Forever is celebrating The Year of the Cowboy! In their words:
Here at Team Forever Romance, we truly believe that there is a cowboy (or two or three) for every reader. To fully satisfy your appetite for these rugged and romantic heroes, we officially welcome you to our Cowboy of the Month 2018 event. (Warning: it will get hot in here.) Each month of the year, you’ll be introduced to our new cowboy heroes, experience exclusive excerpts and fun facts, and connect with the authors who have dreamt up these sexy studs.
So polish your boots, find your favorite country music playlist, and get ready for oodles of cowboy goodness…
Be sure to follow the conversation using #CowboyoftheMonth! Check it out here!
Today, AJ Pine is stopping by to talk about her cowboys, and of course a little wine thrown in never hurts.
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I’m pretty straightforward when it comes to adult beverages—either beer or wine. My love of beer turned into a four-book romcom series centered around a fictional Chicago alehouse. My research included everything from the science of brewing to—well—sampling beers I wanted to write about. When I was done with the series, it was only natural to look for a reason to sample wine this time around.
I knew I wanted to write a romance series with a California vineyard as the backdrop. A writer friend suggested San Luis Obispo, going so far as to send me pictures of the area from when she visited. I was immediately hooked on the gorgeous setting. I just needed my heroes.
They had to be sexy, have a past to reckon with, and—in some respect—be fishes out of water because that already adds some outside conflict. I found what I was looking for as I dove deeper into my research of the wineries of San Luis Obispo County—specifically, the Hearst Ranch and Hearst Winery, where a rancher becomes a vintner.
Enter my wine-making cowboys.
What do my cowboys know about ranching? Everything. Crossroads Ranch is where they were born and raised. What do they know about wine? Not a damn thing. But when their father’s will reveals he mortgaged the ranch to buy a nearby vineyard, Jack, Luke, and Walker Everett need to either produce a harvest or sell at a loss. So, my three cowboys reluctantly become vintners with the help of three strong women who steal their hearts. Whether or not Crossroads Winery will make it to its grand opening in the final book of the series still remains to be seen. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. I was a huge fan of I Love Lucy. No way I’m going to end this series without a celebratory Everett brother grape stomping!
Who are the Everett brothers? To quote one of the heroines in the Crossroads Ranch novella (keep an eye out for a straight-laced sheriff and a runaway bridesmaid coming Summer 2018), “It’s really not fair. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, all that cowboy-rancher swagger with a sun-kissed California vibe. They’re like a pack of horseback-riding Hemsworths.” Twenty-eight year-old Jack—the silent hero-type who also happens to be a lawyer. Luke is the middle brother at twenty-six, and he’s a good-time-having, bull-riding, rodeo rancher. Then there’s Walker at twenty-five, fiercely loyal and remarkably good with his hands…when it comes to carpentry, of course! (What were you thinking? Actually, they’re all quite sexy and good with their hands. So keep thinking what you’re thinking.)
All three books really boil down to the idea of family coming together. Take Jack from Second Chance Cowboy as an example. He spends ten years distancing himself from his physical home, but in doing so he distances himself from all the people he loves. Coming home again is supposed to be quick and painless, but for him and the people he left behind—including Ava, his high school sweetheart and the only girl he’s ever loved—it’s anything but. In addition, Jack has gone and become a lawyer, furthering the divide between what he was born to do, which is run the ranch that he loves. In every aspect of his life, Jack is the quintessential fish out of water, and the challenge is whether or not he can find his way back to the man he’s meant to be.
Thanks for checking out the Crossroads Ranch series—where family brings a failing crop to harvest, cowboys transform into vintners, and love is right around the corner.
Ten years ago, Jack Everett left his family’s ranch without a backward glance. Now, what was supposed to be a quick trip home for his father’s funeral has suddenly become more complicated. The ranch Jack can handle—he might be a lawyer, but he still remembers how to work with his hands. But turning around the failing vineyard he’s also inherited? That requires working with the one woman he never expected to see again.
Ava Ellis broke her own heart the night she let Jack go. She was young and scared—and secretly pregnant with Jack’s baby. Now that he’s back and asking for her help, Ava sees her opportunity to right the wrongs of the past. But how will he feel about the son he’s never known? Could this be their second chance—or their final heartbreak?
Out now! Kindle
A.J. Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry-she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, A.J. has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality-romance. Naturally, her own books have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes) and a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires and superheroes. You’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago ‘burbs.
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