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November 2024

The Guy from the Wedding is here!

It’s been a long time coming. I’m stoked to finally have this book out in the world. Katrina and Liam (and bossy Karen and ditzy Ness) have lived in my head for the better part of the pandemic years – and then some!

Aaaand we’ll park the news there for now, since there’s a nice lengthy preview later in this email, along with a link to where you can get this sweet contemporary enemies-to-lovers Aussie novel.

My mind has begun wandering to the next Somerville Downs book. It’s one I’ve had plotted for awhile, but now find myself unable to connect with the characters. The obvious remedy is to follow Anne Lamott’s advice and take them out for afternoon tea, but to be honest, I’m not sure I like them enough yet to hang out with them. Not even when there’s cake (in real life and in the book) 🍰

Maybe I’ll go for cake by myself first. One never regrets decisions made on a belly full of cream and sugar.

A book I’m enjoying right now is Blood & Stone, a fantasy murder mystery by Tamara M. Bailey. The novel opens on an intriguingly not-bloody-enough crime scene, then gradually reveals political tensions and anti-witch prejudices that may have led to the murder. So far, this book is so intriguing and the writing so good, and my schedule is packed today and all I want to do is read it under a blanket with tea and potato chips 🍵

Peace,

Birdie 🐦

The Guy from the Wedding has arrived!

KATRINA: Silence passes between us. He does have a point, I guess. I did just whirl around without looking, assuming no one would be there. The TV and the rain must have drowned out the door buzzer, and now here we are—me with seven-eights of a bottle of milk that definitely smells like milk, and him with a saturated shirt clinging to his chest. His remarkably toned chest. Not that this makes him any less unappealing.

But he doesn’t seem like a murderer. For starters, he’s not charming at all, not like someone capable of luring a victim anywhere.

“Sorry about your shirt.” I glance at the embroidered monogram on the lapel. “It looks expensive.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He grimaces and peels away the fabric again. “It doesn’t fit properly anyway, but I didn’t have time to buy a new one before tonight.”

“You only own one shirt?”

“Uh, no.” He gives a withering smile. “I’m living out of a suitcase right now. This shirt was meant to see me through tonight’s wedding and a lunch tomorrow. Hope my hotel does overnight laundry.”

“Where are you staying?”

He tells me and I immediately feel guilty. He’s got no bag, no umbrella, just that damp jacket and the persistent smell of booze and cologne. He must have gotten turned around trying to find his hotel. So, probably not a stalker then, just a tourist who can’t read maps.

His brows furrow. “What’s that look for?”

“Well, your hotel’s ages away.”

“It’s not that far, just a couple more blocks.”

“Um, nope. It’s on the other side of town. And I’m pretty sure it’s too late to order a laundry service at any hotel.” I sigh. “Look, I feel bad about your shirt. Why don’t you let me wash it for you? I have a dryer. We could get it done in like, forty-five minutes. And I’ll give you a lift back to your hotel so you don’t have to go out in that.” I point at the door.

“You don’t have to do that. I can walk. It’s—” A crack of thunder cuts him off. It sounds directly above us. His shoulders drop.

“I don’t mind,” I tell him, raising my voice over the rain coming down harder now. “My place is just next door. Plus, if whatever you’re doing tomorrow needs a shirt like this, I can guarantee rainy milk isn’t the fragrance you want to be wearing.”

“Thank you. That would be helpful.”

“Consider it done. I’m Katrina, by the way.”

“Liam.”

“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but we’ve met twice already and now we’re dealing with spilled milk.”

Liam laughs. He has a nice laugh that makes him suddenly seem less like an awful person. I could probably handle the next hour with him, so long as he keeps smiling instead of lecturing me about my phone habits. “How about we call this a fresh start?” he suggests. “If we’re lucky, this won’t be something we end up crying over.”

THE GUY FROM THE WEDDING

Wedding bells are ringing … but not for them.

Katrina Lee just can’t catch a break. She’s single, failing to mingle, and spending precious weekends surrounded by blissfully happy newlyweds-to-be. It’s just an occupational hazard of working for The Wedding Elves. Another hazard? Her sister’s new business partner, whose first job as co-owner seems to be putting her off guys for good.

Liam Donovan left Melbourne, determined to start a new life in Perth. He never dreamed this would mean working with the sour-faced woman he met at an old friend’s wedding, let alone falling for her. Now he’s caught between the man-in-charge he wants to be and the pathetic loser he swore to leave behind.

The Guy from the Wedding is a sweet enemies-to-lovers workplace romance, set in the world of Somerville Downs.

Get this book

From friends and around the way

The Friday Night Date Dress by Talena Winters Peter’s meddling sister seems determined to ruin any chance he has to help Melinda. Can he find a way to mend her damaged heart?

Wrapped Up In You by Erin Bevan Elle knows her heart belongs to Logan, but the fate of Christmas and family duty can't rest on someone who may not truly be hers.

A Second Chance in Bent Creek by Catie Cahill Larkin Reyes hoped to never lay eyes on the man who broke her heart. But now Nick is back, and he wants the one thing he can never have—a second chance with her.

November New Book Releases
New in November: Love and other delights!

A Diverse Romance Book Fair
POC, BWWM and Interracial romances from sweet to spicy.

The November Love Corner
A collection of sweet reads.

Free Clean Romance Books
A Caffeinated Romance Tribe book fair.

No Heat & Low Heat Romances
Brought to you by BookFunnel.

You might enjoy this too:

A revealing update on the positive impacts of romance books in the age of TikTok by Dimitria Panagiotaros via ABC News:

And while being a "hopeless romantic" might sound cynical, [Dr McAlister] sees it as a positive. "The kind of criticism we often hear of romance is that it's giving people, particularly young women, unrealistic expectations about love," she said. "But why shouldn't young women have high expectations of what they expect in their romantic partners?"

Read the rest: Romance novels are shaping teenagers’ views on love, relationships — thanks to social media

(Does social media deserve that much credit when romance was already the biggest genre before modern platforms hit the scene? Seems very of the moment, so let’s also pay tribute to previous generations of romance readers and all the love they shared! – AKA. Thank you, Auntie Imelda, for forgetting to put away your paperback that time…)

By the way, reviews are a huge help to small-time indie authors. Both good reviews and bad ones help readers hone in on the books and authors they resonate with. If you’ve enjoyed one of my books, I’d love it if you would leave me a review or star rating on BookBub, StoryGraph or Goodreads.

The Guy from the Wedding – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Internet – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Library – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Park – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Flower Shop – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

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