Series Spotlight (and a Giveaway!): Bonita Creek series by June McCrary Jacobs

Welcome to the Blog Blitz for the Bonita Creek series by June McCrary Jacobs, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! Keep reading for an excerpt from each book!

ROBIN’S REWARD by June McCrary Jacobs
SERIES: Bonita Creek #1
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: May 2021 (re-release)
PAGES: 318

Is a relationship which began with both parties harboring secrets destined to survive?

Welcome to friendly Bonita Creek, a small town in the Coastal Mountains of the Mendocino Coast of California . . .

Bonita Creek’s librarian, Robin Bennett, is heartbroken after being abandoned by her husband, Thomas. Mysterious Jeff Clarke arrives in town unexpectedly and touches Robin’s life with his wit and warmth. Without warning, Jeff’s harsh words and abrasive actions scare her off, and Robin’s hope of finding true, long-lasting love withers again.

Can the couple move past their troubles and the obstacles in their path to find love and happiness together? Jeff and Robin must use their faith and their newly-forged bond with each other to remain strong and true. Will it be enough for them to embrace a life of love, trials, and blessings . . . together?

‘Robin’s Reward,’ Book One in the Bonita Creek Series, is a contemporary Christian romance story which is completely clean in language and content.

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Robin put on her sunglasses as they headed toward the park across the street. “Ready for the official tour now?” she asked.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“This is Veterans Memorial Park. My Grandpa John Chaplin’s name is on the World War II memorial wall here. He was in the Army and was wounded in Europe. I think it was in France. After he recuperated, he worked in intelligence at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. until the war ended. He worked on codes and communications.”

“Sounds like a smart man.”

“He was. He was intelligent, clever, compassionate, and kind. I was blessed to have him as my grandfather. His name is also shown on the Korean War memorial wall over here.”

They walked further into the park to see the Korean War wall.

“He served in both wars?” Jeff asked.

“Yes. In the Korean War he was stationed in South Korea and saw some combat. Fortunately, he wasn’t wounded in that conflict,” Robin said with a slight smile.

“I’m in awe of anyone who saw combat in not only one, but two wars!” Jeff replied.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Definitely amazing. Maybe more like astonishing since I don’t come from a military family. Is this all right?” Jeff gestured to a bench engulfed with shade.

“Yes, it’s nice and cool here.”

They both sat down and then Jeff handed Robin her ice-cold smoothie. She slid the straw through the lid and took her first sip.

“Delicious. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Tell me more about your family.” Jeff sat back with his legs stretched in front of him and began sipping his smoothie through his straw.

“My grandparents raised me from the time I was fourteen. My mother died of colon cancer after a lengthy battle. My dad was an emotional wreck after she died. We appeared on his parents’ doorstep in Bonita Creek one July afternoon about three months after Mom’s death. He asked his parents to look after me while he tried to ‘find himself.’

© June McCrary Jacobs, 2015

JORIE’S JOURNEY by June McCrary Jacobs
SERIES: Bonita Creek #2
GENRE: Inspirational Western Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2022
PAGES: 302

After an idyllic life scarred by a traumatic event, is Jorie Woodstone ready to move forward to share her life’s journey with a man who loves her unconditionally?

Welcome back to friendly Bonita Creek, a small town in the Coastal Mountains of the Mendocino Coast of California . . .

Jorie Woodstone is the owner and operator of the wildly successful Cowgirl Bakery in Old Town Bonita Creek. She appears to have it all. She is musically gifted and belongs to a warm, loving, supportive family; but she’s built a brick fortress around her heart after being traumatized by an acquaintance in an unforgettable event three years earlier.

Join this talented, spirited cowgirl as she journeys on through life’s joys and sorrows with faith, strength, courage, and love on the road to true happiness.

‘Jorie’s Journey,’ Book Two in the Bonita Creek Series, is a contemporary Christian Western romance story which is completely clean in language and content.

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As she approached the front counter in her Cowgirl Bakery shop located on Main Street in old town Bonita Creek, California, Jorie Woodstone wiped her wet hands on the fluffy towel buttoned to her crisp white apron. Her long, thick hair was pulled into a ponytail peeking out from beneath her red gingham scarf. An urge to make a detour to check her reflection in the nearby mirror kicked in when the man standing at the counter turned to face her. His emerald green eyes were set off by a head of thick, wavy dark brown hair.

Jorie recited her usual greeting, “Hi, may I help you?” in a slightly more-friendly-than- usual tone. To her surprise, the newcomer was so busy checking her out that he hesitated for nearly thirty seconds before responding. When he spoke, his rich southern baritone vibrated through her ears.

“Hello, miss. I need to pick up a couple of pies to take over to my friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. The Cowgirl Bakery was highly recommended to me by my hostess at the bed and breakfast inn where I’m staying. Please don’t let me down by telling me it’s too late to order pies for the occasion.” His mouth settled into a sweet pout.

“What flavors did you have in mind?” Jorie tried to sound thrilled to have his business at this late hour. In truth, she was exhausted from the multitude of Thanksgiving orders for pies and other baked goods she’d received from her ultra-supportive hometown. She dreamed of going home early tonight to soak her exhausted body in a luxurious bubble bath and watch a couple of episodes of her favorite Masterpiece Mystery series.

“What do you recommend? I mean, you’re the one who works in a bakery and all.”

“I think it’s always nice to offer an assortment of pies. How about one organic apple cinnamon and one organic pumpkin nutmeg? Most people seem to like one or both of those flavors.”

“I’m from New Orleans, so I was dreaming of a pecan pie . . .”

“No can do,” Jorie clipped off. “We don’t usually do pecan pie here in California. Well, I mean we don’t do pecan pie without some advance notice. It’s too late to order organic pecans for tomorrow.”

“What a shame,” the customer shook his head sadly. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to accept the fact tomorrow will be my first Thanksgiving feast ever without a slice or two or three of pecan pie.”

He looked as if he were already grieving the loss of pecan pie on his Thanksgiving menu. Jorie felt a twinge of regret for his loss, but the line of customers behind him was stacking up and she was short-handed today. Her most-experienced employee, Connie, had requested the day off so that she and her husband could travel to spend the holiday with their family in Idaho. Her other experienced employee, James, was home nursing a bad case of strep throat and was unable to serve the public.

She wanted nothing more than to hurry this man along. However, she accepted long ago the reality that a large part of being a successful small business owner was to project the image that said owner actually enjoyed working with the public. She always attempted to give the illusion of being the queen of customer service in Bonita Creek.

© June McCrary Jacobs, 2022

CHRISTMAS IN BONITA CREEK by June McCrary Jacobs
SERIES: Bonita Creek #3
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance with Military Elements
RELEASE DATE: December 4, 2022
PAGES: 284

After seeing more than two years of combat in the Korean War, will the homecoming of two men from Bonita Creek be filled with the joy and romance they are yearning for or will it bring them even more heartache?

It’s late summer, 1952, in friendly Bonita Creek, a small town in the Coastal Mountains of the Mendocino Coast of California . . .

Estelle Vincent is missing her older brother, Sam, and her fiancé, John Chaplin, who are far away fighting for the US Army in the Korean War. They’ve been gone for more than two long years, and she is feeling out of sorts.

When she has a frank discussion with her mother, Estelle realizes that she is not the only one who has been moody and bored with her uneventful life. Her mother’s words inspire Estelle and catapult her into action organizing a community holiday project for the children and teens whose parents work for Mountainside Ranch outside of town.

As the story deepens, Estelle learns that several people close to her are harboring secrets—including her mother, her brother, and her best friend. She learns to be flexible and understanding as she looks outside of her own life and examines the impact of unforeseen events on those closest to her heart.

Join this intelligent, strong-willed hometown young woman as she navigates the obstacles and challenges of life with hope, perseverance, faith, courage, and love on her road to a brighter future filled with dreams come true.

‘Christmas in Bonita Creek,’ Book Three in the Bonita Creek Series, is a historical Christian holiday romance story which is completely clean in language and content.

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Estelle was so preoccupied with thoughts of ideas for their project that she nearly forgot to stop by the mailbox on her way up the driveway. She parked her bike and held her breath as she opened the mailbox flap. She swept her hand through the opening until she finally touched gold—a thick envelope that was stuffed into the dark corner of the back of the box.

She closed her eyes and prayed it was from Sam or John. “Sam or John, Sam or John. Please let it be from my brother or my fiancé,” she spoke quietly. When she was holding the envelope in front of her she opened her eyes. “It’s from Sam. Yay!”

Her joy quickly faded as she noticed the handwriting on the envelope was not the familiar slanted lettering of her brother’s left-handed scrawl. She knew sometimes when soldiers were critically wounded or killed in combat that someone else would mail their personal effects home, including letters the soldier may have dictated for loved ones to receive upon their death.

Her wariness grew when she noticed the envelope was addressed to ‘Miss Estelle Vincent.’ Usually when Sam wrote to the family he addressed it to ‘The Vincent Family’ or ‘The George Vincent Family.’ Estelle hoped there wasn’t bad news inside that she would be expected to share with her parents. To avoid any unnecessary drama this evening, she would wait to open the letter until she was alone.

Estelle tucked the envelope into her dress pocket and parked her bike in the garage before walking into the kitchen for a snack. She headed down the hall to her mother’s sewing room to greet her and find out how she was doing.

“Hello, Mother.”

Her mother looked up from her sewing with a puzzled look on her face. “Estelle, why are you home so early? Are you feeling ill?”

“I worked my shift until 4:30, and then met with Gloria at the library for over half an hour. It’s close to 5:30 now.”

Rosalie Vincent gasped. “I must have lost track of time working on these pleats for the new skirt I’m making for you. I guess I got lost in my thoughts and prayers about Sam and John.”

© June McCrary Jacobs, 2022

Box Set Sale

get all 3 books in one set for $5.99 for a limited time!

June McCrary Jacobs‘s debut novella, ‘A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom‘, was the winner of Cedar Fort Publishing’s 2013 Holiday Tale Contest. ‘Robin’s Reward‘, a Christian contemporary romance, is set in the Mendocino coastal region of California. It is Book One in the ‘Bonita Creek Series‘ and was originally released in 2015; the second edition of the book was released in July, 2022. The second book in the series, ‘Jorie’s Journey‘, was released in late May of 2022. The third book in the series a Christian historical romance, ‘Christmas in Bonita Creek‘, was released in December, 2022. ‘Romance By Proxy‘ is a later-in-life clean, wholesome romance set in Humboldt County on the Northern Coast of San Francisco which was released in August, 2021. June’s Christian historical romance short story, ‘Handmade Hearts‘, was inspired by the true story of how June’s aunt and uncle met in New Orleans during World War II and was released in December, 2018. June’s debut middle-grade novel, ‘RES-Q Tyler Stop‘, a historical novel set in Sonoma County, California, in 1968, was released in the spring of 2019. In early 2022 she published two short story collections for children entitled, ‘Carter’s Cookies & More Family Stories for Children‘ and ‘Banjo & More Pet Stories for Children‘. As a retired elementary school teacher and literacy mentor, June finds writing for children to be a rewarding and challenging experience.

Connect with June by visiting authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon Gift card + Bonita Creek Series e-books!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight January 18, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on January 25, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
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What about you? What makes you want to read the Bonita Creek series by June McCrary Jacobs?