Who's the perfect match for a flame-haired Welsh tomboy who loves driving wagons?
A new release is always a time for celebration in an author's life. And it feels like I haven't had one in a while - and not since I joined the Get Lost in a Story blogging crew this summer.
But I've been excited about Robyn: A Christmas Bride (now available on Amazon and also Kindle Unlimited) for a long time.
In the summer, when I wrote my first blog with GLIAS introducing my guest blog series North of the Border, I used myself as my first guest (to test the waters) and shared some of my inspiration (a Welsh Monmouth cap) for Robyn and Max's story. To read that blog CLICK HERE. You can also read more of my inspiration (including The Gift of the Magi and My Fair Lady) by CLICKING HERE.
But before you read my behind-the-scenes inspiration, I hope you'll read Robyn: A Christmas Bride's STORY BLURB and EXCERPT below...
ROBYN: A CHRISTMAS BRIDE ~ STORY BLURB
Raised by three free-spirited older brothers, Robyn Llewellyn has learned to fight for what she wants—and now she wants to transform her boss and best friend, Max Peregrine, into a lifelong partner. Determined to become the image of what a marriage-minded man wants, Robyn trades her trousers for a dress and heads to Max’s hometown of Noelle, Colorado. But changing who she is with the help of the now happily married Brides of Noelle puts her friendship with Max at risk.
Who's the perfect match for a work-addicted Denver business owner who loves his independence?
Defying his brother and grandpa’s wishes for him to stay with them in Noelle, Max Peregrine has created his dream job—leading a highly successful branch of Peregrines’ Post while working beside the only person who makes him smile every day. But when Robyn leaves without a word, Max follows her to Noelle where the choices they both must face could make it impossible for them to stay together beyond Christmas day.
Inspired by My Fair Lady, The Gift of the Magi, and the spirit of gift giving, Robyn: A Christmas Bride is a classic Western historical love story set in a small town high in the mountains during Christmas 1877.
ROBYN: A CHRISTMAS BRIDE ~ EXCERPT
Dresses were menaces. The dratted skirt caught on the saddle and nearly upended Robyn as she dismounted from Caradoc. She landed with a curse and a flurry of fabric. The usually unrufflable Clydesdale snorted, sharing her surprise. Her Noelle endeavor suddenly loomed a thousand times larger than her usual jaunts around Denver hauling Peregrine freight.
She’d never regret taking the old road to Noelle rather than the train. She’d always wanted to experience the iconic trail that Max had hauled freight up and down so many times in the past.
But perhaps she should’ve waited to don her new attire until after arriving in Noelle. Her eagerness to begin her transformation as soon as possible might not have been wise. She’d misjudged a dress’ unique challenges. Wearing a skirt was hard work. Why did women consent to do it?
In trousers, she could’ve sprung from Caradoc’s back in one smooth leap. No frustration. No fuss. No flash of petticoats, like a flag announcing her arrival. Her unladylike dismount brought stares, whistles, and even catcalls from the men on the street between the train depot and Noelle’s Peregrines’ Post and Freight office.
Her expletive about foul-smelling goats shocked them into silence. Not very ladylike either but effective. Would apologizing for her lack of grace been the correct response?
She’d have to ask Noelle’s married ladies. Giving the men a final glare, she spun on her heel to tie Caradoc’s reins to Peregrines’ hitching rail. Before she could, the office door opened and Birdie stepped out and enveloped her in a hug. “Voilà, you’re here! And how delighted we are to finally see you in Noelle.”
Trying not to squirm like a gangly gosling under a mother’s wing, Robyn patted Birdie’s shoulder. Coming from a family of brothers who seldom hugged, she often wondered how Birdie—who’d grown up with brothers whose dishonorable deeds had forced her to assume a false name and live a life of hiding until she came to Noelle—had become so open with her emotions.
Then a man who resembled Max—except with wilder hair, a blonder beard, and lighter eyes—appeared and she understood. Birdie released Robyn and stepped into the circle of her husband’s arm. She flew to him like a bird to a nest. Love had changed her.
It had changed Robyn as well, but only her heart. Noelle and its women were her best hope for changing all of her. Then she might win her own love.
🎄 Available now on Amazon US | UK | CA | AUS 🎄
Or read for FREE with your Kindle Unlimited subscription
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PEREGRINES' POST ~ IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Robyn: A Christmas Bride is the sequel to The Calling Birds, Jack Peregrine (Max's brother) & Birdie Bell’s story in Noelle, Colorado—which took place one year earlier in Dec. 1876.
In both stories, the Peregrine brothers' absent-minded but lovable grandfather plays a big part as he tries to help by giving lots of advice.
This is how Grandpa Gus greets Robyn after she arrives in Noelle (in the paragraphs following the above excerpt)...
“Hallelujah!” Grandpa Gus burst out of the freight office, straightening his flat cap and smoothing his carrot-colored hair as if preparing to greet a princess. “My favorite Llewellyn has arrived.”
Both of my Noelle books are standalone stories but also part of The 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides series and the Brides of Noelle series.
And from, Dec 17 to 21, all of the 12 Days stories (including The Calling Birds) are
* This $0.99 sale price is an Amazon Countdown deal available to United States residents only *
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from the Peregrines' home in Noelle, Colorado
and from my home in Victoria, Canada ❤
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Fall in love with a new Old West... where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous.
You'll find Wild West scouts, spies, cardsharps, wilderness guides, and trick-riding superstars in my stories. Those are my heroines. Wait till you meet my heroes! My love for historical romance adventures with grit and passion came from watching Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm in northern Canada. I've been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® & the Laramie® but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories.
Website: www.JacquiNelson.com
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I love this series and that you have continued it has been so much enjoyment to read!
ReplyDeleteI love this series and love the birds on the cover we have so many birds that come to our feeders. I have a small present i mailed to you and should come probably after Christmas as it sounds like that you are going to have a strike of the postal services is what one author just told me. So Happy Holidays from our family to yours! peggy clayton
ReplyDeleteSounds terrific ! Another Hit!!
ReplyDeleteYay! Happy book birthday to a talented storyteller!!
ReplyDelete