Linda O'Connor

Welcome to the #MFRWHooks blog hop! Perfectly Together is in the spotlight today. It’s the sixth sassy, sexy medical romance in the Perfectly Series. All of the Perfectly romantic comedies are stand-alone stories, and Perfectly Together brings together all your favourite characters from the previous stories while you fall in love with the new couple.  Dr. Jayden Locke grew up an army brat and is more than ready to put down roots. Dr. Cole Cameron is an adventure seeking emergency physician with no plans to slow down or settle. Their hearts entwine – how’s that going to work?

Newly graduated naturopathic doctor Jayden Locke has a dream – start a practice in small-town Emerson and (settle in) never move again. She’s found the perfect office building to buy. It passes an inspection, design plans are drawn up, and the bank okays the loan. Only one problem.

Dr. Cole Cameron scoops it before she has a chance to submit an offer. What?

It’s a good investment. Cole isn’t interested in settling down. He works three jobs in three different towns and would just as soon keep moving. But something about Jayden’s defiant eyes and sexy smile makes him pause and reconsider.

What are the chances that a heart filled with wanderlust and a soul longing for a home fit Perfectly Together?

Enjoy an excerpt from Perfectly Together ~

A woman with an apron greeted them as they walked closer. “Hi. Any of you keen to help judge the butter tart contest? Tickets are three for five dollars.”

Cole pulled out his wallet. “Most definitely will.” He turned to Jayden. “Those raisin-lovin’ fanatics think they can beat out the plain team. Not gonna happen.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Please don’t tell me you’re on the raisin team.”

“Sorry. I absolutely am. No raisins? Why would that even be allowed?”

Cole groaned and put his hand on his heart dramatically. “What? How could I have partnered with a raisin person? It should’ve been in the contract.”

Jayden laughed and handed five dollars to the woman. “Let the judging begin.”

Someone shouted a greeting to Cole, and he walked over to say hello. Jayden watched as the two men embraced in a bear hug and patted each other on the back.

“I don’t think I’ve met you,” said an older woman holding a tray of butter tarts.

“I’m Jayden Locke.”

“Oh. You’re the new family doctor in Emerson. On Market Street.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m Bea Alexander. Welcome to Strathaven. I work with Edna Mitchell to recruit new doctors, and we were tickled pink when we heard about you. Can’t tell you how much we needed another family doctor. Be better if you were closer to Strathaven, but Emerson’s only a hop, skip, and a jump away.”

Busy as a bee, Bea. “Thank you very much. I’m very happy to be here.”

She peered over her tortoise-shell frames. “Raisins or plain?”

“Raisins. Actually raisins and nuts.”

“Ooh. Double whammy.” Bea whipped the tray out of Jayden’s reach. “Well, never mind. You’re probably very nice. But I gotta save these for the voting crowd. We’re reigning champions. Can’t let Edna win.” She started to walk away. “Raisins and nuts.” She shook her head. “Kids these days.”

Jayden laughed. She watched as Bea walked over to Cole and his friend and offered them each a butter tart. Cole bent down to give Bea a hug and with a huge grin, scooped up a butter tart and popped it in his mouth in one bite. He kissed his fingers, exploded them, and waved a ticket in the air. Bea beamed and pointed to the judging box. Another vote on the way.

The group mingled around her, laughing with folks they met, trying butter tarts, and wiping gooey filling from their chins. A light breeze lifted the leaves on the trees around the park, making them rustle in quiet contentment. Carved pumpkins with happy faces, spooky eyes, and intricate designs lined the path. Other jack-o-lanterns with candles flickering inside were scattered in groups of two or three throughout the park. White fairy lights twinkled in the trees, making the stars look low in the sky.

Two children raced close to Jayden, and she took a quick step back with a smile.

“I hear you’re a nut.”

Jayden started and looked down at the woman behind the voice. Gray curls framed a round face and a wide grin that was hard to resist.

“Edna Mitchell. Pleased to meet you. Bea told me you’re in the nut camp.”

Jayden smiled. “Hi. I am. Nuts and raisins, if truth be told.”

“I hear ya. Nothin’ better.” She held out a tray. “These have raisins. We don’t do nuts in case someone has an allergy. Doctor Quinn nixed that a while ago. Wanna try one?”

“I would love to.” She picked one up and bit into it. A groan escaped her. She swallowed. “This is delicious. Holy cow. How did this not win last year?”

Edna chuckled and gave her a side hug. “I really like you. Don’t forget to vote. Oh, there’s Albert.” She leaned closer. “He swings either way. I better catch him before Bea gets her tart in him.” She gave a nod. “Lovely meeting you. Ta ta.” She started to walk away. “If you run into anyone who’s a raisin lover, send ’em my way,” she called over her shoulder.

Jayden finished the butter tart and watched Edna saddle up to Albert and offer him a taste.

“She should save her energy. There’s just no way raisins could ever beat out plain,” Cole said in her ear.

Jayden’s heart flipped as she turned toward his voice. “Really.” She gave him a pointed stare.

“Absolutely. Whoever thought that was a good idea tampered with perfection. Epic fail.”

Jayden gave a burst of laughter. “I don’t think so. Raisins, nuts, chocolate,” – she waved her hand – “only improve perfection.”

Cole gave a pained look. “Oh, another one lost to the dark side. What next? Hot chocolate without marshmallows. Thin Oreos. Whole wheat pancakes.”

“Yes, yes, and yes. It’s called healthy eating. Diabetes-preventing, cholesterol-lowering, artery-saving goodness.”

A young girl approached with a box of caramel-coated apples, and Cole pulled out his wallet. He bought two, and when the girl walked away, he handed one to Jayden. “Living to one hundred is overrated. Live a little.”

Jayden shook her head with a rueful grin and took the apple.

Buy link (free in Kindle Unlimited) : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NC1VW5R

It’s a new cover but the same great story – with a little less swearing. 🙂

The rights for Perfectly Honest have reverted back to me from Soul Mate Publishing. I’ll always be grateful to SMP for taking a risk on my writing and publishing my first story. Now I’ve republished Perfectly Honest under Interlock Publishing with a new cover. I’ve made some minor edits – after a bit of feedback I’ve cleaned up the language a bit and made sure they use condoms the second time around ;). If you haven’t read it – it’s a fun one. And it all starts with one little white lie.

You never know where your words will take you…

When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s “fiancée” for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor. Sam O’Brien, aka “Dr. Eye Candy,” is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down. But when his “fiancée” helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, he might have done things a little differently because somehow his “fiancée” ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted.

Lies and deceit – it’s a match made in heaven!

Buy link (free in KU): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V9CWRMK

Welcome to the #MFRWHooks blog hop! Perfectly Planned is in the spotlight today. It’s the third sassy, sexy romance in the Perfectly Series. Chloe is a quirky – but loveable – character. She’s ready to have a baby – and has decided to meet the sperm donors in person. Uh-oh. She’s met her match in the unflappable Staff Sergeant Rip Logan.

She has it all Perfectly Planned . . .

Chloe Keay is on the hunt for the perfect sperm donor, but who knew it would be this hard? So many things to consider in a father – sure height and hair color are important, but what about the real issues. How does he feel about bagpipe music? Does he buy the extended warranty? Skittles or M&Ms? She doesn’t want an average Joe. She’s narrowed it down to two candidates and has the perfect plan to pick the heir and the spare.

Staff Sergeant Rip Logan, head of the elite Tactics and Rescue Unit, has a gut feeling that Chloe Keay is trouble. She’s a sexy little spark plug who radiates innocence, but it doesn’t jibe with her suspicious behavior and probing questions. The fact that he’s attracted irritates him. What exactly is she after? And should he go with his gut or follow his heart?

Enjoy an excerpt from Perfectly Planned ~ 

But with all the financial advice she was catching up on, she did notice one thing. The population was aging (Someone’s just figuring that out?) and there wasn’t going to be enough money in the pension plan. Hmmm. Apparently that was a problem. And not that she liked to think too far into the future, but it seemed you needed a retirement plan.

Not only was it ‘highly recommended,’ but, they stressed several days in a row, it had to be started by age thirty. Hmmm. Retirement plan at age thirty, who’d have thought?

Well, if that’s what kept the big bean counters from Money Market News up at night, she’d better sit up and listen.

She never had to worry about what to do with her ‘disposable income.’ Sheez. She disposed of it. It wasn’t that hard. (She should do a podcast or two for them.) “Don’t spend what you don’t have,” her mom always said. “Debt isn’t your friend,” her dad would chip in.

Her parents, sixty-nine, turning seventy in a week, shared the same birthday and the same financial vision. They were thrifty, but knew they needed more. Their retirement plan was simple—have six children. There was bound to be a high achiever among them.

They were right. Dale, the eldest, was a lawyer. Pamela, number two, a nurse. Devon, number three, a dentist. April was an electrical engineer. She painted houses and Cory, her twin, was a plumber.

For pretty much everything her parents needed, from house repairs to health questions, they had a child on speed-dial. And bonus, funds flowed freely to pay for their place in a retirement home.

Perfectly planned.

That’s the kind of retirement plan she was after. Maybe not six kids. Six was a bit of a handful, especially flying solo. But she could handle one, at least to begin with.

It would’ve been easier with Roger, but oh well, on to Plan B.

Sperm bank.

She had been poked and prodded and deemed a healthy receptacle.

But, oh how to choose which little swimmers to let loose? She needed smart (had to earn the big bucks), features similar to hers (hair color notwithstanding), family oriented (obviously had to love their momma), and not too nasally a voice (very annoying). They needed to be screened for reverse traits—ones that would make her wish she could reverse the whole process.

She needed more than the measly amount of info available online.

No problem. She had applied for a job as a weekend receptionist at the sperm bank, interviewed quite successfully (naturally), and waited patiently while they narrowed down their selection.

She had started three weeks ago.

The job was straightforward, certainly not as creative as painting. In fact, it was kinda slow. She liked the music in the waiting room, though, especially with her mouse clicking. She could get quite a beat going. Left click. Right click. Left-right-right click. She could see it catching on. In fact, it should be posted on YouTube because it’d give her something to watch at work, too.

She hadn’t lost sight of her plan, but it wasn’t obvious where all the data was stored. She had opened several files, but it wasn’t until she rocked and clicked to The Jaded Gentlemen, that lo and behold, the folder popped up.

Now, she wasn’t a computer genius or anything, but who uses 1234 as their password? You’d think all that confidential information about sperm donors would be behind a bigger firewall. Nope.

So, her two top matches now had names.

4652. Ripley Logan
4653. Jared Clayton

A few social media clicks later, and voilà, she set up friend requests with both.

Even better, it looked like Ripley’s baseball team had a rain-date game on Friday, seven o’clock, right here in Rivermede at Fairfield Park.

He was sporty. She clicked a happy beat.

She could go to the game and check him out. Try to learn more about him, but keep it quiet, fly under the radar.

She spun around in her chair and smiled. Perfect.

Looking back at the screen, she hovered the cursor over her profile picture. Redhead or blond?

What did that financial guru say? Plan carefully, go slowly, get the core established before exploring any specific tactical shifts.

Hmmm. Sounded like the redheaded photo should stay a little longer.

Buy link (and it’s part of KU): https://www.amazon.ca/Perfectly-Planned-Linda-OConnor-ebook/dp/B017GGC346

Hop over to the next awesome author on the blog hop!

Don’t Mess with Christmas has been nominated for the AllAuthor “Cover of the Month” for January. Woohoo!! Please vote and help me win this thing (it’s a long shot).

Vote HERE  https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/10674/