November Giveaway!

by Kristen James

This giveaway is to celebrate the upcoming holidays, my soon-to-be released novella The Fairy and her Giant, and several literary events I’m joining in the blogospere! (Links coming soon.) It’s quick and easy to enter here.

A Cowboy For Christmas ~

When her estranged brother passes, Missy is suddenly an unwanted co-owner to Ocean View Stables by Florence, Oregon. Missy wants to start over somewhere new after her old boss burned her. She’s jobless and has a wrongly ruined reputation, so this works out perfectly . . . until she meets the cowboy running the place. Brent built his dream with determination and his two hands; he’s responsible for everything that happens there. Secretly, he feels responsible that his former partner died. He also doesn’t hide his belief that Missy won’t stick around. Women tend to take off on him so why would she be any different?

They both have a past that can ruin their future. Can he trust her to stay? Can she trust him with her heart?
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More Than Memories ~

Can she love him if she can’t remember him? Molly Anderson returns “home” to a town she doesn’t remember, hoping it will spark a memory. She runs into Trent Williams, an off duty police officer, and something else definitely sparks.He wants to know why she left town, with her parents, but without a word to anyone. She doesn’t remember that life. She can only tell him she knew her parents briefly before they died . . . or were murdered, she’s not sure. She hopes regaining her memory will help answer that question.
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Trent has his own secrets, but they have a mystery to solve. As they work together and Molly meets their old friends, she realizes their relationship went deeper than memories. In fact, she grew up in Ridge City, even though her parents had said they lived there just a few years. How could she have forgotten her lifelong friend and love? Can she love him again if she doesn’t remember him? There’s also the possibility that she did something awful — and maybe that’s why she’s afraid to remember her old life. Molly knows she wants him now, but the truth might destroy their love.

Embers of Hope, Flickers of Passion ~
Savanna dreaded telling her family and friends about her failed marriage so much that she hid it while living in another state. But she can’t stay away when her best friend Cassie loses her husband, who dies on duty as a firefighter. Savanna quickly returns home to help, longing to find herself again and make a home for her daughter. She meets Mike’s best friend, Jason, the man who talked him into staying with the department just before the fatal fire. He’s also the man who once saved Savanna’s life. Though hurting herself, something deep inside her won’t let her walk away. Jason needs her but she’s off limits on so many levels. She’s falling for this handsome firefighter but he confuses her to no end, and she could lose her best friend over him.

The River People ~ 

River-Song’s father, Chief Sits-and-Thinks, is growing old and sick, but he trusts in her to lead their people. Her best friend has become her rival as they compete to marry the big chief’s son. But as River-Song proves herself to him, she begins to see he isn’t the man she thought. Then she must use her gift of words when a wandering band of braves seek a new home with them. They speak her mother’s language so she can understand them. River-Song feels pulled to their leader but confused about her place in the tribe. Can this young girl hold her tribe together as the new braves join them, and again when hostile warriors attack their valley?
Come visit the River People in the Pacific Northwest before fur traders or missionaries arrived. River-Song lives in a valley of meandering streams that give them salmon and trout to eat. Oak trees abound in the valley, and a forest of cedar and fir surround them, making a canopy and giving them planks for their long houses, canoes, and totem poles.

A Miraculous Fate ~
Matthew can’t believe what the doctor is telling him. What about his wife? His two young children? How will he tell them how sick he is?The news brings back a long-forgotten memory. As a young, naive teenager, Matthew declared his feelings to his first love only to learn she was dying from cancer. Heartbroken, he laid his hand on her and wished to take her sickness on himself. Maybe it worked…

His wife Victoria is an exec at a billion dollar company. As a person who has blazed her own path in life, she won’t accept this lying down. She quickly finds herself traveling down a dark road of morality.


What did Matthew do for love? How far will people go now, in the name of love?

Sneak peak from More Than Memories

by Kristen James

More Than Memories – can she love him if she can’t remember him?

Trent turned his horse and watched his Molly as he led them through the forest, still blown away that she was back alive and healthy… and happy for the moment. Yet, so many questions and doubts stood between them. Why did she disappear? And why did she come back now? He wanted the truth, and he wanted Molly to get her memory back. If she remembered their time together from childhood, maybe all those moments would mean something. Right now they were just pictures in his head.

He watched her sway with the horse and throw him a smile. Yeah, she was having fun, and they were making a new picture, a memory that both of them knew about. Still, the unknowns haunted him, even in the quiet, misty woods.

He wanted everyone in the town to believe in him again, and Molly could do that for him if she knew what happened. A few people were still suspicious and blamed Trent for the Andersons’ disappearance. Things that big don’t happen in small towns and people needed someone to blame.

She glanced his way and smiled. “I’m so glad we came out here.” She spoke softly, her eyes glowing with pleasure. “Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s real nice riding with you again.” It felt right. It almost felt like they hadn’t lost the last four years. For a minute, he tried to pretend they hadn’t. But maybe he wouldn’t appreciate this so much then. As things stood, he had her back, in a way. A big way, but he needed to get to the bottom of this too.

Get it or sample the first on Kindle here.

“Highly Recommended!” 5 stars from The Fictional Bookshelf

5 stars from Big Al’s Books and Pals – read the review here.

New Book! Kauai Spy Games

by Kristen James

Kauai Spy Games – Kindle Link

by Kristen James and Jeff Ivanov

Seasoned covert operative Jeff Ivanov knows something is stirring in paradise. His never ending antics and perchance for romance got him a two year leave,  aka paid vacation, to his childhood home of Kauai. The Garden Island, however, is a hotbed of nationalities with hidden national agendas.  Even while enjoying the island Aloha life, he can’t miss the gorgeous Russian ladies flirting with scientists and engineers from Kauai Missile Base. When his old team members start to show up, the party’s on. Of course their mission isn’t condoned or even recorded. The Na Pali Seven do not exist.

As the son of a US Naval Captain and a Russian born professor, his role is to use his Russian connection to block the Russians from getting too close to the enamored scientists. The assignment gets real easy when Anya saunters into the bar and into his sights. They play the game together but emotions are dangerously real.

The Na Pali Seven could be responsible for stopping the largest and most devastating attack on US soil and Ivanov might be falling for the enemy.

Kauai Spy Games on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KauaiSpyGames)

 

Treasure Hunting in The Woods

by Kristen James

What’s more fun than an Easter Egg Hunt? Foraging Chanterelle mushrooms in the woods in the mossy forest floor. My husband and I went sighted in our hunting rifles (and I put a hole right in the middle of my target several times!) and then went mushroom hunting under the tall timber, where thick moss grows over the stumps and logs. We’d find one sticking up here and there and discovered, if we poked around the surrounding moss, we could find several more. They were hiding this time.

We came home with over 9 pounds of mushrooms in our pillow cases, which made it fun because it looked like Santa’s bags. And when you pick mushrooms, you can’t resist making mushroom soup. I started that and broccoli soup for the kids. I’d promised them broccoli soup before finding all the mushrooms, and cheddar broccoli soup is pretty irresistible too. So I ended up with two big pots of yummy homemade soup.

Of course you have to really, really know what you’re doing if you forage wild mushrooms. We’ve learned from books (What the Rain Brings, our favorite) and my husband’s brother who is a biologist. Chanterelles are one fairly easy to identify. There are some that we can almost identify, but we won’t eat them! Almost isn’t good enough. If you take the time to learn about edible mushrooms, it can be very rewarding.

Sneak Peak from A Cowboy For Christmas

by Kristen James

Brent’s jeans hugged his legs all the way up. Then his shirt molded to his trim waist before stretching across his shoulders. She looked at the horse as he drew closer so he wouldn’t see the way she admired every inch of him.

“I’m going to ride your horse?” Could it be a good sign? Or did he plan a big joke on her? She hated uncertainty worse than anything, and he put her on shaky ground time and time again.

“I trust him, and believe me, you’ll want a horse we can trust.” He motioned for her to come over. That authoritative gesture sent hot licks of want up her. The sensation shocked her senseless for a minute. He motioned again.

“Okay, okay.” Keep your senses about you, girl. The speckled monster pawed the ground and looked her over. She joined Brent on the horse’s left side.

“Offer your hand, like you did before.” Brent instructed. “He senses your fear.”

Fear? She wanted to argue, but she wasn’t much of a liar. After she looked at Brent, she held out her hand and Jeffery rubbed his soft nose in it.

“All right, boy,” Brent soothed. “This lady needs to learn how to ride, and you’re just the horse to do it.”

After he reassured the horse, he turned to her. “I’m putting you on the fast track to riding. We could put you up there bareback so you could learn to lead, but you said you’re fast learner, right?”

Was that a dare? “I am.”

“We’ll get you up there, then you can get used to how it feels. Next you’ll practice leading him with the reins. Now watch.” He grabbed the saddle, put his foot in the stirrup, and swung up. After he dismounted, he nodded for her to try.

Just like that, huh?

“Hand here.” He took her hand and pulled it up. She jumped at his touch. A small jump, but she felt it all the way through her.

His hat threw shade over his eyes, but she was pretty sure he’d seen.

“Foot there,” he said. She nodded and pretended not to hear the amusement just begging to slip through his steady voice. She did as instructed and placed her foot in the stirrup.

“Up and at ‘em.” He swatted her bottom as she started up.

 

Go to Amazon to sample the first chapter on Kindle or print with See Inside!

“A Cowboy for Christmas is a great romance for the holidays or anytime you like.” Coffee Time Romance

“It was a great romance that I could easily see made into a holiday movie.” The Fictional Bookshelf – 5 Star Review

You might also like More Than Memories.