I’m very excited that in just two and a half weeks, on September 12th, the next book in my Arcadia Valley Romance Baxter Family Bakery series will release!
The Baxter family bakery, called A Slice of Heaven, is run by three brothers (Jonah, Micah, and Malachi) who, along with their sister Ruth, moved to Arcadia Valley, Idaho, to start a new life. If you’ve been keeping up with the multi-author series set in Arcadia Valley, then you’ve already met Ruth (in Loaves & Wishes, a novella that’s part of Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley) and Malachi (in Muffins & Moonbeams, which released in March of this year.) Now, it’s Micah’s turn to find love.
Here’s the back cover:
What will it take for a former starlet to find love with an average Joe?
After the accident that killed her husband five years ago, Serena Johnson left Hollywood—and her stage name—behind to set up shop as a potter. Her online business keeps her occupied and fulfilled, but she misses having someone special to share her life.
Micah Baxter has enjoyed the year he’s worked in his family’s bakery in Arcadia Valley, even if his siblings are all finding love, leaving him the odd man out. When Micah delivers the cookies Serena ordered for an event at her pottery studio, the attraction between them is hard to deny. But so are their differences.
Having been a fan when he was younger, Micah knows all about Serena’s bad-girl history. So how can he trust the feelings that grow between them? And if Hollywood comes calling, will Serena be content to stay?
I had a lot of fun writing Serena. I generally tend to stick with characters who might live next door to me. You know, the average, everyday kind of person. And that’s really what Serena is trying to be. She just happens to have run away from Hollywood to try to do it. Even with her background, I think Serena ended up being a fairly down-to-earth gal, and Micah is just the right guy for her. She just has to convince him of that.
To whet your appetite a little, here’s an excerpt:
“Oh, thank goodness. I wasn’t sure you’d actually get here in time. Bring them this way.”
Micah stood rooted to the front step as the woman with fiery red hair disappeared into the house. Questions zipped through his mind, but there was no point asking them. She was gone. Hefting the two paper shopping bags full of cookies, muffins, and bread, he tentatively stepped into the foyer and followed down the hall in her wake.
That hair. Where did red like that come from? It was like liquid flame spilling down to her shoulders.
He gave himself a firm mental shake and stepped into a large, two-story living area. The two outside walls were floor to ceiling windows and sunlight spilled over the space, highlighting the gleaming mission-style furniture and brightly colored ceramic pots scattered around the room.
“In here. Look, I’m running behind. Can you put them on these platters?”
Micah spun. An enormous kitchen sprawled across the back of the room, separated from where he stood by an island with six stools pulled up to the overhang.
He cleared his throat. “Ms. Johnson?”
“That’s me. Serena’s fine. Here are the platters, I really need to hurry. My guests are going to be here in fifteen minutes.”
“We don’t really…” Micah stopped and sighed. She’d disappeared again. Fine. He could throw cookies onto trays. But Malachi was getting a piece of his mind when he got back to the bakery. Not only was her place so far north of town it was practically another country, but he wasn’t a caterer.
He lifted the bags to the counter and turned to the sink. He flipped the handle on the faucet and thrust his hands under the water. Soap. Was there…he spotted a ceramic bottle with a pump on the top. Worth a shot. A girly and floral aroma permeated the air as he scrubbed up a thick lather. Micah wrinkled his nose. Hopefully the scent of the cookies would get rid of that. The last thing he needed was to get back to the bakery smelling like a summer meadow. His brothers would never let him hear the end of it.
Hands clean, he pulled the boxes of cookies and muffins from the larger bags and started arranging them on the two platters. He made a circle of muffins in the center and surrounded them with cookies. If the woman—Serena—wanted them separated, she should’ve stuck around. Or done it herself. Delivery didn’t mean set up.
She clipped back into the room on mile high heels. “That looks great. Thanks. Ever made cucumber sandwiches?”
“Do I look like an eighty year-old British woman?” He heard the testiness in his voice but honestly, he’d fulfilled his duties when he brought her the order. He had work he should be getting back to. And fine, there weren’t many customers on a Saturday, but he’d just started a new space opera on his e-reader.
Serena’s grin flashed and her gaze flicked from his head to his toes. Something glinted in her eyes. Appreciation? Couldn’t be. Women didn’t ogle that obviously. Did they?
“Not really. Then again, cucumber sandwiches aren’t that limited in audience.” She checked the slim gold watch on her wrist. “Look. I could use a hand. All you have to do is spread cream cheese. Okay?”
Micah lifted a shoulder. “Why not?”
“That’s the spirit.” She smacked a kiss to his cheek, pointed to a long, oval platter, and gestured vaguely toward the fridge before floating out of the room. “Be right back. Stuff’s in the fridge.”
Micah shook his head. He ought to leave. Just walk back out the front door, get in his car, and head back to the book that was waiting for him by the cash register. Except…he could hear Jonah’s chiding voice in his head. A big order like this one—without even a flinch at the extra charge they’d added for last-minute prep and delivery? Serena Johnson was the kind of customer they needed to keep happy so she’d think of them again when she had…whatever kind of party this was.
Cookies & Candlelight is available for pre-order on all e-book platforms and will release on Tuesday, September 12th. You can find your preferred version on the Arcadia Valley Romance website.
Cookies are part of what brings Micah and Serena together. It starts with maracons, but there are snickerdoodles in there, too. Both are favorites of mine. What’s your favorite kind of cookie?
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, looks like another fun story coming soon:) and the macarons look tempting! My husband and kids make great ANZAC biscuits as well as choc chip and pistachio biscuits, yum! Here, we say biscuits (or bickies to abbreviate:)
Blessings:)
Hi Elizabeth, enjoy reading your Arcadia Valley Romance Baxter Family Bakery series. Yes, most bakeries are A Slice of Heaven. As a teen I work in a bakery and savored their coconut macaroons. My favorite cookie is Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies. Half the family enjoys those and the other half enjoys Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. Snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies are also tasty treats. Mmmm- Cookies and Candlelight is preordered and anxiously awaited by this reader. Thanks for the tasty topic.
Thanks for sharing a great excerpt! I will definitely have to check on this one!
Hi Wemble. ANZAC bickies are delicious. Love learning about Australian culture.
Thanks for sharing the excerpt! Sounds really good!
One of my daughters loves macaroons and makes a pretty decent one. Another daughter loves snickerdoodles. The other two in the house will eat any and every cookie ;)
Great excerpt, Elizabeth! Chocolate chip cookies have always been my favorite to eat and bake. :)
Cookies? Bakery? You’ve got me hooked! :-) My favorite kind of cookie is chocolate chip. I prefer using milk chocolate chips instead of bittersweet! Your story sounds wonderful! Looking forward to reading it!
Another chocolate chip fan here. They’ve always been my favorite!
Ooh… pistachio sounds delightful. :)
My boys enjoy helping me make the Quaker Oats cookies. And Toll House chocolate chip. They’re definitely favorites around here.
Thanks for pre-ordering! I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks, Jenny!
Thanks, MH.
My dad’s favorites are snickerdoodles. They’re fun to make, too.
Thanks, Jill. They’re a classic for a reason. :)
Thanks, Cecelia. :) I’ll often mix different chocolates in my cookies as well – the variety keeps it interesting.
Chocolate chip is definitely a winner any time of day :)
Looks like a great story! And probably one you cannot read on an empty stomach!
Fun scene. My favorite are definitely chocolate chip but honestly I’m usually just as happy to eat the dough as the baked cookies.
I definitely don’t recommend reading it when your sweet tooth is hungry. Unless you have a cookie nearby. :)
I’m so glad someone mentioned cookie dough. Yum!
I just finished writing a Christmas novel, so the cookies on my mind are cinnamon swirls, peppermint mocha pretzels, and gingerbread men. But I could get in line for some snickerdoodles!!!
You all, this is a fantastic story!!! #luckybetareader
Valerie Comer! Will the recipes for your cookies, especially the cinnamon swirls be in an upcoming book. Would love to make them for my family. Also love baking gingerbread men.
Hmm. I hadn’t planned to, but there’s an idea! I just double checked my website and, while the recipes for mocha peppermint pretzels (which are pretzel-shaped cookies, not actual pretzels) and gingerbread men are there, I’ve never posted the cinnamon swirls recipe. Will have to remedy that!
Ooo, great excerpt. I have already preordered the book, and am really looking forward to reading it.
Love the line, “Do I look like an 80 year old British woman?” I’ve got the book pre-ordered.
And snickerdoodles are pretty high on my list. I rarely make them because I eat too many of them. The ones I make most often are oatmeal chocolate chip, peanut butter, and persimmon (we have our own persimmon tree).
I love gingerbread men. We just bought a box of ginger snaps at Ikea. They lasted maybe three days. (And it was a big box.)
Thanks, Tammy!
That line still makes me snicker. But I actually like cucumber sandwiches, too, so they’re not just for the octogenarians. :)
We have a lot of snickerdoodle fans!
Oh Elizabeth,
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Snickerdoodle cookies! They are my favorite, but I will say, I don’t think there’s a cookie out there that I don’t like.
Elizabeth, sounds like a fun story. Chocolate chip are my favorite with oatmeal raisin coming in a close second.
I am hard pressed to pass a cookie myself :)
Thanks, Merrillee! Those are both so yummy. :)
Snickerdoodles are amazing! But I think my favorite is White chocolate macadamia nut cookies!
Looking forward to it!
I love buttery shortbread cookies, fresh out of the oven! And with a cup of hot coffee.
What a fun set up to the story! I’m not too picky when it comes to my cookies, but I do love a good peanut butter cookie, or a no bake cookie which combines chocolate and peanut butter?
Ooh…I love macadamia nuts in cookies — yum!
Thanks!
Oh. Yeah. I really want a cookie and some coffee now!
Thanks! You know, I’ve never had a no bake cookie. I’m going to have to look those up!
I really like chocolate chip and peanutbutter cookies. I like almost any cookie, especially if it has chocolate. A friend just visited and brought chocolate chip cookies with her for us?!!
I’ve been patiently waiting for this book. I saw the pre-order was up sometime last week. Now I just need to wait a few more days. I still think it’s not fair that Jonah met his match first and he’s going to be the last one to have a happy ending. I’m just too curious to see what you’re going to do to explain why they’ve been “together” but not really during all this time.
Thanks Valerie! Will check ou your website!
Yay for friends with cookies! I do love peanut butter cookies too :)
Oh poor Jonah. You’ll get a little insight to his plight in Cookies :)
Malachi is definitely a favorite since book 1, then I got to see a bit of Jonah in book 2, and I just didn’t get enough of Micah in books 1 and 2 to wonder anything about him.. I like the back cover though.
Micah is a pretty steady guy and has been happy to stay in the background until now. I think you’ll find that he’s worth reading about in Cookies :)
Love oatmeal/raisin….picked some up at the deli today! Can’t wait to read your new book!
Yum. And thanks!
i enjoyed the excerpt. It sounds like a great book. My favorite cookies are peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip. I like to make them and vary the kind of chocolate chips.
Favorite cookies would be Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. The excerpt of the book sound wonderful. Can’t wait for it to come out.
Thanks, Pam! Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip is new to me and wow…they sound yummy.
Yum! And thanks :)
oatmeal
Always a good choice!
One of my favorite cookies is peanut butter cup cookies. I’m excited to read this new book soon!
Peanut butter is my favorite cookie! Or I’ll take chocolate chip and put peanut butter on it…lol! Homemade is best of course :-)
This looks like a GREAT book! Funfetti cookies are my favorite.
Those sound amazing. I need them in my life.
You are not alone in loving PB! But I have never thought to put PB on a chocolate chip cookie!
Thanks! Are those cake mix cookies? I have a friend who makes cake mix cookies all the time and they are delicious.
Hi Elizabeth, I second Wemble and Renate on the ANZAC biscuits – they’re a favourite of mine and fun to bake. Congrats on your latest release! :)
I make mine from scratch, but I’ve been wanting to try making them from a cake mix.
Reading the posts make me hungry for cookies !!!