Pretty much anything Heated Rivalry related. Rachel Reid has long be a favourite writer of mine and Jacob Tierney’s adaption of her Game Changers series is absolute perfection. It’s the brightest of lights in what is a horrifying news cycle.
If you know, you know…
What else am I loving?
My ‘orange’ poinsettia was going strong until a couple of days ago but it’s definitely been a bright spot this month. I’ve been doodling away experimenting with shapes and colours and patterns. I’ve been wearing my favourite pink and red sweater by Nettle’s Tale, a Canadian sustainable clothing brand, on repeat. I bought a new game! Wingspan is proving to be lots of fun. It was a bit daunting at first but we’re getting the hang of it. This game is a must if you are a bird nerd, or even if you’re not.
Until next time…
Remember to breathe. Take a few moments for yourself?
What’s everyone else doing to stay sane in January?
Not sure why. Or, if I do have some idea, how to put it into words. So many beautiful things and so many terrible things happened in 2025. So many things that took a lot of mental energy to get done or sort through globally. At the same time, personally, there were so many joys and things to be grateful for. Maybe that’s why I struggled.
And here we are a couple of days into a new year. 2026 doesn’t look like it’s going to be any kinder to the people who need it most. Kate Bowler, a Duke University Professor and four time New York Times bestseller, says, “…despair is also withdrawal and we need to stay hopeful.” So, here’s to championing empathy, creativity and joy. Here’s to seeking it in the most unlikely of places. In the smallest of ways. To sharing those small, unlikely glimpses. To listening. To learning. To compassion.
I’ve been busy doodling, cross stitching, and easing my way back into writing again. The urge to write was gone for awhile there. Maybe not gone, but drowned out. I’m so thankful that once again those ideas are flowing. The words are coming. I want to sit my butt in the chair and feeling the keys moving under my fingertips.
Write, doodle, knit, do a jigsaw puzzle, plan next year’s garden. Listen to music. Read Heated Rivalry. Then watch Heated Rivalry. Watch and read it again. Practice gratitude. Celebrate creativity. We can’t and shouldn’t ignore the suffering happening all over the globe but we can choose to open ourselves up to those precious moments of joy.
Here’s to making sure the humanities remain safe from political pressure, from underfunding, from people who want us to believe that ‘the arts’ are irrelevant and the future is all tech.
Until next time…
What are you doing to fill your creative well? Are you struggling to find inspiration? Want to share what inspires you?
So, my very favourite romance author who just happens to be Canadian released a new book. I loved everything about The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid.
The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid From Carina Press
Categories: Romance / Contemporary Romance / MM Romance / Hockey Romance
Blurb:
After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.
Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.
As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.
It’s Always Been You is one of my very favourite romance tropes! I’ll be talking more about about this trope next week. This book is full of heart wrenching history between to best friends shown in flashbacks which Reid is an expert at writing. But maybe the best thing about this book is the ages of Adam and Riley who are both in their early 40s. Their ages lend credence to the trope. It makes for a more mature story that is both sweet and sensual. The amount of work Adam puts into making reparation for the hurt he inflicted years earlier is…just…swoon. This slow burn, second chance romance is also full of wonderful secondary characters and takes place in an interesting fictional town in the province of Nova Scotia. I couldn’t put it down even though I was trying to savour it and make it last longer. Highly recommend.
Until next time…
What romances have you read that are written by a Canadian author and set in Canada? I love to know what to read next?
It just so happens that Wednesday was #IReadCanadianDay. So, I’m extra happy to talk about Rachel Reid’s Time to Shine. Rachel Reid is one of my favourite authors and she hails from the lovely province of Nova Scotia.
For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.
Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.
As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.
Thoughts:
I love Rachel Reid’s Game Changers m/m hockey romance series! Even though I’m not much into the sports. Her two books featuring Shane and Ilya will find a place on my favourite couples’ list for the rest of time. But the rest of the books in the series are excellent, too.
Time to Shine is not part of the Game Changers series but does feature hockey players. It also takes place over Christmas and there are some Christmas vibes but it’s not the main focus of the story. It’s also sweeter than her Game Changer Books which are spicy. So, so spicy!
Landon and Casey are perfect for each other in an opposites attract kind of way. Casey is laidback goof with no filter and Landon is quiet and intense. Casey is a forward for the Calgary Outlaws (a fictional NHL type team). Landon plays goalie for the Outlaw’s farm team. Landon gets called up to play for the Outlaws when the backup goalie gets hurt. They become roommates.
But playing professional hockey isn’t the only thing these two are managing. Landon is still grieving the loss of a close family member, as well as battling anxiety. Casey is terrified of the dark and being alone in his giant house. They become friends. Each helping the other navigate family and their mental health challenges. Then they become more as they figure out how to be apart when the backup goalie returns and Landon goes back to Saskatoon.
It’s got such sweet vibe. It’s about finding your place and finding your people and being accepted for who you are, quirks and all. Definitely recommend.
Until next time…
Let me know some of your favourite Canadian authors!
I hope everyone survived Thanksgiving. Our fridge is full of leftovers. I tried a recipe for waffles that used leftover stuffing that was delicious. Definitely recommend trying one of the many recipes out there.
When Joanne Shreve’s former student, Val Masluk, writes the biography of acclaimed novelist Steven Brooks, Val once again becomes part of Joanne’s life. The biography is already raising troubling questions about Brooks’s past, and the wedding of Brooks’s daughter and Joanne’s son is scheduled for the day before the biography is published.
Both Joanne and her former student are haunted by memories of the seminar that led to the deaths of two people and the murder conviction of a third. The publication of the Brooks biography poses a threat not only to the future of the man and woman about to be married but also to the futures of those who love them. Joanne is certain that the threat is rooted in either her past or in that of Steven Brooks. The collateral damage caused by exposing that link will bring pain to both families, but life has taught Joanne that the only thing worse than knowing is not knowing.
Thoughts:
The Legacy by Gail Bowen is a mix of reflection and complex family dynamics. On the cusp of Joanne’s youngest son’s marriage, fans are treated to a look into what’s happening in Joanne and Zack’s personal life. One of the best things about the Joanne Kilbourn mystery series is Bowen’s ability to make Joanne a mature, three-dimensional woman with an active life full of all the activities usually associated with much younger protagonists. The Shreve family’s day to day is intertwined with a slow burn of a mystery involving their future daughter-in-law’s father. What follows is a complex web of past and present happenings that end in a page turning resolution. Definitely recommend.
Thank you to ECW Press and Netgalley for gifting me with an ARC.
Until next time…
What’s everyone reading these days now that the nights are longer and cooler?
For those of you who want the opposite of last week’s book recommendation. Follow the Swallow Home by Annette Bower falls solidly in the gentle romance genre.
Published: 2023 Soulmate Publishing
Categories: Contemporary Romance / Small Town Romance / Gentle Romance
Blurb:
At a crossroads, Keanna Dixon packs her car and hits the road. She stops in the small town of Regina Beach, where she pitches her tent after deciding to stay awhile. At twenty-five she’s ready to put down roots and this little town may be the perfect place to do it.
Keith Campbell, at thirty, is happy with his independent life. Computers are his playground, racquetball his sport, and his thoughts are not concerned about love or family. But with the unexpected responsibility of caring for his five-year-old deaf nephew, he finds himself on a ranch, because of a pony.
Keith knows all about apps and blogs, and he hopes his research will assist him in showing Keanna that he is her home.
My Thoughts:
The story revolves around Gerry, a young boy who has lost his hearing and who is grieving the loss of his father. When his mother is called back into service and sent overseas, his Uncle Keith steps in to look after him. He meets Keanna, who has experience within the deaf and hard of hearing community, when his nephew starts to feel overwhelmed and she offers to help them adjust to new circumstances.
The main characters, Keanna, Keith and Gerry are well developed and you really get to know who they are. Keanna and Keith have different approaches to solving challenges. But they listen to each other and they find a way to work together. The quaint resort town of Regina Beach is the perfect setting and a lovely look at life in a rural Saskatchewan. You are introduced to many examples of this as Keanna and Keith get to know each other.
Follow the Swallow Home fits perfectly into the gentle romance genre. You find tenderness in the timely arrival of a little teddy bear that gives Keanna someone to talk to as she searches for connection within the small town. You find it in sticky notes Keith places around their rooms to help his little nephew. You find it the baking of cakes, and the offering of apples to horses, and in all the little things this community does to take care of each other. It’s what you find within the pages of an Annette Bower book. Gentle stories about real people connecting with each other and their surroundings. Definitely recommend.
Until next time…
It’s the first day of fall! Who’s happy to see the season change? I’m definitely looking forward to slightly cooler temperatures.
I’m putting together this post as I listen to Mary Balogh‘s interview on the Fated Mates podcast. I highly recommend listening to it. Mary is so well spoken, so talented, and very passionate about the romance genre. She’s also a friend and a fellow member of my writing group. So, needless to say, this post is taking forever to write because I’m distracted by listening to one of my favourite writers, Sarah MacLean, talk writing with Mary.
March is flying by. Not much to tell you about except that the writing is going well. So, yay!
Mood Board
My heroine is not only looking to open up her family home as a bed and breakfast. She has a sideline gig as a baker. She also makes petit fours, which are delicate little cakes, for her friend, Clare, and her ladies aid group to sell at the Whisper Creek farmer’s market.
So, if you’re in the mood for tiny cakes inspiration, check out this recipe tutorial for stencilled petit fours from Cake Journal. Aren’t they adorable? And made with store bought pound cake!
The great thing about being a writer is getting to incorporate ideas into a book that I can’t make happen in my everyday life. I love the idea of stepping through a large metal ring into another part of a garden. I’ve given Charlotte that dream and Ridge, the hero, is just the person to make her landscape dreams happen. I love the idea of a moon gate leading to a midnight garden. It sets a very romantic mood. Who knows what can happen when one finds themselves in such a garden? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Landscape Design: Davis Dalbok & Tim O’Shea Photo Credit: Davis Dalbok Source: SFGate
There is both a parlour and a library in the book. Below is my inspiration for the library. I love the dark blue colour of the builtins combined with the rug and the light. I could spend hours in this room curled up with a good book. In the early days of Darcy House, which was built in the early 1900s, this room would have been Charlotte’s great great grandfather’s office. I like to think this maintains the mood of what would have been his domain and turns it into something that appeals to everyone looking for a cozy spot.
One of my reading goals for 2023, actually my only reading goal, is to read more Canadian authors who’ve written stories set in Canada. Particularly when it comes to the romance genre, which is my favourite for obvious reasons. But I’m also looking for that criteria in general fiction too. Which led me to Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel.
Categories: Historical Fiction / Fiction / Canadian History / Canadian Setting /
The Blurb:
1657. Marie, a gifted healer of the Deer Clan, does not want to marry the green-eyed soldier from France who has asked for her hand. But her people are threatened by disease and starvation and need help against the Iroquois and their English allies if they are to survive. When her chief begs her to accept the white man’s proposal, she cannot refuse him, and sheds her deerskin tunic for a borrowed blue wedding dress to become Pierre’s bride.
1675. Jeanne, Marie’s oldest child, is seventeen, neither white nor Algonquin, caught between worlds. Caught by her own desires, too. Her heart belongs to a girl named Josephine, but soon her father will have to find her a husband or be forced to pay a hefty fine to the French crown. Among her mother’s people, Jeanne would have been considered blessed, her two-spirited nature a sign of special wisdom. To the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful—a woman to be shunned, beaten, and much worse.
With the poignant, unforgettable story of Marie and Jeanne, Danielle Daniel reaches back through the centuries to touch the very origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent disruption of First Nations cultures.
My Thoughts:
Set in the 1600s, Daughters of the Deer is a very moving and heart wrenching story of how Indigenous women were stripped of their humanity and culture under colonization. Daniel writes of Marie, an Algonkin woman, who is forced to marry a French settler, whose religious ethics clash with Marie’s Algonquin beliefs. She details Marie’s life and gives us a thought provoking look into an Indigenous woman’s experiences with early settlers that few people have heard or been taught. Daniel’s ability to intertwine those harsh realities with the details of everyday life for Marie and the community make for a very compelling and thought provoking read. This book is going to stay with me for a long time. Definitely recommend.
Does it make sense to say the days were long but the month flew by? I’ve been in hibernation mode, or wintering, for most of this month. I baked a couple of things, I read a couple of books and I revised a couple of scenes.
I will say that this January had to have been very pretty, a real winter wonderland. We have had lots of fog here, which is a departure from the norm, which resulted in rime frost.
Book Round Up:
I finished Eden Robinson‘s Trickster trilogy. I loved this book and this trilogy. Eden Robinson’s way of weaving carnage and humour makes for an epic read. The final instalment, Return of the Trickster, was a page turner full of magical realism, complicated intergenerational family dynamics and rich storytelling. So much happening. So many characters. Yet, manageable, if that make sense. And Jared. I kept rooting for him. Kept hoping he’d remain tender-hearted while he figured out how to survive all the time supported by a fabulous cast of fierce female characters.
I also read a book by a dear writer friend, Donna Gartshore. Finding Her Voice is a lovely, tenderhearted story of what it looks like to move forward from trauma. They’re both looking for a fresh start while keeping up the walls that have protected them after life dealt bitter hurts. They both have plans for the clinic where Bridget work and both are at cross purposes. But when Sawyer’s grief stricken daughter bonds with Bridget’s shy dog, they have to look deep to take the next step. Sweet, charming, and set in the lovely town of Green Valley, Finding Her Voice will tug at your heartstrings and have you rooting for Bridget and Sawyer.
And my book recommendation for January is Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn, who is one of my favourite authors and you can read my review here.
Baking Round Up:
I made my favourite muffin recipe, Blueberry Turmeric Muffins from Renee Kohlman’s lovely cookbook, All The Sweet Things. You can find her blog, Sweet Sugar Bean here. If you love cookbooks, Renee Kohlman’s two cookbooks are beautiful and include personal stories and I highly recommend buying either of the them. Bonus she’s from Saskatchewan!
