Tag Archives: Kelly Hunter

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Brides as Part of our #Tule10 Anniversary!

Tule Publishing has hit a milestone 10 years and we’re celebrating all month long with showcasing some of our first 10’s! Learn more about our first 10 authors, meet our first 10 cowboys and cowgirls, watch our first 10 films, and maybe find yourself wrapped up dreaming of the holidays with our first 10 Christmas stories!

We are so thankful for each of you for continuing to put your faith in us to continue bringing you amazing reads. You are a crucial part to our success and we couldn’t have made it to our 10th anniversary without you! We hope you stick around all month for more celebratory blogs and are looking forward to another 10 years – cheers!

 

Meet the First 10 Brides of Tule Publishing and Fall In Love with Their Stories:

 

Champion barrel-racer Tegan Ash has nothing left to go home to in her native Australia and every reason to stay in the USA. But her visa is about to expire, and her prospective groom has called off their green-card wedding.

Jamie MacCreadie doesn’t actually want to marry a woman he can’t stand, but his best friend and fellow rodeo rider Chet has just let her down and, somehow, he finds himself offering to do the deed instead.

There’s no chance it could turn into the real thing, because they have nothing in common… do they?

 

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What a bride wants…

Ella Grace Emerson adores her father, but he keeps trying to marry her off to every eligible rancher in Montana. When he puts an ad in the paper on her behalf – for a docile house-husband – Ella retaliates with one of her own, pinned to the noticeboard of the local saloon. No husband required, housebroken or otherwise. What she wants is the perfect lover.

What a bride needs…

Newcomer Cam Sawyer is perfectly willing to tear up the sheets with Ella and be her partner in chaos. She wants a bad boy and he’s had experience aplenty. But what she really needs is a strong and loving partner, and until Sawyer stops running from his past he can never be that.

Sawyer’s the one Ella wants. But can he be the man she needs?

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Scarlett Buck has always been flaky in comparison to her sensible twin sister Tara, so nobody is really surprised when Scarlett spends all her money on a one way ticket to Australia to be with the man she’s met on the Net. But she hasn’t reckoned on the guy already being married, or her mom getting sick, and now she needs money for a flight home to Marietta, MT—quick. Signing on with Bella’s Belles in Kalgoorlie isn’t be the proudest moment in her life but it will get her home fast. After all, it’s just sex. Or is it?

Mitch Bannister‘s ex is about to marry his best friend, and he could really do with a cold beer and a hot woman. But the cowgirl he takes a shine to at Bella’s is surprisingly skittish, and in the end he leaves without hooking up.

Later, when Mitch spies the cowgirl in the local pub begging for a job, he shrinks into the shadows–he’s not looking for complications, and something tells him that Scarlett Buck is a whole handful of them. But soon it’s clear she’s not just trouble, she’s in trouble, and like it or not, he’s not about to turn his back on this stray from the States. Especially if she can do him a favor in return. After all, it’s just a helping hand. Or is it?

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Tara Buck has always been the good sister, level-headed by comparison to Scarlett, her flaky, impulsive twin. But when Tara learns her fiancé has been cheating on her with one of his school students, the orderly world she’s created for herself suddenly feels as if it’s falling apart. For years she chose the safe option, but from now on she’s going to live a little, stretch her wings…be a little daring. And if that means acting on the long-suppressed feelings she’s always had for Reid Dalton, then so be it! Reid has wanted Tara from the moment he met her, but she’s always been out of bounds. Not only is she his patrol partner at the Bozeman PD, she’s also engaged. But then her relationship blows up, and Reid finds himself battling his own instinct to stake his claim with the finest, hottest woman he’s ever known.

Even if anything did happen between them, it would only ever be temporary – Reid’s a born wanderer, while Tara’s roots run deep in Marietta. So even if things are good between them, it seems their romance is destined to be short and sweet…

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Wanted: nanny. Needed: wife.

Laurent Fletcher has to admit his life would be a whole heap better if there was woman in it. His kids are running wild, and his dog is acting crazy; he’s been finding it tough to juggle everything since his wife died, and run his successful custom-built furniture business. But maybe there is a solution that won’t demand any emotional input from him: hire a female to whip his turbulent household back into shape.

Emma Peabody is a British nanny, looking for a new life in the New World. When she arrives at River Bend and finds two small motherless children, a miserable pet and a man who’s placed his emotions in the deep-freeze, she realizes she’s joined a broken family and it will be down to her to put it back together again.

The kids and the dog are easy—all they need are routines and love. Their father is something else. Laurent isn’t about to drop his guard and let Emma work her magic—and it doesn’t help that she finds this dark, brooding man incredibly attractive…

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Monty Davison is a man on a mission: he’s determined to track down his fiancée, Risa Grant. Why did she leave Vegas so suddenly and without telling him? Okay, perhaps their engagement was a little hasty—in between deployments to Afghanistan and wearied and changed by the horrors of war, he grabbed at the chances of real life and happiness that she seemed to offer, by proposing after only one week of knowing her. But he was sure she shared his feelings of hope and excitement. What was so scary about loving him that made her want to bolt?

Risa Grant has found sanctuary in Marietta, Montana, and the chance to heal. She’s opened a florist’s business and is settling down to life in the pretty, friendly western town, attempting to put the trauma of past behind her. Only she can’t erase the memory of Monty, the big, handsome, protective Marine who asked her to be his wife. She left without saying goodbye, without getting the chance to tell him what had happened, and now so much water has passed under their bridge that she doesn’t know if she ever can.

When Monty finally finds Risa outside Marietta one chilly April evening, stranded and needing help, his protective instinct kicks in: she’s still as feminine, vulnerable and pretty as ever, and as ex-military he’s trained to come to the rescue. But a knight in shining armor seems to be the last thing that Risa wants right now, so where does that leave him?

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Emmy Mathis is sure of three things:

1. Her sister Margery’s three-week wedding extravaganza at their grandmother’s Marietta, Montana home will be over-the-top ridiculous.

2. She’d much prefer to stay home in Atlanta in a pair of sweats.

3. And she absolutely, positively, won’t feel even a hint of a spark for Griffin Hyatt, grandson of her beloved grandmother’s best friend and the architect of the most embarrassing night of her life ten years ago.

But Emmy is dead wrong about number three. The moment she and Griffin lock eyes again, the passion that’s always smoldered between them flames. And they aren’t kids any more, so why should they deny the desire that sears through them both?

Is this no more than a wedding fling between two people with too much chemistry and an overload of history, or can Emmy try to build a new life from the ashes of their past? And if Griffin is truly really free of his fiance, why is he a finalist in the town’s Wedding Giveaway? Emmy can’t answer those questions, but she does know that Griffin has the power to burn her like no one else.

Still, how can Emmy walk away from the one man she’s always loved now that she knows what she’s been missing?

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Once upon a time, Marly Akers had believed that, for better or worse, people made their own luck…

Marly wonders how she could ever have believed it. Jilted and pregnant, she’s come back to Marietta with her tail between her legs, the blow to her ego huge as she begins working at her family’s small newspaper, the Copper Mountain Courier, and sharing a tiny apartment with her disapproving mom.

Things can’t get any worse. Or maybe they can. Drake Everett, who secretly captured her teenaged heart and then publicly trampled on it, decides to make her re-acquaintance. Though Drake isn’t the sharp, funny, cocky, arrogant rich boy of yore. These days he seems sharp, funny… and supportive and decent, and Marly realizes she could fall for him all over again… if she listens to her heart. But what about her reporter’s head, which has sniffed out a story that paints Drake as the sweet talker she’s always known?

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“It’s for the ranch. It’s your duty. A man does his duty, always.” His father Sam’s words were carved into Cole McCullough’s brain. His responsibilities lay with Rafter M Arrow, which had been in their family for over a hundred years. Even though they were fighting a losing battle to keep the place going.

The ranch always came first, over personal comfort, sometimes reason and definitely women. Sam had seen both his wives walk away, dismissing them as hot-house city girls who couldn’t survive the wilds of rural Montana. So how had Cole ended up making a spur-of-the-moment marriage last year in Reno to TV director Nell, who was as city as they came? Nell was prepared to give it all up to be with Cole. But he knew how it would end: as it had always ended before. It was time to stop living a pipe dream and sue for divorce.

But then Nell came back to Marietta with The Compatibility Game, a reality program, in which couples discovered what they were willing to do for love by living and working at Rafter M, and Cole found himself taking part too…

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A romantic honeymoon in Paris, with a sexy billionaire Russian groom…

There are only two problems. It’s a marriage of convenience. And, the virgin bride is frigid.

Kate Edwards has never embraced her sensuality, is terrified of intimacy, and the wedding night is a disaster. Instead of calling the whole thing off, Isaak Zaretsky listens to her and challenges her using his unashamedly sensual nature and superb bedroom skills. But can Kate really give herself without love?

 

 

 

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Thanks for stopping by to check out the first 10 Brides of Tule Publishing! Here’s to a great year of #Tule10!

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Authors as Part of our #Tule10 Anniversary!

Tule Publishing has hit a milestone 10 years and we’re celebrating all month long with showcasing some of our first 10’s! Learn more about our first 10 authors, meet our first 10 cowboys, and maybe find yourself wrapped up dreaming of the holidays with our first 10 Christmas stories!

We are so thankful for each of you for continuing to put your faith in us to continue bringing you amazing reads. You are a crucial part to our success and we couldn’t have made it to our 10th anniversary without you! We hope you stick around all month for more celebratory blogs and are looking forward to another 10 years – cheers!

Meet Tule Publishing’s First 10 Authors

Meet Megan Crane

Megan Crane headshot

USA Today bestselling, RITA-nominated, and critically-acclaimed author Megan Crane has written more than seventy-five books since her debut in 2004.  She has been published by a variety of publishers, including each of New York’s Big Five.  She’s won fans with her women’s fiction, chick lit, and work-for-hire young adult novels as well as with the Harlequin Presents she writes as Caitlin Crews. These days her focus is on contemporary romance from small town to international glamor, cowboys to bikers, and beyond. She sometimes teaches creative writing classes both online at mediabistro.com and at UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, where she finally utilizes the MA and PhD in English Literature she received from the University of York in York, England. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with a husband who draws comics and animation storyboards and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.

Meet Lilian Darcy

Lilian Darcy headshotLilian Darcy was born on Valentine’s Day. This auspicious date, as well as a love of reading, set her destiny as a writer of romance and women’s fiction from an early age. She has also written extensively for Australian theatre and television, under another name. Her plays have been professionally performed by some of Australia’s most prestigious theatre companies, and have received two award nominations for Best Play from the Australian Writers Guild, while in 1990 she was the co-recipient of an Australian Film Institute award for best TV mini-series. She has now written over eighty romances for Harlequin, as well as several mainstream novels, including Cafe du Jour, originally published by Mira Books Australia.

 

 

Meet CJ Carmichael

CJ Carmichael headshot

USA Today Bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 45 novels in her favorite genres of romance and mystery. She has been nominated twice for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, as well as RT Bookclub’s Career Achievement in Romantic Suspense award, and the Bookseller’s Best honor.

She gave up the thrills of income tax forms and double entry book-keeping in 1998 when she sold her first book to Harlequin Superromance. Since then she has published over 35 novels with Harlequin and is currently working on a series of western romances with Tule Publishing. In addition C. J. Carmichael has published several cozy mystery series as an Indie author.

When not writing C. J. enjoys family time with her grown daughters and her husband. Family dinners are great. Even better are the times they spend hiking in the Rocky Mountains around their home in Calgary, and relaxing at their cottage on Flathead Lake, Montana. Visit C.J.’s website at http://CJCarmichael.com

Meet Jane Porter (Founder of Tule Publishing)

Jane Porter headshot

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 70 romances and fiction titles, Jane Porter has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award six times and won in 2014 for Best Novella with her story, Take Me, Cowboy, from Tule Publishing. Today, Jane has over 13 million copies in print, including her wildly successful, Flirting With Forty, which was made into a Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear, as well as The Tycoon’s Kiss and A Christmas Miracle for Daisy, two Tule books which have been turned into holiday films for the GAC Family network. A mother of three sons, Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and makes her home in sunny San Clemente, CA with her surfer husband and three dogs.

Meet Melissa McClone

Melissa McClone headshot

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. She’s now a USA Today Bestselling author and has also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, a spoiled Norwegian Elkhound, and cats who think they rule the house. They do!

 

 

 

 

Meet Katherine Garbera

Headshot of Katherine Garbera with pink background

Katherine Garbera is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 115 books.  She is celebrating her 25th year as a published author in 2022 and is still thrilled to bring stories of happily ever after to her readers.  Her books are known for their emotional impact and sizzling sensuality.  She lives in the midlands of the UK (aka not London) with her husband and sweet miniature dachshund.

 

 

 

 

Meet Kim Boykin

Headshot of Kim Boykin

Kim Boykin is a women’s fiction author with a sassy Southern streak. She is the author of The Wisdom of Hair, Steal Me and Palmetto Moon. While a piece of her heart will always be in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Kim fell in love with the red rocks in Sedona, Arizona and is living happily ever after in the creative center of the universe – or her universe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Kelly Hunter

Kelly Hunter headshot

Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn’t think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn’t have anything to read. Eventually she decided that writing romance suited her far better than throwing sterile screw-worm flies out of airplane windows, and changed careers. Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family, 2 dogs, 3 miniature cows, a miniature pig, a 3-legged cat and a small flock of curious chickens. There are still flies, but their maggots don’t feed on flesh. Bargain. Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.

Meet Trish Morey

Trish Morey headshot

USA Today Bestselling Author, Trish Morey has written thirty romances for the internationally bestselling Harlequin Presents line and her stories have been published in more than 25 languages in 40 countries worldwide, including being published in Manga comic book form in Japan, and as Trish Moreyova in the Czech Republic. Trish was awarded Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year Award (the Ruby) for short, sexy romance In 2006 and again in 2009, as well as being a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Awards in 2012. A qualified Chartered Accountant by trade, Trish was employed as financial manager at a major business school prior to her first sale. Trish lives with her husband, 4 daughters and assorted menagerie in the beautiful Adelaide Hills.

 

Meet Sarah Mayberry

SarahHeadshot of Sarah Mayberry Mayberry is the award-winning, best selling author of more than 30 novels. She was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers and has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Writing and Literature. It took her ten years and multiple attempts before her first book was accepted. During that time, Sarah worked in magazine publishing and the television industry, contributing to the internationally known Australian serial drama “Neighbours” and co-creating teen drama series “Karaoke High”. Sarah currently splits her time between writing for television and writing novels. She lives in Melbourne by the bay with her husband and a small, furry Cavoodle called Max. When she isn’t writing, she loves reading, cooking, going to the movies and buying shoes.

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Thanks for stopping by to meet the first 10 authors of Tule Publishing! Here’s to a great year of #Tule10!

LOLA AND THE SINGLE DAD: Release day blog post featuring Kelly Hunter!

G’day.

Yes, Aussies really do say that, although ‘Hi’ works equally well. ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning’ works a treat if we’re feeling more formal. Aussies can do formal, when pressed. Come to think of it, ‘G’day’ is clearly a sneaky protest against English formality. Who knew?

Even though the heroine Lola and hero Max in Lola and the Single Dad are Aussies living in Aus, I don’t think they use a lot of slang. They never, for example, look like a stunned mullet or chuck a sickie. No one pops the esky in search of a cold one. No one wears thongs on their feet. I even refrain from mentioning all the deadly creatures just waiting to have a go, ya mug. I know I’m writing for an international audience. I want my words to be universally understood.

And yet… there’s a tone to my Australian stories that I can’t erase. If the slang doesn’t get you, the spelling just might. And the humour…that can be downright self-deprecating, but that’s okay because we make fun of everyone else too. We exaggerate, satirise, and stereotype. Even when we try to be dreadfully good and keep a lid on it, irreverent humour will out.

For my heroine Lola, saving face is not a thing. She puts herself out there, over and over, and has a go. When she gets smacked down, she gets back up, dusts off and tries a different approach. She’s resilient. That’s a global trait rather than an Australian one, but resilience is more important than ever these days, don’t you think? Resilience and humour are excellent companions.

I’m thrilled to bits to be closing out the multi-author Outback Babies series for Tule. There are four stories all up, and while each can be read as a standalone, they’re all set in the small country town of Wirralong and characters do weave in and out of other stories. So whaddya reckon? Are you keen? 

Because here they are:

And have a good day.

 

About the Author

Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn’t think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn’t have anything to read. Eventually she decided that writing romance suited her far better than throwing sterile screw-worm flies out of airplane windows, and changed careers. Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family, 2 dogs, 3 miniature cows, a miniature pig, a 3-legged cat and a small flock of curious chickens. There are still flies, but their maggots don’t feed on flesh. Bargain. Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.

Tule Publishing June 2022 Releases

Read more about our new releases for June!

GIVEAWAY: We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the June releases. Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month.

 

Love at First Spark by Sarah Fischer and Kelsey McKnight (American Heart)

Release Date: June 2, 2022

Hazel Oaks Resort, Book 2

Love is a numbers game…

Kay Hangler has a mind for numbers and a passion for the matchmaking app she helped to create. This Fourth of July weekend, her company is hosting a singles event at the historic Hazel Oaks Resort. Fun, sun, and romance are on the schedule for dozens of potential couples while Kay stubbornly flies solo…again. While she trusts her algorithm, she hasn’t personally tried it—until the resort’s handsome and friendly sailing instructor dares her to put it to the test.

Finn Stark was born on the water and comes from a long line of sailors. While he enjoys his summer gig teaching sailing at the resort and restoring boats, he’s longing to meet someone special. When a pretty brunette wanders into his boathouse and promises she can find his perfect match using numbers, Finn’s skeptical.

Finn doesn’t believe true love can be calculated, but Kay’s built her entire career on this belief. Will their numbers add up to a future before the Fourth of July fireworks, or is their romance destined to fizzle out?


Grim and Bear It by Heather Novak (Muse)

Release Date: June 6, 2022

Love Me Dead, Book 2

Poppy’s skull over heels in love, and not even death can stop her…

Poppy Grim dreams of starring in a real-life rom-com. Instead, she’s an overworked, lonely grim reaper with chronic motion sickness from ferrying souls to the afterlife. She adheres to all the reaper handbook rules except one—she regularly visits the love she lost twelve years ago when she passed. She’s not worried—humans can only see her when they are about to die, after all—until Jake looks up and says her name.

Supernatural Investigator Jake Robinson wants to leave active duty because of past on-the-job injuries, but he’s determined to finish solving the most important case of his career first. His plans sink like the Titanic—his ghost roommate’s favorite movie—when he sees Poppy.

With death looming, they both risk everything—including their hearts—and work together to keep Jake alive while he stops the people threatening his family. But love is a losing game when the punishment for a reaper-human relationship is permanent removal from existence.


Falling for the Doctor by Nan Reinhardt (American Heart)

Release Date: June 7, 2022

The Lange Brothers, Book 2

They were in it for the fun, but never expected the storm…

Life for hometown ER physician Dr. Max Lange has always been sweet. He loves his job and is dialed in socially with his family, friends, and community. But lately, something feels like it’s missing. When a visiting doctor pulls him in for a hot kiss and asks him to play along in order to avoid unwanted attention from a hospital administrator, Max knows exactly what he wants and needs—the lovely Dr. Mitchell.

After a tragic error shakes her confidence beyond repair, Dr. Lauren Mitchell has abandoned her career in cardiothoracic surgery and instead works as a lead medical consultant for a top cardiovascular technology company. She enjoys her simple life on the road—hotel rooms, room service, and no emotional entanglements.

When a violent storm throws her into service at St. Mark’s hospital, Max has only a few days to prove to Lauren that they belong together, while she must reevaluate her career…and her life. Will Max’s love be enough to make River’s Edge and Max her home?


The Baby Whisperer by Fiona McArthur (Holiday)

Release Date: June 9, 2022

Outback Babies, Book 3

The last man she needs is another hero…

After losing her father, brother, and now her husband to their work in the fire service, midwife and mothercraft nurse Stephanie Lee leaves Perth for Wirralong to move near a midwife friend from university. She buys her first house along with the Wirralong Creche, where she’ll be able to immerse herself in looking after new mothers. Stevie’s not looking for romance, but when she meets her home builder, who’s everything she doesn’t want, she can’t resist.

When he’s not remodeling homes with his young crew of at-risk young adults, Eli Grayson is a volunteer for the rural fire service and international disaster relief. Eli’s never tried to resist the lure of a beautiful woman until he meets Stephanie. It’s love at first sight and captivated Eli is determined to win her trust and heart, no matter how long it takes.

She’s afraid to love and lose, but he’s convinced they can both win. Stevie has to answer the question, is Eli—the most compelling man she’s ever met—worth the risk?


To Win a Highlander’s Heart by Gerri Russell (Muse)

Release Date: June 14, 2022

Guardians of the Isles, Book 3

It’s impossible to defy destiny…

Orrick MacLeod is a famed Highland warrior from a powerful clan who can no longer fight. Painful memories from battles plague him when he raises his sword, and he fears that one day he’ll hesitate and he, or one of his brothers, will perish. Leaving his castle to thwart his battle hero destiny, he stumbles across a young woman. Rumors whisper she’s born of fairies, but Orrick only sees a beautiful woman in jeopardy.

Isolde Nicolson is a devoted daughter of her clan, but when she rejected her chieftain brother’s choice of a cruel husband by striking her brother with an arrow, she’s banished. The kindly Orrick shelters her in the safety of the MacLeod castle where they soon unlock hidden desires. Orrick wishes to ask for her hand in marriage, but when he tries to do what’s right, everything goes wrong.

As an incident threatens to tear the MacLeod family apart, a pivotal and bloody battle between English and Scottish forces ensues. Soon the warrior who can no longer fight must stand to protect everything he holds dear.


Lola and the Single Dad by Kelly Hunter (Holiday)

Release Date: June 16, 2022

Outback Babies, Book 4

When love comes to town…

Artisan blacksmith Ned Harrow lost his wife and gained a son, all in the space of a day. Since then, he’s been caring for his son, Ollie, and working to rebuild his business. When his neighbour’s visiting goddaughter offers to help, she’s a lifeline and so much more. Ned knows the beautiful and fun-loving Lola isn’t staying long, but she’s impossible to resist and his heart is cracking wide open.

Actress Lola Darcy has never hit the big time and she’s beginning to wonder if she ever will. She’s in-between auditions when she visits her godmother in Wirralong. The country life and adorable baby she can sing to is a balm to her heart that’s been wounded by so many rejections. Lola loves caring for the sweet babe next door, and his eye candy father makes the visit even better.

As Lola and Ned become friends and perhaps more, the part of a lifetime beckons. Should she follow her dream or create new ones in Wirralong?


Something Deadly on Desert Drive by Kris Bock (Tule Mystery)

Release Date: June 21, 2022

The Accidental Detective, Book 2

Starting over at fifty might be hard, but it shouldn’t be deadly…

Still recovering from an injury that might have permanently derailed her career as an international war correspondent, Kate Tessler is living in her childhood bedroom and pondering her second act when another case lands in her lap. Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried. Their friend Larry married a younger woman who now insists he has dementia and won’t let any of his friends visit. They’re convinced that Larry’s wife and her two adult, dead-beat kids are out to steal his money. Can Kate help?

Soon Kate and her unusual gang of sidekicks are unofficially, officially investigating. But before they can dig out the truth, a murder raises the stakes. Now they need to prove Larry is both mentally competent and not a killer. They’ll have to find the real murderer—without risking their own lives in the process.


Her Fake Boyfriend by Shelli Stevens (American Heart)

Release Date: June 23, 2022

Bro Code, Book 2

Thou shalt not sleep with thy friend’s ex…

Eric Nordland has been in love with his best friend’s girl since he met her. And now that she’s single, the temptation to make a move is killing him. Especially since their paths keep crossing. Dating your friend’s ex is a big bro code violation, but when Hannah comes to him in trouble, there’s no way he’ll leave her to fend for herself.

Coming out of the only romantic relationship she’s ever known, Hannah Jeong isn’t really looking for a rebound. But when the creepy parent of one of her students starts to stalk her, she jumps at Eric’s offer to pose as her fake boyfriend. What she didn’t expect was to start having feelings for a man she’d always seen as just a friend.

The line between right and wrong becomes fuzzier by the day as the attraction between them grows. Keeping Hannah safe from an obsessive man is just as much Eric’s mission as not giving his heart to a woman he can never have.


Escape Girl by Michelle Dayton (American Heart)

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Tech-nically Love, Book 3

You can’t divorce yourself from love…

Emily Saturn’s world is spinning out of control. An intellectual property lawyer, she’s gone rogue from her firm, dealing with a major lawsuit against a predatory software company’s CEO pro bono. When she isn’t looking for elusive evidence she can use—legally, of course—she’s trying to avoid her soon-to-be ex-husband, Bobby March.

After their whirlwind courtship and wedding, Bobby can’t pinpoint what went wrong between them. He’s been working for months on his new career and personal growth, determined to be the man his wife deserves. Desperate to get her attention, Bobby invites Emily to a series of individually designed virtual escape rooms, each one a moment from their love story. Hopefully, the sexy, romantic trip down memory lane will rekindle their intense connection—and clue him in as to how to fix this.

Emily has never been able to resist a puzzle. Or, frankly, Bobby. The more she interacts with her husband online, the more she wants to see him again in person. Which is beyond stupid because Emily knows he’s wrong for her. Right?


The Montana Rancher by Paula Altenburg (Montana Born)

Release Date: June 30, 2022

The Endeavour Ranch of Grand, Montana, Book 3

He’s been keeping secrets. She needs the truth…

Reclusive billionaire and enigmatic ranch owner Ryan O’Connell spares no expense when it comes to the Endeavour Ranch and its charitable organizations. Next up on his philanthropic agenda is a youth group home for troubled teenage boys. When he hires a social worker to work with the counselors and teen clients, he thinks he can take a step back. But her beauty and determination are tough to ignore and even tougher to resist.

Heiress Elizabeth Benson became a social worker after her older sister was murdered, destroying her once-close family. She’s fiercely protective of the boys on the Endeavour Ranch and is determined to learn more about her mysterious boss who is so much more than the quiet cowboy he pretends to be. Too bad their chemistry complicates everything.

Can Ryan trust Elizabeth with his darkest secrets? Or does he risk losing even more than his heart?

MUST LOVE CHRISTMAS: Release day blog post featuring Kelly Hunter!

WRITE THE WORLD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN, THEY SAY

But for me this was bad writing advice.

I’d just bought and taken possession of a little cabin on the outskirts of a sweet country town. Not the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, but let’s just say it needed far more work than I thought it would. A five month wait on heating components and building materials. A twelve month wait for tradesmen.

Was it any wonder that my heroine stumbled across a God with a Hammer who was better than Thor? No story tension or conflict, mind—he simply did whatever my needy heroine told him to do at the end she got a very nice house out of it and he stayed on because he was handy to have around. My fantasy! Better than Thor.

But not a romance. At all.

So I put the story away, and fixed the cabin as best I could, and only once my real-life desire for competent tradesmen waned did I take to the story again. Because while I’m altogether on board with wrapping the end of a story up in a perfection covered bow, the journey to get to that point shouldn’t be a mellow stroll through a perfect world. If it’s too perfect, I’ll get bored writing it and you’ll fall asleep reading it and that won’t do at all.

Must Love Christmas isn’t boring anymore. It’s stuffed with hopes and dreams, and hearts that clamor for love, and a heroine taking her first wobbly steps toward confidence and self-respect. My Christmas gift to her. Merry Christmas, Madeline and Seth. Have a good one.

You can find the story here.

But if you know of any tradesmen looking for work, give me a call.

 

About the Author

Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn’t think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn’t have anything to read. Eventually she decided that writing romance suited her far better than throwing sterile screw-worm flies out of airplane windows, and changed careers. Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family, 2 dogs, 3 miniature cows, a miniature pig, a 3-legged cat and a small flock of curious chickens. There are still flies, but their maggots don’t feed on flesh. Bargain. Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.