His Small Town Girl

Title: His Small-Town Girl

Series: Sutter's Hollow #1

Author: Lacy Williams

Genre: Sweet Romance

Release Date: May 12, 2020 Cover Design: Covers   & Cupcakes

"This book touched me so much, especially with what is happening in the world right now. We NEED a book like this to restore our faith in humanity!" -Valri via Goodreads

"And ooh boy, The Moment. That was epic. Every girl needs a Cord (and a Moment) in her life." -Meagan via Goodreads

"I can't wait to read more in this delightful HEA romantic series!" -Julie via Goodreads

"A sweet and wholesome romance that touched my heart. Molly and Cord were the best example of what true love is." -romancejunkie via Goodreads

She’s sweet and wholesome. And hiding something.

He’s back home, resurrecting old ghosts.

One of them is going to get hurt. 

Molly arrives in Sutter’s Hollow out of gas and out of options. The rundown ranch seems like a perfect place to hide. Except the man who owns it seems just as dangerous as what’s chasing her.

Cord’s mantra growing up? Get out of Sutter’s Hollow. Now he’s back in town, but only long enough to get rid of his grandma’s ball and chain—the ranch. He doesn’t need a complication like Molly, who reminds him of an injured baby bird. He’s no protector. So why can’t he tell her to get lost?

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What was she going to do?

Molly caught her knuckle as she twisted the wrench on a nut that just wouldn't give. She gritted her teeth as the skin scraped away. She sucked on the skin, the iron tang of blood settling on her tongue.

Questions bounced through her mind as a cold wind blew straight down the collar of her jacket.

Once she got the nut loosened, the dead alternator would lift out. Another hour, and she'd have the new one installed in its place.

And then what?

She'd promised Cord she'd get off his property. He'd been kind, letting her stay the past two nights. She'd repaid him by cooking some of Mama's favorite meals, though she'd left him to eat in peace, staying in her room and strumming her guitar.

She hadn't slept other than in snatches. She needed to get the fear under control. She couldn't keep going like this.

She'd seen a random stranger walking down the street and panicked. A full blown attack, with the shakes and trouble breathing. In front of Cord, who obviously pitied her.

Pitied her, but wasn't going to invite her to stay.

I'll never let you go.

I'll kill anybody you get close to.

Toby's cutting voice had been bouncing through her brain ever since.

You're mine.

She wasn't his. Never had been.

But no matter how many times she repeated it to herself, his voice followed her.

She'd found a measure of safety on Cord's land. It was quiet, peaceful. Maybe she could find someplace like it.

She tried to tell herself she would be fine.

But she didn't believe it.

Footsteps crunched in the dried grasses, and she startled so badly that she dropped her wrench into the engine with a clang.

She might've uttered a cuss word under her breath as she retrieved it.

She shot a glance at Cord, approaching from the house, but he pretended he hadn't seen her jump like a lunatic.

"Need some help?" He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His flannel shirt was unbuttoned above a T-shirt that clung to his abs.

"No thanks." She'd fight with this bolt a little more, and then she'd win. She'd do the next step and the next until the engine was rebuilt.

Too bad she didn't have a manual for how to rebuild her life.

He shifted his feet. Opened his mouth. Shut it again. Then blurted, "Can you come inside for a minute? I wanna talk."

"What's there to talk about? I told you I'm getting ready to leave. You'll have your solitude back."

He mumbled something under his breath. When she shot him a look, he awarded her a tight smile. It was some improvement over his fierce frowns. What would it take to drag a real smile from him? "Please, will you come inside?"

The nut finally loosened, the tension giving away under the strain in her arm.  "Fine," she said.

It was the work of a few seconds to remove the nut and bolt, and then she lifted out the alternator and set it on the ground beside the truck. An empty spot was left behind in the truck's engine.

That's how she felt right now. There was a huge piece missing inside of her. She didn't know how to get it back.

She wiped her grease-stained hands on a rag as she followed Cord to the house. In the kitchen, he motioned her to sit in one of the kitchen chairs. She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter instead.

He leveled a look on her. "You okay?"

She dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'm fine."

She wasn't fine. But he'd already seen her at her worst, and she didn't want to face his pity again.

"Molly."

She heard the skepticism in the single word. She turned away and started running water at the sink. She scrubbed her hands with the rough green bar of soap left there. And rinsed.

And then he was close behind her, reaching around her to turn off the water. Her body was betraying her again. It was awareness of him at her shoulder—not fear—that made her heart pound.

That and the sickening memory of Toby.

"I want to know what's going on," he said. The words emerged heavy, as if they’d cost him.

She squeezed her eyes closed.

He touched her, cupping one hand beneath her elbow.

And when she looked up at him again, something was burning behind his eyes. "I have to know. Did someone hurt you?"

She clutched the edge of the sink. "He tried."

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see on Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published fifty books in almost a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at www.lacywilliams.net/vip .

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Never Retreat

Title: Never Retreat

Author: Bonnie McCune

Genre: Sweet Romance

Release Date: October 22, 2019

A feisty single mom clashes with an ex-military, macho corporate star at a business retreat in the wild Colorado mountains, where only one can win a huge prize. But when a massive flood imperils  their love and survival, they learn the meaning of true partnership.

Years ago, Ramona (‘Raye”) Soto faced harsh reality when a roving con man knocked her up. Now at thirty-something she’s concentrating on her career in a major telecommunications firm and funding college for her teenaged son. Enter Desmond Emmett—a fast talker and smooth operator. New to the office, the ex-serviceman possesses every negative quality for a guy Raye should avoid.

Thrown together at a corporate retreat in the wilderness, the reluctant duo struggles to complete management’s extreme mental and physical tests for a huge reward. But only one can win the prize, and Des needs the money to underwrite medical treatments for his adored younger sister.

See-sawing between attraction and antagonism, the mismatched couple, Raye and Des, face their biggest challenge: learning the meaning of true partnership. When a massive flash flood sweeps down the rocky canyon and threatens their love and survival, they must put aside their difference to rescue their colleagues—and their future as a couple.

“I won!” Raye’s handful of lottery scratch tickets, fanned out on the staff room table in front of her, glowed in a multitude of bright colors. She plucked the one nearest to her. “Forty dollars!” 

Julia failed to respond. “He’s gorgeous. Just gorgeous.” Her unfocused eyes and neglect of the bear claw pastry in one limp hand showed how absorbed she was in telling Raye Soto about the new man striding around corporate headquarters in Denver. 

“Didn’t you hear me? My winning ticket must be an omen I’ll get a big prize. You know how much I need it to cover Andy’s college. No student loans! Whoo-ee!”

“Not necessarily. You’ll have better odds at happiness if you notice a male hunk in front of your face. You haven’t even had a date in years.”

“Wouldn’t start with a good-looking guy. He’d be the most dangerous type. Anyway, you’ve never won awards for your taste in men,” Raye teased back. Her quick survey of the modest dining area showed no other people on break, so she geared up her joking. “Wasn’t your last crush the barista over at Java Hut? The one who drew your initial with cream on the top of your cappuccino, then pocketed the change you were due? And the one before rode a motorcycle and crashed at least once a month?”

“You’re one to talk!” Julia returned to consciousness, leaning back in her chair and tapping her index finger, this week manicured in turquoise blue with tiny spangles, on the veneer-topped table. “Your ex-, who hardly qualifies as an ex since he was only around for a few months, partied so hard and so often, he forgot to come home at night.”

“Let’s not get into odious comparisons. I got Andy from the experience, and that’s enough for me.” Raye pushed back her chrome-wire chair, stood, and began wrapping the remains of her meal. 

“This guy, his name’s Des Emmett, would be perfect for you. If you’d drop the attitude.” 

“How old do you figure he is?”I can’t possibly be considering Julia’s suggestion, can I? Raye thought.

“I’d say thirty-six, thirty-eight. He mentioned eight years in the service, and I know from his resume, which passed through my grubby paws when he transferred here, that he has a solid ten years in the corporate world. Most recently, at the highest levels.”

“And he’s not married?” With her free hand, Raye stuffed the winning lottery ticket in her pocket, then grabbed the remainder in a fistful jumble.

“No.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with him? Is he gay? Abusive?”

“Wait a minute,” Julia said. “You’re thirty-four and not married.”

“But I have been.” She considered the super-sized fruit yogurt she now balanced. The treat wasn’t finished yet, so she covered the container to tote to the staff refrigerator. “I admit he’s good-looking. Those ice-blue eyes, the casual dark curls.” In fact, he’s too good-looking. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him, she thought.

“Those molded lips, the bottom one a little fuller than the upper. The brooding brow.” Julia gathered her snack leavings, then walked to the refrigerator and leaned against the open door next to Raye to continue. “I think you’re ticked off because he treats you like an employee, not a woman. He shouldn’t be snubbed for that.”

“Absolutely wrong! I learned long ago not to trust charm and good looks. Anyway, why are you pushing him on me? Don’t you want to try your luck?”

Julia looked up at the ceiling tiles. “I haven’t told you, but things are getting serious between me and Eric. We’ve been talking about marriage.”

“Eeek!” Raye’s shriek echoed from inside the refrigerator. She pulled her head out. “That’s wonderful.”

“Nothing’s definite yet, so don’t mention it. I’m entertaining the idea because I hate to see a guy as nice as Eric go to waste. Or get picked off by a sneaky man-eater, like Krystle.”

“I remember two years ago when Krystle got tipsy at the holiday party. She kept rubbing her hands all over Eric, then tried to pull him into the hall for a necking session,” 

Julia sniggered. “Fortunately he refused to surrender. That’s when I first guessed I could trust him.”

“Yeah, and he’s been hanging around you ever since,” said Raye. “That’s going somewhere permanent?”

“I sure hope so. The huuuge barrier right now to any kind of development is that car loan my folks took out and now can’t pay. Can’t get married, can’t even move in together because I have to help the family out. Anyway, a more cheerful subject, I first saw the new director of security this morning before he even got in the office. I was walking down the sidewalk past the entrance to the parking garage when he buzzed by on a motorcycle, tall and solid as a soldier. . .”

“A motorcycle!” Raye slammed the refrigerator door closed. “You know how much I hate those. You’re not building a case for my becoming besties with Mr. Desmond Emmett with that bit of information. Smelly, noisy, dangerous machines.”

A stricken look passed over Julia’s face. “I’m so sorry. I totally spaced on what happened to your brother.” Wrapping both arms around her friend, Julia hugged hard, and Raye let her. “You still miss him, don’t you?” Julia whispered.

“Like the devil. Every day. Even though it’s been years. Damn his infatuation with motorcycles! I hear about the Broncos winning, and I think, ‘boy, that’ll make Carlos happy,’ then I remember he’s not here. Or the first snow, I want to run in and wake him up so we can walk in the park, until I remember there’ll be no more times like that. He’ll never know his nephew graduated at the top of the class, or that Dad and Mom both have new romances going.” Raye stepped back after a final squeeze. “Thanks for not hesitating to mention him. That helps.Many people act like he never existed.”

Bonnie McCune has been writing since age ten, when she submitted a poem about rain rushing down the gutter to the Saturday Evening Post (it was immediately rejected). This interest facilitated her career in nonprofits doing public and community relations and marketing. She’s worked for libraries, directed a small arts organization, and managed Denver's beautification program. 

Simultaneously, she’s been a free lance writer with publications in local, regional, and specialty publications for news and features. Her civic involvement includes grass-roots organizations, political campaigns, writers' and arts' groups, and children's literacy. For years, she entered recipe contests and was a finalist once to the Pillsbury Bake Off. A special love is live theater. Had she been nine inches taller and thirty pounds lighter, she might have been an actress.

Her true passion is fiction, and her pieces have won several awards. Never Retreat is her third novel and her fifth book of fiction. For reasons unknown (an unacknowledged optimism?), she believes one person can make a difference in this world. Visit her at www.BonnieMcCune.com, Bonnie@BonnieMcCune.com, twitter.com/bonniemccune, facebook.com/authorBonnieMcCune.

www.linkedin.com/in/BonnieMcCune.

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Just As I Am

Title: Just As I Am

Series: Unfailing Love Book One

Author: Mandi Blake

Genre: Sweet Romance

Release Date: May 17, 2019

Adeline Rhodes has spent years locked away in a New Orleans apartment controlled by her criminal boyfriend. After a daring escape, she realizes just how far she has grown from the things in which she once believed.

Declan King has lived a life of solitude and duty for the U.S. Army. When the deaths of his grandparents bring him home to his family farm, he is forced into contact with people who know too much about his past to simply leave him alone. 

When Adeline’s past catches up to her, the two strangers find themselves thrust into a fake relationship to protect Adeline from her vengeful ex. As their chance meeting begins a journey that heals old wounds, they struggle to stay ahead of the danger and deny their growing attraction to each other. 

Declan will do anything to protect her, and failure isn’t an option when Adeline’s life is on the line.

Mandi Blake was born and raised in Alabama where she lives with her husband and daughter, but her southern heart loves to travel. Reading has been her favorite hobby for as long as she can remember, but writing is her passion. She loves a good happily ever after in her sweet Christian romance books and loves to see her characters’ relationships grow closer to God and each other. 

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