Happy Ever After by @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

 We always hear about how life is not like a romance novel. That romances are pure fantasy and not at all “real.” Well…here’s the real deal…

There was once a teen in high school who enjoyed the company of a very pretty girl. Every day during lunch period they’d walk the grounds of the school and she was so nice that she would point out lots of other girls that he could ask out. She knew there were plenty who wanted to see more of her friend. Nothing came of their good friendship because the nice, pretty girl was spoken for and had a long-term boyfriend who went to another school.

They went their separate ways, she to a college far away, and he to university, where they both excelled. They launched their careers and the pretty girl lived in a different city with her long-term boyfriend. The man returned to their hometown and succeeded in business.

Sometimes, the old friends would chat the night away at parties hosted by old friends in town, while the long-term boyfriend was the life of the party.

Eventually, after the pretty girl realized her boyfriend was still a boy and not a man, they broke up. After years of being attached, the pretty girl saw that she’d been looking at the wrong man to share her future. The real man she wanted had been there all along, kind, considerate, and patient.

At a wedding of old friends, the man waited for the pretty girl to arrive. He paced and worried about if she was bringing a date. (Buddies reported he was in a heck of a state.) Of course, she didn’t. She went, hoping that he’d be there alone and maybe, just maybe, something would spark to life between them…

And here we have three standard romance tropes: Friends to Lovers, Second Chance at Love, Small Town Reunion (at a wedding no less) with a happily ever after ending. And it’s all true! My daughter and her husband now have two little boys, two thriving businesses, and life is grand.

In my romance Finding Mercy (Return to Welcome Book 1) failed actress Mercy Talbot returns to her small town, Welcome, WA where memories are long and grudges are fresh as daisies. Gossip is the stock in trade and returning only feeds the rumor mill and brings up old animosity. But Mercy finds a purpose in her motherless niece and decides to help the child be herself. To do that, she must do battle with her own mother who's doing the best she can for her granddaughter.

What doesn't work is her startling attraction to her brother-in-law, a widowed single father who struggles to be the best daddy he can be...but Clay Foster needs help and he knows it.

Falling for Mercy would be a bigger mistake than marrying her sister had been...and when her career takes Mercy away again, she'll take his little girl's heart with her and leave him broken. 

For the month of September, Finding Mercy is available for only 99c. If you haven't read it yet, please do...it's a different take on small town life and the cast of characters are well-rounded and real. Including Dilly, who saves worms and hates dancing lessons. 

Finding Mercy Return to Welcome Book 1 is an Amazon exclusive title and can be enjoyed through Kindle Unlimited if you're a subscriber. OR you can purchase for the low price of 99c for the next two weeks.

Happy reading!