Guest Post: The Sweetness of Springtime by Gayle Irwin
Visiting us today is romance author Gayle M. Irwin, author of Rescue Road and the newly released novella, My Montana Love, a pet rescue romance.
The Sweetness of Springtime: A New Spring (or Any Season!) Read!
by Gayle M. Irwin
I live in the Rocky Mountain area of the western United States, where currently spring has taken hold (even though a bit of snow still falls in April!). Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips rise from the ground, giving the still dull-brown earth splashes of color. Yellow, purple, and red flowers paint the ever-greening canvas of lawns while mint-colored buds on bushes and trees liven gray and brown branches.
In addition to the sights of leaves and flowers, the songs of birds absent for months fill the air. Red finches, brown and white killdeer, and yellow and black meadowlarks announce their arrival, warbling from apple trees and fence posts or trilling as they hunt bugs and worms.
The sweet sights and sounds of spring bring me joy!
Earlier this season I released a clean contemporary romance that starts during the frigid months of winter and ends with the approach of spring. Nature, including animals, plays a large role in my series, called the Pet Rescue Romance series. The first novel, Rescue Road, released in November 2019; the new novella, My Montana Love, moves readers five years ahead from where the first book left off with my primary characters, Rhiann and Levi. They own a horse ranch and animal rescue sanctuary, the dream each longed for in Rescue Road. A health crisis arises, which, among other issues, tears at the fabric of their relationship.
The book is set in southwestern Montana, a beautiful area near Yellowstone National Park where I once resided. This region also comes alive in spring, with colorful wildflowers such as white phlox, pink shooting stars, and yellow glacier lilies, as well as the return of wide-winged ospreys, long-legged sandhill cranes, and snowy-white trumpeter swans. Visiting during May and June, with the birth of baby bison and the rush of rivers from snowmelt, lifts my spirits and produces a smile upon my face. Setting these novels and novellas in this special area brings those images to mind and delights my heart.
A sweet, contemporary, western small-town romance is always in season, and I hope you’ll consider adding both Rescue Road and My Montana Love to your list of reads this year!
My Montana Love
Crisis and Chaos in Paradise
Rhiann Kelly married Levi Butler five years ago. Their blissful life on a Paradise Valley, Montana property, operating an animal sanctuary and a horse ranch, is challenged after Levi experiences a health crisis. When the nephew of a criminal the Butlers knew in their past shows up for a job during Levi’s recovery, Rhiann faces critical decisions. Can she keep the ranch and sanctuary operating or will past incidents and Levi’s suppressed fears cause chaos she cannot control?
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About the Author
Gayle M. Irwin is a contributor to seven Chicken Soup for the Soul books and the author of many inspirational pet books and stories for both children and adults. Her clean, contemporary romance series, Pet Rescue Romance, consists of Rescue Road, released November 2019, Finding Love at Compassion Ranch, released in May 2020, a 2020 holiday novella, Rhiann’s Rescue (the series’ prequel), and My Montana Love, sequel to Rescue Road that released March 2021. She subtly weaves the importance of pet rescue and adoption into her novels and novellas. Learn more about Gayle and her writing.