I invited Cici Cordelia over because The Innocent Wife, the latest romance in their Brides of Little Creede series released this month.
They sent me an ARC This is the first book I've read in the Little Creede series. Generally, Western Romance isn't my thing, but I loved The Innocent Wife for the well-done plot, the cast of characters, and the historical accuracy, (I really love correct historical detail.) They have created a loveable, liveable world in Little Creede. Now I have to go back and read the first two. Five Stars.
Now since this is a new release, Cici is giving away ARC's of the book to readers willing to leave a review. Why? More reviews equal better sales. The first book in the series, The Substitute Wife, has 122 reviews with an average 4.5-star rating. So this a wonderful deal for you. Cici, (Cheryl-Char) thank you for being here.
Hi, Susan. Thank you for having CiCi—alias Char
Chaffin and Cheryl Yeko—over today to discuss her new release, The Innocent Wife, Book 3 in the Brides
of Little Creede Series.
Some
Backstory:
First, a little bit about the series and how it came
about. Cheryl’s mother and aunt were talking about how her great-grandparents
met, from way back. This sparked the idea for The Substitute Wife, Book 1 in the series. Now, she knew the hero
was named Harrison, but her mother and aunt couldn’t remember the wife’s name
and would get that to her later.
Char and Cheryl brainstormed and began the book,
coming up with Retta for the heroine’s name. They were well into the plot when Cheryl’s
aunt Crystal got back to her with the great-grandmother’s name. And yes, it was
Retta, with even the same spelling.
Obviously this was a story that was meant to be
told.
Unfortunately, even though Cheryl’s mother read the
entire book as it was written, and loved it, she passed away a week before it
was published. The Substitute Wife is
dedicated to Cheryl’s mother, and will always hold a special place in her
heart.
Then came Book 2, The Dance Hall Wife. Cheryl and Char had so much fun writing these
two characters. Frank is bigger than life, and Cat is a woman who can more than
take care of herself and doesn’t let Frank get away with being an ass. Though
some of their readers found him a bit rough around the edges, he continues to
be one of their favorite characters. Big and gruff, poor Frank can’t seem to keep
his foot out of his mouth, though he has a heart of gold. He’s a true match for
the strong-willed Catherine Purdue, who would never be satisfied with a weak
man.
Book 3 in the series, The Innocent Wife, is a heartwarming tale of love, redemption, and family,
with a good dose of danger and suspense. The heroine, Vivian, is the younger
sister of Harrison and Frank, and has been sheltered and protected all her life.
Joshua Lang is the sheriff with a dark past, who doesn’t believe he’s good
enough for the innocent beauty. Vivian has other ideas on the matter and sets
out to prove she’s more than the shy Miss her family perceives her to be.
The entire series is doing very well, and CiCi’s
readers have asked Char and Cheryl to continue with the stories. So, even
though originally envisioned as a trilogy, CiCi now has at least four more
books planned, including a 2019 Christmas novella.
Research,
Research, and More Research:
Probably the most Char and Cheryl has ever done
regarding researching a book!
With historical fiction it’s a necessary thing. Even
historical experts have to go dig up facts, and CiCi’s no expert on the past.
The Internet, historical sites, Urban slang and Etymology dictionaries, sites on silver mining, 19th
century food, clothing, tools, medical issues, sexual terminology . . . they’ve
used it all. Char would find herself suspicious of clothing description and had
to go dig. If Cheryl questioned a term, she’d start downloading sites. On and
on it went, until the series was finished. They learned a lot, most of it very
useful, some of it kind of odd . . . and all of it fun.
Reader
enthusiasm for the series and its townsfolk has led to a clamoring for more of
Little Creede. Char and Cheryl find they have plenty more stories to tell, and
can’t wait to get started.
CiCi hopes everyone continues to read and enjoy The
Brides of Little Creede Series.
In the Meantime:
CiCi would love to share the gorgeous cover
and link for The Innocent Wife, plus
the blurb and an excerpt from Chapter One!
JOSHUA . . .
As the Sheriff of Little Creede, Joshua Lang has
had his hands full more than once. Protecting his town from a criminal bent on
destructive revenge. Keeping the peace when Little Creede grows too fast for
its own good during the height of the silver mining boom. Trying to remember a
certain beautiful, shy, and sheltered young woman is off-limits because she’s
the baby sister of his two best friends.
VIVIAN . . .
For Vivian Carter, it’s not easy being the
younger sister of the Carter brothers, two of the strongest, most honorable men
she has ever known. But she’s a grown woman now, ready for a life—and love—of
her own. In trying to assert her independence and claim her womanhood, she
finds herself stymied by not only her brothers’ overbearing opinions, but the
maddening habit Joshua Lang has, of pushing her away just as things between
them start to get “interesting.”
THE SHERIFF AND THE VIRGIN . . .
Excerpt from The Innocent Wife:
Little
Creede, Colorado
August,1881
Heat shimmered off the tin roof of the
new jailhouse. With no breeze to speak of, the closer Sheriff Joshua Lang got
to the front of the building and its overhanging portico, the more he sweated.
He whipped off his hat and blotted his damp forehead. Time to open all three
windows and pray for wind.
Fishing out the key from his pocket, he
unlocked the heavy wooden door and stepped inside, placing the battered Stetson
on a side table. Unclipping his double holster, he hung it on a nail embedded
in the wall behind his desk and opened all the windows before he dropped into
the lumpy old chair he swore he’d replace one of these days. Wasn’t going to be
today, for certain. Or next week or even next month, judging by how busy he’d
found himself lately.
His town was growing, and not always in
a good way. Joshua had dreaded the day Little Creede started behaving like a
boom town, and that day had most definitely arrived. As he scraped his damp
hair off the back of his neck to help the cooling process along, he peered out
the side window, eyeing the fancy new building across from Doc Sheaton’s
office. From here, he could see the scrolled frontage and a corner of the sign
with the lettering, ‘Gleason’s Gambling Galleria’ painted in bold red.
The structure had gone up pretty fast,
with a grand opening occurring later in the month. According to the local rumor
mill, its owner had come in on the mid-week stage from Silver Cache, stood
seven feet tall, boasted orange hair, and had been seen only once outside the
newly-painted Galleria. Joshua figured that wild of a physical description
must’ve been exaggerated somewhat. He had to admit, though, he was damned
curious.
Townsfolk saw welcome revenue coming
from such a sprawling gamblers’ establishment, as well as trouble. It was
Joshua’s job to see that the revenue outweighed the trouble.
His all-encompassing sweep of the main
thoroughfare took in Loman’s Mercantile and Millie’s Milliners, nestled side by
side and newly whitewashed, though Silas Loman would have to reapply the lime
mixture within the year. For now, in the sun the buildings shone. A thrilled
Betsey Loman had given her red-faced husband a big, smacking kiss of thanks
right on the sidewalk in front of several folks who’d make sure to tease poor
Silas for weeks. Probably months.
The Miner Stage House flanked the
corner, its wide porch and polished rockers inviting a person to sit a spell
and enjoy the day. From an upper open window Joshua caught a rich, womanly
laugh that could only belong to Lucinda Carter, his best friends’ mother and
the Stage House’s hostess-manager. An answering murmur, deep and rough, blended
briefly and abruptly cut Lucinda off in mid-chuckle. Grinning widely, Joshua
kicked back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head.
Sounds
like Dub’s getting himself a bit of afternoon delight. We should all be so
lucky—
Then Joshua glanced beyond the Stage
House, to the opposite corner where a short trail led to Little Creede’s
schoolhouse. As if conjured out of his wishful thinking, the door swung open
and Vivian Carter stepped out onto the stoop, dark hair shimmering in the
late-afternoon sun, carrying a straw broom.
Speaking
of trouble . . .
Petite and dainty, dressed in something
yellow, the sight of Harrison and Frank Carter’s little sister always clutched
deep within Joshua’s heart. As far as he was concerned, the girl was forever
beyond his reach.
Too innocent. Too lovely. Too . . .
endearingly virtuous. And young, by God. So young. In years as well as in life
experiences. Sometimes Joshua felt a hundred years old instead of a birthday
shy of thirty.
He swung his chair away from the window,
determined to put thoughts of Vivian out of his mind. Easiest way to do that
was to vacate his office, turn in the opposite direction, and go looking for
some kind of rabble to squash.
You can find CiCi Here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeartfeltRomance
Individually:
Cheryl Yeko:
Website:
https://cherylyeko.blogspot.com/ ‘Where Love Always Wins’
Char Chaffin:
Website: https://charbchaffin.wordpress.com/ ‘Falling
In Love is Only the Beginning’
Thank you for being here, CiCi.
Cherished Readers, if the excerpt in blurb intrigued you, and you are willing to write a review, please enter the Rafflecopter. Or just leave a comment with your email address - whichever is easiest for you. Reviews mean so much to authors. They are usually the only contact we have with the people for whom we tell our stories. Happy reading.
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