tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86874653728715929122024-03-13T02:02:54.242-05:00A Southern Girls Bookshelf“She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.”
― Annie DillardMonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.comBlogger1679125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-70926026443482042542024-01-26T08:00:00.001-06:002024-01-26T08:00:00.142-06:00Blitz: Winter Womderland Romance by Shanna Hatfield<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p>Winter Wonderland Romance by Shanna Hatfield<br />(Winter Wishes, #3)<br />Publication date: January 25th, 2024<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance</p><blockquote><p><strong>She never wanted to return to her hometown.</strong><br />
<strong>He needed an escape from his family.</strong><br />
<em>When a chance meeting brings them together, will their attraction keep them from drifting apart?</em></p>
<p>Doctor Olivia Burton never intended to return to her hometown of Pinehill. After graduating high school, she set off on a new path, eager to leave her past behind. However, years later, an unexpected phone call from her mentor pulls her back to Pinehill to take over a thriving medical practice as the town’s primary physician. Determined to avoid the local gossip mill, Olivia attempts to keep a low profile as she settles back into the community.</p>
<p>Alex Adams is desperate for an escape from his well-meaning but suffocating family. After a life-altering explosion ended his military career, he finds himself plagued with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Surrounded by his loud and overbearing family only intensifies his struggles. Seeking respite, he retreats to his aunt’s mountain cabin in Pinehill, desperate for peace and quiet.</p>
<p>When a chance encounter brings Alex and Olivia together, the sparks begin to fly. Olivia, cautious and hesitant to let anyone into her guarded heart, begins to question if it’s time to leave her past behind and embrace the possibility of a winter wonderland romance. Alex, yearning for connection and understanding, finds himself drawn to Olivia’s warmth and kindness.</p>
<p>As they spend more time together, will Olivia and Alex discover that love, much like freshly fallen snow, has a way of blanketing everything in a layer of beauty?</p>
<p>Uncover the joys that come with new beginnings, the transformative power of love, and the magic that can be found in the simplest moments in this sweet, wholesome, and tender romance.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204802448-winter-wonderland-romance" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3vIK3qH" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>When no one answered, she stepped inside and reached for the light switch she knew was on the wall.</p>
<p>“Alex? I’m not leaving until I make sure you’re okay, so you might as well answer me.”</p>
<p>She cocked an ear and heard water running. He wouldn’t try to drown himself, would he? Olivia tossed off her coat, set the ice cream and cookies on the counter in the kitchen, and was just headed down the hall to the master suite when a light flicked on and Alex stood there wearing nothing but a towel.</p>
<p>The wise thing for her to do would have been to spin around and give him his privacy. However, she was too worried about him and still too keyed up from what had happened to listen to the voice telling her to retreat.</p>
<p>She walked the rest of the way into the room, fisted her hands on her hips, and studied him from the top of his head where water droplets clung to the tips of his hair, down his stoic face, past that delectable cleft in his chin, and along the impressive muscles in his arms, chest, and abs. The physician in her categorized his scars, making note of several burn marks and one spot on his side that looked like a gunshot wound. She walked around him, convinced the corresponding wound on his back was the exit point.</p>
<p>What terrors had this man survived?</p>
<p>Her admiration for him climbed several notches. Alex was a survivor, whether he realized it or not.</p>
<p>“Hi,” she said softly, walking back around to face him. His nearly naked state left her feeling wave after wave of things better left alone, but despite how much it unsettled her, she wasn’t quite ready to return to the kitchen.<br />
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.</p>
<p>Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”</p>
<p>When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.</p>
<p>To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield</p>
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<a href="https://shannahatfield.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4981400.Shanna_Hatfield" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorShannaHatfield" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannaHatfield" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shannahatfield/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/shannahatfield/_saved/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shanna-hatfield" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://shannahatfield.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=acebcab2e4262575917cb7049&id=dcb6341143" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-85051838574360654652023-10-26T08:00:00.001-05:002023-10-26T08:00:00.158-05:00Book Blitz: How It All Began by Fiona West<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>How It All Began by </strong><strong>Fiona West</strong><br />Publication date: October 24, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p>Trust is like car keys: easy to lose and hard to get anywhere without it…</p>
<p>Evan only intended to strike up a casual conversation with the stunning blonde with Goldie Hawn looks–now he finds himself trying to cross paths with her on campus every chance he gets. But his water polo teammate appears to have damaged his chances with Farrah before he could even ask her out.</p>
<p>Farrah’s been out with players from the water polo team before–and it’s always ended in tears. The handsome medical student who wants to help her get revenge says he’s not like them…but there’s only one way to know for sure.</p>
<p>Will a trip to his hometown seal the deal or prove this player’s all washed up?</p>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197900006-how-it-all-began" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3Q6WgMc" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-it-all-began-fiona-west/1144251585?ean=2940179086505" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/how-it-all-began-17" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>“<em>Who </em>is <em>that</em>?” Cat asked, peering out the front window as she pinned the foil in Mrs. Bergstein’s hair. “And what do I have to do to get my fingers in that hair?”</p>
<p>“I love his cut,” Daisy said. “Don’t you just love it? I wonder who did it.”</p>
<p>“Forget his cut. Look at his <em>jaw</em>. And those <em>arms</em>. I bet those could keep me warm <em>all night</em>.”</p>
<p>Farrah smiled to herself as she swept her area, but said nothing. He’d put some kind of product in it that was making it look even more tousled than she’d intended, and it was definitely working for him. She’d have to find out what he’d used. Farrah glanced at the clock: it was 3:55. She took off her apron and washed her hands in the sink; they were feeling rough. She really needed to invest in some gloves or something if she was going to be holding hands with this guy more in the near future…and it seemed like a real possibility. More nerves bubbled in her stomach as she checked herself in the mirror, fluffing her hair.</p>
<p>“I’m off. See you all Monday.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Cat said, “is that…are you…that stud muffin is yours?” she called after her as the door swung shut. “Farrah!”</p>
<p>“Hi,” she greeted Evan shyly, and he grinned.</p>
<p>“I think your boss was trying to get your attention…”</p>
<p>Farrah waved a hand. “She’s fine. They’ll just hound me for details on Monday, anyway, and I’ll have more to tell them then.” She leaned forward, hesitated, then gave him a peck on the cheek, if only to stake her claim with the other stylists. <em>Mine. And yes, I gave him a bodacious haircut. </em>His sunglasses reflected her smile back.</p>
<p>“In that case, ready to go? Turns out the shop is just down the street.”</p>
<p>“Sure!” He held out his arm, and she took it gladly as they started off. They walked in pleasant silence for a few minutes until Evan dropped her arm and turned to her.</p>
<p>“Okay, I can’t take it anymore. Was it Hairway to Heaven?”</p>
<p>Farrah blinked. “What?”</p>
<p>“Your name! The better name for the salon! Was it Hairway to Heaven? Or maybe Whole Lotta Styling Going On?”</p>
<p>She snickered. “What? No!”</p>
<p>“The Braidy Bunch?”</p>
<p>Farrah rolled her eyes and resumed walking. “That is the worst pun I’ve ever heard.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’ve got lots more. Vanity Hair? Blown Away? Ahead of Hair Time?”</p>
<p>“Stop,” Farrah giggled, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him close, matching his long strides. But the man just kept going.</p>
<p>“A Cut Above. Fringe Benefits. Thy Kingdom Comb.”</p>
<p>The giggles were now uncontrollable, and she felt tears of laughter at the corners of her eyes.</p>
<p>“Curl up ‘n Dye! Mane Attraction! A Cut Above!”</p>
<p>“You already did that one,” Farrah wheezed, holding her stomach, barely able to get the words out for laughing so hard.</p>
<p>“Well, I can’t help it! I have to know! Please, please put me out of my misery and—”</p>
<p>“All right, all right,” she said, wiping the tears from her face, aware that her mascara was now running. “My goodness. It’s…” She’d never told anyone her plans for the salon, not even her mom, and she told her pretty much everything. But Evan wasn’t going to judge her, she didn’t think. And hopefully, he’d be kind if he didn’t like it.</p>
<p>“It’s Shear Brilliance,” she said, just as they came to a stop outside a bridal shop.</p>
<p>Evan stared at her for a long moment, blinking slowly, then finally said, “That is genius.”</p>
<p>“You really like it?”</p>
<p>“No, I adore it. It’s perfect. Far better than what I came up with. You’ve got a flair for this, Farrah. And it’s going to look great printed on your business cards when you give Harry a stack for his friends.”</p>
<p>Farrah rolled her eyes as she pulled open the front door. “You never stop, do you?”</p>
<p>Evan grinned. “You should see me in the off-season when I don’t have water polo to tire me out. I’m like a human pinball machine.”<br />
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Fiona West lives in the Pacific Northwest. Writing romance is her favorite thing, followed closely by reading, knitting and drinking tea while looking out the window. When she’s not doing those things, she’s spending time with her husband and two kids. Her debut novel, The Ex-Princess, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was named one of their Best Books of 2019. The first book in her contemporary romance series, Could Be Something Good, also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Find out more about Fiona at http://www.fionawest.net or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.subscribepage.com/westwind.</p>
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<a href="https://fionawest.net/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18433825.Fiona_West" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/kitty_thomas" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/westwind" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-21621777854583646762023-10-12T08:00:00.008-05:002023-10-12T08:00:00.169-05:00Cover Reveal: Summers at The Saint by Mary Kay Andrews<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4cMRu72k57helrJZbXOaXPxYYYnIhuIp-htGgY04lORT96bFMEc91scN_sijY-IezKFEmJ0XOOfYrP4UhxJ1Tg2Okc6kFRwjlihL5N6KUumpH-2flMoqnnMXOtjLpiLp8Auesbf4CZ3CkQWKhpDygqD16uA89FO0DQKoz8seWwmgLkYbaNYb0KXvN31H/s2850/IMG_4555.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1875" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4cMRu72k57helrJZbXOaXPxYYYnIhuIp-htGgY04lORT96bFMEc91scN_sijY-IezKFEmJ0XOOfYrP4UhxJ1Tg2Okc6kFRwjlihL5N6KUumpH-2flMoqnnMXOtjLpiLp8Auesbf4CZ3CkQWKhpDygqD16uA89FO0DQKoz8seWwmgLkYbaNYb0KXvN31H/w264-h400/IMG_4555.jpeg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; word-spacing: 1px;">Drumroll, please! I'm thrilled to help @Mary Kay Andrews reveal the cover for next summer's book! Behold SUMMERS AT THE SAINT! I'm so excited for this one, especially since she did not have a new summer book this year. The book will be out everywhere from @St. Martin's Press on May 7, 2024, but is officially available for pre-order now. Find more info about the book and pre-order links here: </span><a data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" data-removefontsize="true" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/summers-at-the-saint/&source=gmail&ust=1697166421410000&usg=AOvVaw3uYY_poe1a1yyXS31W5WxM" href="https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/summers-at-the-saint/" id="m_6714631220338546942LPlnk430798" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border-color: rgb(66, 133, 244); color: #4285f4; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; word-spacing: 1px;" target="_blank">https://static.<wbr style="border-color: rgb(66, 133, 244);"></wbr>macmillan.com/static/smp/<wbr style="border-color: rgb(66, 133, 244);"></wbr>summers-at-the-saint/</a></p><div data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" data-originalfontsize="12pt" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; word-spacing: 1px;">#summersatthesaint #summerbeginswithmka</div>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-88407615140794105132023-10-10T08:00:00.001-05:002023-10-10T08:00:00.169-05:00Book Blitz: Sea Stars Christmas by Annie M. Ballard<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Sea Stars Christmas by </strong><strong>Annie M. Ballard</strong><br />Publication date: October 10, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance</p><blockquote><p><strong>Mackenzie and Declan need a miracle. Or two.</strong></p>
<p>Mackenzie wants to belong – to Declan, her boyfriend, and to Stella Mare, her new Canadian home. Putting on the village’s first-ever Sea Stars Festival at Christmas will help, but it must be perfect. She can’t risk making a mistake.</p>
<p>Declan can’t commit – except to his writing career. Much as he loves Mackenzie and teaching at the high school, he dreams of moving to the city as a successful novelist. In the meantime, he’s producing his first-ever play.</p>
<p>Pulled in different directions, a distance grows between them as the play and festival near. Emotions flare amid twinkling lights while personalities clash, equipment fails, and people fall short. They need a miracle. Or two.</p>
<p>Crusty villagers with a past, problem principals, an errant Santa all do their part as Christmas spirit blooms in the village. Come home to Stella Mare, as Mackenzie and Declan explore what it means to belong – to a village and to each other.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198984776-sea-stars-christmas" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Stars-Christmas-Stella-Story-ebook/dp/B0CK51YQCD" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Mackenzie yanked open the car door, barely noticing the cold metal on her hands. This place. Why did she still feel like an outsider? It didn’t help to have local business owners griping about her. Well, to be fair, it was only a few, but they were loud.</p>
<p>Of course things felt unfamiliar when you start over, especially moving to Canada as she had, but she thought it would get better. Getting a job, a house and her dear boyfriend Declan hadn’t given her a place in the wider community. People still made comments and she couldn’t feel her roots. Sometimes it even felt like her life wasn’t real. Right this minute, though, she felt entirely real and entirely stressed. Difficult meetings did that to her. She sat in her cold car, gripping the wheel as she stared into space. Was this new project even possible?</p>
<p>What a stupid idea.</p>
<p>Okay, it was her idea. That didn’t mean it wasn’t stupid. She’d dreamed it up, a holiday festival to highlight the little village she loved. She imagined visitors marveling at the architecture, the charming shops, and the excellent restaurants, all wrapped in Christmas cheer. Magda Allen, chair of the Village Marketing Group, had run with the vision. Despite the naysayers, the group voted it in. Now it was up to Mackenzie to make it happen. In three weeks. Yes, a stupid idea.</p>
<p>A shiny Volvo swept up and Magda grandly gestured for her to put her car window down.</p>
<p>“Good job getting folks on board!” her sort-of boss said cheerily.</p>
<p>Mackenzie wrinkled her forehead. “Who? You heard the complaints. Those people don’t like outsiders. Estelle and Josiah especially.”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe,” Magda admitted, “but most people really liked it. The hotel people, the chocolate guy. The restaurant folks.”</p>
<p>“I guess.” Mackenzie tended to remember the negative bits.</p>
<p>“Some people don’t like change. Don’t worry about it,” Magda advised.</p>
<p>“When they complain about people from away it’s hard not to take it personally,” she said darkly.</p>
<p>“Estelle doesn’t like anybody,” Magda confirmed, “so it’s not about you. Besides, they voted, and you got a green light.”</p>
<p>“<em>We</em> did, not me. I’m an online marketer,“ she reminded her. “I don’t do in-person, talk-to-people-I-don’t-know stuff.”</p>
<p>“You’ll do fine,” Magda enthused. “It’s going to be fun and bring in business. The Sea Stars Festival will be the best festival ever in Stella Mare.”</p>
<p>“Because it’s the first,” Mackenzie objected.</p>
<p>“And that’s good enough,” Magda said. “Keep connected. Let me know what I can do.” Arm waving merrily out the window, she drove off.</p>
<p>Mackenzie could hardly fathom such confidence. If she did, then she could imagine Water Street full of lights and greenery, a parade with floats, bands, even Santa, and happy families watching. Maybe it wasn’t such a reach.</p>
<p>It was even possible organizing this festival could help her get connected to this community. Hope bloomed in her chest, but then she recalled the grim faces of the naysayer and her heart sank again. She wasn’t Magda, endlessly optimistic.</p>
<p>Remembering Josiah’s glare didn’t help, so she tried to shake it off while heading home. She wished she could unload her worries on Declan, but he was always busy. Teaching, writing, and, now, producing his play at the high school consumed his time. Besides, he was at work. She’d have to wait her turn for his attention.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/E8et-the-season-do-its-magic.-There-is-somethi-ng-about-getting-together-before-we-all-hunker-down-for-the-winterL-–assandra-mused.-EMusic-good-food-pretty-lights-1with-border.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Annie M. Ballard writes about women and family ties in the small villages that feel like home. With one foot in the Canadian Maritimes and the other in New England, she digs deep into the lives of her characters. When she’s not writing, she’s happily baking, gardening, powerlifting and trying to make friends with every dog in her neighbourhood.</p>
<p>Annie’s stories include strong women living real lives, good men trying to do better, and always a happy ending.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://anniemballard.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21745788.Annie_M_Ballard" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071779791861" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/anniemballard/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/annie-m-ballard" target="_blank">Bookbub</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-70556176958880623472023-10-02T08:00:00.001-05:002023-10-02T08:00:00.146-05:00Book Blitz: A Match Made in Ireland by E.D. Hackett<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>A Match Made in Ireland by </strong><strong>E.D. Hackett</strong><br />Publication date: September 23, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><strong>A semester abroad was exactly what she needed, but falling in love with her roommate was not part of the lesson plan.</strong></p>
<p>When Rory, a driven American seeking a much-needed break from her hectic life, lands in Ireland for a semester abroad, she never imagines sharing her space with Jaime, the charming yet irksome redhead from her flight. A twist of fate entwines their paths, forcing them to live under one roof for four months.</p>
<p>Despite his laid-back demeanor clashing with her meticulous nature, Rory finds herself irresistibly drawn to Jaime’s infectious Irish charm and tight-knit family bonds. As they traverse the breathtaking landscapes of Ireland, Rory relies on Jaime’s wisdom to navigate the challenges of their travels. It doesn’t take long for her to fall for the enchanting Irish experience he offers, which extends far beyond the usual tourist trails.</p>
<p>But as the end of the semester draws near, Rory is faced with a heart-wrenching decision. Will she leave a piece of her heart in Ireland, or was Jaime merely a dream meant to be left behind?</p>
<p>Immerse yourself in E.D. Hackett’s A Match Made in Ireland for a delightful romantic comedy that delves into the magic of Ireland, the beauty of unforeseen bonds, and the transformative power of self-discovery. Buckle up for a journey filled with laughter, tears, and love that you won’t want to miss!</p>
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<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/136668915-a-match-made-in-ireland" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3LEWpoV" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p><em>It was him.</em> The man from the plane sat on the bed, staring at a drawing pad on his lap. The spiky red hair, the smattering of freckles, and the creased eyes triggered a series of flashbacks that ran through my mind: the lack of spatial awareness, the soda down my leg, and the stolen dinner roll.</p>
<p>I pulled the covers over my head, my heart racing and the pit in my stomach digging into my pelvis like a concrete boulder. I dragged the duvet below my eyes and squinted, trying not to be obvious. <em>Am I dreaming? Ha! Maybe I’m having a nightmare.</em> The same red hair, now tousled from sleep, rested against the wall. I pushed the blanket down to my shoulders and said, “Hello, again.”</p>
<p>He looked up from his drawing pad and tilted his head to the left, tapping his pencil against his scruffy chin. “I remember you. From the plane.”</p>
<p>I tried to smile, but my lips refused to rise. I pushed my body against the back wall and pulled the sheet closer to my armpits. “What are you doing here, if you don’t mind me asking?”</p>
<p>“I could ask you the same thing. I live here.”</p>
<p>My eyes bulged and I scrambled to a seated position. “You can’t live here. You’re a guy. This is an apartment with women. Foreign exchange students. A bunch of Americans.” I spoke slowly, as if that would make him understand.</p>
<p>Jaime chuckled and looked down again. “Yes, I am aware, but this is my apartment now. I forgot to renew my housing paperwork last semester, and they gave my room away. This was all that was left. They told me I was living with Rory, Zoey, and Marissa. I take it you’re Rory?”</p>
<p>I nodded.</p>
<p>“I thought you were an Irish lad.”</p>
<p>I swallowed loudly, the saliva crawling down the back of my throat. Reaching across my bed to my nightstand, I downed a bottle of water. Cloudiness from the alcohol still in my system slowed down my brain’s processing ability, and I struggled to understand his words. “You can’t live here,” I said again.</p>
<p>“I wish I didn’t. Living with a bunch of Americans during my last year of college is the last thing I want to do, but it’s that or be homeless so I’ll suck it up.” He returned to his drawing and spoke to his paper. “Nice to meet you, Rory.” His amber eyes looked over, scanning my top half. “Fun time last night?”</p>
<p>My brain beat against my forehead, and I massaged my temples. “Yeah. Sorry if I woke you.”</p>
<p>“No worries. I spent the night with my old flatmates. They live downstairs, and I came up here to crash. I didn’t even hear you come in.”</p>
<p>I grabbed the hooded sweatshirt sitting at the end of my bed, and pulled it over my body. “Are you sure they said there was nowhere else? I mean, I don’t know, Jaime. You’re a guy, a stranger, really, and I have a boyfriend. I don’t think he will be too excited when I tell him my roommate’s an Irish guy.”</p>
<p>His liquid gold eyes looked me up and down. “I asked to be moved and they put me on a waiting list if some other American no-shows, but I want my old flat and my old flatmates. Unless they can squeeze me back in there, I’m staying here. So, there it is. An Irish bloke and an American lass living together. That’ll make a good story for the grandkids. Promise, you won’t even know I’m here.”</p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>E.D Hackett is a Speech-language pathologist by day and a writer by night. She writes novels that investigate layers of self-expectations, family dynamics, self-love and self-acceptance. She hopes that her novels create a safe and cozy environment for her readers to fall into and explore. </p>
<p>She writes women’s fiction novels with one foot in romance. And every story has a happy ever after. </p>
<p>She lives in New England but in her heart, she feels that she belongs in Ireland. She reads women’s women’s fiction and romantic comedies, prefers books to movies, ice cream to cake, and fall to spring. </p>
<p>Please visit https://www.linktr.ee/edhackett for more information! You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Goodreads.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://edhackettauthor.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20864221.E_D_Hackett" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/edhackettwrites/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/e.d_hackettwrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/e-d-hackett" target="_blank">Bookbub</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-21130384012660604352023-08-14T08:25:00.003-05:002023-08-14T08:28:18.662-05:00Mini Review: The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM9dTCzEIoN-jtsvzi5FXSCNe2kZWgBVTw8evIpptn-SyuM4f7tmy1-7xpvWA1UroT0Eh1piRZhuLnGN214wAnUQIFVu7Vugn9ZPCteBv7fGgEMACoOAk8gsLnJ_PtbgEaxrchrmV446vKCFe_VtKS_p3VEXAh5CZN4kWpJ7Om_lH1DvIUq8GUOBBqhXr/s2118/61273353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2118" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM9dTCzEIoN-jtsvzi5FXSCNe2kZWgBVTw8evIpptn-SyuM4f7tmy1-7xpvWA1UroT0Eh1piRZhuLnGN214wAnUQIFVu7Vugn9ZPCteBv7fGgEMACoOAk8gsLnJ_PtbgEaxrchrmV446vKCFe_VtKS_p3VEXAh5CZN4kWpJ7Om_lH1DvIUq8GUOBBqhXr/w207-h320/61273353.jpg" width="207" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Published: July 11, 2023</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2e875bd8-7fff-b9aa-c6d4-fbc512f86bee"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Publisher: Gallery Books</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Format: via publisher</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Synopsis</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lanier, meanwhile, is struggling with tough decisions of her own. After a run-in with an old flame, she is torn between the commitment she made to her fiancé and the one she made to her first love. And when a big secret comes to light, she finds herself at odds with her best friend…and risks losing the person she loves most.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But in spite of their personal problems, nothing is more important to these songbirds than Camp Holly Springs. When the women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My Thoughts</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I really liked this story of lifelong friends who were always there for each other and now as adults continue to be there in each other lives. Their friendship isn't the only thing featured in this read but also the camp where it all began, so when it comes in danger they all rally together to help save it. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I like how we get the background story of each girl and how that has affected how their life is now, What would be a summer read without romance? This book has it in spades with romance that has taken decades to come full circle but definitely comes together at the end. In the end, this story is great and definitely worth the read.</span></span></p><div><span face="Montserrat, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-57089594133269465102023-07-07T08:00:00.001-05:002023-07-07T08:00:00.156-05:00Book Blitz: It Feels Like Home by Ali Lucia Sky<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>It Feels Like Home by </strong><strong>Ali Lucia Sky</strong><br />Publication date: July 5, 2023<br />Genres: Romance, Young Adult</p><blockquote><p>Jacelyn Waverly might need a twelve-step program for jerks.</p>
<p>One jerk, in particular, Ky Linley, because even two years apart hasn’t stopped the butterflies from taking flight in her stomach when he’s around.</p>
<p>After humiliating her in her freshman year and starting rumors that dogged her reputation, Ky shouldn’t get a second chance. Still, she’s returned home older and wiser, and everyone seems different now. But with an angry sister, an overworked mom, a father on the opposite side of the country, and a best friend who is just starting to fall in love for the first time, it all seems like a lot.</p>
<p>But sometimes, growing up feels like coming home.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173193609-it-feels-like-home" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/46vxhtl" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>“Hey, baby?” My mom shook my shoulder, and I jumped and her iPad thumped to the carpeted floor. I rubbed my eyes. “Jacie, I told you not to worry about getting a job. We’re fine. You’re exhausted, and you only just got home. We can make it on my paycheck. I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do this.”</p>
<p>“I’m not exhausted, I’m a little tired because I got up to talk to Mare this morning. I made her breakfast too–crap, I left dishes everywhere. Sorry mom.” I facepalm. Here I was trying to make her life easier, and I made chores for her.</p>
<p>She laughed. “This is your first summer since you left and aren’t doing homework. You should enjoy it. You are done taking care of your dad, you don’t have to take care of us. Your job is to go out and screw up, make me worry, come home late from partying and make questionable choices,” she joked.</p>
<p>“You want two Marises?” I smiled.</p>
<p>“I worry. I don’t want you to feel you have to work in an Italian Restaurant, feed your family, and take care of your older sister. I’m the mom. It’s okay to be irresponsible. You deserve it. You’ve been very disciplined since you left.” I sighed and nodded. Oddly, I responded to that by getting up and going and making my mom a coffee. She liked the instant type, with so much sugar it would give an elephant cavities, and enough milk to turn it white.</p>
<p>“What are you doing, hon?” she asked, watching me.</p>
<p>“We’re having a grown up conversation, and you sound a little unbalanced, I’m getting you coffee,” I teased. I stirred the creamer and brought it to the table and sat it down so she’d get the idea that she should relax. “I want to work. It’s boring doing nothing. Plus, I have plenty of time to get up to trouble that will give you graying hair. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get pregnant, and I can always get someone to buy me alcohol to start an early drinking problem. If something like that would make you happy, I can try either option for you,” I say facetiously.</p>
<p>“I would prefer irresponsible drinking without the long term habit. I’m not ready to be a grandmother. Although, I have no doubt, if it happened, you’d step up and handle it better than I did when it happened, and I was an adult when I had Maris. You’re just so put together. I wish you were selfish like your father and Mare. At least I can count on her being useless to me all summer. And I have no use for your dad at all. You’re my golden child, Jacelyn.”</p>
<p>“I’ll find a bad crowd and start making friends with questionable characters immediately just for you, mom,” I teased. “Maybe find a guy with a one word name… Rancid? He will ride a motorcycle and not wash.” I moved to the fridge and pulled out the sweet tea I made and poured a tall glass and took a long drink before pouring more and continued. “I’ll shave my head into a mohawk, dye it green and put a hole through my cheek.”</p>
<p>My mother smiled broadly, liking this game. “See? Now we’re talking. You’ll have your thing, and Mare will have avoiding reality and things at home, and driving badly. I’m sad now that I didn’t have a son to sneak around with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but you and Rancid should have that covered.”</p>
<p>I moved to the table and sat on one leg folded beneath me and pointed at her. “You have Peter, and he is dating a boy who is on the wrong side of the closet door.”</p>
<p>She waved her head and lifted her cup for a sip, “He’s just one of my girls. I guess I can consider him the daughter sneaking around though.”</p>
<p>I loved my mom. She was just one of those people who tried to find the humor in everything. We often had conversations that were ridiculous like this. She told me that her favorite thing was to hear us laugh, and her second favorite thing was to have something to laugh about. The way her mind worked always made me feel better, lighter. My mom put me at ease about serious things.</p>
<p>I know Maris took her for granted, but having spent two years with my dad, I appreciated her in a way I never would have had I stayed here. The time apart gave us both a different view of one another.</p>
<p>She wasn’t just my mom, she was one of my best friends.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard everything you said. I want you to know I like working. I don’t like having all this spare time to sit and kill. It’s boring. I also like the people I work with. It’s healthy, and next week when I get paid, I’d like to take over buying some of the groceries, at least my own.” I held up my hand when she looked like she was going to argue. “I know you can afford it, but I’m going to have to start affording my own things this fall. I’m going to put the rest away for college.”</p>
<p>“Jesus, Jacelyn, you’re killing me!” my mom moaned. “Very well. So independent. What are your hours?”</p>
<p>“I’m part-time until I get my car, and then I’ll be full-time,” I replied.</p>
<p>She nodded. “How are you getting to work in the time being? I feel awful that I never got a second car now.”</p>
<p>I saw the lines on her face and reached across the table and tapped the surface. “We are fine. A guy from work is getting me to and from work. Ricky put us on the same shifts so there wouldn’t be any conflicts. I–” I sighed. “Peter stranded me for a date the other night.”</p>
<p>She made a face and nodded in a way that said it’s to be expected. “It’s good you have a reliable ride then. Do I need to worry that he’s some thirty-year old pedofile? Or worse a twenty something hottie who sells sex to uptight, responsible types?”</p>
<p>I laugh. “Closer on number two, but no cigar. It’s Ky Linley. Maris has already had a fit, so you can relax. He’s a teenage heartbreaker, who I remember well enough, makes fools of young girls. I know his flirting doesn’t mean he likes me.”</p>
<p>“Jacelyn,” my mom’s tone is one of understanding. “Just so you know, boys grow up. It’s not all G.I. Joe’s and girls’ panties forever. Don’t discount him just because of something he did when he was a kid. He could surprise you.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/Teaser-3.png"><img alt="" height="320" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/Teaser-3.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="320" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Ali Lucia Sky is the author of The Powers That Be series. She lives in Southern California with her husband and a house full of kitty cats and a yard full of crows.</p>
<p>She loves laughing, drinking good coffee, vegan food, and supporting animal rescues.</p>
<p>When she isn’t writing or dreaming of new stories, she can be found planning her next vacation because traveling is life. </p>
<p>If you encounter her in the wild, don’t be offended if she should run away. She’s timid with strangers, but can be plied with shiny things and pictures of your cat or dog.</p>
<p>She’s a weirdo like that.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://theskywriteshere.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21786042.Ali_Lucia_Sky" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/971096337010633" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/AliLuciaSky1" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theskywriteshere/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theskywriteshere" target="_blank">TikTok</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/theskywriteshere" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-81317872900585063112023-06-12T08:00:00.008-05:002023-06-12T08:00:00.144-05:00Book Blitz: If I Asked You to Stay by Brianna Remus<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>If I Asked You to Stay by </strong><strong>Brianna Remus</strong><br />(Pebble Brook Falls, #1)<br />Publication date: June 6, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><strong>For readers of Elsie Silver, Laura Pavlov and Catherine Cowles, fall head over heels for this binge-worthy read of two hearts who have always been destined to come together…even after twelve years of being apart.</strong></p>
<p>We were both orphans.</p>
<p>While Johnny Moore was the product of alcohol and bad decisions, he never let his family define him. And me? Well, let’s just say that my mother’s unwanted pregnancy almost destroyed her family name and leaving me behind was the best decision she ever made.</p>
<p>Johnny and I made a pact all those years ago—never leave. Two simple words that always gave me hope. Something solid to lean on when things got tough.</p>
<p>But I guess promises are meant to be broken. The memory of Johnny walking away on his eighteenth birthday will forever be burned into my heart like a brand.</p>
<p>Ten years of forgetting him. Ten long years of forging my own path and trying to make my dreams come true…without him.</p>
<p>Nothing could have prepared me for the series of events that brought me back to Pebble Brook Falls and face-to-face with Johnny Moore. The very man I wanted nothing more than to forget…forever.</p>
<p>And nothing could have prepared me for the man that was the embodiment of my weaknesses. With his towering height, southern accent, and a smile that made me weak in the knees, I was completely helpless against him.</p>
<p>He had been my first for everything, and I mean everything. And even though I knew he was the only person who could break my heart, the moment I laid my eyes on him after ten years, I knew I wanted him to be my last—my forever.</p>
<p>The only question was, would he even want me to stay?</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61087300-if-i-asked-you-to-stay" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3P3P1FO" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Johnny’s hand cradled the back of my head as he brought his mouth to my ear. “Every moment we’ve been apart, there hasn’t been a single second when my thoughts weren’t of you. How your blonde strands feel like silk against my fingers. The way your blue eyes remind me of sweet summer days filled with your laughter. And how your cute button nose crinkles when you’re frustrated or thinking too hard about something. But most of all”—his thumb grazed the bottom edge of my lip, tugging it down slightly and I swore an entire field of butterflies flew came to life in my stomach—“I missed these pretty pink lips and how they taste like honey pulled straight from the hive.”</p>
<p>I closed my eyes as his hand slid up to cup the side of my cheek and a quiet moan escaped from my lips.</p>
<p>When I opened my eyes again, I said, “Coming back to our home made me realize that there is no place I’d rather be because this is where <em>you</em> are, Johnny. I’m not staying for a few more weeks just to see what might come of this thing with my mother’s journal. I’m staying <em>forever</em> to see if I might have a chance of you loving me again.”</p>
<p>A raspy chuckle and then, “Darlin’, haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said? Since the first time I held your hand in the garden behind the orphanage, and probably even before then, every breath in my lungs, every beat in my heart has been for you. I love you, Willow Mae. Nothing has and nothing ever will change that.”</p>
<p>And then he kissed me. Slow. Tender. With such agonizing gentleness, it brought tears to my eyes because this was what I had held onto for twelve long years of his absence. The song his heart sang to mine when he was near—and even when he was far, far away.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/the-moment-I-laid-my-eyes-on-him-after-ten-years-I-knew-I-wanted-him-to-be-my-last—my-forever..png"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/the-moment-I-laid-my-eyes-on-him-after-ten-years-I-knew-I-wanted-him-to-be-my-last—my-forever..png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Brianna Remus is a Florida-based author who lives with her husband, three pups, and terrorizing cat. She started her writing journey in 2016 to ward off the woes of graduate school. The light-hearted hobby quickly turned into a passion filled dream that consistently distracts her from the real world.</p>
<p>When Brianna isn't working as a psychology resident or writing books, you can find her getting lost in the worlds created by others (through writing and movies), spending a day at the ocean, or taking a walk in the forest. She loves to spend her days outdoors surrounded by the beauties of nature.</p>
<p>A true Tolkien nerd, she also spends a lot of her time immersed in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as praying that Amazon doesn't completely fuck up the new LOTR series.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.briannaremus.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19147144.Brianna_Remus" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorbriannaremus/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@authorbriannaremus?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc" target="_blank">TikTok</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/brianna-remus?list=about" target="_blank">Bookbub</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-64596703816498581502023-06-09T08:00:00.001-05:002023-06-09T08:00:00.139-05:00Book Blitz: The Lake House by Bella Emy<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>The Lake House by </strong><strong>Bella Emy</strong><br />Publication date: June 9, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><strong>From <em>USA Today</em> Bestselling Author Bella Emy comes a new heart-wrenching story of heartbreak, loss, and finding love once again.</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Giuliana</strong></em></p>
<p>Happily ever after.<br />
That’s what I thought I found.<br />
But the clock struck twelve before I even knew it, leaving me in nothing but rags and tears.<br />
Silver Mist has always been the one place to bring me comfort and serenity.<br />
But on an unexpected summer day, Declan Bell walks on in and changes my perspective of love forever.<br />
Am I ready to say goodbye to my past and welcome a new beginning?<br />
Starting over is never easy, and I’m not sure I can do it without getting hurt again.</p>
<p><em><strong>Declan</strong></em></p>
<p>Happily ever… what?<br />
I thought true love didn’t exist, thanks to my ex-wife.<br />
She cheated and walked out, leaving me alone to raise our daughter.<br />
My baby girl made my life complete.<br />
I was fine and things were going well.<br />
I couldn’t complain.<br />
That was all until Giuliana Bianchi, the girl I had fallen in love with from way back when, came marching back into town.<br />
I realized I didn’t know real love and how much more complete my life could be until I saw her beautiful smiling face.<br />
But is she ready to jump back into a relationship after everything she’s been through?<br />
Starting over is never easy, but if we can find a way to be together, I feel like it could be.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123123175-the-lake-house" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/43MFWVZ" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lake-house-bella-emy/1143111280" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/ca/book/the-lake-house/id6445826972" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-lake-house-24" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/TLH-teaser-3-copywith-covers-1.jpg"><img alt="" height="266" loading="lazy" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/TLH-teaser-3-copywith-covers-1.jpg" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/TLH-teaser-8.png"><img alt="" height="292" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/TLH-teaser-8.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Bella Emy is a USA Today Bestselling Author.</p>
<p>***To stay up to date with all things Bella, including all exclusive content, make sure you sign up for her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BellaNL</p>
<p>She loves all books, but her favorite genre to read, as well as write, is romance. Bella loves creating heartbreaking stories that will deeply touch her readers, but in the end, a good HEA is usually the turnout.</p>
<p>Whenever Bella is not typing away on her computer with a nice hot cup of coffee, she loves spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite places to go are the movies, the beach, or just on a good plain old road trip. Some of her must haves are coffee, chocolate, pizza, music, & movies.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.bellaemy.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13403506.Bella_Emy" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://bit.ly/BellaEmyFB" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BellasHeartbreakers" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/bellaemywrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bellaemywrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f89d7341bb8f6fbb9f8bfb6" target="_blank">Newsletter</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bella-emy" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bellaemy" target="_blank">TikTok</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/bellaemybooks/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-71477878196995723002023-05-24T08:00:00.001-05:002023-05-24T08:00:00.141-05:00Book Blitz: Some Day Soon by Anna Lindgren<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Some Day Soon by </strong><strong>Anna Lindgren</strong><br />Publication date: May 24, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p>Everyone wants something…</p>
<p>But why can’t I figure out what Noah James wants out of our relationship? His sister hates me hell, the whole town fears me, and if he knew what I’m capable of, he’d leave like everyone else.</p>
<p>I’ve terrorized the quaint town of Smugglers Cove, blazing a trail of self-destruction when anyone gets too close. So when Noah buys the cottage next door and finds out about my past, he creates a list of childish activities to complete together.</p>
<p>I try to keep him at arm’s length, but every-time I think I’ve scared him off, he’s back for more. He’s always there when I need him and even when I don’t.</p>
<p>One thing’s for certain, people like me don’t end up with Noah James.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Noah:</p>
<p>Samantha Simmons stole my heart the minute I saw her standing near the bar, in an off-white dress, at my little sister’s wedding. Everyone warned me about the infamous villain of Smugglers Cove, but I never thought it’d be impossible to stay away.</p>
<p>When I move in next door, she lets me in on some of her secrets and reveals a side of her few have uncovered. The more she lets me in, the more I want to defend her and prove there’s more to her than a bad reputation.</p>
<p>Each-time I think I’ve earned her trust, all hell breaks loose. She’s scared to let me in but I’ll wait until she sees,</p>
<p>She may be the villain in everyone’s story but I think she deserves a happily ever after.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135625564-some-day-soon" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/45iDY1e" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>“Don’t do that,” I say. “Don’t shut me out.”</p>
<p>“Go away,” she warns.</p>
<p>“No,” I say. “Talk to me, Sammy.”</p>
<p>“I can’t!” she yells at me.</p>
<p>I step toward her, lowering my voice as emotion threatens to crack my voice. “I can’t help if you keep fucking pushing me away.”</p>
<p>“Stop it,” she spits the words.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to leave you,” I say, holding onto her hands before she rips them away. “Nothing you say to me, nothing you do is going to convince me you aren’t worth it.”</p>
<p>Her chest heaves as tears stream down her cheeks. Her lips are parted, ready to fight back, ready to tell me how wrong I am, how I won’t understand.</p>
<p>This moment is do or die, leave it all on the table.</p>
<p>I take another step toward her, and crush my lips against hers, showing her how I feel before I tell her.</p>
<p>“I love you,” I pant against her lips. “I think I’ve loved you since the first day I met you when you wore white to my sister’s fucking wedding.” I laugh. “I fucking love you, Sammy girl. Don’t push me away. You can shut the world out. Just leave me in this one with you.”</p>
<p>She leaves her forehead pressed against mine, our noses breathing in the smell of one another.</p>
<p>“I can’t,” she whimpers, swallowing down the building emotion. “I can’t love you, Noah. I can’t risk losing you.”</p>
<p>Her voice cracks with each word. My ears ring as though a bomb has detonated near us, and I guess, in some metaphorical sense, one has.</p>
<p>“You lose all the fucking time when you push everyone away,” I say, my voice cracking under the pressure of each word. “Isn’t it worth trying to stay for once? To work through it rather than shut me out?”</p>
<p>“I’ll never be what you need,” she says. “I’ll never be able to give myself to you completely, to trust you fully.”</p>
<p>“Bullshit,” I snap.</p>
<p>“It’s not bullshit. You made a mistake ever thinking you could change me.” She sighs before hammering the final nail in our coffin. Her eyes locked on mine full of honesty and meaning. “I was your biggest mistake. You’re just too stubborn to acknowledge it.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Quote2.png"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Quote2.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>In the 3rd grade, Anna won a notable mention for her holiday story in her small hometown's daily paper. Since then, no awards have been won but the writing has, fortunately (or not––depends on who you ask) continued. She is now the author of two small-town Alaskan romances with a third set to be released in 2022. Her stories feature tales of friendship, bouts of laughter, and lots of swoon-worthy moments. She shares stories of adventure, love, and loss all the while remaining true to the quirkiness of the loveable small town she grew up in. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19630346.Anna_Lindgren" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justlikefrozen/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-lindgren" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@justlikefrozen" target="_blank">TikTok</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-10058334667721679122023-05-01T08:00:00.010-05:002023-05-01T08:00:00.138-05:00Blog Tour: Zora Books Her Happy Ever After by Taj McCoy<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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</p>
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<p><strong>Zora Books Her Happy Ever After by </strong><strong>Taj McCoy</strong><br />Publication date: April 25, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p>“Doesn’t miss a romantic beat . . . McCoy expertly crafts a well-balanced love triangle between empathetic and passionate characters—and delivers plenty of comic relief in the form of Zora’s lovable matchmaking grandmother.” —<strong><em>Publishers Weekly</em>, Starred Review</strong></p>
<p><strong>A heart-pounding, curvy romance about an indie bookstore owner who finds herself in a love triangle when she meets the author she’s had a crush on for years…and his best friend.</strong></p>
<p>Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different.</p>
<p>But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61155450" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/443sHkJ" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zora-books-her-happy-ever-after-taj-mccoy/1141722032?ean=9780778333524" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/fi/book/zora-books-her-happy-ever-after/id6442832710" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/zora-books-her-happy-ever-after" target="_blank">Kobo</a> / <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=pbhwEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a></p>
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<img alt="" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Taj.jpg" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;" />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Oakland-born law grad, Taj McCoy, is committed to writing stories championing Black and biracial women of color, plus-sized protagonists, Black love, Black joy, and characters with a strong sense of sisterhood and familial bonds.</p>
<p>Taj started writing as a small child, enjoying the success of her first publications in elementary school. Since then, her dream has always been to become a professional writer. As a law student, she attempted her first novels and joined the Twitter writing community. Though Taj has spent more than ten years working in higher education administration, she continued to pursue her goal and ultimately finished her first novel in 2018, securing her agent in 2019.</p>
<p>When she’s not writing, Taj may be on Twitter boosting other marginalized writers, trying to zen out in yoga, sharing recipes on her website, binge-watching her favorite reality tv, or cooking private supper club meals for close friends. Catch her producing and co-hosting the Fat Like Me Podcast, which celebrates body diversity in publishing and entertainment, or watch her join forces with several writer friends on Sundays for the Better Than Brunch video podcast. When time permits, she serves as the #DVdebut Program Manager for Diverse Voices, Inc. and as a mentor for 2020 Pitch Wars.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tajmccoywrites.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20626681.Taj_McCoy" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the1whowill/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/tajmccoywrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>EXCERPT</u></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Excuse me,” a deep voice resonated from the other side of the counter, “can you tell me where I can find Ms. Zora Dizon?”</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4e6cde50-7fff-d698-7602-2c49feb25b32"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zora closed the book in front of her to look up and see Lawrence Michaels standing in front of her. Her heart thudded, as she took in his brown skin, long lashes, deep brown eyes, and megawatt smile. Be cool. “Oh hi, Mr. Michaels, I'm so glad that you made it! I'm Zora.” Behind the counter, she tried to covertly slip out of her ballet flats and into her cutest high heels, gripping the counter for balance.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Please, call me Lawrence.” He smiled down at Zora who fluffed her curls under his</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gaze. If he noticed that she grew four inches behind the counter, he didn’t show it. “It's so nice to see a Black-owned independent bookstore in my old neighborhood.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That's right, you grew up in Petworth didn't you?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He looked impressed. “That’s right—just down the street. Wow, you really did your research.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She smiled, her lips lacquered a deep bluish-red. “We try to make sure that we have a good understanding of where our authors are coming from when we host an event. We were really excited to learn that you agreed to join us for this. I’m glad you’re here.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He tilted his head. “Are you?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tension built between them as they stared at each other, his dark eyes boring a hole into her. Tiny hairs rose and prickled on her skin as Zora felt a flush crawl up her chest and neck to her cheeks and ears. “I—I mean, I am a fan of your writing.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Emma appeared. “Hey, Z? I think we’re all set to begin. Are you ready to announce?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She nodded, turning back to Lawrence and smiling brightly. “Ready?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Always.” His gaze lingered on her for a long moment, the word vibrating at Zora’s core. He gestured toward the seating area. “After you.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hyper aware of Lawrence’s eyes raking over her and settling on her ass as she walked in front of him, Zora ignored the wobble in her ankles and added a little extra zing to her switch. Somewhere off to the side, she heard Emma whisper, “Yesss, bitch!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Smiling to herself, she stood at the front of the group gathered in a semi-circle of chairs and benches. “Good evening! Thank you all for joining us today at Opus Northeast. Today, I have the great pleasure of introducing one of Petworth’s own, author Lawrence Michaels, whose bestselling mysteries have been flying off of</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shelves. Central to the series are Langston Butler and his extraordinary partner Annette, who hunt down the most notorious murderers in the Mid-Atlantic. Prior to the Butler series, Mr. Michaels tugged at our hearts with a beautiful memoir on three generations of community activists in his family. That window into the issues raised and challenged by the Michaels family gave a poignant view of what it means to be Black in D.C., and it was so beautifully portrayed in documentary form this past spring. Please join me in welcoming Lawrence Michaels.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The crowd whooped and applauded, and Zora moved aside to sit on the end of the back row so that she’d be able to get back up to direct patrons to refreshments after the talk. Sitting, she whispered a greeting to the bearded, spectacled man next to her only to receive an icy stare in response. Rebuffed, she turned her attention forward, focusing her attention on Lawrence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good evening,” he said, surveying the room.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Three or four people in the audience replied back.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lawrence shook his head. “Let’s try this again. Good evening!” He projected his voice, deep and rumbling enough to make Zora squirm in her seat.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good evening!” The crowd projected back, some laughing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a successful, Black-owned independent bookstore just a few blocks down the street from where I grew up.” He nodded in Zora’s direction. “Thank you, Ms. Dizon, for the warm invitation and welcome. Hopefully, this will be the first of many events we can host here at Opus Northeast.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She beamed, her cheeks warming.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Laying it on thick today,” the man next to her muttered.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zora’s head snapped to her left. “Sorry?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The man glowered at her through his glasses, dark brown eyes piercing through her. He turned back to face forward. “Nothing.”</span></p><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;">
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-81097354271249369452023-04-24T08:00:00.001-05:002023-04-24T08:00:00.371-05:00Book Blitz: Bookworm by Cookie O' Gorman<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Bookworm by </strong><strong>Cookie O’Gorman</strong><br />Publication date: April 20, 2023<br />Genres: Romance, Young Adult</p><blockquote><p>Bookworm (buk-werm): Someone who loves books, reading, and/or studying. For reference, see Charlotte Kent.</p>
<p>Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Kent likes happy endings. Not that she’s looking for one herself. Awkward, never been kissed, and bookish to the core, Lottie would rather read about love than experience it.</p>
<p>But she enjoys helping others find their HEA in books.</p>
<p>Lottie loves working at the library…even if it means running into Bo Stryker.</p>
<p>Broody, athletic, and unfairly attractive when he frowns, Bo works at the flower shop across the street. Lottie is about to get rejected…when surprisingly, Bo steps in, pretends to be her boyfriend, and steals her first kiss.</p>
<p>One viral video later, everyone thinks they’re together.</p>
<p>Bo wants to keep pretending. Lottie wants to make amends—long story short: she was on a ladder; he startled her; the book slap was an accident.</p>
<p>A fake relationship may be the solution. But as they grow closer, Lottie can’t help falling for Bo—which is a disaster because grumpy sunshine only works in fiction…right?</p>
<p>This book features two opposites with undeniable chemistry, one lovable librarian, so many stolen kisses and answers the question:</p>
<p>What happens when a nerd falls for the grump-next-door?</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123246035-bookworm" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3mQaIxv" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Rolling my eyes, I reached over, gently grasped his forearm and brought it closer.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Relax,” I said, trying not to laugh at the alarm I heard in his voice. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it by now.”</p>
<p>“Says the girl who gave me a bookcussion” he grumbled.</p>
<p>Biting back a smile, I concentrated on his forearm, running my fingers over his skin to find the correct spot. This took a few moments. When I found it, I leaned closer, using my thumbs to press down, gently at first, then adding a little more pressure. Bo didn’t tense. He didn’t move a muscle. I might’ve thought he’d stopped breathing he was so still. But then I felt his breath against my neck.</p>
<p>The sensation sent shivers down my spine.</p>
<p>I counted the seconds under my breath and then released him.</p>
<p>“What was that, Kent?” he asked softly.</p>
<p>“I looked up how to treat a sprained wrist,” I said with a shrug. “It was nothing, just one of the techniques they recommended.”</p>
<p>“You looked that up?”</p>
<p>Meeting his eyes, I nodded. “Does it feel any better?”</p>
<p>Bo glanced down at his wrist before looking back up, locking me in his intense stare. “Yeah, it does. Thanks, Kent.”</p>
<p>For some reason, I blushed. “No problem.”</p>
<p>I didn’t know what made me say it.</p>
<p>But I added, “Maybe now, you won’t be so opposed to working with me.”</p>
<p>Bo shook his head. “It’s not that.”</p>
<p>“It’s not?”</p>
<p>“No,” he said. “I just don’t like the idea of you taking care of me out of some misplaced sense of guilt.”</p>
<p><em>Oh.</em></p>
<p>I hadn’t even considered that possibility.</p>
<p>“I thought you hated having me around,” I admitted.</p>
<p>“I don’t.”</p>
<p>“You even told me how much you hate people.”</p>
<p>“Not you,” he said.</p>
<p>My heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>“I could never hate you, Kent.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/Bookworm-pics1.jpg"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/Bookworm-pics1.jpg" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Cookie O'Gorman Bio: Cookie O'Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, and FAUXMANCE are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, and The Sweetest Game. Her newest release BOOKWORM came out on April 20, 2023!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cookieogorman.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14924267.Cookie_O_Gorman" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cookieogorman" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/CookieOwrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cookieogorman/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cookie-o-gorman" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://mailchi.mp/bdb1d9c56ae7/the-cookie-jar" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-81712140790752517052023-04-20T08:00:00.005-05:002023-04-20T08:00:00.219-05:00Book Blitz: Twelve Hours in Manhattan by Mann Gabriel<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Twelve Hours in Manhattan by </strong><strong>Maan Gabriel</strong><br />Publication date: April 18, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fairy Tales, Romance</p><blockquote><p><em>Two worlds. One heart. Twelve hours.</em></p>
<p>Bianca Maria Curtis is at the brink of losing it all when she meets Eric at a bar in Manhattan. Eric, as it turns out, is the famous Korean drama celebrity Park Hyun Min, and he’s in town for one night to escape the pressures of fame. From walking along Fifth Avenue to eating ice cream at Serendipity to sharing tender moments on top of the Empire State building, sparks fly as Bianca and Eric spend twelve magical hours far away from their respective lives. In that time, they talk about the big stuff: love, life, and happiness, and the freedom they both seek to fully exist and not merely survive.</p>
<p>But real life is more than just a few exhilarating stolen moments in time.</p>
<p>As the clock strikes the twelfth hour, Bianca returns back to the life she detests to face a tragedy that will test her strength and resolve—and the only thing she has to keep going is the memory of a man she loves in secret from a world away.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67276501-twelve-hours-in-manhattan" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3mrlla1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twelve-hours-in-manhattan-maan-gabriel/1141942050?ean=9781647423957" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/twelve-hours-in-manhattan" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Maan Gabriel is a mom, wife, dreamer, writer, and advocate for women’s stories in literature. She earned her BA in communications from St. Scholastica’s College in Manila and MPS in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. She has lived in Manila, Brussels, Dakar, and Mexico City. During the day, she works in strategic communications. Gabriel, along with her husband and son, currently calls suburban Washington DC home. After Perfect is her first novel.</p>
<p>"I dream of a world full of hope, where believing is as important as life itself, and where love can move mountains. This is in the very core of my stories, and I wish in more ways than one that I can inspire you to see the world as I see it... a fairy tale."</p>
<p>- Maan</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.maangabriel.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21241845.Maan_Gabriel" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaanGabrielAuthor/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/MaanGabriel" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maan_gabriel/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-25834113627873221222023-04-14T08:00:00.003-05:002023-04-14T08:00:00.237-05:00Book Blitz: I Used to Be Fun by Melanie Summers<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>I Used to Be Fun by </strong><strong>Melanie Summers</strong><br />Publication date: April 14, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Women’s Fiction</p><blockquote><p><strong>“Insightful, entertaining, and satisfying. A deliciously dishy look at a typical American family behind closed doors.” ~ USA Today Bestseller Whitney Dineen</strong></p>
<p><strong>“A life-affirming emotional rollercoaster. Perfect for fans of <em>Where’d You Go, Bernadette</em>!” ~ USA Today Bestseller Kate O’Keeffe</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><strong>A richly satisfying family dramedy for any woman who has asked, “Whose life is this?”</strong></em></p>
<p>Jessica Holloway is miserable. As mom to two ungrateful, almost-grown children and wife to one appreciative-but-needy husband, she has all-but-abandoned the extraordinary—and <em>extraordinarily fun</em>—woman she used to be.</p>
<p>She may be smiling while she volunteers at the school’s dog wash fundraiser, but inside, she’s seething. Having traded her future as a high-powered attorney for motherhood nearly two decades ago, she’s now desperate to reconnect with the woman she once was.</p>
<p>Pushed to her breaking point, Jessica is secretly terrified at what she might do.</p>
<p>Go on strike permanently?</p>
<p>Take the dog and run away to Mexico?</p>
<p>Tell her mother-in-law what she <em>really</em> thinks of her?</p>
<p>Whatever it is, it’s going to be a disaster. Because this time, Jessica will stop at nothing to get her power back – no matter the cost.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122830318-i-used-to-be-fun" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3zRY3gC" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>She was bored. No, not bored. How can someone so busy be bored? It was more like disconnected—slightly separated from everything and everyone around her. She didn’t see the point of any of it, which seemed ridiculous because on paper, Jess had it all. A healthy, mostly-happy family, a part-time job she didn’t mind going to, financial security, good friends. It was enough that she felt guilty wanting anything more. But that didn’t change the fact that she <em>did</em> want more. She wanted to live. Some other life. One that amazed her or, more accurately, one in which she was amazing. Before she was Jessica Halloway, she was Jessica Saunders. And Jessica Saunders was supposed to be extraordinary. She was going to do something important in this world, like run a Fortune 500 company or be a high-powered attorney. She’d be out in the world making her mark and people would say, ‘There goes Jessica Saunders. Look at her. So determined and talented, not to mention dressed to kill.’ Jessica Saunders had actually settled on going to law school, and had even scored in the top five percent in the country on her LSAT. But then she got married and she and Mike decided he should focus on his career first, since he already had his degree and only needed to sit for the exams to get his Chartered Professional Accountant designation. But then Winnie came along, followed by Noah, and pretty soon, she’d forgotten all about picking up her studies where she’d left off.</p>
<p>That had happened so long ago, she completely forgot that she used to be thrilled by it all. Jess Saunders was one of those enthusiastic, take-life-by-the-horns sort of girls. The life of the party. She’d dance all night, she’d laugh all day. She was witty. Smart. Great at banter. People were drawn to her. She loved everything. Impromptu trip to Mexico? <em>I’ll grab my passport. </em>Sex?<em> Yes, please. Plenty of it. </em>Mountain mud pie with caramel sauce for dessert?<em> Hand me a fork</em>.</p>
<p>Jess missed her. She really, <em>really</em> frigging missed her. She knew that impressive young woman was buried somewhere inside her. She must be there, right? So, where was she?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/IUTBF-Heart-Review.png"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/IUTBF-Heart-Review.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.</p>
<p>Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.</p>
<p>In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).</p>
<p>Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.</p>
<p>She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17105602.Melanie_Summers" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/mjsummersbooks" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mj_summers_author/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-18608356116291432562023-03-20T08:00:00.005-05:002023-03-20T08:00:00.259-05:00Book Blitz: Flirting with the Stranger by Gia Stevens<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Flirting with the Stranger by </strong><strong>Gia Stevens</strong><br />Publication date: March 20, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><b>Have you ever mistaken a guy for a stripper and had a scorching hot one-night stand with him only to find out he’s your new boss? No? Just me?</b></p>
<p>The first time I met Van, I was instantly drawn to his charismatic smile and stunning good looks as I shoved dollar bills into his waistband.</p>
<p>The second time I saw Van, he walked into my bakery as the new owner and boss. That time, I kept my dollars to myself.</p>
<p>But there’s a problem, owning a bakery wasn’t his choice and all he wants is to sell. Somehow, I need to persuade him to keep the business, so I can keep my dream job. When he admits he doesn’t know the difference between “frosting” and “icing,” I realize I have my work cut out for me.</p>
<p>With each passing day, our chemistry ignites like a chocolate flambé. But it’s a distraction I don’t need. I know from experience that when I wish for everything, I end up with nothing.</p>
<p>Van’s young and irresponsible, he can’t possibly know anything about running a bakery or falling in love. But he’s determined to prove me wrong.</p>
<p>It turns out he has a few cupcakes up his sleeve that just might satisfy my sweet tooth.</p>
<p><i>Flirting with the Stranger is a reverse age gap, strangers to lovers, one night stand, boss/employee romantic comedy with a hero who has a real sweet tooth for something besides cupcakes. Be prepared to laugh-out-loud one minute and swoon the next in this steamy standalone romance.</i></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81364611-flirting-with-the-stranger" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://geni.us/FWTS_Amazon" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://geni.us/FWTS_Nook" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://geni.us/FWTS_Apple" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://geni.us/FWTS_Kobo" target="_blank">Kobo</a> / <a href="https://geni.us/FWTS_GooglePlay" target="_blank">Google Play</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>“Finally, you’re here.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Um.”<em> Play it cool, Van. Don’t let the hot girl get you tongue tied.</em> “Of course, where else would I be?” I flash her a dimpled smile.</p>
<p>“No, seriously. You’re an hour late. The least you could’ve done was call. We have a group of girls who are ready to see you take your clothes off. Let’s go.” Her dainty fingers wrap around my wrist. The warm contact sends a current of electricity coursing through my body as she tugs me up the stairs.</p>
<p>“Wait.” I plant my feet. “What are you talking about? Take my clothes off? I think I deserve dinner before I get naked.” I flash her a seductive smile.</p>
<p>“Dinner? Are you kidding? We weren’t told we had to feed you.” She drops my hand and rests it on her hip. “Look, we have a thousand dollars for you plus tips, if you’re good, to take your clothes off and shake your ass while we all ooh and ahh over your ripped abs. You have ripped abs, right?” She lifts the hem of my shirt, exposing my hard six pack. “Oh yes, that’ll do.” Her gaze lingers on my exposed stomach for a few extra seconds before she reluctantly drops the fabric. “So, are you coming or am I calling your boss to tell him you won’t do your job?”</p>
<p>Fuck. She thinks I’m a stripper for her party. But it pays a thousand dollars plus tips. Since I’m jobless, I could use the cash. I wager the battle in my head for a split second and, fuck it. First time for everything. “Lead the way.”</p>
<p>She spins around and climbs the stairs, the shimmering sequins on the ass of her dress hypnotizing as her hips sway back and forth. As the giggles and laughter grow louder, I second guess myself. I’ve never done this before. I mean, I’ve gotten naked before, just never with more than one girl watching.</p>
<p>“Our entertainment has arrived!” the bombshell announces to her friends.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Teaser2.jpg"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/Teaser2.jpg" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Gia Stevens resides in the up north of Minnesota. She lives for the warm, sunny days of summer and dreads the bitter cold of winter. A romantic comedy junkie at heart, she knew she wanted her own stories to encompass those same feelings. </p>
<p>When she’s not busy writing your next book boyfriend, Gia can be found playing in her vegetable garden, watching reruns of The OC and Gossip Girl, or curled up with a good book.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://authorgiastevens.com" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22366082.Gia_Stevens" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorgiastevens" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/sassyromancereaders/" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorgiastevens/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@authorgiastevens" target="_blank">TikTok</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gia-stevens" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://authorgiastevens.com/newsletter2" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-82213041539608521972023-03-15T08:00:00.008-05:002023-03-15T08:00:00.238-05:00Book Blitz: Faking It with the Grump by Kate O'Keeffe<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Faking It With the Grump by </strong><strong>Kate O’Keeffe</strong><br />(Second Chance Café, #1)<br />Publication date: March 14, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><i>He’s grumpy, boring, and thinks it’s okay to wear a suit and tie to a smalltown bar full of lumberjacks. But when I kiss him? Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting THAT.</i></p>
<p><b>Harper Cole</b></p>
<p>It’s one thing to be dumped by the huge Hollywood star you thought you were going to marry. It’s quite another to move back to the small town you’re both from.</p>
<p>As a booby prize for being shown the door by Dex Ryan, everyone is trying to set me up with their son, their nephew, or their long-lost cousin’s gardener. Either that or they’re throwing me pitying looks that say, “You’re a big loser.”</p>
<p>I’m not going to put up with their patronizing sympathy anymore.</p>
<p>So, when I spot new-guy-in-town Christopher Young, I set out to make him mine. Or you know, pretend to make him mine. I’m still in a horrible funk over Dex, and Christopher is an uptight grump. Not exactly my type.</p>
<p>The fact that despite appearances, he’s gorgeous and doing weird things to my blood pressure doesn’t mean a thing.</p>
<p>Really.</p>
<p>Not. A. Thing.</p>
<p><b>Christopher Young</b></p>
<p>Hunter’s Creek, population next to nothing, is the reason I work all the time. I’m solely focused on buying the town’s lumber mill so I can go back to NYC and get my big promotion. This small town is a means to an end. Nothing more.</p>
<p>That is until the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen superglues her lips to mine in an unexpected and very public way. She’s not the kind of woman I usually go for with her boho dress and ankle boots, but that kiss…</p>
<p>I’m disappointed when she comes up for air and tells me it’s all for show. But if Harper Cole wants me to be her fake boyfriend while I’m here in town, who am I to turn her down? Being attached to a local might ingratiate me to the townsfolk and make my job that much the easier.</p>
<p>After all, dating Harper can only be make believe. Nothing more. Not when my entire future is at stake.</p>
<p><b><i>Faking It With The Grump</i> is a grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, fake relationship romance set in the small town of Hunter’s Creek, Washington. It’s the first book in the new <i>Second Chance Café</i> series. Each book follows a different sister’s love story and can be read as a standalone novel or as part of a series.</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71872274-faking-it-with-the-grump" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/421weza" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/faking-it-with-the-grump-kate-okeeffe/1142771570?ean=2940186785835" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/hu/book/faking-it-with-the-grump/id6444710027" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/faking-it-with-the-grump" target="_blank">Kobo</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>She looks suddenly nervous. “Okay, here’s the thing. I kind of told some people today that you and I are…well, that we’re…”</p>
<p>When she doesn’t complete her sentence, I lean in and ask, “You and I are what?”</p>
<p>She glances around nervously before she says, “Dating.”</p>
<p>I straighten, shocked.</p>
<p>As my brain tries to comprehend what she just said, I blink at her a few times.</p>
<p>I need clarification. In my experience, beautiful women don’t usually go around telling people they’re dating you without your knowledge.</p>
<p>Well, not <em>sane,</em> beautiful women, anyway.</p>
<p>“Did you say you’ve told people you and I are <em>dating</em>?” I ask.</p>
<p>She nibbles on her lip, reminding me of a rabbit. It only adds to her appeal. Despite my concern, she’s confirmed she’s not exactly sane. “I did warn you it was weird.”</p>
<p>“That’s true, you did. But that doesn’t explain why, exactly.”</p>
<p>She clasps her hands together, clearly uncomfortable.</p>
<p>I’m overcome with the strangest sensation, wanting to reach out and place my hand over hers to reassure her it’s okay.</p>
<p>I don’t.</p>
<p>She takes a breath. “I know this makes me sound crazy. And I’m not crazy. Really, I’m not.”</p>
<p>Said no crazy person ever.</p>
<p>“I don’t know if you recognize me or know what happened, but even if you don’t, I really, really need you to pretend to date me because—”</p>
<p>Wait. <em>Pretend</em>?</p>
<p>Her eyes dart to something behind me, and before I fully realize what’s happening, she’s pushed the bar stool to one side, closed the distance between us, a decidedly wild look in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Everything all right?” I ask her tentatively.</p>
<p>“Okay if I kiss you?” she murmurs out of the corner of her mouth.</p>
<p>I blink at her. “Now you want to…kiss me?”</p>
<p>She nods, her eyes darting behind me and then back to my face. “That okay with you?”</p>
<p>This gorgeous woman who smells like a meadow, the double threat, the woman who only just told me she wants to pretend to date me, now wants to kiss me.</p>
<p>As confusing as this situation may be, I’d be an idiot not to leap at this.</p>
<p>“Sure,” I tell her, the thought of having her soft lips pressed against mine making my belly clench.</p>
<p>It would appear she’s not a woman to be told twice.</p>
<p>Immediately, she pulls herself up onto her toes, places her hands at the back of my head, and before I can utter another word—like “why?”—she leans in toward me and kisses me.</p>
<p>I don’t move for fear this is some kind of mirage. Not that I think mirages are all that common in Washington, what with it not being a desert. But seriously, this sort of thing doesn’t happen to me a whole lot. Or, you know, <em>ever</em>.</p>
<p>And I’ll be honest, as far as kisses go, it’s easily the most surprising of my life, hands down. One second, she’s explaining to me why she wants me to fake date her, and the next she’s kissing me, like it’s no big deal at all.</p>
<p>The problem is, for me to kiss someone like Harper Cole, it <em>should</em> be a big deal.</p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kate O'Keeffe writes exactly what she loves to read: laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with swoon-worthy heroes and gorgeous feel-good happily ever afters. She lives and loves in beautiful Hawke's Bay, New Zealand with her family and two scruffy dogs. When she's not penning her latest story, Kate can be found hiking up hills (slowly), traveling to different countries, and eating chocolate. A lot of it.</p>
<p>Visit kateokeeffe.com to sign up to her newsletter and you'll receive a FREE romcom.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://kateokeeffe.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8195990.Kate_O_Keeffe" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kateokeeffeauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/kateokeeffe4" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kateokeeffewriter/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-o-keeffe" target="_blank">Bookbub</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-32392429615505447702023-02-27T08:00:00.001-06:002023-02-27T08:00:00.230-06:00Book Blitz: The New Single Dad Billionaire by Tina Gabor<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/" target="_blank">
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<p><strong>The New Single Dad Billionaire by </strong><strong>Tina Gabor</strong><br />(Bronson Billionaire Romance Series, #5)<br />Publication date: February 28, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p>Tyler Bronson’s hot dating app eMingle just went public, but despite his success at finding matches for other people he’s still single.</p>
<p>His on and off relationship with his unstable ex has finally stayed off that is until he finds out he has a son.</p>
<p>Now, he’s not just a new billionaire. He’s a new single dad. And he has no time for love until …</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75299572-the-new-single-dad-billionaire" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3IOrK7v" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Tyler POV</p>
<p>She took a step to steady herself and tripped on my foot. I grabbed her before she fell onto the coffee table.<br />
“Whoops!” I said. “Are you okay?”<br />
I had my arms around her to keep her from falling, her shoulder leaned against my chest. She turned toward me and looked up. Her long eyelashes blinking.<br />
“Nice catch,” she said, her voice a sexy whisper. The feeling of one of her tits pushed against me along with that voice and that look made my cock stir.<br />
This girl was effortlessly sexy.<br />
She put her hands on my arms to regain her footing and giggled. “So big. And hard,” she said, running her hands on my biceps.<br />
She was drunk, but damn. This girl was killing me.<br />
“Let’s check out that view,” she said, tottering over to the sliding glass doors.<br />
I stayed close to make sure she didn’t stumble again.<br />
We stepped out onto the balcony, and I slid the glass door shut behind us. She swayed on her feet, and I put my hand on her back to steady her. “Easy, easy.”<br />
She’d only had two glasses of champagne, and she was already tipsy. Cute, but dangerous.<br />
She giggled. “We’re up so high!”<br />
“Have you been to New York before?”<br />
“I’ve barely been anywhere,” she said. “This is amazing.”<br />
I looked down at her as she stared at the New York skyline. She let her head rest against me. A warm summer breeze blew across my face. A giddy feeling shivered through my body. I’d only had one glass of champagne, and I weighed over two hundred pounds. I couldn’t be drunk, could I? Maybe it was the drink and the sugar from the dessert. I rarely ate it.<br />
But I doubted that was the reason. This fluttery feeling in my chest was because of Betty.<br />
I leaned down to kiss the top of her head and stopped myself. This wasn’t a date. This was my nanny.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/11.png"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/11.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<img alt="" height="200" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/09/Tina.jpg" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;" width="200" />
<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Are you like me?</p>
<p>Do you enjoy funny, contemporary romances with spicy love scenes?</p>
<p>Because if you do ...</p>
<p>You've landed in the perfect place.</p>
<p>I'm Tina Gabor, and it’s so much fun getting to write the books I love reading. Gorgeous men and fierce, feisty, and funny women are my jam.</p>
<p>And since there’s nothing like a love story with a dash of sun and fun ...</p>
<p>I set most of my in Southern California and Florida. I grew up in South Florida, and now I live in Southern California with my fiancee and a stray cat we named Fred.</p>
<p>To get special deals on new releases and updates on what your favorite book couples are doing after the story ends, go to SparksFlyRomance.com/Tina</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sparksflyromance.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21831073.Tina_Gabor" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tinagaborauthor/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></p></blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-82645673209510742942023-02-09T08:00:00.015-06:002023-02-09T08:00:00.231-06:00Book Blitz: Farm Cove Bliss by E.D. Hackett<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>Farm Cove Bliss by </strong><strong>E.D. Hackett</strong><br />Publication date: February 9, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p>Previously published on Kindle Vella as Farmhouse Bliss.</p>
<p>She’s relearning to trust. He’s healing his heartache. Can two shattered souls piece together a happily ever after?</p>
<p>Crystal Whitman is determined to redefine herself. Pulling double shifts to break free from a cheating ex, the single mom worries her life can’t get any more chaotic until her own mother dies. The city gal returns to her painfully rural hometown in the hopes of flipping her vacant ancestral farmhouse fast, so she never expected her hunky hired hand would make her want to slow down and enjoy the view.</p>
<p>Derek Fischer can’t shake his grief. Twelve years after losing his wife, the devoted dad’s broken heart beats only for his daughter, until a sexy school teacher sparks a different kind of love. But with a dying home improvement business to keep afloat, the contractor fears muddling the line between business and pleasure could only end in financial ruin.</p>
<p>When Crystal hires Derek to fix the old farmhouse, so she can sell it and return to her frenzied life, she moves in for the summer to save some money and give him a hand.</p>
<p>Fighting their growing attraction, she wonders if she’s destined to be alone and he wonders if his wife will ever forgive him for moving on.</p>
<p>When a vivacious blonde sinks her claws into Derek, Crystal relives her ex-husbands betrayal, and may sabotage their growing relationship.</p>
<p>Can Crystal and Derek fix the farmhouse and mend their fractured hearts?</p>
<p>Farm Cove Bliss is a small-town sweet romance. If you like small-town settings, relatable characters, and mid-life love, you’ll fall in love with E.D. Hackett’s Farm Cove Bliss.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63880592-farm-cove-bliss" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/40w1V2N" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Crystal picked up her paintbrush to touch up the trim but couldn’t reach the top. She felt Derek’s heat behind her before she realized he had moved. His hand grabbed her wrist, and she turned to face him. He was inches from her lips, and she could feel his minty breath on her. Her heart pounded with desire and electric shocks traveled up her legs, making them tremble.</p>
<p>She tried to break free from his grip but instead found herself moving into him. He closed the final gap between them and his lips met hers. Fireworks exploded behind her eyes. His lips were unexpectedly soft, such a contrast from the feel of his rough beard, and Crystal leaned into him for deeper pressure.</p>
<p>Like a film reel, memories of her past flipped through her mind at high speed, and she could barely make out the images. Her mother gardening, her father drinking coffee, the summer she lost her virginity, and the day she graduated from college sped through her mind. Jeremy proposing on the banks of Niagara Falls and the joy and pure delight she felt in that moment, making love that night, and then standing beside him on their wedding day. She saw herself holding Mason with joy and wonder, then fighting, then lipstick, and then the final fight when she threw Jeremy out of the house. Images of isolation and abandonment, losing her mother to a devastating illness, saying goodbye, and stumbling back to this house. The last image was Derek kissing her. The film reel flipped faster through her mind on a continuous loop.</p>
<p>She pushed him away, fear replacing lust. “I can’t do this.”</p>
<p>He stepped back immediately, his lips pressed together and his eyes pleading.</p>
<p>“I live three hours away, Derek. My life is not here, and I’m leaving to go home.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/bookblitz5.png"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/bookblitz5.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>E.D Hackett is a Speech-language pathologist by day and a writer by night. She has been writing since the first grade and still has her first book, "How I Lost My Tooth." She has self-published novels that investigate layers of self-expectations, family dynamics, following dreams, and learning how to love and accept yourself. She hopes that her novels create a safe and cozy environment for her readers to fall into and explore. </p>
<p>Her two kids keep her busy, when they aren't hanging out on video games or with their friends. Her husband has encouraged her to follow her dreams, no matter their size. </p>
<p>She lives in New England but in her heart, she feels that she belongs in Ireland. If she could figure out how to move, live, and work over there she would do it in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>She loves to read, write, knit, and cook. </p>
<p>She hopes that you fall in love with her characters the same way she did!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.edhackettwrites.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20864221.E_D_Hackett" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/edhackettwrites" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/e.d_hackettwrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p></blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-49330714345069999782023-02-07T08:00:00.001-06:002023-02-07T08:00:00.215-06:00Book Blitz: Fireball by Lainey Davis<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fireball by Lainey Davis<br />(Bridges and Bitters, #1)<br />Publication date: May 10, 2022<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</span></p><blockquote><p><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">He hates her for some reason. She will not rest until she changes his mind.</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">People always like Samantha Vine. It’s kind of her thing. All the employees at her tech startup think she’s the best boss, and the community partners and investors she woos not only trust, but adore her.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone likes her, except him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam may have been caught off guard when she accidentally insulted science teacher AJ Trachtenberg, but she’s pulling out all the stops trying to make it up to him…and it’s not working. Offering his students a swanky field trip doesn’t win him over—it only seems to make him grumpier.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, grumpy looks very good on him. AJ is tall, dark, and annoyingly handsome and he’s got a giant chip on his shoulder. Honestly, his smoldering is distracting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sam can’t afford any distractions right now, not with the media hounding her as she tries to take her company public. Maybe she can swing a one-time naked distraction, though. That doesn’t have to mean anything, right? She’s not looking for a happily-ever-after here. She’s just trying to get him out of her head.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alas, when it comes to business and bossy men, Samantha Vine has trouble letting go.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fireball is the laugh-out-loud first stand-alone installment of the Bridges and Bitters series. If you love found family, hilarious antics, and off-the-charts heat, you’ll devour these sexy romantic comedies.</span></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59499207-fireball" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bWQJDx" target="_blank">Purchase</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">EXCERPT:</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>SAMANTHA </strong>The only thing saving me from curling in a ball and crying is the promise of meeting up with my friends. We call our little group Foof…Fresh out of fucks. It’s a sort of ridiculous name for a bad-ass group of entrepreneurs, engineers and queens of the Steel City.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel so at ease when I’m with them, like I really don’t have to pretend or put on a fake smile or any of that. I can actually free my fucks with these gals…and I need that, because everyone else claws at me, demanding attention I can’t spare and hurling mean words at me if I say as much.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As often as we can, Foof huddles up in the event room of our friend Esther’s bar, Bridges and Bitters, and these meetings are my recharge. Esther bought an old building in Lawrenceville and transformed it into the most amazing spot. She went for a speakeasy feel, with reclaimed wooden everything and these cozy settees. But honestly, we could meet on a milk crate by the river and I’d still walk away energized from these women.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few days later, and I’m still reeling after I chased off Mr. Grumpy Teacher from our meeting and stumbled through the rest of my interview with the guy from <em>Forbes</em>. I definitely appreciate Esther’s vintage velvet furniture as I collapse in a heap.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“That bad?” She arches a dark brow at me as she moves some furniture around the room to get ready for the rest of Foof to arrive.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I drape a wrist across my forehead. “If I had a corset on, I’d be asking you to slice the laces.” She pats me on the shoulder and heads back up front to mix a batch of cocktails for us. My friends shuffle in, some of them excited about their day and others looking like they want to join me tying one on.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Logan links arms with her sisters-in-law as they make their way in. As they all chat about life, I sit up and rest my elbows on my lap, propping my forehead against my palms. “I wish I could have a do-over,” I mutter.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Tell me about it.” Celeste Sheffield, actual grandma and the oldest member of Foof, sits next to me, patiently waiting for me to spill my guts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I take a deep breath, thinking back over the wretched day, from the annoying call from my dad to my magazine interview not going well. I bite my lip, trying to decide the worst part of it all. “I told a middle school science teacher I didn’t think young students would gain much from touring Vinea,” I tell her. “So now this guy thinks <em>I </em>think his students are too stupid, because of poverty.” Celeste pats my leg in a motherly sort of way I really appreciate.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I was just so overwhelmed with the <em>Forbes</em> reporter there and thinking about how much work it’ll be to prepare for going public. Who has time to prep for a bunch of tween visitors? But I guess what I said came out wrong and AJ took offense.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Celeste swirls around the ice in her drink and looks at me. “What if you called and explained? Said you realized your mistake? You could extend your invitation to the students after all.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I cringe. “Ugh. Apologies are the worst, though. Like, now this guy is going to know I say dumb things when I go off book.” Men thinking I’m stupid is a big, fat trigger for me after living with the Colonel. He’s so domineering and immersed in a hyper-macho military world. Everything has to be precise with him. Language, thought processes, all of it. “Can I make Logan call?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Logan laughs and shakes her head, wagging a finger at me. “I just run the numbers, boss. You’re the one with your name on the building.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s true. My name is on the damn building. So why do I feel like such an imposter all the time? I’ve spent my entire life trying to fill someone else’s shoes…I got thrust into that role after my mother died. I didn’t mean to start a company in my free time from my dorm room, but I did. Now, ten years along the way, I’m on the cusp of going public with my business-baby and I can’t drum up the ovary power to call someone and apologize?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Gah. Fine. I know, I know. I’ll call him and grovel.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“That’s the winning spirit!” Esther winks as she slides me a glass of something magical.<br />
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Bio:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lainey Davis lives in Pittsburgh in the USA with her 3 feral sons, 2 rescued rabbits, and 1 tired husband. She loves brooding heroes, fiery heroines, and happily ever afters.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.laineydavis.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16453938.Lainey_Davis" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorlaineydavis" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorlaineydavis/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/writesdavis" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lainey-davis" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/authorlaineydavis" target="_blank">TikTok</a> / <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/v8c1u0" target="_blank">Newsletter</a></span></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-36304418812513378842023-02-06T08:00:00.006-06:002023-02-06T08:00:00.267-06:00Book Tour: Whiskey on Our Shoes by Tonya Preece<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Whiskey on Our Shoes by </strong><strong>Tonya Preece</strong><br />Publication date: September 16, 2022<br />Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance</span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eva dodges the fans, media, and gossip that follow her supermodel mom and rock star family members by wearing disguises. After an aimless gap year, she struggles to figure out what she wants from life. She moves in with her famous guitar god brother in Austin while he recovers from a drunken stage stunt accident and tries to stay sober. When a hot Texas cowboy named Alex takes Eva by surprise, she risks her safety and security of anonymity by letting him into her unconventional life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex is captivated by Eva and promises to protect her privacy. Yet he has a secret of his own—the fling he had with an older woman is fraught with scandalous potential for him and now Eva. He broke free of that mistake months ago, or so he thought. As things heat up with Eva, his old flame returns and won’t leave him alone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just when Alex thinks he has the reins on the situation, his ex teams up with a gossip reporter hell-bent on invading Eva’s privacy. The resulting exposé, with a sly spin on a recent encounter with his ex, is Alex’s worst nightmare, and Eva’s unsure what to believe. Can she face the world with Alex at her side or will she return into hiding?</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62620996-whiskey-on-our-shoes" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3Wm48f4" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whiskey-on-our-shoes-tonya-preece/1142265288?ean=2940166565372" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/book/id6443426445?ign-itscg=30200" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/whiskey-on-our-shoes" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex’s POV</span></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 400; text-align: left; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I drive to the house, and she’s on the porch wearing shorts and a tank top. The sight of her does my heart good. She runs to me as soon as I leave my truck. I pick her up and love the way she wraps her arms and legs around me. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I laugh. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re here.” Her bare legs squeeze my hips, and she kisses me. I could become real used to this, with her breasts mashed against my chest and my hands cupped under her butt. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Come on.” She slides down my body—oh </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">damn</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, that was hot—and takes my hand. “Hector’s teaching me to cook. We’re making salmon with roasted red pepper pesto.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the kitchen, Hector’s setting out ingredients and cookware. “Hello, Alex. Eva wants to learn to cook. Any idea what that’s about?” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No idea.” I grin, appreciating the Wonder Woman apron Eva’s putting on. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You like it?” She strikes a pose.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I love it.” I pull her to me and kiss her, long and hard. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hector clears his throat—loudly. “Are we cooking here, or what?” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sorry, Boss.” Eva laughs, and I move to the other side of the bar. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A pen and notepad call to me, begging me to draw the scene. In my sketch, I nickname Hector “Honcho,” as in head honcho. I draw Eva in a Wonder Woman costume. She and Hector put the salmon in the oven, and she heads over to sit down by me at the bar when he orders her to the sink. “These dishes aren’t washing themselves.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sir, yes sir!” She salutes him. “Show me what to do.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He explains what needs to be washed by hand and what can be put in the dishwasher, like it’s the first time she’s done this. How strange and different from me. I’ve been washing dishes since I was five years old. Mom had me stand on a chair to reach the sink. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hector throws together a rice and vegetable side dish. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once everything’s ready, Eva and I carry our plates to the theater room. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Have you watched </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?” she asks. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yeah, it’s good. Cassidi and I watched the whole series a few years ago.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m up to the ninth episode.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the end of the show, we’ve finished eating and share the after-dinner mints she brought from the kitchen. She shuts off the lights. We get comfy in the oversized theater seats and play the next episode. It’s about nightmares coming true in an alternate reality. One of them involves a character being chased by a scary clown. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eva switches the lights back on and shudders. “I hate clowns.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m sorry, I forgot that part of this episode. We can skip it if you want.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No, I wanna see the end, but can I sit on your lap?” She laughs. “Wow, how cheesy.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I like cheese,” I joke. And of course, she’s welcome to sit on my lap anytime she wants. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She leans against my chest, and I put my arms around her. She smells delicious. It’s the usual vanilla but with a hint of something else. Peaches? </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rest of the show is lost on me. I concentrate on having her close. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the episode ends, she nestles her head between my neck and shoulder and our fingers entwine. Can she hear how fast she makes my heart race?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I press my nose to the top of her head. “You smell like peaches and cream.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She looks up at me with those beautiful green eyes. “Is that a good thing?” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s a very good thing.” I kiss her, and she shifts on my lap, pushing the button to recline my seat back. Soon, she’s lying on top of me.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Bio:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tonya Preece writes romance and contemporary young adult fiction and incorporates music into all her books in one way or another. She lives near Austin, TX where she’s a small business manager for a forensic engineering firm. She and her husband enjoy traveling, live music, wine, and spoiling their fur babies.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">As an active SCBWI member since 2015, Tonya has volunteered for several conferences and has served as a critique group facilitator. She joined the Writer’s League of Texas and The Author’s Guild in 2021. She’s serving as the 2022 WriteOnCon Financial Administrator and Critique Boutique Coordinator.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tonya’s 2022 debut, Whiskey on Our Shoes, was selected for the 2019 #WriteMentor program. One of her YA novels, THE MISSING MEMORIES OF CORDY O’REILLY, earned her a 2020 scholarship/mentorship with Austin SCBWI and was a finalist at the 2018 Houston SCBWI conference.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">An avid consumer of written stories, Tonya reads and/or listens to an average of 75 books a year. Some of her favorite YA authors include Jeff Zentner, Julie Buxbaum, Sarah Dessen, and Robin Benway. In adult romance – Kate Clayborn, Christina Lauren, Helena Hunting, Emily Henry, and Abby Jimenez. Series she tries to keep up to date on: Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. Recent mainstream faves are Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Five Fun Facts about Tonya that aren’t reading or writing related:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. She volunteers at a local food pantry, where she’s enjoyed serving weekly since 2017.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Her travel bucket list includes Italy, Ireland, and Bora Bora. Australia would be awesome, too!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. She loves ziplining, indoor skydiving, and rollercoasters.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. She’s a fan of bands like With Confidence, Broadside, All Time Low, State Champs, Sleeping with Sirens, and As It Is.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. 5. In her free time, she can be found indulging a jigsaw puzzle habit and/or binging shows like Outer Banks, Never Have I Ever, Downton Abbey, Bridgerton, Good Girls, Veronica Mars, and iZombie.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://tonyapreece.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22855925.Tonya_Preece" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tonya.preece.1" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyaPreece" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tonyapreecewrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></p></blockquote>
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Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-19859733244820930192023-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:002023-01-18T08:00:00.254-06:00Book Blitz: The Year of Cecily by Lisa Lin<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><strong>The Year of Cecily by </strong><strong>Lisa Lin</strong><br />(From Sunset Park, With Love, #1)<br />Publication date: January 17, 2023<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><b>This is the year of Cecily Chang.</b></p>
<p>San Francisco attorney Cecily Chang is ready to tackle the New Year head on, so she creates a list of resolutions guaranteed to reboot her life—right after her dutiful visit home to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for the Lunar New Year. Cecily prepares to face her critical, meddling mother, nosy relatives, and the chaos and drama family togetherness brings. At least the food will be delicious. This holiday, Cecily vows to remain calm—as long as she doesn’t see him.</p>
<p>Jeffrey Lee deeply regrets how he ended things with Cecily ten years ago, but he felt it was best for her at the time. When he runs into her again during the New Year, he sees it as a sign. Now a successful screenwriter, Jeffrey is determined to win back Cecily’s heart.</p>
<p>But Cecily doesn’t believe in signs or second chances and embraces her new resolutions. This time, Jeffrey won’t give up—and he’s convinced he can write them a new Hollywood happy ending.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61027194-the-year-of-cecily" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3ILlzRX" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-year-of-cecily-lisa-lin/1141400663?ean=9781957748900" target="_blank">Bares & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-year-of-cecily/id1621575819" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-year-of-cecily" target="_blank">Kobo</a> / <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lisa_Lin_The_Year_of_Cecily?id=0Z-gEAAAQBAJ&hl=en_GB" target="_blank">Google Play</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Having escaped the madhouse, Cecily dutifully made her way down the street to the Lee residence. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Jeffrey’s younger sister Bethany. She was dressed in a soft blue sweater and jeans, with a bandana pulling her hair back.</p>
<p>“CeeCee!” Bethany exclaimed as she enveloped Cecily in a hug. Despite herself, Cecily couldn’t prevent a grin. She’d always had a soft spot for Bethany.</p>
<p>“You’re home for the weekend?” Cecily asked. Last she heard, Bethany was a senior at Columbia, majoring in biochemistry.</p>
<p>“Yep. Where else would I be?” Bethany readjusted her bandana. “Mom needs all hands on deck for the cleaning.”</p>
<p>Cecily made a face. “My mom’s planning a top-to-bottom deep cleaning today too. I’m on bathroom duty. She’s also grumbling because she needs to take me to Walmart later to buy new clothes. But you can’t fight tradition.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. It was a New Year tradition slash superstition to clean the house top to bottom, get a haircut, and buy a new outfit. It was all about out with the old, in with the new and generating good luck and a fresh start for the Year of the Pig.</p>
<p>Bethany had no response, just blew out a breath and looked at her expectantly.</p>
<p>“Oh, right. Is Jeffrey around? I need to speak to him.” Speaking of the devil, he appeared behind his sister in the doorway.</p>
<p>“If you’re here to pay me for the Uber, think again.” He crossed his arms, and a stubborn look came over his face.</p>
<p>All right. If he was going to be a hard-ass about this, then so could she. She had plenty of experience dealing with difficult clients.</p>
<p>“It’s out of my hands, Jeffrey. You know that I can’t go into the New Year unless I settle all debts. You wouldn’t want me to start the Year of the Pig with bad luck hanging over my head, do you? You really want that on your conscience?” She gave her most innocent look and blinked disarmingly.</p>
<p>Jeffrey just scowled. “You always were a spoiled brat when it came to getting your way,” he muttered.</p>
<p>Cecily took immediate umbrage. “How dare you!” Such an unfair accusation. Besides, how did he know? They hadn’t seen each other in ten years. Maybe she had her moments, but didn’t everyone?</p>
<p>Jeffrey just raised an eyebrow. “Who was the one who told our moms I scalped her Barbie doll when she really was the one who decided to give it a haircut?”</p>
<p>“Really with that? I was five years old for God’s sake!” Seriously.</p>
<p>An implacable stare from him. “Did you or did you not get a new doll for your birthday?”</p>
<p>“To be clear, the statute of limitations for that has come and gone,” Cecily sniffed. “Not fair for you to throw that in my face now. It’s been thirty years, and I doubt your ability to accurately recall the event in question. Besides, whether or not I got a replacement Barbie doll is irrelevant to the current discussion.”</p>
<p>“And I was the one who got spanked for something I didn’t do.”</p>
<p>She continued to glare, and so did he.</p>
<p>Bethany just looked at them back and forth like she was watching a tennis match. “You two are weird,” she decided with a shake of her head. She walked away and disappeared back into the house.</p>
<p>Jeffrey ignored her. “But if you insist, it was sixty dollars.”</p>
<p>As Cecily dug through her wallet and purse, he added nonchalantly, “Oh and just so you know, Guillermo gave us a four and a half star rating.”</p>
<p>Her head snapped up and she stopped searching for the money. “Why didn’t we get five?”</p>
<p>“You were always so competitive.” He chuckled. He leaned against the doorjamb and put his hands in his pockets.</p>
<p>“Well, why didn’t we get five? We did nothing wrong,” she insisted, with her hands on her hips.</p>
<p>“Go ask him,” Jeffrey suggested, his lips twitching.</p>
<p>Cecily frowned and went back to her purse. Finally, she scrounged up thirty dollars and thrust it at him.</p>
<p>“There you go.”</p>
<p>“Glad I could help you start the New Year with a clean slate,” he drawled. “Happy now?”</p>
<p>She raised a warning brow. “You’re lucky I didn’t ask for a receipt.”</p>
<p>“Your faith in me is touching.<br />
<br class="blank" /></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Lisa has been an avid romance reader and fan since she read her first Nora Roberts novel at the age of 13 after wandering the aisles of her local bookstore. Lisa loves that romance has the power to inspire, and believes that HEAs are for everyone.</p>
<p>Lisa writes light contemporary romantic comedies with a liberal dash of snark and banter. She enjoys delving into the complexity of Asian and immigrant family experiences, and celebrates female friendships in her trademark dry, witty style. As an Asian-American author writing own voices Asian American stories, Lisa hopes that her books will show the diversity of the Asian-American experience, and the importance of every reader being able to see themselves represented on the page.</p>
<p>Having grown up in Pennsylvania and helping out at her parents’ restaurant, Lisa has never bothered to learn to cook. She has two liberal arts undergraduate degrees and a J.D, and in her former life she was an intern, then Legislative Assistant for a PA State Representative. She also worked as a paralegal at a boutique law firm. Lisa is a politics junkie (don’t get her started on the wonder that is The West Wing!), indulges in naps whenever possible, and believes Netflixing in her pajamas and ordering take out qualifies as the perfect weekend.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.lisalinbooks.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LisaLinbooks/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/laforesta1" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laforesta1/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p>
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</p>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-51212298576577905922022-12-01T08:00:00.027-06:002022-12-01T08:00:00.221-06:00Book Blitz: Love Report by Shellee Marie<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="" height="148" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/LoveReportBlitzBanner.png" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" />
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<p><strong><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/ShelleeSwanson_LoveReport_450x675.jpg" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;" width="266" />Love Report by </strong><strong>Shellee Marie</strong><br />Publication date: December 19th, 2022<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p>Professional baseball player Dan Pelameno struck out with the woman of his dreams. So, when she calls to set up an exclusive television interview with him, he jumps at the second chance to set things right. He let her slip away once, but he won’t make the same mistake.</p>
<p>Celebrity news reporter Kendra Star thought she had moved on from her ex, Dan until she had to see him again for a work assignment. When the encounter lands him a gig at her job, she promises to keep her distance from him and his charming ways. But the more she has to work with him, the harder he is to resist.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63038624-the-daredevil" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>“Kendra!”</p>
<p>I jolted my head up to Jay, and he eyed me warily. “As I was saying, now that the whole fiasco with Melanie is over, CEN needs a new direction…a new angle. We want to listen to the viewers. We want to be more positive with our programming,” he said, standing up from his perched position on his desk.</p>
<p>He ran his hands over his mouth and jolted his eyes at the massive coffee stain on my dress. “You missed your mouth?”</p>
<p>“Ah, you could say that,” I said.</p>
<p>He walked over to the cabinet in the corner of his office and pulled out a handkerchief. “Here, take this,” he said.</p>
<p>I took the handkerchief and motioned to wipe my dress. “Thank you so much! I didn’t have any napkins in my office.”</p>
<p>Jay raised his arms, stopping me. “No, no, no. Don’t wipe the stain with it. Put it under yourself, so you won’t mess up my leather chair.”<br />
“Oh,” I said, raising my backside slightly and placing it underneath me.</p>
<p>Once my embarrassment eased, I ruminated over the words he’d said earlier, “new direction.” I’d heard them before. Only last time, that direction hadn’t included me, but my replacement, celebrity slayer Melanie. She’d damaged so many of CEN’s celebrity relationships it was difficult to imagine a positive comeback.</p>
<p>Although, somehow, I’d managed to come back in more ways than one. During my prolonged stint of unemployment, my bill collectors started to call me more than my relatives. I couldn’t have that happen again. I shook my head and focused on Jay’s words as he dropped his hand from his mouth.</p>
<p>He hovered over his desk, then placed his palms down onto the surface as if steadying himself in front of me. I shifted in my chair under his gaze.</p>
<p>“Someone reached out to the director of programming and suggested we do an apology tour. So, now upper management wants us to repair the relationships that Melanie damaged,” he said.</p>
<p>“Apology tour?”</p>
<p>“Yep, a series of intimate, heartfelt, sit-down interviews with each of the celebrities harmed to show them in a better light. But at the same time, it could also show CEN in a better light. In addition to fixing the relationships, of course. A second chance do-over of sorts.”</p>
<p>I nodded without hesitation or shame. I was a damn good interviewer, and I knew heartfelt. I wasn’t perfect, but I threw my heart into everything I did. “I can do that,” I said.</p>
<p>Jay smiled at me like a proud father and pointed in my direction. “I know you can. And there’s no one else I would’ve trusted to do it. We have to show everyone we’re still the same ole CEN.”</p>
<p>Moments like this were rare with Jay. They always made me think that if I worked harder, maybe I could have more of them. I mentally repeated his next statement in his hint of a New York accent because I knew it by heart.</p>
<p>“CEN is that old friend you can rely on to keep you up to date on trends,” he said. But, then, “Only now we keep you up to date on our friends.”</p>
<p><em>Hmm, that last part was new.</em></p>
<p>I nodded at his cringeworthy new phrase, attempting to detour him from the inevitable tangent that usually followed his “profound” statements. “So, who’s first on our apology tour?” I asked brightly.</p>
<p>“Well, the caller suggested Dan Pelameno.” He shook his head, then said, “The way we screwed over that guy’s marriage, I’d say I agree.”</p>
<p>I froze. <em>Did he say, Dan Pelameno?</em></p>
<p>I stuttered, searching for my next words. “I — I think I read somewhere that Dan and his w-wife… ex-wife…are on good terms. So, it would probably be way more harmful to him to potentially rehash things with an interview.”</p>
<p>“Nonsense, it’ll be great. Our fans love Dan, and Dan loves the spotlight. So, just avoid harsh questions, and it’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>“But —”</p>
<p>Jay raised his hand and closed his eyes before narrowing them on me intensely. “This is a crucial opportunity for this company and, quite frankly, for you as well. Show the execs why you were worth that raise. Get Pelameno’s number and schedule the interview with him personally. We can’t mess this up. The network took a hit with that Melanie bullshit. We need this. You need this.”</p>
<p>I nodded and rose from my seat. “Yes, Jay. Thank you for the opportunity.”</p>
<p>Defeated, I headed for the door, but Jay stopped me to say, “And Kendra?”</p>
<p>“Yes?” I asked.</p>
<p>“Welcome back.”</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>“Shit, shit, shit,” I said, closing my door and pushing my back against it. I’d trudged the hall slowly, hoping for a distraction on the way, but, of course, my coworkers were nowhere in sight when I needed one.</p>
<p>I took in my office. It was still empty from the day I had to pack everything up in a box and carry it out. The fun knick-knacks and trinkets I’d collected during segments and guest appearances were still packed up at home. It was another reminder that my life had been completely thrown off kilter.</p>
<p>I tapped my head against the door. <em>Dan Pelameno? Maybe there’s more than one? Surely not? Who am I kidding? There can only be one Dan.</em></p>
<p>Despite Jay’s directive, I didn’t need to search for Dan’s number. I already had it. I slid down the length of the door and stared at my phone over on the desk, working up the courage to call my ex. Well, almost ex…<br />
<br class="blank" /></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Shellee holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. She also has two minors in Women’s Studies and Political Science.</p>
<p>Shellee is an avid reader, and in her spare time, she can frequently be found curled up with a good book. She loves a wide variety of formats and genres. She also enjoys spending time with her brilliant daughter, Trinity, and her favorite pups, Myla and Chino.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.shelleewrites.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22007237.Shellee_Marie" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamshelleemarie/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iamshelleemarie" target="_blank">TikTok</a></p>
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Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-28517581117170031992022-11-11T08:00:00.018-06:002022-11-11T08:00:00.230-06:00Book Blitz: Savoring Christmas by Shanna Hatfield<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Savoring Christmas by Shanna Hatfield<br />(Rodeo Romance, #10)<br />Publication date: November 10th, 2022<br />Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance</span></p><blockquote><p><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">He’s a former rodeo star who gave up his career to run the family ranch.</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><em><strong>She’s an aspiring chef with a food truck, a dream, and no interest in another man coming along to ruin her plans.</strong></em><br />
Troy Lucas walked away from his winning rodeo career to run the family ranch after the death of his grandfather. Now, being a rancher, a farrier, and even team roping just for fun can’t seem to keep him satisfied. He didn’t think he’d miss his glory days in the rodeo when he came back home – in fact, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. Still, he can’t deny the hole inside that keeps reminding him he’s longing for something . . . more.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chef Lark Gibson has only one thing on her mind: opening a restaurant in Portland. Until that day comes, Lark will take her food truck to as many events as possible and make sure her customers are always begging for more. The last thing she expected was to find herself distracted by a knight in dusty Wranglers, until a handsome cowboy comes to her rescue and catches her off-guard.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Will the approaching Christmas season lead this hungry cowboy and ambitious chef to realize that what they <em>think</em> they want isn’t what they really need? Find out in <em>Savoring Christmas</em>, a sweet romance full of humor, heart, and holiday fun.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63049934-savoring-christmas" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3EcxRzW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></p>
<p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">**Until December 24th, 10% of the proceeds from every book purchased (any Shanna Hatfield book including ebook, audio, paperback and hardback formats) will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. (Find more info <a href="https://shannahatfield.com/give-back" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">EXCERPT:</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jay started putting away the supplies she’d brought and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Tell me more, Lark.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“More? About what? I told you all there is to know about the runaway steer.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jay shook his head as he filled the napkin dispensers. “I don’t care about that. Tell me about this cowboy who caught your eye.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“He didn’t catch my eye,” she huffed. Her protest seemed a little rushed and forced even to her.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">When her brother chuckled, she knew he was aware of her interest in her cowboy-hat-wearing hero.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Fine,” she admitted. “He may have earned a second glance.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Or fourth, from the way you were studying him.” Jay looked over his shoulder at her. “Admit it, you like him.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lark shot a hair band at her brother. “I’m not admitting anything, bro. I just met him. I don’t know enough about him to like or dislike him.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Keep telling yourself that,” Jay muttered.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/Rodeo-Romance-series-graphic-1.jpg"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img alt="" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/Rodeo-Romance-series-graphic-1.jpg" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" /></span></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Author Bio:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://shannahatfield.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4981400.Shanna_Hatfield" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorShannaHatfield" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannaHatfield" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shannahatfield/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://shannahatfield.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=acebcab2e4262575917cb7049&id=dcb6341143" target="_blank">Newsletter</a> / <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shanna-hatfield" target="_blank">Bookbub</a> / <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/shannahatfield/_saved/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></span></p>
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Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-85142816999806922962022-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:002022-11-10T08:00:00.233-06:00Book Blitz: Never Gonna Happen by Linda Kage<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Never Gonna Happen by Linda Kage<br />Publication date: November 8, 2022<br />Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult</span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peyton’s mom and my mom were best friends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">You’d think that should cover the gist of it. But, no… Oh, no./</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not even close.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">You see, Mom and Aunt Donna (as I’d always called Peyton’s mother) were not simply just best friends; I’m saying they were the-same-person-inhabiting-two-different-bodies kind of best friends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And thus, Peyton Royce had been forced on me since the moment she was born.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We were treated like twins, yet always expected to fall in love one day and get married. The only problem with that was I didn’t love Peyton. And I’m fairly certain she didn’t even like me in return.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Don’t get me wrong. I adored our moms—swear to God—but they had to let this stupid notion go, because one thing had become abundantly clear to me over the years. I would never marry Peyton Royce. I think it was my one goal in life, actually.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So… Sorry, Mom and Aunt Donna, but you two just weren’t going to get your way on this.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Peyton and I? It was never gonna happen.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">EXCERPT:</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Aria took her turn next. When she immediately turned toward me and Peyton, my stomach dipped with dread.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“York,” she smirked snidely. “Truth or dare?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Uh…” Damn. I shrugged, not sure what would be worse from her. I ended up going with, “Truth,” only to hold my breath and hope she didn’t ask about why I’d really broken up with her. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings and admit that I just didn’t feel any sparks.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But she glanced calculatingly between me and Peyton instead, then asked, “You two have known each other your whole lives, right?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I frowned in confusion. “Uh, yeah. That’s your question?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“No. My question is if you two have ever kissed before.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What? No!” I frowned at her for wasting her truth question on that and then glanced toward Peyton, shaking my head to let her know my group of friends was clearly insane.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">She merely blushed and shrugged back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And Wes took his turn next in the game.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“York!” he cheered. “Truth or dare?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Seriously?” I threw up my hands. “Why is everyone picking on me all of the sudden?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Truth or dare?” Wes repeated, lifting a challenging eyebrow.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I didn’t like where Aria had been heading with her question about Peyton, so this time I said, “Dare.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wes looked at me with victory, letting me know I’d chosen wrong, right before he said, “I dare you to kiss Peyton.”<br />
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<img alt="" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/06/Linda.jpg" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;" />
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Author Bio:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Linda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Most Kage stories lean more toward the lighter, sillier side with a couple meaningful moments thrown in. Focuses more on entertainment value and emotional impact.<br />
Published since 2010. Went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children's literature from The Institute of Children's Literature. Then graduated with a Bachelors in Arts, English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now she lives with hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a cataloging library assistant.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion, character match Hagrid. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor...or Hulk (can't decide). Justice League Team Flash. Arrow Team Stephen Amell. Stranger Things obsessed. Heard Laurel, not Yanny.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club. Then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now all over the place with her romance reading tastes.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.lindakage.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3213942.Linda_Kage" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorlindakage" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/APageWithLindaKage/" target="_blank">Facebook Group</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/lindakage" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lindakagebks/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br class="blank" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Giveaway!</strong><br />
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">—<br />
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Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12517238183506530885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687465372871592912.post-40625263241646743752022-11-09T08:00:00.001-06:002022-11-09T08:00:00.225-06:00Blog Tour: Miles and Miles of You by Jennifer Bonds<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
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<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Miles and Miles of You by </strong><strong>Jennifer Bonds</strong><br />Published by: Entangled: Amara<br />Publication date: November 7, 2022<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Get on board with @SoSavvyTraveler!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lucy Gonzalez might have once been a stressed personal assistant, but now she’s hitched up her grandma’s bitchin’ vintage Airstream and hitting the road with all the best places to find cheap eats and see the sights on a shoestring budget.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And she has company along for the ride. If those thirst-worthy abs seem familiar, it’s because they belong to billionaire Miles Hart. True story, he used to be Lucy’s boss until she quit on him. Something about not being appreciated? Anyway, you will appreciate Miles—and his groveling—plenty on this trip.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, you have front-row seats to the hottest trip of the year. Sparks! Fireworks! Unexpected smooching! And you won’t want to miss the jaw-dropping surprise that will make this destination totally worth the hilarious journey…</span></p>
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<p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62358525-miles-and-miles-of-you" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3qTt8Mh" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miles-and-miles-of-you-jennifer-bonds/1142215616?ean=9781649372635" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/miles-and-miles-of-you/id6443385946?uo=8&at=" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/miles-and-miles-of-you" target="_blank">Kobo</a> / <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jennifer_Bonds_Miles_and_Miles_of_You?id=UoWIEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Excerpt</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lucy’s gaze locks on the luggage at my feet and her umber eyes go round. “Why do you have a suitcase?”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I flash her a winning smile. “I’m coming with you.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her jaw drops, revealing a row of straight white teeth, but she recovers quickly, snapping her mouth shut.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“No.” She shakes her head vigorously. “Absolutely not.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’d expected resistance, but I’ll win her over. I always do.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not always</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wouldn’t be in this mess if that were true.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What do you mean ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’? This was your idea,” I remind her. “You’re the one who said ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">watch me</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.’ I’m just taking you up on the offer.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her mouth opens. Then closes. Then opens again.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wait a beat, but still no words come. She’s literally speechless.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s a first.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I need your help. If the only way to get it is to join you on this little adventure,” I say, nodding toward the camper, “then so be it.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Little adventure?” she echoes, planting her hands on her hips. “There’s nothing little about what I have planned.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Of that, I have no doubt.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But if life has taught me anything, it’s that having dreams and making them reality are two very different things. My brothers and I poured everything we had to give into Triada, knowing full well that success was a long shot. And while I believe Lucy can achieve just about anything she sets her mind to, I’m not convinced her life’s dream is to be a travel influencer.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hell, I’m pretty sure she plucked the idea out of thin air that day in my office.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“What about Triada?” she challenges, eyes glinting with triumph. “In the two years I’ve worked for you, you haven’t taken a single vacation.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Has it really been so long since I took time off?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Focus, asshole.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Who said anything about a vacation?” I wink at her. “I can work remotely. All I need is my laptop and hotspot.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The little skeptic arches a brow and I chuckle.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Okay, fine. I need you too.” That, at least, earns me a smile. Thank Christ for small favors. “Besides, I want to be there when you come to your senses and ditch this ridiculous plan.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Annoyance flashes across her face, but it’s gone in an instant.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re serious?” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “You really mean to join me on this trip?”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes.” Despite the fact that I’m going to catch hell from my brothers when they find out.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ask forgiveness, not permission.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a mindset that’s always served me well.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“And you think this is a better solution than simply hiring a new assistant?” she asks, words dripping with sarcasm.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hell, yes.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The corner of her mouth twitches at my obvious desperation, but I let it roll off my back. The only thing that matters now is her answer. Our eyes lock and she stares at me for a long moment, probably weighing her options and the outcome of each.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meticulous, as always.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’d expect nothing less.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“All right,” she finally says, voice taking on a sly edge. “I’ll let you tag along. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you agree to travel as I do. No upgrades. No five-star hotels. No Michelin star restaurants.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s it? The lack of strings is a pleasant surprise.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Done.” I snort. “What kind of snob do you take me for?”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lucy laughs, and it’s a light, airy sound reminiscent of better days. Days when I wasn’t up to my ass in problems.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I mean it.” She pokes me in the chest. “The whole point of this trip is to show real people travelling on a budget. The world doesn’t need another </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lifestyles of the Rich and Photoshopped</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> brand designed to make the masses feel inferior.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Fine.” After the week I’ve had, I’ll agree to just about anything. “How hard can it be, anyway?”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“For a guy used to room service and luxury accommodations?” She smiles up at me sweetly. “I imagine it’ll be quite challenging.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hell it will. Despite my current wealth, I’m no stranger to rough living conditions. I may enjoy the finer things in life—</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">who doesn’t?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—but I don’t need them to survive.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I didn’t get where I am by caving under pressure.” I lean in close, pitching my voice low. “I can handle it. Can you?”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Indignation flares in her dark eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It means,” I say, choosing my words carefully, “that I don’t think you’ll last two weeks.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ha.” Lucy crosses her arms. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> won’t last two weeks? You won’t last two days without your gourmet coffee and Egyptian cotton sheets.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Want to bet?”</span></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/jen-1.png" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;" /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Bio:</span></p><blockquote style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer Bonds is the USA Today bestselling author of sizzling contemporary romance with sassy heroines, sexy alphas, and a whole lot of mischief. She’s a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories, laugh-out-loud banter, and over-the-top grand gestures. Jennifer lives in Pennsylvania, where her overactive imagination and weakness for reality TV keep life interesting. She's lucky enough to live with her own real-life hero, two adorable (and sometimes crazy) children, and one rambunctious K9. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, a solid Netflix binge, the Winchester brothers, cupcakes, and all things zombie. Sings off-key.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://jenniferbonds.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13650425.Jennifer_Bonds" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jbondswrites" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/jbondswrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jbondswrites/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Giveaway!</strong><br /></span>
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