Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

We are starting a new series called “If You Like” which will be hosted by various readers, authors and bloggers of Dear Author. The purpose of the post and the comments is to explore what we like about a particular iconic author and what other authors have books like the iconic author. Val Kovalin who writes about fantasy fiction at ValKovalin.com and m/m fiction at Obsidian Bookshelf is hosting this If You Like entry on Julia Spencer Fleming.

Julia Spencer-Fleming’s latest release, I Shall Not Want, is the 6th book in her Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne mystery series.

If you would like to host an “If You Like” post, please email me at Jane at dearauthor.com
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If you like Julia Spencer-Fleming …

Julia Spencer-Fleming writes the Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, which has strong crossover appeal to fans of romance and romantic suspense. To see why, please read on and rest assured that I don’t include any plot-spoilers.

I first ran across this series when I checked a list of mystery award-winners for reading suggestions. In the Bleak Midwinter won both an …

Dear Ms. Spencer-Fleming,

My friend Keishon has been telling me for years to read this book. She’s a huge fan of your series featuring Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne. Now that I’ve read In the Bleak Midwinter, the first book in the series, I can see why.

The mystery at the heart of In the Bleak Midwinter begins with a baby left on the steps of St. Alban’s Church on a cold December night. The baby is found by Reverend Clare Fergusson, St. Alban’s new priest, who has recently relocated from the South to Miller’s Kill, a town in upstate New York near the Adiorndack mountains and the Vermont border.

The box that contained the baby and his blankets also had a note asking that the baby be named Cody and given to a pair of childless lawyers, Geoff and Karen Burns, parishioners at St. Alban’s who have been desperate to adopt a child. But the baby is placed with a foster family instead, while the police attempt to locate the birth parents and ensure their wishes are followed.

Russ Van Alstyne, the police chief …

Dear Ms. Spencer-Fleming

As I blogged a couple of days ago, this series has been a long time favorite of friend and fellow reader, Keishon. I trust Keishon’s judgment quite a bit. She’s led me to read some wonderful mystery authors. However, I long held back from reading this series because of the relationship dynamic between the married Sheriff Russ Van Alstyne and the Episcopalian priest, Clare Fergusson. I received an email from the publicity department asking if I was interested in this new book because the publicist felt that the story would have strong romance appeal. It seemed like the right moment to start, even though it is book 6.

It’s kind of complicated book to summarize without making the story appear super complicated, which it really isn’t. The story takes place over one year. Sheriff Russ Van Alstyne is grieving over the loss of his wife, a senseless and preventable loss. Reverend Clare is suffering the after effects of killing a man to save Russ’ life, her love for a man who can’t seem to return it, and the issues with the leaders …

I remember seeing this on the SB blog a couple days ago and forgot (or was too busy) to blog about it. Julia Spencer-Fleming writes a mystery series featuring Reverend Clare Fergusson and Sherif Russ Van Alstyne. Today was the relase of Spencer-Fleming’s sixth book in the series, I Shall Not Want.

These free downloads are available right now, through Thursday, June 12. So act fast!

You can download the .pdf versions of In the Bleak Midwinter and A Fountain Filled With Blood at the I Shall Not Want book page of St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan. You have to give up your email address for this, but you are getting 2 free ebooks that are totally DRM free.

One of my favorite reader bloggers, Keishon, loves this series. I’ve been reluctant to climb aboard because I was unsure of the nature of the romance but I Shall Not Want has been marketed heavily toward the romance crowd. Here’s a couple of reviews by Keishon to whet your appetite.

To Death and Darkness
All Mortal Flesh