Review & Giveaway - - Happily Ever Alaska

Happily Ever Alaska

by Patience Griffin

Sweet Home, Alaska - Book 3

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: December 26, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

Lolly Crocker bakes up warm desserts in her chilly Alaskan town, but can she handle the reigniting of an old flame?

Whenever things get too serious, baker Lolly Crocker knows it’s time to break it off with a guy. Without fail, her gut would tell her that the man she was dating was not Mr. Right. 

The one exception is Shaun Montana, her high school sweetheart. With Shaun, life felt complete; but her mother convinced her she was too young to be tied down, and Lolly broke up with him the night before she left for college.

While Lolly keeps every relationship light, Shaun is never less than fully committed—and still somehow his romances have all ended badly. When he comes back to Sweet Home, his attraction to Lolly is as fiery as ever, but he's determined to keep things casual for once...just when Lolly is finally ready to risk her heart on a second chance with the man she loved so long ago.

PJ's Thoughts:

Griffin takes readers back to her fictional small town of Sweet Home, Alaska for a second-chance romance that has the entire town taking sides. I enjoy Griffin's stories, her quirky side characters, sense of community, and depth of emotion. She gives her main couple a difficult path to happiness but with a satisfying emotional payoff in the end. I may shed tears on the journey but I'm always smiling when I turn the final page.

As with the earlier books in this series, there are multiple relationships at play in this book. In addition to the primary romance, a secondary couple whose relationship has slowly progressed through the first two books hits a potential bump in the road. Shaun's relationship with his mother is another focus, as is his mother's broken friendship with Lolly. Then there's the owner of the local general store who in addition to being the ringleader of the community quilting group also has her nose in pretty much everyone's relationships. I enjoyed seeing the personal growth of this particular character in this book. 

As for Shaun and Lolly, they say you never forget your first love. That certainly holds true for this couple but considering how their teenage romance ended, forgiveness might be a stretch too far for Shaun. I appreciated the time the author gave them to rebuild their relationship once Shaun returned home. It felt realistic, especially with the push and pull between them. My heart was flipping back and forth right along with the two of them. There were endearing moments when I could feel the love between them pushing for the surface but then something would happen to cause doubt and there I was fretting again. It left me eagerly flipping pages right up until the end, wondering how it would all work out...or if it would. Spoiler alert: it's a romance, it works out, but you'll need to read the book to discover how. ;-)

If you enjoy second-chance romance, small-town Alaska settings, a strong sense of community, quirky characters, and emotionally satisfying happy endings, give this one a try. I also recommend the first two books in the series: One Snowy Night and Once Upon a Cabin. Click on the titles to read my reviews. 

~~~~~~~~~

Have you read Patience Griffin?

Do you enjoy books set in rural areas? Griffin has this series set in rural Alaska along with books set in a tiny coastal village in Scotland. 

Are you a quilter? Griffin is and quilting features prominently in all of her books. 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, January 5 will receive a print copy of Happily Ever Alaska. 

Review - - Once Upon a Cabin

Once Upon a Cabin

by Patience Griffin

Sweet Home, Alaska - Book 2

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: November 30, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

 

Two sisters from Texas find themselves exiled to Alaska...and thrown into the arms of two very different men.

Tori and McKenna St. James have living comfortably on their trust funds in Dallas. But their Uncle Monty, keeper of the purse strings, decides to push them out of their comfort zones by requiring them to spend one year in Alaska or lose their inheritance. Initially the sisters are stunned, but they aren't willing to back down from the challenge. 

Tori is sent to a primitive homestead outside the tiny town of Sweet Home. She had been prepared to forego fashion magazines and lattes, but not electricity and running water! Will her rugged wilderness guide, Jesse Montana, teach her to survive, or send her fleeing back to civilization? Meanwhile, outdoorsy McKenna is stuck within the concrete walls of an Anchorage bank. Her sexy boss Luke McAvoy is tasked with teaching her the business but what he's really doing is tempting her. Not that she's the type to fall for a stuffed suit like him.

Tori and McKenna find much needed solace with Sweet Home's Sisterhood of the Quilt. Will this crafty group of women be up to the challenge of teaching two outsides how to sew -- and perhaps how to love?

PJ's Thoughts:

I love a fish out of water story and this book gave me two for the price of one. Griffin takes readers back to the small Alaska town of Sweet Home for another enjoyable story with very little steam but a whole lot of feelings. 

While both Tori and McKenna have journeys of growth, self-discovery, and romance in the book, it's Tori's story that took precedence for me. McKenna has always been a strong and confident woman while Tori's asthma and severe allergies have kept her in a "protected" status within the family. Being thrown into the unknown without her sister by her side tests both women in different ways. 

I enjoyed the push and pull between Tori and Jesse as well as the sparks that stayed just at the edge of igniting. I also liked how he advocated for her without undermining her independence. Of course, he's not perfect and there were times I wasn't so fond of him but he comes through in the end. As a couple I was pulling for them all the way but it was Tori's individual journey that really tugged at my heart. I loved her evolution, much of which came about with the support and assistance of the women of Sweet Home. I also enjoyed the shifting dynamic and more equitable relationship between the sisters as a result of that evolution.  

I'm already looking forward to my next visit to Sweet Home, especially after reading the teaser at the end of Once Upon a Cabin. I love second-chance romances and it's looking like that will be at the heart of book three. I'm hoping for plenty of community interaction, including Tori, Jesse, McKenna, Luke and other favorite Sweet Home citizens from the first two books. 

Readers can enjoy Once Upon a Cabin as a standalone but I also recommend book one, One Snowy Night, featuring Hope McKnight and Donovan Stone. You'll be seeing both of them, especially Hope, in book two. 

Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway - - One Snowy Night

 

One Snowy Night

by Patience Griffin

Sweet Home, Alaska - Book 1

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: February 23, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

A woman struggling to raise her daughter alone in a small Alaskan town finds her simple existence upended when the father of her child returns. . . .
 
Sweet Home, Alaska, was once a thriving, idyllic town, where A Stone's Throw Hardware and Haberdashery and the Sisterhood of the Quilt were the cornerstones of the community. Then, in one fatal moment, two young lives were cut short, and everything changed. Now the Stone family businesses have closed, the diner is in the red, and the population has dwindled to 573.
 
After the tragic accident that took her sister's life, Hope McKnight discovered she was pregnant, and gave up her dreams of college to raise her daughter. When Donovan Stone returns to sell his family's properties and to cut final ties with Sweet Home, he's shocked to find Hope still there--and a single mother. The pull between Hope and Donovan is as powerful as ever. But so are the secrets and lies stemming from that long-ago tragedy. Will they be able to overcome the past, or will the heartbreak of bygone days destroy their love again?

PJ's Thoughts:

When I read Patience Griffin's debut, To Scotland with Love, back in 2014 I knew I had discovered an author with the ability to tap into all of my emotions, hold me captive throughout an entire book, and leave me deeply satisfied at the end. That debut launched Griffin's successful Kilts and Quilts series with eight books brimming with laughter, tears, and happy endings, all wrapped up in the charm of a small Scottish village and the (frequently) meddling folks who reside there. 

One Snowy Night launches another new series of contemporary romances for Griffin, this one set in a small, rural town in Alaska. Once again, she's created a compelling story, dealing with difficult, real-life issues, and filled with intriguing characters, deep emotion, and a hard won, happy ending. You'll want plenty of tissues for this one. 

You all know how much I enjoy a second-chance story. One Snowy Night is filled with second chances, and not only for Donovan and Hope. The fall-out from the past tragedy at the core of their relationship touched many lives within Sweet Home. When Donovan returns, he incites hope not only for his own personal relationships but for the entire community. Bringing that hope to fruition, however, will only be successful with forgiveness, acceptance, and the people of Sweet Home once again opening their hearts to one another with love, especially Donovan. Griffin skillfully weaves all the threads of the story together to create a promising future that doesn't erase the pain of the past but, rather, embraces the memories of the lives lived, and lessons learned along the way.

One Snowy Night is a character-driven story and I enjoyed the relationships formed among those characters. Hope and Donovan are at the center, of course, but equally important is the tumultuous relationship between Hope and her daughter, Ella as well as Ella's evolving relationship with Donovan, and the personal challenges threatening Ella's future. There's much mending to be done here. There's also a secondary romance brewing, a surrogate familial relationship between Hope and a local business owner, and the multi-generational bonds of friendship among the girls and women in the Sweet Home Sisterhood of the Quilt. I love these women who come together to support, mentor, and celebrate one another through good times and bad.   

There are several intriguing characters introduced in this book who I'm excited to get to know better. I don't know how many books Griffin has planned for Sweet Home, Alaska but if she writes it, I'll be buying it. 

 

Exclusive Excerpt

One Snowy Night

Donovan scanned Hope, comparing his memory of seventeen-year-old Hope to current Hope. Current Hope needed to eat more, smile more, and get more rest, if the dark circles under her eyes were any indication. What happened to her after he left? “So you’re still in Sweet Home?” It was a leading question but he wanted answers . . . whether she wanted to give them or not.

Her lips turned into a stubborn straight line, letting him know she wasn’t going to respond. She pointed to the other room. “How does Rick know who I am?”

“Intuition,” Donovan deadpanned.

“I don’t think so,” Hope said.

She was all attitude, no longer the sweet go-along-with-anything-he-said-girl. And the weird thing was, he kind of liked her this way.

Hope straightened her shoulders and stared him down. “Where’s your wife?”

Once again, she’d caught him off guard.

“I left her at home,” Donovan lied, trying to be as brazen as Hope.

Rick hollered from the kitchen, “Don’t let him fool you, Hope. He’s not married.” He stuck his head around the corner. “Never found the right woman.”

Donovan raised an eyebrow at Rick. “I think you should go outside and check for bears. Take some food with you. They like that.” Which reminded Donovan that he should pick up bear repellent if they were going to be here for a few days. Maybe a rifle, too. And Grandpa used to keep a soup can filled with marbles on the porch to scare them away.

“I’ll pass,” Rick said. “The kitchen is calling me.”

“What’s your dog’s name?” Hope nuzzled the dog, not meeting Donovan’s eye.

He frowned at his charge. “He’s not necessarily my dog.”

“Yes, he is,” came from the kitchen. “And the dog’s name is Boomer.”

Hope smiled and pointed to the other room. “I like your business manager.” Her face was contorted, as if she couldn’t comprehend why anyone would need a business manager.

“He’s worthless,” Donovan said loud enough for Rick to hear. “I really should fire him.” Donovan moved closer to the fireplace, where Hope stood. “What’s your daughter’s name?”

She stared at him wide-eyed but finally answered, “Ella.”

The name rocked him. “For Isabella?” Hope’s sister.

She nodded, this time with all the sadness in the world. “Yes.”

He went to a safer subject. “How’s your dad doing?”

Misery filled Hope’s eyes and they began to mist. “He’s gone. Heart attack, last month.”

He reached out to touch her but stopped himself. “Oh, Hope. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

She moved her head as if trying to shake off the grief. “I heard about your grandfather. He meant a lot to all of us. As did your grandmother.”

For a moment, mutual grief filled the room. That one small connection felt like old times. Hope had always been so empathetic—issuing compassion as easily as if sharing a Ziploc bag of Oreos during lunch period. But they weren’t kids anymore and he wasn’t in the mood.

He stepped away. “Rick, what are you doing in there?”

A second later, Rick came into the room with a tray of chips, Pop-Tarts, and nuts, arranged like hors d’oeuvres.

“Are you kidding me?” Donovan exclaimed. The guy had been an elite Marine Force Recon and now he was acting like Martha Stewart.

Rick set the tray on the side table closest to Hope. “You have a guest. It’s only right you feed her.”

Hope did need to gain some weight. “Eat,” Donovan said.

Rick sighed heavily. “Sorry about him. He usually has manners.” He snatched a Pop-Tart before taking the seat across from her. “So Donovan tells me you were a better shot than him when you were kids.”

Surprised, she glanced at Donovan for a split second before answering Rick. “I just have better depth perception.”

“I’m the one who taught her how to shoot!” Donovan complained. He could’ve told her he’d qualified for Expert in the Corps but he didn’t share that info about himself.

Rick nudged the tray toward her. “Please have something. I don’t like to eat alone.”

Yeah, Donovan had heard his friend use that line many times on unsuspecting females. Rick oozed charm. And suddenly, Donovan got worried. If Rick spent too much time around Hope, she’d fall for him, like all women did.

“She better go.” Donovan approached Hope, not to hug her good-bye but to take the dog.

“Yes. I need to get home.” Reluctantly, she handed over Boomer before starting for the door.

“Hold up,” Rick said. “Donovan will see you out.”

Donovan gave Rick the I’ll-set-you-straight-when-I-get-back look before handing the puppy off to him.

“Yeah, I’ll walk you out,” he said, following her. “For protection.”

“I can take care of myself,” Hope said over her shoulder.

“Humor me, then.” Donovan hurried around her and held the door open.

“Suit yourself.”

He walked her out to her beat-up Honda Civic. “It was good to see you.” It wasn’t, really. The encounter made him feel uncomfortable on so many levels.

“Sure.” She knew he didn’t mean it. “Good-bye, Donovan.”

Her words were firm and felt final.

Fine by me. He walked back to the lodge, shivering from the cold.

Rick was waiting at the door. “Now that girl is a good reason to stay.”

For you or for me? Donovan shook the thought away. Long ago, he’d told Rick all about Hope, and he was certain Rick would never go after someone Donovan was interested in.

But Donovan wasn’t interested in Hope. Not since the day his brother Beau died.

Have you read any of Patience Griffin's books?

Do you enjoy books set in Alaska? Have you ever visited?

Do you quilt? 

Patience has created a giveaway solely for the readers here at The Romance Dish. The winner will receive their choice of a signed print copy or an e-book copy of One Snowy Night (if winner is in the U.S.) or their choice of a print copy from Book Depository or an e-book copy if the winner is international.   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Griffin is also hosting a giveaway for a custom-made Alaska quilt representative of her new series. Click here for more information on entering the quilt giveaway. 

Patience Griffin Birthday Bash Winners

The randomly chosen winners from Patience Griffin's Birthday Bash post are:

Becky Pratt

(one Patience Griffin book of your choice)

and

Glenda

(a package of books from PJ's prize stash)

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

PJ's Birthday Bash - - Patience Griffin

I love birthdays! For those of you who are Dish regulars, this will not come as a surprise. In fact, I love them so much that I decided to extend this year's celebration beyond the actual day (yesterday) to the whole week. Every day a different author will join the celebration with a special post and every day I'll have giveaways!

Today's birthday guest is one of my favorite new authors, Patience Griffin. Patience's debut contemporary romance, To Scotland With Love was a double RITA finalist this year and one of my favorite books of 2014. She now has three published books in her Scotland-set Kilts and Quilts series and is currently in Scotland (le sigh) working on more. Here for your enjoyment is a new, original, scene starring Graham and Cait Buchanan, the hero and heroine from To Scotland With Love along with a favorite secondary character, Cait's grandmother, Deydie and a couple "new" faces. Thank you, Patience. I love it! 
~PJ

PJ gasped as the taxi made its way down the bluff and she caught sight of her home for the next four days. It was more beautiful than she imagined when she’d booked the Kilts and Quilt retreat online—a special birthday present she’d given herself.

Down below was Gandiegow, the perfect Scottish village wedged between the vast North Sea and the bluff they were descending. Gandiegow only had sixty-three cottages and was known for three things: commercial fishing, being the hometown of Graham Buchanan, the famous BBC actor, and of course, the Kilts and Quilts retreat for quilters.

As the taxi pulled into the parking lot, PJ’s stomach did the Highland jig. Yes, she was two hours late. Yes, she should’ve built more time into her schedule to get here. But she had made it. She paid the driver, scooted out of the car, and pulled on her Michael Kors backpack, ready for her adventure. Three minutes later, she was rolling her bag into town with a map of the village in her hand and couldn’t stop smiling. She wondered how she would be received.

Quilting Central was easy to find among the scant row of businesses with its Nine-Patch sign hanging out front. As PJ opened the door, a bell above her jingled. At the same time, her nose was tantalized with the most wonderful smell of beef—stew perhaps. The room came alive, all the women jumping up at once, and rushing toward her. She glanced around, wondering if someone important had entered the room, like Graham. But he wasn’t behind her so she braced herself.

An old portly woman barely five feet tall reached her first and grabbed her arm. “Happy birthday, lass! I’m Deydie. We were wondering if ye were ever going to get here.” She motioned to the others. “I let them go ahead and eat, but I saved ye some of my special birthday stew.”

PJ was confused. “How did ye know it was my birthday? I didn’t tell anyone.”

Another woman joined Deydie, just as old but tall and thin. “Yere friend told us. I’m Bethia.”

“What friend?” PJ scanned the room, but didn’t see anyone she knew.

Deydie looked around. “Where did she go? The one with the funny name.” As if Deydie wasn’t a bit strange for a name as well.

The door to the restroom opened and out walked Janga. Janga?

“What are you doing here?” PJ exclaimed.

Janga rushed forward and gave her a quick hug. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you did. It’s wonderful.”

“Yes, but me being here is only half of the surprise.”

“Really? What are you up to?”

Janga looked like a near relative of the Cheshire Cat. “Cait, come here. I want you to meet PJ.”

A thirty-something woman with a nice smile joined them. “Hi. It’s lovely to meet ye.” Her accent wasn’t completely Scottish, but she definitely had mischief in her eyes, too. She winked at Janga. 

“Now?”

“Yes, now,” Janga said.

“Now, what?” PJ didn’t get to say anymore.

Deydie tugged on PJ’s arm. “Go get yere stew. Now.”

“But I want to know what’s going on.”

“Don’t worry yere pretty arse about it. The bowls and spoons are there as they should be. We’ve been waiting to cut the cake until after ye ate. Now, get to it.”

PJ did as she was told, filling a bowl, and then walking it over to where Janga sat with Cait, the two of them whispering.

“Come on,” PJ half-whined. “It is me.  And you know I don’t do well with surprises. Especially when I know one is coming and I have to wait.”

“Be patient,” Janga laughed.

The bell over the door jingled. All eyes moved in that direction, including PJ’s. When tall, dark, and gorgeous Graham Buchanan strolled through with a rose in his hand, she barely restrained herself from rushing him the way the quilting ladies nearly tackled her. Graham seemed to be looking for someone, and when his gaze fell on Cait, it dawned on PJ who Cait was.

“You’re Cait Buchanan!” PJ gaped at the luckiest woman in the world, married to the most swoon-worthy man on the planet.

“Aye.” Cait smiled, her eyes still on her husband. Weirdly, she tilted her head to the side in PJ’s direction.

As Graham made his way over, PJ was worried she might stop breathing. Although, it might not be awful if she passed out, maybe Graham would give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It took her a moment to realize he was smiling at her now!

He walked to her, holding out the rose. “For you,” he said in his wonderful Scottish burr that PJ knew and loved from his movies that she’d watched at least twice.

PJ latched onto Janga’s arm so she wouldn’t fall out of her chair. Was it wrong to lust after a man when his wife was sitting not one foot away on the other side of her? Nah. Hers was only a movie star crush. She could tell, the way his eyes kept flitting to his wife’s that what they had was the real deal.

PJ took the rose. “Thank you.” Her voice sounded like it had been filtered through sandpaper.

Graham leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Happy birthday, PJ. Enjoy yere stay in Gandiegow. The best place in the world.”

PJ couldn’t move. She could only soak up the moment. Graham Buchanan kissed me! Like the kiss had been a cue, the quilting ladies started singing the traditional song while Bethia carried a candle-lit cake in her direction.

PJ turned to Janga and squeezed her hand. “I don’t know how you pulled this off, but this is the best birthday ever!”

The End

Tell me about your best birthday ever. 

Or, tell me what gift would make it your best birthday ever.

One randomly chosen person will receive a 

package of books from my stash. (U.S. only)

One randomly chosen person will receive one of 

Patience Griffins' books. (Open to all - Winner's choice)

 

In the delightful new Kilts and Quilts novel by the author of To Scotland with Love andMeet Me in Scotland, the Real Men of Scotland are waiting. And it’s a match made in Gandiegow… 

Kit Woodhouse’s matchmaking business is such a success, she’s expanding to the Highlands of Scotland where the hot, prosperous, and kilted are anxious to connect. Now, looking to fill her stable with eligible bachelors, Kit’s arrived in Gandiegow to recruit potential Real Men of Scotland. It’s not until she meets her tour guide that she discovers just how real they can be.

With his sexy grin, jeans, and black wellies, Ramsay Armstrong is an unpolished hulk of a Scottish fisherman—and a skeptic when it comes to romance. Not exactly a man of “pairing attributes” when talking marriageable matches, but he does make Kit’s heart beat a little faster. Maybe it’s the scent of the sea in his hair. Maybe it’s the challenge. Maybe it’s the thrill of the unexpected. Then again, maybe it’s love.

Janga's Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances: July - December 2015

Looking at the wealth of amazing contemporary romance titles available between July 1 and December 31, you would never guess that a “Save the Contemporary” campaign was being waged a few years ago. My 2015 book calendar is so full of contemporary titles that I will likely be reading them into 2016, and every title on that calendar is a book I really want to read. However, even among the stars, some shine more brightly. The following are all books that will move to the front of my TBR queue the minute I download them. Please be advised that the list is heavy on small-town romances (I was a fan before the current trend started) and series titles (I’m an admitted series addict, but in my defense, a substantial majority of 2015 romances are part of a series.)

        Some Like It Scottish (Kilts and Quilts #3), Patience Griffin—July 7

(Also, The Accidental Scots (Kilts and Quilts #4) —December 1*)

Griffin has a knack for creating characters that I find engaging from the opening page. I love the kilts and the quilts. :) And how great to have a contemporary set in Scotland !  I loved Griffin’s first two novels, and I fully expect to enjoy the next two just as much.  I even love the covers. I will probably have read Some Like It Scottish by the time you read this, but right now it is on my download list for next Tuesday. And I’m already anticipating The Accidental Scots.





       Brown-Eyed Girl (Travis Family #4), Lisa Kleypas—August 11

This is my #1 most anticipated contemporary romance. I’ve been waiting six years for Joe’s story. Not only have I preordered it, but I have also cleared my calendar so I can reread Sugar Daddy, Blue-Eyed Devil, and Smooth Talking Stranger and be poised to start Brown-Eyed Girl the second it downloads. I love the Travis family, and I am beyond eager to revisit them. With sentences like the following one from an excerpt, I’m already falling in love: “It seemed the air had turned into champagne, every breath filled with effervescent, free-floating giddiness.

       Fatal Frenzy (Fatal #9), Marie Force—September 15

I started reading Force’s Fatal series back in 2010 and was captivated by the lead characters Washington, D.C. Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano, friend and chief of staff of Senator John O’Connor. The developing relationship between Sam and Nick is at least as essential to each book as the particular case, and the cast of recurring secondary characters is superb. But it is that relationship that put Force’s series on my auto-buy list. Sam is now Lieutenant Sam Holland and Nick is vice-president of the United States, and they are married. But their relationship continues to be as intriguing as the dead bodies that keep turning up. I can’t wait to see what’s next.       

1    The Comfort of Favorite Things (Hope Springs #5), Alison Kent—September 15

I love the titles of this series so much that I’d probably buy the books for that alone, but I am also hooked on the characters. In the first book (The Second Chance Café), readers meet Tennessee Keller who has lost touch with his brother Dakota and his sister Indiana after a teenage trauma alters all three lives. Ten finds his HEA with Kaylie Flynn and reconnects with Indiana in Book 1, and Indiana gets her HEA with Oliver Gatlin and summons Dakota to Hope Springs in The Sweetness of Honey (Book 3). Finally, in the fifth book, Kent gives us Dakota’s story—and it is a reunion romance! I cannot tell you how eager I am to see Dakota get his HEA.

       Some Kind of Wonderful (Puffin Island #2), Sarah Morgan—September 25

(Christmas Ever After—Puffin Island #3--October 27*)

I didn’t read my first Sarah Morgan book until Sleigh Bells in the Snow (2013), but I knew when I read that first O’Neil Brothers book that all the Morgan raves I had read were deserved. I loved the O’Neils, and First Time in Forever convinced me that the Puffin Island series would be just as great. I’ve been counting the days since then to the release of Some Kind of Wonderful, a reunion story (my favorite) with a sexy bad-boy hero. The following month, the third book in the series will be released. Christmas Ever After pairs a heroine and hero who loathed one another at first sight. What fun it will be to see them fall in love!

       A Winter Wedding (Whiskey Creek #9), Brenda Novak—October 27

The whiskey Creek series started three years ago with When We Touch, a novella in which Kyle Houseman married the wrong sister. The right sister, Olivia Arnold, finds her HEA with Brandon Lucero, Kyle’s stepbrother. Now after eight novels in which Kyle watched his closest friends find their perfect matches, Kyle will get his story. One of the things I’ve loved about this series is that Novak has done some really different things: a hero and heroine from the wrong side of the tracks, a hero dealing with the discovery that his long-time best friend is gay and in love with him, a heroine with what could be a fatal illness, and a heroine just out of prison. This time it’s turning the guy who betrayed the heroine of the first story into the hero. I am really eager to see what Novak does with this one.

       Along the Infinite Sea (Schuyler Sisters #3), Beatriz Williams—November 3

I may be cheating a bit by including this one on this list. It is more women’s fiction than contemporary romance, and since it is set in the 1960s with threads from the World War II era, it is not contemporary in the strictest sense. And the protagonist is pregnant with the child of her married lover. But whatever label fits—or doesn’t—and whatever romance taboos are violated, I am looking forward to this book with the highest expectations. The Secret Life of Violet Grant and Tiny Little Thing, the other books about Schuyler sisters, were winners for me. I love Williams’s treatment of character, her use of the past impinging on the present, and her wonderful prose. I fully expect to love this book too.

       Our Now and Forever (Ardent Springs #2), Terri Osburn—November 10

Terri Osburn has written some of my favorite small-town romances, and I laughed and sighed my way through His First and Last, her first Ardent Springs book. This second one has a runaway bride, a husband seeking reunion, and a marriage trial by celibacy. Now does that not sound irresistible? I don’t even intend to try to resist. I’ve read the teaser, and I have already booked my return ticket to Ardent Springs, Tennessee.

In the interest of full disclosure, Terri Osburn is a friend from the same Eloisa James bulletin board group as Manda Collins and PJ, but rest assured friendship is not my reason for including her book on this list.

       My Kind of Wonderful (Cedar Ridge 2), Jill Shalvis—December 22

I wasn’t sure Jill Shalvis could produce another series that could rival Lucky Harbor in my estimation, but Second Chance Summer left me fathoms deep in love with the Kincaid Brothers and eager for more books in the series. This second book is Hudson’s story, and his heroine is not the lingering kind. Count me in. (And just in case you are like me and enjoy anticipating well ahead of publication, Jacob’s book, Nobody But You, will be released March 29, 2016.)

      Anything for You (Blue Heron #5). Kristan Higgins—December 29

If Kristan Higgins puts her name on the cover, you can be sure I am going to read the book. But even among all my Higgins keepers, her Blue Heron books rank an extra star. I love this series. These are books that I’m ready to reread as soon as I finish them. And this one is Connor O’Rourke’s book—and Jessica Dunn is saying no to his proposal! It sounds like Higgins is giving me a perfect way to end my 2015 reading year.

*These books added to the ten make the full dozen.

Patience Griffin Winner

Congratulations to 

Joy

You're the randomly chosen winner of a print copy of

Some Like it Scottish by Patience Griffin.

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

(U.S. addresses only)

Today's Special - - Patience Griffin

I am delighted to welcome Patience Griffin back to the Romance Dish today. As many of you know, I fell head over heels for Patience's 2014 debut novel, To Scotland With Love, the book that ended up on both Janga's and my "Best of 2014" lists; the same book that is a double finalist for this year's Romance Writers of America RITA® award. The second book in her Kilts and Quilts series, Meet Me in Scotland was released earlier this year and the third book, Some Like it Scottish comes out July 7th. I've read an advanced copy and it's terrific. It's lighter in tone than the first two without losing any of the emotion that I so enjoyed in Griffin's previous books and I'm not ashamed to admit that I fell head over heels for the hero, Ramsay. Falling head over heels seems to be something I do often with Griffin's books! 

If you haven't discovered Patience Griffin's books yet, be sure to visit her website for all the pertinent information and catch up with her online at the links below. 

www.patiencegriffin.com

Patience on Facebook

@patiencegriffin

Patience at Pinterest 

The Power of Pictures

Adult coloring books are all the craze right now, and rightly so. Coloring is a great stress reliever. But I say, let’s not underestimate the power of looking at pictures.

When I was a girl, my dad brought home two huge bags from Waldenbooks. This was nothing new for my dad, but included in those bags this time were two art photography books that changed my world. The tomes contained pictures of ordinary people, doing ordinary things, but something about those pictures, while I turned the pages, mesmerized me, opening up a whole new world. I was like Dorothy stepping into Oz, going from black and white into a Technicolor world in two seconds flat.

Through those pictures, my world expanded. I’m from a small town. When I say small, I mean one-four-way-stop-sign-and-600-people small. Think Mayberry RFD small. Our area was so rural that all the surrounding little towns were bussed out to a country school. It was the best place in the world to grow up, seriously, the best! But what I saw in those photography books, made me grow in my perspective and made my imagination spin with new ideas. As I poured over the photographs, I began to make up stories about the people in the pictures and what their lives were like. I wonder now if that wasn’t the beginning of me becoming a storyteller.

The first thing I do when I start a new manuscript is pull out a stack of magazines along with a pair of scissors. I cut out anything that causes a spark and catches my fancy. I don’t think about the story I’m going to write, I’m only looking for pictures that I love. Before I can even glue them on the poster board, I start hearing snippets of dialogue …aye, in Scottish accents, of course. I have a lot of fun making my storyboards, but I usually quit before they are complete, because I’m so full of ideas that I’m antsy to start writing the story.

My love of gazing at pictures isn’t limited to my writing life. When my quilting magazines and quilt catalogues arrive in the mail, I get almost giddy. I love to sit down late in the evening when my brain is fried and flip through the pages, letting my creative-self pretend I have time to make all those beautiful quilts. And to me, each quilt tells a story. I have used fabric many times to tell the story of gratitude, like when my eldest son was a teen and developed a heart condition. To thank the cardiologists, I made a wall hanging, expressing our family’s gratitude for taking care of him. 

Sometimes, I’ve told the story through quilt blocks like when I made my daughter’s graduation quilt—her life in fabric.

Other times, like my September 11^th quilt, I told the story of the day. As far as I’m concerned, quilt blocks are simply pictures projected through a different medium.

Finally, book covers, another kind of picture, catches the flavor of a story, giving us a preview of the emotion we’re going to feel when reading the book. Deborah Chabrian, the artist who has painted the covers for the Kilts and Quilts series, has done a brilliant job of conveying what I hope readers get out of my books…that feeling of home, heart, and community.

And for those of you who have a picture addiction as I do, then beware of Pinterest. OMG! Once I get started, I can’t stop browsing. There is a reason I don’t spend much time on Pinterest these days…I have books to write.

What gets your creative juices flowing? Coloring? Listening to music? Taking a walk? Doing the dishes? (Just kidding on that last one!)

My grandfather had a subscription to National Geographic when I was a kid. I used to love sitting down with his latest one. Do you have a favorite magazine that you love to browse through for pictures?

One person who leaves a comment on today's post will receive a print copy of Some Like it Scottish. (U.S. only)

Kit Woodhouse’s matchmaking business is such a success, she’s expanding to the Highlands of Scotland where the hot, prosperous, and kilted are anxious to connect. Now, looking to fill her stable with eligible bachelors, Kit’s arrived in Gandiegow to recruit potential Real Men of Scotland. It’s not until she meets her tour guide that she discovers just how real they can be.

With his sexy grin, jeans, and black wellies, Ramsay Armstrong is an unpolished hulk of a Scottish fisherman—and a skeptic when it comes to romance. Not exactly a man of “pairing attributes” when talking marriageable matches, but he does make Kit’s heart beat a little faster. Maybe it’s the scent of the sea in his hair. Maybe it’s the challenge. Maybe it’s the thrill of the unexpected. Then again, maybe it’s love.

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