Excess Baggage: A love story.

by Jodi Culliney

Tess had been on track to marry Josh since the day they had met in high school twenty years ago. He had been the only man she had ever loved, and the day was quickly approaching. In anticipation of their wedding, Tess and her sister are taking the train across America for a bachelorette weekend in wine country. Her trip is sure to be a time filled with friends, laughs, and memories.
Until Tess unexpectedly meets Sam, who is also traveling on a train from the east coast to the west coast. Sparks fly, and as the two begin to spend more time with each other during their cross-country journey, Tess begins to doubt her devotion to Josh as her feelings for Sam grow stronger.
The romance between Tess and Sam is bound to veer off course, though, because Tess has been keeping her engagement a secret from Sam, along with the reason she is even on the train. Unknown to the both of them, however, is the fact that their lives have already intersected in the past. If the truth came out, would it affect their feelings for each other?

272 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2024

About the author

Jodi Culliney, former bookstore clerk and lifelong lover of books, grew up in South Dakota, where she lived a peaceful existence until she met the love of her life and made the move to Brooklyn, NY. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Black Hills State University and is working on her next novel.

Jodi's series, Love, South Dakota Style is a heartfelt, interconnected contemporary romance series about second chances, unexpected connections, and the healing power of love. Each book follows characters whose lives are tangled by past choices, unspoken truths, and the paths that bring them home—both literally and emotionally. From a cross-country train romance that derails a long-planned wedding, to two shattered hearts learning to trust again, to a one-night encounter that blossoms into something deeper, these stories blend emotional depth with small-town warmth. With settings that range from a tight-knit South Dakota small town to big cities and cross-country travels, this series explores how love can find you when you’re lost, remake you when you’re broken, and anchor you when the world shifts beneath your feet.

Reviews

[Myrna Mentzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Jodi Hettinger, Wessington springs native. Romance, well written. Tessa, Sister Rose, Josh and Sam... Fitz.

[Doriann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this love story! The characters are well developed and the dialogue is very true to life.