Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Right Here Waiting by Michelle Sass Aleckson presented by Susan May Warren, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Right Here Waiting
Series: Deep Haven Collection #6
Author: Michelle Sass Aleckson presented by Susan May Warren
Publisher: Sunrise Publishing
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
She doesn’t belong in his world—but she’s determined to try.
Sled dog musher and outdoor adventurer Nick Dahlquist doesn’t mean to be a loner—he just feels at home in the woods, with his dogs, and online in his vlogging world, where he’s amassed nearly a million viewers. But he’s just a simple guy, with simple goals—care for his dogs, teach people how to survive the cold, and run the Iditarod. Unfortunately, life turns cold when his lead dog is injured, and he’s low on funds. Good thing he has LadyJHawk to chat with. She’s become an online friend he can turn to, and he’s starting to need her more than he’d like to admit. But the last thing he wants is for some random woman to show up on his doorstep…
Chopper pilot and Texas gal Jae Lynn Washington has been following Nick’s DogQuest videos and Get Lost in the Woods vlogs since she inherited her deceased boyfriend’s military working dog. Three years later, his online friendship has made her wonder if he could be more than a friend. What if she moved to Deep Haven? Would that be considered stalking, even if she got a bonafide job on the Crisis Response Team?
When Jae shows up in Deep Haven—and on Nick’s doorstep—he’s not at all the man she met online. And when Nick is tapped to train the team, he’s pretty sure petite, summer-loving Jae won’t last a moment in the brutal cold—a fear he pours out to LadyJHawk. As their training takes a personal turn, their chilly start begins to thaw. But what will happen if he discovers that Jae and LadyJHawk are one and the same?
When a blizzard strikes, and the CRT is called out into the storm, more than just their relationship is at risk…
Cozy up to this delightful twist on You’ve Got Mail set in the snowy escape of Deep Haven.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | BookBub
EXCERPT
Deep Haven in November was like a sad old man fighting for his life and losing.
Nick Dahlquist might not be an old man at the ripe old age of thirty, but it was hard not to feel like one with his throbbing leg. He looked up at the bleak sky. Sunlight was hemorrhaging fast. What was left spilled over the ridge onto his hometown and the bay below. Soon darkness would swallow it too. The wind off Lake Superior bit at Nick’s exposed ears. His thermal shirt and down vest did little to fight it off.
If November was going to be this cold, it could at least have the decency to throw a little snow down.
Because without snow, his sled team was stuck.
Kinda like his life.
And if he wanted to get out of this rut, he’d need a good foot or two of the white stuff soon. Then he could start training in earnest for the Mush Puppies dogsled race. Thanksgiving weekend would be here in just under four weeks and he and his dogs needed to be ready. Sponsors would be watching the first race of the season, and if he had any hope of going back to the Iditarod come March, Nick and his team had some convincing to do.
He released a long breath before yanking open the VFW door. The cheers and the smell of onion rings that used to beckon good times hit him in the face as he walked in.
These days he’d be okay if he never ate another VFW burger again. The flavor carried too many memories.
So why had he agreed to meet Darek Christiansen here?
He walked farther in, and aside from the people seated at the bar, he counted five long tables arranged in two rows, each with a bell in the middle all set for Trivia Night. The seats were filled with familiar faces, familiar teams with names like The Facts & The Curious, Nerd Herd, the Smartinis, Les Quizerables, and his old team, which had split off the Fellowship of the Quiz group when they grew too big to fit around one table. They were now the Huskaloosas, named after their high school mascot.
Chatter and laughter he’d once joined in on now grated against his nerves. The Huskaloosas were missing a few players, but his cousin Peter was still there with his girlfriend, Ronnie Morales, and her little brother, Tiago. Beth Strauss and Lena Larson were at the table, Ree Zimmerman and Seth Turnquist had their heads together, but no one was scribbling names down.
And of course, they were there. Also, together.
Nick watched Vivien Calhoun. Tall, willowy, brunette, blue eyes that dazzled on stage and a smile that turned him inside out. She looped her arm around Boone and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. Nick could practically smell her perfume. She turned her head toward him. He looked away before she caught him staring.
Nick should’ve insisted on meeting somewhere else. Or he could’ve ignored the resort owner entirely.
Well, not really. He could only evade so many messages from a guy like Darek Christiansen, especially with the news yesterday from Licks and Stuff saying they were pulling their sponsorship due to budget cuts. Nick couldn’t afford to lose any more support. Not with the foreclosure notice he’d received today.
His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and made out Darek’s tall form and dark hair at a table in the back. The man, who was wearing an Evergreen Resort hoodie, dwarfed the blue plastic chair he sat in as he nursed a bottle of root beer. At least he sat as far as he could from the Trivia Night event. Nick tucked his head and scooched past his old team without anyone noticing.
Now it was show time. Nick plastered on a big grin. “Hey, Darek. You folks staying warm enough out there at the Evergreen?”
Darek set down his bottle. “Yeah, but can you believe this cold snap? Sure could use some snow cover before our septic systems freeze.”
Nick nodded. “No kidding.”
As soon as he sat down, their usual server, Melissa Ogden, approached in her typical tight jeans, short dark hair, and a lot of makeup. He had played basketball with her older brother Anthony. But she must’ve been five or six years behind him in school.
“Hey, Nick. It’s been a while. What can I get ya?”
“Just coffee.”
Darek balked. “Coffee? Aren’t you gonna eat?”
“Nah, not hungry.”
“Suit yourself.” Darek turned to Melissa. “I’ll take a double cheeseburger and fries. And another root beer.” After she left, his attention swung back to Nick. “I suppose growing up in the restaurant biz, a simple burger doesn’t cut it anymore, huh?”
That wasn’t the case, but no need to get into it. Unlike Darek, Nick had no desire or skill to take over the family business. The thought of being stuck inside the hot kitchen of his parents’ restaurant all day long almost suffocated him. “I’m not too picky most of the time. Just full tonight.”
Darek stared for a beat. “You okay, Nick?”
Nick’s smile must’ve slipped. He shored it back up. “I’m great.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card + 3 Right Here Waiting ebooks (one ebook for the winner and two to give to friends)!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight November 9, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on November 16, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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