Synopsis

Jackson Schmidt is the biggest jerkity jerk ever. They should totally erect a statue to commemorate his jerkityness, jerkdom— Uggh! There are literally not enough words for ‘jerk’ to depict the man.

Unfortunately, Jackson is also the most gorgeous specimen of manhood I’ve ever laid eyes on. One look at him and I want to jump and climb him like a tree. But whenever he opens his mouth, his status as the biggest bastard on the planet is immediately reinstated. It’s impossible for the man to say anything remotely nice – at least not to me. To my best friend, though? To her, he’s Mr. Perfect Gentleman. Did I mention he’s carrying a torch for my engaged best friend?

My libido does not give one flying hoot Jackson is a dick who has a crush on my bestie. Nope. Not at all. No matter how much of a schmuck the man is – and trust me he takes schmuck to the next level – I continue to pant after him like a nerdy freshman crushing on the prom king. If I want to keep my sanity, I’m going to have to keep Jackson at arm’s length.

Sanity is totally overrated.

 

 

Review

This follow up book to About Face is a top notch book. The characters are hilarious, especially Grandma), the characters feel real and the story is engaging.

I enjoyed reading Shelby’s story and her obsession with Jackson and perhaps his obsession with her as well. They each have some issues but their chemistry is off the charts. The book is peppered with quick wit and humorous situations. I found myself chuckling throughout the book at the situations with Shelby, Jackson, Frankie, Grandma, and now Bailey. Brodie is in there too, but he is more of a minor character.

I have really enjoyed all of this author’s books and while I thought at first there might be a situation that wasn’t addressed, it was towards the end of the book.

A couple of my favorite lines:

“No need. I’m sure I’ll stick my foot in my mouth several times tonight. It makes conversation difficult, but somehow I manage.”

“But I’ve prepared at least a dozen nasty names to call her, ” Frankie pouts. “True story,” Brodie chuckles as he pulls his fiance close. “She’s been researching synonyms for skanky ho.”

Now the wait for Bailey’s story…and I think that might be a doozy.

We give this book 5 paws up!

 

 

 

Excerpt

“Woman, can we have one dinner when we don’t have to deal with your infernal matchmaking,” Frankie’s grandpa growls.

My eyebrows raise of their own accord at his grumbling. Bill is usually a mild-mannered dude, but I guess even the mild-mannered have their limits.

“You’re ruining my fun,” Grandma pouts. Seriously, pouts. She sticks out her bottom lip and flutters her eyelashes at him.

“You can flutter your eyelashes until the cows come home. I stopped falling for that bologna approximately three decades ago.”

“Cuddle-pumpkin, you didn’t have a problem with my eyelash fluttering the other night.”

He grunts. “You were offering something I wanted.”

“Oh my god, are you talking about sex?” Frankie shrieks. “Stop!” She slams her eyes shut and covers her ears. “La la la. My grandparents do not have sex. Nope. Nope. Nope.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t hear us when she lived here. Guess it was a good thing she had those pain pills to put her to sleep,” Grandma remarks.

I choke on the piece of lamb I’m chewing on. Jackson pats my back as he bursts out laughing. “I thought there was nothing that could phase you, babe.”

I take a sip of water. “Oh, I’m not phased.” I smirk when I see Frankie take her fingers out of her ears. “I’m perfectly okay with Grandma and Bill having loud sex.”

Frankie screams and jumps to her feet. “I’m…” She looks around as if the walls will offer her some type of excuse. They don’t. She throws her arms in the air and stomps out of the room.

Bailey watches her leave before turning to me with a grin on her face. “You were right. Sunday meals at Frankie’s grandma’s house are the best.”

 

 

About the Author

I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on, from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew, to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic before returning to the law. But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

 

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Book Title: Stefan’s Promise by Sam Rennick

Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 546 pages

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Hugo House Publishers

Release date: September 3, 2019

 

 

Synopsis

 

The Vietnam War Changed America. Two Best Friends Weren’t Spared. Only One Was Drafted.

It’s 1968. America is rocked by assassinations, war protests and political upheaval. Alan Young, 21, is brooding over having been dumped by his girlfriend. This won’t last long. His draft notice is in the mail. Stefan Kopinski isn’t about to let the war get in his way. He spends his days at the mercy of his reckless ambition. When fate steps in, will he finally understand what has been right in front of him for 30 years? “Stefan’s Promise” is the story of Alan and Stefan. Circumstances part them and sharply diverging temperaments further erode their bond. Yet, Alan and Stefan are wrong in supposing their friendship has ended. It’s just getting started.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Hugo House

 

Praise

“We were at war in Vietnam and my fiancé was drafted the day after he proposed to me. I hadn’t thought of that September day for so long, and then I began “Stefan’s Promise.” Soon I was recalling that day and others, events and circumstances shared by those of us who lived through the “tumultuous year of 1968” and the following 35 years. In the Preface, Sam Rennick states his intention to deliver a completely absorbing tale. He does!”  —D.W.G.Artist

The author brings great sensitivity to one powerful scene after another. There is Mike Huxtable, victim of an unprovoked blow, aimlessly wandering the aisles of a drug store, day after day. There is Stefan Kopinski, half-pondering his friend’s illness, half-observing the Midwestern city in which he finds himself. These scenes but two among many in this compelling novel.”  —Silvia Lorente-Murphy, PhD Professor Emerita Purdue University

 

Interview

 

Today we welcome author Sam Rennick to StoreyBook Reviews where he answers a few questions about his writing and his books.

 

How did you research my novel?

 

Not a great deal of research was necessary, in truth, since the story takes place entirely within my lifetime. No need to go back to the 12^th century to check what so-and-so did! My story opens in 1968, a chaotic and profound year in our nation’s history. I am careful to identify the key events, up to and including the politics of an election year.

 

What was the hardest character to write?

 

Alan Young, one of my two main characters. It is easy to dismiss Alan as a selfish ne’er-do-well, but there is a great deal more to him than this. Alan is a carefree college senior when the story begins, but he is drafted upon graduation. He is badly overmatched by his circumstances, and how he comes to deal with them is his story. I leave to the reader to decide for himself if Alan ultimately prevails, or not.

 

Have you been to the places in which your story is set?

 

Montreal, Pasadena CA and St. Louis are the primary venues for my story. I lived briefly in St. Louis long ago and acquired some knowledge of the city. I have visited Pasadena and Montreal. Of course, it isn’t necessary to go to a place to learn something about it. I am confident my readers will find my depiction of each of these places entirely persuasive.

 

Do you have another profession besides writing?

 

Yes. I am a lawyer. One of my two main characters, Stefan Kopinski, is a lawyer, and my novel describes his law practice and includes, near the end, an advocacy. I do not permit this, or, for that matter, anything else, get in the way of the narrative, but the reader who elects to give some thought to the advocacy will definitely get more from the novel.

 

In what genre do you write?

 

I realize books are shoved into all manner of pigeonholes. I am not talking about genres like Westerns and Science Fiction, which have been around a long time. I am referencing a whole new set of genres, like Women’s Fiction and Upmarket Adult Fiction. I don’t even know what these labels mean. When I was in school, I was taught a novel is transcendent. That’s the only kind of book I know how to write, and that’s the book “Stefan’s Promise” is.

 

About the Author

Sam Rennick began writing Stefan’s Promise forty years ago, but it wasn’t until fairly recently, when he retired from his law practice that he was able to take his manuscript from its drawer and finish it. He admits he wishes he could say he planned this all along, since the two books comprising the novel, though written many years apart, combine perfectly into a compelling narrative.

While many authors have influenced him, he singles out Somerset Maugham as his muse, observing that Maugham always starts with a good story, but often finds a way to insert that “something extra” separating merely a nice tale from literature. Sam’s interest in books is only exceeded by his love for baseball, which began when he was nine years old.

 

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Giveaway

 

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or one of three ebooks of STEFAN’S PROMISE (4 winners) (open internationally) (ends Feb 14)

 

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Synopsis

Your Future Depends on Your Decisions

Sorting out our lives amidst chaos, confusion, and innumerable options is a process we all have in common. The decisions we ultimately make can affect our lives and the lives of others. It’s not always easy. In this empowering guide, an expert in business strategies shares the choices of notable, visionary decision-makers–from Harry Truman and Henry Ford to Marie Curie and Malala Yousafzai–and explains how you can apply their principles to your own personal and professional real-life scenarios.

Resolve, patience, and practical thinking–take it from these politicians, scientists, economists, inventors, entrepreneurs, theologians, activists, and commanders of war and peace. Their inspiring counsel will give you the tools you need to help change your life. Both big and small, your choices can shape the minutes, days, weeks, and years ahead. This book is the first motivating step in the right direction.

“Upgrade your daily decisions with the wisdom of two dozen renowned influencers who changed history.” —Mehmet Oz, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of You: The Owner’s Manual

“A truly inspiring book about how to become a leader. Highly recommended!!” —Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of American Moonshot

“The best decision you will make today is to read and learn from this array of bold thinkers.” —Harvey Mackay, New York Times bestselling author of Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

 

 

Excerpt

But there was no decision to make. This was my calling. Some powerful force had come to dwell inside me, something bigger and stronger than me. —Malala Yousafzai

 

Malala Yousafzai, as the world knows, was shot in the head by the Taliban on October 9, 2012, as she rode home on the school bus in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. Malala was fifteen at the time. She survived the attack, recuperated in England, and has continued her education. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”

Can a child, an adolescent, a young person—make a world-changing decision? Is someone ever too young?

Let’s take a look at Malala’s story, because none of this came out of the blue. The “struggle” the Nobel Committee cited, was a decision that was so deeply embedded into her character that, at age fifteen, it had already become her way of life. And continues to be.

Seemingly from birth, Malala loved education. Her biographical material makes much of the fact that she sought to emulate her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who was so dedicated to education that he had founded his own school, the one she attended. Such “private” schools are not uncommon in Pakistan.

But Ziauddin’s school and his outspoken daughter became special targets of the Taliban. The fundamentalist group had issued an edict against educating girls and death threats against the entire family (mother Toor Pekai Yousafzai and two sons). The school was forced to close for a time and had re-opened shortly before Malala was shot.

You might say that the child was merely following the example—or the dictates—of the father (who was supported in all endeavors by the mother). That the child made no decisions on her own. That happens in families all the time. I can think of many examples in my own life—involving my parents and the decisions they made for me when I was young, and about how my wife and I did the same for our sons. None of these decisions involved defying the Taliban and bringing danger to our family. But, that may not be the right way to look at what Ziauddin did. Were his decisions part of doing what parents claim we always try to do—leading by example?

Do you ever think about the phrase “an accident of birth”? It means that none of us are responsible for the circumstances of our birth—who our parents are, our family, our nationality or state or town, our genetic make-up, economic status and so on.

Among the things that Malala was not responsible for: That she was a first-born daughter in a culture that values boys over girls; that she was born into a troubled country being over-run by violent extremists. But it was also an accident of birth that she had two parents who were, by all accounts, as dedicated to her welfare, education, and growth as they were to that of her two younger brothers. It seems to me that Malala took what she was given and decided to run with it.

By the time she was shot in 2012, Malala had shown by her own example that she recognized her “accident of birth.” Her dedication to education for girls was in fact her own decision based on parental example. Consider her words, written just a year later in her autobiography:

“I was very lucky to be born to a father who respected my freedom of thought and expression and made me part of his peace caravan and a mother who not only encouraged me but my        father too in our campaign for peace and education.”

At an even younger age than fifteen, Malala was already an ardent activist. She blogged for the BBC on the oppressions of life under the Taliban and was the subject of a New York Times documentary. She made speeches often, including one entitled “How dare the Taliban take away my right to an education.” The year before she was shot, she won both the International Children’s Peace Prize and Pakistan’s first Youth Peace Prize. As the Taliban’s noose ever tightened around her country, her family, and her safety, Malala’s outspokenness and visibility grew. As she wrote in her autobiography, “I decided I wasn’t going to cower in fear of [the Taliban’s] wrath.”

In the years since she survived the Taliban assassination attempt, Malala has become a global symbol for the cause of education for girls specifically and for the welfare of all children. Not even a year after she was shot, she addressed the “Youth Takeover” at the United Nations. Two years almost to the day after she was shot, the Nobel Committee announced that she would share the 2014 Peace Prize with Kailash Satyarthi, who made his name with international peaceful protests on behalf of children. Even with constant visibility while traveling the world to event after event, she completed the studies necessary to be accepted in 2017 into Oxford University (which fact she announced on her new Twitter account). Also in 2017, Malala was designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace “to help raise awareness of the importance of girls’ education.”

Malala is still enveloped in the support of her family, which left Pakistan to settle in the UK. The Economist, noting that “Pakistani education has long been atrocious,” included the following in a detailed and dismal examination of the current status:

“From 2007 to 2015 there were 167 attacks by Islamic terrorists on education institutions . . .    When it controlled the Swat River valley in the north of the country, the Pakistani Taliban closed hundreds of girls’ schools. When the army retook the area it occupied dozens of them itself.”

Malala has written two books. The first, I Am Malala, was published a year after her shooting and tells, with the help of writer Christina Lamb, of her early life in Pakistan and the event that put her onto a new trajectory. Published in 2017, the second book is for children, Malala’s Magic Pencil. In it, young Malala yearns for a special pencil that would let her do all sorts of special, interesting things, including drawing “a lock on my door, so my brothers couldn’t bother me.” I think every child wants a lock like that. Eventually, she describes what we adults will recognize as an intention, a determination, a decision: “I knew then that if I had a magic pencil, I would use it to draw a better world, a peaceful world.”

Time will tell us how Malala’s decisions as a girl, a teenager, a young adult, and into the future will all play out, how world-changing they will be. My hope is that the answer is— immensely.

Malala’s story offers all of us one overarching lesson about decision-making that will help us all lead better lives:

If you are a parent or other adult in a position to influence children and young people, remember how important your own example is. The decisions you make on behalf of others may turn out to be the template that helps form their lives.

If that’s all you glean, that’s enough. But there are many other lessons to take:

1. Have courage to do the right thing, whether it is large or small.
2. Understand you may be attacked and plan for that in advance. I mean physically attacked, as well as the more expected verbal criticisms.
3. Recognize you may be a symbol for others and prepare for that in ways they will embrace and admire. And behave that way.
4. Follow your decision. Give it a chance to shape your life.
5. Do not give up.
6. Depend on each other. Know whom you can trust, and be that trustworthy person to others to the best of your ability.
7. Seek education and take every other opportunity to broaden your knowledge of the world and its people.

 

Excerpted from DECISIONS by Robert L. Dilenschneider. Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books. Copyright © 2020 Robert L. Dilenschneider.

 

About the Author

Robert L. Dilenschneider has hired more than 3,000 successful professionals, and advised thousands more. He is founder of The Dilenschneider Group, a corporate strategic counseling and public relations firm based in New York City. Formerly president and CEO of Hill & Knowlton, he is the author of the bestselling books Power and Influence, A Briefing for Leaders, On Power and newly released Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World.

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The Permanent Weight Loss Plan: A 10-Step Approach To Ending Yo-Yo Dieting

by Dr. Janice Asher; Jae Rivera

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing

Release date: January 2020

Synopsis

 

Diets come and go, and the scale needle swings as you drop pounds and then gain them back. But what if there were a weight loss solution for forever? Not another fad diet based on deprivation and restriction, but a holistic system for shedding pounds and maintaining your weight?

In The Permanent Weight Loss Plan, Janice Asher, MD, and Fulbright Open Research Fellow, Jae Rivera, reveal (from their own first-hand experiences) that it’s not just about the food you eat or don’t eat—it’s about a mindset and lifestyle change. After collectively losing 170 pounds and maintaining their weight for years, Janice and Jae share scientific evidence, personal experiences, and practical insights on how you can successfully reframe your relationship with food.

It’s about stopping the shame associated with body size, recognizing instances of disordered eating, equipping yourself with the knowledge of what behaviors contribute to lasting weight loss, and making use of proven strategies. Get actionable tips on how to:

*Overcome barriers like stress, shame, and emotional eating
*Escape the comfort food circle of hell
*Eat food that nourishes your intestinal microbiome and brain
*Replace unhealthy habits with new ones that will treat your body well
*Boost your metabolism by eating during the right times of the day
*Commit to an exercise regime you can enjoy
*Transform your kitchen from danger zone to a safe space
*Survive potential landmines like holidays and parties
*Develop strategies for not gaining back the weight you lose
*Stop the cycle of fat-shaming and treat yourself with kindness

Complete with 26 recipes for cauliflower quinoa puttanesca, “umami bomb” roasted portabella mushrooms, blueberry breakfast smoothie, curried lentil salad, and more, The Permanent Weight Loss Plan encourages readers, with gentle humor and compassion, to embrace a paradigm shift and transform their lives for good.

 

 

About the Authors

Janice Asher is a gynecologist at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being a clinician there, she began the MILE (mindful, intuitive living & eating) Program, and the PANDA (Physicians And Nurses Domestic Abuse) Program. She is a co-author and co-editor of a textbook on sexual assault.

 

Website * Twitter

 

 

 

Jae Rivera is a biological anthropologist specializing in human osteology. She received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and continued on to work at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Presently, she is living in Peru analyzing human remains with a Fulbright Open Research Grant. and will begin her PhD when she returns in 2018.

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

Win one of five hardcopies of THE PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS PLAN (USA) (5 winners)

(ends 2/10/2020)

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A Field Guide to Homicide (A Cat Latimer Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (January 28, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages

Synopsis

Cat Latimer and her writer’s retreat group go on a hiking trip—but a murderer has been lurking off the beaten path . . .

Cat’s sweetheart, Seth, is going all out on an outing into the local mountains—for the benefit of the writing group Cat’s hosting at her Colorado B&B. But when they try to identify some plant and animal life, they find death instead. The body belongs to a man with a gold claim a few miles away. Instead of striking it rich, he’s been struck down.

To his surprise, Seth recognizes the victim from his military days—and up to now believed he’d already died during his last tour of duty. Now Cat has to solve this mystery before the killer takes a hike..”

 

 

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play

 

Review

 

It’s time for another journey back to Colorado and Cat’s writer’s retreat.  This retreat is different than others since there are two couples plus the college student from the local college.  It is an interesting bunch and while they are featured in the book, I don’t think that they were the main focus.  The main characters were tied to Seth’s past in the military and those that were in town for a reunion of sorts.  I’m not sure we learned much about Seth’s military buddies but that didn’t stop me from thinking something was off about the deceased and those he served with all those years ago.  I feel like there is so much more that Seth hasn’t revealed yet about his time in the military and I wonder if more will be revealed in future books.

We discover a little bit more about Cat’s deceased husband, Michael.  The author has a way of keeping me engaged in this series because I want to know what he was involved with and how it will affect Cat.  Especially since the dead body from Seth’s unit has notes about Michael and others in his cabin.  What is the secret?  When will we learn more?

The mystery and the interactions between the various characters (Cat, Seth, Shauna, Uncle Pete, and Shirley) kept me engaged and made it hard for me to put the book down.  I had my suspicions about the killer but there was more to the story than I ever expected.  Shauna has some family issues that she hides from Cat for most of the book, but I’m glad she trusts their friendship and opens up about what is happening with her family.

Overall we give this book 4 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.

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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Giveaway

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Road to Hope

 

How One Woman Went From Doubting Her Path
to Embracing Her Inner Journey

 

By

Dena Jansen

 

Genre: Memoir / Inspirational / Christian Life

Publication Date: November 15, 2019

Number of Pages: 240 pages

 

Scroll down for a giveaway!

 

 

 

 

Have you ever felt stuck? If so, you are not alone. As a 36-year-old wife, mother, and corporate executive, Dena Jansen’s life looked successful by society’s standards. But she found herself at an intersection—stranded at a real-life crossroads in her life.

Over a matter of years, darkness and doubt slowly crept in, leaving her unsure and unsettled in her life, marriage, and career. And after stalling out multiple times and nearly wrecking everything, she finally grabbed hold of a life-saving truth:

She had a choice to make. She could stay stuck, or she could try and find new roads that would lead to the peace and joy she was looking for.

With a glimmer of hope, Dena embraced the gifts of curiosity and grace and began a journey of self-discovery. And she chose to believe in a new truth:

She was meant for more and could no longer settle.

In Road to Hope, Dena invites you to join her as she wanders the roads she traveled and take anything you need from her story to help you in yours. She shares how she grew from a woman who doubted her path to one who is confident and ready for the next adventure. And she wants you to experience a similar shift. And more than that, she believes you can.

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt from the Introduction

of Road to Hope

by Dena Jansen

 

I think you picked this book up because you want to feel enthusiastic and energetic about your life, but you can’t seem to find your way there. You have all the pieces of the puzzle – marriage, kiddos, career – but when you put them together, you still don’t feel whole. There must be missing pieces, but you can’t find them. You wonder why you can’t make it work when so many other women appear to be able to do it so effortlessly. And so you give in and get stuck in a roundabout of doubt.

I’m here to tell you I have been there. I’ve been stuck in that same gloom and doom loop. And the only way I got out was to get in my own way.

While I was starting to figure out where exactly I wanted my life to go and the best route I should take to get there, I realized that me, myself, and I was the only place to start. For the first time in my life, I had to make it all about me. Being the center of my own attention was something I was apprehensive about off the bat. But I had to focus on myself. I had to try all the things that I thought mattered to help me create the life I said I wanted.

And you will have to do the same thing.

At the time, I didn’t see my journey as part of a more significant movement – one of feminism or female empowerment. But looking back, I can see how it was part of a rising tide. Maybe you have felt it, too. My 70-year-old aunt always said to me, “You girls these days. Y’all just don’t settle.”

She was right. All around me there were strong-willed women pushing for more in their own lives. Like them, I believed that I was meant for more than what I was at the time, and I wasn’t going to settle until I searched out exactly what that more was.

Navigating through my life the last few years has been an adventure. Learning how to get back in the driver’s seat of my own life felt like learning how to drive all over again. At the beginning, I needed lots of direction. I made some wrong turns and found dead ends. But the more experience I gained behind the wheel—the more knowledge and confidence I developed in myself—the more equipped I became to try out the freedom these new lanes opened up for me.

~~~

 

So before I speed off into the sun-kissed horizon toward the life of my dreams, I owe it to myself to spend time in true reflection. To look back in the rearview mirror at the living and learning that occurred on the road all over again. To honor the amazing growth and healing that happened along the way and share it with the next brave woman looking for hope.

And my gut tells me that woman is you.

I want to share my journey with you. You can sit right up here next to me while we wander the roads I traveled. Please take anything you need from my story that might help you in yours. I know that our lives might not look exactly the same from the outside – different home and family situations, career paths or trajectories, personal successes or struggles – but I genuinely believe that our dreams are very much the same. We share dreams of deep love and connection in our marriages, our families, and our work.

And we desperately want those dreams to become our realities. But in order to make those dreams come true, we have to get on the road and go. We have to go and find ourselves first.

But I’ll be honest with you. While I was out finding myself, I also found that the road can get lonely. That’s why I pray you’ll take the risk and hop in the car with me this time. It would give me a ton of comfort to know I had a friend alongside me. That the words I’m sharing won’t go into the darkness, but rather, find you right where you are in your own journey and give you the hope you’ll need to keep going.

I’ve grown from a woman who was lost and alone to one who is confident and ready for the next adventure. I want you to experience that exact same shift. And more than that, I believe you can. But first, I can’t wait to tell you how I got here.

Are you ready to hit the road? I know I am.

Buckle up, friend, and enjoy the ride. I know I did.

 

 

 

 

 

Dena Jansen’s calling to lift others up is profoundly personal. She understands the fears and doubts that hold people back because she has them too. Her own path to fulfillment is a real-life journey that’s still very much in progress. As a CPA and retired partner from Austin-based CPA firm Maxwell Locke & Ritter, she launched Dena Speaks to inspire potential seeking individuals and businesses. Dena shares life and love with her husband, JP, and their two children, Trace, and Elizabeth in Buda, Texas. She loves romantic comedy movies, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family and friends.

 

Website ║ Instagram║ Goodreads

LinkedIn ║ Facebook ║ Twitter

Amazon Author Page

 

 

————————————-

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ONE WINNER: Signed copy + $10 Starbucks Gift Card + Dena Speaks swag

TWO WINNERS: Signed paperback OR audio code

+ $10 Starbucks Gift Card

JANUARY 21-31, 2020

(U.S. Only)

 

 

 

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Check out the other blogs on the tour

1/21/20	Author Video	Books and Broomsticks
1/21/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
1/22/20	Author Interview	All the Ups and Downs
1/23/20	Review	Book Fidelity
1/24/20	Playlist	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
1/25/20	Review	Jennifer Silverwood
1/26/20	Scrapbook Page	Chapter Break Book Blog
1/27/20	Review	Librariel Book Adventures
1/28/20	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
1/29/20	Review	Tangled in Text
1/30/20	Review	Missus Gonzo

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

The last time a woman had ordered Cam to strip had been a very different scene altogether, and it’d been a while. Generally speaking, he liked to be behind the wheel in most situations, but he’d never had any complaints about a woman driving in his bed. “Interesting bedside manner.”

“Okay,” she said. “How about strip, please.”

He laughed, and he realized that until tonight, it’d been a damn long time for that too. “Well, since you asked so nicely . . .” But still he hesitated.

“Trust me, I’ve seen it all before.”

He pulled off his shirt, wincing when the cotton stuck to the deepest slice across his chest.

Piper blinked, and for the first time all night, appeared short of words.

It was pretty damn cute, especially with the mud on her nose. “Thought you’ve seen it all before.” She bit her lower lip, eyes suddenly hooded, and he couldn’t resist teasing her. “So, how do I stack up?”

That got her, and she rolled her eyes. “Like you don’t know. Sit.”

The couch seemed too . . . personal, so he sat on her coffee table. She dropped to her knees at his side and doctored up first the cut on his left palm from where he’d nicked himself in his dad’s kitchen, and then the two slices on his left biceps, and then the biggest one across his chest, during which time he did his best to ignore the feel of her soft breath on his skin and failed.

When she’d finished, she looked down at his cargoes and saw the blood seeping through from his thigh. Rising to her feet, she stepped back, gesturing for him to lose the pants too.

“Seriously,” he said. “Doesn’t even have to be dinner. An appetizer would work.”

“If you’re real good, I’ll give you a sticker.”

“How about letting me look at your secret secret bucket list instead?”

Her eyes narrowed. “How about we stop talking now?”

“Wait.” He cocked his head. “Does this mean you also have a secret bucket list? And possibly a not-so- secret bucket list?”

She had hands on hips; a fresh, clean gauze in one hand, antibiotic ointment in the other, her expression dialed to Not Feeling Playful.

With a rough laugh, he stood and took the gauze and ointment from her. “I got this one, Doc.” And then he gestured for her to turn around.

She did with a smirk, and then spoke over her shoulder. “Didn’t peg you for the shy type.”

“Oh, I’m not shy.” He shoved his icy, muddy, wet cargoes to his thighs, and yeah, the cat had come within two inches of de-manning him. “Just didn’t want to have to fight you off.”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I always get verbal consent first. And I bet you didn’t want me to see your tighty-whities.”

He gritted his teeth as he cleaned out the cut. Son of a bitch, that cat had gone deep. “They’re not tight and they’re not white.”

“Batman undies?”

“Commando,” he said, and that shut her up. When he’d finished and pulled his pants back up, he lifted his head and found her facing him. His brows went up. “See anything you like?”

Instead of answering, she blushed. And he grinned because, yeah. She’d definitely seen something she liked.

 

From Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, published by William Morrow. Copyright © 2020 by Jill Shalvis. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers 

 

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Survival Can Be Deadly: A Discount Detective Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Walrus Publishing (September 10, 2019)
An imprint of Amphorae Publishing Group
Paperback: 308 pages

 

Synopsis

When single mom and recent widow Cameron Chandler takes a much-needed job at Penny-wise Investigations, a detective agency conveniently located in a suburban shopping mall, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Her first case is to locate a runaway girl, something her predecessor had been pursuing before he disappeared. Following in his footsteps, the trail leads to a survivalist camp on a remote island in northern Puget Sound. Armed with only a Swiss Army Knife and her quirky on-the-job training as a suburban sleuth, Cameron uncovers more than she bargained for. She soon finds herself in a fight for her own survival in this lighthearted mystery set in Seattle and the San Juan Islands to the north.

 

 

 

 

Review

 

Take one widowed mother and a discount detective service located in a mall and you have this series that is bound to charm the reader.

There was so much to like about this series so I will start with some of my favorite characters. Cameron is a widow with a PhD yet no job to go with it trying to manage two children and a busybody mother who thinks that Cameron just needs to find a new husband. All Cameron knows is that she needs to find a job. You have P.W., the head of the discount detective business that is a bit of a mystery herself. Many of the people working for her have tried to unearth who she really is but to no avail. Yuri is Cameron’s main teacher at the PI agency, showing her the ropes and assisting with her first case. Yuri is a crazy driver and I was very glad that I wasn’t physically in a car with him. Will is like Q in the Bond movies – all sorts of gadgets that might help out on any case. He can be something of a trickster.

I have to credit Cameron for taking on a career field that requires observation and deductive reasoning. Sure I’ve read mysteries for years but that doesn’t mean I should be a PI. I chucked on her first day on the job and her choice to wear heels. Everyone forewarns her that P.W. isn’t going to like the shoe choice. Thankfully it is only her first day so she won’t have to chase after suspects quite yet.

Cameron’s first case is a missing person’s case but it evolves into so much more including some radical Survivalists on one of the San Juan Islands in Washington. This is where the action really heats up and some interesting twists and turns occur. I was spellbound throughout the book and stayed up a little too late the first night because I had to know what happened next.

If you like witty, quirky, and a little crazy then this might be a mystery you will want to read.

We give this 5 paws up.

 

 

About the Author

In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in communication, gone commercial fishing in Alaska, and survived being the VP of HR and Training for a large credit union. Her current passion is for writing lighthearted mysteries with a pinch of adventure and a dollop of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.

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Wicked Cowboy Wolf

by Kait Ballenger

Publication Date: 1/28/2020

Genre: Paranormal

Series: Seven Range Shifters #3

 

Synopsis

 

To his enemies, he’s known as the Rogue. To her, he’s her only chance at survival…

Years ago, Grey Wolf Jared Black was cast from the pack for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, he’s the mysterious criminal wolf known only as the Rogue, a name his former packmates won’t soon forget. But when a vampire threat endangers the lives of their entire species, Jared must confront his former packmates again, even if that means betraying the only woman he’s ever loved…

Ever since Maeve Gray escaped the pack’s bloodsucking enemies, she’s been determined to save her species—and fast. Each passing day risks the lives of her friends and family. But when a wicked cowboy wolf shows up on the Grey Wolf ranch, offering everything Maeve’s heart desires, her eyes are opened to a whole new world beyond the packlands. For this cowgirl, sleeping with the enemy could prove as desirable as it is deadly…

 

 

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Excerpt

The pink summer sunset had long since faded to nightfall by the time Mae returned to her cottage on the other side of the Grey Wolf compound. As she approached home, she cringed at the thought of the poor excuse she’d given Alexander. There was no way he’d bought her lie. Sure, she and Maverick had scheduled Alexander for a meeting with the Pact, which was a small step forward, but if they didn’t get him on board and fast, their prospects were limited. But Mae was determined. She would find a way to save her pack. She had to.

Feeling more than a little defeated, she shuffled up to her door, scanning the other nearby pack cabins. Hers was one of many adjacent to the dining hall and the main compound building, which housed the elite warriors and the main pack offices. She grabbed her keys from her purse. As she did so, she glanced over her shoulder, as if she might find the Rogue lingering there in the darkness. But she didn’t. He’d disappeared without a trace.

She released a long sigh. From what she knew of his dangerous reputation, it was just like the arrogant bastard to trod right into a pack of alphas that would just as soon see him torn apart. He really was a rogue with a devil-may-care attitude to match his title. She gripped her keys tighter in her hand.

After unlocking her front door, she slipped inside.

Immediately, the taps of tiny hooves clopping against tile sounded from the darkness. She flicked on the dim entryway light. Tucker, her teacup pig, stared up at her from the white tiled floor, his beady black eyes sparkling with pleasure at her arrival. He let out a pleased oink. Mae grinned.

Bending down, she scooped him into her arms, coddling him like a baby as she cooed at him. Still a piglet, Tucker was no bigger than a small dog, and according to the breeder, he’d been the runt of the teacup litter and would likely stay small.

With Tucker cradled against her, Mae made quick work of feeding him a bottle of milk replacer before snuggling him into his fluffy, pink dog bed in her living room. Once the piglet was rocked to sleep, she showered before she changed into her nightgown and settled into the comfort of her bedsheets. The day had left her worn out, but her mind refused to calm.

Had she really seen the Rogue, or had it all been in her head?

That question still plagued her. She wasn’t sure how he would have gotten onto the ranch without detection, especially considering the heightened security for the reception.

She shook her head. It must have been her imagination, a memory triggered by the stress of Alexander’s questions. The Rogue couldn’t possibly have shown up at Wolf Pack Run only to disappear again.

Though it had felt so real…

She sighed, sinking deeper into her mattress. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d thought of him since their encounter in the vampire coven.

Heat rose in her cheeks. She’d dreamed of him almost every night since—and not in the way she should have. The memory of the night when her life had been threatened by bloodsuckers was a dark one, but when she dreamed of that night, of him, her dream often took a completely different course from reality. Instead of dreaming of the danger she’d faced, she’d woken more than once to the thought of his uncharacteristic heroism as he whisked her from the vampires’ cells, only to find her own hand exploring between her legs.

It was sick. She knew it. She shouldn’t be attracted to a dangerous criminal like him. Despite that, he stirred something primitive inside her. She knew what sort of dark circles he traveled in, yet she couldn’t seem to help it. A wolf like the Rogue was everything forbidden to her: a non–Grey Wolf, a vigilante. Not to mention one of her brother’s enemies, and the antithesis of every criterion she should consider for a mate.

Somehow, that only made him more appealing.

By her birthright, she was destined for a Grey Wolf alpha warrior. She shuddered at the thought. The Grey Wolf warriors were all fine men, handsome cowboys, but they were practically her brothers. Mae tossed and turned in her bed as she tried to put the Rogue from her mind, but still his face taunted her.

Eventually, her hand trailed beneath her nightgown. Maybe if she eased this ache, the desire would go away. Maybe then, sleep would claim her. Slowly, her fingers probed the folds between her legs, locating her own clit. She knew her body, what she liked.

Gently, she massaged and probed as she remembered how it had felt when the warmth of his breath had brushed against her ear, the deep timbre of his voice thrumming through her.

You won’t regret this, he’d whispered.

She imagined his lips trailing downward.

What would it be like to be with a criminal like him?

Something told her every touch, every caress would be more powerful, more sinful…just more. Soon, she was moaning in climax, the walls of her core tightening in a delicious wave that sent a rush of moisture straight to her center. She cried out, arching her back against the pillows.

As the last throes of her orgasm shook her, she relaxed into her sheets, sated, though it was little more than a fantasy. At that thought, a pang of sorrow thrummed through her. That was all her dreams would ever be—fantasy. Not just him, but all her heart’s desires. She wanted more than she could have. She always had. She loved her pack, but the duties that bound her to them had never been her choice.

She may have been a Grey by birth, but if she were braver, she’d live her own life. She’d make her own choices.

If she were free…

Mae lay there, the weight of the things she’d never have pressing down on her, constraining her chest so much that she struggled to breathe.

If only…

At least she could dream. Her dreams and desires were hers alone. She released a long sigh, switching on the light of her bedside table as she reached for a book to read. Until the sound of a familiar voice came from the darkness.

“Evenin’, Princess.”

***

Excerpted from Wicked Cowboy Wolf by Kait Ballenger. © 2020 by Kait Ballenger. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

About the Author

 

Kait Ballenger earned her B.A in English from Stetson University followed by an M.F.A in Writing from Spalding University. After stints in multiple careers, Kait finally decided that her eight-year-old self knew best: that she was meant to be a writer. Kait lives with her husband and young son in Florida.

 

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Through the Nethergate
Supernatural Fantasy
1st in Series
TSL Publications (September 3, 2019)
Paperback: 214 pages

Synopsis

Margaret, a girl born with second sight, has the unique ability to bring ghosts trapped between Heaven and Hell back to life. When her parents die suddenly, she goes to live with her beloved grandfather, but the cellar of her grandfather’s ancient inn is haunted by an evil spirit of its own.

In the town of Bungay, a black dog wanders the streets, enslaving the ghosts of those who have died unnatural deaths. When Margaret arrives, these phantoms congregate at the inn, hoping she can free them from the clutches of Hugh Bigod, the 12th century ghost who has drawn them away from Heaven’s White Light in his canine guise.

With the help of her grandfather and the spirits she has befriended, Margaret sets out to defeat Hugh Bigod, only to discover he wants to use her for his own ends – to take over Hell itself.

 

 

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Margaret’s Hell

 

 

One of the recent reviews for Through the Nethergate states the following:

“This is actually a tale about religion and politics (in a good way), the penultimate battle in the garden of good versus evil. Who will win?” – Amazon review

This comment is spot on when it comes to the nature of this story, it is a retelling of the battle for human allegiance and souls between Heaven and Hell in a modern setting. Both deities have access to modern technology to aid their causes, but it is the beautiful Lucifer, who reigns over Hell, who has twisted the concept of the modern global trading platforms which control the wealth of the world to expand his growing empire.

Due to her conservative Catholic upbringing, when Margaret arrives in Hell, she is anticipating a burning inferno along the lines of the nine concentric circles of torment located within the bowels of the earth as depicted in Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem entitled Divine Comedy. Her concept of the devil is equally old-fashioned, and she imagines Lucifer to be a giant and terrifying beast trapped waist-deep in ice from which he cannot escape. She visualizes him with three faces, each a different colour: the one on the right being a pale yellow, the one in the middle being red and the one on the left being black.

The reality she greets in Through the Nethergate, could not be further from this idea. A depiction of Hell from the book is as follows:

“The entrance to the building was imposing; a high archway built from steel girdles that joined in a sharp point at the peak. Atop the point was a large glass globe that revolved slowly on its axis.

 What is this place? Is this Hugh Bigod’s building? There are no guards?

 The dog moved boldly through the arch. The globe changed colour, from clear to a deep maroon. Margaret was shoved after him, propelled forward by the henchman. She hesitated on the threshold, gazing at the interior of the huge hall. Her stomach twisted and writhed in shock. It was packed with row after row of cubicles. The walls were high enough to prevent any distracting exchanges or conversations between the occupants of the cubicles. The intense lighting gave the scene a clinical and sterile look, but the cubicles reminded Margaret of the multitude of six-sided cells that make up a honeycomb.

There was no relief from the heat inside the building although it was not moist and oppressive.

 What is this place?

Each cubicle had a nametag stating the name of its occupant in black capital letters. They were all equipped with a keyboard, computer, second screen and mouse. The glass walls of the hall were dominated by enormous screens. Each screen showed an outline map and row after row of words and figures moved up the sides of the maps.”

Lucifer is a gorgeous man, the best-looking man Margaret has ever seen. In Through the Nethergate, she describes him as follows:

“He reminded her of the actor Thomas Beaudoin, with his piercing blue eyes, dark hair and strong, stubble covered jaw. There was a darkness about his beauty that scared her. It overlaid and detracted from his good looks. He was human, but yet somehow inhuman. Any kindness or decency in this man had long ago turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty.”

This depiction of Lucifer is intended to introduce to the reader, the idea that evil can take many shapes and forms and is not necessarily found in the most unkempt, ugly and obviously neglected people in our world. Ideas and decisions that negatively impact on humanity are frequently generated in the board rooms of the most wealthy and successful enterprises on this planet, by beautiful and successful people. Evil is spawned by greed and a love of money and power over everything else, including the health and well being of populations.

Hell’s depiction as a building, along the lines of the London Shard, was deliberate in order to uphold this theory of wealth creation at all costs being responsible for many of the ailments that trouble our modern world.

Lucifer is a stockbroker, with an enormous work force of the most horrifically cruel and callous people in history, who are all seeking to expand their power and dominance through their dealing in human souls. The Devil has adapted to technology and uses the dark net and other technological inventions to further his own goals and power.

This is not intended to denounce technology, but rather to illustrate how every advancement by mankind can be used for both good and bad, in equal proportions, depending on the intentions of the user. Readers are made aware of the potential hidden dangers in technology and the ease with which it can be manipulated for negative purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

‘I am an author who has recently branched into adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my young adult and adult writing, these will be published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first young adult supernatural novel, Through the Nethergate, has recently been published.

I have two short stories in the horror/supernatural genre included in Dark Visions, a collection of 34 short stories by 27 different authors and edited by award-winning author, Dan Alatorre as well as three short stories published in Death Among Us, a collection of murder mystery short stories by 10 different authors and edited by Stephen Bentley. These short stories are published under Robbie Cheadle.

 

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