Let's Take a Look at the Skimpy Bikini with Susie Black

MUSE MONDAY

It's always fun to have to have Susie Black on Discover... This Muse Monday post is fun and informative. Who would think the bikini had a history? Read on and enjoy! 

As a ladies’ swimwear sales executive, I considered the bikini the one article of clothing closest to my heart.  Now that I am a humorous cozy mystery author, I write what I know. So, all the stories in my award-winning Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series take place in the ladies’ swimwear industry. So, naturally, my post is about the history of the bikini:

History of the Bikini:

The iconic bikini is such a summer staple that the style has its own day of recognition.  On July 5^th, we celebrate National Bikini Day. To see how integral a part of fashion the bikini is, it’s important to know how the style came to be. Here is a look at the interesting and surprisingly long history of this classic swimsuit style: 

Evidence of bikini-style women's clothing dates to as early as 5600 BC, and the history of the bikini can be traced back to that era. Illustrations of women wearing bikini-like garments during competitive athletic events in the Roman era have been found in several locations, the most famous of which is at Villa Romana del Casale.

Although two-piece bathing suits were being used by women as early as the 1930s, the bikini is commonly dated to July 5, 1946, when, partly due to material rationing after World War II, French engineer Louis Reard introduced the modern bikini, modeled by Micheline Bernardini. Reard named his design for the Bikini Atoll, where the first post-war tests of the atomic bomb were taking place. 

French women welcomed the design, but the Catholic Church, some media, and a majority of the public initially thought the skimpy design risqué or even scandalous. Contestants in the first Miss World beauty pageant wore bikinis in 1951, but the style was later banned from the competition. Actress Brigitte Bardot drew attention when she was photographed wearing a bikini on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. Other actresses, including Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner, also received press attention when the stars wore bikinis. During the early 1960s, the design appeared on the covers of Playboy and Sports Illustrated, giving them additional legitimacy. Ursula Andress made a huge impact when she emerged from the surf wearing what is now an iconic bikini in the James Bond movie Dr. No (1962). The deerskin bikini Raquel Welch wore in the film One Million Years B.C (1966) turned her into an international sex symbol and was described as a definitive look of the 1960s.

The bikini gradually gained wide acceptance in Western society. According to French fashion historian Olivier Saillard, the bikini is perhaps the most popular type of women’s beachwear around the globe because of "the power of women, and not the power of fashion". As he explains, "The emancipation of swimwear has always been linked to the emancipation of women."^[1] By the early 2000s, bikinis had become a US$811 million annual business, and boosted spin-off services like bikini waxing and tanning salons. CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA 

Death by Coconut is the 7^th book in my award-winning Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series.

Blurb: Obnoxious Florida Mystique Swimwear sales rep Simon Posnick was universally despised by competitors, customers, and employees alike. So, the question wasn’t who wanted the lying, cheating, scoundrel dead. The question was, who didn’t? The Laurie’s Fashions' swimsuit buyer and Mermaid Swimwear President, Holly Schlivnik’s career mentor, Mariel Levine, is wrongly arrested for murdering Posnick by jamming the jagged edge of a coconut shell into the base of his skull. The wisecracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer. But the trail is wrought with more dangerous animals of the human type than the alligators and black pythons in the Everglades. Everything turns out differently than the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a killer hellbent on revenge.

Tagline: Lucy Ricardo morphs into Miss Marple

Excerpt: I reached into the well and pulled the lug wrench out. I ran back to the blue car and smashed the lug wrench into the driver’s side back window. It took three swings before the glass shattered. I used the lug wrench to smack the remaining glass shards out of the frame. I gingerly reached in and unlocked the door. I opened the door and hopped into the back seat, climbed over, and onto the passenger’s front seat. I opened my messenger bag and pulled out my cell phone. I clicked on the flashlight and leaned over to get closer to the body. Blood was splattered all over the car. I gagged as I recognized Avril Wilts’ blood-drenched tiger print jumpsuit on the torso draped across the steering wheel.

Alert the media. For the first time in my life, I didn’t burst out laughing upon discovering a corpse. Or the tiger print jumpsuit rendered me speechless. Flip a coin.

I opened the front passenger door and stretched across the seat on my belly to position my head under the body to check if she was breathing. I was careful not to touch or move the body. I didn’t need an MD next to my name to make a diagnosis. Avril Wilts was as dead as it gets. A half-dollar-sized round hole in the lower part of the front of her neck was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot from the .38 Special Lady Smith pistol clamped tightly in Avril Wilts’ right hand. A copy of yesterday’s East Coast Apparel News with the headline

Bikini Buyer Beats Bust

Coconut Killer at Large

was next to a blood-splattered, typed suicide note under Avril’s right hand. I twisted my torso into a pretzel and read the note: “I killed Simon Posnick. I can’t live with the guilt. God forgive me.”

****

Twenty minutes later, sirens shrieked a pulsing series of ear-splitting wails, and bubble lights blazed as Mo Lehrman, two sets of uniforms in two patrol cars, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s wagon carrying Jazzy and her team, a crime scene team, and an EMT crew bringing up the rear, all converged on the back parking lot of the convention center. Mo parked his car and joined our trio. He pointed to the body slumped over the car’s steering wheel. “Do you recognize the victim?”

            I nodded. “Avril Wilts.” I grinned. “It turned out she had a good excuse for not being available to answer our questions.”

A Bit About the Author:

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector and ardent sailor. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

Looking for more? Contact Susie at:

E-mail: mysteries.authorsusieblack@gmail.com

Social Media Links:

Blue Sky: @hollysusiewrites.bsky.social

Facebook: Susie Black, author of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series | Facebook

Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheHollySwimsuitMysterySeries

Instagram: Susie Black (@hollyswimsuit) • Instagram photos and videos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorsusieblack-61941011

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hollysusie1/

Substack: Substack Home -Susie Black

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@author_susie_black_

X: Susie Black (@hollyswimsuit) / X

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/susieblackwritescozies

Susie Black Books - BookBub

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21437641.Susie_BlackDeath by Coconut buy links:

 

Death by Coconut buy links:

https://books2read.com/Death-by-Coconut

https://books2read.com/u/3LPx00

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Coconut-Holly-Swimsuit-Mystery/dp/B0GX9FZDNP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-by-coconut-susie-black/1149893841?

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Death+by+Coconut

The Life in My Head

Living a real life while living an imaginary life…

There have been books, plays, and movies about doing just that—The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Hello, My Name is Doris to name two.

Writers have a secret life. We live it in our heads before ever setting it to paper. I’m often inspired by real-life and turn the circumstances into fiction. Luckily, my life won’t be blasted across the silver screen so you can see how nutty I am.

The Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery Books are a prime example of real life to fiction. My sister and I toast our birthdays twice a year with a chocolate martini in the historic Peacock Room in Prescott, Arizona. The people we have met while enjoying the atmosphere have lives we'll never know, but we can imagine. Huck is our favorite bartender. In all the years we've been doing this, we've only missed having him make our drink of choice once. Our alter egos, Em and Nic (The Chocolate Martini Sisters), also toast their birthdays twice a year, only their celebrations always include a murder mystery to solve. 

Twice a year, Emma and Nicole spend a relaxing weekend at the storied Dulce Inn in Wyatt, Arizona celebrating their birthdays. Toasting each other with a chocolate martini is their habit. But of late, knocking heads with surly Chief Homicide Detective Guthrie while solving murder mysteries in his town has given the sisters a reputation. Follow The Chocolate Martini Sisters for murder, mayhem, and fun.

Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder, Book 1

It’s a birthday weekend with the gift of murder. 

Recently widowed, Emma Banefield looks forward to a getaway birthday weekend with her free-wheeling sister, Nicole Earp, sipping chocolate martinis at the peaceful, historic Dulce Inn. When a rude stranger, a nasty food critic, and a madhouse of temperamental artists greet them, all hope for a tranquil weekend evaporates faster than dew on a hot desert morning. 

Overlooking the riotous atmosphere is doubly hard after Em discovers the body of a hotel guest, and a second murder affects Nic personally. Now, entrenched in a caper that pits them against a surly detective, they cozy up to a hotel staff hiding dangerous secrets to uncover clues to the killer.

Using their smarts and love of all-things mystery, will the Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime ahead of the obstinate Chief Detective or find themselves trapped in the middle of a third murder? Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder on AMAZON

 

Reading, Writing, and Murder, Book 2 

At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program. 

Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm. 

When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller. 

With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all? Reading, Writing, and Murder on AMAZON

 

Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder, Book 3 

It’s a rib cookoff…with a recipe for murder. 

Nicole Earp and Emma Banefield are celebrating another birthday at the Dulce Inn with the added fun of a rib cookoff in the park of their small town. Not only are chocolate martinis in their plans, Nic is baking and has her heart set on winning the cornbread contest. But as the excitement heats, someone is stirring up trouble for the inn and its employees. 

Strange occurrences at the Dulce are on the rise. Slashed tires, menacing phone calls, and unsavory characters add a vibe that threatens the sisters’ anticipated fun-filled stay. When the hot-headed hotel owner is caught wielding a bloody letter opener over a dead coworker, the sisters are embroiled in a caper to help the one person who finds their sleuthing as welcomed as a rattlesnake in her bed. But is she innocent? 

In this cozy culinary mystery, these amateur sleuth sisters are primed to find out. First, they’ll have to eliminate a host of suspects that includes a dishonest restaurant owner, a jilted girlfriend, an ex-wife, the barkeeper, and a masseuse with a crush. If the Chocolate Martini Sisters can stay off the radar of the surly chief homicide detective long enough, they can put out the fire…unless the killer burns them first. Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder on AMAZON

Birds, Puppies, and Murder, Book 4

Lost puppies, endangered birds…

The sisters are birddogs on a murder most fowl. 

The sisters are thriving like mountain sage in an Arizona autumn. Nicole’s yoga business is gaining a foothold in Wyatt. Emma’s first mystery novel is scheduled for release. But a proposed, expansive building project in the pristine area of the bird sanctuary has the small town community in an uproar. It’s Environmentalists versus Big Business, and the sisters are caught in the cross-fire. 

When one of Nic’s yoga students is found dead near the planned resort, the amateur sleuths are back on the trail of a killer. Who has the most to gain from her death—the morally challenged developer, the money-grubbing boyfriend, her jealous brother, a nasty neighbor, or a co-worker with dark secrets? And where has Skittles, the dog, gone? 

While the Chocolate Martini Sisters sort through the litany of villains, they’re leaving no mystery unsolved. In this small town mystery, the stakes are escalating, throwing the sisters on divergent paths that all come together at a dangerous intersection. As they unsnarl the tangled mysteries, will these amateur sleuth sisters expose the murderer before the killer finds a way to silence them? Birds, Puppies, and Murder on AMAZON

Fearless or Not? A Fearless Friday post by Randy Overbeck

FEARLESS FRIDAY

We are lucky to have Randy Overbeck back on Discover... He's not sure he's fearless, but I'll give him that description when it comes to leaping into writing...and succeeding. Enjoy his post!

I’m not sure I’ve ever been fearless.

Fearful, yes, brave, probably, foolhardy, most likely, but fearless?

At this point in my life, I have a considerable amount of lived experience and somewhere along those years, I must have shown courage—though at the time, it hardly felt like it. I served children for forty years as a teacher, a college prof and a school leader and during that time pushed through quite a number of challenges including stepping between very angry teen girls fighting, facing down a student with a gun and managing bomb threats. But I don’t know if I’d describe my actions as fearless.

In analyzing these years, I believe I possibly approached “fearless” twice. In my position of assistant superintendent—a role I held for more than 20 years—I was, for lack a better term, second banana. I was not the ultimate decision maker, but the person charged with providing final input and raising concerns. Most of these years this relationship was a harmonious one and my counsel was welcomed and sought. On two occasions, it was clearly not. I raised questions the superintendent and the board did not want to face—“Why would we do budget cuts at the expense of the students with the greatest need?” and “What you’re planning to do is not ethical and may not be legal.” I recognized I was treading in dangerous water and, as the saying goes, “speaking truth to power.” Both times I paid the price and both times my objections cost me my position. Was this fearless or foolhardy? Looking back, I’m still not sure but I know I did the right thing.

After I retired from education, I jumped into the world of writing and publishing and haveenjoyed a modicum of success. With six published novels, two bestsellers, more than a dozen national awards, hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and book sales of more than 12,000, I count myself fortunate and blessed.

And then I messed with success. The previous six titles all reside in the mystery and thriller genre, a genre I’ve become quite comfortable with. I’ve developed characters readers can relate to and appreciate, even cheering for them—from Darrell, the OCD history teacher haunted by ghosts to Stacy, the fourth grade teacher who would do anything for her students even get framed to Erin, Darrell’s rock steady wife and confidant. Why would I abandon all this?

And yet I did. My newest novel, ABIGAIL TRENCH, a Novel of Washington’s Spy Ring, was released just this week, published and distributed by Diversion Books and Simon & Schuster and it is quite a departure from my earlier work. It is a historical suspense about the Revolutionary War and the key role the Culper Ring—Washington’s personal spy ring—had in winning the war. Though  it has been extensively researched so readers will feel like they are walking the streets of 1776 New York, ABIGAIL TRENCH is a work of fiction. And, like my other works, my hero is again a dedicated teacher, well in 1770’s a tutor.

Will my readers make the jump with me to historical fiction? I’m not sure but I’m certain, if they do, they will like what they find. They will have a chance to meet famous figures from the Revolutionary War like George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Nathan Hale and even Benedict Arnold and learn what they were really like. More important, readers will experience the dangers and horrors, the tragedies and triumphs of our fight for independence through the eyes of an everyday woman.

The early reviews have been astounding and I can’t wait to see what my readers think. ABIGAIL TRENCH, a Novel of Washington’s Spy Ring is available everywhere you buy books in both print and ebook. The audio version is coming soon.

“With an eye for remarkable detail clearly anchored in deep historical research, master storyteller Randy Overbeck delivers a rousing, top-notch tale of courage amid our nation’s struggle for independence.”—William Kent Kreuger, author of the Edgar award winner This Tender Land and the NYT bestselling Cork O’Connor series

“ABIGAIL TRENCH is an accessible, vivid piece of historical fiction that blends Revolutionary War intrigue with a personal story of survival and self-invention. What I liked most…was the book’s sense that history is lived at street level by people who are frightened, resourceful, wounded, stubborn, and often underestimated. It’s a story with grit, momentum, and real affection for the people history usually leaves at the edges.★★★★★--Literary Titan GOLD AWARD Winner 

Purchase Link : https://books2read.com/Abigail-Trent

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, bestselling author, popular podcaster and speaker in much demand. After serving children for almost four decades as teacher, college prof and school leader, he used those experiences and skills to craft captivating mysteries, thrillers and historical suspense. His novels have earned more than a dozen national awards including Thriller of the Year, Best Book Award, the Gold Award and Mystery of the Year and have garnered hundreds of five-star reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub.

His newest novel, ABIGAIL TRENCH, is a historical suspense about the Revolutionary War, released June, 2026 by Diversion Books and distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Dr. Overbeck is also the host of the popular podcast, Great Stories about Great Storytellers, which reveals the little known backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and ranks among the top 50% of all podcasts in the US. When he is not writing or podcasting, he is in much demand as a speaker, sharing informative and entertaining programs to more than 300 groups all over the country.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/randy-overbeck-41965446

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/randy-overbeck

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Randy-Overbeck/e/B07QQHW7DM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4825632.Randy_Overbeck

Love, Mystery, Danger

It's The MacKenzie Chronicles month. In between moving, having Mom move into our new place, doc appointments, and being the summer taxi for my granddaughter I'm teasing up a new story for the series. Finding the time to get it onto the page is the kicker. In the meantime, if you haven't read the series, here is a good place to check it out: N. N. Light's Book Heaven

SECRETS OF THE RAVINE 

Lies can haunt, but the truth will kill. 

Magpie MacKenzie doesn’t believe in coincidence. But when a ringer for her long-dead love walks into her life the same day skeletal remains are unearthed, she’s convinced the universe is sending her a message. Fearing her father will be accused of the crime, Magpie will do whatever it takes to find the truth. Even risk her heart on this familiar stranger who may hold critical clues to the unsolved mystery. 

While visiting purportedly haunted Joshua, Arizona, lawyer Zack Peartree is instantly drawn to the free-wheeling shopkeeper. His attraction propels him on a collision course between past and present, where digging up secrets could prove fatal. 

Using decades-old clues and Zack’s déjà vu moments, the couple embark on a treacherous race to prove her father’s innocence before Magpie becomes the next victim. Can they save her from a murderous fate, or will love be the final casualty? 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GPRFJBT/

 

 

MYSTERY ON SPIRIT MOUNTAIN 

The past never sleeps, and the truth never dies.  

Only Harlan MacKenzie can sense the troubled history of the Big Purple House. When he's hired to restore the historical mansion, he doesn't foresee the insidious secrets—secrets that entangle his family in deceit and murder.  

Phaedra is selling the house that has been in her family for decades. As her friends-to-lovers relationship with Harlan escalates, she’s forced to choose between her way of life or his, even though she risks losing him forever.  

After a stranger comes to town, weaving her web of deception, hell-bent on correcting an old grievance connected to the house, dark revelations of the past implode the present. Harlan and Phaedra are plunged into a dangerous mystery, risking their love, their future, and their lives. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CP3BXVG/

 

 

CURSE OF WOLF FALLS 

Secrets can protect what the truth will destroy.  

Elidor MacKenzie has a gift she can't return—the ability to absorb the joy, pain, and suffering of others. She's spent her life running from what she considers her curse. Now, her best friend is dead, and she alone holds the key to an archaeological discovery that could destroy a culture. With newfound inner peace, Elidor has returned home to make amends and guard the secret revelation. But greed-driven scavengers have followed her. Once again, the energies of Joshua will stir the hurricane, with her at the deadly center. 

 Jules never got over Elidor. Twenty years and a famous journalism career later, he's back in Joshua—and so is his first love. If his heart can stand the torture, he'll risk reviving their relationship. But saving Elidor from herself and the secret she won't give up may be the death of them both.  

With Jules by her side, Elidor is determined to outrun the scavengers, guard the secret, and renew their love. But fate is coming after her, and there's nowhere the couple can hide. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B663MY1D

Wicked Without Chaos: The Mind of a Conqueror by Kayelle Allen

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Villains are wicked of course, but a my guest, Kayelle Allen, has a villain with more depth than most. Enjoy her Wicked Wednesday post! 

Pietas, known as the Bringer of Chaos, doesn’t create chaos by mistake. He creates it on purpose.

When we talk about chaotic villains, we often mean unpredictable. Reckless. Destructive for the sake of it.

Pietas is none of those things.

That’s what makes him dangerous.

He doesn’t lash out. He doesn’t lose control. He doesn’t act without purpose. Every decision is measured. Every action has intent. He doesn’t need permission to take control of a situation—he simply does.

There’s a kind of wickedness that comes from excess. And then there’s the kind that comes from certainty.

Pietas knows exactly who he is.

He was born into power, raised to command, and forged in a system where loyalty wasn’t optional—it was enforced. Structure defined everything. Authority wasn’t questioned because it didn’t need to be.

Until it was gone.

Exiled to a world where none of those structures exist, Pietas doesn’t lose power.

He loses the safeguards that kept it contained.

On this world, there are no institutions to enforce loyalty. No systems to define right from wrong. No one to step in when a decision goes too far.

And Pietas still believes he’s right.

That’s the kind of wickedness that doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t roar or burn or destroy everything in sight.

It simply… acts.

And expects the world to adjust.

But power without structure isn’t stability. It’s pressure. And pressure reveals.

Especially when he’s forced into an alliance with a person who has every reason not to trust him.

Because Pietas doesn’t see himself as the villain.

He sees himself as necessary.

And that’s where things get complicated.

Watch Your Six, the last book in the Bringer of Chaos series, releases this August.

If you’d like to see how that kind of power behaves when the rules disappear, you can start the series here, with Lights Out. If you’re already familiar with the story, you can access a sample of Watch Your Six here.

Kayelle Allen is a worldbuilder who writes with a scalpel, a strategist of tenderness, and who understands that the most dangerous thing in any universe isn't power—it's attachment. To sum it up: “Epic scale. Microscopic pain. Absolutely intentional.”

Claim your immortality and enter the Empire https://kayelleallen.com/immortality
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kayelleallenbooks
Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/kayelleallen.bsky.social

Redford Falls By Darlene Fredette : Romantic Small-Town Magic

Romance in a Small Town: The Charm and the Challenge 

Small‑town romance has a magic all its own. There’s something irresistible about a place where everyone knows your name, your history, and sometimes even your business. In Redford Falls, that closeness creates the perfect blend of charm, tension, and heart. The charm comes from the community, the familiar faces, the shared traditions, and the sense of belonging that wraps around every story. But that same closeness can stir up trouble, too. Secrets don’t stay hidden for long. Old flames cross paths. And one unexpected moment can ripple through the whole town before lunchtime.

 

That’s what makes writing romance in a small town so much fun. The setting naturally pushes characters together, challenges them, and gives them a place to grow. Every interaction matters. Every choice echoes. Redford Falls thrives on that balance, the sweetness, the complications, the laughter, and the heart. And that’s exactly why I keep returning to it.

A Redford Falls Story

Nestled in the heart of Redford Falls is a charming small town that captures the warmth of close-knit community life, where friendly faces greet you on Main Street and every shop holds a story. Redford Falls offers the perfect setting for heartwarming moments against a bustling ski resort, quaint local businesses, and the town’s picturesque park, complete with winding trails and cascading waterfalls. Whether it’s family bonds that grow stronger, friendships that withstand the test of time, twists that intrigue, or love that blooms in the most unexpected ways, this series celebrates the beauty of connection in a place where everyone feels at home. 

One Sweet Christmas

More than a few pieces of chocolate are essential to fill this Scrooge’s heart with Christmas cheer.

Jackson Frost wanted to spend Christmas on a beach, instead, he’s home in snowy Redford Falls dressed in a Santa suit. Will the temptation of delectable chocolate and Candice Cane lure him to stay? 

Winter’s Kiss

Her high heels flattened the snow, and his defences didn’t stand a chance.

As chilly glares between Danielle Lerato and Andrew Bailey thaw into cozy glances, Danielle suspects the town’s snowy landscape is warming more than her toes. Maybe this snowy wonderland isn’t a detour. Maybe it’s destiny. 

Broken Branches

Some branches break, but where hearts once shattered, love dares to bloom again.

Years ago, a devastating family tragedy forced Maripier Nadeau to leave Redford Falls, leaving Tyler Kringle to pick up the pieces of their broken relationship. Now she’s returned, reigniting memories and emotions Tyler thought he had buried. 

Secret Recipe

In the heat of the kitchen, one woman’s secret recipe blends danger, deception, and desire.

Jess Robinson is desperate for a fresh start, but an unexpected call drags her back into the dangerous world she thought she’d escaped. As drama simmers, Jess and Travis Cooper are caught in a game where Jess must execute the perfect con. 

Legacy Lies Loyalty

When loyalty is tested, and lies run deep, the legacy they inherit could cost them everything.

A string of mysterious accidents pulls Jordan McKenzie into a web of danger. When long-buried secrets emerge, and danger looms, Jordan and Logan Crane must decide what—and who—is worth fighting for.

Derailed Hearts

With a matchmaking grandmother and a mythical rabbit at work, two hearts on a cross‑country train are destined to collide. 

A cross-Canada train trip for Ethan Marley and his young daughter seems like the perfect fresh start—until Jenn Martini, a captivating woman on board, steals his breath. But Ethan and Jenn must decide whether the truth will shatter their fragile new beginning…or save their future. 

Trickster

Can she heal the trickster before he breaks her heart?

Enchanted by his father’s feisty assistant, Eric Martini masks his heart. Convinced his destined future is already written in the stars—and doesn’t include Jade Parsons, will Eric and Jade find the courage to trust the mythical and smoky signs before their paths are severed forever? 

Amazon Book Series Page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMPGZ5ZQ?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tkin 

YouTube Series Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/CYm07_X5fj0

 

Author Bio:

Darlene Fredette is a multi-published author of contemporary women’s fiction that celebrates resilience, romance, and the small-town magic woven into ordinary days. Step inside her world for heartfelt stories, character-driven moments, a touch of charm, wit, twists, and just enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages. Residing on Canada’s scenic Atlantic Coast, where summers are too short and winters too long, she finds inspiration from family, nature, and the quiet moments that ignite the imagination, and enjoys life with her husband, daughter, and two large dogs. 

Social Media

Website: http://www.darlenefredette.com/

Blog: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlenefredette1/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/darlenefredette.bsky.social