Get Lost in a Story: Western Historical Romance

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You'll find Wild West scouts, spies, cardsharps, trick-riding superstars, and more in my stories. 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® and the Laramie® - but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories.

3/16/2020

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

Adella's Enemy 99 cents St. Patrick's Sale

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

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

2/20/2020

Following Faith & the Lonesome Hearts Series

What happens when you have a 4-book series, but book #2 is under exclusive contract in a multi-author anthology? A bit of confusion. But that's cleared up now. As of Feb 7th, I can share Following Faith (book 2 in my Lonesome Hearts series) with you as a stand-alone read. Hurrah!

Lonesome Hearts Series - Western Historical Romance Adventure

It all started with my 2010 RWA® Golden Heart® award-winning book, Between Heaven & Hell (which also won the Chanticleer Laramie® for best Western Romance Drama in 2014). But then came...Faith, Bravery, and Raven.

This 4-book series follows the frontiersmen and women who meet on the Oregon Trail and afterward. Each story features characters from the other books but is also a standalone read.

Book 1: BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL

The scout & the wagon boss

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas – 1850

Hannah knows one thing the moment she enters Fort Leavenworth—she’s arrived in Hell. But inside the fort is the means to a new life, a position as a scout on a wagon train bound for the Western Territories. All Hannah has to do is convince the wagon master, Paden Callahan, she’s the right person for the job.

After his wife was murdered by the Comanche, Paden let his work as a Texas Ranger consume him. Now he wants nothing more than to forget his past and disappear into the West. Unfortunately, the one man he can’t refuse has asked him to guide a wagon train full of tenderfoots across thousands of miles of Indian land. But Paden’s greatest challenge turns out to be Hannah, a woman his heart won’t allow him to ignore even though she’s been raised by an enemy he hates.

On a trail full of danger, will he guide her to heaven or hell?

* Available on Amazon (eBook/Print) & Kindle Unlimited *

Book 2: FOLLOWING FAITH

The schoolmistress & the Osage warrior

Oregon Territory – 1852

Labeled a harlot and expelled from a remote logging camp and her work teaching children, Faith Featherby embarks on a journey to return a stolen spirit horse to the little girl whose photograph was hidden in the horse’s riding blanket.

Orphaned young and stifled by a lifelong shyness, Faith has only her education as a schoolmistress and her memories of her mother’s stories. She’s not an experienced rider, but a Medicine Hat horse—alleged to have the sacred power to protect its rider—might be her best hope for surviving the wilderness… until an Osage warrior rides out of the mist.

Scarred by a brutal past, the Eagle Feather challenges Faith to follow a new path where belief in yourself and your partner, be they horse or man, can lead to a triumph of the heart.

Can a single day together on horseback change your life forever?

* Available on Amazon (eBook only for now) & Kindle Unlimited *

Book 3: CHOOSING BRAVERY

The wilderness guide & the fugitive tracker

The Cascade Mountains, Oregon Territory – 1868

After her parents vanished in the wilderness, Élodie Rousseau found a home with an Osage warrior and a logging camp schoolmistress who joined forces to return Élodie’s beloved spirit horse. With them as her teachers, she became the legendary mountain guide, Yellow Feather. She knows everything about surviving and thriving in the wild, but something is missing.

Legendary Far North fugitive tracker, Lachlan Bravery, is tortured by his failure to find the one person who mattered most—the mentor who taught him everything he once held sacred. Driven to repay a dead man, his hunt for a notorious band of outlaws brings him to Élodie’s mountain where they must join forces on a final quest deep inside a cave with the power to destroy not only their unexpected love but their lives.

When legends collide, will the sparks ignite their love or drive them apart?

* Available on Amazon (eBook/Print) & Kindle Unlimited *

Book 4: RESCUING RAVEN

The Lakota savior & the shotgun messenger

Deadwood, Dakota Territory – 1876

Raven wants to save one person. Charlie wants to save the world. Their warring nations thrust them together but duty pulled them apart—until their paths crossed again in Deadwood for a fight for love.

In a gold rush storm, can an unlikely pair rescue each other?

Rescuing Raven features a grown-up Charlie Jennings who was a young boy in my Oregon Trail story, Between Heaven & Hell (set in 1850). You’ll also get to meet real-life (and really complicated) Al Swearengen—one of the first men to set up a business in Deadwood. Al’s most well-known saloon was The Gem Theater, but his first Deadwood saloon (the one shown in my story) was The Cricket.

* Available on Amazon (eBook only for now) or as a free read for my newsletter subscribers *

The Lonesome Hearts series (and the heroes and heroines in each story) covered a lot of ground (from Kansas to Oregon to the Dakotas) and that made them a lot of fun to write!

What's your favorite setting for a story?

Jacqui ❤️ 🤠

~ * ~

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

Website: JacquiNelson.com

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

12/26/2019

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

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

12/19/2019

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

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

11/22/2019

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

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

10/17/2019

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

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

9/19/2019

Jacqui's new release: A BRIDE FOR BRYNMOR's $0.99 celebration sale!

I'm excited to share my new book with you! But not just any book. This is Brynmor Llewellyn's story.

Remember the Llewellyn Brothers from Robyn: A Christmas Bride? If you need a refresher, click here to read the opening scene where they teasingly torment Max Peregrine about the woman he loves (their sister, Robyn). Or if you haven't read Max and Robyn's story, click here to download Robyn: A Christmas Bride for FREE from Sep 19 to 23 on Amazon Kindle.

And while you're there, download A Bride for Brynmor at its special new-release price of $0.99 -- a sale that won't last long.

I loved writing A Bride for Brynmor because Brynmor is an over-protective big brother with a heart-of-gold who tries to do everything for everyone. I really wanted to give him his happily-ever-after with one person, the woman he loves. But that meant putting his life on the line helping Lark save her sisters...

A Bride for Brynmor, Songbird Junction, Book 1

Family has always come first—for both of them. He’s never forgiven himself for letting her go. She’s never forgiven herself for almost getting him killed.

When Lark and her songbird sisters are separated fleeing their cruel and controlling troupe manager, only Brynmor Llewellyn can help Lark save her sisters and escape to the far west. But Lark wants more. And so does Brynmor. When they’re stranded in a spot as difficult to guard as it is to leave—a rustic cabin at a train junction between Denver and the mountain town of Noelle, Colorado—they find themselves fighting not only for survival but for redemption, forgiveness, and a second chance for their love.

Will the frontier train stop of Songbird Junction be Lark and Brynmor’s salvation? Or their downfall when her manager, a con artist who calls himself her uncle but cherishes only his own fame and fortune—demands a debt no one can pay?

A Bride for Brynmor is the first book in the Songbird Junction series. It's a sweet but adventurous standalone read. It also includes characters (such as reader-favorite Grandpa Gus Peregrine) featured in my Noelle, Colorado, Christmas stories.

Are you ready to claim your seat for the show?

Download Robyn: a Christmas Bride for free and A Bride for Brynmor for $0.99 today. Or read both books (and all of my books) for free every day with your Kindle Unlimited subscription.

But what if you don't have a Kindle? Download the free Kindle App (for computers, tablets, or phones including Android, iOS, Mac, and PC) and you'll be on your way...to Christmas in Noelle, Colorado in 1877...and to Songbird Junction where Welsh meet West in 1878.

Wishing you happy trails and reading ❤️
Jacqui

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

Website: JacquiNelson.com

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

9/12/2019

Jacqui Nelson’s North of the Border - Rustic Cabin Inspiration

One Summer when I was a teenager, my best friend invited me to her family’s lakeside cabin in northern Alberta, Canada. The location was 370 km (230 miles) north-east of our families’ neighboring farms. The lake was named after a bird…whose name I can’t remember…but I do remember the lake was a smaller one near a larger one called…wait for it…Cold Lake. How fitting is that for a remote northern location? And yes, I remember the Mysterious-Bird-Named Lake being very cold to swim in.

But what I remember most is their cabin. It was small and rustic. No electricity or running water. Only a bed, table, wood stove, and a couple of kerosene lanterns inside a one-room hideaway in a small clearing in the forest. The walk to the outhouse on the other side of that clearing felt extra-long in the dark with only a lantern to light the way. In contrast, my family’s farmhouse was a 3-bedroom new-built 1960s bungalow which was very modern at that time.

In my new book, A Bride for Brynmor (releasing Sep 19), my heroine and hero (Lark and Brynmor Llewellyn) get stranded in a tiny log cabin at an equally small train junction. Brynmor and his brothers have hired the station attendant to transform the location (which sits in the perfect location between Denver and Noelle, Colorado) into a freight hub. But when Brynmor and Lark first arrive at the junction, they must get off the train unexpectedly.

Below is an excerpt that follows their getting off (or the jumping off) the train as it leaves the junction and picks up speed on its way to Noelle. And below that is a chance to win an e-copy of A Bride for Brynmor.

But first my series & book blurbs...

Songbird Junction Series

Welcome to Songbird Junction where Welsh meets West in Colorado 1878. The journey to find a forever home and more starts here. Brynmor, Heddwyn, and Griffin Llewellyn are three Welsh brothers bound by blood and a passion for hauling freight—in Denver where hard work pays. Lark, Oriole, and Wren are three Irish-Cree Métis sisters-of-the-heart bound by choice and a talent for singing—in any place that pays.

A Bride for Brynmor - Book Blurb

Can a sister who’s lived only for others find freedom with one man? Family has always come first—for both of them. He’s never forgiven himself for letting her go. She’s never forgiven herself for almost getting him killed.

When Lark and her songbird sisters are separated fleeing their cruel and controlling troupe manager, only Brynmor Llewellyn can help Lark save her sisters and escape to the far west. But Lark wants more. And so does Brynmor. When they’re stranded in a spot as difficult to guard as it is to leave—a rustic cabin at a train junction between Denver and the mountain town of Noelle, Colorado—they find themselves fighting not only for survival but for redemption, forgiveness, and a second chance for their love.

Will the frontier train stop of Songbird Junction be Lark and Brynmor’s salvation? Or their downfall when her manager, a con artist who calls himself her uncle but cherishes only his own fame and fortune—demands a debt no one can pay?

A Bride for Brynmor - Excerpt (with Cabin Inspiration)

(Some backstory: Ulysses is Lark’s troupe manager and Barnum and Bailey are orphaned lambs that they are transporting to Noelle.)

“I didn’t want to face Ulysses’ anger again so I jumped.” Lark pressed her lips tight, ending her story there. Let him think she had been most afraid for herself.

“Or…” Brynmor doffed his wool cap and raked his finger through his hair. The soft glow from the stove's growing fire turned his thick auburn waves even redder. “You didn’t want me to face him again.”

She’d accomplished that. Her stubbornly helpful Welsh giant was safe.

Her shivers lessened and her bravado returned. She raised her chin. “Or I never liked watching from the wings. Now I can see what you discovered in this cabin.”

“You’ll see nothing.” His long sigh left a ghostly trail in the air. “The attendant’s belongings are gone. He didn’t even stay long enough to make a dent in the food supplies we’d left him.”

“Good news. He left with intent, and there’s no need to search for him. You can stay here.” With me.

He grabbed several blankets from a nearby stack and arranged them on the floor by the stove.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a nest for our lambs.”

Our. Her heart thudded as she savored the silent echo in her soul. “How cozy,” she murmured, trying not to appear undone by a single word. When she placed Barnum and Bailey on their bed, her arm brushed Brynmor’s and her body flushed with heat.

“Everything in here is snug,” he muttered as he stepped back to give her room. Or at least tried.

She set the bag—that she’d slung over her shoulder before bolting from the train—on the floor, took out two bottles of milk, and handed one to Brynmor. They both knelt to feed the suddenly very wiggly lambs.

Barnum and Bailey’s eagerness to guzzle every drop consumed her attention. They rocked forward and back, bouncing against the bottles as they enjoyed their feast. Their darling eyes widened, their impish tails wagged, and their spindly legs quivered. When they finished, they flopped down on their bed and curled up close to each other, becoming one enticingly fluffy ball of wool.

No matter how cute, she couldn’t stare at them all night. She turned her gaze to the clutter in the cabin, so she wouldn’t be tempted to stare at Brynmor all night as well.

“If you see a feed sack,” he said, “let me know. When Barnum and Bailey wake up, they might enjoy some ground corn.”

The corner of a familiar shape caught her eye. She wound her way through the freight to get a better look. “Of all the things to have in an office, and one this size, why is a piano here?”

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Is there a location from your youth that has inspired you?

Maybe a cabin or a friend's house? Or even a treehouse? As a kid, I always dreamed of having a treehouse—they seemed like great fun in the stories I read and watched on TV.

Comment below (before the end of the day on Sunday, Sept 15) for a chance to win an e-copy of A Bride for Brynmor.

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

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