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!

Mondays can be CRUEL!

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

Most people despise Mondays and I don’t blame them. The start of the work or school week, all we want to do is snuggle in bed and stay warm, especially in this weather. (Where I am in Minnesota, it’s currently 24 degrees! Brrr.)

But my Mondays are usually pretty good. I work through the weekends to have Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays off, and I’ve already done two loads of laundry, made two loaves of banana bread, and taken a shower and got ready for a day of editing. My son teases me for doing my hair and makeup to sit home, but I learned during lockdown if I don’t, I’ll feel like sludge, and that’s no good for my mental health.

So, in all that, I almost forgot that the conclusion to Zane and Stella’s story went live today! CRUEL DREAMS, book three in my King’s Crossing series, is available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback. Thank you to those who preordered it–I hope you enjoy their story.

If you were waiting for it, you can find it here at the sale price of $2.99 USD or in KU:

https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Dreams-Kings-Crossing-Book-ebook/dp/B0D14VSJHK

In other news, I’m still polishing up a series I published back in 2020, so I’ll be busy with that until the end of the year at least. I’ll be letting you know of some special re-release things I’m going to do for those. I’m proud of the series and it will shine with a new edit and updated covers.

I have quite a few plans for 2025, but I’ll get to those later. I still want to enjoy what’s left of the year, and I hope you all have a happy holiday season if you celebrate!

Take care and have a good week ahead!

The Last Day of October

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

Today marks the last day of October and begins the last two months of the year. While this time of year can be melancholy as we prepare to say goodbye to 2024, it can also be exciting, foreboding, exhilarating, and scary. This is also an election year, and depending on who wins, 2025 could be the start of something wonderful or throw us into the depths of despair. Unfortunately, I don’t see any other outcome and I’ll be doing my part on Election Day.

I have a lot to do in the next two months, tying up loose ends, finishing projects, and getting a head start on new things so I can begin 2025 on a positive note. It’s no secret that I haven’t felt well for a long time, and 2024 showed me there was light in the tunnel. Because of what I have and what I’m dealing with, I’ll never see the end of the tunnel, and that’s okay. I can think back to where I was at this time last year and I’m grateful for how far I’ve come and that I had the resources and support to get here.

I’m getting off work early tonight and my sister is coming over to carve pumpkins with my daughter and me. I’m throwing a lasagne in the oven and opening a bottle of wine. If you go out tonight, stay safe! We might go for a walk too, because I love being out at night. The world takes on a different feel in the dark and you can find a sense of magic in the wind rustling the leaves in the trees and the moon’s glow.

Cruel Fate and Cruel Hearts are getting good reviews, and I’m thankful for everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Cruel Dreams, the book that ends the first trilogy in the serial, will be out December 9th, and if you’d like to preorder it, you can find it here. When it releases, it will be available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D14VSJHK

As always, thank you for reading and subscribing to the blog. You can download a free copy of My Biggest Mistake, a full-length ugly duckling billionaire novel that’s not available anywhere else.

https://BookHip.com/CMSVSNK

Enjoy the Halloween holiday and stay safe!

Cruel Hearts is Live!

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

I’m excited to say that Cruel Hearts is live! Readers have been waiting for this book because the first one, Cruel Fate, ended on a huge cliffhanger. Cruel Hearts ends on a cliffhanger as well, but not as heart-stopping. Cruel Dreams will be available on December 9th, 2024.

Here’s an excerpt from Cruel Hearts:

The Crowne’s kitchen is fully operational, but because of the renovation, there isn’t a chef or staff on site. We’ll have to order our meals from nearby restaurants, and we’ll start tonight when we plan Stella’s death. I can’t think about it without feeling like there are worms wiggling around inside my stomach and I doubt I’ll want to eat anything, but Ash will never give up and it’s only a matter of time before he tries again and succeeds.

“This is nice,” Stella says, tilting her head to look through the windshield.

I turn the engine off and we sit in the quiet car. The sun beating against the glass will turn the interior into an oven, but I just need a few seconds. “You never cared, did you?”

She knows what I’m asking.

“I never did. I saw you and your sad brown eyes. I just wanted your pain to go away. You could have been the poorest man in the city, and I still would have loved you.” She traces her fingers over my cheek. The grooves her fingernails gouged into my skin have crusted over into thick scabs, and her touch lights my skin on fire. I should find some antibiotic cream. “I’m sorry about this.”

I lightly touch the space over her heart. “I’m sorry about this.” I turn my head, and my lips meet her palm.

She lets my lips linger, but I don’t dare hope.

We get out of the car.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DGM8V82R

graphic of Cruel Hearts. Cook cover appears to be on a Kindle Screen on black background with silver glitter

Cruel Hearts is available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback.

A gentle reminder that if you downloaded ARCs of Cruel Fate and Cruel Hearts, now is a great time to leave your reviews! I appreciate your time and I hope that you’ve been enjoying the series so far! Thank you!

Woodsmoke and Things to Come

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

She rubs her hand over my jaw, and I turn into her touch. I kiss her, and we stop talking.
I forget everything but how she makes me feel. Like I can do no wrong.
Like I’m the true king of King’s Crossing

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.

Cruel Fate‘s launch went well, and there’s still time to enter the Goodreads giveaway! Over 1200 people have entered so far. It ends on the 25th and you can enter here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_kindle_giveaway/397874-cruel-fate

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!

https://BookHip.com/CMSVSNK

Sweater Weather and a Goodreads Giveaway

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

Black male/female couple standing under autumn leaves smiling at each other

For the past four weeks, Minnesota has been blessed with some beautiful weather, and I’ve been enjoying it particularly since this time of year can be very rainy. The sunshine has definitely perked my spirits up, and I hope the weather in your area has been treating you well, too.

The past year and a half was nothing but getting my King’s Crossing series ready to publish. I ate, slept, and breathed those characters, in some way shape or form since 2020, and, more recently, working non-stop so they were ready to finally be released. That takes a lot of time and energy for an author, especially for such a big project like that, and you’d think that after I wrapped those up I would have taken a break. I did, for a little bit, a few days, maybe, but I’m not good at relaxing, I suppose, and decided to go back to 2018 when I published my small-town Christmas series and give them new wrapping and brand new bows. I’m redoing their covers and re-editing them, and I’m hoping I’ll have them ready for a fresh re-launch in December. I’ll keep you updated.

So that’s what I’ve been working on, and I’m not sure what I’ll do after that’s over. A real break is long overdue, but I like writing, so I’ll probably keep working on a standalone I have planned to release next summer after my King’s Crossing series is completely out. That will be a big change, but it will be welcome and I love the characters.

The last thing I wanted to tell you about is Cruel Fate, the first book in my King’s Crossing series, is up for grabs in a Goodreads giveaway! Over a thousand people have already entered, and I’m giving away 100 ebook copies! If you want to enter, even if you downloaded an ARC and want to help pump up my numbers, you can look here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_kindle_giveaway/397874-cruel-fate

I’m really awed and humbled so many people have shown interest in my series, and a sincere thank you to everyone who has made Cruel Fate‘s launch a success!

That’s all I have for today. I was a little heavy with the posts as my series launched, and I’ll ease up now. I’ll leave you with a picture of a squirrel eating a corncob on my balcony. I love feeding those little guys. They’re so cute!

grey squirrel sitting on my balcony eating corn

As always, if you haven’t read it yet, my billionaire, ugly-duckling standalone, My Biggest Mistake is free as a thank you for reading and (hopefully) signing up for the blog. You can find it on the subscribe page, or download it here: https://BookHip.com/CMSVSNK

Until next time!

Preorders and Pretty Things

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

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.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DGH2SPR6

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:

Cruel Hearts, Book Two, October 28th, 2024:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DGM8V82R

Cruel Dreams, Book Three, December 9th, 2024
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D14VSJHK

Shattered Fate, Book Four, January 20th, 2025
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DH5C6VTR

Shattered Hearts, Book Five, March 3rd, 2025
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DH8ZF8NM

Shattered Dreams, Book Six, April 14th, 2025
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DH9F6QX3

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!

Autumn Approaches: Grab Your ARCs Now!

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Vania Margene Rheault

The ARC period for the series is over and I have taken down the links. Please check the latest blog posts for updated release dates!

You know in that Richard Marx song Endless Summer Nights, when he sings, “Summer came and left without a warning…” I feel like that’s how this summer was… One second it was here, the next it was gone. (I know he was actually talking about a woman, but let’s pretend he was singing about the actual season for the purposes of this blog, LOL!)

If you want to listen to the song, here you go!

I enjoyed the summer months, for the first time a few years. I was feeling better and we actually had some 90 degree Fahrenheit days. I was able to lay out on my balcony and relax. It was nice. But fall has always been my favorite time of year, and though I’m mourning the sizzling pavement, the sun shining in my eyes, and sweat running down my back, I’m looking forward to crunching leaves, snuggling in sweaters, and sipping hot apple cider.

I’m also looking forward to the release of the first book in my King’s Crossing series, Cruel Fate. If things go well, I’ll have it on preorder by September 9th for a September 16th release day. But that means that my ARC links have to come down, so this is the first of two reminders I’ll post before that happens.

Here are the links:

Cruel Fate, Book One:

Cruel Hearts, Book Two:

Cruel Dreams, Book Three

Shattered Fate, Book Four

Shattered Hearts, Book Five

Shattered Dreams, Book Six

Download from Bookfunnel, subscribe to the blog for reminder emails and posts, and read at your leisure. I’ve gotten good feedback already, and I have a feeling this series is going to be something special. I hope it will. I put my whole heart into Zane and Stella and Gage and Zarah. Read the series and let me know if you love them too.

Thanks for your time, and I hope you enjoy!

VM Rheault

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

Category Archives: reader update

Mondays can be CRUEL!

Woodsmoke and Things to Come