Henley on Sale Today!

 

For a limited time, my book Henley is on sale for just 99 cents!

Love is a gamble, and heartbreak is a risk she’s willing to take.

Despite her dreams to set down roots, Henley Jones has never had a place to call home. She’s spent her life on riverboats and railroad cars, tagging along with her gambling father. A shoot-out during a card game results in his death, leaving Henley alone and nearly penniless. Out of luck and options, Henley agrees to travel across the country to the newly established town of Holiday, Oregon, to marry a stranger.

A demanding practice in a town clawing its way to respectability keeps Doctor Evan Holt rushing at a hectic pace. He’s far too busy to see to pressing matters like hiring competent help or finding a wife. When one of his patients orders a mail-order bride, Evan can’t decide if the man is crazy or brilliant. From the moment he meets her, Evan battles an unreasonable attraction to the beautiful, charming woman who seems to be hiding something from her past.

In a town flush with possibilities, will taking a chance on love end with heartache or a winning hand? Find out in this sweet western romance full of humor, hope, and love.

~*~

I thought it might be fun to share some quotes from the book.

The West was overflowing with gamblers.

They gambled on their dreams, and hopes, and families.

They gambled on opportunities to create better lives, or become better versions of themselves.

Most importantly, they gambled in the high-stakes game of love,

putting their hearts on the line, with no idea if they’d win or lose.

~*~

The child was as cooperative as a drunken donkey in a dynamite shack.

~*~

I’m starting to think there are rocks and tree stumps

smarter than Evan Holt.

~*~

Love might be the toughest gamble you’ll make, but it’s worth the risk.

Order your copy of Henley today!

It’s available on Amazon in digital and paperback formats, and you can read it in Kindle Unlimited!

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

Fried Apples and Apple Harvest

The apples across the road from us are almost ready for harvest. The big wooden packing boxes have been hauled in and the color on the apples deepen by the day.  There is the promise of the glorious, spicy scent in the air that only happens in the autumn when the apples are ready to harvest.

I love apples and could happily eat one every day. 

My mom used to fry apples sometimes, and they were so, so yummy. 

Fried apples go back a long way into culinary history. 

During the Civil War, they were a favorite sweet side dish or dessert, cooked in cast iron and sweetened with honey, brown sugar, or molasses. 

My grandma, Southern born and raised, brought the recipe with her when she and my grandpa moved o the Pacific Northwest in the early1940s. She taught my mom to make it, and Mom taught me. 

When I make fried apples, it takes me back to happy days spent in the kitchen with the my mom when cinnamon lingered in the air, and fall settled like a cozy blanket over our farm.

 Fried apples are awesome as a dessert or side dish, and they are also tasty for breakfast.  They go great with pork or chicken dishes or anytime you want something delicious to add to the table. You can spoon them over vanilla ice cream, serve along side spice cake or just enjoy the spicy, caramel goodness all by itself. These are also really easy to make. Serve them warm, though. They just aren't the same when they get cold. 

 

Here are the simple ingredients. Plan on half an apple per person.

 

Slice and core your apple, leaving the peel on. You can do this while your butter is melting in the skillet. I like to use a cast iron skillet for the apples.

  

Once the butter is melted, add apples, cinnamon and sugar. 

Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally.

 

Cook until the apples are tender and the cinnamon, butter and sugar 

have created a beautiful caramel sauce on the apples.

 

Then enjoy! Just look at all that caramel-y deliciousness.

Fried Apples 

 1 apple 

 1 tbsp. butter 

 1 tsp. cinnamon 

 1/3 cup brown sugar 

 Wash apple then core and slice. I like medium-thick slices (about 1/3 inch). Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When melted, add apples, cinnamon and sugar. Stir until apples are coated. Cover and simmer until apples are tender (about 15 minutes) and the sauce is thick and makes you want to eat it with a spoon. Inhale the fragrant scent and enjoy!

Join me for the a celebration of autumn and sweet historical romances 

on September 22

on Facebook! 

The grand prize is a $100 Amazon Gift Card. 

Be sure to save the date and join in the fun!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2143576775865837

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences. 

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create historical and contemporary sweet romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength. 

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller. 

Follow her online at shannahatfield.com, on Facebook or BookBub.

Henley and the Love Train Series

 

My upcoming release Henley is part of the new Love Train series of sweet, historical western romances.

Ten authors are participating in this series. Each sweet romance features a heroine with a secret, and a common thread of riding on the same train with a conductor named Henry, a baggage handler named Willie, and Willie's adorable dog.

The books can be read in any order. Henley is book two in the series. Pam Crooks' Christiana released April 1. Henley releases tomorrow - April 15!

One thing that's fun about Henley is that the story is connected to my two Holiday (Oregon) series!

I first wrote about the fictional town of Holiday in a contemporary romance called Valentine Bride. At the time I wrote the story, I wasn’t very specific about the location, other than it was in Eastern Oregon and located a few hours from Pendleton, and a few hours from Boise, Idaho. As I wrote more books in the Holiday Brides series, I added more detail about the the town.

But it wasn’t until I landed on the idea of writing a multi-generational series set in Holiday with my Holiday Express series that I dialed in an exact location. If you were to look at a map of Oregon, you’d see Highway 203 that runs into the mountains between Union and Baker City. I picture Holiday being on that highway, located somewhere in the middle between the two towns.

The first book in the Holiday Brides series, Holiday Hope, ends with Jace Coleman marrying Cora Lee, a mail-order bride who came to marry his wayward brother in 1884.

Henley begins a few months later. By the time Henley Jones and Doctor Evan Holt step foot off the Holiday Express train into Holiday, it’s spring and love is definitely in the air.

I absolutely adore writing about the town of Holiday and the people who live there!

In this scene, Evan and Henley have just arrived in Holiday.

“Holiday, folks! Welcome to Holiday!” the conductor called as he strode through their car.

Evan quickly gathered his things and stood the moment the train came to a stop. Henley stuffed her purchases from Baker City into her bag, then took the hand Evan held out to her. He didn’t let go until she stood on the train platform, looking around with interest.

“We made it,” Evan said, taking a deep breath, then another. “That smells like home.”

Henley breathed in the fragrance of the trees that put her in mind of Christmas, along with the aroma of roasting meat in the air mingling with the odors produced by the train.

“Did Mr. Johnson plan to meet you here or at his store?” Evan questioned.

“The telegram I received just before I left indicated he’d meet me here. Do you see him?”

Evan appeared to scan the crowd, then shook his head. “No. I don’t. It will be easy enough to walk over to his store, though. Do you have many trunks?”

Henley pointed to the growing stack being unloaded from the baggage car.

Evan’s eyes widened; then he grinned at her. “Traveling light?”

The tension she’d been holding in her shoulders released, and she laughed, so grateful for Evan and his sense of humor. She had no idea what she’d do in a few very short moments when she had to bid him goodbye and step into her future with a man she may or may not even like.

Love is a gamble, and heartbreak is a risk she’s willing to take.

Despite her dreams to set down roots, Henley Jones has never had a place to call home. She’s spent her life on riverboats and railroad cars, tagging along with her gambling father. A shoot-out during a card game results in his death, leaving Henley alone and nearly penniless. Out of luck and options, Henley agrees to travel across the country to the newly established town of Holiday, Oregon to marry a stranger.

A demanding practice in a town clawing its way to respectability keeps Doctor Evan Holt rushing at a hectic pace. He’s far too busy to see to pressing matters like hiring competent help, or finding a wife. When one of his patients orders a mail-order bride, Evan can’t decide if the man is crazy or brilliant. From the moment he meets her, Evan battles an unreasonable attraction to the beautiful, charming woman who seems to be hiding something from her past.

In a town flush with possibilities, will taking a chance on love end with heartache or a winning hand? Find out in this sweet western romance full of the humor, hope, and love.

Henley is part of the Love Train sweet romance series and releases April 15. Look for more books set in Holiday in the heartwarming and wholesome Holiday Express and Holiday Brides series.

The book is only $2.99!

Connect with Shanna on her website at ShannaHatfield.com

or through social media.