Personal – Writer of Sweet Small Town Stories of Love and Family

A New Book! By Me!

Published on May 6, 2022 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

Isn’t she beautiful? This is my upcoming release, written with New York Times bestselling author, Rachel Hauck.

ONE FINE DAY releases May 24th, 2022.

A second chance for a first love…

Chloe Beason LaRue left Hearts Bend after high school, determined to never look back. She shed her unrequited crush on Sam Hardy, moved to Paris, went to pastry school, found a good job, fell in love, and got married. She was happy in France. Then her husband tragically died. Now, Chloe just wants to move forward…but when her mom’s health is in jeopardy, Chloe heads right back to Hearts Bend where she’s hired as head baker for Haven’s, the premier bakery in town. She has no idea that moving home will push her right into the arms of the man who broke her heart.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Sam Hardy has left Hearts Bend and not looked back. He has too many broken memories. But when he’s sidelined by an injury, he desperately needs to invest in something to safeguard his future. Haven’s Bakery is up for sale—and his business partner believes the deal is too good to pass up. He has no idea that the owners have hired the one girl he can’t seem to forget…and the last thing he expects is to be her boss.

Back in Hearts Bend for the first time in ten years and thrown together at Haven’s Bakery, Chloe and Sam have a second chance at first love. Indeed, the more time Sam spends selling donuts, the more he sees a new future. But when Paris beckons Chloe back, where does her heart belong? Can they find the recipe for leaving regrets behind and start something new?

Escape to Hearts Bend for a sweet story of romance, faith, and an unexpected happy ending.

Pre-order links: https://books2read.com/heartsbendonefineday

Book Talk : The Summer Getaway

Published on March 21, 2022 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

It’s my favorite time of year: spring! Which means new life and new summer books!

I received an advance copy of Susan Mallery’s newest release, THE SUMMER GETAWAY and it’s the perfect beach read as well as the perfect book to read in anticipation of summer.

Robyn Caldwell is caught off-guard by her empty nest. Divorced four years, she should have seen it coming and finds herself undecided about what to do next. When her great-aunt Lillian asks her to visit in California, Robyn boards a plane, hoping the distance will give her perspective and help her decide her next steps.

Robyn finds though that not just her problems follow her to California. First her children show up, then everyone else she thought she left behind soon comes along too.

California, Aunt Lillian, her crazy mansion, and Lillian’s long-lost nephew show Robyn that she does have choices, that she’s more than enough, and that she can do whatever she wants.

Mallery has crafted a heartfelt tale of fresh starts and growing up–at any age. I highly recommend it!

I received a free copy of THE SUMMER GETAWAY from the publisher. This did not induce me to review the book, either favorably or not.

Woe! It’s Wednesday … Catching Up on What a Year!

Published on May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously1 Comment

It’s been quite a while since I posted anything other than a book review. But I recently looked back at some of my posts from when we were traveling with the drug education trailer and I really enjoyed reading about our adventures and the people we met and the food we ate and the sights we saw and the sites we visited.

The Chihuly Gallery remains a favorite. I’d love to return there someday.

Anyway, I thought I should give an update about what we’ve been up to since we’ve been sidelined.

David took care of some long planned house projects. We put in new flooring, painted our wood-burning stove and hearth, as well as the living room, dining room, kitchen and hallway. We also bought some new furniture pieces and painted some others. The house feels bigger and cleaner!

I kept busy with my day job working in agriculture media and pesticide safety. And I received a long-awaited and very exciting offer to sign a publishing contract with Sunrise Publishing! I’m co-writing a romance novel with Rachel Hauck, a New York Times best-selling author. It will be set in her beloved fictional town of Hearts Bend, Tennessee. We’re hard at work on it now and having a blast. I love being a part of the Sunrise family. Everyone there is a joy to work with. The book will debut in February. I’ll be releasing the name and cover on social media in the next few months.

We were able to take some trips to Yosemite and one to Hawaii. It’s been a blessing to be able to keep in contact with friends and family via Zoom, FaceTime, and WhatsApp. We mostly attended church online, but are starting to go in person again. Social media is both a blessing and a curse and I have a love/hate relationship with it.

We’re not sure when we’ll be back on the road with the drug education trailer. But I’ll keep the blog updated when we know something.

Thank you for reading this far! Talk to you soon!

Book Talk on a Monday: STELLA

Published on December 28, 2020 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously2 Comments

I absolutely adored this book! Told from the point of view of a beagle, it is full of heart and love for our canine friends.
Stella was a service dog trained to sniff explosives. She lost her handler when a bomb went off at the airport and now suffers from PTSD. She’s been given several chances to be rehomed, but none of them worked out. Until she met Cloe. Cloe turns out to be just who Stella needs. And Stella is just the dog Cloe needs. Cloe has epilepsy and Stella smells the changes in Cloe’s body before she has a seizure. She just has to convince Cloe’s mother what her keen nose is detecting.
I’ll be buying copies of this for my middle-grade granddaughters. They love dogs and reading and this is the perfect book for them.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley. This did not induce me to review the book, favorably or not.

Book Talk on a Thursday: Behind the Frame

Published on August 20, 2020 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

I’ve reviewed several Hallmark romance books, but this is my first mystery.
Savannah Shepherd left her art curator job in Chicago to return home and teach art in the village of Carson. She has a developing romance with a local doctor and she’s planning a big art festival. She gets drawn into solving a murder when a town councilman is killed and a chef is arrested. Savannah and her two sisters work together to clear the innocent chef.
This is a typical small town, amateur sleuth, cozy mystery. The fact that all three sisters’ names begin with the same letter made it a bit confusing until they could be sorted out. They are different characters though, with different jobs and lives and traits, so that helped.
The mystery was good, with enough red herrings mixed with the clues to be suspenseful. The murderer was unmasked and caught “off stage,” which is an odd choice. I prefer to see the bad guy get caught myself. I enjoyed the small town setting and the characters. The mystery wasn’t particularly compelling, and the writing is okay. This is the second book in a series, but reads fine as a stand alone.

Category: Personal