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!
I always enjoy hearing about new books, so I thought I’d share a few that have caught my eye lately. Whether you’re planning a beach day, relaxing on the patio, or hiding indoors with the air conditioning running, here are a few new releases and upcoming books from authors I’ve enjoyed and am excited to support.
Melody Loomis has been working hard on her Storm Series novels, and she just released her fifth one! If you love contemporary romance featuring natural disasters, this series is for you!
When temperatures rise, tensions flare…
Never trust a Ford—that’s what Dallas Jones was raised to believe. For decades, the Jones and Ford families have been sworn enemies, and Dallas has no intention of letting his guard down. The family ranch, their legacy, everything they’ve worked for—it’s up to him and his brother to protect it. The last thing he expects is Kenneth Ford’s daughter at his door…and the attraction to her catching him completely off guard.
Alison Ford has always had a crush on Dallas, even if she knew it could never happen. Their families’ feud complicates everything, and Dallas has never even noticed her. But when her job as an HVAC tech sends her to his ranch during a brutal heat wave, Alison finally gets to know the man she’s admired for years. The spark between them is impossible to ignore.
Dallas knows his family would never approve of him getting close to Alison. Still, she doesn’t feel like the enemy he was raised to expect. But when the Fords sabotage a business deal, suspicion gnaws at him. Dallas can’t help wondering if Alison might have had a hand in it. Already in too deep, the thought of Alison betraying him hurts worse than he imagined.
As the land grows dangerously dry, fire threatens the ranch, and mistrust threatens his heart. Dallas must decide what matters more—holding onto old grudges, or risking it all for the woman who might finally make him believe that not all Fords are the enemy.
I’m excited to read Heat Wave, but I think I’ll wait until it cools off a little bit. Here in Minnesota, we’ve been going through our own heat wave, with temperatures in the nineties every single day for the past week. But it’s definitely at the top of my TBR!
Another book I’m excited about is my friend Jennie’s paranormal romance! She’s been teasing us with blurbs and snippets all summer. August 25th can’t come soon enough!
She aches to belong somewhere, and he’s determined to forget his past. Stuck in a cabin whose dark end is approaching, they’re both in denial, and one of them has secrets. Smokies magic could save them. If only he would allow it.
When heartbroken Faye Livingstone escapes to the Smokies, she hopes to reignite her long-lost creativity and the magic she hasn’t felt in years, but she isn’t prepared for the deficit of it in her beloved cabin or for sparks to fly when reuniting with the boy she once called her hero, now the cold company exec who owns Smoking Bear Lodge, and the man against preserving it.
In denial that magic ever existed here, Ty Woodlock is trapped, and he’s determined to remain hardened, even while his childhood friend thaws his heart. As they share their souls and their art, he finds himself letting go of lifelong bitterness, but it’s only a matter of time before she learns about his company’s deal to demolish the only place either of them ever called home.
Time is running out as darkness spreads, stealing what magic remains, and when unveiling family secrets, they discover that an ancient treaty must be honored, or they’ll lose more than just the haunted cabin. With death at their doorstep, will they be able to listen to their hearts once and for all and save the mountainside?
The last book I’m thrilled to feature is a “sweet” contemporary romance by DM Simmons! 🧁 I’ve had my eye on this book for a long time and I can’t wait to read it! It will be the perfect novel to dive into after all my beach reads!
Tess never expected Brady Hawk to walk back into her life.
Once Thornbrook’s golden boy—and her best friend—Brady is now an NFL star sidelined by a shoulder injury and fighting career-threatening rumors. When the media frenzy spins out of control, his agent has the perfect solution: a fake relationship to change the narrative.
Brady needs someone he can trust. The only problem? The only person he wants is the one whose heart he broke. For Tess, agreeing to play the part should be easy. Let Brady hang out at her bakery and flash a few convincing smiles. Then he can go back to his life and Tess, hers.
But when old memories that refuse to stay buried, and a chemistry that never truly disappeared, pretending becomes harder than either of them expected. As the lines between fake and real begin to blur, Tess and Brady discover the greatest risk isn’t the cameras, the rumors, or the headlines—it’s losing each other for a second time.
I hope something here piques your interest! I know I’m looking forward to reading them!
As for me and what I’ve been doing . . . I’ve been busy writing Cold Mercy, the second book in my hockey duet. These characters have so much to say, the book is practically writing itself, which is lovely! Other than that, we’ve been having fabulous weather for Minnesota. Hot and sunny, it’s just what I need before the freezing winter sets in.
In bookish news, I’ve set up my free days for my Cedar Hill Duet (Captivated by Her and Addicted to Her) and I’ll be announcing that soon in a separate post. They’ll be free on Kindle and as always, they’re available in Kindle Unlimited and Paperback. I recently redid the covers, and I’m really happy with how they turned out! Set a reminder to check back next week!
Next month, Rescue Me will be included in a huge book blast, but I’ll remind you as the date comes nearer. We have a little while yet, but I’m excited to give Sam and Lily some love! So get ready to stuff your ereaders! You’ll have lots to choose from to get you to the end of the year! 📚 ♥️
That’s all from me today. I hope you’re having a relaxing and sunny weekend! ☀️🌸
Talk soon!
Vania
PS: None of the links posted here are affiliate links and the graphics were made without the use of AI. Thanks!
I can’t believe we’re already heading into the Fourth of July weekend. 🎉 🎆 ☀️ Summer always seems to go by faster than I want, even when I’m trying to slow down and enjoy it.
As for what I’ve been working on, I’ve spent most of May and all of June working on Frozen Assets, my hockey romance featuring Beckett and Sloane. I’m happy to say that the ending is in sight! If everything works out, I’ll be writing THE END sometime this week. 🎉
I’ve really enjoyed spending time in their hockey world, and all the research I’ve done for the past year has paid off. Beckett and Sloane have been living in my head since last summer, and now that Frozen Assets is almost finished, I’m already looking ahead to Cold Mercy, which is about Celina, who is Sloane’s sister, and Trevor, who is Beckett’s good friend. Those two have made it very clear they aren’t going to wait long for their turn.
I almost forgot to mention that earlier I teased giving away Captivated by HerandAddicted to Her to celebrate their new covers and the glow up I gave them on the inside. I still want to do that, so check back here for an announcement after the holiday!
Besides that, summer has been filled with the usual mix of work, family, errands, and trying to enjoy the nice weather whenever Minnesota decides to cooperate.
I hope you’re having a wonderful summer so far. If you’re celebrating this week, have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
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! ♥️
I’ve been a little quiet in my part of the world, not even posting on social media (yikes!) and I thought I’d check in and let you all know what I’ve been working on.
The release date for Wicked Games is getting closer and I’m so excited! I want to share the cover, but I have to pace myself, so I’ll do that in a month or so. Also, I’ll be getting ARCs ready to go as well. Wicked Games is a billionaire, small-town, romantic suspense with no third-act breakup. It’s a standalone, but it’s a little longer like most of my standalones are. Unfortunately, I won’t be putting it up on Booksprout like I have in the past, so if you’ve downloaded my ARCs from there before, watch this space or my Facebook Author page for access to those advanced review copies.
I can’t keep all the details all to myself though, and maybe you can find the hints in this graphic. Can you tell where this story takes place?
I’ve also been going back and dusting off my old Cedar Hill duet. Those were the first books I published under my initials when I started my pen name, and it’s been so fun to read those over again. I’m also giving them new covers, better ones that match the stories. I’m not sure the dates those will be re-released, but I will let you know!
Besides that, it’s cold, and spring can’t come soon enough! Pim is doing well. She’s been with us for eight months, but it seems like she’s always been a part of our family. I love that she likes to sit on my lap in the mornings while I edit and drink coffee. She’s a little menace who gets lonely, but luckily there’s always someone home.
That’s all I have for this month. I hope you all are having a great start to the New Year!
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
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
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!
I am so happy to say that I finally got all my copies of my Rocky Point Wedding Series and I can host my giveaway!
I’m giving away two signed paperback copies of the series, and I will ship to the US and Canada. If you enter but live elsewhere, I’ll happily email you PDFs of the series.
These books are a little older, written in 3rd person, and they’re small-town holiday romances with a few open-door sexy scenes in each book. I published them back in 2020, but since then I have re-edited them and gave them fresh covers. If you want to read the blurbs before you enter, you can find them on my books page here: https://vmrheault.com/books/books-as-vania-rheault/
To enter, fill out this Google Form, and I will draw two names on March 1st. I asked if you want to be added to this newsletter as this blog post and giveaway link will go out to more than just my subscribers, but if your answer no, it won’t affect your chances of winning.
Thank you for being a reader, and I wish you good luck!
PS: If you want to see me in person, I recorded a video where I talk about the giveaway and my plans for this year. I posted it on my FB author page, and you can see it here. https://fb.watch/xR-b0mxLKA/
Everyone is saying that January went by so slowly but I can’t believe it’s the last day of the month. If you had New Year’s Resolutions, how have they been working out so far?
January was a busy time for me, though it feels like I didn’t get much done. I’ve been editing the next book I’m going to release in September, LOSS AND DAMAGES, but mostly I’ve just been giving myself some down time after editing and launching my King’s Crossing series and revamping an old series, A Rocky Point Wedding. (Don’t ask me how many times I’ve watched Twisters!)
I’ve also been trying to catch a missing cat in our neighborhood. I see him in a park close to my apartment, and I’ve been leaving food out at a shelter under a picnic table. When I go check, sometimes it’s gone and sometimes it’s not. I don’t know who is eating it when it’s gone, but I always fill the bowl. He won’t come to me, darting off whenever he sees me, but I haven’t given up hope that one day he’ll let me catch him.
♥︎♥︎♥︎WHAT’S NEXT♥︎♥︎♥︎
February is going to be a busy month. I’m going to finish the editing pass I’m doing on LOSS AND DAMAGES and start writing WICKED GAMES, a billionaire romantic suspense standalone novel. I have a tentative release date of January 2026. That’s thinking a little too far ahead, but I like having my ducks in a row and having something to look forward to. Having a goal and a plan is what keeps me going and gives me motivation to keep opening my laptop.
It’s nice working on standalones as they aren’t so stressful to put together. When I write a series, I think of it as one long story and handling that many words takes a lot of time and effort. I love it, though, and my next project after WICKED GAMES is a four-book series. I already have two books written that I wrote during the pandemic, but I haven’t looked at them for a long time so I know they’ll need some work. Hopefully after releasing two standalones I’ll be up to the task. After that is anyone’s guess what I’ll be doing, but that is WAY too far ahead to be thinking about right now.
Also in February I’ll finally be able to hold my giveaway…so stay tuned for that.
♥︎♥︎♥︎KING’S CROSSING UPDATE♥︎♥︎♥︎
Four of the six books are out now, and I’ve been getting awesome feedback! Thank you all to everyone who has supported me during the release. They’re books I’m very proud of, and I’m so happy readers are enjoying them! There are still two more books to go, book 4 in March and the last in April! If you’re looking for something to read while waiting for the weather to brighten up and get warm, you can start here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX7SFGB5
That’s all my news for right now! I hope you all had an amazing start to 2025. Keep in touch!
October has been a busy month for me! I’m almost done editing the third book (of four) in a series I released a really long time ago. It’s been a bit foreign to read them–there’s not one rich guy in the bunch! But I remember how much I adore small town romance and if you like small town holiday series, I will definitely let you know when the edits are live and are available. I’m thinking of doing something with them for Christmas, so stay tuned for that.
Book Two, Cruel Hearts, will release this month on the 28th. The first three are specially priced during the preorder time period. The first you can still buy for .99, the second is on preorder and will be available after it’s live for 1.99, and the third one is on preorder and will be available after it’s live on December 9th for 2.99. I know buying a long series can get expensive so I wanted to put them on sale for a bit. You can find books 1-6 here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX7SFGB5
Things here are good and as always, I’m looking ahead. After I revise that old series, I’m going to jump back into my pen name and start working on a standalone book that will be released after my King’s Crossing series is out. We’re talking pretty far into next year now, but it makes me excited for things to come. I’ve decided to table another standalone for now and work on a series that I started during COVID. I have the first two books done, but decisions will need to be made as to how long that series will be. Zane, Stella, Gage, and Zarah kind of wiped me out, and I don’t know if I’m up to tackling another big project like that. We’ll have see how I feel after the New Year. I think four books in a series is a pretty good size, but authors aren’t usually in control of that. We’ll see what the characters say.
I went for a walk the other day, crunching through the leaves. It’s my favorite time of year, and it’s nice to walk in the evening, the cool breeze blowing the scent of woodsmoke around. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the auroras, but I’m going to have to face facts that I’m just too tired at night and won’t be able to stay up late enough to see them.
That’s all I have for you this week. I’ll leave you with my reminder that my billionaire, ugly-duckling standalone is available to download, either here or from the subscribe page. I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think! I love Brady and Allie. They were really fun to write. Take care!
Fall is almost here, but you wouldn’t know it by the temperatures out there. Even as I’m writing this, it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Though the leaves may be turning, summer is hanging on. I’m not complaining about it–when it gets cold too fast, winter can feel like forever so it’s better to enjoy the sun while you can. I’ve been sitting on the balcony in the mornings, drinking coffee and feeding squirrels. They know who I am and that I have peanuts. They’re getting brave enough to crawl pretty close to me, and it’s one of the highlights of my day.
In more exciting news, Cruel Fate went live Monday! Well, Sunday night because of some odd timing Amazon has, but still, I am so happy to see this series slowly releasing out into the world. It’s $0.99 if you want to pick it up, and it’s available in Kindle Unlimited if you want to borrow it.
This is also a good time to say that if you read an ARC of it, you can leave your review! They are slowly trickling in, as you can see, and sometimes it takes a while for people to remember or find the time. I understand, and any review left is very much appreciated!
The others will be live on these dates and are all on preorder now:
Book two is on sale for $1.99 and book three is on sale for $2.99. The others are full price. I’m not sure how long they’ll be on sale, but I marked them down so it would be easier to buy the full series.
Right now I’m working on kind of a secret project, and I hope I have something to announce by November. It’s old, something that needs some attention, but after a shine, I hope that my readers will enjoy it.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!
