My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I’m a noble kinda guy… My sisters used to joke that I have a lousy sense of direction because my brain’s entire navigational system is made up of moral compass.

One second I’m standing there talking with him about the finer points of sunset dining, and the next second I’m polishing his tonsils with my tongue. I don’t know what happened.

I laugh at the idea of my mother having a job. “She marries rich men with commitment issues, then takes them to the cleaners when they cheat.”

I hold my breath like a teenager watching his first skin flick, praying someone doesn’t show up and change the channel.

My Review:

Going by the title and cover shot you would expect this book to be corny erotica – wrong. It was actually a cleverly amusing and sweet romance with thoughtful and sensitive storylines and some extra fun and spicy bits as a bonus. I adored these endearing and smirk-worthy characters.   Written in my favorite dual POV, I was enamored and fully engaged from start to finish. I dove into the series at book three with no difficulties following the plot, although I covet more time with the other characters and am scheming to find a time machine or just possibly revamp my calendar to include extra days so I can read the earlier installments, as well as every other book this crafty wordsmith has cranked out. But I’m greedy like that when I stumble upon treasure. I wants them all!

Goodreads

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.

Painting Blue Water

by Leigh Fossan

Amazon US / UK / CA /  AU 

Barnes & Noble

Katherine Ross, a struggling artist-turned-successful-businesswoman, has a life many would envy. At only thirty-one years old, Katherine runs one of the top luxury real-estate firms in Manhattan, and she lives in a fabulous loft with her dreamy husband. That is, of course, until her marriage comes to a screeching halt, forcing Katherine to face the truths she’s been burying deep within her heart. She hasn’t been happy for a long time. And her life, while glamorous, is not the life she ever wanted.

Fighting through the fog of her confusion and pain, Katherine makes the daring, or possibly insane choice to start over somewhere new. She leaves her business, her friends, and the city behind, while she ventures alone to the mountains in hopes of rediscovering her artistic roots in a place surrounded by beauty, peace, and quiet.

But life in Bluewater isn’t as simple as it may seem, and when her art career suddenly begins to take off in this unlikely setting, Katherine finds herself torn between two worlds. Does she pursue her lifelong dream and become the world-famous artist she always wanted to be? Or does she open her heart to the possibility of new dreams and a life she never imagined?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

As a kid, she’d fallen in love with the mountains. She found them gloriously exotic—colossal piles of earth and trees reaching higher than the empire state building. She had imagined that the dinosaurs must be buried beneath them. That, of course, was the only way to explain their massive size.

Oh my God, are you going to turn into one of those mountain people who don’t shave their legs or armpits and who, like, hunt for their food?!

Scattered thoughts would dance in her head and team up with the heartburn, teasing her. She felt like she was on a long trip and forgot to pack something very important or like she was nearing the end of a crucial semester at school only to realize she had missed several classes and would fail her exams.

My Review:

Painting Blue Water was a slowly developed character-driven story of healing and personal growth. It was lavishly detailed with vibrant and evocatively described scenes that smoothly scrolled through my cranium as if my gray matter were a movie screen.   The main character of Katherine was an anxious little bird with a trunk load of personal insecurities, an inability to speak up for herself, and an acid stomach as a bonus. Wishing to start her life anew and leave her humiliating failure of a marriage behind, she uproots herself across the country to a beautiful vacation spot that was a happy memory from her childhood, with the intent to hopefully find herself again and reawaken her love of painting.   I have no artistic abilities whatsoever and envied Katherine’s talents, but more so, I coveted her ability to completely lose herself in her art. The cast of characters was large, endearing, and small-town quirky, but my favorite was not the main character of Katherine but Eli Trust, the spry and precious octogenarian inn owner. I adored him.

Author Bio –

Painting Blue Water is the debut novel for Leigh Fossan. A creative soul at heart, Leigh grew up with a paintbrush in her hand and went on to study the arts in Florence, Italy. While abroad, Leigh was one of the few recipients of the Coluccio Salutati Award for Creative Writing. Today, Leigh is a professional artist and her paintings are collected around the world. She lives in Colorado with her artist husband, and their young daughter, who wants to be a scientist.

You can see Leigh’s paintings at www.lavfineart.com

Social Media Links –

WEBSITE: https://www.leighfossanauthor.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/leighfossanauthor/

INSTAGRAM: @leighfossanauthor

TWITTER: @LeighFossan

No One Cancels Christmas

by Zara Stoneley

Amazon UK / US / B&N

It’s the most magical time of the year, and for travel agent Sarah it’s also the busiest! But this year one man threatens to ruin Christmas for Sarah’s customers – Mr. Grinch, Will Armstrong.

The Shooting Star Mountain resort is a magical place, and Sarah has fond memories of Christmas here as a little girl – visits to Father Christmas, husky rides in the snow and hot chocolate by a roaring fire. But as the resorts new owner, Will refuses to play snowball or to deck the halls with anything remotely resembling tinsel!

With customers complaining their Christmas is ruined, Sarah decides it’s up to her to convince Scroogey Will just how magical Christmas can be….

But getting Will into the Christmas spirit is hopeless – he is Bah Humbug personified! But as Sarah gets to know him better, she realizes that underneath all the gloom is a man struggling with a pain of his own.

With the big day approaching, Sarah realizes that the magic and sparkle can wait. This year, she’s going to spend Christmas day with someone special her very own Mr. Scrooge…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I try and blow the crumbs out of the keyboard. The letter ‘T’ is already a bit dodgy; if this ruins W and A I’ll have lost one of my favourite words.

She had Dad on his bike, towing her through the park on her skies every night. It was so embarrassing. Then at the fete, she cannoned out of control into the cake and homemade jam stall and ended up looking like a murder victim.

She is about two feet taller than me, and she has boobs. At a guess, they’re surgically enhanced, because I am absolutely positive that gravity would have a firm handle on anything that big. If it can cope with an apple, these wouldn’t stand a chance.

My Review:

Sharing several of the same characters and following in timeline to Wedding Date, this tale also showcases Ms. Stoneley’s clever wit and penchant for observant and insightful storytelling. The storylines were entertaining, thoughtfully written, and well-balanced between heart-squeezing family drama and angst, and smirk-inducing levity. My favorite character among the cast continues to be the colorful and confident Ruth, although Aunt Lynn has also earned my utmost respect for her enviable cougar style and skills. I am eager to see what Ms. Stoneley comes up with next.

Author Bio 

Born in a small village in Staffordshire, I wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when I grew up. After many years, and many different jobs, my dream of writing a bestseller came true. 

I write about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hope that my tales make you cry a little, laugh a lot, and occasionally say ‘ahhh’.

I now live in a Cheshire village with my family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Where you can find her-

Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley 

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

Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners

by Gretchen Anthony

Amazon | Books-A-Million | B & N

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Park Row; Original edition (October 16, 2018)

A formidable matriarch learns the hard way that no family is perfect in this witty, sparkling debut novel

Dearest loved ones, far and near—evergreen tidings from the Baumgartners!

Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way for the past three decades. And this year she’s going to throw her husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter Cerise has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet’s carefully constructed world.

In an epic battle of wills, Violet goes to increasing lengths to wrest back control of her family, infuriating Cerise and snaring their family and friends in a very un-Midwestern, un-Baumgartner gyre of dramatics. And there will be no explaining away the consequences in this year’s Baumgartner holiday letter…

Full of humor, emotion and surprises at every turn, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners brings to life a remarkable cast of quirky, deeply human characters who must learn to adapt to the unconventional, or else risk losing one another. This is the story of a family falling to pieces—and the unexpected way they put it all back together.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Barb was steeped in the classics, but the only literary references Cerise knew came from the mandatory hours spent next to her mother watching Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. All that time invested and the only things she had to show for it were a decent British accent and a canny ability to let her thoughts wander behind open eyes.

If the Hesse family were birds, we’d be California condors… No, members of the vulture family and nearly extinct.

He watched as his soon-to-be-former boss, a toad of a guy who kept his dermatologist busy with retinol treatments and mole removal, straightened the pin tethering his Dolce & Gabbana tie to his Burberry shirt… I hope you croak, Richard wanted to say. I hear that’s what toads do.

My Review:

I loved this book from the start and was soon smirking as I relished the smartly written and clever humor, which quickly led to giggle-snorting and then on to full-on laughing aloud, which occurred several times before I finished. I adored the full slate of fascinatingly quirky and odd characters, but the winner, by far, of the most expertly crafted and deftly depicted character sweepstakes was the petty, shallow, and highly manipulative Violet. Violet was a meddlesome helicopter parent who was ridiculously intrusive, arrogant, judgmental, and an exacting perfectionist with everything she did, whether it was controlling the various committees she spearheaded or in keeping her home surgically clean. Violet’s to-do list was never-ending as she was constantly scheming and often had several going at once, although in her rationalizations it was always for the betterment of her family; her inner musings were comedic gold and highly entertaining. The storylines were ingenious and highly eventful while the writing was laced with insightful observations and packed with lip twitching levity. I couldn’t put my Kindle down, as I couldn’t wait to see what outrageous situation would pop-up next. I was stunned and awed to realize this was the author’s debut; it was a delight to read and a treasure to have discovered. Gretchen Anthony is definitely one to watch and has a new fangirl.

This was chosen for my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

About Gretchen Anthony

Gretchen Anthony is a Minnesota-based writer and humorist whose work has been featured on scarymommy.com, medium.com and thewritelife.com. She’s also spent decades as a ghostwriter and has written for some of the best personal brands in the United States, from CEOs to doctors and start-up superstars to BBQ pros. Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners is her first novel.

Connect with Gretchen

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Pictures in the Sky

by Amanda Paull 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

She gave up on romance years ago. He’s going through the motions. Their lives change forever when he makes contact out of the blue. 

With her daughter leaving the nest, Michelle Cameron would rather spend her time with good friends, a glass of fizzy and a box set, than with another idiot bloke chipping away at her self-esteem. But when childhood friend Daniel Helmsley gets back in touch, the years roll away on a tide of laughter and friendship, which soon gives way to another roller coaster of love, excitement and panic. Can Michelle let herself trust again? What if Dan is just another idiot bloke, disillusioned with the present and nostalgic for the past?

If you like cozy romance that makes you laugh as well as cry, then you’ll love this feel-good tale of past disappointment, renewed friendship and finding true love. 
Download Amanda Paull’s Pictures in the Sky today to discover if Michelle dares to love again.

‘Your lively style and humor are exactly right for this genre.’ Susan Davis.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Michelle had tried Pilates… but she kept dozing off during mat work, and couldn’t face going back after the snoring episode.

She knew she tended to see her glass as half empty, and she really did try to do the half full thing, but sometimes she just felt like she didn’t even have a glass.

I’m going to sue Walt Disney… All lies. There are no castles or princes, just hard graft and twats.

Audrey also wanted her ashes to be mixed into a firework, to be set off one dark night, with all the family gathered around, gasping in awe and wonder as she soared up in one final blaze of glory. She had cried with laughter at Michelle’s and Gary’s horrified faces. But she was adamant that she wanted to go out with a bang.

The men Mingle had matched her with resembled a Crimewatch line-up. It was all very different to the free trial search. That had yielded some tasty-looking men in their forties, with interesting profiles, decent jobs and socially acceptable reasons for being single. They were all looking for monogamous relationships, and none of them looked as if they might play with themselves on a first date in a car park. Not that you could really tell from a dating profile –poor Joan hadn’t suspected anything dodgy about her car park pervert.

My Review:

I alternated between smirking at Michelle’s comical visualizations and sighing at her ridiculous choices, she was a difficult character for me to like as she was spineless and often exasperated me, yet she also squeezed my heart. Michelle’s biggest problem was being a hopeless turd-magnet with men, although she had lots of issues, lots! She was highly anxious, prone to catastrophizing, always on alert for gloom and doom while visualizing the worst-case scenarios, and with mounting stressors from family and work she was slowly edging into the land of dysfunctional, yet she was also intelligent and witty.

Ms. Paull’s writing was highly descriptive, evoking keen visuals.   I also enjoyed her clever wit and biting humor. She has also greatly expanded my Brit Vocab list with the introductions of blaggard (scoundrel, untrustworthy, contemptible person); quiff (hairstyle brushed upward and backward from the forehead); winklepickers (a style of shoe “reminiscent of medieval footwear” and re-popularized again in the 1950s by British rockers and has a very sharp and long pointed toe); yonks (a very long time); and flapjack (a sweet baked oat bar), although in American flapjacks is another word for pancakes. I’ll pass on the winklepickers but find I now have a taste for flapjacks of both varieties.

Author Bio –

Amanda Paull is a writer of humorous romantic fiction. She lives in the North East of England with her husband and works in the public sector. The inspiration for her stories comes from real life, which she tries to show the funnier side of by embellishing to the hilt.

Amanda’s Website: http://www.amandapaull.co.uk

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Apaullfiction

Love Blooms When You Least Expect It…

Juliet Shakespeare is done with love. With a growing floristry business and an adorable daughter to raise, life after separating from her husband is complicated enough.

But when handsome single father, Ryan Sutherland, arrives in town, everything changes. As much as she tries to distract herself, Juliet can’t help but be drawn to the easy-going Romeo next door and the way he makes her feel.

Photographer Ryan is only back in his hometown for a few months so there’s no point falling for someone he’ll just have to say goodbye to. But he didn’t account for Juliet – the intriguing and beautiful, red-haired woman next door. And in her, he might just have found everything he ever wanted . . .

A gorgeous Shakespeare Sisters romance from the bestselling author of Fix You.

UK Buy Links

Amazon UK | iBooks UK | Kobo UK | WHSmith

US Buy Links

Amazon US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook  

Advance Praise for By Virtue Fall

This story is amazing, beautiful, intense, sweet & loving. So need more of this series..’ – Teresa, Goodreads Reviewer, Five Stars

‘Carrie Elks is an excellent story-teller.’ – Steph N, Goodreads Reviewer, Five Stars

‘Oh wow Elks has written another book that has blown me away.’ – Donna, Goodreads Reviewer, Five Stars

‘What a blissful read.’ – Shelley, Goodreads Reviewer, Five Stars

‘An outstanding read.’ – Evonne, Goodreads Reviewer, Five Stars

‘Carrie Elks has a way with her words that takes me into another world and leaves me breathless.’ – Melanie Moreland, New York Times Bestselling Author

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Miss Mason had been a Kindergarten teacher for more than twenty years. Everything in her classroom was ruled by bathroom breaks.

The denim clung to him like it couldn’t bear to let go.

Funny how she’d bristled at that nickname when he’d first used it. Now she loved it. It was like a little secret only the two of them knew. She wanted to cover it in bubble wrap and keep it safe, protect it from the harsh winds of the outside world. Because right then everything felt fragile. Like a wisp of smoke blowing on the wind.

…there’s nothing worse than running away, only to find your troubles bought a ticket and decided to travel right along with you.

My Review:

This was my first exposure to Carrie Elks and I am greatly disappointed in myself, how have I not noticed this deftly gifted wordsmith before now? Snap! Reading her entertaining arrangements of words was a total pleasure. Her storylines were relatable, insightful, amusing, vibrantly detailed, and populated with lovable and clever characters. By Virtue Fall was book four of a series featuring a family known as the Shakespeare Sisters, yet it was quite capable of standing on its own as it possessed strong tango dancing legs. However, there is nothing else in this world I would rather read right now than the previous three installments as well as every other book, novella, and short story on her backlist. Carrie Elks has a new fangirl.

This was chosen as a  Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

About the Author

Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.

Twitter – CarrieElks

Facebook – CarrieElksAuthor

Goodreads – 7266211.Carrie_Elks

Website