Vivian Arend's Blog, page 22

Travel Picture: Vancouver Airport

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These incredible totems are from the Vancouver Airport!

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Published on August 16, 2017 06:59

Travel Picture Wednesday: Holland Market

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It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for another of Vivian’s travel pictures! This week we have a picture of an incredible outdoor market in Holland.

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Published on August 09, 2017 07:00

iBooks Readers and Reviews

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iBooks is a great vendor to work with as an author. They have a fantastic system on the publishing side, and as a reader, buying a book and having it accessible on my iThings is so convenient.

There’s one thing that’s still missing in this perfect world—your thoughts!

What I’m looking for: readers who will post reviews at iBooks

What I’ll provide: a way for you to get my books at no cost so you can review them

There aren’t enough reviews on iBooks right now for my books. Reviews really help other readers know if the story is one that they’re going to enjoy. We all have likes and dislikes, and even after reading the cover copy, sometimes that’s not enough of a spoiler. Cue the reviews!

I’d like to invite you to help make more reviews possible.

Scared about the idea of leaving a review? It’s simple, with these three simple steps:

Ask yourself if you liked the book. What are the first thoughts in your mind when you’re finished reading?

-hell-no, not even going to finish because…

-not really my cup of tea, but others might like it

-oh yes, I enjoyed that. My favourite moment was…

-hello, I have a book hangover and I’m going to re-read this sometime!

Figure out WHAT you did or didn’t like (ex: too much sex, not enough sex, used a trope you don’t like, strong heroine, best grovel ever, etc.)

Sometimes a well written book just isn’t one for us. I’ve had to stop reading a story before by an author I loved because they used a trope that made me very very uncomfortable. I know others love the story. If I’d read a review that mentioned the trope ahead of time, I wouldn’t have picked up the story to try.

Write a sentence or paragraph describing what you think others want to know

That’s it! A review doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be thoughtful. You can even say something like “This book had sexy cowboys that had me dreaming about Channing Tatum in chaps. Yes, please!”

Again…

What I’m looking for: readers who will post reviews at iBooks

What I’ll provide: a way for you to get my books at no cost so you can review them

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, and you’d like to be a part of the Vivian Arend dedicated iBooks readers group, please fill out the form below. I have special codes I will provide that will allow you to upload books to review. You have to be reading on an iBooks app–not a Kindle app on your iPad or iPhone. Good news is if you own an iThing, you already HAVE the iBooks app!

Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you!

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Published on August 05, 2017 00:11

Travel Picture: Yosemite

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It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for another of Vivian’s Travel Pictures. Today we have the dome from Yosemite. It’s beautiful!

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Published on August 02, 2017 06:00

Rocky Mountain Home Release

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Today is the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME. Jesse is finally coming home.

Excerpt:

Jesse rose with her, and the nurse looked puzzled for a moment before her face lit with understanding. “Oh, you can stay there. I’m just weighing her.”

Dare pointed a finger at Jesse and back at the seat. “Sit.”

He grinned. “I already know how much you weigh.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Stay.”

An idea popped into his head that was too good to resist. Besides, from the looks of things, she needed the distraction. Jesse pulled out his wallet and found a piece of scrap paper before settling in place, jotting down a number and leaving the folded note on her seat. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, eyes closed.

She was back in under thirty seconds.

He waited.

Something bumped softly into his biceps, and he peeked one eye open to discover Dare’s face inches away.

She fluttered the paper scrap. “Ha, ha. Funny man. How’d you do that?”

“Was I right?”

Dare narrowed her gaze. “Plus or minus five pounds. Do you have a side gig at the Stampede fairgrounds guessing people’s weights?”

“Nope, but I’ve picked you up more than once.” He let his grin widen as he thought back to one of those times, holding her against the wall as they screwed themselves silly.

His dirty thoughts must have shown because her cheeks darkened. “Stop it. Answer the question.”

“I did. I picked you up. I pick up animals all the time, and it’s easy to estimate weight after you’ve—”

He stopped. Maybe continuing with —after you’ve hauled a few heifers around wasn’t the right thing to say to a woman he hoped to get into bed with again in the near future.

Dare raised a brow, goading him to continue.

“—after you’ve gained enough experience.” Jesse pointed behind her. “The nurse is waving at you.”

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Published on July 18, 2017 04:00

Book Feature: Rocky Mountain Devil

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With the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME in just a week or two, it’s time to start getting ready for Jesse’s story! Every week or so, I’ll be featuring a past Six Pack Ranch book that featured Jesse that you might want to read before the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME. Today, ROCKY MOUNTAIN DEVIL.

The sweetest part of temptation is giving in…

Raphael (Angel) Coleman and Laurel Sitko were thick as thieves throughout their school years. The unlikely friendship between the rancher’s son and the preacher’s daughter might have gone unnoticed by most, but their shared laughter and connection were the best parts of Rafe’s life growing up. Now that she’s returned to Rocky, he’s eager to move from friend to something far more intimate.

After three years away, Laurel’s ready to start over with the gorgeous cowboy who’s always owned a piece of her heart. But when her college ex shows up in town, she’s got a lot more to deal with than expected, including one suddenly possessive cowboy determined to protect her even as he tutors her through every sexual lesson in the book.

Desire flares hotter and hotter through stolen moments and willing seduction. But when tragedy strikes, Rafe’s left on shaky ground, his biggest fear now a reality that could tear them apart and rip forever from their grasp.

Will the connection forged by time be strong enough to see them through to the other side?

Warning: Friends to lovers equals sweet kisses heating to earth-shaking passion, mixed with laughter and tears. Get ready for hellos, farewells and goodbyes…some forever. Because everyone knows the only real secrets in a small town are the ones you’re willing to take to the grave.

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Excerpt:

A loud whistle drew their attention across the creek where a group of three horses broke clear of the trees. Their cousins Karen, Lisa and Jesse waved, pulling to a stop on the opposite bank.

Gabe and Rafe forded the creek at the shallowest part, joining the group on the other side. The horses settled next to each other with soft nickers and head tosses.

“You running trail rides on our land now?” Rafe asked Karen. She’d been using the Whiskey Creek horses in a camp in the Rockies for the past couple of years.

“Once you crossed Whiskey Creek you hit our land, but now that you mention it—” Karen winked. “Are you offering to be trail cook if I do?”

Rafe shrugged. “Better me than Jesse. I at least know the major food groups.”

“Beer, beans, steak and tequila,” Jesse drawled, lounging lazily in the saddle, his smile wide.

“Good breakfast menu—what’s for lunch?” Rafe taunted.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Rafe made a rude noise. “Yeah, that explains so much about you.”

“Why I’m so awesome and worshipped by all I meet?”

“I was thinking about the smell.” Rafe leaned forward and sniffed. “Yeah. Explains so much…”

“Jerk,” Jesse offered with a grin.

“Stinker.”

“Asshole.”

“Butthead.”

Karen rolled her eyes. She pulled a wallet from her back pocket and handed over a twenty to her smirking sister.

Gabe snorted in amusement. “What was the bet?”

Lisa put the money away. “That the children here would end up exchanging single-word insults within five minutes of seeing each other.”

“Children? I’m older than you,” Jesse complained.

“And it’s oh-so-obvious by your behaviour, isn’t it?” Lisa teased. “You guys are too predictable.”

Karen turned to Rafe. “We missed having you around this summer. Did you enjoy seeing more of Canada?”

“Back dirt roads and cheap motels,” Jesse offered. “Yeah, I’m sure he hit all the bright lights of our great country.”

Rafe ignored Jesse though his cousin wasn’t far off the mark. “I had a good time, but I’m glad to be back.”

“I bet he spent his summer sleeping in cheesy hotels watching lots of bad late-night cable.” Jesse leaned in slightly. “How’s your love life, cuz?”

Now that was a taunt Rafe could deal with. He offered an ear-to-ear grin. “Just fine, and about to get a whole lot better. What about you? Anyone left within a three-hour radius of Rocky willing to date you?”

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Published on July 09, 2017 06:00

Book Feature: Rocky Mountain Shelter

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With the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME less than a month away, it’s time to start getting ready for Jesse’s story! Every week or so, I’ll be featuring a past Six Pack Ranch book that featured Jesse that you might want to read before the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME. Today, ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHELTER.

Innocence and passion are an addictive mix…

The dark-haired stranger next door triggers every protective instinct Trevor Coleman never knew he had. From the moment Becky Hall literally falls into his arms, the last man standing of the Moonshine clan doesn’t even attempt to resist sweet temptation. Becky is beautiful, mysterious and heartbreakingly vulnerable…and he’s a goner.

To escape the hell she was trapped in, Becky left everything behind but her courage. And for once in her life, good people step up to make a difference. A helping hand, a new job…a very attentive and libido–stroking neighbour. Now a new future awaits, one that shockingly includes sexual pleasure instead of icy pain, and a sexy cowboy who’s more than eager to show her the ropes.

Becky’s sweet smiles and seductive innocence draw him in like nectar, and Trevor knows one taste will never be enough. But with secrets thicker than a bumper crop, changing a life will take more than a new ID and a cowboy’s good intentions.

It’s gonna take sacrifice to break these chains.

Warning: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl—all hell breaks loose. We’ve got a hero whose hands are tied in more ways than one. A heroine who wants to experience everything she’s ever missed, and a family that needs to discover if its roots go deep enough to weather any storm.

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Excerpt:

Trevor lingered over his drink. He’d struck out for the past couple of months, but Becky moving in changed things. Maybe he’d be able to finally get ahead. “There’s someone new renting it now,” he said. “The house on the southwest quarter.”

Jesse raised a brow. “What? The old-timers are gone?” He snapped his fingers. “Hey, you’re right. I heard somebody say they decided it was too much work to take care of, so they moved into town. That was back a month or so ago.”

“Well, someone else moved in already, so I might be able to find out who owns it from her.”

Jesse’s eyes widened. “Her? Tell me we’ve got new blood in the neighbourhood.”

Something tightened in Trevor’s gut. He had absolutely no reason to feel possessive, or protective, but damn if that wasn’t what whipped through his veins the instant interest lit up Jesse’s expression. “Yeah. Must be an old schoolteacher come to retire, or something,” he lied.

Anticipation faded from Jesse’s blue eyes. “Well, damn it all.” He threw his beer bottle across the deck into the open garbage can, the glass ringing loudly off the metal frame. “I swear Rocky is where people come to die. Makes it difficult to find anybody to spend time with.”

The utter dejection in his cousin’s voice made Trevor laugh out loud. “What makes it difficult is the fact you’ve already dated all the women in the area and pissed off most of them, in this county and the next three over.”

Jesse held his hands up in surrender, flashing a grin. “I can’t help it if I’m too much for any one woman to handle.”

Rafe made a gagging noise from the doorway. “If anyone has any appetite left after that load of crap got delivered, get your asses in here and help. Trevor, I take it you’re staying for supper?”

Trevor had his own place down the road, but he liked company too much to spend his evenings alone. “I’ll cook the vegetables and save your taste buds from Jesse’s slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am cooking methods.”

Jesse snorted as he rose to join them in the kitchen. “You two have no idea what culinary marvels I’m capable of. I keep my talent on the down-low, kind of like Superman in the kitchen.”

“No argument here—you’ve got a stomach of steel. We’re far too redneck for your class of cooking.” Rafe shoved a dirty plate into Jesse’s hands. “That’s why you get to wash. And get a move on, ’cause there’s nothing to eat off.”

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Published on July 02, 2017 06:00

Book Feature: Rocky Retreat

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With the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME less than a month away, it’s time to start getting ready for Jesse’s story! Every week or so, I’ll be featuring a past Six Pack Ranch book that featured Jesse that you might want to read before the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME. Today, ROCKY RETREAT, Lee and Rachel’s story.

Finding white-hot love in a white-out…

Eight months ago, Lee Coleman met the woman of his dreams…then lost her to another man. He buried his disappointment by throwing himself into work on the family ranch, but when a winter storm leaves him stranded, Lee finds more than shelter in the rustic safety of a hunter’s cabin—he finds a second shot at love.

Rachel Malone’s heart has been broken and stomped on by her cheating ex, and she’s determined to never fall in love again. But a rebound fling? Doesn’t sound like such a bad idea, especially when she’s snowed-in with a gorgeous, sweet-talking Coleman.

Despite their off-the-charts chemistry, Lee makes it clear he wants more than a temporary romp. In fact, he’s made it his mission to put a smile back on her face, even if it means taking it slow and resisting the scorching heat between them. This time around, he wants forever, while Rachel is positive that forever is a fool’s dream.

Lee can’t wait to prove her wrong…

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Excerpt:

Things were getting interesting when the door behind him jerked open. “Move it to a room, or I’ll post this on YouTube as family outings gone bad.”

Lee’s cousin Jesse stood in the doorway, leering at them.

Lee didn’t say a word, just stepped out, bumping Jesse hard enough to send the other man staggering backward in the snow. Lee’s full attention remained on Rachel as he held his hand to her. “Want to come in while I grab my things?”

“Sure. I can help,” she offered.

Jesse followed them inside. “When you come to the party tonight, make sure you bring—”

Lee cut him off. “Stop it. I told you I wasn’t going.”

His cousin made a face before he glanced at Rachel and rolled his eyes. “Oh, right. Sure, no problem.”

Jesse stomped off to the back of the house, leaving Rachel feeling as if she’d missed a vital part of the conversation. “Was there somewhere else you’re supposed to be tonight?” she asked.

The fridge was open, and Lee was setting things on the counter, including a tray covered with tinfoil that released the most amazing barbeque scent into the room. “There’s nowhere I’m supposed to be tonight except with you, but Jesse got this idea and he refuses to let it drop. That’s his problem, not ours.”

Rachel glanced toward the doorway as Jesse paced past, the flash of annoyance in his eyes clearly directed at her. “Yeah, he does seem to have a few issues,” she snapped, hoping he’d overheard. “Sounds as if he’s not quite sure how to do the behave in public thing yet.”

Lee laughed.

The front door slammed, and Rachel sighed. “I didn’t mean to come between you and your family,” she apologized.

She expected him to say something like never mind or it doesn’t matter, but instead, Lee put down the box he’d already lifted and turned to give her his full attention. “You’re not coming between me and my family. Jesse’s had a stick up his ass for a while, but it’s not my job to make him happy, and it’s not your job either. I told him I wasn’t going to the party, and he can’t blackmail me into going just so he’ll be in a better mood.”

She leaned into the hand he’d cupped her cheek with. “You’re pretty smart.”

Amusement flashed in his eyes. “Pretty smart for a young guy, right?”

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Published on June 26, 2017 06:00

Book Feature: Rocky Mountain Romance

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With the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME about a month away, it’s time to start getting ready for Jesse’s story! Every week or so, I’ll be featuring a past Six Pack Ranch book that featured Jesse that you might want to read before the release of ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME. Today, ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROMANCE, the story of Steve and Melody.

Second chances are the sweetest—and the hottest.

It took a spectacularly embarrassing break-up to knock Steve Moonshine Coleman off his lazy butt. In the ten months since that night, he’s changed his ways. Now that Melody’s back in town, it’s time for this sweet-talking cowboy to convince her to get back in the saddle with him.

A return to her veterinary position in Rocky Mountain House was always in the cards for Melody Langley. Getting back together with Steve? Never part of the plan. He had lots of potential but zero ambition, and there’s no way she’ll accept anything less than a man who can keep up with her, in and out of bed.

But the new-and-improved cowboy is impossible to resist, so Melody issues a challenge. Three months to prove he’s reformed. Three months of Steve orchestrating one sexual indulgence after another—wicked distractions from the old boys’ club Melody faces at work and Steve’s growing responsibilities.

He’s got one shot to prove with more than words what’s in his heart and soul.

Warning: Fifty percent less angst, twice as much filthy-talking, dirty-daring cowboy. Get ready for a whole lot of make-your-knees-weak wooing from a man intent on proving he’s got what it takes, and the woman ready to push him way past his limits.

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Excerpt:

“I’m looking for trouble, and I know you’re the man to help me find her.” It was the familiar voice of his cousin Jesse.

This could be a good distraction from the fucked-up change of plans. Maybe. “I don’t know if I want any of your brand of trouble,” Steve warned.

“Wimp.”

“Jackass.”

“Fuckhead”

“Stupid.”

Jesse snickered. “We could do this all night. Or you could get your ass over here so I can show you what I’ve got.”

“What? You’re actually at home? I thought you’d decided to turn into a hobo and live out of your truck.”

“Screw you.” Only the words were said without any heat. It appeared the enthusiastic smartass version of Jesse was back—the guy everyone enjoyed spending time with. “Come on, Steve, I can’t keep this under wraps for much longer.”

His curiosity shot skyward. Steve turned his truck reluctantly away from Melody and down the back roads.

On the low porch outside the rental house, Jesse, Trevor and Lee were gathered in a tight knot, their broad backs blocking the view of whatever the hell had Jesse in an uproar. He ordered Prince to stay, his dog settling back on its haunches by the truck, peering toward the house with interest.

Steve made his way forward, jerking to a stop at a low growl that rang out as the first step creaked under his foot.

Instantly, Jesse spoke, employing the low, singsong tone used everywhere to soothe a cranky animal. “It’s okay, Charlie. That’s Steve, and he’s okay. No, wait. He’s a bit of an ass at times, but he’s mostly okay.”

Trevor and Lee chuckled as Steve pushed himself between their shoulders to check out the center of attention. On the ground before them lay a sleek German shepherd with four large pups nestled against her nursing.

“Seriously?” Steve didn’t know if he should laugh or smack Jesse one. “You called me over because you want to show me a dog?”

His cousin squatted and ran a hand over the bitch’s head. “Isn’t she a beauty?”

Steve glanced at Trevor and didn’t bother to hide his amusement. “She’s gorgeous. So, where did you meet your new girlfriend?”

Jesse multitasked wonderfully, continuing to pet the dog while he gave Steve the bird. “Consider it my good deed for the day. I’m thinking about keeping one of the pups. If any of the rest of you want one, the bitch is supposed to be a prize-winning tender.”

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Published on June 19, 2017 06:00

Deal for Kobo Readers

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Read with Pride Get 3 for 2 sale June 1-30
Grab a copy of ROCKY MOUNTAIN FREEDOM as part of the deal!
Get your copy on Kobo

Three hurting hearts. Too many secrets. One chance to conquer their fears.

Over the past year, Travis Coleman lost the two people he allowed closest to his heart. Both gave him ultimatums—then left. Hell if he needs that kind of pain again. Time to move forward without the friends he thought might save him from his dangerous cravings.

When Ashley Sims returns to Rocky Mountain House, her rambling lifestyle isn’t all she’s hoping to change. Travis snagged a piece of her, and while getting tangled in his issues again might be crazy, she hasn’t given up on him.

Nine months ago, Cassidy Jones walked away to stop his best friend from making a huge mistake. Temptation lingers, though, and when Travis shows up on his turf accompanied by a sensually uninhibited woman, the combination tosses fuel on the banked fire.

Passion flares among the three of them, as hot as the summer days. But are they willing to push the limits, and fight for love?

Warning: Dirty fighting, dirty talk, dirtier sex—secrets are coming out. Get ready for ménage a trois and cowboy-on-cowboy action, with ropes and crops and the kind of relentless love strong enough to set a man free.

Previously published in 2013