But they still need each other desperately. What I like about this scene is the gulf between these two men when they first meet, how they are from completely different worlds and points of reference. With no place to go, and no money, Samuel is desperate to find work and a place to stay. Samuel was just beaten bloody and cast out by his Amish father after his father discovers Samuel is gay. Eddie has bought a farm where he intends to start a farm sanctuary, but he has no idea how to run a farm, so he puts an ad in the paper for a farmhand. In Tender Mercies, the first meeting of Samuel and Eddie is a bit more plot-driven. He charms Mick by immediately going to his DVD shelf and requesting a Star Wars marathon. Fielding’s mother has visited Mick to inquire about a room for let, and he’s about ready to throw her annoying ass out when Fielding bursts in hauling luggage, wearing a cheery grin, and looking like Mr. I can so picture Roman doing this and Matt’s stunned reaction! Another of my favorite meet cutes is Mick and Fielding’s first meeting in Blame it on the Mistletoe.

But in their romance book, their first meeting is in a sheriff’s department men’s restroom when Matt can’t do up his own pants because of an arm in a sling and so Roman, naive to human ways, falls to his knees and does up Matt’s pants for him. Their very first meeting is in a gun battle where Roman saves Matt’s life (that was in How to Howl at the Moon). In my past books, some of my favorite meet cutes include Roman and Matt from How to Walk Like a Man.

😊 In romance, the meeting of the soon-to-be-lovers is especially critical and often has some funny spin or unusual circumstances – also known as a “meet cute”. High on the list are the first time the two main characters meet, and the first kiss. There are moments that I especially love in a romance book, both as a reader and as an author. What each book in this series has in common is being set in Lancaster County, a rural area of Pennsylvania where there are a lot of Amish and Mennonite. It’s the second book in the “Men of Lancaster County” series, though it features a new couple and can be read as a stand-alone.

I’m celebrating the release of Tender Mercies, a romance set on a farm very much like the one I live on with my family. Welcome to author Eli Easton, who’s joining us today to share the moments in romance she especially loves as well as an exclusive excerpt from her latest Men of Lancaster County novel, Tender Mercies.

Tender Mercies by Eli Easton