I’m Karen, a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on ’80s music and way too many readings of “Forever” by Judy Blume. I spent my twenties working my way from intern to executive in the music industry. Somewhere in there, I married my real life Jake Ryan, had two amazing kids, and started getting up before dawn to write romance. With sparks.
There are lots of fun things about being a romance author, but one of the best parts is when you get to show off a shiny new cover to the world. Today, I’m beyond excited to share the cover for my next book, SWAP AND SMELL THE ROSES! Y’all…this book has my heart, as does this cover. I love everything about the whole situation! This is Book 1 in a 2-book series (plus a special online read, but more on that when it’s ready…) about best friends Willow and Bailey, who swap living situations for two months. Bailey takes Willow’s Brooklyn apartment and Willow, in turn, takes Bailey’s tiny cottage in Connecticut. The latter is the setting for SWAP AND SMELL THE ROSES…it’s a small town, slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, romance with both heat and heart. It’s available for preorder now, or you can add it to Goodreads. Let me know what you think of the cover, and in the meantime, here’s the full book description:
In this deliciously tender, steamy romance, a burned-out musician swaps city life for cottage country only to find that slowing down means a racing heart, thanks to the grumpy guy next door…
When Willow Moore’s lifelong dream of music stardom goes bust, she’s burned out enough to need drastic change. As in, she’s trading her Brooklyn apartment for two months in the Connecticut countryside. Soon she’s baking bread, spending Saturdays at the farmer’s market and stopping to smell the roses, but some things in her new #cottagecore life aren’t so pleasant. Like her landlord, former chef Reid Harrell. As grouchy and reserved as Willow is chatty and outgoing, Reid is an annoyingly sexy keep-out sign. If only Willow was good at staying away.
Something about Reid, a sliver of pain poking through that flinty facade, makes her wonder if they’re more alike than she thought. Reid once chased success, too, and found it—at a price. Now all he wants is to be left alone to garden, but Willow’s not giving up so quick, especially when one of their heated arguments sparks an idea for a song. Her renewed creativity awakens them both, hurling them into a passionate vortex neither expects.
As the summer winds down, Willow is forced to confront her needs, wants and desires, not to mention Reid, the hardest puzzle of all to figure out. Maybe it’s time for the city girl to stop dwelling on dreams dashed and start following her heart—no matter where it might take her…