Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
This spotlight is for a #newtomeauthor who is writing Western Contemporary INSPY Romances! I haven’t yet dipped back into reading INSPY Westerns as I’ve been super focused and happily entrenched inside my favourite Western Roms from Harlequin Heartwarming these past several years – which are considered ‘sweet & clean’ if audiences and readers are seeking a romance which are not focusing on scenes or language which might prove offensive to their readerly sensibilities. However, I also know those who read INSPY are not all hybrid readers like I am who read between both mainstream & INSPY markets of publishing. We all have to choose what we will read and what our readerly limits are within our genres of interest. For instance, I had to take a firm step back from the grit and realities of war and focus more on the humanistic stories set within war dramas than being placed inside the battles & descriptive narratives of most war dramas as they are regularly told today.
When it comes to reading Western Romances, what encourages my heart the most is the setting! I love horses & riding – ever since I was a young girl – which is why whenever I am lost in the chapters describing life on a ranch and/or in a Western Rockies community and towneship, I find myself wickedly delighted in the joys of ‘living this life’ as seen through the eyes and hearts of the characters who live there themselves. Now, of course, outside of the Western half of the United States there are other places you can set a Western Romance – as some states still have a lot of rural communities and agricultural heritage within their borders. We also have Eastern mountains on the East Coast which are a fine compliment (if albeit slightly less grand!) to the Rockies, too!
I believe to be a Western Romance it has to have a certain spirit about it – a certain legacy of familiarity built upon Western themes of interest and of course, *cowboys!* are surely a must as much as women who can be independently self-supporting of both themselves and the families they are raising on a ranch or other Western location. I love the ease of soaking into the natural world through a Western lens of influence as well – where you get to see the larger animals roaming free on the range and/or in the forests, whilst you have herds which need to be looked after (ie. cattle especially) and/or you have a horse farm which has its own set of standards and layers of hard-work woven into it as well. And, then of course there is the aspect of ranching life and the responsibilities of being self-reliant and sustainable however which avenue can turn a profit for the ranch.
In essence, I am in love with Western Romances from the start of the first chapter and I love the hours we can spend in the saddle next to the heroes and heroines which make this genre such a wicked delight to be reading! The closeness of family, the importance of hearth & home and the fabric knitted out of neighbours & friends alike is what helps shape a well-rounded Western for me! And, if there is a Western Romance set during Christmas!? Eek. *goosebumps!* As I consider Christmas Romances a special niche of joy in my Romantic wanderings every year!!
Curiously – do you *love!* reading Western Romances as much as I do? I’ve been reading and reviewing a heap of lovely series by my beloved Harlequin Heartwarming novelists over the past several years – from the Rocky Mountain Cowboys to Return of the Blackwell Brothers & this year’s sequel series the Blackwell Sisters to the Sweetheart Ranch series! There are so many wonderful Western Rom authors who are traditionally published as much as there are Indie Authors – either self-publishing their stories/series or are with an Indie Publisher or Press. I love focusing on Indie & Self-Published authors as much as traditionally published authors which is why featuring Ms Hatfield’s series is such a joy for me! I’d love to find more authors like her writing in a genre I dearly love devouring!
A focused cowboy, a distracted executive,
and a hilarious quest make for an unforgettable holiday . . .Wyatt Nash is a professional tie-down roper, a good ranch hand, and not too shabby when it comes to attracting women. But according to his five-year-old niece, he needs to work on both his roping skills and his dating game. His sister thinks he needs to settle down. And don’t get him started on the advice he gets from well-meaning friends. When his rodeo sponsor, billionaire Jon Sinclair, asks for his assistance in tutoring a clueless city girl about Sinclair Industries, Wyatt doesn’t feel like he can say no. Then he discovers he’ll be teaching none other than the one woman on the planet who wants nothing to do with him.
Ashley Jarrett would do almost anything to turn her small publicity firm into a huge success. When Jon Sinclair expresses interest in working with her, she readily agrees to his crazy idea to have her learn about his company through hands-on projects. Not only is she forced far outside her comfort zone, but the man documenting every bumbling misstep she takes is an infuriating cowboy she’s determined to ignore.
Packed with small-town charm and the wonder of falling in love, Roping Christmas is a sweet holiday romance sure to bring laughter and infuse hearts Christmas cheer.
Add to LibraryThing | ISBN: 979-8691116568
This series has 8 books inside it including:
Be sure to visit her FantasticFiction page to find the full listing!
Published by: Wholesome Hearts Publishing
Converse via: #ContemporaryRomance &/or #ChristmasRomance + #SweetRomance
as well #HolidayReads or #ChristmasReads and #INSPYRomance + #WesternRomance
Enjoy an Extract from
“Roping Christmas”:
Chase settled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side in a brotherly hug. “You know we love to have you anytime you can visit.”
“I do know that and am grateful for the standing welcome.” Ashley smiled up at her cousin while a tiny tornado swept into the kitchen.
Corkscrew curls the color of straw bounced in every direction as the little girl launched herself at Wyatt. He swung her into his arms and kissed her rosy cheek. The little one looked like a miniature replica of Sarah.
“Hi!” the child greeted with a broad smile that showed off a missing space in her front teeth.
“Hi, Livy.” Jessie smiled at the little girl. “Are you keeping your Uncle Wyatt busy while he’s here?”
“Yep! We watched a movie last night about the bear ’cessities. It was awesome! But Uncle Wyatt said he’s missing some of the ’cessities. I told him he needs a wife and babies.” Livy wiggled against Wyatt, so he set her on her feet.
She rushed over to Ashley and took her hand in hers. “Hi! I’m Livy. Wyatt’s my uncle, and that’s my mama, Sarah. My daddy is washing up, then we can eat. I’m starving to death! You’re pretty and smell nice, too.”
The little imp turned toward Wyatt. “Did you smell her, Uncle Wyatt? She smells good. Maybe she’d be your wife, and you could have babies, Uncle Wyatt.”
FUN FACT: I realised whilst browsing the author’s book pages on Fantastic Fiction – this lovely series first published in [2013] – the very first year I became a book blogger and launched Jorie Loves A Story! Next to finding stories published on my birthday, I find stories which either were published the year I launched or one one of my blog’s special days to be super special! (ie. special days are 31st March (blogoversary) & 6th August (blog birthday)
Although I am highlighting a story deep inside the series – when I go to fetch the books in print to be reading for this series, I’ll be starting at the beginning! It is always my personal preference even if a series is marketed as “stand-alone & can be read in any order” – I personally choose to take the WHOLE JOURNEY of the series and to see how the author developed the world within it. From the bones of the foundation for the setting and community to the characters (lead and supporting) to how the overall arc of a series forward timeline moves in and out of the series installments. Plus, too, you can see the growth of the writer’s style and how they deal with continuity as well. Overall, I truly am a series junkie when it comes to reading stories which allow us to put a ‘pause’ on our ‘goodbyes’ and let us stay a spell with a series of characters we truly feel as if they’ve become a part of our lives and immediate circle of friends and/or outright family!
This short extract shows the innocence of children and the unexpected things they say whenever you’re least expecting them to share a bit of childhood wisdom & logic! I love how the scene was set rather unassumingly and then left on a bit of a cliffhanger – as weren’t you curious what Uncle Wyatt must be a) thinking and b) how did he respond!? Laughs. I suppose we’ll all have to fetch copies in the New Year to find out!! I, for one, will be seeking this in either print or audio via my local & regional libraries (either in their card catalogues or through their ILL services) whilst if those options expire without finding the stories, I’ll see if the audiobooks are available via #Scribd where I maintain a subscription strictly for the audiobooks!
Be sure to find out more about this charity by visiting this page!
About Shanna Hatfield
USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes. When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.
This blog tour is courtesy of: Prism Book Tours
Click through via the badge to find out what else awaits you!
Be sure to return on 16th December, to see another Shanna Hatfield Book Spotlight!
PS: It might go without saying, but I had to withhold my spotlight due to health & other adverse situations I was going through whilst this blitz tour was live and being shared. I asked permission to share it during my #blogmas showcases and thankfully was granted permission to do that as it would fit within the schedule I had outlined for December!
NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “Roping Christmas”, the author’s photo (for Shanna Hatfield) and biography, the extract from “Roping Christmas” as well as the promotional banners for “Rodeo Romance series”, the blog tour banner and the Prism Book Tours badge were all provided by Prism Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #blogmas 2020 banner & badge and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
.@joriestory Happy #blogmas!
Time to focus on #WesternRomance set at Christmas!! I personally have been entrenched in #amreading Western Roms from #HarlequinHeartwarming these past years; it is nice to spotlight an #IndieAuthor of a genre I LOVE!
❤️?https://t.co/C1M4x2V6TI pic.twitter.com/TrvJ1p3OyT
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter ?? (@joriestory) December 12, 2020
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