What do we really know about new author Emma Cane, besides the fact that her debut contemporary, A Town Called Valentine, received 4 stars from RT BOOK REVIEWS? In the February issue, we dropped a tantalizing hint about the true identity behind this mysterious newcomer. Everyone has wondered which author has crossed romance genres — and now we’re finally free to reveal the answer .... Debut contemporary romance author Emma Cane is none other than beloved historical romance author Gayle Callen! And here to introduce the town behind her new series is Emma/Gayle herself and then be sure to check out how you can enter to win your own copy of her new contemporary romance.

Hello! I’d like to introduce you to Valentine Valley, Colorado, where I’m setting my new contemporary series. I created a little town in the Roaring Fork Valley just outside Aspen. It’s beautiful country, with snow-topped mountains towering along each side and the river winding through. From the name alone, you can guess that Valentine Valley is known for romance, a place where couples come to find love, to rejuvenate relationships, to get married. Valentine is also in the middle of a ranching community, so let’s not forget the cowboys! I thought I’d give you a little tour of the important places in town, where Emily Murphy and Nate Thalberg live their lives.

Down on her luck after a bad divorce, Emily arrives in town late one rainy night, and her car breaks down at Tony’s Tavern, a bar on the edge of town. It’s where she meets local rancher Nate Thalberg, and their flirting over a game of pool leads to a hot kiss that embarrasses Emily. She reluctantly accepts a ride from Nate to the building on Main Street that she inherited from her mom. Emily plans to sell it to finance her return to college in her quest to support herself, but the last tenants vandalized it, and Emily will have to repair it herself, at least a couple weeks’ work before can return to San Francisco. Nate won’t let her stay there—the heat’s not on and the damage is considerable—so he takes her to the Widows’ Boarding House, a Victorian gingerbread-trimmed house where his grandmother and two of her friends live. In exchange for a room, Emily becomes the focus of three kindhearted busybodies, who run the town preservation committee and see nothing wrong with chaining themselves to a historic brothel to protect the “women’s history” of Valentine Valley.

The boarding house is part of the Silver Creek Ranch, which Nate’s family has owned for generations. They raise cattle, driving them high into the mountains for summer grazing. The ranch is run by Nate, his parents, his brother Josh, and sister Brooke. Brooke and Emily start to hang out together at Monica’s Flowers and Gifts, the little shop next door to Emily’s building, owned by Monica Shaw, Brooke’s best friend. With these two women, Emily finds friendship and support, and begins to heal.

Presiding over the town is the Sweetheart Inn, three floors of Queen Anne turrets and wrap-around porches, where Nate takes Emily on a magical date, and where she discovers old family secrets that change everything she thought about herself and her future. I hope you’ll fall in love with Valentine Valley like I have when you read A Town Called Valentine.

- Emma Cane (aka Gayle Callen)

Want to find out what happens to Nate and Emily? A Town Called Valentine will be on sale January 31. Or you can follow the instructions below for your chance to win a copy of the new book!

GIVEAWAY ALERT: Two readers will win a copy of A Town Called Valentine. To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us which spot in Valentine would you like to visit. Alternatively, you can email your answer here with your mailing address and the subject line "Emma Cane Giveaway." The giveaway ends January 12 and is open to U.S. residents only.

Tags: RT Daily Blog, Romance
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