Celebrating Spence and Phoebe – Book Release

Spence gritted his teeth, then said, “The name I gave you was Mrs. Lark, not Mrs. Crain.”

Wallace’s eyebrows shot skyward. “I’m sorry, sir. I was looking at that new wallpaper right after you told me and guess I got confused. I mean, both women have bird names, and the wallpaper does have cranes on it.”

Bird names? Cranes? Spence had seen that wallpaper. They were egrets. But that was beside the point.

Spencer Fanning Newland, III, Unwrapping Hope

I’m celebrating another book’s release today, and I hope you’ll celebrate with me!

It’s always such a thrill to be able to make that announcement after months, sometimes years, of sweating over a story and all it takes to bring it to the attention of readers.

As reviewers have said, this is a book set at Christmastime but not so seasonal that it can’t be read all year. It’s also the prequel novella to my upcoming Widow’s Might series.

The Christian historical romance Unwrapping Hope is officially out in ebook on Amazon. (The print book is coming and will be available soon from various online retailers.)

She chose the wrong man once. Can she trust her instincts now?

Phoebe Crain, an accomplished pianist, lives in near poverty to protect her five-year-old daughter from scandal. When Phoebe receives a handcrafted cigar box by mistake, her desperation to give the child something special for Christmas drives her to suggest a trade with Spence Newland, a man she views as no more principled than her daughter’s late father. But the more time she spends with the department store heir, the more Phoebe struggles to keep up her guard against him.

Spence believes the cigar box will help him gain a reclusive investor’s financial support for his proposed five-and-ten-cent stores, demonstrating his ability to manage the family fortunes. Yet he hesitates to bargain with a widow who mistrusts him for no apparent reason…until he meets a charming little girl at the train station who awaits the arrival of a prince.

Will a betrayal in Phoebe’s past and Spence’s unraveling plans derail their hope for happiness and keep a child’s fairy tale from coming true?

Other than Unwrapping Hope ;), what Christmas novel/novella are you looking forward to reading this year? Do you have a perennial favorite?