Synopsis

From the author of the critically acclaimed Northwest Passage, American Journey, and Carson Chronicles series comes the first book in the Time Box saga.

Virginia physicist Mark Lane has a problem. Weeks after privately creating two time machines, he learns his corporate partner wants to use the portable devices for nefarious purposes. Rather than give him the chance to do so, Mark takes the time boxes and escapes to the relative safety of 1865.

For Mark, wife Mary, and their children, the adventure is a chance to grow. Mary runs a business. Jeremy, 19, and Ashley, 12, befriend escaped slaves. Laura, 22, finds her place as a nurse. Jordan, 25, falls for a beautiful widow. All hope to find peace in the past.

Billionaire Robert Devereaux has other ideas. Shortly after Mark’s betrayal, he sends an assassin to 1865 to retrieve his property and set matters straight.

Filled with romance, suspense, and history, THE LANE BETRAYAL follows a modern American family as it tries to find security and contentment in the final weeks of the Civil War.

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Review

If you are looking for a master storyteller when it comes to time travel novels, then look no further than this author. Time travel can be a tough topic to write about because there are so many possibilities when it comes to the “how” of time travel. I have read multiple books by this author and each time, I have found a new book to love.

In this series, the Lane family is on the run from Mark’s boss and the company he worked for because they wish to do “evil” with the devices he created. He thought they were going to be able to disappear but things didn’t go quite as planned. They did end up in 1865 but not without some potential repercussions from the present in the form of a hired gun.

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book and felt like I was right in the middle of things in DC during the Civil War and Lincoln’s time in office. I felt that the author stayed as true to the facts of the time as he could but wove in a tale that enhanced what was happening in our country during the Civil War. There is also love and romance, friendship, and betrayal. I enjoyed the thoughts of the Lane and how they couldn’t imagine the President just walking around the town with very little protection. But it was a different time back then and I feel like some people were a bit more refined. There are still plenty of rapscallions to make it interesting.

I also enjoy how the story is told from various viewpoints. I find that it pulls me into the story even more as I see the situation from various character’s thoughts and experiences.

We give this book 5 paws up and I am about to start in on the second book in this series, The Fair, so look for a review very soon.

About the Author

John A. Heldt is a reference librarian and the author of the critically acclaimed Northwest Passage time-travel series. The former award-winning sportswriter and newspaper editor has loved getting subjects and verbs to agree since writing book reports on baseball heroes in grade school. A graduate of the University of Oregon and the University of Iowa, he is an avid fisherman, sports fan, home brewer, and reader of thrillers and historical fiction. When not sending contemporary characters to the not-so-distant past, he weighs in on literature and life on his blog.

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Synopsis

What if you were framed for a murder you didn’t commit? A gripping, addictive thriller for fans of Angela Clarke, Mel Sherratt, and Rachel Lynch.

Jennifer Smits is a young mother, married to a hotshot lawyer and living in Amsterdam. Her world explodes when her husband is found dead at a holiday park during a weekend getaway. Convinced that the police have failed in their investigation, she embarks on a desperate quest for the truth – but the deeper she digs, the more she gets enmeshed in a tangled web of lies, spun by a ruthless law firm.

As Jennifer’s search for answers intensifies, her grip on reality weakens. Barely able to manage her patients at the health clinic, or take care of her young son, Jennifer is at risk of losing it all – even her closest friends begin to desert her. And then a chance encounter with a charming stranger sparks a new chain of events that plunges her deeper into a world of threats and corruption. Soon, she begins to fear for her life – but who can she trust, and how far will she go in pursuit of the truth?

This is a gripping, addictive thriller that will make you question everything, including the flaws of forensics. Could we all be framed for a murder we didn’t commit?

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Praise

‘Double Deceit was one hell of a book, the author has done an impeccable job in crafting out a plot that is not only very interesting to read, but one which is packed with little packets of surprises all the way through’

‘A really entertaining ‘who dunnit’ that kept me guessing… a thriller at heart, with many twists and turns, but there’s a wonderful element of romance, and a deeper message touching on the transient nature of life. Definitely worth a read!’

‘A terrific thriller that reminds of John Grisham’s novels, perfect from start to finish’

About the Author

Julienne Brouwers worked as a pharmaceutical scientist and medical physicist before becoming a writer. She lives in the Netherlands, with her husband and three children, where she has published two successful thrillers, and lived in the UK and US for a total of four years.

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Synopsis

It’s vintage Poppy McAllister when the gluten-free baker and B&B owner tries to solve a murder at a Cape May winery . . .

When Poppy and Aunt Ginny agreed to host a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at their Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast on the Jersey Shore, they never anticipated such a sour bunch. Grumpy guest Vince Baker should be in a better mood–he’s filthy rich and on his honeymoon with his much younger wife Sunny, who seems to dote on him almost as much as her high-spirited teacup Pomeranian, Tammy Faye Baker.

But the honeymoon is over when Vince drops dead the next day touring the Laughing Gull Winery. Turns out he’s been poisoned, and it seems like everybody on the tour is hiding something. Now Poppy has to put her gluten-free baking on the back burner and bottle up her feelings for the two men in her life while she charges after a bitter killer with a lethal case of sour grapes . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

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Review

This series always makes me laugh and drooling over the competition for Poppy’s heart by Tim and Gia.  I think I have mentioned I am Team Gia all the way, but will he do what it takes to win her heart?  We do get to find out at the end of the book which one she chooses, but there is a bit of twist when she informs the lucky guy that he is her love. Let’s just say it was a bit of a jaw-dropper for me but that is all I’m going to say and you will need to read the book to learn who she has chosen.

Aunt Ginny and her gaggle of friends are still a hoot and they discover a new interest….but I’m not telling you what that is either because it is quite comical how Poppy learns of this interest. There are some other antics this gang is up to and I like how everything is drawn out over the length of the book and not all at once. I am still quite surprised by what they can come up with to get into a bit of trouble.

The mystery portion was quite intriguing because quite a few potential murderers are discovered and any one of them could have done it. I enjoyed trying to decipher the clues but in the end, I had no idea who killed Vince. There are some very unlikeable characters, Vince included, and I hope that a certain character gets what is coming to him. No hints so as not to spoil anything.

Overall, I have really loved this series and the author leaves me on the hook breathlessly awaiting the next installment for the answer to the twist regarding Poppy’s love life, a new adventure, and more delicious recipes to try.

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

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The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas

by

Jodi Thomas,

Sharla Lovelace, and Scarlett Dunn

Genre: Romance / Adventure / Anthology

Publisher: Kensington Books

Date of Publication: October 27, 2020

Number of Pages: 336 pages

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The Lone Star State doesn’t have to be lonely during Christmas time!

Legendary author Jodi Thomas headlines a new holiday-themed Western historical romance collection featuring three Texas-set stories of romance and adventure. The Civil War is over, Christmas is coming—and it’s time for three rugged cowboys to hang-up their spurs and settle down.

These authors combine their talents and excel at creating atmosphere and complex characters that infuse these stories with Texas history and evoke the grandeur of a bygone era and the indomitable pioneer spirit of the region.

Prepare to be swept off your feet by these heroic cowboys who will stop at nothing to make sure this Christmas is one to remember. Ideal for gift giving, The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas will be the fan-favorite collection of romance for the 2020 Christmas season.

║Amazon ║ Jodi Thomas’s Website║

Praise for The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas

“FATHER GOOSE is a warm, entertaining story, with Trapper and Emery starting with nothing, yet finding love and hoping for a future.” — Rose from Roses Are Blue

“It was a pitch-perfect reading experience that left my heart bursting with joy.  This story has become an instant classic in my holiday reading canon.” — PJ Ausdenmore from The Romance Dish

“I love an anthology at this busy time of the year because I can read a complete story in a short time–this book hit the mark.” — Mary from Bookfan

With millions of books in print, Jodi Thomas is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over fifty novels and countless short story collections. Her stories travel through the past and present days of Texas and draw readers from around the world.

In July 2006, Jodi was the eleventh writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. With five RITAs to her credit, along with National Readers’ Choice Awards and Booksellers’ Best Awards, Thomas has proven her skill as a master storyteller.

Thomas was honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas and served sixteen years as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

When not working on a novel, or inspiring students to pursue writing careers, Thomas enjoys traveling with her family, renovating an historic home, and “checking up” on two grown sons and four grandchildren.

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY! 

One copy of THE COWBOY WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS

signed by Jodi Thomas

Giveaway Ends Midnight, CST, 11/30/2020

 (US only)

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Wolf Untamed

by Paige Tyler

Publication Date: 11/24/2020

Synopsis

The guys in the Special Wolf Alpha Team (SWAT) are hotter than ever.

SWAT werewolf Diego Martinez was on a mission to save lives when he walked into the hostage situation—he didn’t expect to find a newly turned teenage werewolf and the kid’s fiercely protective mother. For Bree Harlow and her son, Brandon, Diego is a godsend, and not just because he saved the day.

Bree has spent the years since her divorce trying to do her best by Brandon. But lately the boy who used to tell her everything has been keeping secrets. In the face of all the bizarre things happening at home, there’s something about Diego that Bree can’t resist—especially when he’s able to explain Brandon’s new abilities.

But the hostage incident was just the start in a wave of violence that no one can explain, and when Bree and Brandon are caught in the middle, Diego will do everything in his power to protect the family he wants as his own.

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Excerpt

Bree had no idea if seconds—or hours—passed, but then she heard something so out of place with her surroundings that it immediately snapped her back to reality.

Growling.

Low, soft, pained…growling.

And it was coming from Brandon.

She looked down to find him gazing up at her with vivid-gold eyes, half-inch-long fangs visible over his bottom lip.

Bree had always considered herself to be a strong person. She’d gone through a lot in her life and dealt with it. But she couldn’t ignore the obvious. The accumulated stress of this situation had been too much for her. She was having a mental breakdown. Because there was no way she was seeing what she thought she saw.

Suddenly, the SWAT cop was at her side, pulling Brandon up and talking to him in a slow, calm voice, telling him to relax and breathe, that everything was over and he was going to be okay at the same time he used his big body like a shield, keeping other people in the diner from seeing her son’s face. His voice was the most soothing and calming sound she’d ever heard in her life, and even though he wasn’t talking to her, she found herself breathing in time with his instructions—in through the nose, hold it for five seconds, and out through the mouth.

Bree watched in stunned fascination as the yellow glow slowly receded from her son’s eyes and the fangs disappeared. All at once, his panicked breathing and frantic features relaxed, and she realized it was the first time in months he didn’t seem tense.

There was a commotion behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see the other officers—dressed like Diego but with weapons and heavy-looking tactical gear strapped across their chests—quickly moving the rest of the hostages outside, herding them in such a way that they didn’t have time to look at the body on the floor…or Brandon.

It was like they were all working together to keep anyone from seeing what was happening with her son. Like they all somehow knew something unexplainable was going on with him.

“There you go, kid.” The SWAT cop’s deep voice made her turn back around, and she saw him standing there with his hands on Brandon’s shoulders. “Just a few more deep breaths and you’ll be good to go.”

Diego was right. A few seconds later, Brandon was fine, and Bree found herself wondering if everything she’d seen was a figment of her confused mind.

It could have been, right?

She felt a gentle hand on her arm and looked up into the warmest brown eyes she’d ever seen, a little overwhelmed by the concern she saw there. Diego didn’t even know her, and yet he seemed genuinely worried.

“I think we should get out of here,” he said, nodding toward Brandon. “This place is about to be crawling with cops, crime-scene techs, and general-purpose gawkers. I’d rather be somewhere else before they show up. We have a lot to talk about.”

She was about to ask what he meant by that, but then it hit her. Everything she’d seen had been real. Diego had seen it, too. And now he wanted to talk about it. Because that’s what cops did. They dug into stuff until they knew everything.

Bree’s heart began to thump hard all over again as she realized the danger her son might be in now. What if Diego revealed what he’d seen? Brandon would be treated like a monster. From the look on Brandon’s face, he realized the same thing and was on the verge of freaking out.

“Relax,” the cop said softly, looking first at Brandon, then her. “I’m not a threat to your son. I promise.”

Gaze locked with hers, Diego’s eyes flared vivid yellow-gold. The color was only there for a second before it disappeared, but it was impossible to miss. Or mistake it for anything other than what she’d seen in her son’s eyes. The cop looked at Brandon, earning a wide-eyed gasp. Bree had no idea what any of this meant, but it had to be a good sign…right?

“Like I said,” Diego murmured. “We have a lot to talk about.”

***

Excerpted from Wolf Untamed by Paige Tyler. © 2020 by Paige Tyler. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. Paige writes books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines they fall in love with. She lives with her very own military hero (a.k.a. her husband) and their adorable dog on the beautiful Florida coast.

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Ride the Tide

by Julie Ann Walker

Publication Date: 11/24/2020

Synopsis

Once a fighter, always a fighter…

Former Navy SEAL Mason McCarthy is done being a fighting man. Now he and the Deep Six Salvage crew are working feverishly to find the wreck of the Santa Cristina and its legendary sunken treasure. Unfortunately for Mason’s peace of mind, chatty, brilliant historian Alexandra Merriweather has joined the hunt and there’s no avoiding her. Alex is exactly the kind of distraction Mason can’t afford right now…or maybe ever.

When a murderous enemy from Mason’s past threatens the Deep Six, he must rely on old instincts and the skills he honed from years of running black ops to make sure nothing touches Alexandra. But with their lives on the line and the adrenaline running high, it’s inevitable that sparks will fly.

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Excerpt

Mason “Monet” McCarthy had a problem.

She was five feet tall. Had curly red hair that was only fifty percent tamed under the best of conditions, and one hundred percent out of control this early in the morning. And she was sitting at a table by the window watching the multicolored ships of the shrimp fleet as they rocked precariously with the wave action out near the horizon while her fingers absently fiddled with the corner of a book.

Oh, and she was also studiously ignoring him.

She was wicked good at that last part. Was making a frickin’ hobby of it, as a matter of fact. Not that he could blame her, considering what she’d offered him.

And what he’d turned down.

Her name was Alexandra Merriweather. Alex for short, which was a ridiculously masculine moniker for such a tiny wisp of a woman. One with skin like porcelain, eyes the color of Colombian emeralds, and a laugh as sweet and tinkling as a music box.

She was his problem because…well…he liked her. Like, liked her liked her. And if his cheating ho of a wife… Scratch that. Rewind… That would be his cheating ho of an ex-wife—had taught him anything, it was that he wasn’t fit to like a woman like Alex.

Not anymore.

All the years schlepping his ass through countless missions, maiming and killing in the name of the flag, had turned him into something…not normal.

That was the phrase Sarah had used when he came home early to surprise her for her birthday, but instead found her screwing his ex-best friend in their marriage bed. Surprise!

“What d’you expect, Mason?” Sarah’s expression had been so sincere. “You’re gone all the time, and when you’re here, you’re not normal.”

Copy that. When it came to a life of violence, the effects were biological, physiological, and psychological. It was the price of being a warrior.

So even though he’d been heartbroken by her betrayal, he’d never worked up much anger over it. Then and now, there was no way to deny the truth. Mason McCarthy was no longer capable of living an ordinary life with the house, the wife, and the two-point-three kids.

The only reason he was sitting in this hotel bar now, a bona fide civilian, was because of a deathbed promise he and the rest of his teammates had made to Rusty Lawrence, the eighth man in their SEAL unit. Barring that, Mason figured he would’ve kept on running and gunning until he found the bullet with his name on it.

With a fingertip, he traced the scrolling black letters inked on the inside of his left forearm. For RL they read. Picturing Rusty’s craggy face, he tried to determine whether to curse the sorry sonofabitch or thank him for forcing them all to make that vow and wave their fond farewells to the navy.

A call of “G’morning, asshole!” cut into his thoughts. Turning, he found Ray “Wolf” Roanhorse standing behind him.

Since he’d yet to determine how good the morning was or wasn’t, Mason grunted his reply. Wolf, used to Mason’s wordless responses, bent to scratch Meat’s exposed belly.

The fat English bulldog slept on his back beside Mason’s barstool, dick and balls on display for the entire breakfast crowd, and his snores nearly drowning out the cries of the seagulls coming in through the hotel’s open windows.

Meat was the only thing Mason had taken from the divorce. He’d let Sarah have their restored three-decker in Southie, along with the furniture and all the minutia that went with a “normal” life. But Meat? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but he’d have crossed hell with nothing but a bucket of ice water before he’d let her keep his dog.

“A wise woman once said, ‘If you risk nothin’, you risk everythin’.’” With the unaffected ease that came with being supremely fit, Wolf settled himself onto the barstool next to Mason’s.

The two of them had become instant friends when they’d been teamed up as swim partners way back in BUD/S—Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL—training. And through all the intervening years, Wolf had never run out of inspirational quotes. He fancied himself a scholar of the world’s philosophers and religions.

There were times, including this one, when that could get damned annoying.

Instead of answering, Mason kept quiet. He hoped his silence conveyed his wish for more coffee and less talk.

“I said,” Wolf said louder, “a wise woman once—”

“First off,” Mason muttered irritably, “what part of this face”—he pointed to his scowling mug—“makes you think I’m in the mood for morning convo?”

“You’re never in the mood for conversation,” Wolf drawled, his Oklahoma accent making the words sound twice as long as they normally would. “Don’t matter what time of day it is.”

“Second off,” Mason went on as if Wolf hadn’t spoken, “what’s that supposed to mean anyway? If you risk nothing, you risk everything?”

“It means you should pull your head from your ass and go for it. Take her up on what she’s offerin’.” Wolf stuck a cocktail straw between his teeth and hailed the bartender to put in an order for a Bloody Mary. Hitching his chin toward Alex’s table, he added, “Come on, man. You know you want to.”

Mason hadn’t been kidding when he said he wasn’t in the mood to talk. But he sure as shit wasn’t in the mood to talk about Alex and her heart-stopping offer.

***

Excerpted from Ride the Tide by Julie Ann Walker. © 2020 by Julie Ann Walker. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Julie Ann Walker is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling Author of the Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series. She is prone to spouting movie quotes and song lyrics. She’ll never say no to sharing a glass of wine or going for a long walk. She prefers impromptu travel over the scheduled kind, and she takes her coffee with milk. You can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

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The Light Catcher Murders (Kate Atherton Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Independently published (August 15, 2020)
Paperback: 323 pages

Synopsis

Kate Atherton’s idyllic retirement is going well…if you don’t count the two murders, the mysterious drone, and her photographer friend who manages to poke a hornet’s nest of criminal activity, that is.

Nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, the cozy town of Wheaton Creek seemed to Kate Atherton an idyllic place to escape the world’s harsh realities. And then there was the first murder.

Kate once enjoyed a long, successful career with a specialized, highly secret federal intelligence agency. Crises in both her personal and professional life drove her to early retirement and, ultimately, to Wheaton Creek, the perfect place for her and her former-military husband to escape what had come to feel like a world made up of wars, hatred, fear, and untimely death. And, at first, the escape was all Kate had hoped for. Then murder came to Wheaton Creek—a crime that a corrupt county sheriff seems determined to pin on Kate’s photographer friend, Lucy Celek.

Lucy’s work has been chosen to appear at a prestigious photography festival, a festival that could take her from amateur to professional standing. All goes well until the gallery displaying her work is broken into, and one of Lucy’s photographs is vandalized. A week later, the man Lucy suspected of destroying her photograph—a fellow photographer who was angry that his own work was not chosen by the festival committee—is murdered. Faced with a sheriff who shows little interest in expanding his list of suspects beyond Lucy, Kate feels she must dust off her puzzle-solving skills to find the real killer. Murder is just the beginning, though, as Kate’s amateur sleuthing begins to reveal a tangled web of crimes that go beyond anything she could have imagined.

About the Author

Jo Cassie McRae is a native Texan who has lived near Austin on the edge of the Texas Hill Country for over 30 years.  In addition to writing, McRae loves to read, garden, and cook.  Like Kate Atherton (The Light Catcher Murders), McRae’s bookshelves overflow with history books, biographies, historical fiction, and mystery novels.  Unlike Kate, McRae does not have a mysterious, secret former career, having worked instead as a rather ordinary legal assistant at an Austin law firm.

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Crime in Cornwall (British Book Tour Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Camel Press (October 13, 2020)
Paperback: 228 pages

Synopsis

Patrick and Rita Stonning, Claire’s neighbors in Ashton-on-Tinch, dash down from London on weekends to host loud parties. They work in a publishing house and use their Ashton semi-detached home as a break from big city stress. Patrick arrives at Claire’s door distraught, reporting one of his partygoers, Olive Nott a best-selling author, dead. Claire discovers that not only is he dead, he’s been murdered. Patrick is suspected of the murder and has enough motive to satisfy the police. Nott wrote mysteries set in Cornwall and had planned to take his lucrative contracts to a competing company. His latest book dealt with smuggling in the caves of Cornwall. The police, including DI Mark Evans from the newly formed Major investigations Team wonder if he learned too much from his research. Claire takes her six tourists, most from America, to the Cornwall coast in search of sites of mystery novels and hears the opinions of the Cornish people on smuggling. She asks Patrick to meet her in Penzance to give a guest lecture on the smuggling in Oliver Nott’s novels. Claire finds Patrick self-aggrandizing and arrogant but doesn’t agree he would murder and sets out to find the one responsible.

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Guest Post

Claire Barclay, tour guide for those fascinated by mystery novels, is getting ready for her trip to the sites of mystery novels in Cornwall. Her neighbors on the other side of their shared wall keep her awake with their loud party, In the morning Patrick Stonning arrives at the door distraught to report one of his guests murdered, and not just any guests, Oliver Nott, a well known thriller writer. Claire talks it over with her significant other, Detective Inspector Mark Evans, but leaves him with the problem, collects her guests, and drives them to Cornwall. One of the guests is Dr. Lena Jane Prior. The following is her point of view.

I came on this tour of Cornwall to do research for an article, as I need more articles to get tenure at the University of Washington. “Publish or perish” is still operating in academia. I’m studying the author Mary Wesley. She lived in Cornwall for many years, so this excursion should offer me stimulus, even if I have to deal with the mystery fans who make up the majority of the people on this tour. Mysteries seem tame to me, I prefer the excitement of reality. But the intelligent people on this tour appreciate them, so perhaps I’m wrong.

The tourist who isn’t enamored by literature of any kind is George Baker, a rather attractive Englishman, who seems to have an agenda of his own. Mary Wesley’s example of indulgence might apply to George on this trip. I’ll stay aware of him. There is always someone in any gathering who is ready for pleasure. I was looking forward to this trip as a diversion from my life in Seattle. Although, from my email correspondence with Oliver, I expected to resume our affair. I hadn’t planned on murder.

The murder shook me. I joined the tour with relief, aching to escape interrogation by British detectives. While I was happy Oliver Nott had finally gotten his just deserts and died as only a low-life like him should, I didn’t expect to be seen as a suspect. I wasn’t the only person with a past liaison with him. He was serially promiscuous; which I have to admit I am myself. But now, he is seriously complicating my life. I need to get back to the States at the end of this tour and I can’t do it without my passport. Can the police in this country just take your passport? Apparently, they can. If I don’t get it back soon, can they keep me in England? I’ll ask the tour guide, Claire Barclay, who in spite of, or perhaps because of, her continually pleasant manner and considerate behaviour, can be irritating. But she is my best bet for getting my passport.

I’ve been after here for over a week but, and the police still have my passport. I’ve demanded it back many times. It’s strange to feel an alien in England. I thought I’d feel at home because I’ve studied English literature for so long. I wonder if there is anything in the theory that we have a collective, ancestral heritage. I should be accepted here, as my ancestors came from Kent. Of course, Cornwall feels like a country separate from the rest of Britain. It has its own flag, and, at least, parts of its own language. The people seem aloof, although Claire manages to talk to everyone and get cooperation from the local people. She does have a way of getting what customers want and need. She should be able to get my passport back. She must get it back. She’s on very good terms, even intimate terms, with the detective inspector. It’s her job to get my passport back. I wanted to visit here; not live here, especially not in jail.

As you can see, Dr. Prior is not particularly likable, but she’s interesting, and she gives Claire, the protagonist, quite a bit of trouble.

This is Fowey, pronounced Foy where Claire takes her guests.

If you would like to know more about The British Book Tour series, go to my website and click on the Join My Newsletter button. I send out information once a month. If everything is working properly, and the gremlins that haunt computers are latent, you should get a free chapter of a book when you join.

About the Author

Emma Dakin lives in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. She has over twenty-five trade published books of mystery and adventure for teens and middle-grade children and non-fiction for teens and adults. Her love of the British countryside and villages and her addiction to cozy mysteries now keep her writing about characters who live and work in those villages. She introduces readers to the problems that disturb that idyllic setting.

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Mia and Nattie:

One Great Team!

by

Marlene M. Bell

Genre: Children’s Picture Book (K-3rd Grade) / Farm Animals

Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing

Date of Publication: October 4, 2020

Number of Pages: 34 pages

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Nattie’s mouth was a little crooked. Her legs were a bit shorter than usual, and one horn was too straight, like a unicorn’s horn.

But Mia thought Nattie was perfect.

On a visit to her grandma’s farm, eight-year-old Mia discovers a newborn, orphaned lamb outside in the cold and takes her to the laundry room, naming her Nattie. As she tries to nurse the lamb back to health, Mia discovers that Nattie is different from the other lambs and struggles to fit in with them like Mia does with other kids her age.

When her grandmother says she will sell Nattie to a neighbor, Mia must come up with a plan to keep her friend around — one that will show the family just how special Nattie truly is.

This book is the perfect example of what happens when someone (or something) is abandoned and how others step in to assist and take care of that someone. It teaches a very timely lesson to children (and adults) that all things, big and small, are important no matter what they look like or how they came to into this world.  Sometimes great things come in small packages.

Mia is a wise young lady and recognizes that Nattie needs some help. Nattie has been abandoned by her mother and Mia sets out to take care of her to make sure she endures. Mia is determined that Nattie finds her place in the world and on the farm. Mia doesn’t let the possibility of Nattie leaving the farm to chance, she sets out to prove that everyone and everything has a purpose and value. I love that she doesn’t give up and proves to her grandmother that Nattie has a purpose on the farm and should not be sold just because she is lacking in certain areas.

I loved the illustrations, they are realistic, colorful, and whimsical and will be sure to delight any reader.

One additional bonus, this is based on a true story of a lamb named Natalie that the author raised much like Mia and Nattie. I enjoyed reading Natalie’s story and how this book came to be, it is a sweet story and one you should read, if not to your child, then at least to yourself.

This book will make the perfect gift and there is a bonus that there is a stuffed lamb that looks just like Nattie that would make a great addition.

We give this book 5 paws up and recommend it to anyone with a young child. I can’t wait to share this book with my great-niece.

MARLENE M. BELL is an award-winning writer, artist, and crazy sheep lady who resides in beautiful East Texas. Her renown sheep photographs grace the covers of many livestock magazines where she also writes newsy articles about raising sheep from her hands-on experience.

Based on true events from the Bell’s ranch, Marlene offers the first of her children’s picture books, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! It’s a touching story of compassion and love between a little girl and her lamb. Marlene is also the author of the award-winning Annalisse international mystery series, with the third book, Calico Raven to be released in 2021.

Marlene shares her life with her husband and dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep: a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, and cats, Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks. The cats believe they rule the household—and do.

 Website  ◆  Facebook  ◆  Twitter

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

 THREE WINNERS

GRANDPRIZE (US only):

Signed copy of Mia and Nattie, Nattie Plush, Nattie Mousepad, and a Nattie pendant

2^ND PRIZE (US only): Signed copy of Mia and Nattie

3^RD PRIZE  (US only): Signed copy of Mia and Nattie

Giveaway ends at midnight, CST, 11/25/2020

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Christmas Eve Promise: Time Travel Novel (Christmas Eve Series, Book 4)

by Elyse Douglas

Publisher: Broadback (September 2020)

Category: Time Travel, Historical Fiction, Romance, Christmas

Synopsis

Eve and baby Colleen are traveling to Ohio for the Christmas holidays to spend time with Eve’s parents.

After a few days in Ohio, they all plan to fly to Florida in Eve’s father’s private airplane. Patrick will meet them there after he completes exams for his forensic psychology degree.

Nothing goes as planned. The day Patrick is to leave for Florida, he receives a shocking telephone call from one of Eve’s cousins. Sobbing, she tells him a terrible tragedy has occurred. It stuns him and shakes him to his heart’s core.

His life shattered, Patrick knows he has but one chance: he must use the time travel lantern to return to the past in order to prevent the current tragedy.

But once again, the time travel lantern has a mind of its own, and Patrick is hurled back to a time where he must confront a strange, unfamiliar world and learn why the lantern transported him there.

When Patrick comes face-to-face with a mysterious, beautiful woman who looks and acts like Eve, and whose name is Eve, Patrick is haunted.

He recalls the promise he and Eve had made to each other on Christmas Eve the previous year—no matter what happens; no matter if they’re separated; no matter what time or place they find themselves in; no matter what obstacles they must face, they will always find each other, help each other, and love each other for all time.

The Christmas Eve Promise is a journey about the enduring promise of hope and the infinite, unbreakable bonds of love.

Praise for the Christmas Eve series

“The Christmas Eve Letter is a beautiful, poignant story. It is well written and will have you turning the pages eagerly.  All of the characters are well thought out, and believably written, together with the well-constructed scenery, that has you feeling as if you yourself have just stepped into the past. The story is unique and moving. It will hold you long after you turn the last page. A perfect Christmas tale of love and hope.”-Whispering Stories

“This book is the perfect vehicle for a movie, and I can only hope that there will be more in the series. This novel is truly as close to perfection as the reader could imagine! 5 Stars!”–My Devotional Thoughts Blog and Reviews

“I enjoyed the new characters, an update on characters from the first book, and the possibility for more books. If you enjoy time travel-themed novels you will love these books!”–StoreyBook Reviews

“I am most impressed that this book did so well as a stand-alone novel. Kudos to the author! If you are looking for a good Christmas book with time travel, give this a go!”–Carole’s Bookshelves

“I love this whole story, and I especially love Patrick and Eve’s romance and all of the adventures that they go on together. Eve is exactly my kind of character. I still can’t stop thinking about the feeling that it gave me and the arc that the characters went on. Everyone really developed a lot in this story and it was so rewarding as a long-time reader to watch that happen. It feels like every new book in this series just keeps getting better and better and I love these characters more and more. Every time a new one comes out I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
The Christmas Eve Secret is my favorite in the series so far, but if you have not read the first two books I would recommend doing that as soon as possible! If you enjoy romance, time travel, mystery, and great writing, I promise that you won’t regret dipping a toe into this series.”–Cuzinlogic

Review

If you are a fan of time travel novels, you must pick up this series, but make sure to start with the first book to follow the characters and the events that happen! I love it and the concept of time travel is mind-boggling.

What would you do to undo a tragedy that happens and you know that you have a lantern to go back in time and potentially change the situation? Would you go back? That is the dilemma that Patrick is faced with in the present and he decides to take a chance. He lands in 1925 and isn’t quite sure why he landed in this time, but he will soon find out. Along with the adventures and solving how and why Patrick meets Eve’s doppelganger. This definitely throws him for a loop, but he thinks back to the previous year when he and Eve made the promise to each other that they will also look for each other since they are soulmates. I even appreciated the storyline with Sarah Finn, a homeless woman in 1925 that calls Patrick “Buster Boy.”  You couldn’t help but love her despite her crotchety ways.

This novel has it all for me – romance, adventure, and a little bit of suspense/mystery. I had a hard time putting this book down because I couldn’t wait to find out what came next. I loved the appearance of several characters from the previous books and their role in helping Patrick in the past. There is even a conversation with Tesla who created the lanterns. I have to say that Tesla is quite the odd duck. I don’t know if he was like that in real life, but he is very science-oriented and only cares about what he is currently working on and not his past inventions.

We give this book 5 paws up and who knows if Patrick and Eve will have any more adventures with the lantern, but if they do, I will be ready and waiting to read that novel.

About the Author

Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse grew up near the sea, roaming the beaches, reading and writing stories and poetry, receiving a master’s degree in English Literature. She has enjoyed several careers as an English teacher, an actress, and a speech-language pathologist.

Douglas has worked as a graphic designer, a corporate manager, and an equities trader. He attended the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and played the piano professionally for many years.

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