The Smell of Paper Books

I love my Kindle, I really do. Going on vacation doesn’t mean I have to lug around a dozen books. I can adjust the font size to whatever I please, highlight passages without feeling guilty about marking up pages, and read in the dark. My entire library fits in my purse. It’s convenient, practical, brilliant technology. What’s not to like?

But here’s the thing: my Kindle doesn’t smell. It doesn’t have that intoxicating scent of freshly printed paper, that particular perfume of ink and possibility that hits you when you crack open a new book. There’s no weight in your hands, no satisfaction of turning an actual page, no way to judge how much story is left by the thickness of pages under your thumb. You can’t lend a Kindle file to your best friend with a “you HAVE to read this” urgency. You can’t get it signed by the author at an event. And there’s something about a physical book on your nightstand—a presence, a promise—that an e-reader just doesn’t replicate.

So here’s a book that gives you options. Available as an ebook on many different retailers for your convenient, portable reading pleasure—AND as a paperback for those moments when you want the full sensory experience. Curl up on the couch with something you can hold. Dog-ear your favorite scenes (I won’t tell). Let it take up space on your shelf so you can see it and smile, remembering. However you choose to read it, just enjoy.

Cowboys and Horses by C.J. Laurence

One could say I had it all—a high-flying career, a flashy sports car, and a diamond ring that promised forever. Until I found my fiancé in bed with my sister. Just like that, my picture-perfect life shattered.

When my best friend Zoe insisted I visit her uncle’s dude ranch in Arizona to help me ‘heal’ or whatever, I thought she’d officially lost the plot. Yet, somehow, I found myself trading the green English countryside for sun-scorched desert at The Black Mustang Ranch.

Surrounded by horses and endless skies, I slowly began to breathe again. Enter Brady, the ruggedly handsome Head Wrangler. He was as sexy as he was mysterious, with secrets that could either mend or break my already wounded heart. As sparks flew between us, I started to wonder if there was still hope for this English rose in the wild west.

But the shadows of my past refused to stay buried, and Brady’s own history threatened to derail our budding romance. Could the healing power of the ranch help me trust again? Or would I be too scared to saddle up for another ride on the love trail?

Giddy up for a tale of betrayal, second chances, and discovering that sometimes, you have to get a little dusty to truly shine.

If you love heart warming, soul tingling, feel good romance sprinkled with cowboys, this is the book for you.

Even more books.

All of these – and more – are available in print, too. Click here.