The Charm of Small Town Romance by Coleen Kwan

by Coleen Kwan

I grew up in a city, and I currently live in an even larger one, but small town living has always held a certain allure for me. I see them as a place where the pace of life is gentler, where communities and people take center stage.

A small town represents a microcosm of the world we live in. Rich and poor, old and young, live in close proximity with one another, and that closeness can be both a blessing and a curse. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. It can be wonderful to have that connection, but it can be terrible when you’re trying to keep a secret. And when it comes to romance, living in a close knit community can make it really difficult to woo someone when everyone knows your past dating history since the year dot.

For instance, in my small town romance, Real Men Don’t Break Hearts, everyone in town knows that my heroine, Ally, was jilted at the altar, and that my hero, Nate, was a troublemaker, and though they’ve both moved on from their former selves, still the town won’t let them forget.

As a writer, small towns offer me endless opportunities for putting my hero and heroine in awkward positions. It’s perfectly reasonable for my characters to continually bump into each other, something that might feel too coincidental in a big city. Town gossip and quirky characters offer even more possibilities for aiding or hampering the course of true love. Plus, small towns make for picturesque settings, but can also offer more isolated or grimmer locations. In short, small towns offer the writer a smorgasbord of characters, settings, and situations.

Real Men Don’t Break Hearts is special to me because it was my first book published by Entangled. I learned so much from my fabulous editor (Stacy Abrams) about writing a good, heartwarming, satisfying romance. The cover always makes me smile because the couple has such a great connection and the hero’s biceps are pretty awesome too! I hope readers enjoy my book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Get your copy today! On sale for just 99¢!

About the Book:

Ally Griffin is horrified to learn her new landlord is none other than the infuriating playboy Nate Hardy—the man whose wiles she just knows got her jilted at the altar six years ago. Add to it that her ex-fiancé Seth is showing up in her hometown of Burronga, Australia, to marry his beautiful new bride…for real this time. But the kicker? Everybody’s treating Ally as though she’s still heartbroken. She’s just fine, thank you very much, but could The Jilter have the decency not to hire her sister as his florist?

Nate Hardy is tired of his high-flying city career and bachelor lifestyle and is looking for something more real. The last thing he needs is to find himself undeniably attracted to Ally, the woman with whom he never saw eye-to-eye. But is he even capable of what Ally wants and deserves?

As Ally tries to pull her life out of the rut it’s fallen in, she doesn’t count on Nate stirring up her emotions. A short-term fling with the resident bad boy is practically irresistible, but only if she can guard her heart…