Book Review: Eve’s Christmas by Julie Butterfield

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Eve’s Christmas

by Julie Butterfield

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

Working for a department store where Christmas arrives in August, Eve prefers her own festivities to be low key with nothing more complicated than an oven-ready turkey and frozen peas while she spends the day in her pajamas. Unfortunately, this year her husband has invited his best friend to visit, the glamorous and sophisticated Abby, and Eve reluctantly decides that she needs to inject a little sparkle into their laid back and slightly shabby Christmas. So the celebrations are upgraded to include champagne and canapes along with homemade gravy and organic turkey and plans are made for a Christmas that looks as though it has emerged from the pages of a glossy magazine.

But even the best-laid plans can go wrong and as Eve struggles with her mini Yorkshire puddings and an interfering cat, she is suddenly faced with an unexpected guest and an explosive secret that threatens to put her vision of a perfect Christmas in jeopardy.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘She is nice. Most of the time. But that’s not the point!’ Eve wailed. ‘I’ve worked so hard planning for this Christmas and she’s turned up like Mary Poppins with a bag full of magic!’

 

Eve was actually superfluous to requirements, which strangely was how she often felt in the company of Abby.

 

… the masses of beautiful deep green and red berry foliage on her kitchen windowsill had been pushed aside by an indignant cat who liked to sit there to clean his whiskers. Looking at her watch, Eve decided that keeping on top of her beautifully decorated home was becoming a full-time task and she was already starting to slip behind her schedule…

 

There was still a slightly strange smell in the kitchen, a combination of hot chocolate, cat vomit, and the oven sending out wafts of warm air. Eve decided she would ignore it. Hopefully, the delicious smell of her buffet would soon overcome the current slightly rancid smell.

 

I suggest you make it clear to him my darling. And sort your head out… Slap him, don’t feed him for a week but for goodness sake Eve, forgive him…

  

My Review:

 

I gleefully snorted and even barked aloud a few times as I read this delightfully amusing corker of a tale. This is the fourth Julie Butterfield book I have picked up and each one has been unfailingly engaging, crisply written, and laced with clever wit as well as colorful insights that call forth vivid imagery.   I wore a smile the majority of the time I spent with the besieged, beleaguered, and slightly demented Eve; although I will confess, she behaved much better than I would have in her shoes

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website

Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of ‘always wanted to write’ authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper – or rather fingers to keyboard.
She wrote her first book purely for pleasure and was very surprised to discover that so many people enjoyed the story and wanted more, so she decided to carry on writing.
It has to be pointed out that her first novel, ‘Did I Mention I Won The Lottery’ is a complete work of fiction and she did not, in fact, receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it to her husband – even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him!

 

Book Review: A Coldwater Christmas (Coldwater Texas #4) by Delores Fossen 

A Coldwater Christmas

(Coldwater Texas #4)

by Delores Fossen 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA /

 B&N / GP / Apple 

Sometimes a little Christmas magic can rekindle the most unexpected romances…

Sheriff Kace Laramie and his brothers found long-awaited happiness when they moved to Coldwater, Texas, as foster children. But the feel-good story has one bittersweet twist—his brief marriage to local rich girl Jana Parker. When that blew up, Kace vowed never to marry again and has kept Jana mostly off his mind…until she comes back to town, needing his help.

Recently divorced for a second time, Jana just wants to create a good life for her young daughter—and keep her mother from marrying Kace’s gold-digging father. Asking him for help may be wrong given their history. But as the stakes—and their chemistry—make the Christmas season sizzle, Jana knows how much more wrong it would be to let a love this magical slip away again…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Kace, the baby whisperer,” Nico joked. Kace gave him a look that could have frozen hell.

 

… a nurse came moseying into the room. Kace knew her, of course, and he groaned softly. It was Annabelle Mason. She was eighty if she was a day and as slow as a sloth unless it came to gossip.

 

In addition to bad art, her mom also had a penchant for experimental furniture. There was the tiger print couch, complete with roaring tiger heads for sofa arms. Odd-shaped yellow-and-green leather accent chairs that looked like blobs of melting butter or the remnants of a bad cold.

 

He was like a big ice-cream sundae to a dieting woman. Delicious and very much wanted.

 

Her mom was in a Peter-and-her-against-the-world kind of mindset that didn’t allow for the possibility that she was marrying an anus wart.

 

She wouldn’t have gotten that answer right even with a multiple choice.

 

My Review:

 

I have barely scratched the surface on this prolific wordsmith’s body of work, but I have vastly enjoyed every Dolores Fossen book I have ever picked up.   Her engaging small-town stories are laced with quirky homespun levity, feature likable and relatable characters, and are easy to fall into and a snap to follow.   Each time I have read one of her books, I have experienced a strong craving to stop and read her entire listing. A Coldwater Christmas was one of her best and a second-chance, adult contemporary, small-town romance that was as highly amusing as it was actively paced. I smirked and giggle-snorted at the delightfully comical visuals her clever words effortlessly called to mind. Ms. Fossen has a lifer fangirl in me – unless she switches genres and starts writing about zombies.

Excerpt

 

“Someone put a stink bomb in Peter’s car,” Jana explained. Best to get into the bargaining/wake-up she needed to do. She gave her mother a chance to let that sink in, but Eileen only gave her a blank look. “The stink bomb went off and caused the accident.”

That erased the blankness, and Eileen’s eyes widened as much as her nearly frozen face would allow. She moved her phone, no doubt to call Peter again, but Jana took hold of her hand to stop her.

“Someone obviously doesn’t like Peter,” Jana went on. “In fact, someone might hate him so much that they want to do him harm.”

Eileen frantically shook her head. Then, she huffed. “Are you trying again to make me think badly about him?”

Jana couldn’t exactly deny that. “You texted me and said you were having second thoughts about marrying him,” she reminded Eileen.

“Second thoughts about having the wedding here.” Eileen huffed again. “I considered maybe having the ceremony in the church instead.”

So, not the right second thoughts. That meant Jana had to spell this out for her mother. “Someone wants to harm Peter,” she repeated.

“Do you mean one of his former girlfriends, the ones you keep telling me about?”

Jana had indeed told her mother about Peter’s previous relationships, including one with an exotic dancer and with Kace’s mother. Ditto for telling Eileen about his failed business ventures and spelling out in the nth detail about him running out on his family. None of that had put a damper on Eileen’s feelings, but maybe this would.

“If someone’s trying to harm him,” Jana went on, “then you could be hurt, too. You could become this person’s target. That’s why I’m asking you to put the wedding on hold until we can figure out what’s going on with him.”

Eileen stared at her a very long moment, and then when she huffed, Jana made a huff of her own. Her mother definitely wasn’t buying this.

“Honestly, Jana, when will you give up this witch hunt about Peter?” Eileen asked, and she managed a frown.

“When I’m convinced that he’s the good and decent man you believe he is. He abandoned his family,” Jana pointed out for the umpteenth time.

Another long stare from her mother. “That’s really what this is about. Kace and his brothers. But specifically Kace. I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think you still had feelings for your first ex-husband.”

Jana hadn’t missed the condemning tone that went with first and ex. Eileen abhorred divorce as much as she did wrinkles and gray hairs. But Jana had to admit—privately—that she still got a punch of lust whenever she was around Kace. That definitely didn’t happen with ex number two, Dominick. However, that probably had something to do with the hurt and betrayal still being so fresh with him.

At least Jana hoped that’s all there was to it. 

While she was hoping, she added that she wished the images of a naked Kace would quit popping up like a jack-in-the-box into her head. Images of them kissing, too. And yes, of them in bed.

About Delores Fossen

USA Today bestselling author, Delores Fossen, has sold over 70 novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita ®. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines.

Connect with Delores

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Book Review, Giveaway: The Slayings in Sydenham (The London Murder Mysteries Book 7) by Alice Castle

The Slayings in Sydenham

(The London Murder Mysteries Book 7)

by Alice Castle

 

Amazon US / UK / AU CA 

 

A dangerous move…

Single mum and super sleuth, Beth Haldane, has been set her most daunting task yet by handsome cop boyfriend Inspector Harry York. He wants her to find them a new home – outside Dulwich! Beth can hardly bear the idea, so when a young estate agent turns up dead, she diverts her energies to nailing the killer instead.

As it turns out, more or less everyone in Dulwich who has ever moved house may have a motive. But do some of the richest residents have an even stronger reason to murder the agent than others? What on earth is up with Dr Grover, head of prestigious private school, Wyatt’s? Does Beth’s uber-mummy nemesis, Belinda MacKenzie, have more reason than usual to be swaggering about the village? And who is sending Beth sinister text messages?

Join Beth for her seventh thrilling adventure amid the mean streets of south London, in The Slayings in Sydenham!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The girl now flicked her eyes very slightly up and down Beth’s own random assembly of clothes and readjusted her smile. A series of noughts seemed to be vanishing off her estimation of Beth’s net worth.

 

The telly that the three-piece suite had no doubt been grouped around was conspicuous by its absence, leaving the chairs looking like a group of worshippers in search of a deity.

 

Harry says I’m like a cadaver dog. Honestly, if I never see another dead body as long as I live, that would suit me just fine.

 

…his funds had to stretch, like cheap prosecco at a second wedding.

 

It was no good stressing discretion to Nina. If she hadn’t currently worked in the estate agents, her dream job would have been town crier, complete with a medieval-style tabard and handbell as she went around announcing items of juicy gossip to all and sundry.

 

My Review:

 

Alice Castle’s clever levity and diabolically witty observations had me smirking and snorting while delving into the latest misadventures of my favorite tiny pixie booted snoop. Beth Haldane is one of my all-time favorite characters. Beth is deliciously flawed, which makes her all the more appealing to me as she is a somewhat lazy and cheapskate busybody who is militantly stubborn and highly prone to daydreaming, equivocation, and procrastination.

 

I covet Ms. Castle’s clever wordplay and her vocabulary is to be greatly admired, unlike her character of Nina who had me hooting with gleeful delight at her malaprops and misuages, not that I have ever been known to make such grievous errors myself ~ snort. The storylines were well-crafted with a writing style that was as engaging as it was highly amusing and bestowed yet another new word for my Brit Words and Phrases List with wittered on – which means to jabber. Much like my reviewing style…

About the Author

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim and also hit the number one spot. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, was published in August 2018, with Homicide in Herne Hill following in October 2018. Revenge on the Rye came out in December 2018. The Body in Belair Park will be published on 25th June 2019. Alice is currently working on the seventh London Murder Mystery adventure, The Slayings in Sydenham. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliceMCastle

Links to buy books: http://www.MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery http://www.myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich,

http://myBook.to/CiC

http://myBook.to/homicideinhernehill

http://myBook.to/revengeontherye

http://myBook.to/BodyinBelair

Death in Dulwich is now also out as an audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/B07N1VNMLT/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-140657&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_140657_rh_us

Alice lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

 

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of The Slayings in Sydenham

(Open to UK and US Only)

*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: Rescue Me (A Frazier Falls Novel) by Kelly Collins

 

Rescue Me
 (A Frazier Falls Novel)
by Kelly Collins

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

Her company is failing. His plan could save it. Will their partnership move from business to pleasure?
Carla “Carl” Stevenson takes a special joy in running the local timber mill. But when the economy takes a downturn, selling the family business may be her only heartbreaking option. After a prospective buyer takes an interest, she’s horrified by his plans to raze the Frazier forest to make room for cheap cattle farming. To protect her home, she reluctantly turns to the town’s most notorious player…Owen Cooper can’t believe Carl’s mill is for sale. But the construction company owner is even more shocked that “Carl” is actually a beautiful woman. Moved by feelings he never saw coming, Owen drafts an ambitious plan to save the mill owner’s livelihood… and maybe even win her heart.

Rallying their community around the audacious idea, Owen and Carl find their fates delightfully intertwined. But both their chemistry and the project hang in the balance when he suddenly walks away…

With the whole town at stake, will Carl and Owen save the mill and find their way to true love?

Rescue Me is the heartwarming first novel in the Frazier Falls romance series. If you like strong women, honorable men, and small-town love, then you’ll adore Kelly Collins’ charming tale.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“God, you’re no fun,” Eli complained. “You’re like Dad in better clothes.”

 

“… my manners run too deeply for me to abandon them.” I always had this fear that my mother had some connection to the gods, and showing a lack of respect would earn me a heavenly lightning bolt straight to my ass.

 

John told me I’d have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, but you’re the wartiest toad I’ve ever met.

 

I was sounding like our father, who used to tell us to think with our brains, not sit on them, which was a nice way of telling us to pull our heads out of our asses.

 

She pretended to look pained. “Look, there goes my self-esteem. Never again will I put myself out there. I’ll die a spinster.”

 

There was a time I thought giving my heart to a woman was suicide, but looking at her made me realize that death by Carla might be worth it.

 

A long time ago my mother gave me the best bit of wisdom a man in love could receive when she told me, you don’t marry someone you can live with. You marry the person you can’t live without.

 

My Review:

 

I adore Kelly Collin’s sweet and sexy small-town romances. Rescue Me starts a new series with a tie-in to her beloved Aspen Cove series, which I will never get enough of and hope she continues into perpetuity. The engaging storylines were relevant, easy to follow, laced with humor, and cast with distinctive yet immediately likable and assessable primary and secondary characters. I’m rubbing my hands together in anticipation of a return visit.

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.

Book Review: Zapata by Harper McDavid

Zapata

by Harper McDavid

AmazonUS / UK / CA / AU / 

B&N / IndieBound

 Paperback: 356 pages
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing (September 25, 2019)

When engineer Avery McAndrews is offered a last-minute assignment to the rough and tumble border town of Zapata, Texas, she doesn’t think twice. Used to pushing past stereotypes, she’s sure this project will earn the long-awaited promotion.

Instead, she’s thrown in the crossfire between warring drug cartels and soon discovers that her captor, Javier Ramos, is more than just a power hungry drug lord. He’s crazy.

As lead attorney for the cartel, it’s Alejandro DeLeon’s job to manage Javier. But this time, Javier’s cruelty reaches epic proportions, and Alejandro finds himself wanting to risk everything to save Avery.

Running for their lives with Mexico’s underworld at their heels, Avery and Alejandro discover unintended and intensifying emotions, feelings neither sought and neither seem prepared to control…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Gaudy was the second thing that came to mind. First was no way. No way was she spending a night in this room. Her skin itched just looking at it. She shot Alejandro a dirty look in the mirror headboard designed to resemble a Mayan temple. The base of the temple was a collection of greasy imprints from the heads of previous guests. The mattress slumped woefully in the middle. Any more sag and the thing could be mistaken for a canoe.

 

… she’d been rejected. She hated it. Rejection was agonizing hell. It made legends out of poets and filled psychology textbooks.

  

My Review:

 

I’m always astounded when a debut author produces a polished and well-honed tale; color me flabbergasted, as this is one of those times.   The storylines were uniquely intriguing, highly eventful, and advanced at an intermittent pace with rather unexpected bursts of activity, gunfire, daring and narrow escapes, cringe-worthy threats, brutal violence, kidnapping, betrayals, a blossoming romance with no future, and considerable subterfuge and duplicity on every level.

 

I was quickly sucked into Avery’s perilous vortex and was right there with her in the heat and grit, taut with tension. No one seemed at all trustworthy while those who should have been, weren’t; which only left the naïve yet feisty main character of Avery with the desperate and risky choice of depending on someone who shouldn’t have been, and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

The adrenalin and activity levels were often high with a large cast of compelling yet slippery and tersely spoken characters who were edgy and tightly wound, which kept ratcheting up that ever-present sense of jeopardy and danger lurking around every corner. The plot was complex, multi-layered, and loaded with intriguing and unusual situations as well as confounding and disheartening obstacles such as language barriers, corruption at every level, a large bounty, unstable yet powerful and well-connected criminals, significant injuries, and Avery’s conflicted feelings and perplexity over the role and motivation of the person helping her and her bewildering feelings toward him – was he her savior or another level of captor. I wasn’t sure about him myself and seemed unable to put my Kindle down until I knew for sure.

About the Author

As a child, Harper McDavid watched her mother ride the rollercoaster of writing books, swearing she’d never do it herself. But some things are just hardwired, and luckily for Harper the world has moved on beyond typewriters and ten-pound manuscripts.

Harper’s gritty romantic suspense incorporates her own background in science and engineering and work experience along the border. The result is a collection of brainy hard hat-wearing heroines that occasionally swap out their coveralls for the little black dress.

Harper is the mother of three daughters and lives in the foothills of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a fat cat. Her free time is spent traveling the world in search of that next story and perusing her local library for funny book covers.

Find out more about Harper at her website, and connect with her on InstagramTwitter, and Facebook.

Book Review: Shelf Awareness by Katie Ashley

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Shelf Awareness

by Katie Ashley

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/33YjLhr

Amazon Worldwide:

 http://mybook.to/ShelfAwarness

“Don’t miss this hilarious and sweet adventure in the Green Valley Library series. Five Stars!”–Aleatha Romig, New York Times bestselling author

Shelf Awareness, an all-new hilarious romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Katie Ashley is available now!

 

20190718_GVL04_Shelf Awareness_Ashley_KDP_FINAL

After catching her husband in a compromising position, Finley Granger finds herself in a new hell: reentering the dating world. When she moves in with her grandmother, her great-aunt, and their best friend, Finley finds herself surrounded by a trio of well-meaning yet bumbling matchmakers.

In spite of their efforts, Finley only has eyes for one person, and that’s Zeke Masters—the 6’4”, impossibly built, and ridiculously good-looking new man in town. Along with her nether regions, Finley’s journalistic spidey-senses tingle as to why he’s on sabbatical from Seattle. Is he on the lam or escaping a bad breakup? What’s his story?!?!

As Finley finds herself reluctantly drawn to the gorgeous IT guy, she can’t help but wonder: should she indulge in a rebound tryst with the mysterious Zeke, or has she finally met her match?

‘Shelf Awareness’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book #4 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Except

As Zeke worked on uploading the census records, I hoisted one of the many boxes from the Henderson’s donation onto the table. It kicked up an epic dust cloud. I reached inside to pluck out one of the moldering tomes of historical literature. Wrinkling my nose, I fought the urge to sneeze. Instead, I cleared my throat. When it still felt like I had swallowed a wad of sawdust, I coughed. And that was my grievous mistake.

 

The force of the cough dislodged the Ben Wa ball, sending it into an epic downward dive. Yes, ladies and gentlemen the Ben Wa ball had left the building. Whirling away from Zeke, I used my hand to try an inconspicuous crotch shuffle to send the ball back to its point of origin. What happened next was truly against the laws of motion. Because the universe apparently hated me, the ball escaped the confines of my thong. As it started its descent down my thigh, I squeaked and clamped my knees together.

 

“Are you all right?” Zeke asked behind me.

 

I threw a glance at him over my shoulder. “Uh, yeah, I . . .” Okay, I had no idea how I was going to get out of this one. It wasn’t like I could say, “Well, here’s the thing. The Ben Wa ball I was using to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles to keep my vagina healthy for the D just slipped out and is about to make a very unhappy trail down my leg.”

 

“I think a bug bit me or something.”

 

“Oh no. Want me to take a look?”

 

“No!” When Zeke’s eyes widened at my outburst, I said, “Sorry. I’m okay.”

 

“If you’re sure.”

 

“Totally.”

 

“I think I might’ve found something interesting for your research.”

 

The only thing I was interested in at the moment was getting the Ben Wa ball out of my pants without Zeke seeing it. “Oh?”

 

“I definitely see some Native American female names.”

 

Damn him for being enthusiastic about my research. The last thing I wanted to do was walk the couple of steps back over to him while trying to keep a Ben Wa ball from rolling down my pants leg. Since I couldn’t see any other way out of it, I nodded. Gritting my teeth, I started shuffling over to him.

 

When I started lurching like Frankenstein’s monster, Zeke tilted his head curiously at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

“Yep. Totally fine,” I muttered.

 

Just as I reached his chair, my knee shifted because of what I imagined was panic sweat overtaking me. As the ball became dislodged, I bit down on my lip to keep from squealing again. There was no saving the ball now or my humiliation for that matter.

 

As soon as it plopped onto my shoe, I flung my foot, sending it ricocheting into the desk. Of course, it’s size caused it to make a tremendous ching-ching noise, which in turn caused Zeke to rip his attention away from the screen. “What was that?”

 

“What was what?” I questioned innocently.

 

He furrowed his brows at me. “You didn’t hear that noise?”

 

“Uh, no.” Plastering a smile on my face, I said, “I’m sorry. I was just so into what you were saying.”

 

Ignoring my response, Zeke quickly assessed the area around us. After I’d flung the ball away, it had come to a rest to the right of his desk chair. When he bent over to examine the ball, I inwardly began screaming noooooo while at the same time cursing Estelle for even bringing the Ben Wa ball into my orbit.

 

Since the universe hadn’t tortured me quite enough yet, Zeke picked up the ball. “Interesting,” he murmured as he twisted it between his fingers.

 

I decided it was best to play absolutely and completely clueless in this situation. “What is it?” Silently, I prayed he wouldn’t respond with, “It looks like one of those sex balls you shove up your cooch.”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe a part off one of the desks or chairs. I should probably give it to maintenance, so they can check all the furniture in here.”

 

Oh hell no. Without a second thought, I snatched the ball out of his hands. Since I did it rather abruptly, Zeke’s surprise was apparent on his face. Waving my free hand dismissively, I said, “Don’t bother yourself with that. I’ll take it to them.”

 

“Thanks, Finley.”

 

After wheezing out a breath, I replied, “You’re welcome.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll go do that right now.”

 

I didn’t bother waiting for Zeke to reply. Instead, I power walked right out of the history room. I’m sure if he was watching me he would have been puzzled at my miraculous recovery, considering I’d been limping earlier.

 

At the first trash can I could find, I deposited the Ben Wa ball. It seemed abundantly clear that neither I nor my vagina were quite ready to handle the responsibility.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It was after watching one of my favorites, Waiting to Exhale, that I had a breakthrough. Sure, one might say rounding up your husband’s clothes to cut the crotches out of them was more of a breakdown than a breakthrough, but I didn’t care. I had a purpose.

 

“GramBea, while I might have an English degree, I’m a journalist and an editor, not a librarian.” In my mind, I couldn’t imagine a more depressing prospect. Nothing screams spinster like a librarian. I could literally feel my vagina shriveling at the sexless years ahead of it. Next, GramBea would be suggesting I go with her to The Beauty Mark to get my hair teased before joining her for shuffleboard.

 

Oh, no. There it was. The opening of the ex-files. I’m pretty sure bringing up the ex on a date was some sort of faux pas. Although I could have told the waitress to nix the wine out of respect for Marcus and his pain, I decided against it. My sixth sense told me I was going to need all the alcohol I could get.

 

Considering Estelle’s profession, I couldn’t imagine what kind of man she would come up with. Probably one who was vegan, wore sandals, and considered placing crystals on my body as foreplay.

 

My mouth gaped open. I glanced around waiting for the impending apocalypse brought on by Dot using the word hussy.

 

 My Review:

 

This was a fun read and my first outing with the delightful Katie Ashley and I was enamored with her naughty wit, clever humor, and oddly beguiling characters. I adored the gentle giant of Zeke most of all. But I never would have imagined three eighty-something women would be providing a considerable share of the levity and comic relief, but they were exceptionally keen octogenarians and gifted with purse skills – think Golden Girls but in small-town Tennessee. Ms. Ashley is a wily minx.

 

Written in the first person POV of a painfully betrayed and heading for divorce thirty-year-old woman the narrative sang with levity, humorous inner musings, volcanic sensuality, and highly amusing observations. Even Finley’s more painful insights came with humorous notes. I frequently smirked and was pleasantly engaged and well entertained throughout.

About the Author

Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Top Five Best-Selling author of both Indie and Traditionally published books. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, her two rescue dogs named for Disney Princesses, Belle & Elsa, an out-numbered cat, Harry Potter, and one Betta fish. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

Connect with Katie Ashley

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

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2m3rWrH

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

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

Website: http://bit.ly/2lXWIlu

Connect with Smartypants Romance

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Book Review: WHERE WINTER FINDS YOU (Black Dagger Brotherhood #17.5) by J.R. Ward

WHERE WINTER FINDS YOU
(Black Dagger Brotherhood #17.5)
by J.R. Ward 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA /

 B&N / Apple / GP

 

About WHERE WINTER FINDS YOU:

When Trez lost his beloved to a tragic death (The Shadows, Black Dagger Brotherhood #13), his soul was crushed and his destiny seemed relegated to suffering. But when he meets a mysterious female, he becomes convinced his true love has been reincarnated. Is he right? Or has his grief created a disastrous delusion?

Therese has come to Caldwell to escape a rift with her bloodline. The revelation that she was adopted and not born into her family shakes the foundations of her identity, and she is determined to make it on her own. Her attraction to Trez is not what she’s looking for, except the sexy Shadow proves to be undeniable.

Has fate provided a grieving widower with a second chance…or is Trez too blinded by the past to see the present for what it really is? In this sensual, arresting book full of the themes of redemption and self-discovery, two lost souls find themselves at a crossroads where the heart is the only compass that can be trusted…but that may require a courage that neither of them possesses.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Honestly, he hadn’t just been born under a bad star; he’d been born under one that kicked him in the nuts so badly, he’d coughed them out in his hand.

 

Clapping a hand over her mouth, the absurdity of it all struck her bell so hard, she nearly snorted. And as she vowed to stop— because he was clearly not in a good mood— she really wished she was a good giggler, one of those females who managed to express oh-that’s-funny in a melodic, pretty way. But nope. Not even close. She was a grunter. A chortler. A water buffalo crossed with an army tank backfiring.

 

My Review:

 

I was a late convert to the Brotherhood, I’ve only read two so far but I was quickly hooked. This world and characters are all new to me so I’m several football fields behind the eight-ball in understanding how they all fit together with their backstories and special language, but I don’t care, I am completely blown away by the stellar quality of the writing.

 

J.R. War obviously loves words and she knows how to use them and arrange them in the most arresting and entertaining manner. I find her lore intriguing and her characters uniquely fascinating and complicated with complex histories and rich interior lives. Her narratives are densely packed with profoundly wordy insights and inner musings that dissect each thought and observation into intensely detailed minuscule pieces that captivate and enthrall. The storylines are multifaceted, highly sensual, and surprisingly amusing with unexpected outbursts of humor, such as an angel who boogies and swears. I wonder if I would live to tell the tale if I cleared my calendar for a month and read the entire series sequentially? At the very least, I would definitely need to stock up on wine and underwear before attempting such a daring feat.

About the Author

J.R. Ward is the author of more than thirty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. There are more than fifteen million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-six different countries around the world. She lives in the South with her family.

Book Review: Break the Rules (Loveless Brothers #3) by Roxie Noir

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 Break the Rules
(Loveless Brothers #3)
by Roxie Noir

Some lines shouldn’t be crossed.

Some rules shouldn’t be broken.

June is one of them, and I know it.

Break the Rules, an all-new hilarious, brother’s best friend romance from Roxie Noir, is available now!

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As a forest ranger, I believe in the simple life. I prefer cabins to apartments, trails to freeways, and trees to people. My life is orderly, predictable, and quiet.

Until it’s hit by a woman I never saw coming — Hurricane June.

She’s fierce. She’s feisty. She has a laugh like the first day of spring, and she’s so pretty that I can’t breathe when I look at her. June will only be in town for a few months—just while job-hunting. She won’t last until winter, but how can I resist?

Except I have to. She’s my best, oldest, and most loyal friend’s baby sister.

Betraying him would be the worst thing I’ve ever done. Not betraying him might be the hardest.

Especially once we start working together on a secret project. All this spending time together, sneaking around at night, and lying to her brother about what we’re doing sure feels like more than friendship.

June might break my heart. Her brother might break my nose.

But I guess some things were made to be broken.

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Levi is a mystery wrapped in an enigma stuffed into a crate labeled puzzle, and I don’t think he likes me.

 

There are reasons besides loyalty and friendship that June is a bad idea for me. Reasons like Silas has extensive combat training and Silas is not a reasonable human being when it comes to his little sister.

 

“June, there’s a bottle of your father’s pizzazz sauce on the door if you’d like some for the chili,” my mom says. “And I think there’s still some of his butt burner if you want to go ahead and use that up.” I make a face, because your father’s pizzazz sauce is a phrase I could happily go a lifetime without hearing, and that goes double for your father’s butt burner. He’s turned to making hot sauces in his retirement, because everyone needs a hobby…

 

“It’s not hoarding if it’s books,” Charlie says. “Then it’s knowledge collection, and that makes you fancy.”

 

“There are animals who won’t breed in captivity,” he says. “Is that why you’re not married?”

 

“Give me more advice, please,” I say. “Fart before you go into the interview room,” he says instantly. “Don’t hold it in, because then you’ll end up gassing everyone in there, and they’ll know it was you, and you will not get hired at that job. You will not.”

 

“Who is this?” I demand…”You’re being nice and my brother Silas once held me down and farted into my mouth, so you’re obviously an imposter,” I say.

 

 My Review:

 

I barked with laughter and giggle-snorted repeatedly while reading this delightfully clever tale. This was my first experience reading the feisty and talented Roxie Noir but I plan to be hitting her page like a binge dieter at the all-you-can-eat buffet on cheat days.

 

I was euphoric over this adorable couple and well enamored with most of the secondary characters as well; they were smart, sweet-natured, witty, well suited, funny, sexy, and thoughtful and kind with each other.   Levi and June’s harmonious relationship was gentle, supportive, and considerate, as well as atomically sensual and gasp ~ hot enough to melt my Kindle.

 

Swoon, Levi is my forever BBF. The storylines and writing style were highly amusing, unfailingly engaging, fun, lively, easy to follow, and laden with sharp wit and comical observations.   I have a new favorite author to fangirl, I need more of her stellar arrangements of words in my life.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O8ej5K

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Excerpt

I like this side of Levi. It’s a side I’ve only ever seen glimpses of before in the past two weeks — sweet, slightly goofy, teasing and funny, different from the serious, quiet man I thought he was. It’s a strange revelation, but a good one, even if I wish I liked it less.

“One minute,” I tell him, and pull back from the window.

I shut it. I pull the curtains closed.
I wonder what I’m doing and why on earth Levi has shown up beneath my bedroom window at twelve-thirty in the morning. I wish that the sight of him down there had made me feel differently, that I was indifferent and vaguely curious instead of suddenly buzzing and feeling like I’m being lifted aloft by several large birds.

I tiptoe down the stairs and through the living room, still wondering. I haven’t heard from him at all since we ate pizza in the back of his truck two nights ago, and I wish that didn’t bother me. I wish I thought less about him sitting there, as night fell, laughing and showing me his cell phone or telling me that he’s an alien.

I wish I thought less about him, period.

When I get outside, Levi’s leaning against his truck, his shoulder-length hair out of its usual knot.

I’m not sure I remember seeing him with his hair down before. He looks different. Relaxed. Like himself.

“I named the dog,” he says as I walk up to him.

I don’t know what I was expecting him to say, but that wasn’t it.

“You do know that the last time a man came to my window, I called my brother to get rid of him,” I say. “I’m sure he told you about that.”

“He certainly did,” Levi said. “And if I were in my right mind, it might have deterred me.”

“You’re in your wrong mind, then?” I ask, tilting my head slightly, keeping my voice down.

“You didn’t ask what I named the dog,” he says.

“Did you come here at twelve-thirty in the morning to tell me you named your dog?” I ask.

Levi smiles, holds out one hand. I step forward and take it, his skin warm and he enfolds my fingers in his.

“No,” he says. “I came here to say that I think you should come back to my place for a nightcap.”

“A nightcap?”

“Yes,” he says. “I’d like to take you home, fix you a drink, and seduce you, and I’d like to do it without thinking even once of your brother.”

22780591_1188339054599440_1276039985320359281_nAbout Roxie

I love writing sexy, alpha men and the headstrong women they fall for.

My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.

I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband and two hell-raising cats.

Connect with Roxie

Amazon: https://amzn.to/31ab2a6

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

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

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2owNy18

Join her reader group The Roxettes: http://bit.ly/2K5fRLU

Stay up to date with Roxie by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2SVTlb7

http://roxienoir.com

Book Review: Every Stolen Breath by Kimberly Gabriel

 

 Every Stolen Breath
by Kimberly Gabriel

 

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU B&N 

Hardcover: 336 Pages

Publisher: Blink (November 5, 2019)

The Swarm is unrecognizable, untraceable, and unpredictable—random attacks on the streets of Chicago by a mob of crazed teens that leaves death in its wake. It’s been two years since the last attack, but Lia Finch has found clues that reveal the Swarm is ready to claim a new victim.

Lia is the only one still pursuing her father’s killers, two years after attorney Steven Finch’s murder by the Swarm. Devastated and desperate for answers, Lia will do anything to uncover the reasons behind his death and to stop someone else from being struck down. But due to debilitating asthma and PTSD that leaves her with a tenuous hold on reality, Lia is the last person to mount a crusade on her own.

After a close encounter with the Swarm puts Lia on their radar, she teams up with a teen hacker, a reporter, and a mysterious stranger who knows firsthand how the mob works. Together, they work to uncover the master puppeteer behind the group. Though if Lia and her network don’t stop the person pulling the strings—and fast—Lia may end up the next target.

Inspired by the real-life “flash mob” violence that struck Chicago in 2011, Every Stolen Breath by debut author Kimberly Gabriel is a fast-paced and immersive thriller that shows just how hard one girl will fight back, knowing any breath might be her last.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Then she hung up before I could think of an articulate rebuttal, leaving me sitting there, mouth gaping like some taxidermized fish.

 

It’s the side effect of attending a pretentious private school, where people treat Everybody’s Business like it’s a class they can ace and add to their transcripts.

 

I can’t help but wonder if I’m caught in some sick and twisted Alice in Wonderland dream where my world has turned upside down and nothing is as it seems.

 

Strength isn’t defined by who can hit the hardest in a fight, but by who’s still standing at the end.

  

My Review:

 

I rarely read YA and to be honest, I purposely avoid it, but I’m thrilled I had the foresight to make an exception for Kimberly Gabriel’s brilliantly plotted debut. I couldn’t seem to resist the intriguing synopsis and a colorful book cover that required a full stop and several minutes to thoroughly examine.

 

Ms. Gabriel’s storylines were diabolically clever and fiendishly crafted while populated with uniquely compelling and intriguing characters of all ages and levels of mistrust and suspicion. I was immediately sucked into Lia’s mono-focused and quivering vortex of distrust and dramatic catastrophic thinking. This mesmerizing tale was written from the first-person POV of an angsty sixteen-year-old asthmatic who proved to be rather unstable with significant features of PTSD including panic attacks, auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, and crippling anxiety and self-consciousness. She was also stubbornly persistent, grief driven, highly resourceful and had the arrogance of youth in her toolkit.

 

With cunning and deftly written twists and turns, Ms. Gabriel has made a stunning and flawless debut. As I was making my way through this tautly penned and complex tale, I had a striking epiphany of why I tend to eschew this genre while simultaneously realizing this book was well worth the disheartening and stark reminders of the painful sense of powerlessness and nettling subjugation and disregard experienced as a teenager with two XX chromosomes.   While I vastly enjoyed her work, I still haven’t decided whether I should thank the author for the personal insight or swear a pox on her instead.

 

About the Author

Kimberly Gabriel is an English teacher who writes every chance she gets and struggles with laundry avoidance issues. When she’s not teaching or writing, she’s enjoying life with her husband, her three beautiful children, and a seriously beautiful boxer in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

Connect with Kimberly

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Book Review, Giveaway: The Perfect Fit (Love in the Dales #2) by Mary Jayne Baker

The Perfect Fit
(Love in the Dales #2)
by Mary Jayne Baker

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

B&N / Apple

 

‘A wonderful book with a great story and a sparky, unusual voice. I loved it!’ KATIE FFORDE

Escape to the frost-sparkling Yorkshire Dales for some festive fun under the mistletoe! A saucy comedy-romance with more than a sprinkle of Christmas spice – this will lift your spirits and your excitement level!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for costume shop owner Becky Finn. Leaving London to move back home to the twinkly rural village of Egglethwaite, she plans to build a new life for herself with fiancé, Cole.

Keen to raise funds for the struggling village hall she loved as a child, Becky finds herself at the head of a colourful group aiming to revive the Egglethwaite Christmas pantomime. But when that festive feeling sets in, she discovers there’s more to panto than innuendo and slapped thighs.

Falling in love was not in the script! But as opening night grows closer, she starts to wonder if the panto will ever make it to the stage and, with handsome co-star Marcus on the scene, if she has chosen her right leading man…

The perfect stocking-filler gift!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’ll never get the British pantomime tradition. Still remember the first time I saw one. I thought you must be slipping psychedelic drugs into the tea.

 

Him? I wouldn’t widdle on him if he’d been stung by a flock of jellyfish then set on fire.

 

‘She’s volunteering me for stuff again,’ Gerry muttered. ‘I’ll never get a moment’s peace while I’m married to that woman.’ ‘You’ll get plenty of peace when you’re dead,’ Sue told him. ‘I bet even then I won’t be allowed. I bet you’ll be there, standing over the fresh-shoveled earth.’ He put on a high-pitched voice, jamming his hands on his hips. ‘“Gerald! What’re you lying about down there for? Don’t you know it’s lambing time?”’

 

‘You gotta have Baby Jesus at Christmas,’ the child repeated stubbornly. She puffed herself up. ‘Last year I was Mary and I had him. Hid him in my dress so’s he could pop out when Miss said and I put him in his manager.’ ‘Manager?’ Marcus said. ‘’S’like a cot what cows eat their tea off.’

 

It was a baptism of fire, for Dad especially, but he took to it like a duck to hoisin.

 

‘You’re, er, a bit lopsided there.’ Gerry glanced down at his bosom, which had deflated on one side. ‘Oh. Right. Just a sec.’ He started pumping his arm like a one-winged chicken, and Yolanda giggled as his left breast grew before our eyes… ‘Now you’ve got one bigger than the other,’ my dad told Gerry. ‘You’re just jealous.’

 

‘My official age is forty-five, thank you, and I plan on keeping it that way until I’m at least seventy… Well, I think I can pass for forty if the lighting’s right.’ ‘She means if there’s a blackout,’ Sue whispered to us.

 

 My Review:

 

I smirked, giggle-snorted, and gleefully barked my way through this delightfully witty and deftly crafted tale. Written from the first-person POV of returning village resident Becky Finn, this wily author’s highly engaging and deliciously alluring writing style left me unable to put my Kindle down. Her clever and enticing arrangements of words were laced with humorous observations and perceptive insights that were keenly honed, brilliantly paced, and vividly detailed in a highly comical manner. This quirky little village housed an odd assortment of uniquely dynamic personalities who were lured into staging an original pantomime performance to raise funds to save their community center. Bedlam and chaos befell the unusual production at various times throughout their rehearsals with an ever-changing script, wardrobe, ego, and talent issues that caused an alarming eye-twitch to the beleaguered director and new alliances and interesting exchanges among the cast and crew.   I had a fantabulous time in the Yorkshire Dales and hope to return soon.

 

Mary Jane Baker is a comedic genius and I covet her mad word skills and creative imagination.   In addition to an excellent day of indulgent reading, she has also provided me with two new words for my Brit Word and Phrases List with widdle – urinate; and manky – worthless, rotten, in bad taste. While the later does not apply to this book, the former may have occurred during reading due to uncontrollable eruptions of mirthful amusement.

About the Author

Mary Jayne Baker grew up in rural West Yorkshire, right in the heart of Brontë country… and she’s still there. After graduating from Durham University with a degree in English Literature, she dallied with living in cities including London, Nottingham and Cambridge, but eventually came back with her own romantic hero in tow to her beloved Dales, where she first started telling stories about heroines with flaws and the men who love them. More information can be found about Mary Jayne on her website at www.maryjaynebaker.co.uk

Social Media Links –

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/maryjaynebaker

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

 

Giveaway

 Win signed copies of both books in the Love in the Dales series

(Open to UK Only)

  • A Bicycle Made for Two and The Perfect Fit

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