Friday, March 31, 2017

Pump Up Your Book Review Tour: Starting Over On Blackberry Lane





About the Author

Bestselling author Sheila Roberts has seen her books translated into over a dozen languages. Her novels ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS and THE NINE LIVES OF CHRISTMAS were made into movies for the Lifetime and Hallmark channels. When she’s not hanging out with her girlfriends or dancing with her husband she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.


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About the Book:

Title: STARTING OVER ON BLACKBERRY LANE
Author: Sheila Roberts
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Pages: 384
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Romance
Stefanie Stahl has a husband with renovation ADD. He can't seem to finish anything he starts and her house is littered with his "projects." If he doesn't smarten up, she swears she's going to murder him and bury him under the pile of scrounged lumber in the backyard.  

Her friend Griffin James is suddenly single and thinking maybe she needs to sell her fixer-upper and follow her career bliss up the ladder of success, even if that scary ladder is clear across the country. Getting her place ready to sell proves harder than she originally thought. She needs help.  

She's not the only one. Cass Wilkes, their neighbor, has an empty nest—with a leaking roof. When her ceiling crashes in, she knows it's time to do something. When Grant Masters offers his handyman services at a fund-raiser auction, the three women go in together to outbid the competition and win their man. (Cass's friends think she should win Grant in a different way, too!) Now it's time to make some improvements…in their houses and their lives.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:


Amazon

Review: Sheila Roberts is an author who is always in on my TBR pile. Starting Over On Blackberry Lane is the 10th book in the Icicle Falls series. I've read one other book in this one, What She Wants.

Sheila's writing reminds me of Debbie Macomber. Her books are about relationships, without being too sickeningly sweet.

The characters are very real, which is something I like. Most women can related to Cass, Steph and Griffin.  The feel like they are people that you know or know of and the setting is a beautiful small town. (Again, think Macomber's Cedar Cove)

So in this book, you have 3 stories going on in this novel and they all wind together so beautifully. Steph with her husband who doesn't finish what he starts.  I wasn't terribly fond of Cass in comparison to the other two women. She was a bit nasty when it came to her dealings with her husband, Brad and I just didn't go for that. Not that his behavior was perfect either.

This was a wonderful read and one that reminds me why I always pick up Sheila's books, because they are so homey and comfortable to read.

Rating: 5 flowers




Thursday, March 30, 2017

Book Review: In A Gilded Cage

Author: Rhys Bowen
Title: In A Gilded Cage
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: March 17, 2009
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Irish immigrant Molly Murphy and her New York City P.I. business are in the midst of a sweeping influenza epidemic and a fight for women’s suffrage that lands her in jail. Her betrothed, Police Captain Daniel Sullivan, finds her, but he hardly has time to bail her out, what with Chinese gangs battling for control of a thriving opium trade. The only consolation Molly can take from her vexing afternoon in the clink is that it made her some new friends among the Vassar suffragists---and brought her a pair of new cases.

For the first, Emily Boswell is convinced her miserly uncle stole her inheritance and wants Molly to uncover the truth behind her parents’ lives and deaths. Second, Emily’s college roommate Fanny Poindexter wants Molly to find proof of her husband’s philandering so that she can leave him without one red cent. But when Fanny dies and her husband claims she’s a victim of the epidemic, it’s more than Molly’s conscience can take.

Review: In A Gilded Cage is the 8th book in the Molly Murphy series. I absolutely love Rhy Bowen's writing. I've read several of the Royal Spyness novels, and I found one of the Molly Murphy novels at our library. Unfortunately they don't have all of them, so I'm reading them as I find them

This book is really fast paced and there are a quite a few subplots in both of the cases that really make you think.

I think what made this Molly Murphy book stand out for me, was the fact that the focus stayed on her solving her two cases, Emily's parentage and Fanny's death, after she had taken on Fanny as a client investigating her husband.

The absence for the most part of her beau, Daniel, made this book more enjoyable for me. I know that he's a huge part of her life, especially as the series goes on, but right now, I find him intensely unlikable and I'm glad, we really get to see Molly work her cases without him.

Emily's case is very interesting, as she was told that her parents were missionaries that died in a cholera epidemic in China.  The eventual resolution to her case was a bit obvious once Molly really started investigating.

Fanny's case was more interesting, as she wanted to find out if her husband was cheating and then ended up sick and then dead before her case could be resolved.

Then other friends of Fanny's from her Vassar days started to die mysteriously too.

That's when things start to get interesting.

They all seemed to die of the flu, but they all showed symptoms that weren't consistent with the flu.

The end result was really not what I was expecting, but it was perfect.

I absolutely loved this book, and can't wait to go on to the next.


Rating: 5 flowers



TLC Book Tours Book Review: 1001 Ways To Slow Down

About 1,001 Ways to Slow Down


• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (March 28, 2017)

This irresistible list book from National Geographic provides lighthearted quick hits of inspiration for those of us who feel overwhelmed—which is to say, all of us. Musings, activity suggestions, and illuminating quotes are paired with whimsical art on themes such as living in the moment, achieving balance, relieving stress, developing patience, and appreciating the world around us. "Slow living" sidebars, such as "Foods to Cook Slowly" and "Things to Do the Old-Fashioned Way," are interspersed throughout the book.

Purchase Links


National Geographic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review:  I want to say this is a coffee table book, but its not. Its a night stand book. As soon as I got my copy, I started to flip through it.

Its really a bunch of little hints to bring calm into your life, after all, isn't that what slowing down is all about.

Here is one of my favorite suggestions:

"Spend hours in a coffee shop reading."

Yes, please.

Interspersed throughout the book are calm lists.....with things like foods that are best when cooked slow or relaxing hobbies to try or taking time to be more organized

The pages are beautifully decorated too.

The book is very inviting. Reading it is a lovely way to slow down. Plus you don't have read it cover to cover. I actually think this is the kind of book you leave sitting on the night stand and you pick it up to wind down.

I can definitely see myself revisiting these pages over and over again.

Rating: 5 flowers


About Barbara Ann Kipfer


Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer is the author of 14,000 Things to Be Happy About and the Page-a-Day calendars based on it. She has written more than 60 books, including 1,001 Ways to Live Wild, The Order of Things, Self-Meditation, Instant Karma, 8,789 Words of Wisdom, The Wish List, and 4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone, and she edited Roget's International Thesaurus. She holds PhDs in linguistics, archaeology, and Buddhist studies. Dr. Kipfer is the Chief Lexicographer of Temnos and has worked for such companies as Answers.com, Ask Jeeves, and Dictionary.com.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Widow's House

About The Widow's House


• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 7, 2017)

This chilling novel from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages blends the gothic allure of Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca and the crazed undertones of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper with the twisty, contemporary edge of A.S.A. Harrison’s The Silent Wife—a harrowing tale of psychological suspense set in New York’s Hudson Valley.

When Jess and Clare Martin move from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to their former college town in the Hudson River valley, they are hoping for rejuvenation—of their marriage, their savings, and Jess's writing career.

They take a caretaker's job at Riven House, a crumbling estate and the home of their old college writing professor. While Clare once had dreams of being a writer, those plans fell by the wayside when Jess made a big, splashy literary debut in their twenties. It's been years, now, since his first novel. The advance has long been spent. Clare's hope is that the pastoral beauty and nostalgia of the Hudson Valley will offer some inspiration.

But their new life isn't all quaint town libraries and fragrant apple orchards. There is a haunting pall that hangs over Riven House like a funeral veil. Something is just not right. Soon, Clare begins to hear babies crying at night, see strange figures in fog at the edge of their property. Diving into the history of the area, she realizes that Riven House has a dark and anguished past. And whatever this thing is—this menacing force that destroys the inhabitants of the estate—it seems to be after Clare next…

Purchase Links


HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review: I've always been a fan of Gothic novels and The Widow's House is a wonderful example of a modern Gothic.

I always love a story about a creepy house and Riven House definitely fits the bill. Its spooky spooky spooky, which is something that I love.

When I say Gothic, I don't mean those cheesy romantic Gothics, I mean the ones that keep you on the edge of your seat while you are reading.

Clare and Jess are a couple that have come to Riven House as caretakers. They have sold everything so that Jess could work on his novel. The home they are taking care of belongs to a professor that gave his first novel a scathing review and gave him the issues he has writing now.

If you are a fan of gothic novels you need to read this

Rating: 5 flowers




About Carol Goodman


Carol Goodman is the critically acclaimed author of fourteen novels, including The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water, which won the 2003 Hammett Prize. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family, and teaches writing and literature at the New School and SUNY New Paltz.

Connect with Carol on Facebook.

Release Blast: Kiss Marry Kill


He's been chasing a memory . . .


KISS, MARRY, KILL
Iron Clad Security #1
Sidney Halston
Releasing March 28th, 2017
Swerve


He's been chasing a memory . . .

It was just supposed to be a regular Thursday afternoon…and then he saw her. Sitting in seat L214, one seat over from his at the baseball game, right next to her douche of a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. An impromptu kiss for the kiss cam, and Jax knew his life would never be the same. Five years and a tour in Afghanistan later, Jax is back stateside running his own private security firm, Iron-Clad, with his best friend. He isn't the man he used to be... but Megan isn't the sexy and sweet, though sheltered, twenty-two-year-old he left behind, either. And she's in trouble.

...but now they're on the run.

Megan Cruz has made something of herself. She’s turned her dreams of pop stardom into a reality. But when a deadly stalker breaks into her home claiming to be her number-one fan, the only person she can turn to is the boy who got away. But Jax isn’t the same carefree charmer who stole her heart, then broke it when he joined the military. This man is seductive, hard, guarded. And he'll do anything to protect what's his.




USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Halston lives her life with one simple rule: "Just Do It"--Nike. And that's exactly what she did.

After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she's not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading. She's a reader first and a writer second. When she's not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn't have it any other way.
 

Monday, March 27, 2017

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Renegade's Pride

About Renegade’s Pride

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (February 28, 2017)
The renegade cowboy returns 
It’s been nine years since Trask Beaumont left Gilt Edge, Montana, with an unsolved crime in his wake, and Lillian Cahill has convinced herself she’s finally over him. But when the rugged cowboy with the easy smile suddenly shows up at her bar, there’s a pang in her heart arguing the attraction never faded. And that’s dangerous, because Trask has returned on a mission to clear his name and win Lillie back.
Tired of running, Trask knows he must uncover the truth of the past before he can hope for a future with the woman he’s never forgotten. But if Lillie’s older brother, the sheriff, learns that Trask is back in town, he’ll arrest him for murder. Now Trask is looking for a showdown, and he won’t leave town again without one—or without Lillie.
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Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: BJ Daniels is one writer you should always reach for when you want romantic suspense with a western setting.

This is the first book in a new series, which is always welcome.

Lately it seems that most intrigues are second chance books, and this one is no different, but it has the mystery to go along with it, and that's what B.J. Daniels does best.

This is a book that will grab you early on and will keep you turning the pages until you finish.

I loved the backstory with Lillie's father and the alien abduction. I really hope this little plot tidbit plays a part in the upcoming stories of this series. There's a missile silo near the town, which adds some intrigue, especially with the stories of aliens.

Trask has returned home to clear his name of a murder he didn't commit, there's a missing woman. Lillie's brother, Flint is trying to solve that crime. It was also a bit of unfinished business  to this story, which left me a little bit frustrated.  Oh and Trask has come home to win Lillie back.

Lillie joins in on the search for answers,which stirs trouble in the small town of Gilt Edge. This town has a lot more secrets than you'd expect, and when things finally become clear, you'll be quite surprised.

I look forward to revisiting the Cahill family. 

Rating: 5 flowers


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Release Blast: Hot For The Fireman


It’s time to see how much heat this fireman can take...


HOT FOR THE FIREMAN
Boston Heat #1
Gina L. Maxwell
Releasing March 27th, 2017
Entangled Select


Ex-Army Ranger Erik Grady lives for the job. So when his chief at the Boston Fire Department offers him two choices—mandated therapy for supposed PTSD or a permanent desk job at the station, he reluctantly agrees to see a shrink. Only this doctor is unlike anything he expected. Female and curved in all the right places? Check. Hotter than a four-alarm fire? Check. The kind of woman that can heat his blood in and out of bed? Check, check. And oh, yeah, he just happens to have firsthand experience...

Of all the men to walk into psychologist Olivia Jones' office, why did it have to be him? Her one-night stand isn't playing by the rules of just. One. Night. She’s had her heart broken in the past, and no way is she going there again. And now he's blackmailing her into three dates? Well, if that's what it takes to make him see a different therapist, fine. She can handle it. So what if the chemistry between them is combustible? She's a professional, damn it. She'll date Mr. I'm Too Sexy For My Bunker Pants. But it won’t end in the fun he expects.

It’s time to see how much heat this fireman can take...





Gina L. Maxwell is a full-time writer, wife, and mother living in the upper Midwest, despite her scathing hatred of snow and cold weather. An avid romance novel addict, she began writing as an alternate way of enjoying the romance stories she loves to read. Her debut novel, Seducing Cinderella, hit both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists in less than four weeks, and she’s been living her newfound dream ever since.

When she’s not reading or writing steamy romance novels, she spends her time losing at Scrabble (and every other game) to her high school sweetheart, doing her best to hang out with their teenagers before they fly the coop, and dreaming about her move to sunny Florida once they do.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Book Review: An Honest Love

Author: Kathleen Fuller
Title: An Honest Love
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: March 15, 2010
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb:  Lukas Byler is the man of Anna Esh's dreams--and he's asked her to marry him. But Anna has a secret she can't bring herself to reveal; she may not be able to bear children. She knows how much having a large family means to Lukas, but she's afraid of losing him so she doesn't tell him.She's thrilled when, after several months of being married, she gets pregnant. But when she miscarries, her worst fears are confirmed. Can she bring herself to be honest with Lukas? And will he still love her when he learns the truth.


Review:  An Honest Love is 2 intertwined romances. The primary story features Anna Esh who has recently moved to Middlefield with her mother to take care of her curmudgeonly Uncle Zeb. Zeb is really quite a hoot at times.

When she is working on her new Amish shop she meets Lukas Byler who is instantly taken with her. Lukas is also the brother of Elisabeth who is part of the other couple. She's a young girl of 18 who is just starting out at her first job. Aaron Detweiler works at the blacksmith shop. He's had his share of troubles. He's spent time in jail for drugs.

You have two very different couples but each are finding their way to each other. Both couples are very likable. Anna is very sweet and hardworking. She's trying  to get over a heartbreak and she tries to stay clear of Lukas and his advances.

Elisabeth and Aaron have trouble getting together because Aaron is really beating himself up over his time spent in jail. He's scared to show any signs of having fun.

Each couple has a lot to work through to get to where they need to be. Anna has a health issue she's keeping a secret, and Elisabeth is just a little to hard headed at times.

I like the way the two stories are separate but weave together in spots because of the families involved.

I admit to liking Elisabeth and Aaron more than Anna and Lukas, because though Anna was all that was good, a lot of her misery was brought on herself. She didn't put her trust in those that loved her and that made her a bit frustrating at times.

I hope that these couples appear in other stories. I also hope that Elisabeth's friend Deborah gets a story, or that Deborah's predicament ends up helping Anna and Lukas at some point down the line.

Rating: 5 flowers


Tasty Book Tours Cover Reveal: The Negotiator


Tasty Book Tours Presents....


THE NEGOTIATOR
A Hot Romantic Comedy
Avery Flynn
Releasing April 24th, 2017
Entangled Select


Wanted: Personal Buffer

Often snarly, workaholic executive seeks “buffer” from annoying outside distractions AKA people. Free spirits with personal boundary issues, excessive quirks, or general squeamishness need not apply.  Salary negotiable. Confidentiality required.

Workaholic billionaire Sawyer Carlyle may have joked he needed a “buffer” from their marriage-obsessed mom, but he didn’t need a waiting room filled with “candidates” to further distract him. (Thanks, bro.) But when a sexy job applicant shooes his mom and the socialite in tow out of his office, Sawyer sees the genius of the plan. And the woman. In fact, Miss Clover Lee might just get the fastest promotion in history, from buffer to fake fiancé…

This “free-spirit” might look like hot sunshine and lickable rainbows, but she negotiates like a pitbull. Before Sawyer knows what hit him, he’s agreed to give up Friday nights for reality tv, his Saturdays for flea markets (why buy junk still baffles him), his Tuesdays and Thursdays for “date nights” (aka panty-losing opportunities if he plays his cards right). And now she wants lavender bath salts and tulips delivered every Monday?

Yup, she’s just screwing with him. Good thing she’s got this non-negotiatable six-weeks-and-she’s-gone rule or Sawyer may have just met this match…



When Avery Flynn isn't writing about alpha heroes and the women who tame them, she is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. She has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and has a slight shoe addiction. Find out more about Avery on her website, follow her on Twitter, like her on her Facebook page or friend her on her Facebook profile. Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life. Contact her at avery@averyflynn.com. She’d love to hear from you.




 
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