Synopsis

Timothy Mayfield is ready to marry for love, but, since his personal finances are thinner than he’d like, he knows he’ll also need to find a wife with wealth. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, Timothy’s circumstances change, and he is free to pursue his “perfect woman”—one with blonde hair, blue eyes, a light laugh, arched eyebrows, elegant fingers, and a dazzling smile, among nearly twenty other characteristics.

Maryann Morrington doesn’t match anything on Timothy’s list—except for wealth. An heiress in her own right, she is tired of men pursuing her only for her money. But at nearly twenty-two years old, and not a particularly stunning beauty, she can’t be as picky as her friend Timothy is.

The two friends end up playing matchmaker for each other. Timothy will find a decent gentleman for Maryann, and Maryann will prove to Timothy that his “perfect woman” doesn’t exist.

Until Miss Shaw comes to London.

Now, with Timothy’s heart captivated by the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, Maryann must decide if she should risk her heart and reveal her true feelings for her friend, or if she should settle for someone else. It’s an up-and-down game of “he loves me, he loves me not” with both hearts and friendship on the line.

 

Review

What a delightful followup to Promises and Primrose.  While this book is a stand alone book, you will find a few of the characters from the first book intermingled in this book.

Love could be hard to find especially if you aren’t sure what you are looking for in a potential spouse…OR your ideas were so off base and crazy that it kept you from realizing what is right in front of you.  This was Timothy’s case.  He has this long list of characteristics that he thinks he wants in a spouse until he meets that perfect woman and realizes that just maybe his dream woman comes in another form.

Maryann is a bit older than the other debutantes and has the luxury of not having to settle for just any man that comes her way that doesn’t appreciate or love her for her.  She is very grounded and that helps her in seeking out a potential suitor.  She is even clever enough to have her maid, Lucy, snoop around and find out information about those suitors – are they who they portray to her?  Lucy is on the case and find out things for Maryann that she may not have learned otherwise and it helps her in a few situations.

This was a delightful read.  I enjoyed all of the characters and their interactions with one another.  Donna the protective older sister, and Uncle Elliott who has the answer to Timothy’s marriage issues are two that stand out to me.  Times were very different during that time period and what men and women went through to find the right match might make your head spin, especially since the women had to have a chaperone!  Despite all that, Timothy and Maryann form a friendship that is the foundation for so much more if Timothy would open his eyes.  My heart broke a little for Maryann when a certain gentleman wasn’t who he portrayed himself to be to her.  What a cad!  But as the story unfolded, both Timothy and Maryann realized that sometimes the heart knows what it wants and won’t settle for less.

If you are in the mood for a historical romance, this is a good choice!  We give it 5 paws up.

 

About the Author

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney award for Mystery/Suspense in 2007 and Wedding Cake, book twelve in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series won in 2014. Josi was also the Best of State winner in Fiction for 2012. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband, children and super-cute – but not very friendly – cat.

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Book Title: Winter Frost (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Book 2) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 290 pages
Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Cozy
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: January 28, 2019
Content Rating: PG (It’s a murder mystery and there is mild violence. Very mild swearing no F-bombs. No on-stage sex scenes.)

Synopsis

It all started with a chance encounter in the city with Blair, his late wife.

Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad, working under the guise of a book club, dig into the events surrounding his late wife’s supposed death halfway around the globe. A state department employee shoots himself in the back three times. A CIA operative goes missing. A woman is targeted by an international assassin three years after being declared dead in a terrorist attack overseas.

Nothing is as it seems.

In his most personal cold case, Chris fights to uncover why the state department told him that Blair, the mother of his children, had been killed when she was alive. What had she uncovered that has made her a target? Who terrified her so much that she had gone into hiding and why are they now after him?

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Book Title: ICE (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Book 1) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 380 pages
Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Cozy
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: April 25, 2018
Content Rating: PG (It’s a murder mystery and there is mild violence. Very mild swearing no F-bombs. No on-stage sex scenes.)

Synopsis

The clues for a close-to-the-heart missing person’s case heat up when Chris Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on the cold case.

When Sandy Lipton and her unborn child disappear, the court of public opinion finds young Chris Matheson guilty. Decades later, the retired FBI agent returns home to discover that the cloud of suspicion cast over him and his family has never lifted. With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on this cold case to uncover what had happened to Sandy and her baby and the clues are getting hot!

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Book Title: It’s Murder My Son by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Book 1)
Category: Adult fiction, 288 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Lauren Carr
Release date: June 23, 2010
Content Rating: PG (It’s a murder mystery and there is mild violence. Very mild swearing no F-bombs. No on-stage sex scenes.)
​

Synopsis

What started out as the worst day of Mac Faraday’s life would end up being a new beginning. After a messy divorce hearing, the last person that Mac wanted to see was another lawyer. Yet, this lawyer wore the expression of a child bursting to tell his secret. This confidence would reveal Mac as heir to undreamed of fortunes, and lead him to the birthplace of America’s Queen of Mystery and an investigation that will unfold like one of her famous mystery novels.

Soon after she moves to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, Katrina Singleton learns that life in an exclusive community is not all good. For some unknown reason, a strange man calling himself “Pay Back” begins stalking her. When Katrina is found strangled all evidence points to her terrorist, who is nowhere to be found.

Three months later, the file on her murder is still open when Mac Faraday, sole heir to his unknown birth mother’s home and fortune, moves into the estate next door. Little does he know as he drives up to Spencer Manor that he is driving into a closed gate community that is hiding more suspicious deaths than his DC workload as a homicide detective. With the help of his late mother’s journal, this retired cop puts all his detective skills to work to pick up where the local investigators have left off to follow the clues to Katrina’s executer.

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Book Title: Crimes Past by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 13)
Category: Adult fiction, 322 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: October 16, 2018
Content Rating: PG (mild violence and sexual suggestion)

Synopsis

It’s a bittersweet reunion for Mac Faraday when members of his former homicide squad arrive at the Spencer Inn. While it is sweet to attend the wedding of a former colleague’s daughter, it is a bitter reminder that the mother of the bride had been the victim of a double homicide on her own wedding night.

The brutal slaying weighing heavy on his mind, Mac is anxious to explore every possibility for a break in the cold case—even a suggestion from disgraced former detective Louis Gannon that one of their former friends was the killer.
​
When the investigator is brutally slain, Mac Faraday rips open the cold case with a ruthless determination to reveal which of his friends was a cold-blooded murderer.

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About the Author

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

​Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Website  ~  Twitter ~  Facebook  ~  Instagram

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Sweet Wild of Mine

By: Laurel Kerr

Publication Date: 5/28/2019

 

Synopsis

Love runs wild at the Sagebrush Flats Zoo…

In a bid to revitalize his career, bestselling author Magnus Gray has come to Sagebrush Flats to write about the local zoo’s latest rescue—an orphaned baby polar bear. But Magnus dreads the drama of small towns and is bullishly determined to keep to himself.

June Winters is a people person and delights in welcoming Magnus to Sagebrush Flats, though it seems unlikely she can get the handsome stranger to crack a smile. Then a mishap with an open gate forces Magnus and June to deal with a stampeding flock of fainting goats, an adorable but clingy polar bear cub, a cranky pregnant camel, and two star-crossed honey badgers. Never mind small town drama—the lively animals may just convince these two that opposites really do attract…

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Where the Wild Hearts Are Series

Wild On My Mind (Book 1)

Sweet Wild of Mine (Book 2)

Praise for Wild on My Mind

“Hilarious…a truly touching contemporary romance about the power of love and family.”—Night Owl Reviews Top Pick

“Clever, fun, and poignant…with wit and heart.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Outstanding…sure to delight.”—Publishers Weekly Starred Review

 

Excerpt

A flicker of softness flashed in Magnus’s blue eyes before they froze over again. “I don’t talk about that isle, lass.”

All of June’s carefully constructed arguments blew from her mind as frustrated anger swept through her. The man was as bullheaded as a groundhog after a fresh tomato. “You wrote an entire book about it.”

“It was a purge.”

“A purge?”

“An enema.”

“Did you just call your bestseller an enema?”

“Aye.”

“You are a complicated man, Magnus Gray.”

“Nay. Just a simple bloke who likes peace, quiet, and a good tattie scone.”

Although June fully believed the man liked solitude and Scottish cooking, she didn’t buy his first claim. The reclusive author had depths greater than Loch Ness that hid mysteries even bigger than a fabled sea monster. Although June excelled at charting a person’s personality within minutes of meeting them, she still couldn’t fathom this man.

“Good day.” With that parting salvo, Magnus Gray started to turn and walk away from June for a fourth time in a row. Before he could take one step, however, everything broke loose in the form of cloven-footed critters.

*

Honey’s nose twitched as she watched the Giant One and the Blond One. She respected the devious spark lurking in the woman’s green eyes. And she’d been monitoring the hulking newcomer since his arrival. Unlike the careless Fluffy, Honey knew how to conceal her presence. The Giant One had no idea she’d stalked him for days.

He intrigued her. He was not like most weak-willed humans who craved the company of their own kind. The Giant One preferred solitude, just like honey badgers.

Since her arrival at the zoo, Honey had been watching for suitable adversaries. Although the young female cougars had the speed and agility to keep her reflexes limber, they lacked foresight and cunning. The grizzly was elderly and slow. And the rest of the animals did not interest her. Unfortunately, the human keepers did not provide the same amusement as her old biped. They were too pleasant.

But these two were different. They reminded Honey of bees, full of energy as they buzzed at each other. Yes, these two could sting if properly motivated.

Honey smiled as she scurried up a pole of the goat pen. With one swift nudge of her nose, she lifted the latch. Hanging on to the gate, she used her body weight to swing it open. The silly goats immediately bolted for the exit.

Honey shimmied back to the ground. The Giant One was busy tripping over the horned creatures, but the Blond One stood upright. As Honey scampered away, she made sure the female spied her. It was time to make her presence known. After all, what was the point of starting a game if her opponent didn’t know she was a player?

*

Magnus was not sure what had happened. One moment he was arguing with the barmy lass, and the next, he was surrounded by a blasted herd of bleating, screaming goats. He’d just started to pivot away from June when two kids darted between his legs. The blighted things must have mistaken him for some sort of shelter as they twined about his ankles. Caught off-balance, he felt his massive frame sway. He couldn’t right himself without stepping on one of the cloven beasties. And, as much as goats annoyed him, he didn’t wish to crush them under his weight.

Twisting his body, he managed to avoid them, but he ended up crashing to the gravel path with a painful thump. Since Magnus couldn’t use his arms to brace his fall, his back collided with the ground, knocking the wind out of him. As he lay gasping like a landed sea trout, one of the wee devils climbed on his chest while the other started eating his hair. Magnus could only lie there as he tried sucking air back into his lungs.

Suddenly, June appeared in his vision, her blond hair hanging around her face like a golden curtain. For once, mirth didn’t sparkle in her bonny green eyes. To his surprise, real concern shone there instead. If he hadn’t met her already, he’d say she looked like an angel hovering over him.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You hit the ground pretty hard.”

He would have reassured her, but that would have required oxygen. Her mouth twisted, and she reached down and lifted a bleating goat off his body. That helped, marginally. Using his eyes, he gestured to the one chewing his hair. She removed that one too. “You just breathe easy now, you hear?”

He had no choice but to listen. As he sprawled spread-eagle on the ground, the lass stood guard, a squirming kid under each arm. A couple adult goats tried to clamber on his body, but June shooed them away. It was odd, he thought, having someone watch over him. His da would have called him a muckle nyaff and left him in disgust for tripping over his own feet.

Finally, Magnus could breathe again. He slowly raised himself on his elbows and then almost plopped right back down. The manky goats were all over the path. How had they escaped?

“A honey badger let them out,” June explained.

Magnus swung his gaze toward her in disbelief. A honey badger had caused all this? What would possess the wee beastie to open the pen?

“By its size, I think it was the female, Honey. I saw her darting away just after you fell.”

“Baws.” Magnus finally managed.

“If you’re okay, I’ll go put these two critters back in their home before we get the rest,” June said, lifting the kids in her arms. They bleated loudly in protest. Magnus nodded. As he heaved himself to his feet, June dropped the two bairns back in the paddock.

Sighing heavily, Magnus took after two of the goats. They screamed like banshees and darted away. Magnus swore. He hated chasing the slippery wee devils. Give him a cow or even a pig.

“I don’t think we need to run them down,” June said.

He swung toward her, irritated. He doubted she’d done much farming. “How do you propose we get them back in the pen then, lass?”

She smirked, that gleam back in her green eyes. “Strategy.”

Then, she reached down and grabbed a metal feed bucket hanging from the corner of the pen. She smashed it against the steel gate, the sound ringing sharply through the air. The fainting goats toppled and hopped everywhere, and Magnus had to admit it made corralling them easier.

She grabbed the wee ones, while he hoisted the adults. They had to bang the gate a few more times, but they managed to quickly clear the path of goats. When the last bleating goat was dumped back in its home, Magnus turned to regard his unexpected helper. The cold and the exertion had brought color to June’s cheeks, making her bonnier than ever. She was as fair and delicate as the fae folk in the German tales, and just as devious. And something about her made Magnus wonder what the price of kissing a fairy would be.

Too steep. Much too steep.

***

Excerpted from Sweet Wild of Mine by Laurel Kerr. © 2019 by Erin Laurel O’Brien. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Laurel Kerr is a full-time romance writer and mom, who occasionally still dabbles in the practice of law. Her debut novel, Wild on My Mind, reached the Golden Heart® finals under the title of Volunteering Her Heart in 2016. Laurel Kerr was also a 2017 Golden Heart® Finalist for a historical manuscript. She lives in Pennsylvania with her daughter, husband, and loyal Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

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The Open Portal

Conquest of the Veil #1

by

Michael Scott Clifton

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Magical Realism

Publisher: Book Liftoff

Publication Date: May 1, 2019

Number of Pages: 337 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY! 

 

 

But with dreams, there can also be nightmares

Lonely and plain-featured, Mona Parker is just another faceless teenager at Spring Hill High School. One day she runs afoul of Lady Anne Golightly, a beautiful and arrogant classmate who turns Mona’s colorless life into a hellish existence. Bullied relentlessly and with nowhere to turn, Mona considers suicide. One night, Thaddeus Finkle, her guardian angel, appears. He offers her a way out—swap lives with another.

The choice seems easy, and Mona takes the angel up on his offer. She awakens on Meredith, a parallel world of Earth where magic has replaced technology. Mona discovers she is Alexandria, a woman of breathtaking beauty, and the daughter of a Duke complete with servants and riches.

Then she discovers the price of her bargain.

Trapped behind the Veil, an impenetrable curtain of magic, the Duchy of Wheel is the last major province still unconquered by Marlinda, the creator of the enchanted barrier. Known as the Dark Queen, Marlinda’s cruelty includes a singular fondness for melding men, women, and children, with animals…and she has special plans for Alexandria.

Tal, the Prince and Heir of the Empire of Meredith, burns with an intense hatred for Marlinda and her minions. The Dark Queen’s raiders regularly cross the Veil to prey upon the helpless citizens living near the magical boundary. Despite an elaborate system of Watch Towers along the enchanted barrier, it is impossible for the Empire to stop all the raids. Desperate to protect his people, Tal takes dangerous risks to prevent these attacks. Banished to a remote garrison for his reckless behavior, while on a routine patrol, Tal leads an elite unit that happens upon a group of raiders—one whose leader possesses the means for opening a way through the Veil.

Thus begins the conquest of the Veil.

Praise

“The Open Portal is packed full of action from the time it begins in our mundane world, to when it jumps to another. It has all the elements of a good fantasy: a cruel queen; a frustrated prince; and a beautiful girl with a pure heart. There are brave boys, werewolves, white priests, and watchtowers. I can’t wait for the saga to continue.” — Abookanight

 

 

Excerpt from The Open Portal

By Michael Scott Clifton

 

Mona removed her hands from her face and for the first time, studied her reflection.

A stunning woman—perhaps the most beautiful woman Mona had ever seen—stared back at her.

She pulled and prodded her skin, still not quite convinced the flesh was hers.

The image in the mirror did the same.

She leaned closer. Her flawless complexion, creamy with a hint of rose blush, curved gently across smooth cheeks. Delicate eyebrows formed symmetrical arches above thick, long lashes framing eyes of soft, velvet blue. Mona tilted her head to view a perfectly proportioned nose, slightly upturned, perched on her face. Full, sensuous lips formed her mouth. Her slightly parted lips revealed perfect white teeth, beneath which, a strong, yet subtle chin extended. Thick, luxurious hair, the color of spun gold, flowed halfway down her back. In fact, the only imperfection Mona could find was an ugly, purple bruise located just above the right temple. Although obvious her new persona took a blow there, she had no way of knowing how or why.

Mona stood to continue the examination of her body. Tall and statuesque, she wore a thin robe belted loosely at her waist.

She untied the belt.

The robe fell open to reveal she wore only a pair of silky underwear. Red-faced, she quickly jerked the robe shut. A nervous laugh escaped from her lips at how foolish she was acting. This is me—the “new” Mona Parker! A smile tugged at her mouth, and she released the robe a second time to let it fall to the floor.

She posed before the mirror and turned from one side to the other.

Her legs were long and shapely. She ran her hands across a trim, flat abdomen that segued into an hourglass-shaped waist. Slim, tanned arms stretched from her shoulders to end in hands tapered with long, elegant fingers topped by glossy, manicured nails. She twisted to admire the sight of firm, muscular buttocks. Finally, she cupped her breasts, and a wide smile appeared. Large, full, and perfectly proportioned—like the rest of her body.

Mona picked up the robe. Conflicting emotions roiled inside her. Happiness, disbelief, and guilt waged a battle for supremacy in her mind. Part of her wanted to shout and celebrate, while another part stubbornly clung to her new appearance as a hoax, an illusion, with nothing good to come from it.

Mona stepped away from the mirror and studied herself again.

She estimated her height at well over six feet tall. No wonder my body felt so strange and clumsy when I first got out of bed. After all, I’m barely five feet two inches.

It struck her then just how peculiar the whole situation was.

I think of myself as short, but now I’m actually tall. She shook her head and struggled to align her thought processes with the obvious evidence of her eyes. Everything is upside down.

With a deep breath, she did a slow pirouette, her eyes narrowed in concentration at her reflection.

While the new Mona appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties, the old Mona would be eighteen on her next birthday. In fact, the woman in the mirror represented the opposite of everything Mona despised about herself. All the flaws she cursed her body over—acne, bushy wild hair, stick legs, and flat chest—every one replaced by physical features she could only dream about.

Mona knew firsthand the experience of being homely and plain. It gave her a perspective an attractive person could never appreciate. A chuckle escaped from her lips.

Take that, Lady Anne! You can’t hold a candle to me!

Numb, Mona sat down on the bench…then leaped up. Arms stretched to the ceiling, she crowed, “I’m beautiful! You hear that world? I’m gorgeous!”

Joy filled her. This isn’t a dream or an illusion. My body is real, and I’m real!

Mona hugged herself and laughed until tears of happiness spilled from her eyes. Although in a strange place, possibly even a different world, it didn’t matter—because I’m beautiful!

 

 

 

 

Michael Scott Clifton, a public educator for over thirty-eight years as a teacher, coach, and administrator, currently lives in Mount Pleasant, Texas with his wife, Melanie and family cat, Sadie. An avid gardener, reader, and movie junkie, he enjoys all kinds of book and movie genres. His books contain aspects of all the genres he enjoys…action, adventure, magic, fantasy, and romance. His fantasy novel, The Janus Witch, received a 5-Star review from the prestigious Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, and he has been a finalist in a number of short story contests with Edges of Gray winning first place in the Texas Authors Contest. Professional credits include articles published in the Texas Study of Secondary Education Magazine. Clifton’s latest book, The Open Portal, launches the fantasy book series, Conquest of the Veil. In addition, look for the YA novel, Edison Jones and the Anti-Grav Elevator, to be released soon. He is available public speaking.

 

║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Twitter ║ Instagram ║

 ║ Goodreads ║ Amazon Author Page ║ eMail ║

 

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MAY 14-24, 2019

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Check out the other blogs on this tour

5/14/19	Guest Post	That’s What She’s Reading
5/14/19	Character Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
5/14/19	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/15/19	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/15/19	Review	Missus Gonzo
5/16/19	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
5/17/19	Review	Book Fidelity
5/18/19	Scrapbook Page	Forgotten Winds
5/19/19	Review	Nerd Narration
5/20/19	Review	#Bookish
5/20/19	Review	The Page Unbound
5/21/19	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
5/22/19	Review	Rebecca R. Cahill, Author
5/22/19	Review	The Book Review
5/23/19	Review	Recipe and a Read
5/23/19	Review	KayBee’s Book Shelf

 

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Southern Sass and Killer Cravings (Marygene Brown Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (May 28, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages

Synopsis

Life has always been sweet on Georgia’s Peach Cove Island, but a case of murder has Marygene Brown down in the pits . . .

For generations, the women of the Brown family on Peach Cove Island have been known for their Southern sass and sweet homemade desserts at their beloved Peach Diner. Since their mother’s passing two years ago, Marygene has been stuck in Atlanta while her sister Jena Lynn has been running the family business. Now Marygene has left her husband and returned to her hometown, where she can almost feel Mama’s presence.

But all is not peachy back home. Marygene has barely tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man’s been poisoned, Jena Lynn is led away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer. With some startling assistance from her Mama’s spirit, Marygene will be serving up a special order of just desserts . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene’s Kitchen!

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Review

This is a peach of a new series with good food and ghostly help.

I always enjoy a new series because you never know what the author will come up with to entice a reader or create an intriguing new series.  I think the author is on to something and has created a winning combination between a ghostly mother trying to make amends, a diner on a small island with delicious food, and a protagonist that has some baggage and yet is working towards freeing herself and learning to live life again.

Marygene has had a tough life – from learning who her father really was at a younger age to ending up in an abusive relationship.  Now she is back home with her sister and brother and finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation.  As true to form with cozies, she finds not one but multiple dead bodies.  Nothing like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  However, this just spurs her on to investigate on her own with the assistance of her friend Betsy and even goes as far as creating a timeline in her spare bedroom to help decipher the information she uncovers in hopes it will point her towards the murderer.

I didn’t suspect the killer until near the end because something just didn’t seem right with this character.  There were a few minor clues peppered throughout the book but nothing that really pointed this character’s direction.

It wouldn’t be a cozy without a love interest….or two!  I can’t wait to see how this plays out in future books.  Will it be Alex her childhood sweetheart or Calhoun the older reporter from out of town?

Lastly, I appreciated the awareness the author brought to the subject of domestic abuse.  It happens more often than we may know and I felt like it was handled well and showed Marygene in various stages of acceptance of what happened to her in the past.  I hope she continues to address this issue in future books.

Overall we give this 4 paws up!

About the Author

Kate Young writes humorous southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzu. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

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Giveaway

This is a pre-order giveaway – if you pre-order the book from one of the links above you can enter to win this giveaway via the link below.

* Grand Prize Winner receives a gorgeous Coach Avenue Tote and Coach wristlet (value $450) and a $100 gift card to either Amazon or B&N.

​​* 2 Runners up will receive a $10 gift card to either Amazon or B&N and an autographed paperback copy of  Southern Sass and Killer Cravings.

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Poison by Punctuation (Chalkboard Outlines)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Red Adept Publishing, LLC (April 24, 2018)
Print Length: 243 pages

Synopsis

High school teacher Emma Lovett is finally recovering from her first year of teaching when she discovers another dead body. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this time, someone has killed a student, Kisten Hollis.

Emma and her best friend, Leslie, are desperate to solve this murder. But suspects abound. The perpetrator could be a teacher, an administrator, a member of Kisten’s zealous church community, or even another student.

Emma must juggle her teaching responsibilities, her new romance with handsome Hunter Wells, and interest from a hunky second suitor, all while searching for evidence to bring a killer to justice before someone else dies.

Review

What a fun follow up to the first in this series.  I am really enjoying the antics of Emma and Leslie and what they will go through to solve a murder.  They remind me of Nancy Drew with their sleuthing and finding themselves on the edge of getting into more trouble than they had planned.  In this book, there are a few times where the case and their efforts to solve the murder puts a small strain on their friendship but I also think it is Leslie overreacting in some situations.

The mystery portion is well written because I did not suspect the killer at all!  I didn’t have anyone in mind and looking back I remember a few vague clues that might have pointed me in the right direction but there is nothing that really points to this character.

I enjoyed the different plot lines throughout the story and how everything came together in the end and made sense.  There is some good news and bad news when the dust settles but it really brings out some discussion on some important topics like adoption.

It wouldn’t be a book without some romance between Emma and Hunter and they are able to take their relationship a step further.  However, Dr. Will has his eyes on Emma and while he knows she is taken that doesn’t stop him from being interested in her and sharing those thoughts with her.  Will she stay with Hunter or will Will have a shot?

We give this 4 paws up and really enjoy this series!

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About the Author

“Kelley Kaye” taught High School English and Drama since 1992 in California, then Colorado and now Cali again, but her love for storytelling dates back to creating captions in her high school yearbook. Maybe back to the tales she created for her Barbie and Ken—whatever the case, the love’s been around a long time. She’s married to an amazing man who cooks for her, and they have two funny and wonderful sons.

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Spitfire in Love

By Isabelle Ronin

Publication Date: 5/28/2019

Synopsis

From the International Phenomenon with over 200 Million Reads on Wattpad

 

She’s never at a loss for words.

He’s determined to have the last one.

 

KARA

There he was with his piercing blue eyes and Lucifer black hair.

He was leaning against the wall, a lollipop in his mouth, hot as hell and twice as dangerous.

Kara Hawthorne never backs down, especially when it comes to protecting her family.

 

CAM

She looked so soft, harmless, like a pretty kitten, but she was as safe as a ticking time bomb.

My sweet, sweet Spitfire.

Cameron St. Laurent isn’t intimidated by the feisty woman at his doorstep. And when she asks him for the impossible, Cameron knows just how to sweeten the deal…

The two combustible personalities are faced with unavoidable off-the-charts chemistry. But when Cam’s dark past shows up, he’ll have to slay his demons and lay himself on the line to win Kara, body and soul.

 

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Excerpt

Kara

Cameron’s blue eyes were even deeper, somehow more intense, in the muted glow of the light. They were patient as he followed Dylan to the front door—no, not patient. They were waiting. Anticipating what was to come.

I heard my brother’s footsteps and Cameron’s, then the click of the lock.

The echo it made in the room was as loud and heavy with meaning as a declaration of war.

Then those eyes, with those deep-blue irises, shifted to mine.

Conquer me, they challenged, before I conquer you.

It was bait.

And I wanted to bite.

I curled my hands into fists and instinctively stepped back, stopping when the back of my knees hit the couch.

The effect he had on me was undeniable, and I didn’t care for it. I didn’t like the way I felt defenseless around him, how he could strip away my reasoning just by looking at me.

As if he heard my thoughts, his lips, slowly and deliberately, formed into a smile.

I got you, his smile said, exactly where I want you.

Strength and controlled power showed in every movement of his body as I watched him cross the room toward me. His body was big and sleek, like a stealthy cat roaming the jungle, patient and hungry.

My eyes took in the long lines of his arms, the ripple of muscles, the veins that stood out like cords, his thick wrist. Every part disciplined, tight, and masculine.

He stopped in front of me.

“Kara.” He whispered my name. His voice was deep and rich, and my name sounded and felt so carnal coming from his lips. “Tell me why you’re here.”

I tried to answer. God knows I tried, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. It felt so easy, so sinful, like a soft, silky feather stroking my skin, to give in. Let someone else take control for once. No, not just someone. It had to be him. I closed my eyes in defense. I was losing, and surprisingly, I didn’t seem to mind. Was this what it felt like to want? To need?

The air was thick with tension, and I felt it shift before his fingers stroked the inside of my wrist. Once, twice. Then it was gone.

My lips opened a fraction, letting out a sharp breath. An expulsion, a way my body dealt with the surging desire in the aftermath of his touch.

Or maybe, maybe, it was a silent demand for more.

“Open your eyes,” he said softly.

I kept them closed.

“Kara.” His voice was soft as velvet, coaxing. “Look at me.”

But what would happen if I did?

This was something I’d never felt or experienced before. I’d never been this close to anyone nor had I wanted to be.

I was teetering between two worlds—the one where I would stay the same if I stepped away from him now, and the other one where the world I knew would end and change to something unfamiliar.

Which one would I choose?

I always put others before me. Responsibilities, commitments, family. When was the last time I did something just for the hell of it?

I opened my eyes. And stared right into the blue of his.

He was ruthlessly beautiful. The straight, dark brows, the deep-set eyes, the long, straight nose, the full lips. And all that beauty framed by soft, black hair.

I had thought he looked like a dark archangel when I first laid eyes on him. I still did.

He was as deep and dark as a cave, and I was standing right at his entrance. Should I go in or leave?

I made up my mind.

His lips parted in surprise as my finger slowly traced his collarbone, marveling at the warmth of his skin, at the smoothness of it. I thought I’d be satisfied just by feeling it, but I wanted to do more.

His muscles tensed as I moved my fingers to the long line of his neck, rubbing the stubble on his jaw, tickling myself.

I smiled but didn’t say anything. I usually had a lot to say, but I wasn’t myself right now. I was different when I was with him. I felt more beautiful, more aware of myself as a woman.

The pulse at the base of his throat jumped as I focused on his lips and continued my exploration there. They were full, pink, with a prominent Cupid’s bow.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and caught my finger between his lips, between his teeth, then with his tongue. And sucked.

I gasped, my eyes snapping to his as I snatched my finger away, feeling like my whole body was on fire.

There was so much emotion raging inside me. My skin prickled. I felt hot, itchy, needy. I wanted…more. Just more.

“You’re driving me fucking crazy,” he whispered. His voice was husky, more than a hint of frustration in it.

Where every move before had been disciplined, he now radiated restless energy. It felt like having a big, edgy cat in a small cage.

His eyes grew heavy, hungry. “I’m waiting for you to run away,” he said quietly.

When I didn’t reply, his arms fell dejectedly to his sides.

“I don’t want you to.”

I bit my lip at his confession. He made me feel wanted. That I shouldn’t deny myself what I wanted. Even just for this moment.

The way he looked at me felt like heat gliding across my skin. Hot, palpable, alluring.

He looked so good, so unapologetically male.

“Kara.”

I looked up at him. He held his hand out to me, palm up.

“Come here,” he said huskily.

As if in a trance, I placed my hand in his. His hand was wide, with long, tapered fingers, and rough, with calluses and scrapes. A working man’s hand. A capable, strong, gorgeous man.

My eyes shifted to his. There was a delicious hot curl in my stomach at the approval and hunger I saw in his eyes.

He kissed my palm and placed it on his chest. His hands banded on my hips, his fingers pressing intimately, possessively, as he sprawled on the couch, pulling me to him and settling me on his lap.

I gasped as our bodies made contact, as I straddled him. He was wide, and God, so big that my legs stretched to accommodate him.

Up close, he was even more beautiful. Almost unreal. His features were perfect, his skin creamy and smooth.

His hands slipped under my sweater, fingers stroking the skin on my lower back. I shivered at the delicious rough texture of them.

When his lips touched my ear, I jumped. He let out a deep, low laugh.

Butterflies whirled in my stomach at the sound. Even his laugh was sexy.

“Can’t stop thinking about you,” he murmured.

He dragged his lips from my ear to my jaw, inhaling long and deep. My hands gripped his arms, waiting, wanting him to keep going, wanting to feel what was going to happen next.

His hands left my back, gliding up my arms, gently securing both sides of my neck. His thumbs stroked the hollow of my throat. My head fell back as I savored his touch. Back and forth and back and forth on my pulse that had gone mad.

He leaned forward until his lips were almost touching the side of my mouth. Almost.

“Kara,” he whispered. “Won’t you kiss me?”

***

Excerpted from Spitfire In Love by Isabelle Ronin. © 2019 by Isabelle Ronin. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

 

About the Author

Isabelle Ronin is the author of Wattpad reader phenomenon CHASING RED. Her books have over 200 million reads online.
​
When she’s not writing, Isabelle can be found hanging out in bookstores, cafes, and whenever possible, the beach. Isabelle lives in Manitoba, Canada.

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Giveaway

3 Bundle Packs of Chasing Red and Always Red

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Synopsis

 

After seven years of faithfully following her spiritual teacher, Renee Linnell finally realized she was in a cult and had been severely brainwashed. But how did that happen to someone like her? She had graduated magna cum laude with a double degree. She had traveled to nearly fifty countries alone before she turned thirty-five. She was a surf model and a professional Argentine tango dancer. She had started five different companies and had an MBA from NYU. How could someone like her end up brainwashed and in a cult?

The Burn Zone is an exploration of how we give up our power―how what started out as a need to heal from the loss of her parents and to understand the big questions in life could leave a young woman fighting for her sanity and her sense of self. In the years following her departure from the cult, Linnell struggled to reclaim herself, to stand in her truth, and to rebuild her life. And eventually, after battling depression and isolation, she found a way to come out the other side stronger than ever. Part inspirational story, part cautionary tale, this is a memoir for spiritual seekers and those who feel lost in a world that makes them feel less than perfect.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Why I Wrote The Burn Zone

by Renee Linnell

 

I wrote The Burn Zone as a catharsis; I had to get the story out of me. Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I believe she is right. The story was consuming me. It was tearing me apart from within. I was filled with anger and hatred and confusion and I had to let it go. So I wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. I vomited all of it onto paper. Over and over and over again. The same scenarios, the same pain, the same periods of my life. I wrote hate letters that I never sent. I screamed into pillows. I wrote letters to God. Over 700 pages I wrote. And it helped. The heaviness began to lift. The anger began to abate. The fits of rage dissipated. The overwhelming sadness turned to hope.

 

As this happened I began to speak bits of my story to loved ones. I began to share what I went through, what I signed up for. People were shocked, amazed, and . . . impressed. I began to realize my story had worth. I began to realize it was a story of strength; a story of the fight of the human spirit; a story of uncovering my True Self from deep within the shattered pile of a whole lifetime’s worth of rubble. As I spoke my story I began to get a consistent similar response, “You have to write a book.” It was then that I realized I had been writing a book; it was then that I made the decision to publish what I had written.

 

But, it wasn’t easy. Reading through my journals was painful. Reliving those stories, those states of mind, was sickening. However, I kept doing it. Because as I did it I realized I had inscribed a map. It was a description of what so many of us (I may even venture to say all of us) do as we create a life to please others. And it was a map, a stepping stone path, out, back to authenticity. I realized I had to print and share my story; even if it helped only one other person.

 

I suppose my background as a seeker and as a Buddhist monk influenced my writing in that I felt safe being raw. Vulnerable. “In my defenselessness, my safety lies,” says The Course in Miracles. I took it to heart. And it has been liberating. Publishing my whole story is so freeing because I get to just be me. And it turns out I’m really good at being me. I sucked at being the versions of me I thought I was supposed to be to please my parents, my teachers, my friends, the rest of the world; but it’s actually not much effort at all to just be me. I had a great writing teacher in high school who taught us all the rules of grammar, but then encouraged us to break them. So, you will notice I break a lot of writing rules, but I write the way I would tell a story. Thought by thought, sentence by sentence. Again, authenticity. This is the way I would tell you a story if we were face to face in my living room; why should I write it any other way?

 

It is my sincere desire that readers would feel liberated after reading my book. I love to imagine the little child within them smiling, finally feeling like s/he gets to call the shots. I love the idea of my readers making the commitment to love and nurture themselves; to treat themselves to the little joys in life that they love. I would love for my readers to finally let go of shame; to start claiming and even celebrating their stories. Especially the “skeletons in the closet.” I imagine shackles around the soul being removed; the shackles of shame, the shackles of not-forgiving, the shackles of wishing this or that never happened. I love imagining the spirits of my readers dancing around in the joy and wonder of their Earth Walk. Changing their mental paradigms to believing their life has been a wild adventure instead of lugging around the baggage of regret. I love imagining the flames within their hearts, the light within, igniting. And I would love for my readers to pull up to the surface, and feel safe in the exposing of, the parts of them that make them different. I would love for them to put my book down knowing their difference is their destiny and feeling ready to show and tell the world about their story, their fight of the human spirit, all that they have gone through, all that they have learned. I would love for them to discover the exhilarating freedom that comes with forgiving all of it, embracing their battle scars, and using those scars to go out in the world and fulfill their true Divine Purpose.

 

About the Author

 

Renee Linnell is the author of The Burn Zone: A Memoir, now available on Audible. She is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and co-founded five companies and has an Executive Masters in Business Administration from New York University. Currently, she is working on starting a publishing company to give people from diverse walks of life an opportunity to tell their stories. She divides her time between Colorado and Southern California.

 

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Giveaway

 

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An essential addition to every cook’s bookshelf, The Modern Cook’s Year will show you how to make the most of seasonal produce, using simple, hugely inventive flavours and ingredients.

Divided into six seasons, Anna Jones’s long-awaited new cook book contains over 250 delicious vegetarian recipes interspersed with tips on everything from seasonal music playlists to flowers to look out for in each month of the year.

The Modern Cook’s Year includes:

Start of the Year: Spelt with pickled pears and pink leaves and Chocolate and blood orange freezer cake; First Warm Days of Spring: Elderflower dressed broad beans and leaves with burrata and Chickpea farinata with slow cooked courgettes; Herald of Spring: Spring chickpea soup with salted lemons and Rhubarb and rose geranium frozen yoghurt; Summer: Smoked aubergine flatbreads and Beetroot tops tart; Autumn: Orzo with tomatoes and feta and Honey, lemon and coriander seed cake; Winter: Velvet squash broth with miso and soba and Chocolate rye porridge with quick honey pears.

Guiding you through the year, from the coldest winter days to the long light summer evenings, The Modern Cook’s Year is set to become a contemporary classic.

 

Review

This colorful cookbook is chock full of recipes that incorporates vegetables that are in season by the season.  There are six sections including each season, start of the year, herald of spring, first warm days, and basics.  There are even Flavor Maps which give you a place to start whether it is soups, flatbreads, fritters, or other dishes.  Then it walks you through each step of deciding what to add from other vegetables, spices, to what to serve the dish with at mealtime.  For a newer cook these are invaluable as it isn’t a recipe to follow per se, but a guide to trying different spices or vegetables in the same basic recipe.

I like that this cookbook focuses each section based on what is in season because we all know that is when those fruits and vegetables taste the best.  There are 250 recipes in this cookbook and you could make something different every day and not repeat any recipe for nearly a year.  I’m sure you will find some favorites that will become a staple in your home.

The recipe that I am going to try first (because I have a picky husband) is Tomatoes with Whipped Feta.  This is in the summer section and while not quite summer, close enough for me! Plus I love tomatoes and this looks like an easy side dish to make.

I have several other recipes tagged including Orzo with spiced tomato sauce and feta, Mini squash and chive dumplings, and Sea-salted chocolate and lemon mousse.  There are so many delicious recipes I can’t wait to try them all and see what my family thinks.

Overall I give this 4 1/2 paws up only because some of the ingredients are not common and might be harder to find in the store.  The author is from the UK so some things may be easier for her to find than me without running around to multiple stores or shopping online for some of the less common ingredients.

 

About the Author

Anna Jones is a cook, writer, and stylist, the voice of modern vegetarian cooking, and the author of several cookbooks.  The Modern Cook’s Year won the Guild of Food Writers Cookery Book Award 2018 and Observer Food Monthly’s Best Cookbook 2018.  Anna’s books have been translated into six languages.  She writes a weekly column for the Guardian.  She believes in putting vegetables at the center of the table and the unbridled joy of cooking and eating.  She lives in Hackney, East London, with her husband and son.

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For a Good Paws (A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Midnight Ink (May 8, 2019)
Paperback: 288 pages

Synopsis

Barkery owner Carrie Kennersly follows the scent of murder to find the true culprit . . .

When Carrie Kennersley, owner of a two-part bakery that serves tasty treats to both dogs and humans, learns that a local killer is being paroled, she worries that danger will come barking at her door.

Ten years ago, Mike Holpurn was convicted of murdering the first female mayor of Knobcone Heights. Now, shortly after his release, Holpurn puts the whole town on edge by yelling at the former mayor’s husband, Henry Schulzer. After Schulzer is found dead, everyone assumes Holpurn is the culprit. But Carrie thinks there’s more to the story, especially since Holpurn claims Schulzer was the one who really killed the mayor. Carrie is determined to uncover the truth, even if it means things will get ruff.

Includes recipes!

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Guest Post

BARKERY AND BISCUITS AND MORE

by Linda O. Johnston

Hard to believe it, but my Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series is now in its fifth and final year.  The last book in the series, FOR A GOOD PAWS, is a May 2019 release.   Why is it the last?  The publisher, Midnight Ink, is closing.

In the series, protagonist Carrie Kennersly is a veterinary technician who dreamed of becoming her own boss.  At the beginning of BITE THE BISCUIT, the first book in the series, her friend Brenda Anesco had to sell her bakery, Icing on the Cake, and move away from Knobcone Heights, California, to care for her ailing mother.  Carrie bought it and converted half of Icing into Barkery and Biscuits, a store that sells handmade dog treats made from healthy recipes Carrie developed for patients as a vet tech.  She also maintained the other half, Icing on the Cake, to sell fresh baked goods for people.

I realized when I began the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries that I was combining two popular cozy mystery themes: pets and cooking.  I even include recipes in the stories–one for a dog treat and one for a people treat.

I first came up with the hint of an idea for this series quite a few years ago, when I recognized  the emerging industry of small shops that catered to home-cooked meals and treats for pets but it wasn’t very popular–then.

By the time BITE THE BISCUIT was published, that was already a different story.  In my area of Los Angeles, for example, there are quite a few shops like that.  Some are even small chain stores.

Of course I have to visit them, and I buy samples most places I visit.  I have to be a little careful about what I buy, since my older Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Mystie has tummy issues and is on a prescription food diet, although I’m able to give her some new treats if I’m careful.  Our other Cavalier, Cari, is now two years old and eats everything.  I’m sure both dogs consider it fun that I’m doing this kind of research for my Barkery series.

The books in the Barkery series are cozy mysteries, which means there are murders in them.  They take place in the fictional town of Knobcone Heights, California.  Carrie holds adoption events in the Barkery, and one of her closest friends is Councilwoman Billi Matlock, who also owns a day spa and Mountaintop Rescue, a very special animal shelter.

Plus, Carrie’s dog Biscuit gets to hang out in the Barkery and sample all the wonderful dog treats.  They both also go to the Knobcone Veterinary Clinic, where Carrie has maintained her part-time job as a veterinary technician. Plus, she has a relationship going with one of the vets there, Dr. Reed Storme.   And, yes, Carrie does keep solving murders.

And it’s certainly been fun to write these stories.  I hope you enjoy reading them!

 

About the Author

Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, writes the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series for Midnight Ink.  Her fifth and final book in the series, For a Good Paws, is a May 2019 release.  She has also written Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink, and the Pet Rescue Mystery Series and Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime.  Linda also writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and nearly all her current stories involve dogs.

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