Title: Grocery Girl (Audiobook)
Author: Virginia’dele Smith
Genre: Wholesome and heartfelt, small-town romance
Book Blurb:
She inhales life with every breath. He’s suffered a world of pain. Can they rise above tragedy to find their happily ever after?
Maree Davenport refuses to let a tearful past rule her future. After losing her parents at the age of five, the big-hearted fabric designer is determined to embrace her feelings and find happiness no matter what. So when she literally runs over a handsome new firefighter in the produce section, the hopeless romantic is certain she’s just collided with destiny.
Everyone Rhys Larsen ever loved has died. And though he may have hit it off with the pretty girl at the store, the haunted EMT knows better than to let her into his heart. But when an accident leaves her wounded and in need of care, he vows to nurse her back to health.
As Maree struggles to break through the grieving man’s walls, she fears his deep-seated superhero complex will make him unreachable. And as Rhys grapples with trying to protect the beautiful woman from his curse, he worries he’ll have to choose between doing the right thing and true love.
Can this conflicted couple reconcile their opposite takes on adversity and find purpose in each other’s arms?
Grocery Girl is the touching first book in the Green Hills wholesome small-town romance series. If you like strong but vulnerable characters, emotional growth, and quaint backdrops, then you’ll adore Virginia'dele Smith’s celebration of joy.
Escape to Green Hills today!
Excerpt:
“You just left,” he said, switching gears on her in a heartbeat.
“Yes, I—” She blinked a few times to catch up, but he stopped her before she could explain herself.
“I can’t protect you if you’re gone.”
“Rhys, you’ve taken the very best care of me this week. I can’t tell you how much that has mea—”
“Then let me take care of you now,” he interrupted again, obviously still antsy and agitated.
“No,” she replied.
“Because I can’t keep you safe.” His words were flat and defeated, said as both a question and a statement of fact.
“No, you can’t, Rhys.”
His body flinched, as though she had physically struck him. Pain rippled through his eyes; he visibly fought for a breath.
With a nod, he made a move to walk out.
“Rhys!” She grabbed his arm as he stormed by. “You aren’t supposed to keep me safe.”
He was dumbfounded by her words.
“You are this incredible superhero — you literally rescue people on a daily basis. But, Rhys, I don’t need you to be my savior. I’ve walked away from three car accidents in my life. Major ones. The first one killed my parents. The second one diverted my future to this amazing little town. And by everything that I can tell from all the hushed whispers that no one wants me to hear, I should not have survived this third one. You had nothing to do with any of those. Not the losses and not the blessings that have come from those tragedies. You are not personally responsible for guaranteeing my safety. In fact, you can’t. Not because you are not able, but because that is not your role in my life. When bad things happen, it’s not a direct result of your doing — or not doing — anything.” She was on a roll, but paused for a moment to tamp down her temper. And to let all she had just said sink in.
“Rhys, I love that you can be a role model for little kids, a guardian angel to those you help,” she went on. “But I’m not looking for a hero. I’m looking for a partner. A man to love me and experience life with me. A champion to celebrate my wins, but also a lifeline who is there to hold me and grieve through the losses.”
He stood speechless, head hanging in defeat.
“Rhys, look at me. Please,” she asked. “Rhys, I love you. I have for a long time now. And I know that you love me, too. But we can’t work if I’m merely a damsel in distress who you feel compelled to protect. I can’t live on a pedestal under a glass dome that you can watch over to keep me safe. Life is messy. It’s scary and it’s hard and it’s painful. And every bit of it is worth the risk because love is so much more than any one of those difficult emotions. It’s more than all of them put together. That kind of love makes every day a little brighter. It makes colors more brilliant and laughter more contagious. It’s wonderful. It’s all-encompassing. And it’s a gift.”
She stepped closer, placing her right hand over his heart.
“Rhys, that’s the kind of love I want. That’s the kind of love we can have. Together.”
Audiobook sample:
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What’s your favorite activity to shake off the winter doldrums?
Quilting! When it’s too cold to enjoy outdoor activities, when the sun goes down midafternoon, and when the winter doldrums hit, working on a quilt project always saves the day. I get lost in the process of selecting fabrics, feel challenged by cutting and prepping for the pattern, and find peace in the hum of my machine while sewing the topper together.
Why is your featured book a cure for the winter blues?
Grocery Girl is the perfect escape for a cold, blustering afternoon. Curl up on the couch with a quilt, nestled in tight, and spend a few hours in Green Hills. The community is inviting, the characters become instant friends, and their journey to finding their happily ever after is both emotional and riveting. The newly released audiobook makes your visit to Green Hills the perfect companion to working on a sewing project, cleaning out winter closets to get ready for spring, or dashing through housework. The narrator, Xe Sands, will transport you to the beauty and endearing wonder of Green Hills.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs March 1 – 31, 2023.
Drawing will be held on April 3, 2023.
Author Biography:
Ashli Montgomery is a wife, a momma, and an author whose passion is sharing love stories, books, quilts, yoga, recipes, and her favorite things in life. She is quilting to mend the mind by spearheading and educating a community of quilters through Quilt 2 End ALZ, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit she launched to use her quilting hobby as a platform to advocate for an end to Alzheimer's disease.
Ashli writes wholesome and heartfelt, small-town romance under the pen name Virginia’dele Smith to honor Syble Virginia Tidwell, Adele Gertrude Baylin, and Etta Jean Smith. These three cherished grandmothers were beautiful role models, teaching Ashli to love without judgment and to always put family first. Through Grandma Syble’s journals and appetite for books, through Momadele’s priceless cards and handwritten letters, and through many, many hours of visiting over fabric at Mema’s kitchen island, Ashli also learned to treasure words.
You are invited to join Ashli in Green Hills and learn more about Virginia’dele Smith and the many hats she enjoys wearing by subscribing to Ashli’s newsletter, The Gazette, at AshliMontgomery.com.
Social Media Links:
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