Blast to the Past: Adella's Enemy + Irish hero Cormac McGrady + St. Patrick's SALE!

Time for another BLAST TO THE PAST and an oldie-but-goodie, previously-released book and excerpt! ☘️ In honor of St. Patrick's Day ☘️, I'm sharing Adella's Enemy (my railroad romance featuring Irish hero Cormac McGrady) which is ☘️ on SALE for $0.99 ☘️ for a limited time. Or you can read the story for FREE any time with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Writing my "romance on the railroad" story was inspired by authors E. A. Burke and Jennifer Jakes --  and the Hell on Wheels TV series. So it seemed fitting that my railroad-foreman hero would be Irish. Cormac McGrady soon became larger than life as most Irish characters tend to do.

I ❤️ Cormac McGrady! He's the perfect match for my post-Civil War spy Adella Willows -- who is as capable as she is headstrong. But alas, poor Adella has a soft spot for...Cormac McGrady! ;)

Blurb ~ Adella's Enemy

The War Between the States ended five years ago, but she still pursues her enemy…

Rebel spy turned government rabble-rouser Adella Willows receives her mission straight from a Washington senator—play havoc with the Katy Railroad and derail its bid to win the race. The senator craves wealth. Adella craves revenge against the man responsible for her brother’s death. But her plans crumble into chaos when she enters a battle of wits with the railroad’s foreman.

An ocean separates him from his failures in Ireland, but he’s still haunted by those who died…

Seasoned railroad foreman Cormac McGrady’s sole desire is keeping his workmen safe and employed, which means keeping the Katy ahead of its rivals. But the beautiful spy bedeviling his railroad needs protecting as well. Cormac must choose between winning the race and winning Adella’s heart, while Adella must choose whether she lives for revenge or dies for love.

Can the pursuit of an old enemy lead to a new love?

Excerpt ~ Adella's Enemy

Adella & Cormac's first kiss... Almost!

Kansas - 1870

Adella’s fingers brushed the piece of paper hidden in her cleavage and she went as still as Cormac. Blast! She’d forgotten about the telegram! She needed Cormac to stay in her hotel room, but she couldn’t let him see the telegram.

“How do you know what I want?” she whispered, stalling for time.

“I don’t. But this is what I want.” In two strides, he devoured the gap between them. Then his mouth claimed hers in a hot, heady possession.

Pressed against the door, all she could do was kiss him back. She did so with abandon. Her skin tingled, and her blood raced as if her body had woken from years of sleepwalking. She didn’t want the feeling to stop. She wrapped her arms around Cormac’s neck and pulled him closer.

He suddenly lifted his head. “I want more than one kiss,” he murmured against her lips. “And I don’t mean merely claiming everything that’s under this dress.” His hand slid up her ribcage to cup her breast.

The telegram! With a gasp, she covered her chest with both hands. The corner of the paper poked her palm. Thank Dixie. It was still there. But had he seen it? She drew back against the door.

Cormac retreated as well, lifting his hand to rake it through hair that was already disheveled. Had she done that? He reached for the doorknob and she jumped aside.

“Stay away from the worksite, Adella.” He opened the door without his customary restraint. It banged against the wall. “And, for God’s sake, stay out of trouble. Don’t provoke a man beyond his patience.” 

~ * ~ 

Download Adella's Enemy on sale (or read the story free with Kindle Unlimited) on 

Amazon US | UK | Canada | Australia 

To learn what inspired Adella and Cormac's story, visit my Story Inspiration page on my website.

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick's Day 

Jacqui ❤️☘️ 

~ * ~ 

Fall in love with a new Old West...where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

Website: JacquiNelson.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jacqui-nelson

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JacquiNelson

Join my newsletter & receive Rescuing Raven (Raven and Charlie's story in Deadwood 1876) for free: JacquiNelson.com/download-my-free-read 

Blast to the Past: Robyn A Christmas Bride

Time for another BLAST TO THE PAST and an oldie-but-goodie, previously-released (just last Christmas) book and excerpt. Here’s Robyn: A Christmas Bride, my second book set in Noelle, Colorado. She's a free-spirited wagon driver. He's a workaholic Denver freight man—who needs the gift of true love.

Writing a historical romance Christmas story with the themes of a my-fair-lady transformation, selfless acts of love, and friends becoming soulmates is...a juggling act. It's so easy to drop at least one ball. How did I do?

“Jacqui has hit a home run with this one” - Peggy C, Amazon review.

Thank you, Peggy! Your words are the best reward an author can receive ❤️ 

But now, back to my heroine's my-fair-lady transformation. Say hello to my feisty wagon driver...

Blurb ~ Robyn: A Christmas Bride 

Who’s the perfect match for a flame-haired Welsh tomboy who loves driving wagons?

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 and Freight while working beside Robyn, the only person who makes him smile every day. But when she 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.

Excerpt ~ Robyn: A Christmas Bride 

Noelle, Colorado—December 21, 1877

Max stood, astounded. Not by how much Noelle had changed, but by how little he had. Hovering inside Nacho’s front door with so many unenthused faces staring at him, he still felt like an outsider, a fraud, a square post in a round hole. Every success he’d earned since leaving Noelle seemed insignificant or even worse, like none of it had happened. 


He considered turning tail and heading back to Denver. As fast as he could. Then Grandpa Gus shouted his name, and he saw him, Jack, Birdie and— 


He shook his head in disbelief. 


Was that Robyn? Wearing a dress? Surrounded by a roomful of men? Men who dismissed him and pinned their gazes on her. With too much enthusiasm. 


He made a beeline for her. His brother leapt from his seat and intercepted him. Max held out his hand for a welcoming handshake, but Jack yanked him in for a fierce hug.


“You’re back.” Jack squeezed him even tighter. 


“And you’re cracking my ribs.”


The instant Jack released him, Gus hugged him just as intensely. Birdie did as well. When he was finally free, he still struggled to breathe. Their exuberant greeting overwhelmed him.

He coughed and said, “It’s good to be here with you.” He meant it even more when he saw Robyn smiling at him. 


“And what brings you here, Red Beard?” The familiar spark in her eyes when she said her special name for him, made it even harder to draw in air. Unexpectedly, her eyes darkened and her voice wavered as she said, “I hope…everything is well in Denver.” 


“Your brothers are good.” As good as he could imagine them ever being. “I’m here for you.” He forgot to breathe entirely when her eyes shone brighter than he’d ever seen. “You’re needed in Denver, Red Bird.”

~ * ~  

To hear more about Robyn and Max's story (read the opening scene, view my Pinterest inspiration board, and more) head to Robyn: A Christmas Bride's book page on my website.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and get to relax and do whatever you want today!
 
Jacqui ❤️

~ * ~ 

Want to find out what happens when Welsh meets West in Colorado 1878? Read an excerpt from my September release, A Bride for Brynmor, on my website. 

Fall in love with a new Old West...where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

Website: JacquiNelson.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jacqui-nelson

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JacquiNelson

Join my newsletter & receive Rescuing Raven (Raven and Charlie's story in Deadwood 1876) for free: JacquiNelson.com/download-my-free-read 

Blast to the Past: The Calling Birds

It's less than a week until Christmas, so it seems the perfect time to BLAST TO THE PAST with the first Christmas story I wrote. It's also my first mail-order bride tale. The Calling Birds is Birdie and Jack's romance in Noelle, Colorado. She's a seamstress on the run. He's a steadfast freight man who's never run from anything or anyone.

“Jack and Birdie's story is a suspenseful, romantic, sweet story of family, trust, love and survival. I couldn't put this story down!”
- CarterandConnersMom, Amazon review.

“This was a great read. Likable, fully developed characters with some mystery, danger and intrigue tossed [in] along the way to the HEA.”
- FluffersMom, Amazon review

I hope everyone enjoys Birdie and Jack's story as much as I enjoyed giving them their happily-ever-after with...a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of suspense 😊

Blurb ~ The Calling Birds 

A wanted woman’s flight, a man in pursuit of honesty, not stolen gold…

Many years have passed since Bernadette Bellamy fled the Cariboo Gold Rush and her reputation as the sister of a French-Canadian gang of thieves. Armed with only an honest talent for sewing and a willingness to lead a solitary life on the run, she stays one step ahead of everyone seeking her brothers’ last—and now lost—heist. Until a craving to settle down makes her reinvent herself as Birdie Bell, a dress shop owner. The arrival of an old foe combined with her desire to hold onto her treasure trove of fabrics has Birdie joining a wagonload of brides bound for a remote town.

After losing his leg and his wife, Jack Peregrine buries his pain under a mountain-high pile of work. He only agrees to sign up for a mail-order bride to save the town of Noelle, keep his freighting business, and care for his absentminded grandfather. But Jack’s request for a sturdy bride who won’t crumble under his burdens brings him a woman as tiny as she is troubled.

Can two mismatched people band together to become the perfect match?

Excerpt ~ The Calling Birds 

Noelle, Colorado—December 1876

The door flew open and Jack filled the doorway, once again looking wild-haired but better than any man had a right to—especially at this early hour. His frown turned to wide-eyed astonishment when he saw her. “You came back.” He glanced at Gus and heaved a sigh. “And you found him.”


Gus snorted. “I found her because I went looking for her.”


“I asked you to wait here until I—”


“You were moving too slow.”


“I was preparing breakfast. A task you insisted upon in case anyone”—his gaze cut briefly to her—“showed up unexpectedly. Then you slipped out unexpectedly and alone and—”


“Time alone can help with perspective,” Birdie said, recalling her night at La Maison away from Jack, and other memories as well. “During the winter of my eleventh year, I walked two miles to school every day with only a pair of snowshoes for company.”


Jack’s lips parted in surprise as he stared at her.


She bit the inside of her mouth to keep from sighing or grimacing. It was a challenge not to do both. Speaking without thinking came from pondering the past too much while loitering outside shop windows. 


A slow smile curved Jack’s mouth as he propped his arm on the doorjamb and studied her. “Did you walk uphill both ways as well?”


Was he teasing her? “That doesn’t seem likely.”


“What if your home and your school were on hills with a valley separating them?”


She narrowed her gaze on him. “How often does that happen?” 


He leaned even closer to her. “For other people, probably not often. But it was my walk to school when I was a boy in Kentucky.”


She blinked in surprise. He’d shared a snippet of his past with her and his tone still sounded teasing and light-hearted and— Could he be flirting with her? She held her breath, waiting for him to say more.


“Can we continue this inside?” Gus grumbled. “It’s cold out here. Not to mention Birdie would like her breakfast ’n I need my coffee.”


She was only hungry for what Jack might say next.

~ * ~  

To read the scene where Jack & Birdie first meet or to view their story's Pinterest inspiration board, head to The Calling Bird's book page on my website.

Wishing you a very happy holiday season! May peace, prosperity, and love follow you this Christmas and for all your days. 

Jacqui ❤️

~ * ~ 

Want to find out what happens when Welsh meets West in Colorado 1878? Read an excerpt from my September release, A Bride for Brynmor, on my website. 

Fall in love with a new Old West...where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

Website: JacquiNelson.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jacqui-nelson

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JacquiNelson

Join my newsletter & receive Rescuing Raven (Raven and Charlie's story in Deadwood 1876) for free: JacquiNelson.com/download-my-free-read 

Blast to the Past: Between Home and Heartbreak

Time for another BLAST TO THE PAST and my oldie-but-a-goodie, previously-released book and excerpt. Here’s Between Home & Heartbreak my hill country historical romance with a Wild West trick-riding superstar and a humble Texas horseman. 

This is a story that is... Hmm, maybe it's time to quote someone else again. Like this awesome reviewer…

"A western romance, thrill ride, filled with twists & turns in every chapter" - A.P.Reader, Amazon review.

I love the sound of a book being a thrill ride! Hope you do too.

Say hello to my Wild West trick-riding superstar heroine...

Who is Eldorado Jane? Long-lost friend or scheming Wild West superstar? She's come to steal his land. He'll steal her heart.

Excerpt ~ Between Home & Heartbreak (Gambling Hearts, book 2)

Backstory: While riding in the Texas hills, Lewis and Eldora (aka Eldorado Jane) are drenched in a rainstorm. They’ve found shelter in the Dority homestead’s one-room cabin...where their next challenge is finding dry clothing.

Texas Hill Country—1879

“Where’s your traveling case?” Lewis asked. “The one you mentioned yesterday.”

“Beside the bed but…I’ve only a nightgown left.”

Eldora’s reply thrilled and unnerved him. How the hell was he going to keep his gaze, and his hands, off her when he saw her wearing only a nightgown in a small room that held…? He inhaled sharply. He’d finally see her in his bed. 

Her sigh sounded tired but also apologetic. “The rest of my clothes, the ones I got muddy yesterday, are hanging outside.”

Or they’d blown away in the storm. Either way, they were out of reach. He put the table between them as he went to retrieve her case. When he turned to hand it to her, he bumped into her. She followed him again. 

He didn’t step away. He couldn’t. Not with her sweet body so close, showing him how well they kept fitting together. 

His perfect shadow. But also a pale one with wet hair plastered to her head and down the back of his sodden coat. Maybe the dress she wore underneath, the one he’d admired yesterday, wasn’t as bad. 

“Sorry about your coat.” Eyes dark with exhaustion, she blinked up at him. 

“It’ll be fine once we hang it up to dry.”

She slipped free of his coat and handed it to him. His mouth was the first thing to go dry. Her dress hugged her every curve, wet and enticing, begging him to remove it as well, to make her his in every way. But he couldn’t. Not completely. She belonged to another man. 

If he touched her, he’d be responsible for seducing her into a sin and for the regret she’d surely feel in the morning.

~ * ~  

To hear more about Eldora and Lewis' story (read the opening scene, watch the book trailer, view my Pinterest inspiration board, and more) head to Between Home & Heartbreak's book page on my website. 

~ * ~ 

Want to find out what happens when Welsh meets West in Colorado 1878? Read an excerpt from my September release, A Bride for Brynmor, on my website. 

Fall in love with a new Old West...where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

Website: JacquiNelson.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jacqui-nelson

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JacquiNelson

Join my newsletter & receive Rescuing Raven (Raven and Charlie's story in Deadwood 1876) for free: JacquiNelson.com/download-my-free-read 

Blast to the Past: Between Love and Lies

The awesome Angi Morgan had the idea for the Get Lost in a Story crew to do a BLAST TO THE PAST and share our previously released books with an excerpt. So here’s Between Love & Lies my Dodge City historical romance with a saloon singing cardsharp and a Texas drover. 

An oldie but a goodie. A story that... Well, I'll just quote this also very awesome author…

"Spellbinding stories that whisper to your soul." ~ Linda Broday

Receiving that quote from Linda was an ultimate fangirl moment! I love Linda's stories big time.

But now back to my Dodge City cardsharp...

Can she resist the one man who can truly make her wicked? Sadie Sullivan lost everything when a herd of longhorns bound for Dodge City destroyed her beloved farm. Now she works at the Northern Star saloon, gambling for her freedom while lying to everyone and loving no one... until a certain Texas drover returns determined to win her forgiveness and her heart.

Excerpt ~ Between Love & Lies (Gambling Hearts series, book 1)

Dodge City, Kansas—1877

“I know it’s a lie,” Sadie whispered, “but I want you to kiss me as if we were married, as if we were in love.”

Noah hesitated. Love was damned complicated.

She released a resigned sigh. “I guessed right. The truth is your promises hold no more weight than a feather in the wind.”

He’d be damned if he’d walk out of this room with those words reverberating in both their heads.

Kneeling beside her bed, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her. With his lust pounding through his veins, he wasn’t surprised when her body remained rigid, and her lips sealed. He’d broken his promise to show her tenderness. 

Cursing himself for a heavy-handed lout, he drew back only to have her lips part with a gasp. 

The disappointment in the sound made his heart ache. He apologized with a kiss so soft it might have been the feather in the wind she’d mentioned. Her arms wound around his neck as easily as her hair had curled around his finger earlier, and her lips opened like the petals of a spring flower.

He drank her in one sip at a time, deepening the kiss gradually, pausing often to receive her response. Every time she replied with a kiss to match the one he’d given. She was a damned quick study. He went from a beggar lost in the badlands to a man receiving a king’s feast. He couldn’t get enough of her. 

He pulled back, shaking as much as the woman in his arms. His body demanded one thing, but his thoughts were chaotic. Sadie’s kisses were like fire, but they were also innocent. 

No denying the truth. He’d never be her first bed partner, but he was her first kiss. 

Did he have the patience to entice her kiss by kiss, instead of dollar by dollar, to stay in his arms, to forget all of the men in her past and wish for a future with only him?

~ * ~  

To hear more about Sadie and Noah's story (read the opening scene, watch the book trailer, view my Pinterest inspiration board, and more) head to Between Love & Lies' book page on my website. 

~ * ~ 

Want to find out what happens when Welsh meets West in Colorado 1878? Read an excerpt from my September release, A Bride for Brynmor, on my website. 

Fall in love with a new Old West...where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

Website: JacquiNelson.com

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jacqui-nelson

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JacquiNelson

Join my newsletter & receive Rescuing Raven (Raven and Charlie's story in Deadwood 1876) for free: JacquiNelson.com/download-my-free-read 

Amanda hosts #storiesoftheheart-Hildie McQueen

I was raised by my Mama and Scarlett O’Hara… 

a summary of who Hildie McQueen is.

My mother was most independent for a housewife with little education and without knowing the English language.  She constantly held three jobs, kept up
with five children and a drunk for a husband. Always positive, she was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known.

You are an American City, she often told us when we complained. She couldn’t pronounce citizen, but that was fine with me.  Who doesn’t feel important being an American City!

From my mother, I learned that it can always be worse.  Whenever she would sit on the couch and rub Bengay onto her sore legs, she’d tell us stories of how hard her life had been in Mexico, she took me to events in life that I couldn’t even imagine.  In other words…don’t complain.  Instead find a way to make things better.  Her mantra was “You have so many opportunities here in the United States.  Don’t waste them.”  I heard this so many times, I would repeat them at the same time she did.  Sometimes she’d throw a shoe at me.

Growing up poor and not fitting in was confusing. When we moved to California from Mexico I was about six. I wore two braids every day, so I didn’t look like any of the others at school. The kids thought my sister and I were Native Americans and would jump around pretending to do rain dances.  In Mexico, the natives are Mayans and Aztecs so we didn’t quite understand what they were doing.  I did know they were being mean.

So, I became lost in books at an early age.  My favorite books were of Dorrie the Little Witch, by Patricia Coombs.  Not sure if any of you ever read them. Dorrie didn’t quite fit in with the other witches and her socks never matched.  I was so excited that I could be like Dorrie.  Remember my mother always working and me having four siblings?  Yep, my socks rarely matched.

At about twelve, my parents started having major problems, our house burned down and my father’s drinking was getting pretty bad. So, we moved into the barrio in Southern San Diego. There we became part of a lively community.  It was a blast for those few years.  Everyone spoke Spanish and the kids were more like me

When I was about twelve, I stumbled upon a book titled Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.  I read it over and over, marveling over this young girl who lived alone on a deserted island.  She didn’t have anything and was so strong.  Like me, she didn’t have anything, no money, no toys for Christmas and certainly not much to eat. 

So I could definitely relate to Karana and she helped be stay strong and find the positive in every day. If she could find a way to survive on a deserted island, I certainly could handle my life.

When I got to High School, things grew progressively worse and my parents finally separated.  I remember the day all five of us kids stood up to my father when he hit Mom. It was a crazy night and we ended up taken to a hotel by a social worker.  My poor mother cried all night while my siblings and I had a party.  We were excited to spend time in a hotel.  To us the Holiday Inn was super fancy.

It was my junior year in High School when Gone with the Wind’s Scarlet O’Hara found me and walked me through the next twenty-five years.  I read the book nine times my senior year. Scarlett was there when I didn’t get asked to prom. Held my hand when I joined the Army and was away from home for the first time ever and she went with me when I got stationed overseas.

Scarlet survived the Civil War and had to find ways to feed all those who depended on her at only seventeen.  At eighteen, I had to support my mother and four siblings. 

Scarlet married for financial gain and to help those who depended on her. I married my first husband because I wanted to live in a house and it would allow me to send more money home. Despite many red flags we got married even though I am pretty sure we’d both changed our minds right before the wedding ceremony. That darn Scarlet!

When I ended up a single mom in the rough streets of LA, It wasn’t that bad when considering Scarlet went through having to deal with the Yankee soldiers ravaging Tara. Crips, Yankees, same thing right?

Then when I finally met the man I loved, thank goodness, I learned from Scarlet’s mistakes and unlike her, I made sure not to lose my Rhett Butler.

I think I was destined to be a writer, it took me forty-five years to find the courage to step out and finally fulfill it. Why Romance?  Because I am in love with love.  Who doesn’t want to waltz across a ballroom with a handsome Duke, or ride the high seas with a dreamy pirate?  There aren’t many women who wouldn’t love to travel the Highlands of Scotland and find their own Jamie Fraser. 

That feeling you get when the hero and heroine finally kiss for the first time never gets old and it doesn’t hurt that the lovemaking is always quite satisfying. In the romance genre, there is always a happy ending and when you turn the last page, you do so with that expectation. 

So maybe you are not a reader, but let me tell you something.  It is through the art of literature that we can walk in someone else’s shoes, see distant places, travel in time and more than anything find yourself lost in a story when you need to escape.  I am not sure where I’d be if not for Dorrie, Karana and Scarlett.

Thank God for those authors, the stories and characters that guided me through life.  I am so thankful to have always been a reader, because otherwise I’m not sure how my life would have turned out.

So, I end with this.

Every single person reading this has a destiny to fulfill. Don’t cheat yourself by settling.  Like my Mama always said.  “You live in a country of opportunities, Don’t waste them.”   

What if today you decide to be Scarlet O’Hara? 

Hildie McQueen is a USA Today Bestselling Author of American Western Historical, Medieval Highlander and Contemporary Romance.