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Secret Remains by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Secrcoveret Remains is the first of Jennifer Graeser Dornbush’s books that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. The second book in A Coroner Daughter’s Mystery series, Secret Remains was fast-paced with several twists and turns to keep me intrigued. The main character, Emily, is a smart and witty surgical resident dragged into small town Freeport’s crime solving world as their reluctant coroner. When a body is discovered, the past is uncovered revealing a mystery from many years prior that sheds doubts on local men as a possible murder. But when one of those men is close to Emily, she must weigh her duty as an unbiased party with her friendship in order to solve the crime.

Ms. Dornbush kept this story moving and the clues flowing. I thoroughly enjoyed Secret Remains and would highly recommend it.

Welcome Tanya Agler

Happy New Year friends! I’m not sure how long we can keep wishing each other a happy new year, but since we’re early into January, I say it’s still okay. I hope your holidays were blessed.

Today my beautiful friend, Tanya Agler, is joining us. Tanya is a brand-new author with Harlequin Heartwarming. Her debut, The Sheriff’s Second Chance, has just officially released and I can attest that it’s fabulous! And if you haven’t seen the cover, just keep reading.

Welcome Tanya!Tanya

Thank you so much, Sharee, for interviewing me for your blog. It’s such an honor to be here. And thanks to those who are taking their time out of their day to read about my book and my story.

  1. Share a little about your writing journey.

In high school, my English teacher, Mrs. M., told the class about a writing contest. While I’d created stories in my mind, I’d never written any of them down. For the first time, I took the time to plan out a story for fun and wrote it. Out of all of my high school activities, that one stands out because it was the first time, I acknowledged I wanted to be a writer.

Fast forward a few years, and my oldest son started kindergarten. I’m an avid walker, and every time I walked, I would work on the stories in my mind. I knew it was time to start writing. After a couple of months, I worked up the courage to tell my husband I’d been going to the library every day to write. He told me he knew I was a writer a long time ago and was wondering when I’d realize that I needed to write. There was one more road detour as my husband and I welcomed our twins into the family. When they entered preschool, I resumed my writing journey. Since then, I’ve written several novels and found a critique partner. I’ve also been fortunate to build an incredible network of writing sisters and friends who’ve been with me along the way. In January of 2019, I received the call from my agent and Harlequin Heartwarming about The Sheriff’s Second Chance.

  1. What are your favorite genres to read?

I love reading a variety of genres. I always have a sweet contemporary romance, a romantic suspense, a cozy mystery, a biography, and an inspirational romance in my TBR pile.

  1. What was the most influential book you’ve read and why?

This was the hardest question for me. There are so many wonderful books that inspire me. Overall, I’d have to say Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery is one of them as I love the themes of hope and family and friendship. I also love the romance between Anne and Gilbert.

  1. What are you working on now?

The sequel to The Sheriff’s Second Chance.

  1. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a plotter. Even so, it takes me a long time to write the first chapter of a book, and there are always fun surprises that come up during the first draft. For example, Beau was not in the plotting stages (Beau is the dog who is featured on the cover).

  1. What’s one fun fact about you?

I attended twelve schools while I was growing up before I graduated high school. After high school, I attended and graduated from the University of Georgia.

  1. Please tell us about your debut and how you got the idea for it.

The Sheriff’s Second Chance is a story about hope and second chances. Officer and single dad Mike Harrison doesn’t believe in second chances. That is, until he learns that his former best friend—gorgeous green-eyed car mechanic Georgie Bennett—is back in town. Unfortunately, she’s also a suspect in a recent break-in! But it’ll take an old classic car to show Mike and Georgie that almost anything can be restored with a little patience…and a whole lot of love.

When my family was driving to our vacation destination, we stopped for a picnic at a state park where there was a classic car show going on in another section. For the rest of the day, I started thinking a plot revolving around what it would take to restore a car would be an interesting premise for a romance. After the vacation, I wrote down some notes and those became the basis of my debut novel. I’m a big believer in the message of hope and second chances.

And without further ado, here’s your chance to get a copy of The Sheriff’s Second Chance. Isn’t this cover gorgeous?

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Thanks so much for being here, Tanya! And click here if you’d like to read Tanya’s call story.

Thank you so much, Sharee, for hosting me on your blog.Tanya

More about the author:

Tanya Agler fell in love with romance novels when her grandmother brought one home from work. After years of reading happily ever afters, she decided to write a sweet contemporary romance with the support of her wonderful husband, four children, and her lovable Basset Hound. A graduate of the University of Georgia, she loves Cary Grant movies, walking, reading, and all things chocolate. Follow her on Facebook at Author Tanya Agler and sign up for her newsletter.

Start 2020 with the January New Releases

January 2020 New Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

Contemporary Romance:

A Rancher to Trust by Laurel BlountSearching for forgiveness…and a future. Suddenly a husband…and a father? This bachelor is ready to claim his instant family. After learning his ex-wife isn’t so ex after all, rebel turned rancher Dan Whitlock is determined to prove he’s a changed man…but Bailey Quinn is just as set on finally ending their marriage. When tragedy makes Dan the guardian of little orphaned twins, he and Bailey are drawn back together. But can she forgive the past and open her heart to the family she’s always wanted? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired (Harlequin))

Star Rising by Janet W. Ferguson — Star Youngblood tries to protect her employer, Mrs. Priscilla Kelly, from the woman’s neglectful son, an aspiring flight instructor who has issues with religion, but finds her own heart is at the greatest risk. (Contemporary Romanc, Independently Published)

A Promise to Keep by Melony Teague — Savannah, a widowed research librarian, goes to her twenty year class reunion and gets reacquainted with Michael, a former troublemaker who is now a professional technical rescuer. Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero? (Contemporary Romance from Anaiah Press)

General Contemporary:

A Long Time Comin by Robin W. Pearson — To hear Beatrice Agnew tell it, she entered the world with her mouth tightly shut. Just because she finds out she’s dying doesn’t mean she can’t keep it that way. If any of her children have questions about their daddy and the choices she made after he abandoned them, they’d best take it up with Jesus. There’s no room in Granny B’s house for regrets or hand-holding. Or so she thinks. Her granddaughter, Evelyn Lester, shows up on Beatrice’s doorstep anyway, burdened with her own secret baggage. Determined to help her Granny B mend fences with her far-flung brood, Evelyn turns her grandmother’s heart and home inside out. Evelyn’s meddling uncovers a tucked-away box of old letters, forcing the two women to wrestle with their past and present pain as they confront the truth Beatrice has worked a lifetime to hide. (General Contemporary from Tyndale House)

Historical Romance:

Freedom in the Mountain Wind by Misty M. Beller — A young woman faces overwhelming odds to make her father’s dream come true before he dies of lung cancer, but paddling upriver through fierce rapids and fighting hungry grizzlies to follow the Lewis and Clark trail isn’t what terrifies her the most. Beaver Tail endured more than he can stand from the women in his Blackfoot camp, but the last disaster gave him the final shove he needed to join this band of brothers searching for one of their group who’s gone missing. The last thing he expected was to find a white woman and her sick father stranded at the base of a massive waterfall. His plan is to help them carry their oversize canoe and supplies, then leave them to their strange mission. Yet, the more he learns about the pair, the more he realizes his life is about to be derailed—again. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)

Uncharted Promises by Keely Brooke Keith — Sybil Roberts uses the warmth of delicious meals to lift the spirits of road-weary travelers at The Inn at Falls Creek. Her life at the inn would be perfect if she could just get her brothers and mother to move back home. And if she could see Isaac Owens again. He visited the inn once when he interviewed for the farm manager job, and she’s dreamed of his return to Falls Creek ever since. Isaac Owens knows how to run a farm. His family might not have faith in him, but if he succeeds at Falls Creek, he’ll prove them wrong. He arrives at the inn thinking the job is his, but the inn’s senile owner offered the position to another man too. Isaac must spend the winter competing if he wants to win the job… and Sybil’s heart. It will take more than warm meals on cold nights for Sybil and Isaac to find love while working at the isolated inn. (Historical Romance from Edenbrooke Press)

Forever Hidden by Kimberley Woodhouse, Tracie Peterson — Sybil Roberts uses the warmth of delicious meals to lift the spirits of road-weary travelers at The Inn at Falls Creek. Her life at the inn would be perfect if she could just get her brothers and mother to move back home. And if she could see Isaac Owens again. He visited the inn once when he interviewed for the farm manager job, and she’s dreamed of his return to Falls Creek ever since. Isaac Owens knows how to run a farm. His family might not have faith in him, but if he succeeds at Falls Creek, he’ll prove them wrong. He arrives at the inn thinking the job is his, but the inn’s senile owner offered the position to another man too. Isaac must spend the winter competing if he wants to win the job… and Sybil’s heart. It will take more than warm meals on cold nights for Sybil and Isaac to find love while working at the isolated inn. (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker])

The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock — On Blackwell Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving. With her late father’s fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. Do any of Edyth’s friends care that she disappeared? At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)

Romantic Suspense:

Secret Mountain Hideout by Terri Reed — Staying hidden has kept her alive… But now she’s been found. A remote Colorado mountain town and a fake identity have been Ashley Willis’s safe haven since fleeing after she witnessed a murder—but now the killer has found her trail. Desperate and terrified, she’s prepared to run again…but Deputy Sheriff Chase Fredrick won’t let her. With the lawman by her side, can she face danger head-on…and live long enough to bring a murderer to justice? (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month:

50-50 by Roger Bruner, Contemporary
Shattered Treasure by Cindy Patterson, Romantic Suspense
The Contessa Is Missing by Linda Siebold, Romantic Suspense
The Forever Sky by Janalyn Voigt, Western Romance
Northern Hearts by Laurie Wood, Romantic Suspense