Keep Calm and Read On by Sarah Raplee

Hi! I'm Sarah Raplee. I write romantic paranormal and steampunk short stories as well as paranormal romantic suspense novels. The books I'm recommending are books that I would love to take to a cabin hideaway and read all over again.

The first is a contemporary romance novella by Tammy J. Palmer, her debut, COUSIN Q: OFF LIMITS. This book had me at the first line! Ms. Palmer surprised me, made me laugh, and touched my heart deeply. I can't wait to read her next book.

My next recommendation is a cozy mystery by Paty Jager. It's the first of her Shandra Higheagle Mysteries, DOUBLE DUPLICITY, set in a small Idaho mountain town full of interesting characters. Shandra, raised by her white mother, is a young artist who struggles to come to terms with her Native American heritage and the ghost of her grandmother who haunts her dreams. 

When an art dealer is murdered, Shandra finds the body and meets a cop who becomes her love interest. Her dreams help them solve the murder. I thoroughly enjoyed this fresh cozy mystery and am about to read the second book in the series.

For those of you who enjoy Women's Fiction (can you tell I'm an eclectic reader?), I highly recommend Judith Ashley's Sacred Women's Circle Series. Each book recounts the story of one of the seven women who, with the love and support of her Circle Sisters, finds her way to fulfillment and romantic love. 

The first book, LILY-THE DRAGON AND THE GREAT HORNED OWL, finds a distrustful formerly-abused divorcee, now a dedicated social worker, facing an empty nest when her son decides to spend his senior year living with his father. Now she must face her loneliness, find a way to overcome past trauma and learn to trust and love again. This is a lovely, gentle, thoughtful story that illustrates the spiritual connection the women have to the Goddess, the earth, nature and each other.

My final recommendation is Diana McCollum's debut novella, THE WITCH WITH THE TRIDENT TATTOO. I read this fun paranormal romance as Diana's critique partner, and I plan to read the story again when she releases it in June. It's the first in her Coastal Coven Series. The young sea witch who is Guardian of the East Coast of North America must solve the mystery of what is killing off sea life in her domain. Known to the town as a marine biologist, she recruits a surly sea captain and an enchanted talking octopus to help her in her quest.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I will (the second time around!)

I write because I can't help it, and it's more fun than most of the alternatives. I have short stories in two anthologies, LOVE & MAGICK and GIFTS FROM THE HEART  from Windtree Press, available in print and ebook from all major online retailers. My Paranormal Romantic Suspense novel, BLINDSIGHT, will be released this summer. Here's a sneak peek at the cover!