Monday, August 19, 2024

New Release and Jury Duty

Captivated by His Convenient Duchess will be released tomorrow, Aug. 20th!

This is the first book in the Redford Dukedom duet, a two-book series about brothers, Myles and Wesley Wadsworth. The second book, Winning his Manhattan Heiress, will be released in February 2025.

The duke must marry…

But not for love!

In an accident that killed her parents, Lady Anita was left with a permanent leg injury, and at the mercy of her loathsome uncle. Bartering her to the Duke of Redford is a new low, so when the duke suggests a convenient marriage, she seizes the chance to escape.

Myles is determined his new wife won’t distract him from his ducal duties, but the woman who arrives at his estate is not the meek bride he expects! Society may have overlooked her, but now his spirited, determined duchess is all Myles can see!

I’m thrilled that early readers are enjoying Myles and Anita’s story! Here are a few snippets from Goodreads reviews:

Lauri Robinson's Captivated by His Convenient Duchess is a charming Victorian romance that is simply delightful!

Great story, loved it.

Captivated by His Convenient Duchess is the first book in The Redford Dukedom series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it left me with a smile. It was the ultimate feel-good story.

Touched me deeply, especially with Anita doesn't feel that she matters.

Addictive. A page turner from the first page to the last. I became rapidly engrossed in Myles and Anita's love story.

I’m so very appreciative to everyone who reads one of my books and takes the time to share their thoughts with others.

Next up will be the second book in this duet in February. After that will be a Victorian/Western hybrid story that is currently with my editor about a cowboy from Texas who interrupts an English Lady’s wedding in London. I just signed a new contract with Harlequin for three more stories. I’m so grateful that they continue to give me the opportunity to write for them!

On the home front, summer has been flying by. Our poor little peach tree has so many peaches growing on it that despite my best efforts to tie up the branches, two broke off. The pear trees are full of fruit too, but the cherry and plum trees are on an off year, so there won’t be any cherry or plum jelly in the freezer this fall.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a letter for Jury Duty. This was my fourth time receiving notifications to call in weekly, but this was the first time my group number was selected to actually report to the courthouse. It was an interesting process, starting at eight am, where 38 of us were gathered to watch an informational video, and then led to a courtroom. There, 21 names were called to sit in the jury box. First the judge asked questions of the group, and two people were excused due to personal conflicts. Next, both the defense and prosecuting attorneys asked more questions. Then, the judge was provided a list, and 13 of us were selected to serve on the jury.

It was close to noon, so we were excused for lunch and the trial began at 1pm. We heard from 6 witnesses that afternoon and were excused around 4:30. The following morning, we heard from two witnesses, then listened to closing arguments. The one alternate juror was excused and the rest of us were sequestered into a jury deliberation room around 12:30.

As a group, we chose a foreman, who did a fabulous job of making sure everyone’s opinion was voiced concerning the two charges against the defendant. There were detailed conversations concerning the evidence that had been presented, etc., and around 4pm that afternoon, we submitted our verdict.

All in all, it was a very interesting process that I felt honored to be a part of.

I hope you all have had a wonderful summer, and remember to be the reason someone smiles today!


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Audio Books!

 

A Dance with her Forbidden Officer and A Diary of a War Bride are both available in audio book format. They can be purchased individually and in a duet that will also be released on March 26th as an ebook. The narrators did a fabulous job on both of these stories. I thank them and applaud their talent. 




 


A Dance with her Forbidden Officer and A Diary of a War Bride

Harlequin Historical brings you two heart-racing World War II stories in one collection. Experience the epic love stories of two officers and the women they fall for, where every stolen moment together counts! 

Dance With Her Forbidden Officer 
 
Nurse Wendy Smith promised her mother she’d see the world, starting with beautiful Hawaii. Her promise to herself – to never depend on a man – is harder to keep when Navy Officer K.T. McAllister jitterbugs into her life. Then Pearl Harbor is attacked and, as Wendy nurses injured K.T., she learns he too has promises to people back home. Yet as K.T. grows stronger, so do her feelings, and her longing for the forbidden… 
  

Diary of a War Bride 
 
July 1942 
Dear Diary, despite the war raging around me I find I can’t stop thinking about the American officer, Sergeant Dale Johnson. I’ve never known anyone as brave, kind and handsome! But I promised myself I wouldn’t care this much about a man again, and especially when he could be transferred at any time. Yet that only makes me want to relish our time together. Now, fighting my heart feels like the biggest battle… 

 

I want to give a quick shout out to a great new book site. Shepard.com 

This is a fun and comprehensive place to get book recommendations. Check it out when you have a chance. I’ve posted a list of books that I think make great book club reads.   

 

Coming soon:

A Courtship to Fool Manhattan will be released on May 21st.

A sweet and satisfying fake relationship story set in the Gilded Age 

A pretend courtship… 

To prevent a marriage! 

At his sister’s society wedding, Lincoln Dryer finds himself paired up with heiress Victoria Biggs. Tired of being matchmade, Lincoln is surprised to learn Victoria feels the same. So they agree to pretend to be a couple! Though he enjoys Victoria’s refreshing company, Lincoln’s seen the heartache love can cause… Yet while their charade fools Manhattan, how long can Lincoln fool himself into believing he can let Victoria go when the wedding party’s over? 


 


Captivated by his Convenient Duchesses (The Redford Dukedom) will be released on August 20th.

From Victorian England to Gilded Age America, two brothers are rising to the challenge of The Redford Dukedom. Enjoy the first installment of this captivating new duet.

The duke must marry…

But not for love!

In an accident that killed her parents, Lady Anita was left with a permanent leg injury, and at the mercy of her loathsome uncle. Bartering her to the Duke of Redford is a new low, so when the duke suggests a convenient marriage, she seizes the chance to escape.

Myles is determined his new wife won’t distract him from his ducal duties, but the woman who arrives at his estate is not the meek bride he expects! Society may have overlooked her, but now his spirited, determined duchess is all Myles can see!  

 

The second book in this duet is about the younger brother Wesley Wadsworth who travels to the United States to promote the Redford thoroughbred race horses, and encounters Julia Eastman, a race horse owner herself.  This manuscript is currently going through the editing process.

I've just recently began working on another Victorian/Western story.

On the home front note..I’m happy to say that the five chickens who moved in with us, coop and all, when our son was selling his house last fall (and hasn’t yet built a place for them at his new house) made it though the winter just fine. Besides a light and heated water tank, they’ve had heating pads in their nesting boxes to keep the eggs from freezing. I’d never had chickens before, and have enjoyed these hens very much. On nice days, I let them out to roam the yard, and all I have to do is call Ruby (the leader of the pack) and they all come running when it’s time to go back into their pen/coop.

Animals of all kinds sure do touch our hearts.    

Cheers! 

Lauri

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

New Releases!

 

I have several to tell you about!

An Unlikely Match for the Governess will be released on November 28th. My husband told me that I must have enjoyed writing this book, because every time he saw me working on it, I was smiling. He was right. Creating Luke and Aislinn’s story was very fun.

The American West meets Victorian England in this transatlantic romance

The most unlikely match might be the best fit!

After the young twins she cares for are orphaned, their governess, Aislinn, will do anything to stay with them. So when their maverick uncle—aristocrat turned rancher—Luke returns to England determined to gain guardianship, she proposes a convenient marriage! As an unexpected connection develops between them, Aislinn begins to long for a real future with Luke. But his home is in Montana… Could it be hers, too? 

 

A Gilded Age Christmas was released in October! This is an anthology of Christmas time stories that includes The Railroad Barron’s Mistletoe Bride. An Amazon reviewer had this to say about the story: Lauri Robinson's historical romances never fail to hit the spot and The Railroad Baron's Mistletoe Bride is a terrific example of her storytelling prowess. Enchanting, emotional and captivating, this wonderful tale of second chances, healing from the past and love lost and found is a first-rate historical novella readers will not be able to resist. 

Two festive romances set in the glamorous Gilded Age

Two short romances celebrate a Gilded Age Christmas!

In Amanda McCabe’s 
A Convenient Winter Wedding: marrying Connor O’Neill is about survival for penniless heiress May Van Der Berg. The distant self-made millionaire is far from the passionate husband she’d once dreamed of…except for that scorching kiss! In Lauri Robinson’s The Railroad Baron's Mistletoe Bride: after years of estrangement, romance blooms when Kurt invites store clerk Harper and their shared niece to spend Christmas at his mansion. But are they just a family for the holidays?

 

Next up will be A Dance with her Forbidden Officer releasing in February. For this book, I stepped back into WW2, when the war began for America at Pearl Harbor. Having visited the museum during my visit to Hawaii was very helpful, but putting characters into the events of that day was also heart-wrenching. The costs of war should never be forgotten. Giving Wendy and K.T. a happy-ever-after ending was paramount.

A forbidden romance set during WWII

He danced her off her feet, now she can’t stop falling

Nurse Wendy Smith promised her mother she’d see the world, starting with beautiful Hawaii. Her promise to herself—to never depend on a man—is harder to keep when navy officer K.T. McAllister jitterbugs into her life. Then Pearl Harbor is attacked and, as Wendy nurses an injured K.T., she learns he too has promises to people back home. Yet as K.T. grows stronger, so do her feelings, and her longing for the forbidden… 

I’m also so excited that in February A Dance with her Forbidden Officer AND Diary of a War Bride will both be released in audio! The two will be available individually, but also as an audio duet!

Then, coming in May, will be A Courtship to Fool Manhattan. In this book, I returned to the fascinating Gilded Age and a high-society wedding. I don't have any cover art yet, but the Harlequin art team is sure to do an amazing job with this one too!

A sweet and satisfying fake relationship story set in the Gilded Age 

A pretend courtship… 

To prevent a marriage! 

At his sister’s society wedding, Lincoln Dryer finds himself paired up with heiress Victoria Biggs. Tired of being matchmade, Lincoln is surprised to learn Victoria feels the same. So they agree to pretend to be a couple! Though he enjoys Victoria’s refreshing company, Lincoln’s seen the heartache love can cause… Yet while their charade fools Manhattan, how long can Lincoln fool himself into believing he can let Victoria go when the wedding party’s over?

 

And yet another story, Captivated by his Convenient Duchess will be released in August. I just sent this book off to my editor last week, so don’t have the official blurb, but it’s set in Victorian England where a marriage of convenience becomes a love match.  This will be the first book in the duet “The Redford Dukedom’ about two brothers raising English Thoroughbred horses and the women who steal their hearts.

I will now start writing the second brother’s story. Its set in Manhattan where he’d travel to from England to expand the success of Redford race horses and meets a woman with a horse who could very well beat his prized horse at the Belmont Stakes race.  

Life has also been very busy on the home front. A new roof, siding, windows, and doors took up a lot of time, and work, but it’s all done now. As is a new roof on the sauna. We also lost a couple of trees in a storm, but the work of cleaning them up means the woodshed is full of wood to provide cozy winter fires in the wood stove. And I’m happy to say that I’ve gotten a good start on Christmas shopping. Life truly is good and full of blessings. I include each of you reading this in my blessings. Thank you so much for your continued support! 

Keep smiling! You’re worth it!