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Thursday, October 09, 2014

Dolphin Bay revisited - Kandy Shepherd


I didn’t set out to write a series when I had my first book for Harlequin Romance, The Summer They Never Forgot (February 2014) accepted. It is a deeply emotional reunion romance between Sandy Adam and her first love Ben Morgan and set in the fictional coastal town of Dolphin Bay.



But Ben has a good friend, Kate Parker, who is determined that Ben won’t get hurt again by the city interloper, Sandy. I really liked Kate and thought she needed a story of her own. Kate meets gorgeous Sam Lancaster when she’s organizing Sandy and Ben’s wedding in The Tycoon and The Wedding Planner (July 2014), my second Dolphin Bay book.



Sandy from the first book has a feisty sister Lizzie Dumont and Ben has a movie-star handsome brother Jesse Morgan with a reputation as a heartbreaker—they’re secondary characters in both books. I was determined to get Lizzie and Jesse together—against all odds. I really loved writing this story, Lizzie and Jesse are so right for each other but they have some real problems to overcome. You can read their story in my upcoming December release for Harlequin Romance, A Diamond In Her Stocking.



So three books set in Dolphin Bay among a community of people linked to each other in some way. The books are completely independent but share some characters and, of course, the setting. I guess I wrote a series!

Here’s the blurb for A Diamond In Her Stocking:

"Everyone loves a Christmas wedding! 
Chef and single mom Lizzie Dumont is moving on. Returning to Dolphin Bay to make her new restaurant a success, she has no time at all for jaw-droppingly handsome Jesse Morgan—even if she can't forget that incredible kiss they once shared! 
Jesse can't forget their kiss, either. But the betrayal in Lizzie's past has made her wary of him, and he hates the fact that she can't see past his reputation as a heartbreaker. Now he's on a mission to change her mind—and luckily it's the most romantic season of the year: Christmas!"
 Do you enjoy reading a linked series? Do you like Christmas-themed stories? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I’ll soon be getting author copies of A Diamond In Her Stocking and I’ll be giving away a signed copy—you could be among the first to read this new story! Please include your email address in your comment if you want to be included in the draw.

Kandy’s third Dolphin Bay story for Harlequin Romance, A Diamond in Her Stocking, goes on sale on December 1, 2014 and is available for pre-order now.

Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.




Visit Kandy at her website

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13 comments:

Mary Preston said...

I always enjoy Christmas stories. I feel like there's a touch of magic to them. Add in a wedding and ... must read.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Kandy Shepherd said...

There is magic about Christmas, isn't there Mary? I love Christmas stories--I especially like reading wintry ones as Christmas falls in summer in Australia!

Cathleen Ross said...

I love a good Christmas story. This is a wonderful series.
Best
Cathleen Ross

Kandy Shepherd said...

Thank you Cathleen, thanks for calling by!

Maxine said...

Kandy, I love linked stories. They give such a sense of community, and that's even more important in this day and age when there are not many large families and everyone is spread throughout the world. And if there's a Christmas story in there too, well, that's a bonus. It looks a fantastic series!

Kandy Shepherd said...

Hi Maxine, that's a really good point about the sense of community. Romance novels are about fantasy, after all, so not only do the hero and heroine find each other but also a place in a supportive community. Thanks for such a thoughtful comment and your kind words about the series!

Mary Anne Landers said...

Thank you, Kandy. I'm a stand-alone novel type, but I'm well aware that the romance market nowadays is geared toward series. So I read them, but naturally I prefer those in which the titles can be read in any order.

Christmas romances? Well, I don't celebrate this holiday. But I don't mind it in a story. As always, what matters most to me is the main theme.

Good luck with the release of "A Diamond in Her Stocking"!

maryannelanders at centurytel dot net

Laney4 said...

I loved their love in your first book noted. Felt everything was realistic and believable.
I appreciated their sense of responsibility/duty/caring, yet they were still fallible, in the second book. Appreciated how their flaws/weaknesses were not quick fixes for either of them.
Bottom line? I loved both stories and can hardly wait to read your third in this series. Thanks so much for sharing the love.
seytype at Hotmail dot com

girlygirlhoosier52 said...

I love Christmas stories!!

Kandy Shepherd said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kandy Shepherd said...

Thanks Mary Anne Landers for your thoughtful comments on series. I think my three books can be read independently while readers who enjoy a series get to see what happens to the secondary characters too!

Kandy Shepherd said...

Hi Laney, thank you so much for your insightful feedback on the first two books - much appreciated. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the third book.

Kandy Shepherd said...

Me too, girlygirl!