Showing posts with label Hearts of Owyhee series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hearts of Owyhee series. Show all posts

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Travel, Garden, Books: June is a fun month! #CAC22

 We're Headed to Bellingham, WA!

Yep, to Chanticleer Authors Conference CAC22

by Jacquie Rogers

One of my favorite conferences is hosted by Chanticleer Book Reviews and is an excellent multi-genre conference for new and experienced authors.  I've been going since the very first one, partly because Kiffer Brown (owner of Chanticleer) is such a hoot, and partly because of the wonderful author friends I've made there.
We ladies must hide our jowls.
This is what happens when book people are unsupervised at a bar.

COVID kind of knocked the socks off #CAC20 and #CAC21, but they prevailed and managed to hold virtual conferences on Zoom.  But what a pain...plus, it's really hard to hug your friends on Zoom.  Anyway, this year they're having an IRL (In Real Life) conference, and they're back at Hotel Bellwether at Squalicum Harbor, Bellingham, Washington.  I'm presenting three workshops with my buddy Diane Garland, owner of Your WorldKeeper.  So Mr R and I will hop into the car and pull our little Casita to Puget Sound, where we'll be celebrating family birthdays, visiting friends, and doing a few errands before and after going on up to Bham.


But first, we're selling books at the Owyhee Outpost Days in Murphy, Idaho.  I noticed that Murphy has grown from 47 people to nearly triple digits--so you might not have heard of it, but hey, it's the county seat of Owyhee County.  And there's even a parking meter in front of the courthouse.

**NOTE: This is the only parking meter in the county and there are no stoplights, thank heavens.

Owyhee Outpost Days is a ton of fun.  You can see Lost Arts from days gone by, take in the museum (which is truly excellent), grab some corndogs or gourmet chocolate--or even homemade pie!  The kids have pony rides and wagon rides, and the adults can ride on a John Deere B.  We don't usually have a lot of authors there but I hope a few show up.


The forecast is for rain both days.  Bah Humbug!

Next week, we're visiting the Owyhee Dam in Malheur County, Oregon.  Why is it so interesting?  Because if you go to Hoover Dam, you'll be told over and over and over that Hoover Dam was the first dam where they used refrigeration to cure concrete.  Not so.  Owyhee Dam was the prototype.


We'll be camping in Tillie the Tank, our Casita, from Tuesday to Thursday and our friends will be coming up for a cookout on Wednesday, so should be a lot of fun.

In the middle of all that, we'll be gardening.  So far we have all the herbs and veggies planted, although one of my cantaloupe looks pretty pathetic, so might have to replace it.  Mr R has the irrigation all set up.  We have 16 4'x4' raised beds, 5 1'x4' raised beds, and 3 stock tanks, all full of herbs and vegetables.  Then there are probably two dozen flower pots/planters, all with watering systems, so you can see the poor guy has been working his hiney off.  My daughter, best known on TikTok as Hurricane Mercedes, will be house/garden/Walter sitting.   Sorry, no current photos.

Speaking of Hurricane Mercedes, she has close to 50,000 followers on TikTok, and they're avid fans.  I mean avid.  Her goal is to spread awareness of neurofibromatosis and she's doing a mighty fine job.  As a matter of fact, the Children's Tumor Foundation asked her, as an influencer, to help publicize the Make NF Visible Telethon on May 17th, which she did.  The local NF group had a watch party, and Mercedes got a standing O when her videos were featured four different times!  What a star.  Well, she wanted to be a movie star when she was little, so I guess this is close to it.

From left to right:
Me, Mercedes, and my sis-in-law Mary


 That's about enough yammering from me for one month.  I have to get busy on the presentations, and continue working on my book.  Lots to do!  I hope you're happy, healthy, and have a room jammed full of unread books to keep you traveling, at least in your mind. 

Much Love!

Until next month, Happy Reading!



If you're on TikTok, friend me!  My handle is @jacquierogersbooks.  
You can get videos of Honey Beaulieu and Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy videos of her scribe.  Heck, we even do a few cooking videos.

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Friday, December 4, 2020

#Christmas Stories to Touch Your Heart by @JacquieRogers

 


Christmas Stories to Touch Your Heart

I love Christmas lights and a nearby city does, too.  So guess where we went last evening!  Honey Beaulieu tagged along with us.


 Christmas is a special time of year and because of it, also my favorite setting for romance short stories.  I haven't written any new ones, but I thought it would be a good idea to remind folks about the stories already available, all on Kindle Unlimited.  The covers were designed by Prairie Rose Publications co-owner, Livia Reasoner.

A Gift for Rhoda

I have to admit, I felt really super sorry for poor Nate while I was writing this story, but I always knew he was strong enough to deal with whatever Rhoda and the bad guys threw at him.  Here's the blurb:

Rhoda Johnson is stranded in a lonely cabin without a groom. The townsfolk say she’s better off without him, but her drunken groom sends a message that he’ll claim her as his Christmas bride. 

Meantime, gunman and ex-Confederate soldier Nate Harmon comes to Idaho to make peace with his abolitionist preacher father. When half-frozen Nate reaches the cabin on a snowy Christmas Eve, instead of his parents, he’s greeted by a pretty blonde with a shotgun who keeps calling him Mr. Snyder. 

Will she shoot him, or melt his heart? 



This story is fairly spicy if you like a little more zing to your reading.  I loved the characters (of course) and the story is set in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, as is my Hearts of Owyhee series.  

Winnifred Spangler has thrown herself into community work to ward off the pangs of her lonely heart. Fairview, Idaho Territory, is snowed in—and cabin fever has set in with a vengeance. Winnie organizes a gift exchange for the town’s single young adults. Her hope is that a few of them will find the loves of their lives.

Judd Shaw, a Texas cowhand, hates the ice and cold. As soon as the roads are passable, he’s headed back to Texas. But thanks to his childhood friend, he’s caught up in the Secret Christmas Angel game, and the name he draws is the prettiest widow in all of Idaho—Winnie.

Can Winnie’s smile melt his hardened Texas heart?



The Murdock brothers have a fine ranch in Owyhee County, Idaho. Only two things missing--wives and kids, so Hec orders a couple of brides for Christmas. The catch is, woman-shy Zeke doesn't know about Hec's plan, nor is he interested in shackling himself to a woman for life. 

Mail-order brides Dinah and Stella have a plan— If the grooms don’t work out, they have money enough to start a restaurant. But first, they'll give the Murdock brothers a chance.  Farm chores are hard enough for a couple of city ladies, but a peckish chicken and a raging blizzard don’t help matters. 

Can Hec and Zeke capture their hearts?



Watch out for the sea serpent, Honey!

We had a COVID-safe Thanksgiving and it looks as though Christmas will be spent much the same.  I wish you a safe and healthy holiday season.

Happy Reading!




If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.
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Sunday, October 4, 2020

#NewRelease AURORA'S TREASURE by @JacquieRogers #fantasy #western #romancenovel

 

Releasing a New Book 

While Remodeling the Kitchen

by Jacquie Rogers

Okay, so maybe not the smartest thing I've ever done but life goes on even while the kitchen is torn up and construction dust permeates the house (and computers).

Sort of.

Aurora's Treasure

Before I go into the sordid details of my crazy life, here's a little intro to Aurora's Treasure: The Golden Legacy.  

First of all, The Golden Legacy is a multi-author series with a really intriguing premise that was put together by my friend Nancy Radke, who also has written a book for this series.  So has my good friend Caroline Clemmons.  All the books in the series are based on this premise, but other than being romance, the stories could be any sub-genre.  Aurora's Treasure is western fantasy romance.  Mostly fantasy, actually, with faeries of different varieties, goblins, and for good measure, a couple of dragon/horse/rat shifters.  Oh, and a treasure, of course.

 Pirate Gold: A Dangerous Inheritance

In the early 1700s a pirate brigantine attacked a merchant ship, The Golden Fleece, in the Caribbean.  Although smaller, the merchant ship bested the pirate craft that contained a treasure trove of Spanish gold and jewels.  A dying pirate claimed the Spaniards had cursed anyone who misused the treasure, hence the reason the merchant crew was victorious.  The treasure would also bless anyone who used it for good.  The greedy merchant captain, James Carlson, was killed during the battle, but his 18-year-old daughter, Sarah, survived in her cabin.  Mindful of the curse and to thank God for their salvation, she asked the crewmembers to split the treasure equally, but to make a binding pledge that they would keep only ten percent for their own use, and give ten percent to help others.  With the rest, each was to buy something of great value that could be passed down to their descendants, with the curse passing onto anyone who broke the line and used it selfishly.  If used selfishly, the treasure would be lost, but reappear in some form after skipping a generation.

Aurora Valentine, the heroine of Aurora's Treasure, was first seen as one of the brides in Much Ado About Mail-Order Brides (Hearts of Owyhee #6).  She was a free spirit if I ever saw one!  She'd grown up in the circus and was an aerialist, acrobat, and contortionist.  These skills served her well in Owyhee County, and prepared her for this adventure, because it was obvious early on that Aurora deserved (and demanded) her own book.

Aurora's Treasure: The Golden Legacy

A lust for adventure, a fear of the unknown, and an irresistible faery man...should she fly in the face of danger, or should she play it safe?

Aurora Valentine left the circus life for a new adventure--becoming a mail-order bride. But she dodged that bullet only to fall into an escapade even more dangerous, this time an ancient family curse that involves a mysterious pirate treasure, dragon shifters with more attitude than altitude, and a man so fine he makes her heart skip a beat. Only this man has wings. 

Conal of the Sun Clan will do anything for his grandmother, including risking everything to recover the Golden Legacy in order to bring his grandfather back to her.  And to do that, he needs Aurora's help to unlock the curse.  Riding alongside beautiful Aurora isn't much of a sacrifice.  But losing his soul to goblins is.

Can Aurora and Conal overcome the perilous curse to find their own Happily Ever After?

This book took me forever to write and to push through production.  It's been a struggle to get my head in the right place for storytelling ever since we moved to Idaho (actually, since before we moved).  My last release was over a year ago when Caroline Clemmons and I released our duet, Orphan Train Brides.  As for Aurora's Treasure, I love the characters and the story world, but with all this hammering going on, well, the writing process gets a bit interesting.

Mr R is trying to get the kitchen finished before Thanksgiving.  Turkey Day Dinner will be our first event in our new space.  So far, he has finished the mock-up and has drawn plans for the cabinets and counters he'll be building.  I have to work around the chaos, but luckily we have an induction burner, a toaster oven, and five Instant Pots, so not having a stove hasn't been an issue.  Of course, I haven't cooked any large meals lately, either.  Nor do I intend to (unless you come over).

My stove so far:


I have an induction cooktop and it will be set in a counter that is 30 inches high--tabletop height.  I'm short so counters are always too high for me.  And it's all good because the kitchen will be mostly handicap accessible, which is important because the years keep going by (not sure how that happens) and we have to look to the future.  I'm also excited to get new flooring on Oct. 6.  It'll be a gray rock tile pattern, but smooth for easy cleaning.  The existing linoleum is horrid and I won't have any regrets when that goes to the dump.

Want to party?  Join my readers' group, the Pickle Barrel Bar and Books on Facebook, because I'm planning on inviting my author friends to put on a doin's for you soon.  Be there!  Meantime, enjoy Aurora's Treasure: The Golden Legacy.  It's a quick, fun read.

Happy Reading!



If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.
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Friday, January 4, 2019

2019: A New Beginning at Camp Rogers @JacquieRogers



2019: Time to Assess, Set Goals, and Carry On

Last year was chock full of change for Camp Rogers.  Mr R, my IT Guy, finally retired from his day job.  We sold our house in Seattle and bought a house near Owyhee County where my Hearts of Owyhee series is set.

We went from a postage size lot with neighbors in our armpits to a 1.25 acre lot with a huge yard and massive garden, of which we're not sure we're up to tending properly--time will tell.  Our new house is quite a bit smaller but Mr R has a humungous shop, so it all evens out.

Part of our very cold back yard.

All went well until Christmas Day, when our furnace decided to push up daisies.  That's not good when it's 14 degrees outside!  So for the last week, we've had repairmen and installers buzzing over and under our house putting in a new furnace and insulating the ducts.  We had the same outfit put in a hot water recirculation pump (because it took running water for two minutes and nine seconds to get water to the back bathroom) and insulate both the hot water and cold water pipes.  They finally got done today.

This isn't the end of it, either, because Mr R has some electrical things he wants to get done.  Mucho dinero, for sure.  Also, we have to get the bathrooms and kitchen remodeled.  The latter will be quite extensive.  And we still don't have the guest room set up, which is important because I want my friends to come visit.  Time is passing by!  There's nothing like the calendar turning over a new year to remind us of that.

Of course, we had a marvelous Christmas present.  A cat adopted us.  He was meowing and we couldn't let him stay out in the 15-degree weather, so I let him in the house.  He scampered right over to the pantry expecting to be fed.  How he knew where the pantry was, I have no idea.  Then he ate, meowed at Mr R, then jumped on our bed and went to sleep.

Meet Walter, a very confident kitty.
As for writing, well, I haven't been able to get back in the saddle yet, but I'm close.  We've done some brainstorming and I have four possible beginnings.  I might just have to start writing and see what happens, but that generally gets me into trouble.  Oh well, Trouble is my middle name. LOL.

Idaho has beautiful sunsets.
Has it all be worth the hassle and backache?  Yes.  Idaho is beautiful, the people are friendly, and besides, I belong here.  Ultimately, this was a good move for us and yes, I'll start cranking out books soon.

Happy New Year!  And Happy Reading, too.


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If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.

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Sunday, March 4, 2018

Fun, Friends, and Utter Chaos @JacquieRogers #writerslife #chaos


Fun, Friends, and Utter Chaos 
by Jacquie Rogers

Can you believe it's March already?  We don't even have all our Christmas stuff put away.  That will be rectified shortly, however, and you'll find out why after I tell you about my visit to the Round Table Readers group in Tacoma, Washington.

Speaker gift from Round Table Readers

My husband pried me out of bed at the crack of dawn on February 7 to speak at the Round Table Readers book club.  This was a major undertaking for him and he utilized prodigious amounts of coffee as well as a bit of brute force.  Well he yanked my covers off me.  I think that could be categorized as brute force, don't you?  We were in the car by 9am on our way to pick up my author friend, Judith Laik, and from there, we drove south to Tacoma.

Tacoma Traffic was confusing at best, and we were in somewhat of a muddle when we got to Round Table Pizza, and for the first time, it occurred to me that I had no idea what my contact looked like.  But I knew her name was Ursula so I asked around and, long story still too long, finally found her.  She said to get something to eat, which I did, but was last in line.

From left: Honey Beaulieu, Ursula Stomsvik, Jacquie Rogers, Sassy

And then, salad half-eaten, I got the signal to speak.  For whatever reason, I decided my prepared remarks didn't fit the bill so I just rambled off into the sunset.  The folks there were super nice, asked excellent questions, and it was obvious that I had landed in a hotbed of serious readers.  Especially since I completely sold out of books.

I'd like to thank Ursula for inviting me, all the Round Table Readers who made it so much fun, Elizabeth Flynn (my editor), and Mike Flynn (marketer).  The one who amazed me was Diane Garland (Your WorldKeeper) who flew in from Dubai, took a nap, and drove 40 miles to my event.  I'd buy her a latte but she's a tea drinker.

I encourage all my author friends to jump at the opportunity if you're invited to speak to this group!

Meantime, I've been writing, writing, writing.  Yes, Much Ado About Mail-Order Brides is coming right along.  I'm at the 2/3 mark.  I'm hoping the writing will go faster from here on out--it usually does.  Unless I get stuck, of course.  But I think I have everything worked out.  Sometimes writing gets complicated when you have over a dozen threads running in one story.  That's a lot to track!

If that's not enough, we finally heard from Sound Transit after close to ten years of being in limbo.  Yes, they're buying the house and will smoosh it for the train.  That means we'll be moving.  We don't know when or where to, but we're moving.  The appraisal will come in the next 60 days so you know what that means.


Wish us luck!


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Pickle Barrel Gazette

If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.

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Friday, December 4, 2015

Christmas in the Old West #NewRelease @JacquieRogers #HeartsOfOwyhee





by Jacquie Rogers

The snow blows nearly sideways as it blankets the range. Ranch hands hunker down in their saddles, scarves over their ears and their Stetsons protecting them from the fierce wind. They dream of a warm fire and hot buttered rum. But they have livestock to save from freezing and starvation, so they ride on.

Yes, I know these
cattle are a modern
breed and very fat
That was Christmas on the rugged open range. Miserable for man and beast. But it wasn't just another day at the office, so to speak. They whittled gifts for one another, sang a few carols as they sat around the campfire warming their hands and feet. Cook had given them a hot meal--the finest beans with maybe some meat thrown in. And with a little luck, Cook would've baked an apple pie. Life couldn't be better and they thanked their lucky stars for a sound horse and solid tack.


Christmas on the farm

Everyone has chores to do every day, then and now. Whether holiday or not, farmers have to milk the cows, feed and water the livestock, gather the eggs, and tidy the barnyard (to use a polite term), making such repairs as required. 

So after the chores were done, the family could then gather together and celebrate Christmas with what meager resources they had. If they didn't have evergreen trees to spare, they might decorate a sagebrush with popcorn and berries. They made ornaments with precious bits of paper and scraps of cloth. Peach tins made nice ornaments, too, and they shine in the firelight.

1876 Christmas, Harper's Weekly

Their celebration might be more humble than those in the eastern cities, but they had a grand time, nevertheless. The women cooked for days. They were resourceful and whatever they had available would do for a fine pie or stew. The Christmas feast could consist of chicken, venison, or maybe a ham, along with homemade rolls, freshly churned butter, potatoes and gravy, and pies--maybe one made with dried apples, and a vinegar pie. 

Each family member made modest gifts for the others and even the smallest child labored over precious gifts--maybe a drawing or a doll made of sticks. They sang carols, maybe read the Bible, and if they were close enough to town, maybe even went to church.

For most Christian families, Christmas was a day for family togetherness and to show their love and appreciation for one another, as well as celebrating the religious aspect of the holy day.

Christmas for Outlaws, Gunslingers, and Cyprians

The saloon owner brought small gifts for the working ladies, the bartender, the resident gambler, and a few of the regulars. A few cowpunchers bestowed gifts upon their favorite girls. They might have had a nice meal together before the saloon (or brothel) opened for business, and even then, the customers were few. It's one night they could relax.

Bringing Fact Into Fiction

When I was researching for my Hearts of Owyhee series, I ran across this item from the December 21, 1872 issue of The Owyhee Avalanche (the oldest newspaper in Idaho, still operating out of my hometown, Homedale, Idaho):

THE CHRISTMAS TREE. The Christmas Tree Festival will be held in Jones & Bonney’s Hall. We will stake in addition to what was said in our last issue, that the Brass Band, composed at present of Messrs. Charles Leonard, Joe Gross, Benj. Davis, Rufus King, Ferd. W. Frost and E. Douglas, will perform some of their best pieces, which will add greatly to the pleasure of the occasion.
     The singing, accompanied by the organ, will be done principally by young girls who have learned all the music they know in Silver City, and who by virtue of talent, industry and a good teaching have acquired, in our judgment, wonderful proficiency in the beautiful art over which the Muses preside. They are our little folks, and not imported singers, which will make it all the more interesting; that they will do their part in first-class style for their ages, we have not the least doubt, in fact, we know they will.
     The tree will be a prolific one no doubt. The Argosy of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, & Co. arrived at the port of San Francisco four days ago, as we are informed per telegram, and a large cargo of its merchandise is on its way up here, and will not fail to arrive in time. ~~

I could just see the hustle and bustle of Silver City.  

Brass bands were wildly popular all over the West then.  Yes, they decorated and put up Christmas trees.  They had dances and concerts.  And Santa was on his way! 

So why not have a Secret Christmas Angel event for all the single men and women in town?  Seems like something they'd do.  And that's what How the Texan Stole Christmas (a Hearts of Owyhee single read) is all about.  Here's the blurb:

Winnifred Spangler has thrown herself into community work to ward off the pangs of her lonely heart. Fairview, Idaho Territory, is snowed in—and cabin fever has set in with a vengeance. Winnie organizes a gift exchange for the town’s single young adults. Her hope is that a few of them will find the loves of their lives.

Judd Shaw, a Texas cowhand, hates the ice and cold. As soon as the roads are passable, he’s headed back to Texas. But thanks to his childhood friend, he’s caught up in the Secret Christmas Angel game, and the name he draws is the prettiest widow in all of Idaho—Winnie.

Can Winnie’s smile melt his hardened Texas heart?

How the Texan Stole Christmas
a Hearts of Owyhee single read

Want to win a free book?  
Tell me about your favorite holiday tradition--any holiday!  
Winner will be picked at random Dec. 6, 2015, at 8pm Pacific Time.  
Be sure to include your email address with your comment!

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Monday, May 4, 2015

A Marathon, Not a Sprint - @JacquieRogers #writing #romance #editing



Attention Span of a Gnat
But Writing a Novel Anyway 
by Jacquie Rogers

There's a lot of talk in the publishing world about word length.  Just a few years ago, there was no such discussion.  Authors and aspiring writers wrote manuscripts to the publishers' guidelines.  Well, things have changed, and in this case, for the better, because now a story can be the length it needs to be, rather than be crammed or padded to fit a set word count.

I love writing short stories (now called "single reads") but my primary focus is as a novelist and I'm writing one now.  Well, not now--I'm writing a blog article, but still.    Last month, I reported that I had 12,000 words written on Much Ado About Mustangs (Hearts of Owyhee #5).  I'm at 70,000 words now, so that's 58,000 words in 30 days.  Not bad for someone who has difficulty focusing on anything longer than about 60 seconds.

One of the best tidbits I heard when I started this gig (way back when) was that writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint.  So how does someone with a very short attention span do this?  It's something I had to learn.  People like me can't just sit down and write.  I do my best thinking when I'm walking around.  In fact, between the second and third paragraph of this article, I had to get up and walk around, make some tea, and think.  Lesson learned: make what others consider a short-coming into your strong suit.

I'm a semi-plotter.  Before one word of the book gets written, I know my characters through and through, and I have a good idea of the story bones.  This also requires a lot of trips to view the flowers in the back yard, or maybe an occasional toilet cleaning.  Ah, the glamorous writing life.

A lot of times the story doesn't want to let me write it.  I used to think I was stuck, but now I know that story is stuck. Most of the time, it's because of author intrusion, meaning I'm trying to manipulate my characters so the plot I have in mind works out right.  The characters don't agree, so they go on strike.  If the snag isn't because of that, it's because the wrong character is telling the story at that moment.  Either of these things will throw me out of kilter and I need to get out of my chair and go do something else.

But the key is to get back to the computer.  All the while I'm unloading the dishwasher, or folding clothes, story ideas are loping willy-nilly in my head, crashing into each other.  Occasionally, one idea will beat the daylights out of the others, but most of the time, they meld into a series of whole new concepts.  Eventually, one of those new ideas will win out, and whether I'm in the middle of a chore or not, I must get my hiney back in the chair and start writing.

Another tip for those who have short attention spans is to write in different ways.  Sometimes I type, sometimes I use speech recognition, or maybe I'll take out the trusty yellow pad and a primitive writing device.  Sometimes I take my laptop to our downstairs theater, or out on the back deck, or to the coffee shop.  Sometimes it's all of the above. 

Change improves my attention span... for a short time.  Then it's time to go do something else.  I dabble in graphics, play sudoku, or get on my exercise bicycle.  Oh, and the cool thing about smartphones is they have voice recognition, so you can say your ideas while peddling.  If you can breathe.

I'm hoping by my next Smart Girls Read Romance blog day, I'll have a new release to announce.  It's hard work, sometimes agonizingly so, but it's also worth every minute when the characters are happy with how I wrote their story.  Another two people fell madly in love and made the world just a teensy bit better because of it.

For news of my latest releases and such, subscribe to my newsletter, the Pickle Barrel Gazette.  Don't worry, your mailbox won't get overloaded because I don't finish half of them so they never get sent.  But don't tell anyone.



Hearts of Owyhee
Much Ado About Madams
Much Ado About Marshals
Much Ado About Miners
Much Ado About Mavericks
coming soon:
Much Ado About Mustangs

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Thursday, April 30, 2015

REVIEW OF OF JACQUIE ROGERS' SLEIGHT OF HEART

By Caroline Clemmons

SLEIGHT OF HEART is the first of the High Stakes Heroes series by Jacquie Rogers. If you have read her Hearts of Owyhee series, you already know what a fun, fast-paced western historical romance Ms Rogers writes. In fact, Jacquie Rogers is one of my favorite authors, and the 1880’s are my favorite historical period in the Old West.



Lexie and Helen are in exile, so to speak, because Helen committed a social faux pas and embarrassed her parents and friends. Since she can’t be sent from Washington DC alone, Lexie has to put aside her dream to become a math professor to accompany Helen to a Colorado mine in which the family owns a share. The young women have to remain there until Helen’s blunder becomes old news. They’ve been in Silverton, Colorado a year and the mine barely makes enough money to pay the miners and expenses.

The story opens with Alexandra “Lexie” Campbell shooting at Burke O’Shaughnessy. But her anger is misdirected. She mistakes Burke for his younger brother Patrick, who has Lexie’s sister Helen in the family way and has taken the sisters’ five thousand dollars to buy mining equipment. Lexie believes Patrick is a con man and the money Helen gave him is lost.

Lexie and Burke take the train to look for Patrick. Actually, Lexie forces Burke onto the train. The tables soon turn, however. Lexie has an extraordinary mind for numbers—including cards. Burke is a gambler, the son of riverboat gamblers who trained him well. Ms Rogers’ excellent writing blends in historical details with a fast paced romance. In addition to a really good story, she throws in subtle humor and suspense filled with twists and subplots that all tie up in a happily ever after.

I highly recommend SLEIGHT OF HEART to anyone who enjoys western historical romance with a dash of suspense and humor. I give this book a ♥♥♥♥♥ rating.

Buy SLEIGHT OF HEART at http://www.amazon.com/Sleight-Heart-High-Stakes-Heroes-ebook/dp/B00FMZYP5Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1381116619&sr=1-1&keywords=jacquie+rogers+sleight+of+heart .


Don’t miss her Hearts of Owyhee series: MUCH ADO ABOUT MARSHALS, MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS, MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS, MUCH ADO ABOUT MINERS. She is also contributing to the Western Fictioneers anthologies, including HELL ON THE PRAIRIE, and Prairie Rose Publishing anthologies. 


She is also in the duet with me titled MAIL-ORDER TANGLE.

Check all of her books on Amazon.

Find out more about her and her books at www.jacquierogers.com and http://jacquierogers.blogspot.com She also contributes to the this Smart Girls Read Romance.
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