Today I’m so excited to share my latest release with you all. It’s an extra special one, because this is my first new release since joining the team here at Inspy Romance! To celebrate I’m giving away four paperback copies to people who comment on the post today (open to US residents).
Small-Town Girl is the fourth book in my Goose Harbor series. The books center around a picturesque tourist town in Michigan tucked in between the gorgeous sand dunes that line Lake Michigan. Even though the town swells in size during the summer months, the locals all know each other and are involved in each other’s lives. Mom and Pop stores line the sprawling town square and young couples can be found strolling the beaches or snuggling in the large gazebo at the center of town. Quaint Bed & Breakfast inns dot the town and a weekly farmers’ market draws the entire population together every weekend.
I know what you’re thinking—Goose Harbor sounds too good to be true!
Actually, I based Goose Harbor off of a very real place that I love and visit often. It’s a town called Saugatuck (and the little town next door to it called Douglas) in Michigan. The pictures in this post were all taken last summer in Saugatuck (isn’t it a pretty place?)! Going to Saugatuck is one of the ways we celebrate summer every year, it’s tradition for us and something we hope to pass to our daughter. It wouldn’t be summer without at least one visit.
In Small-Town Girl, Kendall Mayes comes to Goose Harbor to restart her life. Her dream is to open an event planning business. Her silent business partner gives her the loan she needs to get started, but only on the condition that she set up a weekly event that will guarantee cash flow. Enter Brice Daniels—a handsome loner and Goose Harbor lifer—who owns a struggling shipping business. Kendall and Brice find a way to save both their businesses by teaming up to offer weekly, romantic sunset cruises. And the more time they spend together, the more they fall for each other … until the identity of Kendall’s business partner threatens to tear them apart forever.
Here’s a short excerpt that I hope you enjoy:
Kendall found an open spot along the boat’s railing and turned to watch the sunset.
Before he realized what he was doing, Brice’s feet ate up the distance between the steering wheel and Kendall and he joined her. Her gaze was fixed on the setting sun, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. She was beautiful, and for the first time since they began this venture together, he wished he was one of the guys on the date instead of running the event. If he’d brought Kendall, he’d have his arm around her right now.
He shook his thoughts away and moved to put space between them, but Kendall reached over and slipped her fingers over his wrist. “Stay.”
He nodded and swallowed against the lump in his throat. What was he doing to himself? Kendall had made it clear that she didn’t want a relationship with any man. She’d said she’d left dating in the past. He had, too.
She turned toward him and whispered, “We did good, didn’t we?”
“Better than good.” His words came out hoarse.
“Here’s to dreaming.” She flashed him a smile before turning back to the guests and announcing that they’d head back to shore in five minutes.
He made his way to the steering wheel and started the engine again but kept his eyes on Kendall. “Here’s to dreaming, indeed.”
Goose Harbor, Michigan, is the perfect place for Kendall Mayes to start over and open her date-planning business. When she encounters handsome loner Brice Daniels, who is struggling to keep the shipping business he runs going, she sees an opportunity. A weekly sunset cruise catering to couples and tourists will keep their dealings strictly business. Kendall has had enough of failed romances, and Brice is too burned by love to give it another chance. But despite their reservations, they soon let down their walls. Yet when Kendall’s silent business partner is revealed to be Brice’s longtime enemy, staying together might be next to impossible
My family loves going on day trips to Saugatuck, but I’d love to hear about your summer traditions. They could be things you do as a family, ways you celebrate summer on your own, or romantic things (like the sunset cruises!). Do you have a special place to visit? Please share.
A coffee drinker, avid reader, and chocolate aficionado, Jessica is multi-published and writes sweet romance for Love Inspired. She holds degrees in both Communications and Biblical Studies and has worked as a zookeeper, a librarian, camp counselor, horse wrangler, housekeeper, and finance clerk, but now loves her full-time work in municipal government. Jessica and her family live in the Midwest.
Congratulations on your latest release, Jessica! Thanks for sharing the excerpt, I enjoyed it.
Sounds like a wonderful story and place to visit. Looking forward to reading your work.
We don’t do a lot of regular trips, we just try to do several small ones and make memories with our 2 girls. We try to see what interests them and go from there. Doesn’t matter so much what we do, as long as we do it as a family.
Hi Jessica! Living in a small tourist town in SW Michigan I relate to your Goose Island series and would love to have a print copy to share with family and friends.
Your pictures and descriptions of Saugatuck are inspiring. My husband and I enjoy exploring the many small towns in West Michigan in the off season of spring and fall, but Saugatuck with its chain link ferry crossing the river, its quaint shops, bed and breakfast inns, and tasty food is special. Always fun learning about the ghost town buried by the sand dunes and climbing to the top of Mount Baldy with its unique giant golf ball radio tower.
While there are several interesting cozy mystery series with settings in the beautiful state of Michigan, you are the only romance writer. Readers, come visit and enjoy PURE MICHIGAN!
Should say Goose Harbor series, because along Lake Michigan we have harbors, havens and lighthouses, but on few islands.
Sounds like I have another book to add to my ever growing list:)
Hmm, summer holiday traditions: no particular place, but always some kind of camping/hiking/biking with the boys and friends. We enjoy getting out and exploring new places; last summer we explored the South Eastern part of Victoria.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful story. It’s in my TBR list.
Summer is my favorite time of the year because I always got to go to the beach (grandparents have a beach house, small, but cozy). My sister and I used to spend a week with them then a few weeks with my parents there. we always had a wonderful time. Everyone in my family packed several books and board/ card games. We had so much fun. Of course life changed and I wasn’t able to go in the past 7 years. They all continue to go and I am pretty jealous. I always tell my husband that it doesn’t feel like summer if we don’t go to the beach house, but we have been living really far away. I hope we can change that next year.
Congrats. Can’t wait to read.
I grew up in Michigan, and every summer we would go to the shores of Lake Michigan and pick blueberries for a while and then enjoy the sand dunes and lake.
We’ve gone to the beach for a week in the summer for decades. We usually go to North Myrtle Beach, SC. We try to get crabs and shrimp at last once from a local seafood store. They are so fresh! Now that the kids are older, have jobs, and are married, they are helping to pay for it!! We don’t live near each other, so it is a special time of visiting.
Looking forward to reading this!
Congratulations on your new release!
When I was little, we’d go down to Santa Cruz, California, to visit my grandfather. Now I get to live on that property! It’s fun to be able to head down to the beach on a warm afternoon and enjoy the cool breezes.
This book sounds so good. I don’t do any traveling now. When I was a child we tried to make a trip to my paternal grandparents during my dad’s vacation. We sometimes went to places here in Texas. My mother, grandmother and I went to PA one summer. Don’t remember much about it as I was 5.
I have tried to unsuccessfully send this message several times. So, here is the basic: Summer youth camp through my church. We continue to return as staff and leaders every year.
Cannot wait to send our little ones when they aee old enough to attend as campers.
Sounds like a great setting and a fun story. :)
When our kids were young, we met my sister and her family every summer for a camping weekend at a mountain lake. The cousins have many special memories of those times! We no longer live near there, but the reminiscing hasn’t ended.
We have a cabin in the mountains that we love to go to during the summer and fall. Our children and grandchildren absolutely love it there, especially since they get to spend time with each other. We only live an hour away, so it’s easy to just come and go. We live in a valley surrounded by mountains, so we spend a lot of time in the canyons around us.
Your book sounds wonderful, Jessica! Thanks for sharing!
Since our best friends moved to a different state about 4 years ago, we have made it a summer tradition to go visit them for a week every summer. We have 6 children and they have 4 and it’s always crazy and chaotic, but so much fun. We miss them so much and it’s a blessing to see them and catch up with them in person.
Love spending time during the summer enjoying my sister’s pool with a couple of friends. We together once a week and have a swimming party.
Congratulations on your new release, Jessica! Love that cover… so cozy and fun!
Loved the blog post.
My favorite place is very different,Tombstone,In the high desert of AZ.
I am blessed to have lived there a few years and going back is on my bucket list.
This looks like another Keller classic! Keep em coming!
Thank you! Every time a new book hits the shelves it’s as exciting as the first time it happened! #nevergetsold
“as long as we do it as a family.”
Amen! That’s what makes the moments memory-worthy, isn’t it? I’m with you. We head to the farmers’ market every weekend and have riverwalks and parks we love to visit – it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as we’re all having fun together.
I always tell people that the western edge of Michigan, along the dunes, is one of my favorite places on earth!
And Yes! I made a mention about Singapore (the large ghost town that got covered by the dunes) in the third Goose Harbor book, The Single Dad Next Door! The history of Singapore, Michigan is fascinating.
Camping/hiking/biking – I love it! It sounds like you guys are active and have a lot of fun together.
Your grandparents’ beach house sounds like a magical place for a child to visit! No wonder you have such fond memories. I hope you get to go next year too!
Thanks for stopping by Teresa!
That sounds like a great time! We might have to add blueberry picking onto our to-do list for our next trip to Michigan.
I love Myrtle Beach! We took our daughter there for her first dip into the ocean last year for our big family vacation. Not a week goes by that she doesn’t mention Myrtle Beach. I love that you guys have kept that tradition going everyone grew.
Thanks Julianne! I hope you love it.
We’re planning to scope out the local B&N and big box stores to visit my books in the wild this weekend :)
Oh wow! That sounds gorgeous. Enjoy some waves for me :)
Growing up all our trips were to visit relatives. As a kid I still considered it a grand adventure and a special treat to drive somewhere (I graduated college before I ever boarded an airplane – it was always driving trips before then).
One of the things I love about books is that they can be a mini vacation all their own. I can visit some other world through the story.
You made it! (sorry the website was giving you problems)
And *high five* summer camp was my FAVORITE thing all year. I went to the same summer camp from the time I was entering second grade until I graduated high school. It was a sleep away camp in Wisconsin. Some of my best and most treasured memories are from summer camp.
Camping on a mountain lake?? Sounds gorgeous. Sign me up!
A cabin in the mountains sounds lovely. That’s so great that you have a place like that for your family to gather at. I’m sure you guys are helping make so many wonderful memories.
That sounds like a riot!
All of my dearest friends live in other states. We were able to plan a trip together a few years ago and we’re talking about another one for next year. You’re right, it’s a blessing to see people in person!
I love that you guys have a weekly swim party. I remember spending so many hours in the pool as a kid and just loving it. Thanks for stopping by today.
For real!! I love this cover. I feel like the Love Inspired art team has been KNOCKING it out of the park lately. I just got a sneak peek of my January cover and my jaw dropped – stunningly beautiful. I can’t wait to share it.
Thanks Linda! I’m glad you stopped by today.
Tombstone – You like it HOT!!! I was just talking to an old friend over the weekend about how beautiful Arizona is. I hope you get back for a visit soon.
***HUGS KELLI*** Thanks for stopping by, friend!! I have three Love Inspired books coming out in a 6 month time span … it’s going to be a whirlwind :)
I used to spend my summers volunteering at an orphanage in Bolivia when I was a teacher. Now that I quit teaching and work in a bank I don’t have summer. But I do like harvesting food from our garden and though it is a lot of work I do enjoy canning!
Wow! Those are all such great ways to spend your time.
Summers are the busy time of the year for us as my husband works at a motel, and nobody takes vacation during tourist season! So we take our vacations (or staycations) during the off-season, around October. In fact, this year my husband and I will be visiting San Fransisco for 4 days! It’s a celebration of sorts…..you see, our son graduated from High School this year & will be attending college, our birthdays are in August, and we haven’t had a couple’s vacation in I don’t know how many years, honestly!! So it’s a combination anniversary, birthday, no-kids-in-the-house/ sort-of-empty-nest trip all rolled into one :-)
Mostly if we go anywhere as a couple, there’s a quaint little 15 unit motel we love to stay at for a couple of nights about an hour down the coast from us. During the off season, they run a special where you buy one night you get one night free, who can resist that? And we go crabbing while we’re at it as there’s a dock right down from the motel that’s great for that! Don’t always catch anything, but it’s fun anyway and makes those great memories :-)
I forgot to add, no need to drop my name in the hat, as I’m one of your reviewers :-) Can’t wait for it to come in the mail!
I absolutely LOVE to go on cruises!!