Vivian Arend's Blog, page 15

Release Day for A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift

Today is the release day of A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift! I hope that you pick up your copy of Brad & Hanna. 

This firefighter has the perfect gift for a single mom and her little girl—if they’ll take him.

All Bradley Ford wants this holiday season is a date or three with sweet Hanna Lane. He’s the new fire chief, recently returned to Heart Falls to help his father after an accident. And while he wasn’t expecting to find someone like Hanna so soon, Brad’s certain that Hanna—and her adorable daughter, Crissy—are perfect for him and his plans to settle down.

Hanna’s been taking care of herself since she became a single mom at sixteen. The only pure, honest love she trusts is her little girl’s, but for the first time in eight years, her libido flares to life. Something about Brad draws her like a moth to a flame—which is always a bad idea for the moth.

When a fire leaves Hanna and Crissy homeless, Brad offers them shelter at his family’s homestead. Crissy insists they’ve moved in with Santa. Hanna’s not sure how she keeps ending up under the mistletoe with Brad. And Brad? He’s hoping for the best Christmas gift of all…

Excerpt:

Brad tucked away the leftovers before joining Hanna at the sink. “Crissy is doing well.”

Hanna moved the washcloth over the plate slowly, her chin dipping. “She talks about Mr. Patrick all the time. That’s why I thought it would work for us to be here for a while. It should make it easier for her.”

“Well, then, I’m glad we can help out.” Only he’d been watching closely, and she was still washing the same plate she’d been on when he stepped to her side. He pulled it out of her hands and placed it in the drying rack before tugging her to face him. “And how are you doing?”

She was fighting to keep from crying, that much was clear. He just stood there and waited for a sign of what she wanted.

Hanna took a shaky breath, swallowed hard then opened her mouth to hesitantly ask, “Can I have a hug?”

Oh God. “Of course, sugar.”

It was different than when she’d surprised him in the office. Then her hug had been fierce and determined, as if the motion had exploded out of her nearly the same way as his invitation to stay with them. Unlike that one, this embrace wasn’t about giving, but getting.

Hanna leaned into him, and he cradled her against him. He kept his touch innocent, offering his strength. They stood there for a good five minutes, her cheek turned so her ear pressed hard against his chest, her arms wrapped around him clinging tight as if she weren’t ready to stand on her own two feet yet.

She’d done enough standing on her own in the last twenty-four hours as far as he was concerned.

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Travel Picture: Johnson Canyon

This week’s travel picture is Mr Arend and I in Johnson Canyon!

Are you ready for A FIREFIGHTER’S CHRISTMAS GIFT?

Are you ready for A FIREFIGHTER’S CHRISTMAS GIFT, the first book in the Holidays in Heart Falls series? This book is set in the world of Heart Falls and features some of our favorite Heart Falls characters including Tamara Coleman, Ivy Fields, and Kelly James. 

Before A FIREFIGHTER’S CHRISTMAS GIFT comes out in September, catch up on the Heart Falls series and ready A RANCHER’S HEART and A RANCHER’S SONG today!

This cowboy has given up on love, but the new nanny might just make him change his mind. The first in a brand-new series from New York Times bestselling author Vivian Arend.

Caleb Stone is wearing too many hats and it’s making him crankier than usual. He’s a cowboy, a father, and the head of his large family—and has been since tragedy claimed his parents over ten years ago. The ranch is struggling, but it’s the title of single dad that’s got him tangled up in knots. He needs a full-time, live-in nanny at the Silver Stone homestead in Heart Falls, Alberta, to help with his two little girls, but the woman about to arrive on his doorstep? Tantalizing, tempting, and trouble with capital T’s.

Tamara Coleman doesn’t regret the choices that led to losing her job, but she definitely needs a fresh start. When a friend recommends her for a nanny position in a new town, she swears this time it’ll be different. No more acting on impulse—except sexy, gruff Caleb is exactly the kind of man who pushes all her buttons. And what’s more, it’s so much fun to push his in return. Sparks fly between Tamara and her gorgeous boss, but she can’t risk her position, and he doesn’t dare risk his heart.

With two people fighting their true natures, something’s going to give. Luckily, there’s more than one way to capture a rancher’s heart.

Excerpt:

Caleb shook his head. “She’s my sister. I trust her. She says you’re the one for the job, and I believe her, God help me.”

Amusement lightened Tamara’s expression as a snicker escaped. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. You really think you need heavenly intervention with me working for you?”

He needed it to stop dreaming about decidedly non-heavenly pursuits. Like her lips, soft and delicious. And those damn glasses she wore—he’d never realized he had a thing for glasses, but obviously, he did. The ones she had on today were black-rimmed with tipped-up outside edges. The way she peered at him through them made the dirty thoughts rise, along with his cock.

Which wasn’t completely surprising because it had been a hell of a long time since the thing had gotten attention from anything other than his hand…

…and this was a direction he needed to avoid heading in the future.

Purchase A RANCHER’S HEART:
         

Can love help a champion bull rider face his fears and find his future?

Ivy Field‘s heart nearly broke when she left Heart Falls, but her high school sweetheart insisted she follow-through on her dream of becoming a teacher. She thought that meant putting their relationship on hold briefly, but it’s taken eleven years to return. Now she’s back, no longer a painfully shy young girl but a confident woman who knows exactly what and who she wants–a home and a family–with too-sexy-for-his-boots Walker Stone. He was her first; she wants him to be her last.

Walker “Dynamite” Stone was still reeling from his parents’ unexpected deaths when Ivy left. He let her go, throwing himself into work on the Silver Stone ranch and dangerous living on the rodeo circuit. But lately Walker’s adrenaline junkie ways have crashed–he’s having panic attacks. Potentially devastating to his budding music career, they’re a deadly handicap when shooting for eight seconds aboard an angry bull. He needs to learn to face his fears to save the family fortunes. If he succeeds, this time Walker will be the one to leave Heart Falls, and Ivy, behind.

Will Ivy and Walker have to give up on forever, or can they turn this rancher’s song into a winning duet?

Excerpt:

Another round of cheers went up, and then the shouting changed to words.

Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her

The locals knew their history—knew they’d been sweethearts back in the day. It made sense they’d be riled up and willing to tease. The crowd was helping to pull Ivy forward, and hands were at Walker’s back guiding him as well.

As if he needed any encouragement.

They met in the middle of the room, and the noise level hit a deafening volume as the chant continued.

Kiss her. Kiss her.

Walker held out a hand, and she placed her fingers in his with no hesitation. It wasn’t the crowd’s encouragement that made him do it. It was the need in his gut telling him to go ahead and take a bite.

He pulled her against him, sliding a hand behind her back as he brought their bodies into contact, twisting and dipping her, bending forward until she had to arch back and rely on him to hold her safely.

She didn’t fight him, not one bit. She just moved in unison with him as if it’d been yesterday and not years ago they’d been in each other’s arms. And when he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, it was like coming home.

Purchase a rancher’s song:
         

Vivian Travel Adventures: Ecuador

This stained glass window at a church in Ecuador is incredible!

Travel Picture Wednesday: Isla de la Plata

It’s time for another Vivian Arend Travel Picture. This week we have a Blue Booby from the Isla de la Plata. 

 

Travel Picture: Puerto Lopez

This incredible outdoor wood burning oven is from Puerto Lopez. 

Holiday Traditions

In A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift, Hanna Lane and her daughter Crissy end up staying at someone else’s house during the holiday season. One of the things they do during their time involves baking Christmas treats, which might lead to a kiss or two between the hero and heroine, because kitchens tend to be the place where mischief like that happens.

Am I right? ;)

Some of that mischief includes decorating cookies and a mishap, which brought to mind a story I thought I’d tell you about one of myfamily’s funny cookie adventures. When my children were young I used to do goodie exchanges with friends for the holidays. Each of us would bake 8 dozen of a single item (like brownies, or Nanaimo bars, or mincemeat tarts), then we’d gather together and trade. We’d go home with eight trays of mixed baking. I’d wrap mine up and pop the trays into the freezer and then pull out one at a time over the holidays when people visited. I loved it.

My kids loved it, too, but thought I was stingy in how often I brought out the trays. So I said they could make their own cookies. My daughter (with a little help) made sugar cookies. Three dozen that turned out crisp, yummy and perfect.

My son, who was slightly older, didn’t need my help, so he said. He measured and poured and stirred and stirred some more, and ended up with an enormous batch of gingerbread cookie batter. The he rolled out the dough and cut out gingerbread men and baked them, then rolled out some more, and baked them, then rolled out some more…

The island top was covered with gingerbread men. The counters. The table. And still they came…

Turned out he’d decided he loved gingerbread men so much he’d quadrupled the recipe. Only,I’d already doubled it before I gave it to him.

There might still be some gingerbread men in my freezer all these years later…

Excerpt:

Crissy climbed up in the chair next to her. “What’re we going to make, Mommy?”

“Gingersnaps. And sugar cookies.”

“Gingerbread men?” Crissy begged. “So we can ice them?”

“I have to agree with her,” Patrick said with a slow nod, stroking his snowy white beard. “Gingerbread men taste a whole lot more delicious than simple gingersnaps.”

“If you haven’t already noticed, my father has a sweet tooth,” Brad said in a teasing tone.

“I guess you come by it naturally, Mr. Three-spoons-of-sugar-in-my-coffee,” Hanna said, without looking up from the recipe.

Laughter rolled across the room, and suddenly Hanna realized she hadn’t been very polite. Truthful, but not polite.

Thankfully, Crissy hadn’t noticed. Patrick continued to grin as he bookmarked a dozen pages in his wife’s recipe book. Hanna fought her embarrassment and slid up to where Brad was pouring a mountain of macaroni noodles into boiling water. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” she murmured.

Brad’s deep chuckle stroked her. “I’ll be the first to admit I like sweet things.”

She glanced up to find his gaze drifting over her. His lips were still curled into a friendly smile, but the heat in his eyes grew, and while her girlfriends might tease her that she was an innocent, Hanna knew what was going on in a man’s head when he had that look.

Bradley Ford wasn’t daydreaming about sugar cookies.

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First Glance: A FIREFIGHTER’S CHRISTMAS GIFT

For the longest time I’ve wanted to write some holiday stories, but the way my series fell into place simply didn’t allow it. Now that I’ve begun to write trilogies and quartets set in Heart Falls, a new opportunity has opened up, and I’m finally able to follow through on this dream.

Here’s the wonderful part of it—the stories I write tend to have overarching themes. Like The Stones of Heart Falls, where the Stone brothers are working to save the ranch their parents left them (and coincidentally finding true love, because I am always about the true love!)

But there are many wonderful people who live in Heart Falls area that come into the family’s life on a daily basis, and they’re not all going to end up with a Stone brother.

They still deserve a happily-ever-after!

People like Bradley Ford, who’s a friend of both Walker Stone and Ivy Fields from their high school days. He’s returned to Heart Falls to be the Fire Chief, and looking to settle down. People like Hanna Lane, one of Tamara’s new friends and the single mom of Emma’s best friend, Crissy.

And if you don’t know ANY of those names because you’ve never read any of the Heart Falls stories, you know what? You’ll still be fine. Because THAT is the true joy of these special holiday books. They’re completely stand alone, and can be picked up and enjoyed by anyone who loves a happily-ever-after.

There’s mistletoe, a hero in pursuit, a heroine with hope in her heart, and a little girl who is convinced Santa is personally looking out for her…

*quivers with excitement*

Yup, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I think A Firefighter’s Christmas Giftis one of the best books I’ve ever written.

I can’t wait for you to enjoy this story!

PRE-ORDER:
     

Travel Picture: Berlin Train Station

This week’s travel picture is from the Berlin train station. Such a beautiful building! 

Release Day: A RANCHER’S SONG

Today is the release of A RANCHER’S SONG. Walker Stone and Ivy Fields are getting their second chance at love. 

Can love help a champion bull rider face his fears and find his future? Welcome to Heart Falls, a new series from New York Times bestselling author Vivian Arend.

Ivy Field’s heart nearly broke when she left Heart Falls, but her high school sweetheart insisted she follow-through on her dream of becoming a teacher. She thought that meant putting their relationship on hold briefly, but it’s taken eleven years to return. Now she’s back, no longer a painfully shy young girl but a confident woman who knows exactly what and who she wants—a home and a family—with too-sexy-for-his-boots Walker Stone. He was her first; she wants him to be her last.

Walker “Dynamite” Stone was still reeling from his parent’s unexpected death when Ivy left. He let her go, throwing himself into work on the Silver Stone ranch and dangerous living on the rodeo circuit. But lately Walker’s adrenaline junkie ways have crashed—he’s having panic attacks. Potentially devastating to his budding music career, they’re a deadly handicap when shooting for eight seconds aboard an angry bull. He needs to learn to face his fears to save the family fortunes. If he succeeds, this time Walker will be the one to leave Heart Falls, and Ivy, behind.

Will Ivy and Walker have to give up on forever, or can they turn this rancher’s song into a winning duet?

 

Purchase: 

US
       


UK
   


Canada
   

Excerpt:

She reached for her buttons, her fingers shaking so hard she couldn’t catch hold of anything.

“I’ll take care of you.” Walker’s voice, soft and gentle now, and she let her eyes stay closed because it would be easier to not see him.

So much easier not to watch as he, gently as possible, stripped away her soggy wet blouse and pants Because if she was watching his face and saw even a hint of desire, she was going to do something regrettable.

She also wanted to find a large object and smack him over the head with it. “What were you doing on the rocks?”

He made a soothing noise as he took the blanket off of her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Something foolish. I’m sorry you got caught up in it.”

“Troublemaker.”

He reached around her, undoing her bra and slipping it off her body under the cover of her blanket. “Yep. You and me, Snow. A ball full of trouble.”

Fire and ice. That’s what she was thinking because he was peeling her wet panties down her legs, and her eyes popped open just to torment her. His face was set like the stone of his name, as if he were trying desperately to get through this.

Because it was difficult to touch her? Or difficult not to touch?

Her head ached too much to give the dilemma anymore thought. When he picked her up and laid her in the middle of her bed, pulling the blankets over her, she decided she’d have to think about it sometime when her teeth weren’t rattling like castanets.

She lay there and shivered, breathing shakily and trying desperately to find a way to suck heat out of the air.

The mattress dipped. A heavy male body joined her, skin connecting with hers as Walker folded himself around her.

“Oh my God.”

Somehow those words came out crystal clear. Walker was in bed with her, both of them naked, in her parents’ house.

Maybe she was further gone than she thought, and now she was hallucinating.

“I need to warm you up. Relax, honey. You’re going to be okay.”

A thick band of muscle curled around her as he pulled her in tighter, that furnace inside him operating at full volume. He put out more heat than standing in front of a wood-burning stove.

It was really too bad she was beyond exhausted and couldn’t enjoy this as much as she should. Muscles pressed against her, his warm breath sliding over her shoulder as he nestled his face in the curve of her neck. Their legs tangled together, the hair on his limbs scratching like erotic sandpaper.

It took a while before the knot inside began to melt and her body relaxed enough so that blood could flow again. Her head ached, and her muscles were tired as if she’d run a marathon. But she was warm, and she felt safe.

Of course I feel safe—I’m in Walker’s arms.

As she drifted off the last thing on her mind was still confusion.

What had Walker been doing in the first place?