Hazards in Hampshire (A British Book Tour Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Camel Press (October 15, 2019)
Paperback: Number of Pages 190

Synopsis

Moving to a quiet English village should have been tranquil, but Claire Barclay learns that even an invitation to tea can be deadly. Who killed Mrs. Paulson, the president of the local Mystery Books Club? Was the motive for murder located in the archives of the book club? The members of the books club might have reason to want Mrs. Paulson’s out of the way. She had lived in the village all her life, been involved in many organizations and societies and knew many secrets of the villagers. Was one secret too dangerous for her to keep? She had been wealthy and left her money to a member of the club. Could the legatee have been impatient for her inheritance? Who cared enough to want her dead? Claire, an expert in solving problems in her job as a tour guide, decides to delve into the archives and into the lives of the villagers—and find out.

 

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Guest Post

Today we are lucky enough to have Emma Dakin visiting and a look into what Mary Greenwood thinks about all that is going on in this book.  She has some good insight and I hope you enjoy her thoughts as much as I enjoyed her POV.

 

Mary Greenwood’s p.o.v.

Claire Barclay seems like a positive addition to our village of Ashton-on-Tinch We need new people. Heaven knows, we had blundered along with the same set of characters fulfilling their same roles for years. If I didn’t’ teach interesting young people in the local grammar school, I would find it hard to live here. Claire has her own business, a tour guiding business, so she will have the intellectual stimulation of new people with every tour and be content here. She’s probably in her mid-forties, but she has a young mind in that she is curious and interested in people. I think I’m going to like her.

Mind you, she had a rough start in his village. She found Isobel Paulson’s body after someone had murdered her. I can’t think it was Claire who murdered her. Primarily because if she had she wouldn’t have been so stupid as to ‘discover’ the body. Besides, it isn’t likely. She seems stable and businesslike. I can’t see it.

Somebody killed Isobel. I am a likely suspect as I often felt like it. She could be so critical of young people. I can’t stand that. Give them a chance. The least little thing offended her and she’d lash out verbally. I remember when Jack Appleby lost his dog. He wandered around in a daze for weeks, grieving for that charming mutt. Jack had found him dying on the road after a car hit him. Isobel thought his grief was ‘unseemly’ and told Jack to stop being so self-centered. That only added guilt to Jack’s grief. I had him after school very day for a week listening to him processing that devastating lost. He was twelve. She was cruel. Still, I visited her because my mother had, and when Mum died, I felt I should take up that burden I didn’t do it often, because she did irritate me.

Isobel didn’t like dogs so I had to leave my old Gracie at home when I went to her house. Gracie liked an outing and it seemed unfair to deprive her of it. But Isobel wouldn’t even let me in if I had Gracie. She had been an opinionated, snobbish, sometimes rude, old tarter.

But as irritating as she had been, I was sorry she’d died. It seemed as if the village would never be the same, especially since someone hated her enough to murder her and the speculation on who had done it drifted over the village like one of those spectres from a gothic novel. The police were discreet but they were a presence, especially that Detective Inspector Owens from the CID. Nothing much would get past him. The town was rumbling with theories and suppositions. Suspicion fell on everyone, even me.

 

About the Author

This is Emma Dakin’s first series, set in Britain the homeland of Emma’s grandparents. Emma channels her mother’s inherited English culture along with the attitudes and sayings of the modern Brits. She travels widely in England and at one point this May while traveling through the Yorkshire Moors she had all the tourists on a tour bus looking for a good place to hide a body. As Marion Crook, she has published many novels of adventure and mystery for young adult and middle-grade readers as well as non-fiction for adults and young adults and non-fiction on social issues. Firmly in the cozy mystery genre now, and committed to absorbing the culture and changing world of Britain, she plans to enjoy the research and the writing of cozies.

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Title: The Family Journal
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction. That means taking away their cell phones, tablets, and computers—at least temporarily—and moving to the house where Lily grew up in the rural town of Comfort, Texas. But Lily has a bigger challenge than two sulking kids.

The house comes with Mack Cooper, high school teacher and handsome longtime renter. The arrangement: just housemates. But Mack’s devoted attention to the kids starts to warm Lily’s resistant heart. Then Lily finds an old leather-bound book in which five generations of her female ancestors shared their struggles and dreams. To Lily, it’s a bracing reminder about the importance of family . . . and love.

Now it’s time for Lily to add an adventurous new chapter to the cherished family journal—by embracing a fresh start and taking a chance on a man who could make her house a home.

 

Carolyn Brown Answers Questions About Writing a Hundred Books

Tell us about the first time you remember ever putting pen to paper. Was it a slow evolution to becoming an author, or did you have an epiphany that this is what you were supposed to be doing?

I really can’t remember when I didn’t write stories, but I got serious about writing a book when my third child was born. She had her days and nights turned around. Since I had to be up until the wee hours of the morning, I got out a notebook, sharpened some pencils and started my first novel. I was twenty-four that year. For the next twenty-five years I collected rejection slips. I do believe I have enough to wallpaper the White House. I don’t mean that little two holer down at the end of the path in Grammie’s back yard, but the one in Washington, D.C. When I was forty-nine, I got “the call”. That was twenty-two years and one hundred books ago, and I know in my heart and soul that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

Is there anyone in your family that writes? Did you have a mentor that helped you push forward to become a full-time author?

My husband, Charles C. Brown, has written nine mysteries and is working on his tenth. He’s been my biggest supporter through my whole career. He’s a retired high school English teacher and he does the first edit on my books. Commas are not my friend, but they are his buddies—thank goodness.

How have you evolved as an author? What are some things that have changed since when you started writing up until now?

In the physical part of the business, lots has changed. I wrote most of my very first book by hand. When Mr. B bought a used typewrite at a garage sale and brought it in to me, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. In those sent in proposals with SASE (that’s self-addressed stamped envelopes) and if the editor wanted to see more, we sent in the full manuscript by mail. Now everything is sent over cyberspace.

In the evolution as a write, I hope that each book is better than the last and that all my books resonate with readers, touch their emotions and make them anxious to get the next one.

Do you have a set schedule for writing? Do you have any writing rituals or things that get you in the mood to write?

I’m very disciplined. I write somewhere between three and five thousand words a day. Sometimes it’s pure trash, but you can fix trash. You can’t fix nothing. From the time I start a book, my characters are in my head. They eat with me, sleep with me, talk to me…. shhhh…don’t tell anyone I hear voices!

Tell us about some turning points as a writer – some big things that happened that really changed your career.

One of the biggest things that changed my career was when Amazon bought the literary company, Avalon, and turned more than forty of my titles into paperbacks and digital. That made them financially available for more people, and my readership grew by leaps and bounds. Another was when I finally made the New York Times and the USA Today bestseller lists. But I have to say that hitting the number one spot on Amazon was a really the icing on the cupcake.

What does your writing future look like?

My future will simply be to keep on doing what I’m doing, and hope my readers continue to love my stories. There are five books on the docket for 2020, and four or five novellas. And we’ve already got a few scheduled for 2021.

What made you want your book, The Family Journal, your hundredth book? What makes this story and these characters special to you?

Family! Plain and simple. What better way to celebrate reaching one of my goals—to publish one hundred books—than to write about family? This story is about several generations of strong women in the past, a mother who’s at her wit’s end in the present, and a young daughter who represents the future. It’s family from the emotional first scene to the last.

***

Excerpt: The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown

Lily reached for her tea at the same time Mack was setting his glass back down. Their hands touched again. Her breath caught in her chest, and her pulse jacked up several notches.

“I’m going to ask you a dumb question,” he drawled. “Do you feel chemistry between us?”

Her chest tightened. Of course she felt something between them, but she damn sure didn’t want to talk about it like they were discussing the price of goat feed. And yet . . . they were adults, not hormonal teenagers who jumped into the fire with both feet when they felt something for another person. How many times had she told her clients in therapy sessions to talk things out?

“Why is that dumb?” she asked.

“It kind of sounded dumb in my head, and even more so when I said it,” he said.

“Yes, I do feel something between us.” She nodded. “I’ve wondered if it’s because I haven’t dated all that much. How about you?”

“No dates in three years. Nothing serious since Natalie,” he admitted.

“Do you think it’s because we hav-haven’t,” she stammered.

“No, I think there’s definitely an attraction between us, and I’ll tell you right now, up front, you deserve better than me,” he said.

Lily frowned so hard that her eyes became mere slits. “Why would you say a stupid thing like that?”

“I’m a high school vo-ag teacher, and I’ll never be rich. Hell, I’m forty-one, and I don’t even own a house. I’ve just got a pickup that’s paid for and a herd of goats,” he said.

“Why, Mack Cooper, are you thinkin’ marriage?” she joked. “You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

“I’m just thinking that we shouldn’t start anything without being completely honest, and, honey, I can remedy that kissing part anytime.” His green eyes twinkled.

Lily felt heat rising to her cheeks when she thought of kissing him. How in the devil would it even work if they did decide to go out, or got into a relationship beyond friendship? They lived in the same house with Holly and Braden underfoot all the time. “I’ve got two kids,” she blurted out.

“I’ve got forty goats.” He grinned.

“Did you say it’s time to go feed the goats?” Braden came across the room and leaned his arms on the back of the sofa.

Point proven, she thought.

“Yep, it is,” Mack answered. “I reckon we both need to get changed so we don’t ruin our good clothes.”

“I’ll be down in five minutes.” Braden ran up the stairs.

Mack crossed the room and bent to brush a sweet kiss across her lips. The tenderness of his mouth barely touching hers and his drawl combined to send a heat flash through her whole body. If that brief contact created such an effect, a relationship might burn down the house.

 

 

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author and RITA Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than seventy books.  These days she is concentrating on her two loves:  women’s fiction and contemporary cowboy romance. She and her husband, a retired English teacher, make their home in southern Oklahoma.

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Memories and Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Kensington Publishing Corporation (November 12, 2019)
Paperback: 182 pages

Synopsis

 

It’s October in South Cove, California, and the locals in the quaint resort seem to be happily pairing off in the lull before the holidays. Everyone, that is, except for Jill Gardner’s elderly aunt, who just dumped her besotted fiancé—and she won’t say why.

When Jill hosts a talk at Coffee, Books, and More on the topic of elder abuse, all that’s really on her mind is lunch. But the topic hits close to home when she discovers Aunt Jackie has been getting mysterious calls. Jill’s certain the caller is a con artist, of course, but her feisty aunt claims to understand this, though she’s still shaken—and Harrold’s still heartbroken. Who’s behind the scam and why was her aunt targeted? When a volunteer from the Senior Project is found murdered, Jill’s detective boyfriend is on the case—and it soon becomes clear no one is safe when a caller from beyond becomes a killer in their midst.

 

 

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Review

It is amazing anytime I read a cozy book that has food in it (a coffee shop, restaurant, baker, etc) that I don’t gain 10 pounds just from reading all the delicious sound dishes.  Jill’s coffee shop is no exception especially when it is Sadie making the brownies, cookies, and more.

I always enjoy journeying back to South Cove and seeing what is new with Jill, Jackie, Greg, and Amy.  This merry bunch of characters keeps me on my toes with their wit and pension to end up involved with the latest case in town.  Greg should be involved since he is a police detective, but the others?  Not so much.  I suppose Jill can’t help it that the killer ends up in her sights, but not always on purpose.

This book deals with scams, especially on older citizens.  The author does a brilliant job of showcasing potential scams that might trap anyone that isn’t aware or watching what is happening to them.  Or they prey on emotions as they did with Jackie.  While this is common in today’s world (sadly), I liked the author’s take on that possibility and was quite surprised when everything came to light and who was involved.  All I will say is that it is multiple people and at least one of them surprised me.

Sometimes I wish I had Jill’s job….being able to read as much as she does but that is a perk (or a curse?) of owning a bookstore.

I am enjoying watching Greg and Jill’s relationship continue to progress and maybe one day down the road there will be wedding bells.  Only time will tell!

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

About the Author

Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap series is set in central coastal California with six holiday novellas releasing in 2018–2019. She also pens the Cat Latimer series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, debuted in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies.

 

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Fate: A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery (The Witches of Doyle)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
misterio press (November 15, 2019)
Number of Pages – 250

 

Synopsis

Something wicked this way comes…

Witch Jayce Bonheim has spent the last four months waiting for a horde of dark magicians to come to town.

Now, they’ve arrived.

And they’re bigger and badder than this ex-party girl could have imagined, wreaking havoc wherever they go.

When a murder rocks her small town, Jayce must stop the chaos. Battling her way through dark spells and past regrets, this Doyle witch struggles to divine her true friends…

…and her shadowy enemies.

But can she stop a murderer and prevent the opening of a portal that will transform their world forever?

Start reading Fate, book 6 in The Witches of Doyle cozy mystery novels.

This novel is a full-length, witch cozy mystery featuring true-to-life spells in the back of the book, a trio of witchy sisters, and a dash of romance. Though Fate can be read as a standalone, it’s best read in series order. It’s rated PG-13 due to mild language and some romance.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

RELAX. READ. RECHARGE. CONVERSE.

Starting this Saturday, Ground has changed its weekend hours, and our café will be open Saturdays! Thanks to Doyle and those who come from afar, we’ve been able to expand and add another day to our work week. (Sunday remains our fun day for the Ground staff to slow down, rest and recharge.)

We recognize things in Doyle have been a little tense lately, what with the murder and weird clouds and stuff. But we’ve looked into those weird lights in the sky (not that we don’t trust the sheriff – she’s awesome), and they’re only spotlights from the visiting circus. Really!

Anyway, we’re offering Ground as a communal space to come together and show everyone our support. Because after all, we’re in this together, right?

Ground has experienced overwhelming positivity from you, our customers, and we truly enjoy serving you. The atmosphere created in this space continues to blossom through your patronage.

So please keep following our feeds for updates. In addition to our new Magic Coffee Lotion✨, we have four new coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Guatemala, to keep you intrigued and delighted with our unique offerings.

☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

Intrigued? Read more about Ground in Fate, book 6 in the Doyle Witch cozy mystery novels!

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Tea and Tarot, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter

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Synopsis

Mumbai, December 2016:

A young man found an ancient-looking piece of stone with strange images and Sanskrit inscriptions. A quest to know the origin of the stone brought him to the distant part of the country.

Chandannagar, December 2016:

A young vivacious historian woman read an old book on a century-old secret story about a little known part of the country. Her curiosity got the better of her as the book disappeared mysteriously before she could complete it. She reached a sleepy quaint state of the country to satiate her curiosity.

Eventually they both met and their search began from the city museum to a far-flung rock mountain which revealed a century-old story of a seductive danseuse, her enigmatic lover, a string of her admirers, a painter with a photographic memory, a bird that could speak in many voices, a benevolent king and a gruesome conspiracy. And the most important clue to decode the final secret was with the missing part of The Speaking Stone. But in the process of unearthing old secrets their lives were also in danger…

 

 

Excerpt

Chapter 1

 

December 2016, Mumbai

“Sir, we are about to close,” a courteous but curt voice materialized from near his shoulder. These words, however, had barely any effect on him as he just groaned sleepily, without budging even an inch.

The middle-aged man standing behind him hesitated for a moment before placing his fingers on his shoulder and tapping on it.

“Sir, it is well past one-thirty. We must close now at any cost. You know those Colaba police, na?” the man in uniform urged him. After all, he could not afford to speak in an authoritative manner with someone who frequented their pub, always drank enough to make the pub owner richer by a few thousand, behaved well with all the butlers unlike many other young men his age, and, above all, was always generous to give tips to the workers in the pub. He was quite a favourite with the staff of this famous pub, Voodoo, a little behind Hotel Taj Palace in Colaba. They looked up to him for another reason, too. It was his demonic capacity to drink and remain composed and collected even after that. Never before had it happened that he placed his head on the table, pillowed on his locked arms and slept blissfully. Whenever he visited Voodoo on weekends he was accompanied by one or two friends and the attendants in Voodoo knew that one of those friends, who didn’t drink, was always at the wheel while they returned from the pub. But tonight he was all alone and completely drunk. They were not sure as to how he would ride home.

“Sir,” the uniformed man called him again, tapping on his shoulder, a bit impatiently now. This time as he leaned to touch the young man’s shoulder the hanging end of his tie touched his ear and earlobe. What the earnest request and tapping of the attendant couldn’t do, the hanging end of the tie seemed to have done it effortlessly. Probably it sent a tickling sensation down his spine as he raised his head with a sleepy smile.

“Sorry,” said he, looking up.

“Sir, we are well past our closing time,” repeated the man. He passed a searching glance about and as he found the pub empty except for him a sheepish smile came over his lips.

“I am sorry,” said he, trying to get to his feet. A pleasant sweet smell of Black Label whisky issued from his mouth.

“May I use the toilet once before leaving?” he asked with his usual politeness and then headed to the Men’s with an unsteady gait.

He returned from the toilet after a few minutes, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

“Are you sure, sir, you can manage to go all by yourself?” asked the concerned attendant.

“I will,” replied he and staggered to the entrance of Voodoo.

The attendant watched his six-foot-tall frame leaving the pub and hoped he would reach home safely. He consulted the watch. It was a quarter to two.

Outside the pub the young man stood for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts. He looked around then. The street in front of him was deserted. At the corner of the street, two stray dogs were sleeping, coiling themselves against each other to feel warm in the cold winter night. A thin wisp of smoke was spiralling up from a small heap of ashes. He knew the durwans from the nearby buildings might have lit the fire with the foliage and old discarded cardboard to warm themselves up. He did a mental calculation and tottered ahead at a slow pace. All that accompanied him was his hesitant footfall and a faithful shadow. He walked past Kashmir Emporium, Rustic Rajasthan, and an antique shop whose targeted customers were usually foreign tourists, and arrived behind the Taj Continental where scores of four-wheelers were parked. As he looked at the cars, parked in an astonishingly disciplined fashion to make the most of the space, a thought struck him. Most of the cars were white. He had no difficulty in finding his car. He opened the rear door of the car and plopped himself down on the seat. It was not long before he stretched at full length, occupying the entire back seat.

Soon he fell asleep when the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea, in front of Hotel Taj Continental, played a lullaby for him. It was the first night he slept in the car.

 

 

About the Author

Ratnadip Acharya is the author of two successful novels, Life is Always Aimless… Unless you love it and Paradise Lost & Regained. He is a columnist for the Speaking Tree in The Times of India. He contributed many write-ups in different collections of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Sophia and son, Akash.

 

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Coming Up Murder (Professor Prather Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Camel Press (November 12, 2019)
Paperback: 258 pages

Everything’s coming up roses for Professor Emmeline Prather. Her scholarly book is finished, spring term is coming to a close, and her love life is blossoming. Then the festival surrounding the exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio opens, bringing with it a tempest more dramatic than the bard’s.

In his panel presentation, actor and grad student Tanner Sparks contends Shakespeare isn’t Shakespeare, boasting that he can prove the long-debated theory that an aristocrat actually penned the sonnets and plays. His bombshell sets off an acrid debate among scholars. But were they upset enough to kill him? That’s what Em wonders when Tanner is found dead in Shakespeare’s Garden, his macabre pose inspired by a scene from Hamlet.

At her department head’s urging, Em sets out to find the killer. Suspects abound, and Em finds herself targeted by Shakespeare-themed threats. Undaunted, she persists, determined to solve the case before the end of the semester.

 

 

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About the Author

Mary Angela is the author of two cozy mystery series that have strong protagonists with soft hearts. Emmeline Prather is the witty young teacher in the Professor Prather series, and Zo Jones is the sassy sleuth and shop owner in the Happy Camper series (coming from Kensington in 2020). When Mary isn’t penning heartwarming whodunits, she’s teaching, reading, traveling, or spending time with her family. She’s the proud mom of two beautiful daughters and the shameless owner of two very spoiled pets.

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Giveaway

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I love participating in this hop because it allows us to all be grateful for everything we have around us and our families and friends.

 

For this giveaway I have a couple of books I will be sending a lucky winner:

 

The first is a Gratitude journal/coloring book.  Perfect, right?!  The second book will be a surprise because I don’t know what it will be yet!

 

 

 

 

 

After entering the giveaway below, check out the other giveaways I have on my blog by searching for giveaway or under Categories on the right sidebar, choose Giveaway and it will pull them all up!

 

This is open to US residents only due to shipping costs

 

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Visit the other blogs participating in this hop and try your luck on their blogs.

 

 

A Texas Kind of Christmas

by

Jodi Thomas, Celia Bonaduce, & Rachael Miles

 

Genre: Historical Fiction / Anthology / Holiday Romance

Publisher: Kensington Books

Publication Date: October 29, 2019

Number of Pages: 336 pages

 

Scroll down for the giveaway!

 

 

It’s Christmas Eve, 1859, and everyone who’s anyone is headed to the glorious St. Nicholas Hotel for the most talked about ball of the season. It’s the kind of Texas night where anything can happen—even love . . .

ONE NIGHT AT THE ST. NICHOLAS by  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas

To escape her stepmother’s plot to marry her off, Texas heiress Jacqueline Hartman spends Christmas Eve sharing a hideout with an accused bank robber. After a night in Nathaniel Ward’s arms, Jacqueline is certain she has met her match after all. But will his heartfelt promise of love lead to his demise at the hands of the law?

 

BIRDIE’S FLIGHT by Celia Bonaduce

Seamstress Birdie Flanagan gets the surprise of her life when she receives a beautiful gown—and a sudden invitation—for the ball of the season! Birdie creates a stir from the moment she arrives, capturing the eye of the dashing Captain Douglas Fairbanks. But will a secret from her past keep her from her long-awaited happily-ever-after?

SPIRIT OF TEXAS by  Rachael Miles

When lovely spinster Eugenie Charpentier makes a trip across the Texas frontier with former Texas Ranger Asher Graham, she dreams of an adventure, and the rough-and-tumble cowboy is happy to oblige. But both Eugenie and the rugged lawman are keeping secrets. Can they find each other—and love—on the dance floor at the Christmas ball?

 

 

 

Dallas wasn’t always the bustling metropolis area I know today, and a look back to 1859 sheds new light on how small of a town it really was in the mid-1800s.

I was fascinated by the history of the hotel and I like that the authors chose to center their stories around a real hotel.  I always like reading the notes at the end of a book that talks about the inspiration for the story especially when it is an actual location or real people.  I may live in the DFW area but that doesn’t mean I know all of the histories of this area.  I am constantly learning new things every day and amazed at what I learn.  So if you are someone that doesn’t read the author’s notes, start!

I loved all three of these stories and it is hard for me to choose a favorite.  I think the one that inched its way past the others was Spirit of Texas by Rachael Miles.  I loved the humor and the thesaurus and word references.  It is the book nerd in me.

In all of the stories, each couple finds love quickly and how wonderful it is to see that love shine through no matter the time frame of how it came to be with the couple.  Times were much different than they are today, but I still believe in that initial spark that each of the main characters experienced in each book.  But love is found but there are a few hiccups along the way but it wouldn’t be a good story without some tension and drama especially when it comes to family drama.  While each story isn’t long (approximately 100 pages each), there are complex characters, action, deception, and love.  All the qualities I look for in a book.

I’m not sure how the authors arranged the characters that would be carried over from book to book but I loved seeing glimpses of the same character in a different light.  Even the ball from different perspectives made for interesting twists.  Despite the appearance of characters from story to story, there wasn’t any overlap in details about the ball other than a minute detail here or there.

This is a fun book to read and if you enjoy history, holidays, family drama, and love then this is the book for you.

We give this 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

Jodi Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author and fifth-generation Texan who sets many of her award-winning stories in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A multi-RITA Award winner and member of the prestigious Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame, she’s written over 50 novels with millions of copies in print. Her most recent releases are The Little Tea Shop on Main and her historical anthology, A Texas Kind of Christmas (Nov. 2019). The first book in her new series with Kensington, Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café, comes out May 2020.

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Celia Bonaduce, also the author of The Venice Beach Romances and the Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas series, has always had a love affair with houses. Her credits as a television field producer include such house-heavy hits as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; HGTV’s House Hunters and Tiny House Hunters. She lives in Santa Monica, CA, with her husband and dreams of one day traveling with him in their own tiny house.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram

 

 

 

Rachael Miles is an acclaimed romance novelist and historian specializing in the 19th century, as well as a professor of literary history. A fifth-generation Texan and native of Dallas, she now lives and teaches in New York.

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WIN A PAPERBACK COPY OF A TEXAS KIND OF CHRISTMAS

November 6-16, 2019

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Check out the other blogs on this tour

 

11/6/19	Notable Quotable	Forgotten Winds
11/6/19	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
11/7/19	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
11/8/19	Scrapbook Page	Book Fidelity
11/9/19	Review	The Clueless Gent
11/10/19	Author Video	That’s What She’s Reading
11/11/19	Playlist	Missus Gonzo
11/12/19	Review	The Page Unbound
11/13/19	ICYWW	All the Ups and Downs
11/14/19	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
11/15/19	Review	Momma on the Rocks

 

 

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Synopsis

Vafara is a blind composer who creates new symphonies for the world. Alone in a cabin with only her service dog, she’s not concerned in the slightest for zero cell phone reception in a secluded in the woods. This is her special time where she can be free to let her musical compositions speak to her.

Israfel is a demon one assignment short from graduation: possession of an innocent soul.  He’s always known he was different from others of his kind, and meeting the pure Vafara confirmed it.

Will he be able to possess the passionate musician when all he wants to do is hold her? Or will he throw it all away and risk an Angels and Demons war to save her innocent soul from the dark fate that awaits?

 

 

 

Excerpt

Crawling in the natural shadows of the darkness, he reached the master bedroom. The light from the clock on her nightstand made him
wince. He wasn’t used to the fluorescence of it. The dog lay on the floor, breathing deeply beside her bed. The creature didn’t look fierce.
Definitely no hellhound.

Israfel perched up on the corner of the ceiling and peered down at her. She slept on her back, but her head was turned to the right. The floral scent of her long hair spread across the pillow was beautiful, like her.

What could she have done to make her a candidate for possession?

 

About the Author

Roberta Bombonato has been hearing characters in her head since she was born, but only began writing down their stories since 2007. They can be a rowdy bunch and only leave her alone when the book is finished. She calls herself a basket-case, weaving stories with twisted pain and unconditional love.

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Roberta moved to the United States at the age of 11 and became a U.S. Citizen. She currently resides in fabulous, sunny Florida with her disabled veteran husband, two loving dogs, Kent and Pup, one eccentric parrot, Apollo, and two Guinea pigs to keep him company.

In 2009, she released her first book AN UNCONVENTIONAL FAMILY. It received an honorable mention is the 2009’s Hollywood Book Festival in the Wild Card category.

Aug 28th of 2019, she released her second book BLIND SYMPATHY.

There was a period of 10 years in which she was plagued with writer’s block. The Ketogenic diet has helped her get back in the game, stronger than ever. She even became a certified Keto and Fasting Coach through Dr. Berg. She helps clients lose weight and feel great, like she does. She documents her weight-loss journey on Instagram @nerdyketonian.

Redemption is a common theme in her extremely different stories. There is something so beautiful about a very LARGE character arch. Triggers evoke such emotion and her characters find a way of concealing the hurt because vulnerability is weakness. The power lies in change.

Roberta vows to keep writing her character’s stories even if they don’t follow the regular formulas of the writing world. She believes that in order to do them justice, they will not be put inside a conventional box. This is where pushing the envelope will result in unpredictability.

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Book Title: The Tender Birds by Carole Giangrande

Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 305 pages

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Inanna Publications

Release date: October 2019

 

Synopsis

 

Matthew Reilly is a busy academic, a lonely priest haunted by secrets. Young Alison is the shy and devoted keeper of Daisy, a falcon which suffered an accident and can no longer fly. The three of them meet in a Boston parish, but Matt has forgotten a momentary but disturbing meetup with Alison, homeless eight years earlier in Toronto. Close to exhaustion, he’s forced to reflect on what’s become of his life, including the loss of a son that no one knew he’d fathered. Alison and Matt had a fateful encounter during her homeless period, but Matt doesn’t connect that frail teenager with the healthy young woman she’d become. It’s left to Alison to uncover Matt’s past and for Matt to come to terms with it.

 

 

Amazon.com ~ Amazon.com.ca ~ Chapters Indigo

 

Praise for Carole Giangrande’s novels

“…prose that absolutely shimmers. What’s more, her recapitulation of what is was like to watch 9/11 unfold on television is engrossing in its verisimilitude. DeLillo, Amis and Foer could learn a thing or two from her.” — Quill and Quire

“This is a softly unsettling book, effective in showcasing the confusion that follows such a personal yet public crisis.” — Publishers’ Weekly
“…a deftly crafted meditation on what happens in the aftermath of tragedies both public and private, calling into question the idea that time heals all wounds.” — Room Magazine

“Giangrande has written a thought-provoking story that will have your heart racing, bursting, and breaking. The story is thoughtful, slow-going, and emotional. The prose is beautiful. The characters are interesting, flawed, and realistic. And the ways in which this book explores life and death through the pain of waiting and not knowing is superb. I just loved this book so hard. It was terrific!” — A Bookish Way of Life

“The wording is both elegant and poetic… the author, accomplished painting vivid images within my mind’s eye that will never be forgotten. Overall this book is unique, being unlike anything I have read before. Go get a copy! You will not be disappointed.” —Readaholic Zone

 

Interview with Carole Giangrande

 

Today I am blessed to have Carole Giangrade on StoreyBook Reviews talking about her writing.  Welcome, Carole!

What genre do you write and why?

I started out in nonfiction as an extension of my career as a journalist, and I loved it until I started imagining make-believe people as composites of the real ones I’d interviewed. Then I switched to fiction, which includes short stories and novellas as well as novels. Each form makes different demands on the writer, and some stories ask for more (or less) development than others. I love the beauty of language which has brought me back to poetry, which is the most challenging form of all. Then there’s a new picture book to be published soon, my first for kids. I hope to write more of these and to allow the little kid in my head some room.

 

Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

First off, I’d distinguish writer’s block from non-writing periods which we all need from time to time to let the mind absorb new ideas — much like a farmer who rotates her crops and gives the soil a rest. Yet if I’m working on a project and I get stuck, I allow myself a few minutes looking at beautiful bird photos or just daydreaming. Then the missing piece often falls into place. Also, my daily routine includes a midday walk. This is a great way to shake out the cobwebs, enjoy nature and get distracted by squirrels, blue jays, cute dogs and chatty neighbours. I find that being outdoors is the best cure for writer’s block.

 

What moves you in a work of fiction?

The beauty of the language — the clarity of metaphors and the specificity of descriptions. This doesn’t just apply to fiction but to many other forms of writing, including essays. And also, in fiction, the sense of honesty that a character conveys in his/her struggle with the dilemmas of life. I love stories that set characters and their personal conflicts against the backdrop of the world as it is today.

 

Do you write every day?

As a rule, yes. Writing keeps my mental and imaginative gears oiled and running smoothly. Some days I need to use my writing time to do research online or to make notes about a character and/or how the whole project is progressing.  If I’m doing none of the above, I’m either ill, asleep, or marketing a new book.

 

Where do you write?

At home, in my bright, sunny office at the back of the house. Sometimes I work at our local library branch, which is close by and provides tables with computer plug-ins.

 

What advice would you give to budding writers?

Write from your heart. Write what you care deeply about and don’t worry if there’s an audience for it. Just write because you have to and need to. For writers, the real reward comes with the strength and beauty of your creation, and in knowing that through your characters (if you write fiction) come insights that you could not have realized in any other way.  The same basic idea holds true for nonfiction and poetry. Writing is your teacher and your guide. And don’t worry about rejections. My last award-winning novel took seven years to find a publisher. Just keep writing!

 

About the Author

Carole Giangrande is the award-winning author of ten books, including the novella A Gardener on the Moon (winner of the 2010 Ken Klonsky Award) and the novel All That Is Solid Melts Into Air (2018 Independent Publishers Gold Medal for Literary Fiction). The Tender Birds is her fourth novel. She’s worked as a broadcast journalist for CBC Radio (Canada’s public broadcaster), and her fiction, poetry, articles and reviews have appeared in literary journals and in Canada’s major newspapers. In her spare time, she loves exploring nature with her partner Brian, photographing birds and studying French.

Website ~  Twitter ~  Facebook

 

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