehow I don’t
picture an article in a woman’s magazine doing justice to the mechanics
involved in creating toys like our latest designs.”
Giving a shrug,
Wilfred admitted, “It can’t hurt. Besides, it’s women who do most of the
buying, especially for the children. If the article can convince these mothers
that our toys are safe and won’t come apart with one day of rough play, then
it’s as much as we can hope for, I suppose.” Pushing aside the ledger in front
of him, he added, “I’d like you to be the one to give them the tour.”
“Why me? Let Gibson
do it. After all, it was his idea. Or, you do it—it’s your company, after all.
I’d much rather keep my focus on these sales and shipping projections.”
“You’re the new face
of Wil-Bar Toys, son. The younger—what’s the term—hip version of a toymaker.
Not that I don’t still love it, but these young mothers would much rather see
your picture accompanying the article than mine.”
“Ted’s young too.
And, if the women crowding around the watercooler are to be believed, quite a
catch.”
His father leaned
back in his chair, a sure sign the discussion was coming to an end, his
decision made. “The magazine is sending one of their staff writers to do the
interview. She’ll be here day-after-tomorrow.”
Will turned toward
the door to his father’s office. “I feel the flu coming on,” he groused. “I may
have to call in sick.”
“You might be a grown man, but I’m sure your
mother would love to have you home all day long,” his dad quickly pointed out,
a grin lighting his face. “She can stuff you with chicken noodle soup and fuss
over you to her heart’s content.”
“You can be
downright mean when you want to be, Pops” Will said, chuckling. “No doubt,
you’d suggest she read to me too.”
~ ~ ~
Watch the Trailer
Meet the Author
NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across
Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning
author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she
writes them all.
When not writing (which is almost never),
Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling
and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys
the relaxed pace and colorful people.
