LISTEN TO MY STORY

 By Caroline Clemmons

Medina River in the Texas Hill Country

 My latest series is the Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides. I’ve enjoyed writing this series, which now includes six books. If you haven’t yet read them (hand to my breaking heart, I’m crushed), this is a great time to listen to the audiobook. The narration will leave your hands and eyes free to do mundane tasks like folding laundry or unloading the dishwasher or struggle through traffic. Of course, you could always choose my way to listen and just curl up in your favorite chair. <G> My dogs prefer that method because it leaves my lap available. Baxter the labradoodle doesn't realize he's too large to be a lapdog. Murphy the Maltese fits nicely and leaves space for Baxter.

I’m tremendously excited that this series and my other books are available as audiobooks from Amazon and Audible. This may not seem like a big deal to you, dear reader, but—trust me—it is for any author. So, if you’ve read the series, hearing them narrated will be a pleasant experience in which you’ll catch things you overlooked or forgot from the ebook or print.

The first of this series, GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, is on sale now for 99¢ as an e-book. So, I suggest you start your audiobook quest with JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE.

Sheriff Jesse Cameron came from Scotland several years ago, directly to Texas. After wandering through several towns, he found the place for him. That one is Harrigan Springs, county seat of Harrigan County (a fictitious county squeezed in between real Bandera and Medina Counties, with the Medina River flowing along the town’s edge). Before he became sheriff, there were rough characters causing trouble in town. Now that he’s cleaned the troublemakers away, it’s a pleasant and mostly peaceful place to live. He's a popular man. 

Jesse’s home is only a short walk from his office at the jail. His chief deputy, Zan Crain, has a home on the street behind him. Each man wants a wife to offer comfort and companionship and start a family. Together they send letters to a matchmaker and hope their wives will be friends. They certainly are.

The story of how their wives arrived in Harrigan Springs and how their arrival affected the men’s lives is this book. It’s a sweet romance with danger and adventure and children. Jesse is one of my favorite heroes. I’m sure you’ll see why when you listen to his story.

 https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Jesse-Mail-Order-Bride/dp/B0CY4HR8PY/

 

Thanks for stopping by.

A HILL COUNTRY TREAT

 By Caroline Clemmons

 The Texas Hill Country, where I set my latest series, Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides, is a favorite destination of our family. One of the loveliest and most unique cities in that area is Fredericksburg. The area was settled primarily by German immigrants. If you hate history—I can’t believe you do—you may want to skip the next couple of paragraphs.

John O. Meusebach

In 1846, under the leadership of John O. Meusebach, 120 German immigrants arrived at what is now Fredericksburg. Meusebach had renounced his title as Baron Otfried Hans Freiherr von Meusebach to lead the immigrants as a "commoner" and the commissioner general of the Adelsverein, the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas. Most of this group was from the Rhine River Valley. The site he chose was on Barons Creek (named for Meusebach) four miles north of the Pedernales River. (As an aside, I must tell you that no matter that an early mapmaker misspelled the name as Pedernales, it is pronounced purr-den-alice as it has been for several hundred years.)

Meusenbach named the town Fredericksburg after Prince Frederick of Prussia. The town was laid out like the towns of the Rhine with a broad avenue and a town square. Each family received a plot in town and ten acres nearby to farm. On the town square, they built the octagonal Vereneine Kirche, the Society Church, which was shared by different denominations on alternating Sundays. The church also provided a town fortress and a place for community meetings. During the Civil War, the Germans were Union sympathizers and none of them owned slaves.

Octagonal Vereneine Kirche

Here’s something I found fascinating: The land the Germans settled was the range of the Penateka Comanche, a fierce group. Many other white men tried to make the Comanche move away. The Germans asked permission to live on the land and share it with the Comanche. The Germans said the Indians would always be welcome in town and businesses. Just shy of 34 years old, Meusebach was 6 feet 2 inches tall with a bright red beard. The Comanche called him El Sol Colorado, the Red Sun. He negotiated the signing of the Meusebach-Comanche Treaty with Santa Ana, which eliminated the threat of Indian attack, and is still unbroken to this day!  Another thing I found interesting was that many Germans refused to speak English, hoping that would keep them out of politics and local problems. Didn't work that well, but I suppose it's good to hang on to your native language. One of our friends had not heard English spoken until he entered first grade. Big culture shock for him.

End of history lesson. <g>

A substantial Sunday house, 

some were much smaller

Each time I have been to Fredericksburg, I have found new things to love. One of those is the Sunday houses. Farmers who lived too far to travel to church on Sunday morning sometimes built a small house in town. The family drove in on Saturday morning and spent the weekend. This allowed for shopping and possibly a party on Saturday. After an overnight rest, the family could attend Sunday church services. Sad to say, I have heard that many of them have been torn down to make way for so-called progress. I found the houses picturesque.

Other area interests are numerous wineries. The area has become well-known for their fine wines. Many of them offer tasting rooms. There are delightful local inns in case you need to recover from too much tasting. <g>

Winery near Frederickburg

Antique shops pull me in like magnets. A branding iron I purchase came from a shop next door to the Admiral Nimitz Museum. The iron is actually a large Z on which is centered a smaller S. The effect is a dollar sign unless you look carefully. Hero said that was definitely my brand. Imagine the nerve of the man! <g> In spite of his comment, the branding iron is displayed in our living room with many other western and American Indian memorabilia and framed western prints of bluebonnets and windmills, etc. Looking at them makes me happy. 

Perhaps you can tell I love the Texas Hill Country. I hope you’ll help me celebrate it by reading my series. The last one released is KEITH AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, Book 5. It's available in e-book and print and is in KU. The Amazon buy link is:

https://www.amazon.com/Keith-Order-Bride-Country-Brides-ebook/dp/B0CW7B2GZS/

I’m currently writing Book 6 about SIDNEY, owner of Garton’s Mercantile. It contains a litle more humor as well as some adventure. Stay tuned….

In the meantime, stay safe and keep reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY FIRST HILL COUNTRY BOOK

 

By Caroline Clemmons

Love a good historical family series that combines mystery and romance? I have the very book for you!

THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE, Book One of the Kincaids Series, offers a full-length book that includes a powerful romance, fascinating characters, and a mystery. Unlike the books I’ve written in the last few years, it is lightly sensual—with the love scenes between the hero and heroine after they marry. Available in ebook and print and in KU at Amazon, here is the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Most-Unsuitable-Wife-Kincaids-Book-ebook/dp/B004OR1VOO   

 

THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE is about a marriage of convenience that blossoms into a true love match. I love when that happens, don’t you? Pearl, the heroine, is one of my very favorite characters. She proves even a husband can’t dictate to a strong, feisty woman.

This is the first book I wrote set in the Texas Hill Country. However, the story with Pearl starts in a tiny town in Tennessee. The idea for Pearl came from a tiny vignette told me by my grandmother about a girl she knew as a child. Sad to say, the incident with the newborn Pearl actually took place, according to my grandmother. The taunting also took place. Grandmother didn’t know what happened to the Pearl she knew, but I thought I’d give her a happy life.

In researching train travel for this book, I visited museums and read books and wrote curators for additional information. As a result, I have a huge notebook filled with details about nineteenth century train travel. We hear about the deluxe Pulman car, but without them train travel could be pretty grim. Even at its most uncomfortable stages, riding a train beat walking beside a covered wagon.

In THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE, the hero (Drake Kincaid), his cousin (Lex), heroine (Pearl Parker), and heroine’s siblings (Sarah and Storm), and “cousin” (Belle) travel from Tennessee to Central Texas by train. Personally, I love train travel, so I was happy my characters had a chance to enjoy it. Well, they enjoyed some of it. Not the part where...no, can’t give a spoiler, can I?

Here’s the blurb:

Wanted: one completely improper bride.

Even if Drake Kincaid had placed such an advertisement in every paper in the country, he couldn’t have found a better candidate than Pearl Parker...which is fine with him. After all, his parents’ will stipulates only that he marry by his thirtieth birthday, not that he marry well. And no one--including Drake’s grandfather, the man determined to hold him to the ridiculous provision--could possibly think tall, bossy Pearl with her ragtag siblings and questionable “cousin” Belle will make a good wife. Until Drake realizes that in her startling violet eyes he sees a beautiful woman with a generous soul...

Their life together may not have started with hearts and flowers, but Drake and Pearl will soon learn that real love--with a breathtaking dose of passion--will make their marriage a true romance.

Excerpt after they’ve traveled from Tennessee to Texas and are at the home of Drake’s grandfather in town. Drake announces that he’s going on a cattle drive, leaving Pearl and her family at his grandfather’s home:

                Pearl had wakened cocooned in the hazy glow following a night of intermittent lovemaking with her husband to find him dressing for the ranch. Then he dropped a bombshell on her.

                “What do you mean, stay here?”

                "You know it's not safe for you to be on your own. Ranch is too isolated. You'll be safer here in town.” Drake stomped his feet to settle each in the boots he wore. He retrieved a blue chambray shirt from his bag and donned it.

                "For how long?” Pearl slid from bed and grabbed her nightgown from the floor.

                "Well..."

                She whirled on her husband, confronting him, "You never intended for me to move to the ranch, did you?” She yanked her nightie on. No one could argue buck-naked.

                "Don't get riled. Women hate the seclusion. You'll be happier in town. Things to do here and people about you.” Drake shoved his shirt into his twill pants without looking at his wife.

                She stepped toward him and pointed at her chest. "What do you know about what makes this woman happy?"

                A crooked smile broke his face. "Aw, I know what makes you happy, all right. Didn't I keep you happy all night?"

                She shrugged away the comment aimed to distract her. "Did you ask me which I prefer? No.” She hoped her glare chilled his randy hide.

                His voice softened, placating. "Pearl, be reasonable. We don't know who's tried to kill you and your family. Someone might be trailing you right now, waiting somewhere and watching the house.”

                He met her gaze. That muscle twitched in his cheek, letting her know he was less than happy with this conversation. Well, that didn't bother Pearl in the least. Some things needed talked about.

                He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, then took a deep breath and continued,  "Look, the sheriff and his deputy as well as several of the town's leading citizens will be looking out for any newcomer. I talked to the owners of the livery stable, the hotel, the mercantile, all the places I could think of that a newcomer would stand out. If any strangers come around asking questions, the sheriff will find out immediately. You and Sarah will be safer here."

                "You're taking Storm with you?” She hugged her arms, sensing a lost battle.                        

                "Yes, um, with your permission. I can't see him attending teas or shopping here in town. Besides, he's a big help to me."

                Her head came up and her hands fisted at her hips. "And I suppose Sarah and I are just so much baggage?"

                "Now, I didn't say that and you know it.” He held up a hand, palm out, as if to stay her fury. "But you have no place rounding up cattle and getting ready for a drive."

                "It's true we don't ride, but we could learn.” She could learn anything, given a chance. She suspected no chance would come.

                "There's no time to teach you. 'Sides, it makes the cowboys and vaqueros nervous to have women around the cattle. They think it's bad luck. And I can't leave the two of you at the house with only the housekeeper to help you."

                She sagged in defeat. "Okay, Drake. I'll stay here for now, and I'll try not to shame you. But this is only until we know there'll be no more meanness against my family. Don't think you can keep me waiting too long," she warned.

                His face broke into a smile of relief. "You'll see. By the time this is over and things calm down, you'll like this sweet life so much you won't be able to tear yourself away from Grandpa's house."

                "Too much sweet gives a body a belly ache."

                Ignoring that and stepping close, he kissed her on the cheek then nuzzled her neck. "I'll be sleeping tonight in a bedroll on hard ground. Give me a kiss to remember."

                Something to remember. She'd give him something to remember all right. She raised her mouth to his, let him plunder with his tongue. Her tongue did some plundering of its own as she moved her body against him. When their kiss ended, the heat of passion darkened his eyes.

                "When you're sleeping on the hard ground, all alone, you remember that, husband.” Head high, she turned and walked into the dressing room.

 

Thanks for reading!

Stuck on the Naughty List by Joan Reeves

Stuck on the Naughty List

by Joan Reeves

https://books2read.com/StuckNaughtyList

 BOOK DESCRIPTION 

Cassie arrives home for the holidays. Before she has time to succumb to a severe case of the holiday blues, she’s arrested and taken to jail! 
 

A year ago, Cassie left Ben, the man she loved, so he could have the life he’d been groomed for since birth. Still heartbroken over the break up with Ben—even though it was for his own good—she returns to Capitola, Texas, her small hometown, for Christmas. She hopes the warmth of old friends and family will take away the pain of heartbreak. She just wants the comfort of her grandmother's home where she grew up to help her get through the lonely holidays. 

Instead, she’s arrested on a trumped-up charge and taken downtown to the police station to be charged, fingerprinted, photographed, and booked. That's where she meets the town's new Chief of Police. Could he be the perfect man to mend her broken heart? 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

THE GHOST TOWN OF CAPITOLA 

Stuck on the Naughty List is set in Capitola, Texas, a town that no longer exists. Like many of the more than 1,000 ghost towns, Capitola, located in Mason County which is part of the Texas Hill Country, boomed briefly and then faded away. 

This was the 3rd book I’ve set in a town that was once a real town and is now just a memory. 

Capitola intrigued me from the moment I read about it because it was founded by a woman—and not just any woman, but an avid reader. 

Sarah E. Jenkins, the postmistress, founded the community in 1894. She loved to read and named the town after the heroine in a popular novel of that era: The Hidden Hand, or, Capitola the Madcap by American author E.D.E.N. Southworth. (That’s Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth.) 

The little community failed to thrive, and the post office closed its doors a dozen years later. Then the route of the main road was altered, and the town faded away. However, it was the perfect inspiration for me to create a series with a western swing dance hall, the Capitola Palace Dance Hall, as the center of the social life in the town and surrounding counties which was really the case several years ago. In fact, there are still a few dance halls scattered throughout rural Texas. 

EXCERPT, STUCK ON THE NAUGHTY LIST 

Copyright © 2019 Joan Reeves 

 

Why me? Why me? 

All she wanted was a good night’s sleep in her own bed, in her own room, in Granny’s house. Was that too much to ask? 

Apparently, it was. 

Cassie Johnson shivered so hard her teeth clattered together. She rubbed her bare arms to try to bring some warmth to her skin as she walked to the front of the house. Another of the motion-activated security lights came on, spotlighting her in the darkness. Cassie glanced across the road, hoping old Mr. Cotton hadn’t seen her. He still had hard feelings over his yard being toilet-papered when she was in high school. Not that it was her fault. It was that bully Alfie Felder and his football buddies who’d mistaken Mr. Cotton’s house for Granny’s. 

All was dark across the road. Thank heavens for small mercies. 

When she reached the front of the house, she stopped at the first window. At least the security light under the eaves helped her see what she was doing. Her skin was a landscape of chill bumps. If she didn’t freeze to death, it would be a miracle. 

Please let this window be unlocked. 

She prayed like she hadn’t prayed since she was thirteen and had been caught kissing Kenny Tamez behind the school gym. Back then, she’d prayed the principal wouldn’t call her grandmother. Now she prayed for an unlocked window. She used the garden spade she’d found in a flower pot on the back porch and wedged the metal end of it between the screen and the window sill. Suddenly, the screen popped out of the frame, hitting her, and scratching her arm as it dropped. Muttering about the unfairness of…well, everything in her life, Cassie noticed a half-inch of space between the bottom of the window and the frame. Her mood brightened. She slipped the spade into the gap and tried to pry the window up. Nothing moved. She leaned all her weight on the spade’s handle. She hopped up and down, trying to torque the window up. The window groaned—then the spade bent in half and broke off the handle. Cassie involuntarily lunged forward but managed to catch herself before she crashed head first into the window. 

The blue norther that threatened to freeze her into an icicle wasn’t nearly as blue as the curse words that escaped her mouth. This wasn’t the way her December was supposed to begin. She’d come home to Capitola to see her hometown decked out like a Hallmark movie set and to smell the pine and cedar boughs. She wanted to drink hot spiced cider, eat fruitcake, go caroling every weekend, and attend church on Sundays. She wanted to sing and dance at the Palace every night. 

Instead, she’d somehow managed to get herself locked out of the house. Now she was freezing her butt off in the first winter storm blowing through the hills surrounding the town. 

Cassie rolled her eyes skyward—and was rewarded with a snowflake landing on her right eyeball. “Oww!” The gusting wind caught her gasp of pain. She blinked rapidly. Could you get frostbite of the eyeball? Another wave of shivering racked her body. Time was running out. Maybe she should have gone to Mr. Cotton’s house as soon as she’d realized she was locked out, but, dressed—or rather undressed—as she was, she hadn’t wanted the old man to see her. He was the worst gossip in town. By breakfast tomorrow, everyone would have known she’d been locked out wearing nothing but her bra, jeans, and house slippers. 

There was another option. She hated the thought of breaking one of the hundred-year-old windows, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Granny wouldn’t want her to freeze to death. She’d forgive her. Break a window or go to Mr. Cotton’s? 

No contest. 

Her breath caught. The two words slipped beneath her radar, and thoughts of Ben filled her mind. 

 

*** 

 

The hotel room was dark. Cassie wanted no lights because it was easier to hide what she planned to do. Her heart literally ached. This was the last night she’d ever spend with Ben. She wanted to remember every detail, embed every sensation in her memory. Then she’d leave him. His mother had made it perfectly clear that she was an anvil around Ben’s neck. If he married her, Cassie would prevent him from having the life he was meant to live. 

Ben’s hands stroked over her shoulders and glided down to the zipper of the red satin dress she’d worn to the party celebrating his passing the bar exam. “You were the most beautiful woman at the party,” he whispered. 

The soft buzz of the zipper was loud in the quiet room. He pushed her dress off her shoulders. 

“Are you sure?” Cassie was proud that her voice was steady. She was helpless to resist his touch. 

“No contest,” Ben whispered, turning her to face him. 

 

*** 

 

Absently, Cassie pressed the gold butterfly on the chain around her neck. The metal felt warm against her chilled skin. Touching it intensified her longing for Ben. Even though a year had passed, losing him was still like a knife blade plunged into her heart. 

Stop it. Just stop it. 

Thinking about Ben wouldn’t help her solve the problem at hand. She took a deep breath. The cold air burned into her lungs. She had two choices. Well, there was a third, but quietly freezing to death didn’t hold much appeal. The tips of her shaking fingers held a distinctive bluish cast. “Global warming, my ass,” she grumbled. 

Going to Mr. Cotton’s house was out of the question. That left the second option. Cassie started looking for a rock. She found a chunk of limestone the size of her fist beneath one of the boxwood shrubs and picked it up, hefting it. It should be big and hard enough to break one of the thick panes in the antique window. 

A flash of light drew her attention to the road. A car was coming. She saw headlights first as the car topped the hill near the house. 

Oh, crap. 

Flashing blue and red lights washed over the front yard. A police car whipped into the driveway. Like a cheesy horror flick, Cassie stood rooted to the spot. A loud electronic warbling blasted through the night air. Cassie prayed again. For invisibility. Frantically, she looked around for a place to hide. A high beam spotlight hit her. She froze. Her eyes narrowed against the sudden brightness. The electronic click of a loudspeaker made her flinch. “Walk toward me with your hands up.” 

Double crap. She recognized that voice. It was Alfie Felder. Could her life get any worse? 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

JOAN REEVES 

Keeping Romance Alive…One Sexy Book at a Time 

Joan Reeves is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. All of her stories have the same premise: “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.” 

Joan lives her happily-ever-after with her hero, her husband. They divide their time between a book-cluttered home in Houston and a quiet house at the foot of the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch at night, look at the star-studded sky, and listen to the coyotes howl. 

Be the first to know about New Books, Giveaways, and Bargains by signing up for Joan’s Free Newsletter. When you confirm your subscription, you’ll receive a free romance ebook. 

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