Tangled Vines

by Megan Mayfair

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

Amelia O’Sullivan is a photographer who has always viewed herself through the wrong lens. When her marriage publicly crashes around her, she flees to the safety of her aunt’s country property to pick up the pieces. Can she adjust her focus to what she really wants from her life? 

Born into a wealthy and powerful family, Frederick Doyle may seem like a man who has it all, but behind the scenes, a bitter business feud threatens an irrevocable family split. As he fights for control of the winery he’d built from the ground up, he finds a supportive ally in Amelia and becomes increasingly beguiled by her creative spirit. 

Jill McMahon is a successful novelist suffering from writer’s block over her latest manuscript. Finding her niece, Amelia, at her door, reminds her of the bonds of family, but in seeing Amelia and Frederick’s relationship grow, a long-forgotten and painful secret threatens to re-surface. 

Can Amelia, Frederick and Jill untangle themselves from their pasts or will history simply repeat itself? 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Alcohol was not a good idea. It only made things worse. The buzzing in her brain seemed to move up an octave when she drank, like a conductor elevating their baton, leading to the crescendo.

He seemed to suffer a Peter Pan complex and have inherited those enviable athletic Doyle genes. Despite his lean yet muscular build, it was likely he still ate like a teenager whose parents had gone away for the weekend.

“And do you read what your aunt writes, Amelia?” Frederick tilted his head towards Amelia, a waggish glint in his eyes, an arched eyebrow cocked at her. “The first time I did, I don’t think I could look her straight in the eye for a week. It was pure smut.”

It was far too soon for any sort of relationship for Amelia, but if she were to have a little rebound fling, Frederick was a good choice. Remind her that there were other fish in the sea. And when the fish were as handsome as Frederick, it certainly made Toby look like carp.

My Review:

I quickly added this bright and shiny author to my watch list after reading her delightful and highly impressive debut a few months ago with The Things We Leave Unsaid. I seemed to have made an excellent call or maybe even a psychic prediction, as her second book was equally engaging, cunningly paced, insightfully observant, and smartly written. This gal has mad skills. I adored her lovable yet flawed characters; they enticed and intrigued me. I have now wisely shuffled her name over from the Ones to Watch into the Favorite Authors List and feeling quite clever and rather Zen about it. I’m also happy to have a new addition to my Aussie Word List with little tackers, which the Urban Dictionary informed me was Aussie speak for small children.

Author Bio 

Megan’s stories are about families, intrigue and love. Every book contains a bit of humor and a lot of heart.

Megan lives in Melbourne with her husband and three children and has a background in public relations and higher education.

She drinks far too much coffee and has an addiction to buying scarves. She interviews with other authors for her blog series, Espresso Tales, and loves a bit of #bookstagram.

Her debut novel, The Things We Leave Unsaid, was released by Crooked Cat Books in 2018. Tangled Vines is her second novel.

Social Media Links –

Https://www.instagram.com/meganmayfairwrites

Https://www.facebook.com/meganmayfairauthor

Https://www.twitter.com/mayfairmegan

https://www.meganmayfair.com

Christmas Miracles at the Little Log Cabin

by Helen J Rolfe

Amazon UK / US / AU / CA

Do you believe in Christmas Miracles?

Holly is looking for a change and even though not everyone agrees with her career choices, she’s determined there’s more to this life than the long hours she works as an editor in New York City. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Mitch, a recluse who’s hiding more than she realizes.

Mitch does all he can to avoid human contact, spending his days in the little log cabin out in the woods behind Inglenook Falls where he owns a Christmas tree farm, so when Holly falls into his life, he’s not sure how to react. All he knows is that something needs to change if he ever wants to get his life back on track.

Along with friends Cleo and Darcy, Holly is determined to bring joy back to Mitch’s life, but will he appreciate their interference? And when a business proposition throws everything up in the air, will it do more harm than good and ruin lives forever?

Both Holly and Mitch must learn that on the surface people aren’t always what they seem…but if you dig a little deeper, they can take you by surprise.

Curl up this Christmas for plenty of snowflakes, roaring log fires, a marriage proposal, unlikely friendships and second chances as we return to the much-loved characters in the New York Ever After series.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

‘People are scared of you, you know… I heard someone call you a yeti last time we were here.’ Mitch’s laughter rang out across the street making the woman coming out of the candy store jump. She crossed the road pretty quick. ‘You’ve got a real way with women,’ Jude joked.

My Review:

I adored this unexpectedly poignant and emotive tale. Ms. Rolfe’s sensitive writing and well-crafted story captured and held my attention, squeezed my heart, and kept me tethered to my Kindle all the way to the sweet and oh so satisfying conclusion. The storylines were original, unpredictable, slowly paced, and cast with a uniquely complicated and intriguing main character. Mitch had become a hermit who had gone off the deep end when his wife had left him and took his son with her after he had experienced an extremely difficult and devastating period in his career. However, there were far more levels to him underneath his crusty layers of scruff and hair than anyone knew. While he was reclusive and feared as possibly dangerous, he was most likely the gentlest person residing in his small town.   His spirit had been reawakened and he was starting to come back to himself after several years of near seclusion.   This was my first exposure to Ms. Rolfe’s lovely arrangement of words and although I may have been at a slight disadvantage as I jumped in at the fourth book of her series, I had no problem keeping up, yet my interest was sparked to delve into her previous books as well as any and all other collections of words she has and will ever scribble.

Author Bio 

 Helen J Rolfe writes contemporary women’s fiction and enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and community. Characters often face challenges and must fight to overcome them, but above all, Helen’s stories always have a happy ending.

Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen’s books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries around the world. So far, locations have included Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Connecticut, Bath and the Cotswolds.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/helenjrolfewriter

https://twitter.com/HJRolfe

www.helenjrolfe.com

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/helen-j-rolfe

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl

Amazon | B-A-M | B&N

Mass Market Paperback: 384 Pages

Publisher: HQN; Original edition (November 20, 2018)

Set sail for love in this sparkling new adventure in #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander’s Lady Travelers Society series.

Harry Armstrong has spent years in Egypt, recovering relics and disregarding rules. Now he’s back in England with a new title and a new purpose: penning his exploits. But his efforts are overshadowed by London’s favorite writer about Egypt—a woman they call The Queen of the Desert, of all things. Worse, her stories—serialized in newspapers and reprinted in books—are complete rubbish.

Miss Sidney Honeywell didn’t set out to deceive anyone. It’s not her fault readers assumed her Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt were real! Admitting her inadvertent deception now would destroy her reputation and her livelihood. But when the Earl of Brenton challenges her to travel to Egypt to prove her expertise, accompanied by his dashing, arrogant nephew, what choice does she have but to pack her bags?

With the matchmaking founders of the Lady Travelers Society in tow, Harry is determined to expose Sidney’s secret. But the truth might not be as great a revelation as discovering that love can strike even the most stubborn of hearts.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

She had insisted on accompanying Sidney for the sake of propriety although they both knew propriety was the last thing on the older woman’s mind. She simply didn’t want to miss what happened next and no doubt had orders from Poppy and the lady travelers guide to Gwen to report back every detail.

The next elderly lady, with graying dark hair, a hat just as ridiculous as the first woman’s and the overbearing manner of a dragon about to belch flames, eyed him with obvious disgust.

“Don’t be absurd. The world is simply littered with Charleses, a fair number of them dead. Why, if I was bothered by every dead Charles I encountered, I would spend most of my time being out of sorts.” She cast Sidney an affectionate smile. “I daresay my husband would be honored to lend his name to your imaginary husband.”

My Review:

I rarely read historical novels as I chafe at the reminders of how poorly women were treated, but I would read them with greater regularity if I could tap into a source as enjoyable, cleverly written, and wittily amusing as this one. I delighted in this entertaining and lively tale. The writing was lush with sumptuous descriptions, lavish details, and snappy humor, as well as engaging storylines and a blossoming romance.   I derived great pleasure when the elderly women attempted to delicately provide their younger and inexperienced friend with a crash course in sex education, it was totally smirk-worthy.

Not only did these sly and spry and highly adventuresome mature widows take my dream vacation to Egypt, but they were also shrewd enough to finagle someone else into paying for their first-class accommodations – I was chartreuse with envy! For years I have fantasized about a leisurely ocean voyage on the way to cruising down the Nile and touring the pyramids, of course, that would be without the grave robbers, annoying bandits, skin searing sun, infuriating insects, poisonous snakes, and pesky sand. In addition to scoring free travel, this intrepid group was in the thick of solving of a centuries-old mystery, made a fantastic archeological discovery, and one of them spent the night in the royal harem – innocently discussing books with the women. Sigh, I fear the closest I will ever come to the Dark Continent will be slumbering on linens of Egyptian cotton and dreaming of Ra.

About Victoria Alexander

New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander was an award-winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full time and is still shocked it worked out.

Since the publication of her first book in 1995, she has written thirty-one full-length novels and six novellas. Find a complete list on her website and chat with her on Facebook.

A Gentleman for Christmas

by Prescott Lane

Release Date: November 26th

A Gentleman for Christmas

an all-new standalone contemporary romance

by Prescott Lane

Amazon / B&N / iBooks

Some say “chivalry is dead.”

I don’t think so. Most women I know like a gentleman.

Protective, opens doors, treats women with respect, typically follows the rules.

But a gentleman doesn’t fall for his best friend’s woman. Current or ex.

And that’s what I’ve done.

During the Christmas season of all times — that magical time for decorations, gifts, family . . .

Yes, the girl who was off-limits for so long, who I’ve loved all my life, has come back in town and possibly back to me.

I can’t follow the gentleman rules this time. There’s too much at stake. I let her go once. I won’t let her go again.

What happens under the mistletoe, stays under the mistletoe.

Or does it?

Download your copy today!

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

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/AGentlemanForChristmas

Nook: https://bit.ly/2yWXz9B

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2OzxTF1

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2DtYxhM

Excerpt:

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”

Otherwise known as the original bros before hoes commandment.

I’m not advocating calling women hoes. It’s an expression, so put away your Encyclopedia of Political Correctness.

There are rules in life. The Ten Commandments were just the beginning. We have rules for everything. How to drive. How to dress. How to walk across the damn street. So why not rules for love? That’s how all this started — a set of rules between my buddies and me.

The Bro Code.

Obviously, bros before hoes is rule one. We vowed never to let a girl come between us, which meant if one of us liked a girl, she was forever off limits.

Little did I know our teenage pact would launch my multi-million dollar career. A little tweaking here and some socially acceptable rewording there and The Gentleman’s Handbook was born.

I’ve written books and given seminars on everything from how to find love, to how to propose, to how to have a successful long-distance relationship. You name it, and I’ve got rules for it. Personally, I’ve never been much of a rule follower, but that’s my little secret.

The funny thing is I’ve never been in love. Well, there is this one girl, but we won’t talk about her. It does no good to think about someone you can’t have and never will.

My lack of emotional commitment hasn’t slowed down my career one bit. Currently, I have two books on the New York Times Best Sellers List. My seminars sell out like a Drake concert.

I always find it interesting that the rules started between a group of male friends, but it’s mostly women that come to hear me speak. Occasionally, you see the poor sap boyfriend who was dragged along to listen, but for the most part it’s all women.

This time of the year is no exception. December first until January first is important for guys. Holidays are big for a lot of couples. If you don’t know what you’re doing for your lady, you better figure it out and fast. In fact, my rule is that you should be paying attention all year long.

Trust me on this. If you remember something she mentioned she liked three months ago and surprise her with it at Christmas, she’ll spread her legs before Santa even has time to slide down the chimney. Let’s be honest, that is always at least part of the goal for guys.

So my current work in progress tackles Christmas. A how-to guide for the holidays.

The Gentleman’s Rules for Christmas.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I’m in trouble. She’s in “all men are assholes” mode. Threat level red. Someone should hoist the red flag up on the beach, warning hazardous conditions ahead.

The beach is wide, the water vast, the sky unending, and I’m reminded how small I am, like a single grain of sand… I look out toward the horizon, where the blue sky meets the blue water. Two shades of the same color. That’s the perfect way to think about Jax and me… Jax and I are the horizon, where he ends I begin, and vice versa.

I feel like I’m a kid in an expensive store, and I’m not supposed to touch… You’re worth too much.

“You were my first love,” I whisper but don’t make eye contact. He kneels, taking both my hands. His blue eyes look up at me, full of warmth. “I want to be your last,” he whispers back.

My Review:

Christmas came early for me this year and I’ve already enjoyed my gift from Prescott Lane. I adored this well-paced holiday novella from start to finish. Crisp and thoughtfully written in my favorite dual POV by one of my favorite authors, it covered all the bases as a friends to lovers, second chance, Christmas, and small-town romance. Plus, it had all the feels, buckets of wry humor, and Kindle melting love scenes. Nirvana!

About Prescott:

Prescott Lane is the Amazon best-selling author of Stripped Raw. She’s got seven other books under her belt including: First Position, Perfectly Broken, Quiet Angel, Wrapped in Lace, Layers of Her, The Reason for Me, and The Sex Bucket List. She is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and holds a degree in sociology and an MSW from Tulane University. She married her college sweetheart, and they currently live in New Orleans with their two children and two crazy dogs. Prescott started writing at the age of five and sold her first story about a talking turtle to her father for a quarter. She later turned to writing romance novels because there aren’t enough happily ever afters in real life.

Connect with Prescott:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrescottLane1
Twitter: www.twitter.com/prescottlane1
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lfhlrh
Instagram: instagram.com/prescottlane1
http://www.authorprescottlane.com

Mavis and Dot

by Angela Petch

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

A warm slice of life, funny, feel-good, yet poignant. Introducing two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship. Meet Mavis and Dot – two colorful, retired ladies who live in Worthington-on-Sea, where there are charity shops galore. Apart from bargain hunting, they manage to tangle themselves in escapades involving illegal immigrants, nightclubs, nude modeling, errant toupees and more. And then there’s Mal, the lovable dog who nobody else wants. A gently humorous, often side-splitting, heart-warming snapshot of two memorable characters with past secrets and passions. Escape for a couple of hours into this snapshot of a faded, British seaside town. You’ll laugh and cry but probably laugh more.

“This book is quirky and individual, and has great pathos…[it] will resonate with a lot of readers.” Gill Kaye – Editor of Ingenu(e).

Written with a light touch in memory of a dear friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, Angela Petch’s seaside tale is a departure from her successful Tuscan novels.

All profits from the sale of the books will go towards research into the cure for cancer.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

They had a good scavenge in the charity shop. Dot found a pair of crotchless tights and held them up to the window to see if there were any ladders. Mavis hurried over and snatched them away. ‘You don’t want those, surely? They’re… you know…’ Dot snatched them back. ‘Yes, I do. Very sensible, comfortable and with draughts in the right places.’ ‘They’re from Ann Summers,’ Mavis said, lowering her voice. ‘Who’s she?’ ‘It’s a brand for – for –’ Mavis searched for an explanation, conscious of the grinning youth rifling through a pile of LPs on a nearby shelf. ‘They’re for entertaining, Dot…’ ‘What are you talking about? I never throw dinner parties these days.’

She pouted and twirled, then swept her untidy curls up with a fuchsia hairband from the Pound Shop. It was a little on the tight side but, as well as keeping her hair off her face, it had the same effect as a facelift, pulling her eyebrows up and back into a permanent look of surprise. Why people went to the bother of having painful operations at exorbitant prices to remove wrinkles, when they could buy a cheap hair-band to achieve the same effect was beyond her comprehension.

‘I’ve got a gateau here to share – reduced for quick sale.’ He held out a chocolate cake decorated with one half of a bridal couple arranged on top. ‘The Baker’s Dozen let me have this cheap because the bride changed her mind the day before the big event and apparently picked up the marzipan groom and stamped on him in the shop.’

She offered him a biscuit and he declined. ‘I have to watch my figure, Mave.’ ‘So do I,’ she said, popping a whole fig roll into her mouth. ‘I watch it grow.’

‘Goodie! I could do with a new fornicator,’ Mavis said. Lance snorted. ‘Do what?’ ‘A fornicator,’ repeated Mavis. ‘You know – a sort of frou-frou thingummybob to wear on the head.’ His eyes widened. ‘Well, I’ve not heard about that in all my experience of kinky doings.’ ‘What on earth are you on about, Lance? I’m going to my niece’s wedding after Christmas and I need a fornicator to finish off my outfit. Something in scarlet to go with my new dress.’ ‘Oh!’ laughed Lance. ‘I think you mean a fascinator.

Dot tutted and peeled off her cotton gloves. ‘Let’s pretend to be ladylike for one hour at least. Please, Mavis.’ Mavis took a swig of the fizzy wine, making sure to stick out her little finger as she held the glass.

My Review:

Mavis and Dot was found treasure and I fell right into this delightful and cleverly written tale, laced with witty and wry humor, and featuring two newly acquainted elderly spinsters both recently relocated to their small village.  Mavis was short and rotund while Dot was tall and thin.  Both were penny-pinching skinflints and the only thing they enjoyed more than a good tipple was finding bargains and planned junking jaunt outings to the second-hand rummage stores, church jumbles, and charity shops.  The outfits Mavis put together from her finds were quite colorful although prone to be ill-fitting, haphazardly patched, and rather outlandish, which led to her being mistaken for a drag queen on one of her evening escapades.

Each and every one of Ms. Petch’s quirky characters was deliciously peculiar and colorfully drawn. I adored them to no end.  Yet I loved Mavis the most and without reservation, as she was so fun to envision and had such sass and bravado.  Mavis also had a tendency to muddle her words, which provided me with more than a few giggle-snorts – such as when she confused agoraphobics for aerobics, fornicator for fascinator, tepee for toupee, and anti-backups for antibiotics.

Angela Petch is a new discovery for me and I found her writing to be refreshingly crisp and packed with clever levity and amusing wit.  The storylines were bright and shiny and cunningly crafted.  Her writing was skillfully amusing yet also poignant and keenly insightful.  Her artful narratives were vividly detailed with humorous and revealing observations that had me laughing aloud and kept a near-constant smirk on my face while I soaked up Mavis’ daring antics, rich fantasy life, fuzzy interpretations, and lusty daydreams.  I adored these eccentric yet highly appealing characters as they fascinated me and left me desirous of knowing every little thing about them.

I hit the mother-load for new additions to my Brit vocabulary list with manky (dirty, worthless, or rotten), faff (waste of time or energy), punnet (a small shallow basket often used for fruit and vegetables), and Knickerbocker Glory, which is an ice cream sundae in a tall glass.

Does it need saying that Angela Petch has a new and scarily rabid fangirl?  I sincerely hope she doesn’t startle easily…

Author Bio

A prize-winning author, Angela Petch lives half the year in West Sussex and the summer months in a remote valley in the Tuscan Apennines. She recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture for her Tuscan novels and “Mavis and Dot” is a temporary departure from her usual genre. She has traveled all her life: born in Germany, she spent six years as a child living in Rome, worked in Amsterdam after finishing her degree in Italian, moved to Italy for her job, then to Tanzania for three years. Her head is full of stories and she always carries a pen and notebook to capture more ideas.

In May 2017, Angela Petch won PRIMA’S monthly short story competition and recently had a dozen stories published by The People’s Friend magazine.

“Mavis and Dot” was written in memory of a dear friend who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. All profits from sales of the book will go towards research into a cure for cancer.

LINKS

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

Twitter: @Angela_Petch

Website: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com

TUSCAN NOVELS

    “Tuscan Roots” (to be reissued by Bookouture in 2019) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tuscan-Roots-tangle-Italian-Apennines-ebook/dp/B01DDQDMDE/

“Now and Then in Tuscany” – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Then-Tuscany-Italian-journeys-ebook/dp/B06Y8Y17MG

MAVIS AND DOT

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JM3KJSB

https://mybook.to/MDot 

Out of the Dark

by Josie Kerr

Amazon / B&N

Daniel Beaujardin spent fifteen years serving his country in the United States Marine Corps until a roadside bomb ended his military career. When a former teammate offers him a job in Atlanta, Dan, left scarred and partially blind from the accident, jumps at the opportunity for a fresh start.

Three years after his partner’s death, Alexander Westport is still simply going through the motions. Work, softball practice, and the occasional family dinner is how he spends his time, but Alex knows he’s not really living.

An anonymous encounter at a local gay club first brings Dan and Alex together, and after a second chance meeting, the men strike up a friendship that quickly turns romantic. When professional and personal troubles threaten their fledgling relationship, Dan and Alex learn battles fought together are won more easily than those faced alone.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

I know you’ve always liked eyes. You have since I caught you kissing that photo of Elijah Wood when you were fourteen.

My Review:

Sizzle and snap – this book was a scorcher, it started off steamy then bloomed into a tender sweet love story between two lonely, mature, and swoon-worthy men. Sigh, why do all the best ones bat for the other team? I adored this couple, they were extra special and Ms. Kerr has created an engaging, heart squeezing, and insightful story to showcase them while kicking off her new series. What a bold move to start off with an M/M romance as an anchor, although the storylines easily meshed and connected with her DS Fight Club crew. I enjoy her unique brand of clever and snarky levity and thoughtful and emotive HEA tales.

Josie Kerr