Getting to know Annie Rains and Carly Bloom
This fall, Annie Rains and Carly Bloom are making their Forever debuts with Christmas on Mistletoe Lane and Big Bad Cowboy. While these romances couldn’t be more different, at the heart of each is a entrepreneurial heroine working her tail off to make a splash in her industry and a hero facing an unexpected fresh start full of surprises.
To celebrate, we’ve asked Annie and Carly about their new books, what TV is distracting them lately, and what romances they are recommending. Enjoy!
Meet Annie Rains
Annie is the author of Sweetwater Springs series, which features an adorable and quirky small town in North Carolina. The series kicks off with Christmas on Mistletoe Lane. Kaitlyn has left her life in the big city to claim her inheritance from her grandmother: a bed and breakfast. She’s surprised to learn that her grandmother has left half of the B&B to Mitch, a family friend and former Marine. Together, they have two months to make the inn a success. Filled with memorable guests, great pop culture references, and favorite end-of-the-year celebrations, you’ll be ready to pack up to visit Sweetwater Springs ASAP.
What are three words to describe Christmas on Mistletoe Lane.
Heartfelt. Christmas. Hope.
What do you like most about your heroine?
Kaitlyn Russo is such an optimist in the face of challenging situations. She’s determined to make the best of the situation she’s been given and she puts her all into what she’s doing. She’s sweet-natured and creative.
If you could pick a theme song for Kaitlyn and Mitch, what would it be?
Rascal Flatts’s Bless the Broken Road! I heard this song while I was writing the book and it represented both my heroine and my hero’s stories so perfectly. Mitch’s backstory even takes place on a bending mountain road! Once I found this song, I listened to it constantly while writing.
If you could be best friends with one person in your book, who would it be?
I’d befriend the heroine, Kaitlyn Russo! I admire her so much and I’d love to go hang out at the Sweetwater Bed and Breakfast, have a cup of coffee, and maybe help with the decorating. Kaitlyn and her best friend Josie are suckers for watching old romantic comedies. I’d love to join them for that too!
Last TV show you binged?
We love to binge watch shows on Netflix and Hulu. The last one we watched was The Handmaid’s Tale. I’m anxiously awaiting the next season!
A romance you are recommending to everyone?
Kristan Higgins’s If You Only Knew. I l adored this book and was sorry when I got to the last page. I didn’t want it to end! It’s the perfect blend of romance and women’s fiction. I laughed and cried while reading this book, which makes it an auto-recommend for me!
Christmas is coming to the North Carolina mountains, and the air is fresh and crisp and filled with promise. After the devastating loss of her job in the big city, the small town of Sweetwater Springs feels like heaven to Kaitlyn Russo. She's inherited her grandparents' charming (if a little rundown) bed and breakfast, and it's just the new lease on life she needs. Only "heaven" comes with a catch - and a handsome and completely infuriating one at that.
After what he hopes will be a quick trip, Mitch Hargrove wants nothing more than to put his hometown in the rearview mirror. But his plans get derailed when he learns he's now half-owner of the Sweetwater B&B. The fact that he's given only two months to make the inn a success is a huge problem, but it's his pretty - and incredibly headstrong - partner who's the real challenge. With the holiday fast approaching and a grand re-opening looming, will Mitch keep running from the ghosts of Christmas past . . . or will he realize the true gift he's been given?
Includes the bonus short story "A Midnight Clear" by Hope Ramsay!
What readers are saying about Christmas on Mistletoe Lane...
"This book was exactly what I needed to kick off the holiday season."
"A holiday story full of second chances, romance and magic...It's got all the feels-and a fabulous holiday message."
"I truly enjoyed this fun holiday read."
"This book needs to be made into a Hallmark Christmas movie!"
Meet Carly Bloom
Carly Bloom is the author of the Once Upon a Time in Texas series. Right in time for Halloween, Carly introduces us to Maggie and Travis. They are two people in desperate need for a little fun and find it with each other at a costume party. They don’t think they’ll ever see each other again… until Travis realizes his landscaping business competition is the Little Red Riding Hood to his Big Bad Wolf. With lively supporting characters including Travis’s young nephew and lots of humor, Big Bad Cowboy will pair perfectly with your apple cider.
What are three words to describe your Big Bad Cowboy?
Steamy, funny, and sweet.
What do you like most about your heroine?
She stands up for herself. She knows her worth and won’t let anybody diminish it. That doesn’t mean she’s full of confidence where men are concerned though. Especially since she’s considered a pal and a buddy by most of them.
What will surprise readers about your cowboy?
Ha! Well, Travis is described as an alpha male, but he can only pull it off when he’s wearing an actual dog/wolf mask. But then he really pulls it off. And takes it off. And well, gets off. At least one reader was surprised to learn he wears glasses. He’s pretty adorable.
If you could be best friends with one person in your book, who would it be?
JD Mayes! HANDS DOWN. And I bet everyone who reads the book will agree with me.
Last TV show you binged?
Does snoring lightly (like a sweet, fluffy kitten) while your husband man-crushes on John Krasinski count? If so, I’ve recently binged on Jack Ryan. Other than that, I might have watched all twenty billion seasons of Project Runway while trying to ignore a deadline. I’m not saying I have. I’m saying I might have. And my future binge plans include a total re-watch (and a re-read because I’m hardcore like that) of Outlander.
A romance you are recommending to everyone?
You mean that in the plural sense, right? I’m loving Alison Bliss’s Perfect Fit series. I also highly recommend True-Blue Cowboy by Sara Richardson. (I’m pretty sure her cowboys know my cowboys.) And because I have a soft spot for rock stars (soft spot means “the hots”), I just laughed my way through Pippa Grant’s Rockaway Bride. Oh! And Kristan Higgins’ Good Luck With That.
One of Publishers Weekly's Best Romances of 2018! After one too many heartbreaks, Travis Blake hung up his cowboy hat and put Big Verde, Texas, behind him. But when he gets the call that his young nephew needs him, he knows he has to return home. His plan is to sell the family ranch and hightail it back to Austin, but there's a small problem: the one person who stands in his way is the one person he can't resist. Maggie is pretty sure she hates Travis Blake. He's irritating, he's destroying her business, and . . . and he's just so frickin' attractive. But when they're forced to work together, Maggie discovers that the Most Annoying Man in the World is more than he seems. He's sweet with his nephew, he helps out in the community, and he makes her heart flutter. Maggie doesn't want to risk everything on a man who wants to leave, but what if she can convince this wayward cowboy to stay? "Big Bad Cowboy is sweet and sexy!" -- New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan What readers are saying about Big Bad Cowboy... "I fell in love with this book...if you have a soft spot for dirty talking, alpha, sexy cowboys, then [Travis] is your guy." "With its original storyline and the intense chemistry between the hero and heroine, I am one happy reader." "Big Bad Cowboy is an amazingly good book." "Big Bad Cowboy is a delightful western romance that is impressive on all fronts." "Serious, funny, sexy, and just the right amount of angst."