When Doves Lament by Katie Eagan Schenck (Excerpts + Giveaway)

◈ ━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━ ◈
Sometimes the love of your life comes later.
Hello everyone! I am here to participate the book tour of When Doves Lament by Katie Eagan Schenck! Other books in the series are included. Thank you Silver Dagger Book Tours for having me as a host! Without further ado, let’s go!


When Doves Lament
The Love Birds Book 3
by Katie Eagan Schenck
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Neither expected to fall in love again. But together they might just discover that the love of their lives came later.
Max McAllister swore off love before the ink was even dry on his divorce papers. Between his attempts to salvage the strained relationship with his daughter and rekindling his passion for woodworking, he doesn’t have time for the drama that romance brings.
Carissa Owens has finally found her footing again after losing her husband five years ago. Her wedding business is thriving and she has her sights set on expanding to corporate events—if she can secure a meeting with a lucrative new client.
But when Max’s daughter hires Carissa to plan her wedding, he insists on being involved in every aspect of the process, ruffling Carissa’s feathers. As they spend more time together, an unexpected attraction sprouts wings. That is, until Max reveals a surprise for his daughter that puts Carissa’s professional reputation at risk. Can they find a way to dovetail their plans or will their budding romance have a crash landing?
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads
◈ ━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━ ◈

When Swans Dance
The Love Birds Book 2
A new business. The wedding of the year. But when a health scare jeopardizes their plans, can Steven and Rose learn to dance or will this be their swan song?
Fresh off the closing of his late mother’s estate, Steven is ready to start the next chapter of his life—marrying Rose. Though he struggles to find that ever elusive work/life balance, he’s optimistic about the future of his new law practice.
One double shift too many makes Rose an unhappy nurse, but all that overtime will not only help fund her upcoming nuptials, it might earn her the coveted head nurse position as well.
But when Steven suffers a health emergency, suddenly all of their plans—and finances—are thrown into a tailspin. Postponing the wedding makes the most sense, but Steven won’t hear of it. Rose fears if he doesn’t slow down, he’ll make her a widow before she ever becomes a wife. As questions arise over whether they’ll ever take that walk down the aisle, can a pair of swans help them find their way back to each other?
When Swans Dance continues the emotional saga of The Love Birds women’s romantic fiction series. If you like spunky heroines, tenacious heroes, and stories of rekindled love then you’ll adore Katie Eagan Schenck’s bittersweet tale.
Buy When Swans Dance to learn the steps today!
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads
◈ ━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━ ◈

When Cardinals Appear
The Love Birds Book 1
She has a promise to keep. But when her plans are thrown into a tailspin, will a persistent red bird show her how to let her dreams take flight?
Lanie McAllister is ready to move on. Wrestling with her mom’s death, the young woman just wants to settle the estate and soar off for good to her boyfriend in California—far away from painful memories. But she suspects the lucky cardinal she keeps seeing is trying to send a message when a flat tire puts her back in the path of the man who broke her heart.
With fate constantly throwing the man her mother always hated in her way, Lanie can’t seem to shake the wounds of the past. And when her current love makes a serious misstep and she discovers her ex harbors a secret, she starts to rethink what will make her truly happy.
Questioning her vow to her mother to never look back, is the cardinal a clue Lanie’s true happiness is hiding in plain sight?
When Cardinals Appear is the emotional first book in The Love Birds women’s romantic fiction series. If you like heroines who grow, overcoming loss, and second chances, then you’ll adore Katie Eagan Schenck’s bittersweet tale.Buy When Cardinals Appear to read the signs today!
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

“Carissa! Thank you for fitting us in on such short notice.” She pulled Carissa into a hug.
Nate stood and shook her hand, but Max didn’t move. His expression had changed from one of genuine surprise to a cold fury, the warmth in his deep-brown eyes frosted over like a window on a snowy winter day. The feeling was mutual.
“Max.” Carissa tried to keep her tone even.
Unfortunately, he didn’t repay the favor. “What are you doing here?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but Lanie beat her to it. “Dad! You said you were going to behave.”
“I didn’t know she was coming,” he replied without a bit of remorse.
Nate pulled out a chair for Carissa, and she gave him an appreciative smile, choosing to ignore Max’s less-than-welcoming reception. You’re not here for him, she reminded herself. It was a mantra she’d developed for the more difficult family members of her clients, but somehow, it had never worked with Max. Something about that man got under her skin.
“It’s nice to see you too,” Carissa said, surprised by how calm she sounded.
Before Max could insult her further, Nate cleared his throat. “We’ve been looking over the menu, and we have some ideas of what we want to serve at the reception.”
Grateful for his intervention, Carissa nodded. “That’s great! Tell me what you envision, and we can look at how it works with your overall theme.”
“It’s food,” Max said, his eyes narrowing at her. “Food doesn’t need a theme.”
Carissa was tempted to laugh. How little people understood the way weddings worked. From the venue to the decor to the meal, everything needed to fit in with the overall theme of the wedding. Most food was versatile enough to work with any theme, but there were certain ways to finagle dishes to support the overall vision.
But that would be lost on someone like Max McAllister. She’d learned that lesson while planning his son’s wedding. Instead of engaging Max, Carissa decided to do what she’d done the last time she’d had to deal with him: ignore him entirely.

◈ ━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━ ◈
“There’s something I want to show you,” she said.
“Are we going swimming?” Steven joked as they neared the water’s edge.
Once they reached the fence, Rose locked the wheelchair’s brakes before stepping around to kneel beside Steven. She searched the pond for her favorite birds.
“Look,” she said when she spotted them. “Those are our resident swans.”
Steven followed her finger and smiled. “They’re quite beautiful.”
“Aren’t they, though?”
The swans glided through the water, seemingly without a care in the world. Rose couldn’t help envying them. How simple their lives must be in comparison to hers. Find a mate, raise a brood of cygnets, and live in such a peaceful place.
“Did you know there’s an ancient belief that swans sing before they die?” Steven asked.
Rose frowned. “Really? Why?”
He shrugged. “No idea, but that’s where the term ‘swan’s song’ comes from. The idea is they’re mute most of their lives, but right before they die, they sing a sweet, mournful song.”
That didn’t sound right to her. “They aren’t mute. I can hear them grunting from here.”
“I’m sure it’s just some old folklore,” Steven said with a laugh.
Like Lanie’s cardinal. A smile tugged at her lips. She liked having her own legend, especially since she could share it with Steven.
“Did you know swans have their own mating dance?” Rose asked, remembering the man she had seen fishing the last time she was at the pond.
“Most animals do.” Steven winked at her. “But I’d rather not sit around waiting to see if they start going at it.”
A laugh bubbled up in her throat. “Too true. We should get back anyway. I need to start dinner if we want to eat before midnight.”
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I wouldn’t mind if it meant I got to spend more time with you.”
Her heart melted. She missed moments like that. Sometimes she worried they got too caught up in the day-to-day of life and didn’t take time to really enjoy each other’s company. With the accident, there had been even less opportunity.
Impulsively, she leaned forward and cupped his cheek before pressing her lips softly against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her into his lap, almost tipping over his chair in the process.
Her laughter echoed off the buildings, and she kissed him once more before standing and brushing off her clothes. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

◈ ━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━ ◈
Ping. I glanced down, and my stomach dropped.
Hey, Nate here. I need to drop off my contribution as well. Happy to pick you up on the way, Lanie.
I set my phone down and grabbed the mug, gulping down the scalding liquid and instantly regretting it. My throat burned, and for a moment, I thought I might be sick. But I yanked a chair out and slid into it, laying my head on my hands. The nausea passed, and I took another tentative sip of coffee. Still too hot, but the warmth and caffeine helped to wake up my brain.
What should I do? On the one hand, I needed a ride, and Nate’s offer was more than gracious, though I suspected he felt obligated since my car was still in his shop.
On the other hand, my attempts to avoid Nate had so far been unsuccessful, and agreeing to a ride would be the equivalent of admitting defeat. How many more awkward conversations could one person be expected to survive?
I weighed my options. Rose and Steven were both off that day. However, they were planning to visit a caterer for a tasting. While they could likely drop me off on their way, I would be stuck at the school until they were finished, giving the universe ample opportunity to throw Nate in my face again. Perhaps it would be better to accept my fate and meet him willingly. Then I would avoid any surprises like the other day at lunch.
Torn over what to do, I picked up my coffee and stepped to the window. My eyes swept over the backyard, taking in the shortening shadows as the sun rose in the sky. A familiar flash of red caught my attention, and I leaned toward the glass. The little cardinal was back, perched on the railing and staring right at me.
“Am I crazy to see him again?” I asked. The bird flitted closer and settled on a branch right outside the window. I’d never seen a cardinal so close before. The distinctive black dots resembling freckles were clear near its beak, confirming it was the same cardinal I’d seen before.
“It feels like a bad idea,” I continued as the little bird flitted closer to the window.
“Maybe I should say no and take my chances with Steven and Rose.” The bird cocked its head and chirped. Was it my imagination, or was there a hint of disapproval in the bird’s song? Shaking my head, I tried to snap out of it, but something about the tilt of the bird’s head and the way it fluffed its wings was eerily reminiscent of a look Mom used to give me.
Before I could process the resemblance, the bird flew away, and I was left disquieted. I ran a hand over my face. Great, I was talking to birds. Was I going crazy? I returned to the table and drained the last of my coffee. The weird resemblance between the cardinal and Mom meant nothing. My confusion over Nate was causing me to wish my mom was there. That was all. With that justification, I rinsed out the mug in the sink.
As I picked up my phone, Nate’s message stared at me, waiting, mocking. With a sigh, I typed a message back, hoping I wouldn’t live to regret it.
Sounds good. Thanks, Nate.



Katie Eagan Schenck writes sweet romance and women’s fiction that warms the heart and gives all the feels. She has an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte and her debut novel, A Home for Christmas, was released in October of 2022. When she’s not writing she’s either drafting regulations for the federal government, baking delicious treats, or binging Hallmark movies. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and their three cats.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

$20 Amazon gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway◈ ━━━━━━ ⸙ ━━━━━━ ◈
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
