Going Back to Rescue Me

Posted on October 29, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

I’ll tell you a funny story. Authors are told they should give away a reader magnet, or a “cookie” as it’s sometimes called, to encourage readers to sign up for their newsletters. I didn’t start a newsletter for many years into my publishing adventure, but when I started this pen name, I wanted to do things the “right” way, and decided to start a newsletter and give away a free book to get readers to sign up. I wanted to give away a novella, but, as I found out, no matter how hard I tried, I can’t write short.

I have never been able to, not with all the horrible backstories that I give my characters, and I wrote My Biggest Mistake, Rescue Me, and Faking Forever, trying to write something on the shorter side that I could give away. In the end, I just accepted it and decided to give away the shortest of those books–My Biggest Mistake–which you can find on the subscribe page of this website. That’s why I have so many standalones in my backlist (besides the fact that I just like writing them). Rescue Me was supposed to be short enough for a reader magnet, but as with all my characters, Sam and Lily didn’t care what I wanted.

I published Rescue Me on September 29th, 2022, and I re-edited it last year. I’ve always liked the cover, and even though he’s been used many times on other romance book covers, I was so happy when I found the model that I chose for Sam. He fits Sam perfectly, and luckily, that man’s been around the block! He had many many many poses to choose from and I was able to redo the cover using the same model. I love that! The cover will have the same author name and title, but a different background, model pose, and title font treatment.

I can’t believe it’s been four years since I published Sam and Lily’s story, and they deserve some attention. My birthday is next month (November 28th), so look here soon for the new cover reveal and a little thank you for being the fabulous readers that you are! In the meantime, here’s the old cover and a very small peek at what the new cover will look like!

A side-by-side graphic announcing an upcoming cover redesign for Rescue Me by VM Rheault. On the left, the current cover features a handsome, silver-haired man in a black suit adjusting his tie against a textured teal background, with the title in large white lettering. On the right, the new cover is deliberately blurred to conceal its design. Both covers appear against a black patterned background, with white script headings reading “Current Cover” and “New Cover Coming Soon!” — If you like *Rescue Me*‘s current cover and haven’t purchased the book yet, do it soon!
It will be going away in the next couple of weeks.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGT13LPR/

I hope you all are having a wonderful fall, and if you celebrate Halloween, stay safe out there!

Chat soon! 🎃 🍂

Vania

Introducing Jesse and Jordan from Bitter Love

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

Romantic illustration of a dark-haired couple kissing, surrounded by soft pink, peach, and gold watercolor florals. Script text reads, “Introducing... Jesse & Jordan.”

Last year I wrote a standalone novel. That’s not a surprise as I have written many, but up until then, I had concentrated on billionaire romance, and I was very happy with the plots that had plopped into my head. But plot bunnies can be wily little creatures, and Jesse and Jordan started wiggling into my thoughts. Jesse’s not a billionaire, and I never wanted him to be one, though he does well for himself as a wildlife photographer. I wanted to write a story where he comes back to his small hometown and reconnects with his ex-girlfriend. He and Jordan broke up on high school graduation night and he never forgot her. Jordan stayed in their little town of Bitter Creek, Minnesota (I loosely based their fictional town off of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, about thirty-five minutes from where I live in Moorhead), and she didn’t think Jesse would ever come back. Of course, she has a huge secret about their relationship that will make Jesse explode when he finds out, but that’s the fun of writing a second chance romance.

Bitter Love is different for me under this pen name, but under Vania Rheault, I wrote a small-town series, A Rocky Point Wedding, and the third book in that series is second chance. I really like writing second chance and letting the characters reminisce about how happy they once were and what messed them up.

But, going back to small-town sent me on a detour I didn’t expect and I had to revamp what my author brand had turned into over the years. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it inspired a new logo and tagline, and it’s a start to other romance subgenres I want to write like hockey and mafia down the road.

Bitter Love has a publishing date of January 26th, 2027, but I’ll be giving it away for a couple of days first–so subscribe to this blog or bookmark my website for future announcements! Those copies won’t be ARCs, though honest reviews are always welcome and appreciated. I wanted to do something different with this book, and for the first time since I started my pen name, it may have a couple on it! I say may because change is hard and I might change my mind and go back to a handsome single man at the last minute. So don’t quote me on anything!

I hope you tag along on the ride to Bitter Creek, Minnesota! Jesse and Jordan and their friends and family would love to see you there!

Stay tuned!

Vania

A Rainy Day and Some Book News! 🌧️ 📚

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

I’ve been pretty quiet for the past few weeks, depending on where you’ve been looking for me. Last week I went to Florida with my sister and daughter and had a great time! We flew into Orlando and went to Epcot, then we drove through Alligator Alley and found a hotel room in Naples where we spent some time on the beach. After that, we finished our vacation in Key West, swimming and lying on the beach. I only burnt myself a little bit, which was a miracle because I love the sun and the heat! We drove by Ernest Hemingway’s house, but because we were either going to or from the beach, we didn’t have time to stop in and look around (and my daughter and sister wouldn’t have been interested in that anyway). Getting back to Orlando was a long and tedious drive, and when we flew into Fargo, North Dakota, on Tuesday, we were all ready to go home, sleep in our own beds, and not talk to anyone for approximately 457 days.

Here are some of the pictures I took on the trip!

beach shoreline with blue sky and brown sand — The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West

We came back to some cooler weather, grey clouds, and drizzle, but fall is my favorite season and I don’t mind a bit! Today is going to be perfect for all the laundry I have to get done and cleaning out my email, which for some reason has 457 new messages in it. Funny how that works!

But, I’ve been busy with book stuff too, and before I left, I finished Cold Mercy, the second book in my hockey duet. Those will be released sometime late next year, hopefully around the start of the 2027-2028 hockey season, but we’ll see how that goes. While I was sitting in a hotel room in Naples, I decided to release Bitter Love on January 26th, 2027, so for the rest of this year I’ll be getting that ready to go. I’m really excited to get back to Jesse and Jordan! Bitter Love is a small-town, second chance standalone novel I wrote in 2025 that I’m only now getting ready to publish because I published Wicked Games in May of this year and wrote my Black Ice hockey duet first. So I’m more than ready to revisit Bitter Creek, Minnesota, and give Jesse and Jordan their happily ever after! Subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss out on the cover reveal, blurb reveal, and a chance to download it for free before it goes up on Amazon–though it will be available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and paperback like my books always are.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with Reels on Instagram, and if you like that kind of content, you can follow me over there! I’ve been doing better with posting regular graphics, too, and of course, since Christmas is right around the corner, I’ll be hyping up my Christmas novel, A Heartache for Christmas, and I know you don’t want to miss that! You can follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/vaniamargenerheault/

That’s about all I have for right now. It will be nice to settle back into my regular routine of work, getting Bitter Love ready for publication, and occasionally settling in to watch something. Last night I watched The Love Hypothesis on Prime, and it was cute. It had some laugh-out-loud parts, so I would recommend it if you have two hours to spare and don’t know what to watch.

I hope you all have a great weekend ahead!

My Cedar Hill Duet is FREE for a limited time!

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

Promotional graphic for the Cedar Hill duet by V.M. Rheault. Against a smoky gray background with delicate floral line art, the covers of Captivated by Her and Addicted to Her are displayed at an angle. White text reads, "FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!" and "JULY 24–28," indicating both romantic suspense novels are free during the promotional period.

Hi everyone! I hope you are having an amazing summer so far! ☀️

I wanted to celebrate my Cedar Hill duet’s beautiful new look, but I also wanted to say ✨thank you!✨

Your support over the years has meant more than you know, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by making both books FREE through July 28!

Whether you’ve been meaning to read the duet, recommend them to a friend, or if you just want the new covers, now is the perfect time to visit Cedar Hill!

If you enjoy:

❤️ Romantic suspense
🛟 Protective heroes
🔍 Twists and mystery
💕 Emotional happily-ever-afters

…I hope you’ll give Rick and Devyn and Beau and Talia a try.

📚 Download both books free through July 28!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1PV65WD

Talk to you soon!

Vania

Wicked Games is on Goodreads!

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

Promo graphic for Wicked Games by VM Rheault featuring the cover on a Kindle and paperback against a moody, foggy road background. text reads, wicked games is now on goodreads

So, here’s a funny little story. When I set up my pen name, I decided to not use periods after my initials. I’m not sure why. Maybe I just liked how it looked without them? No matter what I was thinking, I had no idea what kind of annoying inconvenience it would create whenever I published. Because on Goodreads, all official author profiles need to have the periods after an author’s initials whether they publish with them or not. So when my books port over from Amazon to Goodreads, they land on a fake profile that doesn’t have periods after my initials. This profile can’t exist (and honestly, I have no idea why), so every time I publish, once my book ends up on that “fake” profile, I have to contact support and have it moved to my official profile.

It’s just an annoying thing I have to remember to take care of every time I publish because readers have a difficult time finding my new books if they’re not on the profile with all the others. If I would have known what a hassle publishing without periods would cause, I think I would have just used periods. Live and learn.

The good news is, I did remember to check after I put Wicked Games on preorder, and after contacting support, it’s now where it should be! That means, you can:

* Mark it as currently reading if you grabbed an ARC
* Leave a review if you read an ARC
* Add it to your TBR list if you’re waiting for it to become live on Amazon (May 15th!!)

Doing any or all of the above is so appreciated because it helps readers find the books they love to read! ♥️

If you want to find it on Goodreads, look here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251402490-wicked-games

If you want to preorder it, look here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX2WSDTW

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Vania

Cedar Hill has a new look!

Posted on April 25, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

Surprise! My Cedar Hill Duet has a brand new look!

Graphic featuring the updated Cedar Hill duet covers. Captivated by Her appears on the left with a lighthouse and stormy sky background. Addicted to Her appears on the right with a city skyline background. Center text reads: “NEW LOOK!” on a light panel against a dark floral backdrop.

I recently refreshed the covers for Captivated by Her and Addicted to Her and I’m so happy with how they turned out! These stories are so close to my heart since they were the first books I published when I started my pen name, and it felt like the perfect time to give them covers that better reflect the characters and the world inside the books.

The insides also got a light polish to reflect the changes on the outside, so if you’ve read them before, nothing has changed except some cleanup edits and polishing. If you’re new to Cedar Hill, now is a great time to meet Rick and Devyn and Beau and Talia!

I want to do something special to celebrate, so watch this space for updates!

Thank you all who have read them and supported me! I appreciate all of you! ☺️

You can find both books now on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1PV65WD

Hello Spring! What I’ve been working on.

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Vania Margene Rheault

Hello, hello! 🌸

It’s the first day of spring, and here in my part of Minnesota, it actually feels like it. We don’t have much snow left, and everything looks a little… dull right now. Brown grass, all the garbage the snow was hiding suddenly in plain sight, mud everywhere—it’s kind of a gloomy vibe, especially on cloudy days.

But the weather is warming up, the sun will dry everything out, and pretty soon the trees will start getting their leaves again.

I like fall best, but there’s something about a new season that feels like a fresh start. You just never know what life has in store.

I should be getting my final proof of WICKED GAMES today! 👀 I made a few small tweaks to the formatting (including a blog post and an interview!) and adjusted the cover just a bit. Once everything looks good, I’ll be ordering paperback ARC copies. 📚

I’m really excited about that since it’s something I’ve never done before. I’ll still offer ebooks like I usually do, but sending out a few paperback ARCs feels like something special. I’m so proud of how this book turned out, and I can’t wait for you all to see it.

While I’ve been waiting, I’ve been re-editing my Cedar Hill Duet. I love those characters so much, and they deserve this glow-up. New edits, new covers… yep. They deserve it.

And of course, I have a new story rattling around in my brain. Beckett and Sloane won’t leave me alone—in the best way possible. I teased their story a while back (like… last year 😅), so it’ll be nice to finally “skate” into the world of hockey. 🏒

Have a great first day of spring, and keep an eye out for WICKED GAMES ARCs soon! ♥️

Free Romance Alert: His Frozen Heart!

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

Hey friends! 🎄 I hope you survived the Christmas craziness and that you’re able to relax this weekend!

Just a quick heads-up—His Frozen Heart (A Rocky Point Wedding, Book 1) is FREE on Kindle today, December 27th, and tomorrow, December 28th.

If you’re looking for a steamy little escape in a small Minnesota town where everyone knows your business and the temperatures will give you frostbite, this is the perfect time to grab it. Four books in the completed series will keep you turning pages well into the new year! 📚✨

snowy woods background. book cover of HIs Frozen Heart. Text reads:
Mitch has given up on love . . . until he meets her. Burned in a horrific accident, he never believed he could find a woman who would see past his scars.

Callie hides a dangerous secret, and when their relationship turns too hot to handle, she'll have to decide if Mitch is worth getting burned.

All the books in the series are available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback and you can find them here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D91D7RZ

We had a lovely Christmas, and I hope you did too. Everyone got a little something they wanted, and we bought Pim a set of catnip-filled mice. We ended up having to take all the garland off the tree because she was eating it like spaghetti, but luckily we caught her in enough time she didn’t get sick. We’ll have to remember for next year to keep our decorations to a minimum.

tuxedo cat lying on the floor with a yellow mouse

Happy New Year! I hope you all have an amazing 2026! 🎉 🥳 🎆

Vania

End of Summer Update (and a Goodreads Giveaway)

Posted on August 31, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

Happy Labor Day Weekend!! I have no idea where the summer went, but I can’t lie. I’m looking forward to some cooler weather. I didn’t get done nearly as much as I wanted to, but that’s okay. I’ve been pretty busy with book stuff even if it doesn’t feel like I’ve made much progress. I’ve actually been polishing up a couple of my older books, and if you’re in the mood for a happily ever after that has fall vibes, Rescue Me might just be what you’re looking for. It’s available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback. https://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Me-Billionaire-Standalone-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BGT13LPR

graphic of male model faded in the background with Rescue Me book cover on top. the text reads:

a one night stand saved my life...but can i save hers?

If you missed the chance to snag an ARC of Loss and Damages and want to try your luck, I have it listed on Goodreads. The giveaway ends September 14th and there are 100 Kindle copies available. To enter, you can do it here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/419642-loss-and-damages

If you’re not interested in entering the giveaway but would like to pre-order it or add it to your wishlist, the Amazon link is here: https://www.amazon.com/Loss-Damages-VM-Rheault-ebook/dp/B0FKFH8QT9

Since I’ve been working on getting Loss and Damages ready to go and dusting off some of my older titles, that means I’m really itching to start writing again. I can’t wait to start working on a new book, and that’s what I’ll be doing for the rest of the year. I’m excited because that means I’ll have two books out next year–Wicked Games, a small town romantic suspense, and Bitter Love, a small town second chance. Both are standalones, something I’ve been enjoying writing lately.

So, bookmark this website or sign up to the blog for cover reveals, ARC signups, and more!

Enjoy the holiday!

Vania

VM Rheault

billionaire romance, small-town love, and everything in between

Tag Archives: Contemporary romance books

Cedar Hill has a new look!

Free Romance Alert: His Frozen Heart!