Hello, Readers!
Every month, a group of women in the little fictional town of Abundance, Missouri, gets together at the home of Abby Redmond to share conversation and a yummy dessert.
The group is small today, with only three friends in attendance—Tess, Becky, and Abby. (You may know them as the heroines of my books Love at Sunset Lake, Love and Harmony, and Love and Roses.)
This month, because of COVID, they’re meeting virtually, but through the magic of InspyRomance technology, we have a transcript of their meeting. Let’s check it out!
Becky: Tess, you’re muted.
(pause)
Tess: Whoops! Okay, that’s fixed. Hi, Becky. Where’s Abby?
Becky: Late, I guess.
(another pause)
Abby: I’m here!
Becky: About time! You are the hostess of this meeting, after all.
Abby: Sorry, I was getting my dessert. I know it’s a virtual meeting, but we said it’s important for us each to bring our own chocolate treat.
Tess: Very important! What kind of dessert are you having, Abby?
Abby: Chocolate pound cake. What about you?
Tess: Triple chocolate cheesecake with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.
Becky: Aaargh. Tess, that is so unfair. You always have amazing desserts just lying around at your house.
Tess: Well, I am pastry chef, after all. What did you bring, Becky?
Becky: I was getting lesson plans ready for school tomorrow, and I didn’t really have time to fix anything. I found some peanut M&M’s in a little Tupperware in the bottom of my book bag.
Tess: Now I feel bad. Do you want me to run some cheesecake over to your house?
Becky: No, I hate to ask that. You live all the way out of town at Sunset Lake. Besides, Seth says he’s bringing me home chocolate cream pie from the diner.
Abby: Then you have nothing to complain about, Becky. Seth is such a good husband.
Becky: True! I did marry well. (Laughter.) And the way the two of us got together, well, it was just so romantic. We have to have the sweetest love story of all the couples in Abundance.
Tess: Hmmm. I don’t know about that. Remember how when Jack and I first met, I was sort of responsible for him falling in Sunset Lake?
Abby: I remember. I heard all about it from Jack. He said the water was freezing.
Tess: I should have known he was a big softy under that gruff exterior. The whole reason he was out on the lake was to protect a nesting box so the ducklings would hatch. What could be sweeter than a man with a soft spot for ducklings?
Abby: Well, that is nice, but I think my romance with Nate was the sweetest because it was so unexpected. I mean I never dreamed, after Eric died, that I’d fall in love again. I had my hands full, running my antique shop and raising Emma. Here comes this big-city lawyer, someone who refers to Missouri as “flyover country” and questions whether I’m a good mother, moving in as my neighbor. I don’t normally get mad—
Becky: No, normally, you’re the nicest person in town.
Abby: Oh, hush. But anyway, Nate made me furious. I would never have imagined I’d marry again, certainly not him!
Becky: And that right there is why Seth and I have the sweetest love story of all of us. Because I did think I’d marry him. I was sixteen, and he was my first kiss. But then I didn’t see him again until I was thirty-two. How perfect that he moved to Abundance, and my happily-ever-after came true! Could anything be sweeter?
Tess: Well…
Readers, I don’t think any of these women is going to budge an inch. They each think their love story is the sweetest, most romantic ever. The only thing they agree on is the importance of love and chocolate treats!
I’ve got a way, though, that you can decide for yourself which of their love stories is the sweetest. I’ve put all three of their books on a special promotion—I call it my Triple Treat Kindle Sale!
Today only get Tess’s story, Love at Sunset Lake, FREE! Get Becky’s story, Love and Harmony, for 99c! and get Abby’s story, Love and Roses, for 99c as well!
All three books, as well as more of the Abundance series, is available in Kindle Unlimited.
If you’ve read all three of these books, I’d love to know which one was your favorite. And if you haven’t read them all yet, let me know your favorite chocolate treat!
Sally Bayless writes contemporary Christian romance that features compelling characters, real-world problems, and uplifting endings filled with the power of love. She lives in the beautiful hills of Appalachian Ohio and has two grown children. When not working on her next book, she enjoys reading, watching BBC television with her husband, doing Bible studies, kayaking, and shopping for cute shoes. For updates on her writing and a free insider’s guide to her books, subscribe to her newsletter by clicking the newsletter icon below or visiting http://bit.ly/NewsfromSally.
I have added to my list.
I do love a hot chocolate in winter.
Yum!!! Hope you enjoy my books!
My favourite chocolate treats is anything with dark chocolate. Brownies in particular are my favorite.
I’ve hadn’t read your books yet, but they will definitely on my tbr list!
Oh, Marilene, you can tell brownies are high on my list. They’re mentioned in most of my books, lol! Hope you enjoy my stories!
My favorite chocolate treat is fresh chocolate covered raspberries. Love these book covers.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing! Wow! That sounds amazing! And thank you–I love what my cover designer creates. She is so talented!
Brownies are my favorite chocolate treat!
Hi Ellie! You can tell I love them too since I have my characters eat them so often! It’s 9 a.m. here, possibly too early for a brownie, but I wish I had some in the house! Thanks for stopping by!
My favorite chocolate treat is anything chocolate, lol! I loved all their stories and they are each unique in their own way😂 I can’t chose just one!
Paula Marie, you’re too sweet! Thank you! I’m trying hard to think of anything chocolate I’ve ever eaten that I didn’t like. Hmmm. May have to ponder a while…
More data points may be required. :P
Excellent point, Lincoln!
More great books to be added to my TBR list, they sound like great reads and the book covers are Beautiful! Have a Great weekend and stay safe.
Thanks, Alicia! I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!
I have at least one in my TBR stack! My favorite chocolate dessert is hard to come up with! A Snickers bar, chocolate chip cookies, or a brownie would be good! Actually, I’ll be baking chocolate chip cookies later today!
Hi Trudy! Oooh, I haven’t had a Snickers bar in years. Yum! This blog post may lead to some chocolate chip cookies at our house too. I mean, I bought the chocolate chips last weekend. It seems wrong not to bake cookies with them! :)
Mmmm I’m particularly fond of chocolate and peanut butter together. And I will ALWAYS pass on chocolate/orange combos. I love them both. Separately.
You’ve got great taste, Valerie! Chocolate and orange is rather low on my list as well. In a pinch, though, if no other chocolate was available, I would eat it! I’m just noble that way. :D
My favorite chocolate treat is a triple chocolate cake at my favorite restaurant. So good!
That sounds fabulous! Have a great weekend, Megan!
That was fun! And according to my Kindle, I already own those three. I just need to find the time to read them, ha.
As for my favorite chocolate treat, that’s a hard one. After all, I love anything chocolate. Off the top of my head, I’ll go with either my grandma’s chocolate oatmeal cookies or my mom’s chocolate cake :)
Hi Priscila! Both of those sound wonderful! Hope you find time for some chocolate and a book soon!
Thank you for the story! I love chocolate – any kind!
You are very welcome, Natalya! Hope you have a great weekend!
I haven’t read these books but I now own the first two. I like anything with dark chocolate and nuts.
Mmmmmm! Dark chocolate with nuts! Delicious! Hope you enjoy the books, Lori!
Thank you for sharing I Love brownies they are so yummy!
You really can never go wrong with brownies! Hope you have a great weekend, Sarah!
chocolate brownies are my favorite
Yum! You have good taste, Denise! :)
This was making me laugh, I love the interactions!
Thanks, Angeline! I’m so glad you liked it!
Sally, I am just touched, nay, overwhelmed by your commitment and altruistic sense of nobility where chocolate is concerned. It can be a rough job but some hardy soul must do it. I’m honored to know you.
I’ve read all three of the books and I think I was drawn most to Tess’ story. Not sure why. Probably because the conflicts in the other two were harder for me to enjoy as just part of the story.
My favorite chocolate treat, hmmm. It has to be chewy (though peanut M&Ms are strong contenders) and not totally on the dark chocolate end of the spectrum. Brownies, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate Rice Krispy treats come to mind. My mom had a truly decadent recipe that she reserved for the holidays. They were Mississippi Mud brownies. A firm but chewy brownie base with chopped walnuts and a bit of shredded coconut in the batter. Then, while still warm from the oven, spread chocolate icing and Marshmallow Fluff on top and let the two toppings swirl together. Garnish with walnut halves spaced to be at the center of the individual servings. Big hit at my cousins’ Christmas gathering!
Lincoln, I can tell that you, too, are a noble soul when it comes to chocolate! :)
I really appreciate your viewpoint on the stories. I, too, especially like Tess’s story, but I think it’s because of Earl Ray. He’s one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed giving him a part in the next book in the series.
Those Mississippi Mud Brownies sound amazing. I’ve never had them with coconut and marshmallows added. Wow! And I never knew there were chocolate Rice Krispy treats. I will have to look up that recipe!
Thanks for stopping by!
I haven’t read any of these stories, but it looks like I have book #1 and #3 and can borrow the rest from KU. I’m putting these on my TBR :-)
I’m not a big chocolate fan, but I’d have to agree with Becky and say peanut M&M’s or peanut butter M&M’s are among my favorite. Peanut butter is more my style, I go crazy over just about anything peanut butter, lol! I do like a good handmade chocolate like a truffle though from a shop that makes their own chocolate and other candies. So if I eat chocolate, I want it to be the good kind.
Oh, and I do make chocolate cheesecake each year for my husband because that’s his favorite. He’s more the chocolate fan!
Hi Trixi! A handmade truffle sounds fabulous! What we call “living large” at our house! If you’re going to splurge, why not have the best?! :)
Hope you enjoy the stories!
I’ve read all three and think each one is special for its own reason. I don’t think I could choose a favorite out of them.
Melynda, your comment makes my day! Thank you!
They all sound like fabulous books. You had me at chocolate. God bless you. Thank you for sharing your talent and your time.
Ah, Debra, I love your comment “you had me at chocolate!” Thank you so much for stopping by! I love getting a chance to chat with readers!