Yes—These Are Your Grandma’s Romances
by Nancy Fraser
GENRE: Historical Romance Anthology (Vintage (1950s)
Blurb
Ah … the Fifties!
A time of innocence, and the not so innocent. From “I Love Lucy” and “Willy” to “Private Secretary”, “Father Knows Best” and “Bachelor Father”, television and music from the fifties gave us inspiration. Come take a trip down memory lane with these five vintage reads!
Get your romance on, and make grandma proud!
Ed Loves Marnie ~ 1955 – Can this handsome military man convince the single mother to take another chance at love? Or, will their shared memory put a wall between them?
Willa Thomas, Attorney-in-Love ~ 1956 – Will these co-workers be able to tow the company line and forego a chance at love? Or, will they risk everything for love?
Professor Knows Best ~ 1957 – Will this freaky trip back in time to 1957 give her the answers she seeks? Or, only more confusion? How difficult will she find it to navigate being best friends with the college-age version of her own mother?
His Private Secretary ~ 1958 – Can she run interference between her handsome boss, his needy family, and the scores of women trying to bed him and wed him and still remain unaffected by his many charms?
The Bachelor Father ~ 1959 – Will Nanny #5 be the one to finally ace the job, and coax him out of his shell and back into life? And, will a family vacation to Paris fulfill their wildest dreams?
Read an Excerpt
Day 3: Professor Knows Best ~ 1957
Susan took a seat on a bench in the campus courtyard. “Come on, think,” she scolded herself. What could have caused this to happen? And, what happens if you don’t wake up back in your own time, and the familiar surroundings of the university or your own apartment?
“Hi there.”
Susan looked up to see a young woman standing in front of her. Dressed in a long pencil-straight plaid skirt, sweater set, bobby socks and saddle shoes, she personified the 1950s.
“Hello,” Susan answered back, something very familiar in the girl’s smile.
“Are you new this semester? I haven’t seen you around before.”
“Actually,” Susan told her honestly, “I’ve just recently arrived in, uh, Chicago.”
“Really, how exciting. I’ve never traveled anywhere, except to Joliet with my mom and Aunt Sissie.”
Not waiting for an invitation, the girl plunked herself down on the bench next to Susan. “My name’s Debbie.”
“Debbie?” Susan repeated. Old family photos came back to her in a rush.
The young woman nodded, her blonde curls bouncing around her cheeks. “Debbie Phillips. What’s yours?”
Susan’s breath caught in her throat, and it was a moment before she could answer. “Susan,” she said simply.
“I absolutely adore the name Susan.” Shifting her books in her lap, Debbie shared her thoughts, “If I ever get married and have a daughter, I’m going to name her Susan. Or Susie. You know, like that new song on the charts by those two brothers.”
“Wake Up Little Susie,” Susan supplied. “The Everly Brothers.”
“Yes, that’s the one. I absolutely adore that song.”
At that very moment, Susan realized two things. First, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she’d fallen into a time warp. This wasn’t a dream, but a stranger reality than any she could have ever imagined.
And, second, she was sitting face-to-face with her own mother.
J. Lynn’s Review
The stories in this collection are lighthearted romances that are just the right length for people like me who, sadly, don’t have a lot of extra time these days to get invested in a full-length romance novel. Even though you don’t have a lot of time to get to know the characters, they are all well-written, fully developed people with believeable storylines (the time-travel tale is a bit far-fetched, only because of the “Back to the Future” vibe) and from the moment of the meet-cute, you’ll find yourself not only rooting for the hero and heroine, but wondering how each romance will play out to its Happy Ever After.
Each story takes you back to a different year in the second half of the 1950s, and Ms. Fraser did a great job not only telling five succinct, satisfying romance tales, but immersing the reader into the historical era without relying on info-dumps. I also liked that she ended each story with a page of interesting facts about life in America in each given year.
Be aware that the stories do get a touch steamy (admittedly a little steamier than I’d expected, especially given the length of each story). Fans of sweeter romances may not appreciate the intimate scenes, but they are brief enough that a hesitant reader could skim or skip those bits without losing the heart and soul of the story.
Four out of five stars from me!
Nancy Fraser will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click here to enter the contest.
Meet Nancy Fraser
Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.
Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid,
permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.
Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
Website: www.nancyfraser.ca
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor
Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Fraser/e/B004AOL61Y/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/-U12J3KXdb0
Jigsaw puzzle link: https://bit.ly/3tbK6oN
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091HXWJPD
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1561179077
B&N/Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yes-these-are-your-grandmas-romances-nancy-fraser/1139151824
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/yes-these-are-your-grandma-s-romances
Custom: books2read.com/Grandma
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/yes-these-are-your-grandma-s-romances-a-romance-anthology-from-the-fifties-by-nancy-fraser
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57606497-yes–these-are-your-grandma-s-romances
The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
living in Vermont. I love to spend time with my family, travel, hike, kayak, knit, spin (fiber), garden, cook, and love time with my bees, alpacas and chickens.
Greece and raised two sons in Puerto Rico, California, and Guam. She’s a member of the Historical Novel Society and wrote book reviews for their magazine. She’s always loved travel and history and has had several historical novels published. Her most recent is the Oyster War Novel set in the 1950s: GHOST POINT.
law is frequently broken, including his “Mrs. Kaplan” cozy mystery series (MRS. KAPLAN AND THE MATZOH BALL OF DEATH and A PAIN IN THE TUCHIS) and the political thrillers MADE IN CHINA and SISTER-IN-LAW: VIOLATION, SEDUCTION, AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (under the pen name M. R. Morgan). MURDER WITH STRINGS ATTACHED is his latest novel. He is also a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books.
