Author Update | Last Day of March!

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

Today is the last day of March! Which means here in Minnesota it could start warming up or we’ll have another blizzard in two weeks. Hard to tell, but the days are getting longer, and the sun is shining right now.

As for what I’ve got going on, the last book in my King’s Crossing series, SHATTERED DREAMS, will be available on April 14th, and I know lots of you are waiting for it! This is also a gentle reminder that if you picked up the ARCs for this series and haven’t left a review, now would be great time! Reviews help readers find books they enjoy, so please leave yours, even if you didn’t like it! What you may not have liked someone else could love, so don’t be afraid to share your thoughts!

Books 1, 2, and 3 are still on sale, so if you were wanting to buy them, now is the time. I don’t know when I’ll change the prices, if ever, because I know how expensive it can be to commit to a long series like that, but as always, they’re available in Kindle Unlimited, too. You can take a look at all the books here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX7SFGB5

In other news, I’m almost done writing WICKED GAMES! I’ve been sharing excerpts here and there on my Facebook author page, and I constantly look at the cover (yes, it’s already done!) for inspiration. Once it’s finished, I’ll set it aside to breathe and focus on getting LOSS AND DAMAGES, a standalone billionaire novel, ready to go. ARCs will be available this summer!

I have lots happening, so be sure you follow this blog to stay in the know!

Don’t forget since you’re here, you can download a free book, MY BIGGEST MISTAKE. It’s a full-length ugly duckling billionaire novel I give away for free to say thank you for supporting my work! I appreciate all of you! https://BookHip.com/CMSVSNK

Have a good Monday, everyone, and here’s to a bright and sunny April!

Throwback Thursday: My Cedar Hill Duet

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

Today is #ThrowbackThursday and I wanted to give you a glimpse of my first books that I published when I decided to write under my initials.

I grew up reading Nora Roberts, a fact that I’ve shared on this page before, so I was very familiar with her writing. I also grew up reading lots of Harlequin Desires and Temptations, Susan Mallery, Robin Carr, and Jennifer Crusie. (Bet Me is still one of my most favorite books ever! https://www.amazon.com/Bet-Me-Jennifer…/dp/B000FC1A8O ) As a reader, you don’t really think about what point of view or tense books are written in, you just pick up books based on if you’re read the author before, if you like the cover and blurb, or off a friend’s/family member’s recommendation.

That changes when you decide to write your own books, and not only that, what the market wants. I started writing in third person past because that’s what I grew up reading and that’s what a lot of my writer friends who are around my age also say. But, if you read as much as you write, you begin to notice a shift in what’s being published and not only that, but what’s 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳. Because as a writer, not only do you want to write “the book of your heart” you want people to want to read it.

So while I loved writing in third person, in 2020 I decided to start writing first person present, as that’s what a lot of romance authors were writing.

I went around and around for a while because writing third person and first person is different and I didn’t know if I would be good at it. I started small, a short story that I actually give away as an easter egg, and then I felt comfortable enough to write a book. That book was actually the first book of my King’s Crossing series, 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒆, but that series wasn’t the first I published.

During the pandemic I wrote quite a few books then went back and edited them to publish.

Writing 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑯𝒆𝒓 was fun. I did a lot of research on constructions sites, trying to figure out a way that would hurt Rick to the point he would never be the same but that wouldn’t actually kill him. I also wanted to add a mystery to his accident, one that Devyn, a reporter he meets during a blizzard, has the tenacity to solve.

It was supposed to be a standalone, but that never works out well for me, and it turned into a duet and the second book features Rick’s business partner Beau and Devyn’s sister Talia. 𝑨𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑯𝒆𝒓 has a fun easter egg inside it no one has found, at least, as far a I can tell. But I’m still proud of myself for thinking of it and it makes a great way to use that short story because I wouldn’t have had a use for it otherwise.

So this Throwback Thursday I’m featuring my Cedar Hill Duet, the first books I published when I changed to writing first person present.

If you want to read them, they are available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback.

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

Are you ready for more Gage and Zarah?

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

This year has been going by so fast. I can’t believe it’s March already and that means that book five of my King’s Crossing series, Shattered Hearts, is up on Amazon! I’ve been getting such great feedback about this series, and that makes me so happy. Here’s what some people are saying about book five and the series so far:

Shattered Hearts is an intense, emotional, and suspenseful romance that takes readers on a gripping journey of love, trauma, and resilience. Gage and Zarah’s story is raw and deeply moving, packed with twists, secrets, and a love strong enough to withstand even the darkest past.

Gage and Zarah. Zarah tries to confront her fears and past with Gages help and she knows shes slipping and walks away believing shes giving Gage a better life without her broken soul. But she continues to look into her past and Gage continues to look into the sanatarium. But she comes to some conclusions about Gage and her. To get the real experience of a twists and turns, suspensful, intriguing, wicked bad read with how deep the lies, betrayal, deciet and secrets run you have to start with Zane and Stella’s story. There you are introduced to the charecters that shap this story. OMG such a great series. This reveals complex charecters and if you want a none stop page turning suspensful romantic thriller then I recommend this series.

If you want to grab book five or are wanting to start at the beginning of the series, you can look here at the series link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX7SFGB5 All my books are available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback.

six book covers of king's crossing series. books 1-5 are available now. book six is available april 14, 2025. black back ground

GIVEAWAY NEWS!

I drew two names for my Rocky Point series giveaway and the winners have been notified. Thank you all for your interest in that series! If you entered and didn’t win, stay tuned for more giveaways to come this year. I’m slowly ordering copies of my King’s Crossing series and will do a paperback giveaway of those this spring. Whitelist this newsletter or bookmark my website because I will keep you up to date on that.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THIS MONTH

While celebrating the launch of Shattered Hearts, I’m continuing to write Wicked Games, a billionaire standalone novel that will be out next year. While I’m writing that, Loss and Damages is waiting in the wings for my attention. It’s been so nice to work on a standalone novel after working on my King’s Crossing series and re-launching my Rocky Point Wedding series. That was a lot of work, and it’s been great to be able to jump into a project that’s a little easier. 2025 is going well, what with my KC series launching and working on new things. I’ve been posting more on my Facebook Author page, so if you like content like that, you can follow me over there, too. https://www.facebook.com/VRheault

That’s about all I have for right now. Remember My Biggest Mistake is a free full-length standalone novel and you can find it on my subscribe page or by clicking on this direct link. It’s not available anywhere else.

https://BookHip.com/CMSVSNK

book cover on a kindle device. my biggest mistake text reads:

the day i hurt you is the day i threw away what could have been the best ten years of my life. it's my biggest mistake.

grab your copy today

Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

My Rocky Point Wedding Series Giveaway is finally ready!

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

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!

https://forms.gle/DBHZ3n6HVz7kPUbL9

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/

My favorite book cover

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

People ask me what my favorite book cover is, and it’s really difficult to answer. It took me a years of practice and learning how to use Canva, but I make my own covers now, and every cover I make, I’m proud of.

As you can imagine, it can be difficult finding the right model to depict what you imagine your characters to be like. I don’t use AI, so I can’t special order a model, so this means it takes hours, sometimes days, of scrolling through stock photos, not only to find the right model, but also to make sure I can work with him because I’m not a graphic designer and my skills only go so far.

I think my favorite covers right now are for my Rockstar trilogy.

I needed three guys who looked like rockstars, but who were also wearing clothes. Ad platforms like Amazon Ads won’t run your ad if they think they violate their guidelines, which means a lot time, no skin. Of course when you think of a rockstar, you think of rock-hard abs, tattoos, and tight leather pants, but I didn’t want to take a chance using models with their shirts hanging open. I was relieved when I found the models I did and could make them work with the stage background I picked out.

The font was suggested by someone in a cover feedback Facebook group for a different book I had written, and though I didn’t use it then, it was perfect for these. As an creative, it’s satisfying when something comes together without too much effort. Then you know you’ve landed on the perfect combination.

My Rockstars are my best-selling books to date, and I will always be grateful the plot to Shep’s story landed in my lap. Adding Eddie’s and Brock’s stories was a no-brainer, but didn’t occur to me until I was almost done writing Shep and Olivia. I love these guys, and sometimes I go back to read just for fun.

If you like damaged rockstars, give Shep, Eddie, and Brock a try. They’re available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and a lovely Paperback option.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDQJ28SB

three book covers. three men, one dressed in white shirt, one dressed in brown leather jacket one dressed in denim shirt. stage background with microphone

book titles, twisted alibis, twisted lullabies, twisted lies

My January Recap

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

couple looking outside a balcony window while embracing. text says in script, bye bye january

♥︎♥︎♥︎JANUARY RECAP♥︎♥︎♥︎

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!

I Could Have Timed that Better…

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

The presidential inauguration is bringing out a lot of feelings today, so saying I could have timed the release of Shattered Fate is probably an understatement. When I was scheduling the release of the books in my King’s Crossing series, I wasn’t paying attention to anything but the dates, and I think that might have been a mistake.

In general, releasing books during an election year is always like playing Russian Roulette. You just never know what you’re gonna get. For some, it’s just another year, and for others, well. Since you’re reading this, you probably know I’m a liberal, believing everyone should have equal freedoms. I’m a supporter of gay rights, trans rights, women’s rights. I support all people, no matter the color of their skin, and I try to make my author space safe for everyone. I’m white and grew up without a lot of exposure to other cultures and ethnicities, so I know sometimes I fail. When I know I fail, I try to do better.

These next four years aren’t going to be safe for a lot of people, and today, we feel that. And if you don’t feel that, I hope you never do.

With all that being said, the fourth book in my King’s Crossing series is out today. In their own way, Gage, Zarah, Zane, and Stella fight their own kinds of evil, desperately trying to untangle themselves from a web of lies, deceit, and murder. There’s danger lurking around every corner, and Zarah doesn’t know who she can trust…until she meets Gage.

This is book four of a six book series. I hope you’ve been enjoying the story so far, and if you haven’t started yet, please remember to begin with book one. This series is more of a serial and you need to read them in order.

Maybe I chose a good day to release a book after all. Fight for what you need. Fight for others and what they need. My characters fight for themselves, but in doing so, save a lot of other people too weak to defend themselves.

Shattered Fate is available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback.

https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Fate-Kings-Crossing-Book-ebook/dp/B0DH5C6VTR

book cover of shattered fate. handsome man wearing grey coat with a city background

This is also a gentle reminder that if you grabbed an arc of this book, or any of the others that have been released, it’s a great time to leave a review! I appreciate your time!

Have a great week!

Happy New Year 2025!

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Vania Margene Rheault

Happy New Year! I hope you had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve and that you plan to sit around, rest, maybe read a good book, and take it easy before the new year swings into gear. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? Any goals? Let me know!

Things here are good! Books 1-3 of my King’s Crossing Series are out, and the reviews are wonderful. I know you all are waiting for the rest, and book 4 will be out January 20th. Right now I’m just finishing up edits on an old series, and I plan to announce the re-launch and offer a giveaway of the paperbacks here.

I didn’t do much for New Year’s Eve. My sister came over for dinner and we played video games with my daughter. We took the Christmas tree down and went for a walk through the city park close to my apartment (and checked the food for a stray cat I’ve been feeding). Kind of chill, but I like bringing in the New Year like that. I think it sets the tone for the rest of the year. My phrase for this year is, “Be still and know,” and I like it because I feel like the last four years have gone by in such a frenzy of writing and health issues that I just need to calm down and breathe. I want to go back to appreciating the little things and not worry so much about getting things done right now. There’s time to read books I didn’t write and go for walks and watch TV and just rest. But, that doesn’t mean the books will stop. I’m going to start editing the next book that will come out after my King’s Crossing series is done releasing, so subscribe to the blog and I’ll keep you updated on Loss and Damages, a Billionaire standalone that will be on preorder hopefully by the end of March for a September release.

As always, if you haven’t picked up My Biggest Mistake, it’s still free with no strings . . . though it would be cool if you would subscribe or bookmark my website so you can check back for news about new releases and giveaways. I’m going to have a busy 2025, so I hope you come along for the ride!

You can grab Brady and Allie here: https://BookHip.com/CMSVSNK

Happy New Year, everyone!

VM Rheault

Contemporary Romance Author

Category Archives: reader update