Constantia Corner Café Romance Series

My Dear Readers,

Yesterday, I told you about starting to take this author business seriously in January 2023 with the release of The Vintage of Love.

By then, I had learned a lot about self-publishing and taken a high-quality course that helped me find my bearings.

I was honing my craft and learning more and more about how to write romance.

But 2023 was also an awakening.

My yearly royalties came to roughly $900. My investment in paid promotions and advertising? Approximately five times higher.

I had only just started building a subscriber list, and it was going slowly.

The reason became painfully clear: My books were not to market.

No one really wanted to read romance stories set in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Despite this market reality dawning on me, I created the Constantia Corner Café series, also set in Cape Town and book 1, Cappuccino Kisses, was published in November 2023.

Why did I keep writing South African stories when the market had already told me no?

Because I wasn’t ready to let go.

Not yet.

Welcome to Constantia Corner Café—where every cup comes with a chance at love.

Set against the breathtaking beauty of Cape Town’s Constantia Valley, this heartfelt romance series follows men and women who find healing, hope, and second chances in a cozy café where lives—and hearts—intertwine.

From unexpected sparks to later-in-life love, each story blends emotional depth, warm intimacy, and the magic of rediscovery.

Whether sharing a cappuccino, a mocha, or a bold ristretto, these couples discover that the most extraordinary romances often begin with a simple moment in a familiar corner café.

If you love small-town charm, mature protagonists, and uplifting stories of courage, connection, and new beginnings, pull up a chair.

At Constantia Corner Café, love is always on the menu.

But here’s where the story takes a turn.

Cappuccino Kisses showed me that honing my craft and buckling down on learning really does pay off.

This book received 38 ratings, and 53% of them were five stars.

Here is one of those reviews:

“From page one, I felt like a regular customer of Constantia Corner Café, and if you don’t, I hope that you at least feel like you stumbled onto this amazing coffee shop and would like to sit down for something decadent and delicious. Owner Jack Thompson decides to play matchmaker, or rather become a modern-day Cupid, after watching some of his regular customers. Jack sets his sights on Sara, a Jane Austen-loving teacher, and Alex, an entrepreneur; IT specialist and CEO of his own company. And with a clumsy beginning, Jack soon launches Operation Austen to Action. Second-chance romances bring a level of not playing guessing games and being straightforward. Of course, there is vulnerability and hesitance, and Cappuccino Kisses makes sure you do get a bit of drama and misunderstandings and might even tear up, but the big question is: Will the very thing Alex is working on enhance Sara’s role as a teacher, or will that cost her her job? I am looking forward to reading more love matches, and maybe Jack himself will be hit by his own ‘Cupid arrow,’ because in Jack’s own words: ‘Here in this little café, love always finds a way.’” (Amazon Review)

This review still fills me with pride.

Not because of the stars, but because this reader felt my deep love for Cape Town. That’s all I ever wanted.

If you’d like a taste of Cape Town café culture, you can download the prequel to this series for free by clicking on the image. But hurry, this link expires on Tuesday, Dec 2:

Espresso Love

Want to dive into the full Constantia Corner Café series?

You can get each book for 99 cents right now: Constantia Corner Café series.

The Book No One Wants to Read

Although I now write to market—or at least try to—once in a while, I break out of this writing prison and write what I want.

It never works out.

Reluctant Love is one of those books.

It’s a standalone contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

In my mind, Brooke Shields and Russell Crowe were the leads, paired with Ruby, the absolutely incorrigible personal assistant and a house with a mind on its own.

Here is a short book description:

A billionaire with a bruised heart. A gallery owner with everything to lose. One outrageous marriage contract that could change everything.

Diana Kensington vowed never to give her heart to a man again—especially not to Maxwell Huntington III, the infamous Beast of Silicon Valley. But when her struggling art gallery faces closure and Max needs a fake wife to salvage his public image, an unlikely deal is struck: one marriage of convenience, zero expectations, and absolutely no kissing.

At least, that was the plan.

If you’re curious about the book no one wants to read, here it is for 99cents until Dec 2: Reluctant Love

Thanks for being here. Thanks for reading my stories.

Take care wherever you are.

Much Love,

PS: Tomorrow is Black Friday, and Day 4 takes us somewhere completely different—to the icy beauty of Alaska, where I finally found a setting readers wanted.

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