Romance Book Blast: Writing Home and Her Hometown Dream (Sharing from Sara Beth Williams, click the link above for her website)

I love reading, and I love reading romance novels even more. To celebrate this week after Valentine’s Day and my love of reading, every day this week, I’ve put together some great romance book recs for you all, along with behind the story tidbits straight from the authors!

Writing Home by Amy R. Anguish

/Christiana Jones dreamed her whole life of living in Huntsville, Alabama, so she can’t figure out why it doesn’t feel like home. Her relationships—on social media and in real life—seem shallow and empty. When she unearths a stack of her grandparents’ letters, it spurs an idea. Could she find something deeper with a penpal? Jordan White is taken aback when his cousin Tina suggests he become penpals with her childhood best friend. What could a Louisiana boy have in common with a girl two states away? After all, he’s happily settled on his family’s property and working the job he always wanted. But every letter they exchange has him wishing for more. As they grow closer through their written words, the miles between them seem to grow wider. Can love cross the distance and bring them home?

AMAZON

What inspired this story?

The best place to learn romance is from others who have discovered it before. My grandparents were married for over 66 years before they were separated by death, and were one of the best examples I had of what I wanted in my own marriage. After my grandfather’s death, my grandmother stayed close to him through letters he’d written her years before. And the letters were what inspired me to explore the idea of a long-distance romance in Writing Home. Christiana finds letters written between her own grandparents and decides she wants something more like what they had than what she can find in the fast-paced social media world of relationships. Her friend Tina introduces her to cousin Jordan, and they get to know each other through letters, though they live two states apart. And the romance that creeps in, well, gives them more to think about, too. Including a misunderstanding over Valentine’s Day roses. It might not be a typical romance, but I’d like to think Christiana and Jordan’s romance does credit to the real-life one it was inspired by.

About the Author

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

Learn more about her books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/

And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page

Her Hometown Dream by Rachelle Paige Campbell

Amy Parker returns to her hometown for a two-week visit before moving on to take a job she really doesn’t want. But when the historic mansion that sparked her passion for history hits the market, she thinks she’s finally found a way to stay for good. With the help and support of family and friends, Amy sets out to make her lifelong dreams come true.

The tenth anniversary of the tragic death of Jake Grant’s best friend is fast approaching, and all he wants to do is create a charity to honor him. Too bad Jake has no idea what he’s doing. To make matters worse, the woman he holds responsible for his friend’s death is back in town, and she doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

Jake and Amy need each other’s help, so they forge a professional relationship to get what they both want—Amy has the skills necessary to complete the charity paperwork, and Jake can approach the mansion’s owner on her behalf. Professionalism quickly morphs into something more, though, and old feelings resurface. As they grow closer, a shocking revelation forces Jake and Amy to make sense of the past if they have any hope of a future together.

AMAZON

What inspires you to write in the romance genre?

I am a firm believer in the transformative power of love. While the romance between the hero and heroine is front and center in my novels, I also show platonic love, familial love, and God’s love. Giving and receiving love (in any of those categories) isn’t always easy, but it is empowering and life-affirming. 

What inspired this story?

In Her Hometown Dream, a character passed away a decade earlier but his loss is still deeply felt by the community and the hero struggles to accept it. When I was in college, my high-school aged neighbor passed away in a car accident. Trying to make sense of a tragedy by blaming others is a trait of human nature. But the family I know in real life never did. Exploring forgiveness became the backbone of my novel.

About the Author

Rachelle Paige Campbell writes contemporary romance novels filled with heart and hope. She believes love and laughter can change lives and every story needs a happily ever after.

Website: https://rachellepaigecampbell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachellepaigebooks/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rachelle-paige-campbell

Click here

Mistaken Identity has dangerous consequences…

Covering her flu-stricken sister’s shift, Sarah Leech helps at an after-hours jewelry exhibition at the Chicago Art Museum, hoping to network. When a handsome stranger asks her to dance, she agrees. Working around the clock to support her young son and pursue a dream, she figures one waltz gives her a fun story and potentially an important career contact.

Jewel-thief turned informant, Nicholas Thatcher is finishing surveillance before the heist that will secure his freedom. He spots his late mother’s bracelet, the same piece used to blackmail him into a decade-plus career for a crime boss. He can’t be sure of his next move with the unknown woman’s sudden appearance. Following her out of the museum, he spots two men on her heels. When the men stall a CTA train on the elevated tracks and start shooting, the night quickly derails.

Keeping her alive long enough to learn her identity becomes his top priority. When they discover a startling connection, they must work together. Can they find redemption?

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I’m choosing a pretty book cover picture instead of the reality.

Happy 2022! I’ve said that before but this month has given me the oddest sense of deja vu. My kids were back in school for two and a half weeks but when they went back following MLK day, I asked questions like it was the return from winter break.

I sort of feel like every day is the same. But that’s how winter always impacts me. It’s why–typically–I don’t set my books in January thru early March. I lose track of the time.

In truth, 2022 is off to a good start. I’ve been editing the next book in my Home to Harmony series. Following the events of Her Hometown Dream, the book is called Her Unlikely Homecoming so if you’ve read the first book you can guess the hero and heroine of the second.

I’m writing a first draft for a potential third in series, too (different series!). I have several book ideas lined up for first drafts at the start of the year, giving plenty of time to edit and revise before sending any to my agent. I’ve been struggling with this draft, and I’m reminded again to turn off my inner editor. Writing isn’t always easy. The important part is getting it done. Terrible first drafts can be fixed, and sometimes a book has to be fully written before the problems become obvious.

I hope your year is off to a solid start as well. Remember to be kind to yourself. This is the point where a lot of people are beating themselves up about resolutions that have failed. That’s not helpful. Any progress is positive. Sometimes you can leap forward but other times you need to tiptoe.