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.
EXCERPT
Absolutely gorgeous.
Jae checked the navigation on her panel with a glance. Nick’s vlog, Get Lost in the Woods, wasn’t too far off. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to do out here.
Everything surrounding her sang of fresh air and beauty—the perfect place to start a new adventure.
Jae’s phone rang through the Bluetooth speaker, interrupting her reverie.
“Hey, Daddy.”
“How’s my Sugar-Blossom doing?” Her father’s Texas twang came through the speaker loud and clear. “Did ya make it to Minnesoooota yet?”
She laughed at his awful attempt at the Minnesotan accent. She could picture him standing on her grandparents’ front porch, leaning against the post and sipping a dark Italian roast coffee out of an enamel mug. His gray-streaked brown hair would be hidden beneath his favorite black Stetson, his plaid shirt tucked neatly into his Levi’s and his cowboy boots caked with dust and dirt.
“I made it in last night.”
“And how is it? Did you meet Ronnie and Cole?”
“Yeah, they were great. Just like you said.”
“I tell ya, those two got more guts than you could hang on a fence. I’m glad they can watch over you.”
“Daddy, I can take care of myself. I don’t need watchin’.” And there went her own non-twangy accent she’d worked so hard to cultivate. She rolled her eyes at her own slip. “So, how’s Omma?”
“Your mama is just fine. Happens to be right here next to me making me the most blessed man in the great state of Texas. Mimi and Pap are in town picking up a few things.” His voice became muffled. “What’s that? … Yeah. … I’ll ask her.”
“Daddy?”
“Darlin’, your mama wants to know if you’ll be down here for Thanksgiving.”
“I wish I could, but I won’t have any vacation time yet. I’ll see what I can do to get down there before you go back overseas.”
“Maybe Christmas we can fly up there. Sure do miss ya, darlin’.”
“I miss you too, Daddy. I think you’ll like it up here if you come visit. Lots of forest and hills. And Lake Superior is incredible.” A glance out her driver’s side window showed a break in the trees. The sapphire lake horizon stretched wide, as far as she could see.
“Doesn’t it get mighty cold up there? I’m still surprised you’re trading the blue Texas skies for the frozen tundra.”
“The cold isn’t too bad.” When she didn’t think about it. Yes, she’d had to don her sweatshirt and bathrobe as well as her thickest socks before she could fall asleep last night, but the headquarters building was so big. Surely once she found a small, cozy apartment, she’d be fine. Besides, though people might try to treat her like one because of her size, she was no delicate flower. “Texas was okay for a while, but…I need to find my own place, Daddy. And I think this is it.”
“I get you have to find your place, but did you have to sell everything? You could’ve kept your furniture in storage or paid rent on your apartment another month or two until you were certain it would work. Or taken a leave of absence instead of quittin’ your job.”
Jae remembered Nick’s video he’d posted the day she was offered the Deep Haven job, his direct gaze coming through her screen as he’d pointed to the camera and spoken. “If you’re going to do something in life, don’t do it halfway. Give it everything. Don’t leave yourself an escape. Burn the ships and move on with the conviction that your only way through is to move forward.”
She’d heard that and she’d known. She had to do this.
“No, Daddy. I needed to burn the ships. Go all in. I’m gonna make this work.” She had to.
His deep sigh came through loud and clear. “Well, good thing you’re Texas tough. I’m sure wherever you go, you will light up a room and bring the sunshine like you always do.” A slurp sounded through her car’s speakers. “So what’s on your agenda today, Jae Hawk?”
“I’m on my way to meet someone.” Her arms relaxed now that Daddy had moved on to a different subject.
“Who are ya fixin’ to meet?”
“Nick Dahlquist. You remember, the one I told you about? The guy who does those videos.”
“You mean that guy you’re always goin’ on and on about? The one with the dogs?”
“Now, Daddy, before you start—”
“Are you sure you should be meetin’ up with him? You don’t know him from Adam. Is Seymour with you?”
“Daddy, I’m fine. And I do know Nick. Just because we’ve never met face to face doesn’t mean I don’t know him. Besides, he really helped me with Seymour. You know how hard it was when I first got him.”
“I don’t know, Sugar. This Nick could be slicker than a boiled onion. It’s easy to be somethin’ you ain’t online.”
“I can handle myself. I made it through boot camp and six years in the Army. I can handle this.”
“I know, but—”
“And I’m just going to meet him and see if he’ll board Seymour. It’s not a big deal. Ronnie said he was a great guy. He’s Peter’s cousin.”
“Who’s Peter?”
“Ronnie’s boyfriend.”
“Oh. Well, if Ronnie knows him, maybe he’s okay. But you be careful, now, ya hear? Don’t set your heart too much on something until you know for sure. I’d hate to see you get hurt again.”
© Sunrise Media Group
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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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