Jacquie Gee loves romance with a strong, sassy, heroines, and scrumptiously, gorgeous leading men. She writes sweet romance surrounded by chocolate, and always with fresh flowers in the room. She loves all things girlie, but it not afraid to kick off her heels and go play ball in the old cornfield with the boys. Raised in a small town in the country, she likes writing about them best. I mean, who doesn't love a small town.

To find out more about Jacquie, connect with her here: www.jacquelinegarlick.com

Looking for more to read? How about free short story in the world of Heartland Cove, click HERE.

Return to Heartland by Jacquie Gee

Lingerie and cupcakes have Becca Lane living the sweet life in New York City—until the call that sends her home.

Heartland Cove may sound endearing, but it's a small town, in the middle of going-nowhere that Becca couldn't wait to leave behind. She arrives to find mother acting strange, the family business in peril, and the town in dire straits. What to save first? Worst of all, Jebson Jefferies, Becca's former fiancé, a man she could happily live without ever seeing again, has been elected mayor and is threatening, not only the future of Heartland, but Becca's family legacy—and all she stands to inherit.

Not that she ever wanted to. It's ... complicated.

Trent Nash is a former football star— a displaced Aussie with a big secret. He's escaped to small-town Heartland Cove to start a new life—determined to remain incognito. But just when he thought he'd pulled it off, a sassy redhead walks through his door of his struggling restaurant…and right into his heart.

Becca; however, has no interest in him. She's too busy trying saving the day. Until she realizes, she can't win the crusade without the help of the beautiful, bronzed stranger she's grown to hate. Maybe deep down, what really needs saving has less to do with Heartland, and more to do with Becca's heart.

CURATOR'S NOTE

This book was an emotional read as much as it was uplifting. Jacquie captures the plight of so many of us today, who find ourselves in the parent-child reversed role, thanks to the rise of Alzheimer's. Becca Lane is a feisty outspoken, redhead, who hasn't been home to Heartland in years, and now has come home to help her mom. Trent Nash is an ex-up-and-coming Australian footballer, who's been in Heartland for only about a year. What do they have in common? Absolutely nothing. Until, quite literally, they have to take on city hall to fight to save the bridge. But if the mayor has his way, the second longest covered bridge still standing in all of North America, the sole source of income for Becca's ailing mother, and rest of the town, will be going down.

Jacquie Gee is an award-winning author in the set. This crusade-based, slow-burn romance, features a large cast of memorable characters. The scenes between Becca and her mother are particularly well done and touching. Jacquie has depicted the startling effects of early onset Alzheimer's with precision and grace. And of course, there's a swoon-worthy romance with a hunky, endearing, sweet-faced Australian. Every girl's dream find. This book reads like a classic romance with a sassy Gilmore Girl's feel. It too, stars an ex-native, who has been forced to return to the Cove. – Jacquie Gee

 

REVIEWS

  • "A lovely read, with enjoyable characters. A clean read with lots of romantic tension, and no real sex on the page, in a cool, unique setting, too! Oh, Canada!" – Pam Page
  • "A great little romance with intriguing characters. I especially enjoyed the extra relationship Becca shared with her Mom. Very touching. I love heroines with a cause and Becca has a great one. I loved how she kept focused on it throughout the book, despite the appearance of a more than charming Aussie. I'm not sure I would have done as well!"

    – Carole Crawford
  • "I love it when a romance gives you more than just romance. This book has a couple of other very cool side plots that kept me wanting to turn the page. The whodunit about the fate of an old covered bridge, and the antics the characters go through to try to save it, are equally funny and tragic. Trent and Becca make a pretty wonderful couple, they just don't know it yet. Their love story was the best part of the book. Looking forward to more books in the Heartland Cove series! I vote for one about Mom!"

    – Stacie Ramey
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Dropping my bags, I press my hands to the sides of my face and peer in through the stained-glass in the door. The same stained-glass that has graced the door of my family's home for over a century now. Homestead. Not a—whatever this Green Grub thing is supposed to be.

Is that a cappuccino maker, I see? Mom doesn't own a cappuccino maker.

I scan the room, my vision slightly skewed because over peering through the stained-glass.

No sign of Mom anywhere.

I don't get it. Wouldn't she have told me if she'd moved house? My conversation with Mrs. Peterson comes to mind. I whirl around, unnerved, and stare out at the town. They didn't have her put away, or something, did they? Surely to goodness, Aunt Penny would have called if that happened. My blood threads with panic. No, she's here. She's got to be here.

Unless… unless this is how they were planning to tell me. Maybe that's why they summoned me here. To break the news. My mouth goes dry.

Nonsense, they wouldn't be that callous.

I run sweaty palms down the sides of my skirt. Whatever's happened, I'm gonna find out.

I pick up my bags and charge on through the door— the heavy, ornately carved Victorian wood door of the home where I was raised, and where my mother still lives, according to the address on her mail. Or at least last Christmas. The door slams shut behind me, giving my spine a jolt.

Customer warning bells tinkle overhead that look suspiciously like the ones from my Mom's store across the way.

"Oh, hey… hi!" A head pops up from behind a serving counter. A head attached to a very a nice-looking face, and I neck I sense I should be throttling. I repeat, there is a freaking bar-slash-serving-counter sitting smack dab in the middle of my mother's formal parlor! And I suspect he's the culprit that put it there. "Can I help you?" he says, and his eyes sparkle—a stunning shade of emerald green, rimmed by a thick set of dark eyelashes. Like that improves things. They're set behind a sexy set of lenses. Clearly, he's one of those guys who looks even better with glasses on. You know, the kind. Where the glasses just add to the already amazing features of his face. He's sexy enough on his own, but the glasses take it over the top. Not that any of that matters right now. Neither does the fact that he has a killer accent—which, if my language sense serves me, I believe is Australian. Though it could be South African. No, definitely Australian. Again, not that it matters.

"Oh, jeez, where are my manners." All six-feet whatever of him shoots forward, yanking an arborite chair out from under an arborite table, offering me a place to sit. In my own living room!

I glare down at the atrocity gracing my Mother's parlor, then scowl up. "Who are you? Why are you here?" Is that a ketchup stain on the brim of his hat?

"Hello to you too," he says.

"Where is she?" I look around, darting doorway to doorway.

He squints. "I'm sorry, were you supposed to meet someone?" He screws up his face.

"No, I'm not meeting someone here. I live here. Lived here. Now, where is she?" I drop my bags and kick off my shoes—cause, you know, habit.

"Are you always this friendly when you meet someone?" The stranger glares.

"Only when I arrive home to find a dazed-looking cook standing in my Mom's formal living room."

His stunning eyes flash. "Aah!" He finally clues in. "Oh, my gosh. That's who you are! You must be, Becca!" He lunges forward, sticking out a hand for me to shake. I don't take it. "Oh, excuse me." He retracts his hand, wipes it off on the front of his grimy apron and sticks it out again, like that was the problem. "I've heard so much about you." He breaks into an eye-squishing grin.

"Funny?" I cross my arms. "I haven't heard a thing about you."

I let his hand hang out between us like a cold, dead fish, 'cause you know, I don't like him.

If I were forced to classifying him, say for my friend Tia or something, I'd go with the 'ruggedly hipster urbanite', which makes me wonder why he's here, in the middle of backwoods New Brunswick, posing as a short order cook. He's sports one of those scruffy beards that looks like he only half bothers to shave, and his curly hair is a mess under that baseball cap worn backward on his head. Gawd, that cap is disgustingly grimy. I've never understood why do men go for that look? I mean, sure, they don't have to shave, but still, women might want to kiss them or run their hands through their hair. Have they ever considered that?

Not that I want to kiss this one or anything. It's just an observation.

"Perhaps I could get you a drink or something?" He clasps his hands together.

"Perhaps not." I poker-smile back at him.

My gaze runs up his muscled frame, along his broad, thick shoulders, and back onto his flawless face. Gosh, didn't the buff-spirits give this one everything? But it's all ruined when he opens his mouth. A bit of a smart-arse, isn't he? "How about you tell me who you are, and why you're here, and what you've done with my mother?" I growl, despite how good-looking he is.

"Your mother hasn't told you yet?"

"Does it look like my mother's told me?" I blink.

"Aaah…I'm Trent." He tries to offer me his hand again, but I still don't shake it. "I bought the place from your mom about a year back."

"You what?" Now, I'm really not shaking his hand. I hope my voice didn't just shriek as loud outside my head as it did inside. A year ago? I know I didn't make it home for Christmas the past few years, but—