There’s something about a dog that makes love story a little sweeter. Maybe it’s because our canine companions reflect the best parts of us as humans. Maybe it’s because it’s easier to sympathize with a hero or heroine who goes home to a bundle of fur every night. It could also just be because dogs are fluffy and adorable. Whatever the reason, I’m always ready to fall in love with a book that includes a main character of the canine variety—especially in romance, where the dogs are always treated with respect. If you’re looking for a book that has love, passion, romance, and puppies, these five are definitely worth a read. Most Eligible Billionaire by Annika Martin Martin is a master at writing upbeat and offbeat comedies that make me smile from start to finish. In Most Eligible Billionaire, a “dog whisperer” is put in charge of a billion-dollar company thanks to her ability to read the mind of the dog who was recently bequeathed control over it. Naturally, the very wealthy rightful heir doesn’t buy into this plan. (It sounds weird, I know, but Martin totally pulls it off.) Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgans This was the first…

Jimmy swings his head to look at me, a dimple under his scruffy beard appearing a little bit as our eyes meet. Bearded jaw. Roguish smile. Golden tan. White teeth. Eyes so bright and blue it’s sort of a shock when they land on me. He might be hot, but he is not my type at all. I’m me, and he’s … so raw; he’s the most primitive man I’ve ever seen. I shift in my stool and turn back to take a quick sip of my drink, bracing myself for another look. I steal it. My stomach clutches because, oh god, he’s blatantly staring at me. He raises an eyebrow, and I stiffen in my seat and turn back to my drink, listening to a soft male laugh behind me. “Jimmy!” I hear someone call. I turn, and Jimmy is now looking at another guy who’s kicking his chair back. Jimmy raises one eyebrow. For some reason, the deep bass of his voice causes the hairs on my arms to rise at attention. “I told you I’d find you.” Jimmy speaks threateningly to the other man. “Here I am,” the other says. They start to face off, winding around the…

From crepes to ramen, Winnipeg offers delicious menus to satisfy your cravings. Here are the food spots I love to visit: Kawaii Crepe You feel the fun and youthful vibe the minute you step inside. A classic breakfast of egg, bacon and ooey gooey cheese crepe, try the Morning Sunshine if you want something filling. Something sweet and decadent? Sweet Tooth is your best friend—Nutella, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and your choice of fruit (I always pick strawberries and bananas). Enough said. Yujiro Tender meat and mushrooms, hearty broth, perfect noodles—they serve one of the best ramen in the city. Hands down. Sargent Sundae Conveniently located across Assiniboine Park, it’s a perfect place to grab ice cream before or after a stroll. They have soft serve and hard ice cream with a wide range of luscious flavors. La Belle Baguette Croissants, pretzels, cinnamon buns, pastries, breads, cookies and more—served fresh and scrumptious. I recommend the chocolate and lemon tart. Oh Doughnuts Oh yes, please! Pretty and tasty, you’ll be craving these like crazy. They also offer vegan and gluten-free options and their flavor selection changes daily. Try the crOHnuts and Everything Bagel. SPITFIRE IN LOVE by Isabelle Ronin…

Everyone has renovations they want to do, have to do, or are forced to do. We chose to do multiple renovation projects with one scheduled right after the other. I spent months choosing the right contractors. Some more expensive than others, but all of them with good reputations for the work they did and the timelines they kept. I even scheduled Murphy’s Law into my master plan. We were going to be done by May first. It’s Memorial Day and we still have contractors coming and going. My office has been covered with plastic for two weeks. Before that, it was loaded with furniture and boxes for a month. The month before that, it was empty. The last time I got to sit at my desk and write, was the last week of January. I’ve actually missed most of spring, not because of the weather, but because I’ve been working my butt off and keeping contractors inline, on time, and Murphy out of my blasted projects. (Ha!) The time that I’ve missed away from my work, I’ve actually gained in reading. It a known fact that I can get interrupted while I read, but if you interrupt me while I…

Thank you for hosting me for a guest post on Fresh Fiction to celebrate my new release, Vow of Silence. I’ve been fortunate for the opportunity to write a few different genre’s, but hands-down my favorite and the most difficult to craft is romantic suspense. I akin writing romantic suspense to putting together a mental jig-saw puzzle. Every piece needs to fit just perfectly, or the picture won’t come out right. For a pantser like myself, this is an especially difficult task, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. When I wrote Vow of Silence, I didn’t even know who the killer was until I was 2/3 done with the book. Sometimes I’m just as surprised as my readers at how a story evolves itself. Most of all, I think my favorite part of writing romantic suspense is the thrills and chills. For me, a great book is one that gives the reader goosebumps—both the good kind and the bad. Vow of Silence delivers both. Readers who are familiar with my work would agree that I’m known for writing the thrills. Who doesn’t love a good, steamy sex scene? But today, I want to focus on the chills. My favorite part of…

We all know and love the classic meet-cute, but let’s be honest. Sometimes things completely go to hell. So what happens when the first meeting between hero and heroine isn’t so much cute as a total mess? What about the meet-disaster? In Wrong Bed, Right Girl, Special Agent Reed Bishop is pursuing a lead on a case when he heads to the apartment of the woman he thinks is his informant. Only it turns out she’s skipped town and sublet her apartment to none other than our heroine, who’s curled up in bed sleeping as peacefully as can be. That is, until a giant slab of man muscle stubs his toe on her suitcase and comes crashing down on her in the dark. So, yeah. The first words our heroine says (er, shouts) to the hero involve a few choice words I can’t publish here, and a threat to stab him in…a sensitive area. The stuff of great romantic memories, right? They might have to leave out some of the details when they’re reminiscing to their kids about how they met. And yet, it really is the start of something special. Talia, a ballet dancer prepping for a make-or-break role,…

Have you ever opened a book and found yourself walking the streets of your favorite city? I have. I’ve been transported to real-life places like New York, Atlanta, and Miami, and found myself yearning for imaginary worlds like the dangerous island cliffs of Thisby. It’s my favorite part of writing and reading—watching a setting become alive. Books, where setting and atmosphere created a significant dynamic between characters, is what inspired me to become a more atmospheric writer. Thankfully, my co-writer, Jude Sierra, is well known for using personal backdrops to amplify her characters, especially in her critically acclaimed Idlewild and well-loved new release A Tiny Piece of Something Greater. A love for setting and mood was one of the core concepts Jude and I used for building Shadows You Left. Gray, storm soaked skies, Seattle’s height, and sea-side scents, and the forest spanning the outskirts of the city were all used as parallels to mimic emotions and conflict between our two leads, Erik and River. As challenging as it might be, creating a character out of your setting is an intimate and poignant way to inject personality into the fringes of your story. We used this technique as we navigated…

In my newest book, His Second Chance at Forever, (Book #1 in the Santa Barbara Sunsets trilogy) I write about a nurse practitioner who has different ideas from her brooding doc boss. In fact, it’s a main source of conflict between them right off. One of the fun things I included in a small secondary thread was how Claire Albright believes in alternative approaches to medical care for all-around wellbeing. She also believes in the calming effect of certain essential oils. Jason his clueless, and at first, more than a little skeptical. For those who aren’t familiar with essential oils, they are concentrated forms of plants and flowers that are often used in massage therapy and aromatherapy. From my perspective, they are heavenly.  More and more people are discovering them, too. What about you? FYI: Breathing in essential oils goes to the part of the brain that is linked to emotions. Good ones. The soothing scents tend to cause a positive reaction in mood, blood pressure, and heart rate to name a few. If you suffer from white coat syndrome (fear of seeing your doctor) you might appreciate how Claire set up soothing aromatherapy in the office waiting room without…

R.C. Alvarez here, the paranormal romance writing team of Storm Navarro and Jolie de la Cruz! Picking a location for the setting of our book was not a difficult choice. We chose what we knew best: Texas. Growing up here, we’ve seen all sorts of people and creatures. Big and small. Loud and quiet. A certain respect for others and nature is bred into you. Everybody knows Texas is sweet small towns and rich southern culture, but it’s also wild landscapes and even wilder animals. From salamanders, frogs, and toads to all the different kind of birds. You can hardly drive down a winding back road without spotting a deer or two any time of the year. Cows and horses and sheep are cute in their pastures, but don’t let the quaintness fool you. In the wide expanse of Texas wilderness, there can be dangerous things too. Scorpions, wild hogs, large spiders, venomous snakes, coyotes, bobcats, and mysterious mountain lions. There even used to be wolves that roamed the arid lands of West Texas before they were nearly wiped out about 50 years ago. Neither of us has ever seen a wolf in person or a mountain lion for that…

I don’t just write and read historical romance, I’m a passionate defender of the subgenre. Although trappings of the past can be fun (Candlelight! Carriages! Architectural grandeur! Bodices and bustles!), what intrigues me most about writing historcials is the very thing most often criticized—that the society was stuffy, restricted, and in dire need of change. For instance, in nineteenth-century England, married women, by law, were not separate entities from their husbands. Men controlled the money, the legal system, and access to education. In such a world, love itself—powerful, unpredictable, capable of smashing social and economic barriers, and, ultimately, bringing those ‘in command’ to their knees—was a radical threat to the social order. Women who chose to flout norms faced very real economic/social consequences, yet history sparkles with them. Armed with wit, intelligence, and creativity, they forged their own way. I’m inspired by the unconventional women who took charge of their destinies despite the forces stacked against them. Lady Clarissa Laithe, the heroine of my latest book, Heart’s Desire, undergoes a transformation and becomes such a lady. As the story begins, she is someone who has done what she was told and fulfilled the expectations around her, but a confrontation with…