Posted in 4 paws, Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Review on July 11, 2018

Murder in the Cards (Psychic Poker Pro Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published (July 1, 2018)
Print Length – 252 Pages

Synopsis

Tiffany Swanson is finally living the dream when she quits her stressful job to become a poker pro. Except her dream job doesn’t turn out to be so perfect when she picks up the troubling vision of a murdered man from one of her opponents. Even more disturbing, Tiffany didn’t know she was telepathic.

Before long she finds herself spending more time investigating a homicide than playing cards. But with an entire wedding party to suspect and only one weekend to pinpoint the guilty party, how will Tiffany ever figure out “whodunit” in time?

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As part of Paige Sleuth’s third annual “Buy in July” event, $1 from every Paige Sleuth book purchase (excluding ebook purchases of Murder in Cherry Hills) will be donated to the Community Cat Coalition of Clark County (C5). C5 is a volunteer-powered organization that seeks to reduce the number of cats euthanized every year by trapping and spay/neutering feral cats in the Las Vegas area before releasing them back into their communities

Review

The pages of this book just flew by and before I knew it the killer was being revealed and the story was ending.

This is a creative profession for a cozy. There are books that have psychics or other paranormal aspects, but this is the first time it is paired with someone that is also trying her hand at being a professional poker player. I see so many possibilities for this in future books!

Tiffany may be 38, but her parents, or at least her mom, sees her as much younger and that she needs to have a “real” job and provide her with grandchildren. But as Tiffany has left her stressful job for trying her hand at playing poker for a living, she discovers that she may be more like her Aunt Tuna than she ever realized. The interactions between Tiffany and her family are probably ones we encounter in our own lives.

Tiffany has a lot to accept with this new gift and she also has to figure out how to harness the gift of psychic sight. She doesn’t do a great job in this book using it to her advantage, but at the same time, she is still trying to figure out how to utilize the gift.

I enjoyed this book and think that this series has some good potential. This particular book is short – 129 pages per Amazon, but a lot happens within those pages.

We give this 4 paws up.

About the Author

Paige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen. She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats’ demands, she writes. She loves to hear from readers so feel free to Email Paige.

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Posted in excerpt, Giveaway, romance on July 10, 2018

Synopsis

This city boy has it all figured out…
Until he goes toe-to-toe with a fierce cowgirl
who’s snagged the home field advantage.

Holiday, Texas is known far and wide as the most celebratory town in the South—and no shindig is complete without one of its founding members. It’s a real shame the last remaining Holiday is a city slicker, but what’s that old saying about putting lipstick on a pig…?

Beck has no intention of being charmed by some crazy Texas town, but the minute he lays eyes on his grandfather’s old honky tonk—and Charlie Walker, the beautiful cowgirl who runs it—he finds himself wishing things could be different. Life’s gentler in Holiday. Slower. More real than anything he’s ever known. And when he looks into Charlie’s eyes, Beck may finally discover what it’s like to truly belong.

Excerpt

He spun her out and under his arm, then clasped her around the back and pressed her close again. “You have been practicing.” She gazed up at him through heavy lidded eyes while a slight smile played across her lips.

“Just trying to make you look good, Ms. Walker.” Not that she needed any help in that area. There was something about her that drew a man’s attention. Beyond her good looks, she had a spark, a sizzle, some crackling force that surrounded her and demanded to be noticed.

“You’re doing a fine job of that.” She nodded to herself and leaned her head against his chest.

He liked the way it felt, the heat from her cheek pressing against his heart. Hell, he liked the way all of her felt, nestled into his arms.

“About earlier…can I ask you a question?” His chin rested on her hair, and he let himself breathe her in. The scent of sunshine and peach cobbler layered over something else. Something that was just Charlie. “Sure.” “Are you seeing anyone?”

A wrinkle appeared between her brows. “You’re asking because of what Darby said, aren’t you?”

He shifted to the left, spinning them out of the way of a couple in full square-dance gear who spiraled around the small dance floor. “Just curious. If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”

“Good.” She nodded. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Fine. For now. He wasn’t lying—he was curious. Why wouldn’t a woman like Charlie be involved with someone? She was smart and sassy as hell, had a great sense of humor and curves that wouldn’t quit.

She wrapped her arms tighter around him, making him lose track of the simple steps he’d been counting in his head.

He tried to recover but ended up stepping on her foot instead. “Sorry. I guess I’m still learning.”

“Have you always been such a slow learner?” she teased.

He’d play along. “You sure it doesn’t have something to do with the talent of my teacher?”

Charlie’s eyes sparkled, then narrowed. “What are you trying to imply? I’ll have you know your teacher is a two-time two-stepping Texas teen champ.”

Beck chuckled. “I bet you can’t say that ten times fast.”

“Two-time two-stepping Texas teen champ. Two-time two-stepping Texas—”

He laughed and covered her mouth with his hand. Her lips moved against his palm, soft and fluttery like a butterfly’s kiss. He leaned close to her ear, nestling his nose in her hair. “I was just joking.”

She nipped at his palm, sending a charge rocketing through him. “Don’t make bets you don’t intend to pay.”

A dangerous burn flared low in his gut. “Hey, watch it there, champ.”

“Or what?” Rolling her eyes, Charlie added a little extra twist in her step.

He exhaled his next words, trying to squelch the fire she’d sparked inside. “Or else.”

She spun out and around, then resettled herself against his chest. “I’m shaking in my boots. Or else? That’s all you’ve got? I’m utterly terrified.”

“Are you mocking me?” Damn if she didn’t get under his skin. The sass, the smiles, the way her cute Texas twang taunted and teased him.

“What if I am?” She drew her head back and met his gaze, her mouth curved up in a grin. Their feet stopped moving, and they stood frozen, in the middle of the dance floor, the other couples swirling around them. Her arms went around his neck, and he tightened the circle of his arms around her waist. Their hips snapped together, drawn with a magnetic force. His skin crawled with anticipation, every nerve ending crackling, waiting. His eyes searched hers for encouragement. Yes? No? Did she want him to kiss her? Would it be another mistake?

“A part of me wants to kiss you right now, Charlie.”

Her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Just a part of you?”

“A big part,” he admitted.

“I’m not familiar with all of your parts yet, Manhattan. What kind of part are we talking about here?” She glanced up at him through lowered lashes.

He knew he was about to cross a line. Ironically enough, it was a line he’d put into play. The line that was supposed to keep things on a professional level. He lowered his head, his mouth inches from hers. “Do you want me to?”

She drew in a sharp breath. “What do you think?”

He was close enough to feel the slow exhale on his chin. “I don’t know what to think when I’m around you. You rattle my brain, make my head hurt.”

“Then don’t.”

“You’re right.” He pulled back. “We shouldn’t.”

The confusion in her eyes didn’t match the way her hands gripped him tighter. “I didn’t mean don’t kiss me. I meant don’t think about it so hard.” Then she tilted her head up and met his lips with hers.

About the Author

Dylann Crush writes contemporary romance with sizzle and sass. A romantic at heart, she loves her heroines spunky and her heroes super sexy. When she’s not dreaming up steamy storylines, she can be found sipping a margarita and searching for the best Tex-Mex food in Minnesota. Although she grew up in Texas, she currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul with her unflappable husband, three energetic kids, a clumsy Great Dane, a rescue mutt and a very chill cat. She loves to connect with readers, other authors and fans of tequila.

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Posted in fiction, Giveaway, War on July 10, 2018

Book Title: On the Fault by Ronald J. Wichers
Category: Adult Fiction, 474 pages
Genre: Fictionalized biography
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Release date: March 13, 2018

Synopsis

“The heart of the planet is broken and the world is bleeding. We come out of the broken-hearted earth and try to mend it.”

True grit mixes with true wit in this tragic, yet strangely triumphant tale of how much one man can lose. Following the Vietnam War, life proves bittersweet as Joe Hearns learns that sometimes finding happiness means changing the definition.

For Joe Hearns the horrors of combat give way to those of daily life upon return to the States; a life burdened by an odd curse that seems to hover over the heads of anyone who fought in that otherwise magical land. He discovers that courage takes on a whole new meaning when coping with a world moving at a different pace – the pace of friendship and love. But, in the end, this proves the way out from under the curse of the war no one wanted.

When it comes to this soldier’s story the word fearless comes to mind.

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About the Author

Ronald J. Wichers was born in Lake Ronkonkoma New York in 1947. He attended Catholic School until 1965, studied History and literature at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas until being drafted into the United States Army in 1970. He was assigned to a rifle company in the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam and, after sustaining severe wounds in a gun battle, including the loss of his left arm, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism and the Bronze Star Medal.

He later studied theology full time at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. He has published several short stories about the Vietnam war. The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart is his fifth novel.

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Posted in excerpt, Giveaway, romance on July 9, 2018

Title: International Guy, Volume 1
Author: Audrey Carlan
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

My name is Parker Ellis. You can call me The Dream Maker. This is where my story begins.

There’s a world of women waiting for me, but my journey starts here, in three cities: Paris. New York. Copenhagen.

International Guy Inc. is owned and operated by Parker Ellis, a ladies’ man with a high IQ and a big libido. He’s the most successful life and love coach in the world, and he’s smart enough to know he can’t run a multimillion-dollar company alone.

He hires two friends whose areas of expertise complement his own. They comprise The Dream Maker, The Love Maker, and The Money Maker. Together, they advise the wealthiest people in the world: Hollywood hotshots, European royalty, and the CEOs of multibillion-dollar companies. And sometimes they can’t help it when things heat up and they end up in bed with their clients. Quite literally.

This International Guy likes his playboy lifestyle, and he’s not looking for commitment. After all, there’s a whole world waiting for him. But as he goes from city to city, and from woman to woman, it’s possible that he just might find his own love along the way…

Message From the Author: Audrey Carlan

Hello my lovelies,

My name is Audrey Carlan and I’m the #1 New York Times and Worldwide bestselling author of Calendar Girl. I’m here today to share with you my brand new blockbuster series, International Guy! I cannot express how excited I am to share this story with you. Not only will I promise you a new book boyfriend to swoon over, but an intense serial that will take you on a journey unlike any you’ve had before.

This story is told primarily through the eyes of my hero, Parker Ellis, CEO of International Guy, Inc. known to his team as the “Dream Maker”. He is joined by his partners Royce Sterling, the “Money Maker” and Bogart “Bo” Montgomery dubbed the “Love Maker.” The IG team helps individuals all over the globe with unique problems often involving life and love coaching.

Now I’m going to introduce my main man, Parker Ellis!

Audrey: Hey Park, how’s it hanging, brother?

Parker: Nice and tight, a little to the left.

Audrey: Gross.

Parker: Pretty lady, you asked.

Audrey: I’ve been asked to find out from you what would you consider the perfect date in each of the cities you’re traveling to in International Guy: Volume 1?

Parker: Well, to start, Paris is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world. And what is the most romantic symbol in Paris?

Audrey: The Seine River?

Parker: Audrey, babe, no. The most iconic symbol is the Eiffel Tower.

Audrey: Oh, well yeah, that makes sense.

Parker: For me, a perfect date would be to bring my beautiful woman to the Jules Verne restaurant overlooking all of Paris. Follow dinner up with a walk along the Seine. Especially if you can stop over one of the bridges and kiss her under the moonlight. Women eat that shit up.

Audrey: We eat that shit up?

Parker: Well yeah. There’s nothing wrong with it. Romance is a part of the wooing process. I dig it. I enjoy a nice meal with a beautiful woman. And there’s nothing like holding a woman’s hand while walking along a majestic body of water.

Audrey: Okay, what if you were in New York?

Parker: The city that never sleeps? A personal fave of mine.

Audrey: What would you consider a perfect date there?

Parker: Hands down, dinner and a Broadway show. I believe Phantom of the Opera is still running and it has rave reviews. Plus, it’s a rather interesting and twisted love story. This gives you plenty to talk to your woman about after the show. Preferably back at her place.

Audrey: Mm hmm. And the last city? Copenhagen?

Parker: Easy. Castles. I’ve never met a woman that wasn’t enthralled by royalty or relics from a past time. I’d take my date during the day on a tour of a sprawling castle then to a comfy hole in the wall pub that offered the traditional hygge along with a pint or a nice bottle of red wine.

Audrey: Hygge?

Parker: It’s essentially a feeling of coziness and comfort. It’s that sensation you get when you’re snuggled up close, maybe in a corner booth at a pub, or sitting next to your woman in front of a warm fire.

Audrey: I can see that. I love cozying up to my husband, especially on cold nights.

Parker: Exactly. What I think men don’t realize now a days is that women aren’t expecting too much. They want a man they’re dating to spend quality time doing different and interesting things with them. It’s not about the exact date, as in where you’ve gone or what you do when you get there. It’s more about the intention of the date. Which in my opinion is all about togetherness. Living in the moment. Experiencing things with someone you care about. Perhaps even trying new things. Feeling out what makes your partner smile. That’s when you know you’ve got something special and that’s what I shoot for on all my dates and with all of my clients.

Audrey: What would you say is your primary philosophy about dating?

Parker: Come on, Audrey, you know me. You know me.

Audrey: Answer it anyway!

Parker: Life is about meaningful experiences and not taking the special moments we’re given for granted. Every person I take out I strive to share something unique, something memorable.

Audrey: I like that. It’s very deep.

Parker: I know something else that can get very deep.

Audrey! Hey, I’m married!

Parker: Just sayin’…hook a brother up already.

Audrey: Maybe I already have?

Parker: I cannot freakin’ wait to see who you set me up with. She better be hot!

Audrey: Come on. You know me. You know me.

Parker: Yeah, she’s hot.

Audrey: Totally.

Excerpt: International Guy, Volume 1 by Audrey Carlan

“When you said you would take me to dinner, I had no idea it would be at the world-famous Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.” Sophie squeezes my hand as an attendant leads us through a secret entrance for restaurant goers.

We’re in the belly of the beast, surrounded by iron bars and rivets galore as we wait our turn to go into the private elevator that slowly takes you from the ground level up 380 feet to where the restaurant resides.

“This way, Messieurs-dames.” The attendant, who is smartly dressed in an all-black suit, gestures to the open elevator.

It’s compact and cozy, the entire back wall glass. The sun is just setting over the horizon as we ease our way up the country’s most iconic monument.

“This is incredible!” Sophie gasps, leaning against my side.

I frown. “Have you not been to the Eiffel Tower before?”

“No, I have, but I was a child then. We visited on a school outing, and of course, I have seen it

from below, walked the path, but have not experienced it as an adult.”

I hook an arm around her waist. “I’m glad we’re doing it together.”

“More first-time memories?”

She remembered. “Yes. And with a beautiful woman by my side, one I’ll never forget.”

“Then we should kiss, non?” She turns, flattens her chest against mine, and wraps her arms around my neck. “First times should always be marked with a kiss.”

I bend forward and cup her soft cheek.

She lifts up onto her toes, bringing her lips a scant inch from mine. “Do not think about it. Just do it.”

’Nuff said. I lay my lips over hers and take her lips in a slow, meaningful kiss. She opens her mouth instantly, inviting me in. I accept the invitation, licking deep and devouring her. Her sugar-and-spice scent swirls around me, coating me in heaven. Her tongue dances with mine as I turn her head left, then right, going deeper, wanting more. Our kiss becomes heated, bodies pressing against one another, trying to get closer. I need skin . . . her skin.

She moans into my mouth right as the lift stops and the bell dings, announcing we’ve made it to our destination. It takes serious effort to leave the beauty of her mouth and body, but I peel myself away, and she slides her hands down her dress, making herself presentable once again.

I guide her in front of me as the attendant takes our names and looks up the reservation I made this morning when we got to Rolland Group Inc. I was lucky to score a reservation, but apparently midweek is easier when you’re planning on spending several hundred euros a plate.

We’re seated in a position that’s perfect for two and right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which give us a spectacular view of Paris at dusk.

“Did you know that Chef Hugues de Saint Vincent will be making our meals tonight? He is a culinary genius.” Sophie smiles wide, and I vow to do more to put that smile on her face.

About the Author

Audrey Carlan is an internationally renowned author who writes wickedly hot love stories. Translated into more than thirty different languages across the globe, Audrey’s books have hit the bestseller lists for the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She is best known for the worldwide bestselling Calendar Girl series and Trinity saga, and her novel Resisting Roots is scheduled to become a PassionFlix movie.

Audrey lives in the California Valley with her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters,” or with her nose stuck in a steamy romance novel.

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Posted in e-books, Giveaway, mystery, Sale, Thriller, Trailer on July 7, 2018

 

Promised Lies

A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 1

by Marguerite Ashton

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Synopsis

Detective Lily Blanchette has a lot on her plate…

Her sister Celine has recently been murdered and her parents are on the brink of divorce. Now she’s lead on a multiple murder investigation.

Six months after Lily’s sister’s death, the bodies of two young women are discovered. One look at the way the bodies have been posed and Lily knows her sister’s killer is back.

And she’s determined to get him.

When Lily visits the family of victim Tanya O’Neal, she learns the woman had arranged to meet a man going by the handle CtryGeek23 on the social networking site Scatter.

Lily thinks finding the man behind the account is key to solving the case.

But CtryGeek23 is very clever, and Lily has her work cut out for her. As she digs around, clues point her to a local brewery where she discovers the body of another young woman.

The more Lily digs, the more she thinks there is more than one murderer at work, and CtryGeek23 is the mastermind.

But who is he?

And how will they catch him?

As the investigation comes to life, death hits closer to home, and Lily discovers she may not be who she thinks she is at all.

Filled with plot turns, suspense and mystery, Promised Lies will leave you wondering how well anybody knows anyone…

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Synopsis

Speaking second-hand truths can be deadly …

Detective Lily Blanchette will stop at nothing to solve a murder. Her current case involves the killing of an undercover cop working to bring down the mob for prostitution and drugs.

But Lily’s usual laser-like focus on the case has been disrupted.

Two weeks earlier, she learned she was pregnant by her murderous husband whom she’d killed in self-defense. Unsure whether to keep her baby or place the child of this cruel man up for adoption, Lily keeps the pregnancy a secret from her colleagues.

Under mounting pressure to solve the case, Lily arranges a sit-down with a local mob boss only to find out her suspect is also wanted by them. But before Lily can warn her team, she and her new partner, Jeremiah, are shot at, and another body is found.

When she discovers Jeremiah has a connection with the underworld, she is pulled into a conflict that swirls around the boss’s son who’s hell-bent on revenge.

To add to the complexity of the situation, Lily learns that her victim might still be alive if it wasn’t for opportunistic Assistant District Attorney, Ibee Walters, who has a twisted vision of justice.

As Lily gets closer to finding the killer, she unravels ugly secrets that point to Ibee and Jeremiah – placing Lily’s life and her unborn child in danger.

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About the Author

When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online library for crime writers who need help with their book research.

She’s a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe.

A member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in Colorado, but is now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible. She can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

 

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Posted in 4 paws, Giveaway, Review, Romantic Comedy on July 7, 2018

Synopsis

There was no question in Margo’s heart of hearts that she loved George. She really did want to marry him–scratch that–she really did want to be married to him.

There was a difference.

She hoped to heaven that the teeny-tiny distinction wouldn’t be their undoing…

The stage is set for the wedding of the year in New York City featuring poor sweet beautiful Margo marrying the most eligible (read that: handsome and wealthy) bachelor, Regal Stores heir and CEO, George Regal, III. The Regal family has long presided over the social and fashion scene in Manhattan and they have embraced the marriage with enough enthusiasm to create a circus.
That could be why Margo feels like she’s in the center ring and about to be swallowed by a lion.

But the best things about George, the strong powerful CEO, are the ones he’s not known for, like his small thoughtful gifts, the crystal angel Christmas tree ornament he’d given her, the way he holds her hand at odd moments, the way he bear-hugs his grandma whenever he sees her and the way he speaks with misty eyes about his late mother.

Of course, Margo wants to spend the rest of her life with him… if she could just get past the family’s ‘enthusiasm’ and THE WEDDING.

Warning: Once you open this book you’ll get heart-warming romance, smiles, laughs & fun, but also an adult-sized portion of steamy love scenes. And of course, most important of all, a very satisfying Happily-Ever-After.

Review

 

About the Author

Stephanie Queen is the USA Today bestselling author of the romantic detective series, Beachcomber Investigations. She lives in the stunning state of New Hampshire with her family, her cat, Kitty and her fun-loving friends. Besides going to the gym sporadically, Stephanie cooks and crochets and loves chocolate covered potato chips (yes, she should go to the gym more often).

She used to be a 9 to fiver working in downtown Boston, but has thrown her stylish suits and fancy heels in a closet and now hangs out in UConn t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. “If I could come back in another life as anything I wanted, I’d be a regency era heroine.” (Not surprisingly) Regency romances are her favorite secret reads.

 

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Posted in Giveaway, Interview, Literary on July 5, 2018

Book Title: Liberty Landing by Gail Vida Hamburg
Category: Adut Fiction, 344 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Mirare Press
Release date: March 2018

​Synopsis

Liberty Landing — a 2016 Finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction — narrates the American Experience of the 21st century through the lives of a polycultural cast of natives, immigrants, and refugees in Azyl Park–a town in the Midwest.

After Angeline Lalande, a journalist and historian, unearths the real meaning of the name, “Azyl,” conferred on the town in the 1800s by immigrant-hating politicians, the town elders begin the act of renaming it. During the course of the renaming, we meet the intriguing denizens of the town–survivors, strugglers, and strivers of every race and nationality, see the intersection of their lives, and the ways they find home, heaven, and haven in each other. We learn about the singular journeys that brought them to Azyl Park–a place that both transforms them and is transformed by them.

The larger story of the American Experiment is told through the personal story of Alexander Hamilton, the essential immigrant among the Founding Fathers, as Angeline writes a book about him. By the end of the novel, after Azyl Park is renamed, each of the characters has lost or found something essential.

Liberty Landing is about the personal and the political, family and loss, memory and migration, finding new love and a new home, and about history and the American Experiment. Seminal moments of the American Experience figure in this literary and historical fiction. Inspired by John Dos Passos’ USA Trilogy about early 20th century Americans, Liberty Landing is a sweeping, lush, layered saga, set in a vibrant community, with a cast of Americans marked by neuroses, flaws, secrets, unspeakable pasts, humor, warmth, vulnerability, and humanity.

Liberty Landing is Gail Vida Hamburg’s love letter to the American Experiment–the first in a trilogy. ​

Audible

Trailer

Interview

Where did you get the inspiration for the novel?

I knew I wanted to write a novel about the American Experiment and Experience, but the plot and characters eluded me for a long time. Steven King said that stories are found objects. JK Rowling said the inspiration for Harry Potter was a flash of an image of a train leaving a station. While I was mulling over my novel, I’d take daily walks on the beach where I live. One scene I kept seeing everyday was an image of the neighborhood with the iconic image of the Chicago skyline in the distance. The title, Liberty Landing, came to me as I stared at this scene, both as the name of the place and as an idea of America as a place of freedom.

The book has characters of different nationalities. Was it hard to write so many diverse characters?

I’ve lived in multiple cities on three continents, and my family and community are cross-cultural, bi-racial, polycultural, and multiracial. I am comfortable writing characters who are from backgrounds other than my own.

If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?


I believe most characters in a novel are aspects and fragments of a writer and her psyche. In Liberty Landing, I recognize myself in the workaholism, ambition, and white-knuckled ferocity and striving of Gabriel Khoury, the protagonist; in the anxiety and historical memory  of Angeline LaLande, the writer; and in the traumatic past of Bruce Halliday.

What genre do you write and why?

I write literary fiction shot through with politics. Liberty Landing was a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. I guess it’s fiction about real life, straight up with no chaser. I’m concerned about many political issues at home and abroad and I view fiction as a way to talk about these issues. It’s easier to understand a serious issue like torture through the life of a fictional character and her story, than through a white paper or a news report.

What’s the most important thing you learned about writing a novel from this book?

While writing my first novel, The Edge of the World, I was like an explorer in the Amazon rainforest, hacking away at tree branches until I got to the center of my story. It was a wonderful creative journey but it took forever because I’d go off on false leads and tangents. With this book, once I knew what the story was going to be, I drew a chart with all the characters and a little about their roles in the story. It changed over time of course, but not very much. Having that blueprint allowed me to enter the story without going off into the unknown—it was controlled creativity.

Do you edit a lot?

Yes, like a maniac. Backspace/delete is the most overused key on my keyboard. I was a journalist earlier in my career and knew that to avoid writer’s block, I had to dump everything on the page. Once I was able to do that, I knew I could go back in and chisel and sculpt the copy. Writer’s block only happens when you expect perfection in the first draft. Hemingway said, the first draft of anything is shit, and he was right. Everything happens in revision.

If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?

I’d like people to think of me as a writer who demythologizes the mysterious other and serious political issues through graceful storytelling, and spins a good yarn.

 

About the Author

Gail Vida Hamburg is an award-winning American journalist, author, and museum storyist. She is the author of The Edge of the World (Mirare Press, 2007), a novel about the impact of American foreign policy on individual lives. A nominee for the 2008 James Fenimore Cooper Prize, it is a frequent text in undergraduate post- colonial studies, war studies, and creative writing programs. Born in Malaysia, she spent her teens and twenties in England before migrating to the United States. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Literature and Creative Writing from Bennington Writers Seminars at Bennington College, Vermont. Liberty Landing, the first volume in her trilogy about the American Experience, is her love letter to the great American Experiment.

She lives in Chicago—the setting for Liberty Landing, a finalist for the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.

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Giveaway

Win one of 3 prizes: a copy of Liberty Landing by Gail Vida Hamburg or an audiobook copy of Liberty Landing or a $25 Amazon GC (open to USA & CANADA – 3 winner)

(ends July 28, 2018)

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Posted in Giveaway, Guest Post, Historical, romance, Western on July 5, 2018

TO CATCH A TEXAS STAR

Texas Heroes, Book 3

by

Linda Broday

  Genre: Western / Historical / Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Date of Publication: July 3, 2018

Number of Pages: 352

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On her way to town early one morning, Marley Rose McClain finds a man unconscious and bleeding at the side of the road. She loads him in the wagon and takes him to her family ranch.

Drifter Roan Penny fights for his life, his one goal eating at him—to find the ones who murdered his best friend. As he recovers, he finds himself falling in love with Marley. She’s everything he wants and dreams of making her his wife even as he knows it’s impossible.

A terrifying stranger appears and a long-kept secret shakes Marley to the core. Roan helps her through very frightening times and they pledge their love for each other.

As Roan hunts down the hooded men who killed his friend and grows closer to learning the truth of the stranger’s identity, he finds both himself and Marley being stalked.

Shocking events unfold, secrets come to light, and a love refuses to be denied in this cat and mouse game where danger lurks around every corner. Will Roan and Marley survive to see the future they plan?

Praise

“Fans of the previous books will enjoy returning to the McClain clan, and new readers will appreciate the story’s layered mysteries, emotional depth, and believable scenes of attraction.” — Publisher’s Weekly

“I loved the twists and turns that this story takes. It is pretty interesting seeing this romance blossom and how much their relationship strengthens as they face danger and the truth together.” — Addicted to Romance

“Marley Rose has one of the most gentle and winsome souls; her affection and compassion for others and delightful creativity pour off the pages and you can’t help but adore her.” — Michelle (Goodreads)

I’m so happy to be here, sharing my new release To Catch a Texas Star! This brings the Texas Heroes series to an exciting conclusion. It’s been a long time coming. After I wrote the first two books in the series – Knight on the Texas Plains and The Cowboy Who Came Calling – the publisher folded, and I never got to complete the series … until now. This is the book of my heart that I always wanted to write.

We met Marley Rose McClain as a baby in Knight on the Texas Plains and now she’s all grown up and looking for love. But there are secrets. Why does she look so different from her parents? What is the secret they’re keeping?

She discovers Roan Penny lying severely injured at the side of the road one frosty morning and takes him to her family ranch. As he recovers, their attraction grows stronger and stronger and Marley knows he’s the one for her. He calls her his Texas Star, and she sees undeniable love in his eyes even as danger surrounds them at every turn.

Much of Marley’s time is helping to care for all the children her parents take in and in this story, the McClain’s have twelve of them.

People ask why I write orphans into almost every story and here’s why.

The 1800s were overrun with orphans. New York City alone had 30,000 in 1850. Immigrants arrived, and a good many died of disease and starvation, leaving their children with no place to go. The orphanages bulged at the seams, and there were still so many living on the streets.

In an effort to curb the situation, they began shipping children out on orphan trains and offering them to anyone willing to give them a home. From 1854 to 1929, a quarter of a million orphans rode on those trains. Yet, with no oversight, a good many faced horrible abuse.

Things weren’t much better out west. People were dying in cholera epidemics, yellow fever, small pox, etc. Then you add in the numbers of the women dying in childbirth, and it’s staggering. Then came the Civil War that left even more children without parents. On the American frontier, there were Indian uprisings in addition to everything else. It was a horrible time of upheaval and children bore the brunt.

Characters like Marley’s mother and father can’t turn a blind eye so do whatever they can to help.

I think adding children to stories makes them richer. Children bring a greater level of emotion that isn’t there otherwise.

I hope you’ll try To Catch a Texas Star and see what I’m talking about. I have a brand-new series beginning in January. It’s called Outlaw Mail Order Brides. Maybe you’ll look for it.

Linda is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of full length historical western romance novels and novellas. She’s published over twenty books and short stories and resides in the Texas Panhandle on land the American Indian and Comancheros once roamed. On a quiet day, she can often hear their voices whispering in the wind.

The love of this state and its people runs bone deep and she instills that into each book she writes. She sets all her stories in Texas because of the rich history and interesting people.

A mother, grandmother, and soon to be a great-grandmother, Linda finds research fascinating and always looks for little known tidbits to add realism to her stories. When she’s not writing, she collects old coins and confesses to being a rock hound in addition to making herself a nuisance at museums, libraries, and historical places which inspire her.

 

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

Grand Prize: Signed Copies of Full Texas Heroes Series

Five Runners-Up: Signed Copies of To Catch a Texas Star

(US ONLY)

  July 3-12, 2018

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Check out the other blogs on this tour

7/3/18 Excerpt That’s What She’s Reading
7/3/18 Bonus Series Spotlight Hall Ways Blog
7/4/18 Review Chapter Break Book Blog
7/5/18 Guest Post StoreyBook Reviews
7/6/18 Review Carpe Diem Chronicles
7/7/18 Character Interview The Librarian Talks
7/8/18 Review Reading by Moonlight
7/9/18 Playlist Tangled in Text
7/10/18 Review Books and Broomsticks
7/11/18 Author Interview Dressed to Read
7/12/18 Review Margie’s Must Reads

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Posted in 5 paws, excerpt, Giveaway, Guest Post, Review, romance on July 4, 2018

Title: Small Town Rumors
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

Everyone is talking about Jennie Sue Baker and the mess she made of her life in New York. The former high school queen bee—and wealthy darling of Bloom, Texas—has returned home after all these years, riding on a common bus and bearing two bounced alimony checks. In a town that thrives on gossip, Jennie’s fall from grace has shamed her mother, set the town buzzing, and caused old, jealous enemies to whisper in delight. They say she’s taken a job as a housekeeper, gotten a garage apartment, and might be crushing on Rick Lawson, a simple farmer with modest dreams.

As romance starts to bud, Jennie relishes what it means to follow her heart, find real new friends, and finally be herself—regardless of all the lying town chatter. But fate has another twist in store. Rumor has it that Jennie now stands to lose what matters most . . . unless she can convince Rick of one true thing—and that’s love.

Top 5 Biggest Scandals in Bloom, Texas by Carolyn Brown

Welcome to Bloom, Texas, where the gossip is hotter’n than the peppers in Rick’s garden. Bloom is located just north of Sweetwater where the land is so flat that you can see all the way to where the earth curves. Well, maybe not that far but it goes out there for miles until it finally meets the sky. It always reminds me of a child’s drawing. He/she makes a line on their paper. Above it is sky with fluffy clouds. Below it is grass with wild flowers. The streets are wide and the bus comes through on the way to Sweetwater once a day.

If you want to hear the local gossip, just stop by the Main Street Café. You’ll love the burger baskets and sweet tea, but if you listen closely, you can learn who didn’t come to church on Sunday and why, who died, who had a baby and whether or not she was married. The list goes on and on, so don’t bypass the café as you wander up and down Main Street. Oh, and ask Elaine, the owner, to fix you up with a large sweet tea to go when you leave.

A couple of doors down, you’ll see a used book store. Go right on in and Amos will tell you the whole history of Bloom. If you have a seat on the sofa inside the front door, he’ll entertain you until all that sweet tea is gone with stories about the folks in town. Don’t be shy, now. He loves company.

As a stranger, you probably won’t be invited to one of the Sweetwater Belle’s club meetings, but even their exclusive meetings aren’t so secret in Bloom. After all everyone knows everything about everyone. They know what they did with whom, where it happened and what time they got home afterwards. Then they read The Bloom Daily News to see who got caught!

After all, gossip is the life blood of the community. It’s what drives the people to get out in the blistering hot sun and go to town. It’s what sets the phone lines to smoking, and why there’s more than one cell tower pretty close to the town.

There were, have been, are will be many scandals in Bloom. But five come to mind. First is the fact that Jennie Sue’s dad has been having affairs for years and every year the mistress gets younger and younger. He has his reasons but Jennie Sue doesn’t know them until she comes home. Second would be the fact that she arrives in town, right there on Main Street on a bus. Not in a rented car from an airport. Not even in her own little fancy sports vehicle, but a bus! That alone will put a strain on the phone company. Third is that she intends to be independent and since her father won’t give her a job in the oil company, she agrees to clean houses for two elderly sisters, Lettie and Nadine, who are the biggest gossips in Bloom, Texas. Fourth is that she’s seen with Rick, a local farmer, and even worse that she’s working on his farm for no money but for vegetables as pay. And number five that she has a baby buried in an unmarked grave at the Bloom cemetery. Now when that last one hits the gossip vine, it really will be hotter’n the peppers in Rick’s garden!

Excerpt

“Well, well, well! Are you leaving us already? You only got here yesterday.” Lettie shoved the suitcase over and sat down across the table from Jennie Sue. Short, as round as Mabel, and sporting a kinky hairdo that had gone out of style years ago, Lettie hadn’t changed since Jennie Sue was a little girl.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jennie Sue answered. “How have you been, Miz Lettie?”

“Elaine, I’ll have a big stack of pancakes and two orders of bacon,” Lettie called out across the café.

“Got it,” Elaine yelled.

“So where are you going?” Lettie turned back to Jennie Sue.

“To find a job,” she answered.

“What kind of skills and experience do you have?”

Elaine crossed the floor and set Jennie Sue’s breakfast in front of her. “Millie will bring out your order shortly, Miz Lettie.”

“No rush. Just send me a cup of coffee, and I’ll be happy until it gets here.” Lettie waved her away with a flick of the wrist and turned back to Jennie Sue. “Now, you were about to tell me about your work experience.”

Jennie Sue picked up the saltshaker and applied an unhealthy dose to her eggs. “I have no experience, but I do have a business degree. The only thing I’m good at is keeping a clean house and organizing fund-raisers and parties.”

“Hmm.” Lettie pursed her lips. “So why didn’t you have a housekeeper up there in New York?”

“Percy was never pleased with the way they cleaned.”

“Was?” Lettie asked.

“Been divorced for over a year.”

“Oh, really?” Lettie cocked her head to one side.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Me and my sister, Nadine, lost our housekeeper a couple of weeks ago. The lady that worked for us cleaned for me on Friday and Nadine on Thursday. You interested?”

Charlotte would probably go into cardiac arrest if Jennie Sue became nothing more than a maid for her archenemies. But hey, it was a job, and Jennie Sue damn sure knew how to clean a house so well that it would pass judgment in the courts of heaven.

“I might be interested if you could point me in the direction of an apartment or a rental house of some kind that wouldn’t be too expensive,” Jennie Sue answered.

“I got an apartment over my garage. It’s pretty small, but it’ll work for a single person. I’d be willing to rent it to you furnished. You’ll clean for me on Friday each week, but the last week in the month, you won’t get paid. That’ll be your rent,” Lettie said.

Jennie Sue could imagine Charlotte throwing whatever she could get her hands on at the wall when one of the Belles called her with that bit of news. Even if she was angry with her mother over trying to mold her into another Wilshire woman, she couldn’t do that to her mother—or could she? How else would she be independent?

She picked up a piece of crisp bacon with her fingers and took a bite while she thought about the offer. It was a job that she could do. It was a place for her to live. She didn’t have to live in a shelter or sleep on a park bench. However, her mother would never speak to her again, and the rumors would be so hot that they might burn down the whole town of Bloom.

Review

This is a perfect summer read…well really a perfect anytime read! Especially since it is set in a small Texas town where rumors and gossip abound. The book has funky characters, some tension between the “haves” and the “have-nots”, and family drama that will keep you entertained from beginning to the end. It is also a love story and knowing what you want and don’t want to ensure a happy life going forward.

If you enjoy romance, laughter, and small town charm, you’ll enjoy this book!  We give it 5 paws up.

 

About the Author

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma—where everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when—and they read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.

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Posted in Christian, Giveaway, Interview, nonfiction, self help on July 4, 2018

Book Title: Through a Broken Heart: Finding Hope and Healing After a Breakup
Author: Colleen Meissner
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 144 pages
Genre: Christian non-fiction, self-help, devotional
Publisher: A Book’s Mind
Release date: April 19, 2018

Synopsis

Dear Broken Heart ~

You must be hurting deeply. Perhaps you’re also feeling overwhelmed and completely alone in this place of emptiness and grief. I’ve been where you are and my heart aches with yours. I want you to know there is someone who sees and someone who cares. His name is Jesus. The journey right now is dark and painful, but if you will travel with me using God’s word as our guide, it will eventually lead to a place of hope and restoration. A destination where God’s love ushers you into wholeness. Where His healing hand won’t just repair your shattered soul, but will establish you in the truth that you are deeply loved and understood. In contrast to your current sorrow, this may seem too good to be true. I get that, I’ve been there. At this point, I’m only asking you to trust that He is able. I invite you to spend these next six weeks at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to enter into your wounded heart through this very place of brokenness. Will you give Him permission to transform you in a way that far exceeds your own expectations?

~ Colleen Meissner Married for the first time at 42. Colleen knows firsthand the pain of heartbreak, being single longer than expected, and the battle against fear and insecurity. She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and has spent over 10 years sharing her own experience and knowledge as a coach and mentor. She now has a vision to share the wisdom she’s been given with you.

Interview

Today we welcome Colleen to StoreyBook Reviews.  She was gracious enough to answer some questions for us about herself.

Favorite travel spot?

I honestly don’t travel too often, my work and an elderly dog limit me a bit these days, but when I do travel I want to be at a beach, lake or river. I always say, “give me a sandy beach and a fruity cocktail over history and architecture.” I know how shallow that may sound, but it’s more about the fact that the beach, specifically the ocean is one of the few places where I am able to fully exhale and relax.

Favorite dessert?

My favorite dessert will always be ice cream. Some of my best memories of my dad and I are when we were laughing and being “indulgent” eating two (!) bowls of ice cream. He and I didn’t’ agree on much when I was younger – but we could always come together over a bowl (or two!) of Neapolitan ice cream – he loved the chocolate and me the strawberry; the vanilla was divided between us equally; it was a perfect balance. I lost my father this year, so these memories are especially sweet (pun intended! ☺).

If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?

My Bible of course, that’s a no brainer. Bob Goff’s “Love Does” would be the second one – even if I’m alone, I’d want to remember to be kind and loving to myself, plus the book just makes me laugh –  that man cracks me up and his life is an amazing testimony of what it’s like to live and love fearlessly.

I’m not sure which I would bring for my third one, but for certain some type of reference book. I am a book hoarder, I still have books from college that I won’t give up just in case I may need to reference them at some point.

What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

This is an easy answer – this (publishing Through a Broken Heart) is the most courageous thing I’ve ever done, without a doubt. I am really shy and have a slight social phobia – so to step out of the shadows and to share my heart and lessons learned are really scary to me and way outside of my comfort zone.

But… I would rather do this and fail (or be criticized) then not do it at all. Perhaps that’s even scarier – getting to the end of life and wishing I had taken more risks. I’m at a point now where I’d rather go for it and fail then not take the risk at all.

Name a quirky thing you like to do.

The quirkiest thing I do isn’t actually quirky to me at all, but apparently it is to others. I can’t eat ice cream (the normal kind, not soft serve) without smashing it up in my bowl until the consistency becomes like a frosty. My favorite ice cream to do this with is plain old Neapolitan ice cream, with mostly strawberry and vanilla. I can tell if there’s too much chocolate if the “mush” is browner then pink. Is that really that weird?

As for hobbies, my passion work (mentoring, coaching and writing) take most of my free time, but love just hanging out with my husband, brothers and my girlfriends, put us all on the beach together and you have perfection, at least to me. The last time (and maybe the first) this happened was my wedding day in 2013, we married at the beach and only invited our closest family and friends – it was perfection.

About the Author

I earned a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University in 2010 and have been mentoring women for over a decade. The most common area of counsel I provide is to single women not ashamed to admit they want to be married and have someone to share their life with. These women often without realizing it, are battling soul wounds (emotional and heart wounds) from their past that are preventing them from fulfilling this deeply held desire of marriage and family.

I consider there to be no greater privilege than to have women trust me with their deepest struggles and fears and to travel along side of them on their journey from a place of being held in bondage by lies (“I am fat, ugly, a loser, unlovable…”) to a place of freedom and victory. I know this journey well, I have traveled it; it is hard and it is long, and you cannot do it alone. There are seemingly impossible hills to climb, valleys to crawl out of and side-roads leading to nowhere. Perhaps more than a mentor, I am a tour-guide, leading you as you navigate your way to healing and overcoming those things that have kept you from embracing the fullness of life that the Lord came to give you (John 10:10).

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Giveaway

Win an ebook copy of Through a Broken Heart (open to USA & Canada – 2 winners)

(ends July 21, 2018)

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