Tag Archives: books

Introducing Jesse and Jordan from Bitter Love

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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! 🌧️ 📚

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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
beach shoreline with blue sky and brown sand
The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West
beach shoreline with blue sky and brown sand
The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West
ocean view at dusk in Naples. Blue sky, grey clouds that melt ito the bluish grey water
A beach in Naples, Florida, at dusk
sunset view through plane window. blue at the top, goes into ombre orange at the middle. brown land at the bottom.
The view out my plane window, Fargo, North Dakota


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!

Wicked Games is on Goodreads!

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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

Wicked Games Cover and Blurb Reveal!

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I love being an author! ♥️ 📚 I love when all the pieces of a book fit together just right.

When I first saw this cover, I knew deep in my bones that it was a perfect match to Seth and Avery’s story.

Set in a small Minnesota town near a lake, the background captures the moody setting where this story takes place.

Needless to say, I love it, and I hope you do too!

black background with grey weeds/lake/fog. picture Wicked Games' cover. text reads Cover Reveal! May 15th 2026

Seth
On a cold February afternoon, I lost my son at a ransom exchange gone wrong.
My wife left me a week later.
Every morning I wake up alone in a house filled with nothing but their memories, and most days I can barely get out of bed.
I need to get out of the city, and I go to a small Minnesota town to grieve and come to terms with my little boy’s death and the loss of my marriage.
There I meet Avery McKay, who’s in Lakehaven Falls for reasons of her own.
I’m not ready to fall in love, but I do anyway. In just a few short days, she becomes my lifeline—someone who understands my grief in a way that no one else ever could.
As we spend time together, Avery and I discover that my son’s kidnapping and her sister’s death are connected, and we realize the danger isn’t over. When I’m warned to stay away from her if I want to keep her alive, I do the only thing I can.
I walk away from the woman I love.

Avery
In a dark alley covered in snow and trash, my sister was murdered, and the police think it was a violent act of revenge.
Two months later, my husband left me for another woman.
I came to Lakehaven Falls to grieve and to figure out who I am now that I’m alone. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with a man who was as damaged as I am.
When the detective handling my sister’s case asks me to write a goodbye post on her gossip blog to draw out her killer, I stumble across a devastating secret that connects her to Seth’s family. The longer Seth and I look for answers, the more dangerous the truth becomes.
Someone will do anything to hide what they’ve done.
Loving Seth could cost me my life—but the last thing I’m going to do is let him walk away with my heart.

Wicked Games is a standalone billionaire romantic suspense with an HEA. It will be available on Kindle, in Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback May 15th, 2026.

ARCs to come!

Check here later for further details.

I hope you all are having great week!

Vania

Hello January! So Far, So Good

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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?

foggy lake in greys and blacks text reads: wicked games coming may 15th 2026 Two broken hearts. One small Minnesota town. Too many secrets to count.

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.

tuxedo cat looking up at author while sitting in her lap at the kitchen table

That’s all I have for this month. I hope you all are having a great start to the New Year!

I’ll talk to you soon!

Vania

Holiday Happenings!

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couple standing near christmas tree holding presents. she's wearing a white sweater, he's wearing a teal dress shirt both in jeans

Hello friends and readers! Happy Holidays!

I thought I would pop on quick to let you know what’s been going on with me and what you can look forward to for the rest of the month…and into 2026!

I’m almost done with my current work in progress. Though I won’t be sending it out into the world anytime soon, it’s nice to keep moving forward in that way. It’s lovely giving Jesse and Jordan their happily ever after, and writing THE END reminds me of why I love to write. (For the curious, look for that small-town, second-chance standalone romance toward the end of 2026.)

If you’re interested in book news that doesn’t seem so far away, I’ll be releasing Wicked Games on May 15th. That book is written and the cover is in the works! Subscribe to the blog or check back for a cover and blurb reveal and ARC giveaways.

For those of you who were getting copies of my ARCs through Booksprout, I made the difficult decision not to put future books on that platform. I may try a different service, but you don’t need to join it to have access to upcoming ARCs. I always give blog subscribers a chance to download from the blog first. I also put them up on my Facebook author page and if you haven’t followed me, you should! I post snippets and sales of older titles so it’s worth a click if you hang out over there.

"christmas tree" made out of hardcover books. twinkle lights. text says book blast!

On December 26th, after all the holiday hoopla, you can look forward to a huge book blast. While you’re recovering from the merry madness that was Christmas, you’ll be able to settle in and browse hundreds of free books. I’ll be sending out a reminder post on the 26th with the link. One of my older books, His Frozen Heart, will be included.

Here’s Pim under our Christmas tree. We’ve been lucky and so far she hasn’t tried to climb it, only sleep under it. If your cat likes to climb your tree, let me know! I love to see pictures and hear the stories.

tuxedo cat lying under tree. maroon tree skirt

That’s all I have for now. Enjoy the holidays and remember to take care of yourself too.

Vania

♥︎Loss and Damages ARCs are ready!♥︎

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Happy Tuesday friends!
I hope the summer has been treating you well. ☀️

Just a quick update on all the things.

If you’ve been waiting for the ARCs of Loss and Damages, they’re ready to go! There are only forty copies available, so if you were thinking of picking it up, don’t wait.

graphic of loss and damages book cover. handsome man in tux against black brick. text says: ARCs ARE AVAILABLE angsty contemporary romane grief bonding Good girl/morally grey guy Dead brother's girlfriend

You can get your copy here: https://BookHip.com/JQVRNZD

ARCs will be available until July 31st and reviews won’t be needed until September 15th.


✨ Here are a few quick details:
Standalone or Part of a Series: Loss and Damages is a standalone billionaire romance with a happily ever after. It’s a complete novel at around 350 printed pages.

Triggers: None that I know of. Dominic deals with some family drama/trauma, and Jemma gets roughed up while trying to stop a break-in, but nothing graphic or prolonged.

Where to Review: Amazon and Goodreads are best, since Loss and Damages will be in Kindle Unlimited. If you want to share on social media too (Instagram or Facebook), that’s awesome but not required.

What to Say: Whatever you want! If you loved it, say so. If it wasn’t your thing, that’s okay too. I really don’t mind. Honest reviews help future readers find books they’ll love.

Thank you all for picking up a copy and giving it a read. I hope Loss and Damages is a lovely part of your summer relaxation!

✨ Bonus reminder:
If you’ve read my King’s Crossing serial and haven’t left a review yet, now’s a great time. Even a few quick lines for one or two books will help other readers find it.

covers of King's Crossing books. cruel fate, cruel hearts, cruel dreams, shattered fate, shattered hearts, shattered dreams text says: review me!

You can find the serial here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX7SFGB5

✨ One last thing: We got a new cat named Pim! My son’s friend moved out of state and couldn’t bring her along, so we made the arrangements with our property management and adopted her! She’s adorable and loves being carried around on your shoulder. It’s been really nice to have a cat around again. 🐾

tuxedo cat laying on the floor playing with a stuffed mouse

I hope everyone is doing well and that your summer so far has been full of friends, family, and good reads.

I will chat with you soon!

~Vania

Fall Leaves and Stray Cats

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It’s already been a week and it’s only Wednesday. I hope this means the rest of the year will go by smoothly. My daughter’s new computer was defective and the store let us jump through some hoops to replace it. Then in the middle of making dinner on Monday night my microwave decided to die. I mean, it was almost 20 years old, so I guess it was time, but replacing it and driving the old one to the recycle place took more time than I would have liked. Then, on the same night, my Mac decided to crash. After reinstalling the operating software, it seems to be fine, but only time will tell. I’ve never had a bad experience with my Apple products, so cross your fingers for me it was just a fluke. Bad things come in threes, right? Hopefully, I’m done now.

Last week my daughter, my sister, and I went to Maplewood State Park in near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. The leaves were full of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns and were beautiful. It was a bit rainy that day, but I was still able to take some amazing pictures. We spent the afternoon hiking then tried a new restaurant for dinner. It was the perfect day.

There’s a stray black cat that’s been around our neighborhood for the past couple of years. I get really sad about it because I think she matches a poster for a missing cat that’s been up light poles for just as as long. (The owners were smart and laminated them.) There’s no chance I can catch her, she’s too skittish. I buy cat food and put it out and every morning it’s gone. I don’t know if it’s the kitty or the bunnies as I have caught them eating out of the bowl, too. Someone is getting fed at least. For the past few months I put an ice cream bucket of water out for the animals. We had such a dry summer and fall, but it looks like normal fall weather is kicking in. It’s rainy and cool today, perfect for staying inside and snuggling with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Just a quick reminder that if you want to enter the Goodreads giveaway for Cruel Fate, the giveaway ends October 25th. There are over 1500 entries, and I’m so happy people are showing interest in the series! You can find the giveaway here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_kindle_giveaway/397874-cruel-fate

The second book, Cruel Hearts, will be releasing on the 28th! I’m so excited readers will be able to get their hands on the second installment of this serial soon! It’s on sale right now for $1.99 if you want to preorder it before then, or it will be available in Kindle Unlimited! Check it out: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DGM8V82R

That’s all I have for today. I hope you are having a wonderful fall and if you celebrate Halloween, stay safe! We’re going to carve pumpkins this year, but I think I’ll leave the guts in mine and set it out on my balcony for the squirrels. I love feeding those little guys. 🙂

I’ll check in with you soon! Have a great day!