Author: Empress DJ

Empress DJ AKA Honolulubelle is a Rabid Reader, Unabashed Reviewer, and All-Purpose Goddess
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Book Review: Kiss Me Again by Emma Hart

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WANTED: ROOMMATE. Must be tidy, polite, and absolutely not my brother’s hot as sin best friend.

Kiss Me Again, an all-new hilarious brother’s best friend standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart is available now!

KISSMEAGAIN

I have no idea why I said yes.

Maybe I’d had one too many wines. Maybe I’d done it accidentally. Maybe I’d been sleep-texting.

One thing I know for sure is this: I absolutely do not want Ethan Hawkins in my apartment, up in my business, taking over my space.

Yet he’s here. Moving his stuff into my spare bedroom. Sending a wave of panty-melting, musky man-scent my way every time he walks past me.

Here’s the thing.

We don’t get along—at all. We never have, and I don’t think we’re going to start now that we’re under one roof.

There’s also that little issue where I’m kinda, sorta, totally in love with him…

Uh-oh.

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Download your copy today!

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It’s ironic… I have a hedgehog on my chest, and you’re still the prickliest thing in this apartment.

 

Angelica got started on her Danish as if it was going to grow legs and jump off the table. I guess pregnancy made people crazy.

 

“You took out all the marshmallows!” “Did I?” “You damn well know you did!” She shook the box of Lucky Charms at me. “What kind of f*ing savage are you?”

 

Every item of clothing needed pockets. Pockets were so underrated. And, as a woman, my clothes did not have enough pockets. Dresses with pockets were so delightful… When I eventually rise to power, everyone will have pockets in all clothes. That was definitely a solid use of power. Ava, 2028. Make Pockets Great Again… I know. First world problems. But first world problems are still problems, and anyone who thinks pockets aren’t a necessity has never pulled twenty dollars out of their bra. Here, have some boob sweat for your troubles, said nobody ever.

 

“Oh, God, she’s terrorizing the village again.” There was only one person that could be about— her grandma. Had I summoned her? “And she’s with Bethel… Those two could get in trouble in a church. Honestly, I don’t know how they’re able to make it past the doors without sweating.”

 

Have you met our girlfriends? Ava’s best friends? The Three Musketeers? The three women who will take the place of their elders and terrorize this town when we’re all dead and gone and there’s nobody to control them?

 

My Review:

 

This was a rather angsty and highly contentious enemies-to-lover romance featuring highly amusing and irreverent humor, clever quips, snappy banter, childish passive-aggressive pranks, hedgehogs, Doritos, stolen socks and purloined insoles. I adore Emma Hart, even if her main character of Ava was a cranky and grumpy Gus, and I frequently wanted to administer a few smacks to the back of her head. However, the cleverness of Ms. Hart’s deft wit and agile wordplay more than made up for Ava’s annoying and bratty behavior.   I will be eagerly awaiting her next missive.

 

Excerpt

I shoved the front door open and set my gaze on Ethan on the sofa. “If you’re going to lie to me about living here, we’re going to have to set some hard and fast rules. The first one: the stinky, spiky pig lives in your bedroom.”

He peered over at me, one hand in a bag of cheese Doritos and the other tickling the hedgehog who was now lying on his chest.

It was quite the sight.

“How do you know he stinks?” he asked, licking his fingers and cradling the animal before he put the chip packet on the coffee table.

“I Googled. They need cleaning every day. I’m not doing it, and neither am I living in a smell of tiny animal who should be wild.”

“He’s a pygmy hedgehog. He’s bred to be domesticated.”

“His spiky bits could be made out of solid gold and I wouldn’t give a shit.” I put my purse on the island and looked at him. “You can send me Google links to them if it pleases His Highness, but my stance won’t change. That animal is not living in my living room, and I’d rather you didn’t snuggle with him on the sofa.”

“It’s ironic,” Ethan mused. “I have a hedgehog on my chest, and you’re still the prickliest thing in this apartment.”

“If I wasn’t staunchly against animal cruelty, I’d throw a saucepan at you.”

“You can still hit me over the head with it.”

“I was talking about you, not the hedgehog, you pig.”

“May I say that you are an absolute fucking delight, Ava. I can’t imagine why you’re still single.”

“Probably the same reason you are. The asshole gene is strong as fuck and not all that attractive.”

About Emma Hart

Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels and has been translated into several different languages.

​She is a mother, wife, lover of wine, Pink Goddess, and valiant rescuer of wild baby hedgehogs.

Emma prides herself on her realistic, snarky smut, with comebacks that would make a PMS-ing teenage girl proud.

​Yes, really. She’s that sarcastic.

EmmaHart

Connect with Emma

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmmaHartBooks/

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2Dr0atq

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Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2EBbZNe

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2D91d3T

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmahartauthor/

Stay up to date with Emma by joining her mailing list: https://www.emmahart.org/newsletter

Website: https://www.emmahart.org/home

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Book Review: Notting Hill in the Snow by Jules Wake

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Notting Hill in the Snow

by Jules Wake

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

It’s mayhem in Bethlehem…unless they can work together!

Viola Smith plays the viola in an orchestra (yes really!), but this year she’s been asked to stretch her musical talents to organizing Notting Hill’s local nativity.
Nate Williams isn’t looking forward to Christmas but as his small daughter, Grace, has the starring role in the show, he’s forced to stop being a Grinch and volunteer with Viola.

With the sparks between them hotter than the chestnuts roasting in Portobello market, Nate and Viola can’t deny their feelings. And as the snow starts to fall over London, they find themselves trapped together in more ways than one…

My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:

 

‘I’d offer you a biscuit … but the biscuit burglar has been to visit this week and all the chocolate ones have gone.’ Grace was suddenly very studious with her drawing, nodding in agreement. ‘I hate it when that happens,’ I said. ‘And why do they always steal the good biscuits and leave the custard creams behind?’ Nate laughed. ‘You have the same burglar.’

 She came running into the kitchen. ‘I’m starvacious.’

 

 My Review:

 

I had never noticed this wily author until falling upon this marvelous book but I am completely enamored and besotted with her craftiness while selfishly coveting all her clever arrangements of words. Goodreads lists thirteen books to her credit and I want them all!   I was instantly pulled into her vortex like a house of cards in a tornado, and smirked and grinned my way through her brilliantly crafted tale while savoring each perfectly chosen and highly amusing word.   The characters were lovable, the storylines were delightfully engaging, and the writing sparkled with perceptive insights and smartly observed and well-paced levity.

 

In addition to gleeful entertainment, Ms. Wake provided me with two new items for my Brit Word List with: fill your boots – which is an invitation to eat as much of whatever is offered as you want and take some home with you; and LOL dolls – which are apparently highly prized collections of small dolls with big eyes.

 

About the Author

Jules Wake announced at the age of ten that she planned to be a writer. Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands and not so luxury brands. This proved fabulous training for writing novels as it provided her with the opportunity to hone her writing and creative skills penning copy on a vast range of subjects from pig farming and watches, sunglasses and skincare through to beer and stationery.

She writes best-selling warm-hearted contemporary fiction for One More Chapter as Jules Wake and under her pen name Julie Caplin, she writes the Romantic Escapes series.

Between them, the two Js have written twelve novels, Notting Hill in the Snow being the latest.

Social Media Links 

@Juleswake

https://www.facebook.com/juleswake.co.uk/

Instagram: juleswakeauthor

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Book Review: Code of Conduct by April White

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“Sharp writing, layered characters, and wonderful tension flow through this book, along with a super-swoon-worthy hero and a kick ass heroine I just love.” — Elizabeth Hunter, USA Today bestselling author

Code of Conduct, the first in the romantic suspense Cipher Security series of standalones, from April White is available now!

 

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There are three things you need to know about Shane P.I.

1) P.I. is not her last name, it’s her job title,

2) Her specialty is catching cheaters, and

3) She’s a superhuman – kind of.

Gabriel is a security expert for Cipher Security, and a former UN Peacekeeper with a fierce protective streak that finds its focus on the beautiful P.I.

Their attraction is like an elephant in a room full of breakable things, and figuring out how to trust each other with their hearts, and maybe their lives, is the most fragile thing of all.

‘Code of Conduct’ is a full-length romantic suspense novel, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Cipher Security series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Universe.

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Download your copy today!

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Excerpt

I pulled up the audio version of the newest Iron Druid book, turned my phone on speaker, and when the tub was full, I sank into the hot water with a sigh. Luke Daniels could read a shampoo bottle and I’d listen, but my mind kept drifting off of Atticus’ and Oberon’s adventures, and was instead hopping from rock to rock in the garden of ADDATA, the Quimbys, and Gabriel. I wasn’t even annoyed when the phone rang and interrupted the story, because I knew I’d have to go back to the beginning of the chapter anyway.

It was on its fourth ring when I finally dried off my hand and reached to answer it, so I hit the speaker button just as I looked at the screen.

Gabriel’s name startled me so much I didn’t say anything – I just sat up in the tub and stared at the phone.

“Please say you’re not in the bath.” Gabriel’s voice was quiet, deep, and had a note of pleading in it.

“What do you want, Gabriel?” I moved again, and the water sloshed around me. I knew he could hear it because he groaned softly.

“Where to begin.” It was almost a whisper, and the words sent a shiver through me. He cleared his throat and continued in his normal, beautiful voice. “We had a call from Quimby. He said he’d found you and wondered what we were going to do about it.” I didn’t say anything, and the silence lasted two long heartbeats. “Are you okay?” he finally asked, quietly.

“He saw me turn from Bryn Mawr onto Sheridan. I lost him in the alleys.”

Gabriel exhaled. “Good.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be finding his money? Or his wife? Or something else he misplaced?”

“Do you have his money or his wife?” he asked

“No.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? What exactly do you want from me, Gabriel?” I sat forward and the water sloshed again. I traced the ripples with my fingers as I heard his sigh.

“I don’t know. I just know that every time you move, I hear the water in your bath, and I imagine …” He exhaled sharply. “Be careful, darling. I don’t trust Quimby not to try to hurt you if he can. Don’t let him catch you.”

“You haven’t caught me yet, and you’re far more resourceful than that little man.”

He chuckled softly. “Yet.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye, and Luke Daniels’ voice returned, continuing the story as I sank down in the water and let its heat lap over the chills on my skin.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“You must wonder what attracted me to you,” Dane said with a knowing smile. Actually, I was mentally calculating my billable hours and hoping to be done here in less than thirty minutes because … round numbers. “You read my mind,” I said with a low, breathy voice. To my own ears I sounded asthmatic, but experience had taught me that horny guys dug breathless women.

 

I looked at his phone. “Can I see your profile? I’ve been trying to decide if I want to join.” … “Go ahead. Just don’t swipe right on any ugly chicks.” Just for that I’d be swiping right on the biggest, most redneck, Deliverance-looking guy I could find.

 

I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.

 

The women of my family all believed that secrets were just lies waiting to happen, and problems were to be aired out like musty rooms with the dust covers ripped off for everyone to see the state of your furniture.

 

I crave you. You’re like the air when I’m underwater, or like fire when I’m frostbitten.

My Review:

 

Before picking up this captivating book, April White was a completely unknown entity to me as I don’t often read paranormal or historical tales, but she has leapt far and away from her typical genres with this cleverly penned Romantic Suspense entry into Penny Reid’s Universe of Smartypants Romance.   Ms. White’s volume was a seamless insertion using several of Ms. Reid’s established characters from a previous series, some I was familiar with, many I was not as I haven’t read the Knitting in the City series, although that didn’t seem to matter at all.

 

Ms. White’s nimble writing quickly drew me into the story and held my interest and curiosity throughout. The storylines and writing style were unfailingly engaging and well-balanced between heart-squeezing insights and cleverly amusing levity.   The characters were enticing, charismatic, uncommonly quirky, and highly likable. I do loves me a kickass chick and my new gal-pal Shane pulled that off with breath to spare. Shane was a striking female who deserves Superhero status given her cool bravado and sleek wardrobe of tricked-out prosthetic legs with badass gadgets hidden inside. I adored her and her new partner Gabriel as they stumbled into an intriguing case that kept mushrooming from the cheating husband scenario it started out to be. Their adventure was well-crafted and highly entertaining and sets the bar high for subsequent volumes.

About the Author

April White has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.

Her first novel, Marking Time is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and all five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy.

Connect with April

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2lyxY3g

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2ly75wn

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2k4SdVR

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2k6tCzY

Website: https://aprilwhitebooks.com/

Connect with Smartypants Romance

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kvDnb4

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2lzyduO

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lGdIMQ

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Website: https://smartypantsromance.com/

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Book Review: Snowflakes over Holly Cove by Lucy Coleman

Snowflakes Over Holly Cove

by Lucy Coleman

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA /

B&N / Kobo / GP / Apple

The perfect Christmas romance for fans of Karen Swan.

As the snowflakes start to fall, Holly Cove welcomes a new tenant to the beautiful old cottage on the beach…

For lifestyle magazine journalist Tia Armstrong, relationships, as well as Christmas, have lost all their magic. Yet Tia is up against a Christmas deadline for her latest article ‘Love is, actually, all around…’

So, Tia heads to Holly Cove where the restorative sea air and rugged stranger, Nic, slowly but surely start mending her broken heart.

Tia didn’t expect a white Christmas, and she certainly never dared dream that all her Christmas wishes might just come true…

Set in Caswell Bay on the stunningly beautiful Gower Coast, the cottage nestles amid the limestone cliffs and the woodlands, where the emotions run as turbulently as the wind-swept sea.

As cozy as a marshmallow-topped mug of cocoa, fall in love with a heart-warming festive story from the bestselling author of The French Adventure.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘We have a problem.’ Really?… Clarissa’s expression is always the same, probably because of the amount of Botox she’s had and I’m not being bitchy here. It’s a fact. There is never a huge smile, or a desolate frown, just an almost unbelievably perfect, wrinkle-free complexion that belies her age.

 

Death is a journey for both parties; those who pass over and those who are left behind.

 

My Review:

 

This lovely book was thoughtfully and poignantly penned. Written from a first-person POV, Ms. Coleman’s emotive and highly insightful prose was highly descriptive and lushly detailed; each scene was thoroughly set to engage and captivate all the senses while sparking vivid visuals in my mind’s eye.   The storylines were relevant and intriguing and cast with curiously endearing yet highly flawed characters.   It was heart-squeezing, exceptionally perceptive, and simply divine.

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website

 Facebook

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Lucy lives in the Forest of Dean in the UK with her lovely husband and Bengal cat, Ziggy. Her novels have been shortlisted in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Lucy won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award.

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

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Book Review: Paradox (Pearson Sisters Series Book 1) by C.A. Harms 

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Paradox

(Pearson Sisters Series Book 1)

by C.A. Harms

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

Pretending had always been so easy for Shane…until Janelle moved in next door.

Janelle was excited to be starting a brand new chapter in her life. But her eagerness quickly plummeted when her new neighbor stormed over with his arrogance and attitude. And now, just the sight of him made her blood boil.

Just as she thought she knew exactly what kind of man Shane Anderson was, he blindsided her and left her speechless.

Turns out, she didn’t know him at all…

She quickly realized that the man he pretended to be was nothing more than a Paradox

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She gets a little more aggressive when she has a few drinks in her. The mention of castration, disembowelment, and roasting his nuts over an open flame made us laugh during dinner, yes, but now I am honestly a little afraid for the guy.

 

“Do you think he’s gay?” My smile falters. “Who knows?” It is hard to distinguish between the two voices. “What I do know is no matter if he prefers the bratwurst or the bun, he needs to get laid.”

 

“I have an entire list of things that would inflict great pain on any man that I am dying to try if the need should arise.”… She can’t be more than one hundred pounds soaking wet, but something tells me she means every word.

 

I used to think Mom dropped you on your head as a child and that I couldn’t be mean to you because that was not your fault. But now I can’t blame Mom. You became this warped and confused version of yourself all on your own.

 

Did she honestly try to pull a bone and bolt on you?

  

My Review:

 

This tragic and heart-squeezing tale was poignantly penned while well-balanced in tone with amusing and provocative wit, sizzling sensuality, and vibrant characters. Ms. Harm’s emotive writing captivated my interest, tapped all the feels, tugged at the heartstrings, and sent her flawed and struggling characters straight to the heart where they burrow deeply into my coronary muscle. I adored each quirky primary and secondary character and am eagerly looking forward to more Pearson adventures.

 

About The Author 

 

 

I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are the greatest part of my days, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my best friend for seventeen years, and looking forward to many more.

I am one of those authors that adore my readers. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write.

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCAHarms/
INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/authorcaharms/
NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/1xsgHCS
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/C.A.-Harms/e/B0…

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Book Review, Giveaway: Reach for a Star by Kathryn Freeman

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Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

 

What if your dreams were so close you could reach out and touch them? 
How could anyone resist Michael Tennant, with his hypnotic blue eyes and voice like molten chocolate? Jessie Simmons certainly can’t. But Jessie’s a single mum who can’t sing to save her life – there’s no way she’ll ever cross paths with the star tenor. 

At least that’s what she thinks until she’s unexpectedly invited to take part in a new reality TV show. The premise? Professional singers teach hopeless amateurs how to sing. The surprise? Jessie’s partner is none other than Michael Tennant!

As she becomes better acquainted with the man behind the voice, will Jessie find out the hard way that you should never meet your idols? Or will she get more than she bargained for?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Christ, she was murdering the song. While he winced and cringed, she continued to murder it all the way to the end. His eardrums ringing with tuneless screeching his cat – if he’d had one – would have been appalled by, Michael wondered what he was supposed to do now.

 

What happened? The cat didn’t just get your tongue, it seemed to have chewed it right off.

 

My Review:

 

Ms. Freeman’s writing was engaging and heart-squeezing and I liked the premise and enjoyed the colorful and clever strokes of levity as well as most of the storylines. However, I struggled with the overabundance of angst – there was just so much of it with a steady stream of inner musings of insecurities and self-doubts in both main characters. Don’t get me wrong – the writing was ace with insightful observations and entertaining scenarios, my opinion is skewed by a personal aversion for the bitter tang of conflict and inner turmoil, although the majority of my book buddies gobble it up like candy.

 

The book was well populated and showcased an interesting mix of relevant issues, family drama, parenting concerns, and character quirks. The various settings spanned the globe as Michael, an introverted, and uptight international celebrity vocalist who was uncomfortable with fame, toured his talents across several continents while pining for Jessie, his new love interest and an everyday divorced mom who should only sing when alone in the car, and was even more uncomfortable with his fame than he was.

About the Author

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links –

Website:  http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

 

Giveaway

Win a PB copy of Oh Crumbs by Kathryn Freeman

(Open INT)


*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

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Book Review: One Christmas Star by Mandy Baggot

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Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA / 

B&N / Kobo / iBooks / GP

Emily Parker is set to have the worst Christmas ever!

Her flatmate’s moved out, she’s closed her heart to love and she’s been put in charge of the school original Christmas show – with zero musical ability.

Disgraced superstar, Ray Stone is in desperate need of a quick PR turnaround. Waking up from a drunken stupor to a class of ten-year-olds snapping pics and Emily looking at him was not what he had in mind.

Ray needs Emily’s help to delete the photos, and she needs his with the show. As they learn to work together they may just open their hearts to more than a second chance…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘Say that you respect Ida’s opinion of your relationship, but that she is… deeply troubled. Deeply troubled says you are “caring” and “compassionate”, but it also eludes to Ida being “slightly batshit crazy”.’ She sipped at her drink. ‘And then you say you hope Ida reaches out for the help she needs. That will infer to everyone that she’s one step away from a psychiatric ward.’

 

That man was an animal. And did you smell him? He didn’t just smell like he’d been to the pub. He smelled like Guinness had distilled him for thirty-odd years.

 

I have a natural talent for reading people. I’m like that Patrick Jane from The Mentalist, without the three-piece suit, but with all of the ginger hotness.

 

Your father has bought another hat. This one has a ridiculous feather. I don’t know what it is with him lately. It’s like he’s experiencing a middle-age crisis that only millinery can solve.

 

My Review:

 

This was my second exposure to the clever wit and crafty humor of the deeply talented Mandy Baggot. Her vibrant creation was a delight for all the senses and conjured colorful visuals to dance through my gray matter. Her inventive and engaging plotlines held a delicate balance of compelling issues and cunningly crafted levity. But what stole my heart was her bevy of quirky and highly original and dynamic characters including hedgehogs, a candy addicted coworker, a vintage clad heroine, a scandal-ridden singer with an unstable and vindictive ex, snobbish social-climbing parents, and an unending grab-bag of unusual ten-year-old students who presented their own unique challenges and real-world issues.

The storylines were compelling and relevant, and held my interest throughout and kept my curiosity primed while Ms. Baggot’s nimble and highly amusing writing kept me pleasantly entertained and glued to my kindle.  I am in awe of her craft and covet her word skills.

About the Author

Amazon

Goodreads

Website

Twitter 

Facebook

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy’s books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian. Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music, and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Follow Mandy:

Facebook: @mandybaggotauthor

Twitter: @mandybaggot

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Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

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Book Review: The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls by Jen Gilroy

The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls

by Jen Gilroy

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Sometimes happily ever after is only a wish away . . .

There’s a wishing tree in Irish Falls. The bits of paper tied to its gnarled branches hold the hopes and dreams of everyone in town . . . except Annie Quinn.

Single mom Annie has spent years rebuilding her life and trying not to have regrets. After giving up her dream of music stardom, she returned to her Adirondack hometown—and convinced herself she’s content with a simpler life.

The last thing she needs is a man to remind her of the heartbreak she left behind.

A divorced dad, Seth Taggart used to be a successful LA songwriter. But now his reputation is in tatters, he’s burnt-out and estranged from his adult son. Inheriting a small-town radio station just might be the do-over he needs.

Although he always planned to go back to LA, when working with Annie turns into sharing music and more, Seth realizes second chances—and home—are where he least expects.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“He’s got a face and body to match his voice, too. The word at yoga last night was he sent Lisa Drysdale into a hot flash when she bumped into him in the produce aisle at Nolan’s grocery. I can sure see why.” Holly grinned and fanned herself with a potholder.

 

“We don’t know for sure, but Duncan might have prostate cancer… Duncan doesn’t want anybody to know because he’s a man and, well . . .” Her cheeks went red. “He’d be uncomfortable with people, family even, talking about his . . . equipment.”

 

Hannah gave him a hopeful look, mixed with the kind of face Seth remembered Dylan making a few years back. Like adults were a different species and teenagers only tolerated them because they were a source of food, money, and rides to wherever the kid wanted to go.

 

My dad wouldn’t have wanted me to give up on a dream. He always told us to reach for the stars. Even if you didn’t get there, he said you had to try and maybe you’d catch the moon instead.

 

“The new bank manager seemed interested.” “Please. Although I might be able to overlook his Star Trek obsession, he wears white socks with brown sandals. That should be illegal.”

 

My Review:

 

Jen Gilroy is an expert storyteller, she quickly drew me into her small-town tale of contemporary romance with flawed yet endearing characters, relevant and compelling family issues, and interesting storylines. While I didn’t enjoy living in the tiny and inbred rural hamlet of my youth, I do seem to enjoy reading books featuring small-towns, albeit these small towns are far more entertaining and genteel than the harsh, backward, and uptight landscape of my childhood memories. Nor did it have a rich heritage or an imaginative draw like an epic and magical wishing tree. Ms. Gilroy’s engaging writing style and interesting story threads tapped all the feels and kept my curiosity primed while alternating between squeezing my coronary muscle and putting an amused smile on my face. I’m hoping this is just the start of a new series with more tales to come.

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About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website

Growing up under the big sky of western Canada and spending summers in a little Ontario town, books were my passport to other worlds. Pioneering Laura Ingalls, Jo March and her sisters, the English girls in Noel Streatfeild’s books and L.M. Montgomery’s independent, nature-loving heroines all became friends.

I started writing poems and stories in elementary school and, as a teenager, reached the semi-finals in a local short story contest. Even after all these years, I still remember the thrill of the judge encouraging me to keep writing.

I earned undergraduate and graduate degrees, setting fiction writing aside to teach at universities, write and publish academic research and work in marketing communications and international business development.

Along the way, I read romances, escaping into a world where a happy ending was guaranteed. One day, though, I realized that by losing my creative writing, I’d also lost part of what makes me who I am.

Now I write the kind of stories I like to read–heartwarming romances about finding home, family and community–where ordinary women overcome sometimes extraordinary challenges to earn their happy ever after.

I’m an RWA® Golden Heart® finalist 2015 in Contemporary Romance, and that manuscript sold to Hachette Book Group USA, Grand Central Publishing, Forever. It releases on January 31, 2017, as THE COTTAGE AT FIREFLY LAKE.

I’m a member of RWA® and the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA). And despite a few detours along the way, I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since childhood.

After many years in England with my husband, a tech guy who’s still a small-town boy at heart, and our tween daughter, an English rose, who teaches me to cherish the blessings in the every day, I’ve come home to my roots and live in a small town in Ontario’s Rideau Valley.

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Book Review: CHRISTMAS INN LOVE by Kelly Collins

 

CHRISTMAS INN LOVE

by Kelly Collins

 

Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

Reputations are hard to come by in the big city and hard to lose in small towns…Celia Roberts, the owner of the Hummingbird Inn has it all … almost. She has a wonderful son and a business she loves. Though challenged to make ends meet, she’s come a long way from the tough times she endured as a teenage mom. With the busy Christmas season ahead, things are looking up, until Scrooge himself arrives intent on putting a huge resort next to her inn—a resort destined to put her out of business.

Wealthy business developer Rob McKenna is coming back home to the tiny town of Pinetop, Colorado to tie up loose ends. After the death of his mother, he’s inherited her Victorian home, her dog, and hundreds of acres of land he plans to develop into a resort and sell. It all seems so simple until he runs into Celia Roberts. In high school, she was the “it” girl, and he was nobody. She dated the bully, and he was the target. Now he’s back, and she’s single, and as beautiful as ever. However, she’s the only thing standing between him and his plan to get in, get rich, and get out of town. He wants to move the small town into the future. She wants to preserve the past.

Can the magic of Christmas leave them both with full hearts and bright futures or will one of them end up with nothing under the tree?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He needed a place to stay and his mother’s house would never do. Every wall held the voices of contempt and disappointment.

 

He’d probably make someone a nice boyfriend or even a husband. Sometimes Celia longed for one or the other, but she was glad she had neither. She came from the camp of once burned, always shy because twice shy wasn’t enough.

 

He thought it was too good to be true that Pinetop would have no memory of him being bullied for being a bastard. Reputations were hard to come by in the big city and hard to lose in small towns, but he wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

 

He knew a little something about moms. He’d had one too, but she was what they’d call a helicopter parent. A damn Military Apache Guardian. Quick and deadly. She saw everything. Knew everything. Her temper was like a heat-seeking missile. Never missed a thing except his unhappiness.

 

My Review:

 

This was a relatively light, quick, sweet, and easy to follow holiday read with an interesting mix of heart squeezes, snarky levity, family issues, and a sprinkling of romance. I enjoyed the mix of small-town characters and relevant and realistic family issues and backstories. I find myself sliding into a holiday frame of mind early this year.

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

 

  Goodreads  / Website  / Amazon /

International bestselling author of over 30 novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.

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Book Review: The Christmas Calendar Girls by Samantha Tonge

The Christmas Calendar Girls

by Samantha Tonge

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU 

Apple Books  / GP/  Kobo

This Christmas fall in love with the town of Chesterwood…

Christmas is meant to be a time of giving, so with Chesterwood food bank under risk of closure Fern knows just what to do to save it. She’s going to get the town to create a living advent calendar.

Fern and her best friends call for help from the local community to bring this calendar to life. When Kit, the new man in town, offers his assistance Fern’s heart can’t help but skip a beat (or two).

As they grow ever closer, Fern must admit that Kit’s breaking down the barriers she built after the death of her husband. But his past is holding him back and Fern doesn’t know how to reach him. No matter how hard she tries.

In this town, Kit’s not the only one with secrets. Domestic goddess Cara is behaving oddly, burning meals in the oven and clothes whilst ironing, and Davina’s perfect children are causing trouble at school leaving her son, Jasper, desperately unhappy.

Can the Christmas Calendar Girls find a way to bring the community together in time to save the food bank, while still supporting their families and each other? Can Fern find love again with Kit?

This is a story about kindness and letting go of the past. It’s about looking out for your neighbors and about making every day feel like Christmas.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Davina stood up and gave me a piercing stare that only a mother of twins could master.

 

The best sorts of friends were good at turning me into we.

 

It felt as if a light bulb switched on in my chest whenever I saw him, like that magical sensation as a child when you discover the tooth fairy has visited.

 

I took out my phone, brushed my hair and took a selfie. The strained smile made me look like a convict. So I took twenty more and finally created one that didn’t suggest I’d turn up to a date hiding an axe. Then I created a profile on Tinder. Not words I ever thought I’d be saying…

 

 My Review:

 

This was a fun and easy read with relevant real-world issues, heart-squeezes, insightful observations, and clever levity in equal measure. While battling overwhelming odds to raise funds to continue a charitable operation, the overall tone of the story was decidedly upbeat with hard-won lessons and positive outcomes all around. I enjoyed the creativity and everydayness of the characters as well as the entertaining storylines, and relatable conflicts and concerns. Ms. Tonge’s poignant writing is laced together with such perceptive watchfulness; her stories are a learning experience as well as an entertaining one.

About the Author

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK and her passion, second to spending time with her husband and children, is writing. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has traveled widely.

When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.

In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category.

Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

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