In 2017, I was thrilled to be a part of the the Arcadia Valley Romance project. If you weren’t a blog regular then, this was a multi-author series with contributions by: Valerie Comer, Lee Tobin McClain, Annalisa Daughety, Danica Favorite, Mary Jane Hathaway, and myself.
Like most group projects in the history of time, it had its ups and downs. But there were some aspects of it that I simply loved.
I loved the time we spent brainstorming the town of Arcadia Valley. Figuring out where people’s houses would be. What stores would go where.
And I loved the opportunity to have my characters intermingle with the characters in other books. It was fun to see other authors spend a few minutes in the heads of my people.
This aspect was one that was also harder to do than it seemed like it would be at the outset.
When all is said and done, I think the 24 books that make up the Arcadia Valley Romance series are something that readers who enjoy small-town romance will enjoy.
So, when Valerie approached me about putting together a box set of my Baxter Family Bakery series (the books I wrote as part of Arcadia Valley), and doing some joint promo, I was all in. I’d been planning to put a box together — I just hadn’t gotten around to it. This was good motivation. Lee Tobin McClain also jumped on board.
As part of this, I went back to revisit Loaves & Wishes, the novella that intros my series. Re-reading Ruth Baxter and Corban DeWitt’s love story made me itch to go back and re-read the other books set in Arcadia Valley. And I thought I’d invite you along.
If you missed the Arcadia Valley books when they first released, it’s a great day for you! Three of the six series have been rolled into single volumes and are on sale for 99 cents!
You’ll have a chance to meet my Baxter siblings and follow along on their journey to establish a community supported bakery (CSB) in Arcadia Valley. Ruth Baxter, the oldest sibling and only girl, starts things off in Loaves & Wishes as she heads out to Idaho to take over a Bed and Breakfast that was left to her in a will. She never counted on falling for the farmer next door.
Her brothers soon join her:
Malachi, who’s more at home behind his computer than interacting face-to-face, but isn’t immune to Muffins & Moonbeams.
Micah, who’s star-struck when he realizes his childhood movie star crush is now a local potter, but isn’t sure she’ll settle for Cookies & Candlelight.
And finally Jonah, who can’t break out of the friend zone with local police officer Gloria, because she has no time for his Donuts & Daydreams.
You can get the Baxter Family Bakery box set for 99c (or read in KU for free!)
And don’t miss Valerie Comer’s Garden Grown Romance series (a community garden, a food bank, and daycare are all settings for romance and fun) or Lee Tobin McClain’s Romance from the Heart series (with a mouth-watering Mexican restaurant).
Do you love box sets that combine a series into one? Why or why not?
I’d love to give one random commenter their choice of my books – I’ll draw a name after noon on Saturday, 5/16.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Hi Elizabeth! The Arcadia Valley series was one of my favorites. The three boxed sets are a fantastic idea. Since I live in an agricultural community and as a teen worked in a bakery, your stories and Valerie Comers were some of my favorites in the series. This week I wrote Amazon reviews for the three boxed sets. Since I enjoy reading series, by the time a boxed set comes out I have already purchased the entire series. But boxed sets are a bargain way to get to know a new author and their style. So thank you and congrats. Best wishes.
Good morning! I love boxed sets so I have everything together and in order😁. I like order….lol!
Arcadia Valley was so enjoyable, I too was impressed with how the characters intermingled!
I love them because you get to read them all without having to wait.
Thank you Renate!
I do often feel bad about boxing things up – because my big readers have already got the books..but I do find not everyone loves a box set, so hopefully it evens out.
Yay!
And that’s a good reason to enjoy box sets.
They definitely fit the binge read formula!
I’m like Paula Marie, I like order. Boxed sets make it easy to read books in the correct sequence. I love them.
I love this series and will love reading it again.
That is a super compelling reason for a box :)
Yay!
These sound really good. Thank you for sharing.
I love reading box sets or any series actually. I do like box set allowing you to read them right away. My favorite books to read are those that cause me to fall in love with characters & towns so much I feel I am really a part of the community and families as a whole and hate to see the book end. When these continue allowing me to read more stories centering on other characters, a huge bonus! Then I don’t feel that let down when each book comes to an end!
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy them. :)
Yes! That let down at the end of an amazing book / series is real!
Yay! So glad to dive back into Arcadia Valley with you guys!
It’s been fun for sure 😊
I love boxed sets!! It makes it sooo much easier to read them in order, and you know you haven’t missed one somewhere along the way!
I love box sets. The stories are like looking at a prism and seeing through all the different facets :)
I love a boxed set because I’m someone who likes to spend a lot of time in the author’s story world and I get attached to characters. I just bought your Baxter Family Bakery set.
Summer reads!
I’m sensing a theme! It’s a perspective on box sets I hadn’t had previously.
What a fun image!
Thanks! Hope you love them!
Oh, thanks for the shoutout! I love Arcadia Valley and miss writing in that community! It’s been fun to revisit it this month.
I love box sets when I come to an author’s work a bit later and can binge on a series. It helps me remember who everyone is and the intricacies of their relationships, which makes for a more immersive experience.
Although I have the entire series, and all of your books for that matter I couldn’t help but comment on what a blessing this entire series was, I just loved it. Bless you!
I read all the books as they came out, but like Valerie – if I discover an author after he/she has written a lot of books, I love boxed sets of older series.
Don’t enter me in the giveaway – I already have all your books!!
I enjoy box sets if I know most of the authors. Sometimes they can be not as good, especially if its a big box set. It just depends.
Definitely more immersive! And I’ve loved going back too – it’s a good little town.
❤️
Thanks, Linda!
😍
Thank you Margaret!
Multi author box sets can be a good way to find new authors but yes, sometimes that feels risky. Or they do get super long!
Ooh, these sound great! I haven’t read any of your books yet but I’d love to give them a try!
Yay! I hope you do and that you enjoy them 😊
Ok, snagged all 3 sets. Arcadia Valley is on the Book Bus itinerary! In general, I do enjoy box sets both for the discount price and for bingeing. I do like to switch around from author to author, though, as I work my way through my TBR pile. Box sets pose such a troublesome dilemma in that regard. Do I switch after each story or stay with the set as a whole? Oh that this could be the worst problem I face today! LOL!
I love boxed sets. You can read one book after the other easily. I enjoyed the Arcadia series. I know over text some. I don’t know if one read all of them.
Yay! That’s a lot of great reading! Have a snack or two nearby – there’s a lot of yummy food in those books.
And YES – that’s my dilemma with boxes too.
There were a lot so it was easy to miss a couple in there (I think I might even have missed one of them, if you can believe it.)
Box sets are nice.
:)