January New Releases

Happy New Year to all our lovely readers! We hope your break was restful and that you’re ready for a whole new year of fabulous medical romances.

6 bright and sparkly books for January AND a discount code to use on the Harlequin website for today, Jan 4th. Did you know you can buy digital copies direct from the Harlequin website as well as print? (If you click on the image below it will take you directly to the medical romance page!)

A Nurse to Heal His Heart by Louisa George

She makes him feel alive again

But can he heal her heart too?

Single dad GP Joe Thompson’s priorities are his daughter and his patients. It might’ve earned him a brooding reputation, but since losing his wife romance has been off-limits…until he meets locum nurse Rose McIntyre! Her warm smile and live-for-the-moment attitude soothe a pain Joe believed would never fade. But can Joe stop Rose running from her own secrets…and find comfort in his arms?

Resisting Her English Doc by Annie Claydon (Single Dad Docs)

Running from her past…

Towards a future together?

In this Single Dad Docs story, recovering from career-ending injuries, dancer Fleur Miller is impatient to get off Maple Island. But handsome new arrival, English doctor Rick Fleming seems determined to push her buttons! The island Fleur once called home now only holds painful memories, but her intense connection with single dad Rick soon challenges Fleur to reimagine life on the island — with a family of her own.

Tempted By Her Single Dad Boss by Annie O’Neil (Single Dad Docs)

Her off-limits boss…

Is worth breaking the rules for!

In this Single Dad Docs story, physiotherapist Maggie Green’s instant attraction to her buttoned-up new boss Dr. Alex Kirkland might be against the rules, but since becoming an amputee she’s determined to live life to the fullest—including embarking on a fling! As their chemistry intensifies, Alex and his adorable son’s acceptance of Maggie for who she is makes her long for something she never thought possible: a family.

The Surgeon’s One Night to Forever by Ann McIntosh

He’ll settle for nothing less

After years of watching her mother’s gullible heart drive her from one man to the next, Laurel has decided to marry for sensible reasons. She doesn’t believe in fairy tales, knights in shining armour or happy endings.

So, when her ‘safe’ fiancée breaks up with her on the night of their engagement party, she’s surprised to be rescued by her own knight, Reece Harrington. Laurel has always avoided the attraction between her and Reece. He wants way more than Laurel can give—total possession…!

Twins On Her Doorstep by Alison Roberts

A knock at the door…

Will change her life!

After the heartbreak of losing her husband and baby, GP Sophie Bradford donated her eggs hoping to bring happiness to another couple, instead. Then Dr. Finn Connelly arrives on her doorstep with his orphaned nieces — and her biological twin girls! Sophie had vowed never to risk creating another family, but Finn and her adorable little daughters start to melt the ice around her heart…

Their Unexpected Babies by Louisa Heaton

From irresistible attraction…

To ready-made family!

After her best friend agrees to be her surrogate, Dr. Leah Hudson’s dream of being a mom is finally coming true! But throwing caution to the wind for one night with sexy Dr. Ben Willoughby has shocking consequences…Leah’s pregnant! Now, with two babies depending on her, Leah must push her feelings for committed bachelor Ben aside, unless he proves that Leah and the babies can depend on him.

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November New Releases!

Six shiny new Medical Romances, for November, including the first two stories from Hope Children’s Hospital!

 A Daddy Sent by Santa, by Susan Carlisle

When a small-town mom…

Falls for a big-city doc…

Nurse Lauren Wilson is used to doctors coming and going in her Oklahoma town — and doesn’t expect prestigious Boston doc Paxton Samuels to be any different. Until they’re snowed in together and their sensual tension reaches boiling point! But knowing Paxton is due to leave after the festive season, can Lauren risk giving him her heart and her little boy a daddy for Christmas?

 

 

Midwife Under the Mistletoe, by Karin Baine

A kiss under the mistletoe…

A family for Christmas?

GP Fraser McColl longs to be part of a loving family, but past experience has taught him he’s better off alone. Only, thrown together with gorgeous yet guarded midwife Iona Munro, to care for two children at Christmas, he’s tempted to believe in miracles… After one passionate night together, can he persuade Iona that they deserve a lifetime of happiness—together?

 

 

 

Firefighter’s Christmas Baby, by Annie Claydon

A festive fling…

With consequences!

Firefighter Ben Matthews is committed to his job above all else since his last relationship ended badly. Until he meets alluring and fiercely independent paramedic Callie Walsh! Their fiery exchanges over the project she’s working on at his fire station, leave Ben unable to deny their chemistry… Then Callie turns up on his doorstep — pregnant! Can some Christmas magic turn their holiday fling into a forever family?

 

 

New Year Wedding for the Crown Prince, by Meredith Webber

Can the charming prince

Claim his gorgeous bride?

When Crown Prince Charles of Livaroche turns up on Dr. Jo Wainright’s Australian doorstep, their two worlds collide. Only while Charles is seeking clues to his past, Jo is determined to forget the heartbreak of hers. Stranded together this Christmas their magical connection becomes hard to ignore… But when Charles proposes, dare Jo reveal the reason that’s standing in her way of becoming his New Year bride?

 

 

One Night, One Unexpected Miracle, by Caroline Anderson

Can one illicit night…

Lead to the love of a lifetime?

In this Hope Children’s Hospital story, senior pediatric surgeon Alice Baxter believes she’ll never conceive. So is stunned to find she’s pregnant after one spontaneous night with colleague Marco Ricci! She might be his buttoned-up boss but their chemistry is off the charts. And when Marco whisks Alice to his family’s Italian castello she discovers he’s determined to claim both his baby…and her heart too!

 

 

Their Newborn Baby Gift, by Alison Roberts

Could an abandoned baby…

…melt the surgeon’s frozen heart?

In this Hope Children’s Hospital story, pediatric heart surgeon Ryan Walker knows that shy receptionist and neonatal “baby cuddler” Evie Cooper is off-limits to a jaded playboy like him! But when they discover an abandoned newborn, they must work together to care for her. Ryan will do everything he can to mend baby Grace’s heart—will he lose his own to Evie in the process?

New Toys

It’s difficult to get too excited about most of the purchases I make – even though the manufacturers would probably like me to, I can’t bring myself to feel much emotion over washing up liquid or breakfast cereal.  But the child in me loves a new toy.  And last week I treated myself to two!

My first toy was Writing Socks!  Now most of you will probably be raising an eyebrow over my enthusiasm for socks, but I’m one of those people who hasn’t yet worked out how to separate my feeling of well-being from the state of my feet 🙂  If my toes are cold, I’m cold all over.  If I have blisters, or my feet ache, that’s how the rest of me feels.

So imagine my delight in finding the perfect Writing Socks, just as the first cold of winter is beginning to bite (actually they’re bedsocks, but it would be a waste to use them just at bedtime).  They’re… warm and cosy, not too tight around the ankles, and best of all they’re pink and slightly sparkly.  My toes are happy and so am I!

And the second toy was a New Phone!  Because – okay – a mobile phone’s a very handy and practical thing to have, but in practise it’s the fol-de-rols that mark one model out from another.  My old phone was outdated and struggling to cope with more than a couple of the most useful apps, but the new one has loads of space and some fancy features.  I’ve been playing with the fingerprint reader for two days now, and I’ve already got the feeling that the phone has its own personality and knows who I am.  Before long I’ll be confiding in it, the way I used to confide in my dolls when I was little.

And… it’s blue.  That doesn’t make any difference to its capacity to make phone calls, and at a glance it looks black rather than dark blue.  But it says it’s blue on the box, and that’s what matters, because conversations are somehow so much better on a blue phone.

So right now, I’ve reached the unusual state of being at peace with the consumer world.  Neither of my purchases turned into a nightmare of things not working/fitting the way I thought they might, and in addition to their practical purpose, I have new toys to play with.  And the thing about a new toy is that it doesn’t need to be costly or top-of-the-range.  It just has to have something about it that you like, beyond its practical use.  Like the cheap-as-chips salt and pepper grinders that I bought a couple of years ago.  They’re not much to look at but they never get clogged up, and they’ll grind from very coarse to extremely fine at the twist of a knob.  I might not use the most coarse or fine settings, but I know they’re there 🙂

Is it just me that thinks like this?  Do you assess all of your purchases with a cool head, matching your needs to their capabilities?  Or do you sometimes find yourself lured by a new toy?  And what are the little things that you like about them?

And before I go – another thing that I like much more than is strictly practical, are my new covers.  So here’s the latest!

Four Writers and an Island

Annie O’Neil and I have swapped blog dates, so I’m here today instead of Annie.  So what better time to tell you about a project that we’ve both been involved with, along with Susan Carlisle and Karin Baine.

First though, I’d like to show you my new cover.  Firefighter’s Christmas Baby will be released in November, and it’s a festive fling with consequences!  (As you can see from the cover 🙂 )

But on with the blog.  A little more than a year ago, Susan Carlisle, Annie O’Neil, Karin Baine and I began to plan out a four-book series.  Set on an island, off the coast of Boston, The Maple Island Clinic was to be home to dedicated doctors, nurses and therapists who would be the heroes and heroines of our stories.

But first, we created the island.  It had a name and we gave it a history, too.  The autumn reds of the maple trees which cover the island are visible from the mainland, and early settlers in the area made their way across the water to tap the trees for their syrup.  A small town was founded on the island and one of the wealthier town fathers left his house and collection of books to the people of Maple Island.  Today, the town library is still housed in the building that Ezra Van Den Berg donated, along with his books and papers.

We probably went into far more detail than we really needed to – but we were having such fun!  Ideas came thick and fast from both sides of the Atlantic and we wondered whether we were going to have to make the island a little bigger to accommodate everything.

We wanted a New England style covered bridge for the island.  Orchards and a harbour with fishing boats.  An old town on the East side of the island, facing out to sea, and opulent holiday homes for summer visitors on the West side, facing Boston.  A ferry.  A LIGHTHOUSE!  Why hadn’t we thought of a lighthouse before…?  We took walks along our imaginary High Street, planning out the shops, the Town Hall and the Sheriff’s office.

And then came the people.  There’s a cake war going on in the High Street between the Brady family, whose five red-haired children all help out at Brady’s Bistro and Bakery, and Phoenix Flame Jones and his wife Sage Blossom, who are vegan bakers and the proprietors of Sunbeam Victuals and Delectables.  Theodore Harrington – known to everyone as ‘Old Salty’ is a cantankerous old fisherman who becomes the hero of the hour in the first book of the series – and his story is carried through all four books.  Each of us added new characters and their stories, along with events that are held on the island to brighten up the long, cold winter evenings.

It’s been the most enormous fun and an absolute honour to work on this project, with three of the nicest and most talented women I could ever hope to meet.  Annie, Susan and Karin have a special place in my heart, along with the island that we created together.

Of course, it’s just a backdrop to the serious business of romance!  But sometimes the location of a book catches my imagination in a special way.  Do you have any favourite locations in books you’ve read?

July Releases

No better way to celebrate a new month than 6 new books!

Enjoy 🙂

A Date With Dr Moustakas by Amy Ruttan (Hot Greek Docs)

A date with her former flame…

Brings the past flooding back!

In this Hot Greek Docs story, doctor Naomi thought her ex didn’t want kids. So she’s shocked to find Dr. Christos Moustakas at her new workplace—and he’s now a single dad! Chris has dropped his playboy ways, but he still has a hold on Naomi’s heart. And if she can now reveal their secret loss, it might finally give them another chance…

 

Back In Dr. Xenakis’ Arms by Amalie Berlin (Hot Greek Docs)

She can’t resist the doc from her past!

But do they have a future?

In this Hot Greek Docs story, obstetrician Erianthe Nikolaides is returning home to Mythelios and dreading seeing her sinfully hot ex, Dr. Ares Xenakis! She’s still haunted by the devastating circumstances of their breakup. To truly heal she must share her pain with Ares, but when a scorching kiss reignites their desire, dare Eri risk her heart a second time?

 

From Doctor To Princess by Annie Claydon

He’s her reluctant patient…

But might she soon be his royal fiancée?

Dr. Nell Maitland escaped her unpleasant former boss to become private physician to Dr. Hugo DeLeon—who’s also a crown prince! But doctors make the worst patients—especially when they’re as distractingly handsome as Hugo. When her past catches up with her, Nell must fake an engagement with the prince who makes her heart pound! Might she become his princess for real?

 

Locked Down With The Army Doc by Scarlet Wilson

There’s a crisis in paradise!

But is her heart at risk…?

When Dr. Amber Berkeley met ruggedly handsome Jack at a conference in Hawaii, she never imagined they’d end up locked down together in the middle of a hurricane! Army doc Jack’s take-charge attitude pushes straight-talking Amber’s buttons—until their sparks ignite into a fierce attraction! Amber has a “no doctors” dating rule for good reason, but amid disaster rules are meant to be broken…

 

The Brooding Surgeon’s Baby Bombshell by Susan Carlisle

One night, unexpected consequences…!

But can they be a family?

After sparks fly with Dr. Gabriel Marks at a conference, nurse Zoe Avery’s left with a permanent reminder of their night together. Knowing Gabe doesn’t want kids, Zoe decides she’ll have the baby alone. Then Gabe moves to the same city just as pregnant Zoe needs a temporary home. Gabe comes to her rescue, but can they overcome their hurdles and become a family?

 

The Doctor’s Cinderella by Susanne Hampton

One magical night…could change their lives forever!

After her ex leaves her penniless, nurse Molly Murphy takes an admin job in doctor Ryan’s practice. When Ryan needs a date for a charity ball, Molly finds herself wearing a gorgeous gown and sipping champagne for one sparkling night. But her Prince Charming guards his emotions closely. Dare they trust what’s in their hearts to find their own fairy-tale ending?

 

 

 

 

Somebody’s watching me!

Well, I knew that already.  One of the things that I was told when I first ventured onto the internet, back in the old days of dial-up connections, was that you’re never alone.  It went against all of the things I’d learned about the world up until then – you can be sitting behind locked doors and closed curtains, and yet what you do is still out there somewhere.

And that’s something which has hit the news recently.  I’ve been getting emails and notifications about internet privacy, following reports concerning the collection and use of internet data.  And the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation means that come May 25th, those of us in Europe will not only have the right to know what kind of information is collected, but also to see a copy of the actual data.

So – I’m not going to comment on individual cases 🙂  But I welcome an increased accountability for the way information that’s collected from the internet is used.  And I welcome accountability over what people do on the internet – bullying, revenge porn, and intrusion on privacy are real and devastating problems, which affect people of all ages, many of them young.  We must protect them.

But on the other hand, the internet is full of places we love to go.  (I hope that this is one of them!).  Safe places, where we can meet new friends, who we might not otherwise get to know.  See things that we might not otherwise get to see.  I used to teach a weekly class on internet use at a care home for the elderly, and it provided a window on the world.  Ladies who’d been unable to ‘hit the shops’ for years, were suddenly able to take their time browsing the season’s new fashions again.

I guess, like almost everything that’s driven by human nature, the internet has its good and bad sides.  And like any relatively new phenomena, we’re learning.  How to be safe.  What’s appropriate.  How to be polite.  What we need to protect ourselves and others from.  For me, these are important issues that need to be thought about – but they don’t mean that I’ll be switching off my broadband any time soon.  Despite all its problems, the capacity for human interaction that the internet provides us with, is immensely valuable to me.

And – here comes my ‘romance writer’ point of view 🙂  We’ve heard about ‘profiling’ and that’s a term I’d always applied to the kind of thing that the FBI did with criminals.  But it seems that the practise has been extended to the innocent internet user.  I happen to think that we’re all a lot more than that, though.  I write about characters who, at first glance, shouldn’t be together but who are ultimately completely right for each other.  There’s something wonderful about the human spirit, which defies any attempt to pin it down.  We all might fall into a number of demographic groups, but those groups don’t define us.  Like the characters in a romance, we all have the capacity to think for ourselves and break out of the boxes we find ourselves in.

Finally – let’s bring the discussion home.  Like many sites on the internet, this blog carries ads from time to time.  I don’t see what those ads are because I have an account that allows me to post on this site, but I know they’re there.  It’s the price we pay – we get to run our blog for free and the cost of that is borne by the advertising.  I do see ads on other sites, and I view them as something that’s necessary to cover their costs.  I can’t help wondering at times why anyone ever thought that the targeted ads I see might apply to me – but then maybe that’s my point.  ‘The machine’ might be doing its level best to define me, but so far it doesn’t appear to be doing all that well 🙂

What do you think?  As you’re here then, like me, you obviously haven’t deserted the internet in disgust.  What makes you stay?

Behind the Dedication

The dedications for our books mean a lot to us – and we know that readers sometimes wonder what’s behind them.  So four of our authors have chosen dedications from their books, and explained.  We hope to be coming back to you from time to time with more ‘Behind the Dedication’ blogs.

Amy Andrews – The Midwifes Miracle Baby

This was my debut novel and I dedicated to a midwife called Karen. The heroine in the book is a midwife fighting the male dominated obstetric establishment to set up a natural birth centre at the hospital she works in. The midwives at the hospital where I gave birth to both my children went through a similar battle to get their birth centre up and running and although it wasn’t ready in time for the birth of my son, it was for my daughter and my midwife Karen, who also delivered my nephew a few years later, was the most amazing woman. Giving birth is such a personal, intimate experience, to have someone who believes in you and your power to do this incredible thing and to be your advocate is a big deal, how could I not dedicate this book to her?

Claire West has sworn off dating and love due to a genetic illness in her family. She doesn’t want to become a burden to a husband in the future, nor does she want to pass her illness on to a child. Unable to have a child of her own, Claire strives to ensure other families have safe births and healthy babies in the birthing center that she runs. The on-call doctor, Campbell Deane, is smitten with Claire and refuses to take no for an answer in his pursuit of her. Eventually he wears Claire down, and Claire discovers she’s in love with him. It might take a miracle for Claire to overcome her fears and open her heart.

 

 

 

Susan Carlisle – Heart Surgeon… Hero… Husband?

My first book Heart Surgeon… Hero… Husband? did have a special dedication. It was to a beautiful friend named Raina. I once asked her where her name came from. She told me it was from a romance novel. Her mother loved to read them and named her after a heroine. Sadly, Raina was killed. When I started writing romances I knew who my first book would be dedicated to. I made sure Raina’s mother received a copy. I miss Raina everyday. She would have been proud of me.

Discovering that her tiny son desperately needs a new heart terrifies Hannah Quinn—especially when she realizes ex-flame Scott McIntyre is the skilled surgeon in charge of the transplant. Entrusting her baby to Scott’s miracle-working hands is one thing, but whether Hannah’s own heart will survive Scott’s devastating charm intact is quite another…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiona McArthur – Healed by the Midwife’s Kiss

Fiona’s chosen a dedication which is self explanatory:-

“Dedicated to Finn, author Kelly Hunter’s legend of a four-legged friend who went to doggy heaven while I was writing this book. It just seemed right to say there are heroes called Finn everywhere. Vale Finn.”

Finn can’t imagine loving anyone again…but could one woman change that forever?

After Dr Finn Foley’s wife abandoned him and their adorable baby daughter, he threw himself into being a father. But when he meets a kindred spirit in widowed midwife Catrina Thomas, he can’t resist getting to know her better. One sizzling kiss later, the happiness Finn has been searching for finally seems within his grasp…if only he’s willing to claim it!

 

 

 

 

Annie Claydon – Healed by the Single Dad Doc

Annie dedicated her book ‘To Kate.  Wishing you unicorns.’  Annie asked Kate to tell us what unicorns mean to her:-

Kate says – ‘Back in 2014 I found out I had cancer for the second time. I took the news particularly hard. In order for me to create the positive mindset I needed to help get me through the treatment, fear and emotional turmoil, I asked my friends to ‘send unicorns’. The outpouring of love, and unique and wonderful ways in which people rose the occasion helped buoy me through the most difficult time of my life. I have been in remission for almost 4 years now and people still send unicorns. Every single one brings me absolute joy and reminds how lucky I am. Not just to have survived cancer, again, but also to be surrounded by such magnificent people.’

Could single dad Ethan be the one…

…to put Kate together again?

When kind-hearted single father Dr Ethan Conway comes to vet Kate Foster’s rescue one night, it forges an unexpected bond between them. Could Kate be the perfect woman for Ethan and his young son to let into their life? If Kate can learn to trust again and let Ethan help her perhaps they can both move on—and be a family!