Book Tour Grand Finale for
Happily Ever Afters
By Rachel Magee
We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:
1. What is your motivation behind HAPPILY EVER AFTERS?
I actually came up with the idea for Happily Ever Afters while I was on a girls’ trip. Several of my friends at the time weren’t married and there were a few handsome bachelors at the resort. I started wondering what would happen if two people who didn’t live anywhere near each other fell in love.
Who loves vacation? Me too! It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekend getaway to a town nearby or a longer trip to someplace a bit farther, I love them all. My passion for travel worked its way into my book HAPPILY EVER AFTERS, which is about a couple who meet while on vacation. The rest of their story involves meeting up at the different destination weddings of each of their best friends and visiting each other in their home cities. . . .
“Excuse me.” The deep voice came from above me.
I cracked one eye enough to see a man standing there. He motioned to the large storage bin holding all the passengers’ bags stowed under the bench where I was sitting. Shifting out of his way, I didn’t let the interruption distract me from enjoying the tranquility of the sail.
“Nice to meet you, Lainey.” He flashed a charming smile and settled against the rail. My heart skipped a beat. “What brings you to Puerto Rico?” He casually folded his arms in front of his toned chest.
“We’re celebrating my birthday.”
“Happy birthday.” The cheerful sincerity of his voice coaxed my fake smile into a genuine one.
Hi y’all. Today we are in Dallas, Texas chatting with the heroine from Happily Ever Afters, Lainey Stratton.
Hi Lainey. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi! I’m an internal medicine doctor. I finished my residency last year and am working at a hospital in Dallas. I like sports, especially hockey, and I love spending time with my friends.
"It's more than just a sweet romance, it's a journey filled with emotion and growth. . . . The last part of the book is filled with emotion that yanked my poor heart out. I was fully invested in the lives of these characters. Their journey wasn't easy, but it was satisfying. I loved my time spent with this book. I'll be watching for more from Rachel Magee!"
The second destination wedding takes place at a bed and breakfast in Vermont. For this wedding, I wanted a location with a charming fairy tale like setting that would be the perfect place for our couple to meet up again. And what’s sweeter than maple syrup from Vermont?
"Magee is a new-to-me author and I was blown away from the powerful impact of the emotion that I felt throughout, and not just because of the jabs to my heart. The romance was palpable; the friendships were strong; the joys were high and the sorrows were low. This is one author worth watching out for!"
"Overall it was a cute story, much like a traditional romance. It was a clean read – although the characters were drinking, and some people may be bothered by that. Having never read something by this author before, I was unsure what to expect, but I found that I enjoyed it and will check out other books she has!"
Today we are talking with Carter Thompson, hero of Happily Ever Afters. Hi, Carter!
Hi. No one’s ever called me a hero before. I’m flattered. And searching for my cape.
Tell us about yourself.
Like you said, I’m Carter Thompson. My official title is long, but it means that I’m an economist for the State Department. I’m 34 and I live right here in Washington, D.C.
"A fast reading book, even though some of the first parts were slow the story kept me interested from start to finish. About finding love, recovering from lost loves."
“Then I definitely think we should try them,” I whispered back. “Any idea what’s in it?”
He shrugged. “Nope. But tonight, I’m feeling daring. How about you?”
Daring was not a way I often felt. I preferred to make decisions based on fact and scientific reason. But for some reason, on this picturesque street with this handsome semi-stranger, daring sounded like a great idea.
"Happily Ever Afters was aptly named. It was a adorably sweet romance with a happily ever after ending. It was not a fairy tale retelling, but it definitely had a fairy tale ending. I love books like this one. Lainey had definite struggles to overcome in her life and relationships. As mentioned in the synopsis, she faced a tragedy that rocked her world. And the pain in her past kept her from trusting easily. Both problems were genuine and well-addressed."
"The road that the characters travel is a hard one. There is tragedy, loss, and pasts to deal with. Carter is a strong support for Lainey. You really can't help but like him from the moment he is introduced. In many ways he becomes her rock. . . . The book is well written, full of emotion (good and bad). I look forward to reading more from Rachel Magee."
"The twist midway through the plot is what brought out the emotion and connection for me. Seeing Carter be there for her and support her through such a hard time was great, and I thought the author did an authentic job of portraying Lainey's grief and overwhelming emotions. Of course some external conflicts also arose that had to be overcome, and I was swiftly turning pages until I found Lainey's perfectly sweet happily ever after."
"This book. Wow. The first third was fun. A vacation in San Juan, good friends, adventure with a gorgeous guy and meeting new friends. It set me up for a fun romp. . . . And then Pow! Now I’m crying, grieving along with Lainey at her loss, her loneliness, her heartbreak. . . . Rachel Magee’s debut novel is moving but, more importantly, it reminds us of the power of falling in love."
When you were pitching Happily Ever Afters - how did you decide to focus on an Indie Publisher and what motivated you to seek out Clean Reads? What gives them the advantage over other Indies?
I liked the idea of a small publisher because it allowed me to be more involved in all the decisions while still having the expertise and advice of people who had done this many times. Clean Reads was actually recommended to me by a good friend who thought it would be a perfect fit for this book. I’m so happy she did! They publish clean fiction in a variety of genres, so it was a great match for my love of writing sweet romances. It allows my story to shine in the specific market where it belongs. But more than the books they publish, they are an amazing group of people who inspire and encourage me. It’s a joy to be part of the Clean Reads team.
"I love a good clean love story and this is one of those. . . . This story had so much emotion in it, I kept going from crying to laughing to being mad at one of the characters. It is a really good read. . . . I would highly recommend this book to other readers. I loved it."
And don't forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven't already...
Happily Ever Afters
Rachel Magee
Contemporary Sweet Romance
ebook, 286 pages
September 19th 2017 by Clean Reads
Lainey Stratton does not fall in love with strangers she meets on vacation. It simply doesn’t make logical sense. So when Lainey meets Carter Thompson on the first day of her Caribbean vacation, she knows it could never amount to anything more than a crush. At the end of the vacation she will return to Dallas and he will return to D.C., and that will be the end of it. Well, unless he wants to join her at a friend’s destination wedding, which would be considered vacation too, right?
But when an unexpected tragedy sends Lainey’s logical world spiraling out of control, she realizes her vacation crush might be the only one who can help her pick up the pieces of her shattered life. That is, as long as she can get out of the way of her own happiness. And as long as Carter’s past doesn’t catch up with him before she gets a chance.
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About the Author
Rachel Magee wrote her first novel when she was twelve and entered it into a contest for young author/illustrators. Unfortunately, the judges weren’t impressed with her stick figures. So she dropped the dream of becoming a world famous illustrator and stuck to spinning stories. When she’s not busy working on her latest book, she loves to travel with her family and friends. By far, her favorite destination is the beach, which tends to work its way into most of her stories. Between vacations, you can find her at home in The Woodlands, TX with her wonderful husband, their two adventurous kids and a couple of spirited pets, all of whom share Rachel’s love of the ocean. Well, except the cat and dog. They’re both afraid of water. Find out more about what Rachel has been up to at rachelmageebooks.com.
Tour Giveaway
Happily Ever Afters Prize Pack 1 (US residents only)
· Happily Ever Afters coffee mug
· Tea Sampler Pack
· Happily Ever Afters notebook
· Lilly Pulitzer pen
· Chocolates
· ‘Vacations’ picture frame
Happily Ever Afters Prize Pack 2 (US and International residents))
· $25 Amazon e-gift card
