Magic O’Clock

by Lynne Fellows

Goodreads

Amazon  (universal)

Other eretailers (Kobo, B&N, Apple) :https://www.books2read.com/MOC

 

Archie Royle is a kind, funny, gentle man.

He’s also my dad. My storyteller. My hero.

Except he doesn’t remember my face anymore.

His world, these days, doesn’t include me or his family.

Life may have changed for him, but he hasn’t given up on life.

Not at all.

It’s just different.

Dad still tells his stories, albeit for a new audience.

He makes people smile and chuckle. As he always did.

He’s a fighter, a survivor and maybe sometimes too clever for his own good! He’ll surprise you. I can assure you of that.

Welcome to Magic O’Clock, where time is irrelevant and hope is unlimited.

Magical Memories

Goodreads / Amazon

 

As Archie Royle takes his final breath, three sisters race to say their goodbyes.

Two don’t make it in time.

I do.

And now, it’s all my fault they’re too late.

Despite him having dementia.

Despite them not visiting in over a month.

 

But I won’t let anger win.

After all, we’re all grieving, aren’t we?

Surely, as a family, we can let bygones be bygones.

 

It’s what Dad would want. Expect.

It’s what he deserves.

We have so much to be grateful for.

So many fond and magical memories to share.

 

Magical Memories is a fictional tale of loss, grief and moving on.

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Magic O’Clock

Every day, without fail, shortly before three o’clock, he stops everything and heads off to his command post ready to enthrall his eager listeners. No watch is needed to tell him when it’s time. It’s purely instinctive and part of the daily marvel I have come to cherish.

 The grandfather clock in the main vestibule strikes once, then again and finally the third chime rings out. Dad is back. Complete with his confident mannerisms and easy charm. The lost soul that inhabits his body and mind for most of the day is vanquished for now and the man in his place is my father of old. My heart skips a beat as the transformation takes effect and the wonderful, self-assured storyteller prepares to weave his tale.

 He is a true word-smith, a man for whom eloquence and diction make pillow talk while he sleeps.

 Audience participation is his specialty. He loves teasing them into a frenzy. The nurses are constantly telling him not to, after all, some of these people have serious conditions, and too much excitement can be dangerous. But Archie’s response is always the same, ‘at least they’ll die with a smile on their face.’

Magical Memories

 

Where his tales came from, we’ll never know. Like a seasoned bowler, he’d put his own spin on it, launching it at full speed towards his unsuspecting audience.

 

When he surrendered the battle of the comb-over some years ago, it marked a turning point. It was at that moment I accepted defeat to his dementia. My hopes to avoid admitting him to a private care home waned, and I finally conceded that all the stored memory in my father’s brain was leaking out like a burst water pipe I could not fix.

 To say she blanched would be an understatement, but her complexion made Frosty the Snowman look like he was having a hot flush.

 Diplomacy is the act of thinking twice before saying nothing – not a skill I had ever learnt.

My Review:

 

While her father may have lost his memories and no longer recognize his family, mercifully, he had not lost his words or the ability to spin a good yarn and entertain his fellow residents at the retirement village.   These were delightfully vivid, tender, and heart-squeezing tales of bittersweet observations and inner musings.  The writing was poignant and emotive and so dear it stung my eyes and put a hot rock in my throat.  L.S. Fellows conjures sharp visuals with her excellent word skills.  She is a master storyteller with immediate engagement and keenly crafted storylines.

 

Author Bio – Despite being born in England, my heart now lies in Spain. Many moons ago, I was a student in Granada, Spain. I loved it so much and swore I would return one day on a more permanent basis. In 2003, I did just that.

Now, as a fur-mum to two adorable but mischievous mutts, in my free time, I can usually be spotted with my nose in a book, armed with just the teeniest chunk of chocolate and a zillion pomegranates!

Social Media Links –

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LFWrites

Twitter: @lfwrites – https://twitter.com/lfwrites

Website/Blog: https://just4mybooks.wordpress.com

Subscribe:

https://tinyletter.com/lfwrites

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/lsfellows

 

Title: Pretty Daring

Author: Jenn Hype

 

★★★Buy Links★★★

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2QU7swd

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2IftLZA

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2pzaOZ6

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2zt1vQp

Other Retailers: https://bit.ly/2QOkifD

 

★★★Synopsis★★★

If you ask me, foolishness is like beauty – all about the eye of the beholder.

For instance – I’ve been told the amount of caffeine I consume on a daily basis will eventually kill me, which makes no sense because that caffeine is essential to living. Then I have doctors telling me that I need to get more sleep if I want to live a happy, healthy life. I can easily refute those claims because my life is neither happy nor healthy if I don’t utilize every possible second of each day to ensure my life’s goals are met.

Now I’ve got people claiming that hooking up with the sexy bodyguard I hired after someone tried to kill me in broad daylight is a mistake. And, okay, they might be right about that one. Even I can’t argue that it’s not healthy to sleep with someone you can barely stand to be around outside the bedroom.

But you know what? Life is already short enough. If there’s a chance I might die young, then I’m going to go out with a bang – preferably the kind that comes with an orgasm or twelve.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

That voice. Hot damn, his voice did things to parts of my body that had no business being involved in this conversation.

 

My eyes rolled so far back into my head I swear I saw my brain.

 

“I used to think it was hot when guys went all alpha male, but now I just think it’s seriously annoying.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Blake deadpanned. “CJ hasn’t had the upper hand since I met him.” “How do you do it? Show me, master. Teach me the ways of the Jedi.”

 

I’ll admit, New York is a challenge when it comes to my personality. People get more offended by kind gestures than they do if you were to spit in their face. It makes no sense. But I enjoy torturing them with my niceness all the same.

 

Yeah, well, what about that time you made me wait two hours after a Jason Mraz concert so you could get a picture with him, and then I had to force you to do it because the second he tried to talk to you, you turned into a bitch and told him his moles creeped you out.

 

I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he looked even angrier than he had minutes ago. I half expected his clothes to tear at the seams and his skin to start turning green.

 

My Review:

 

I am thoroughly enjoying this giggle-snort and smirk-worthy series. The storylines of each were brimming with sassy and feisty characters that bicker and banter like it was an Olympic sport and they were hopeful medal contenders. The main character of Paige was a deeply flawed over-the-top drama queen as well as a hot mess; yet she had a soft heart, clever wit, and compelling history.   Sebastian’s storyline was more poignant for family loyalty and social awkwardness, although his relatives provided considerable levity as well. Penned in my favorite dual POV, the premise was interesting while the writing was entertaining, engaging and well balanced. I’m hoping the third in the series is dished up soon as I am more than eager to spend more time with this lively group.

 

★★★Excerpt★★★

“After two minutes of awkward silence that felt more like hours, I leaned forward and switched on the radio.

Sebastian immediately switched it back off. We did this four more times before I got fed up. “Quit that!”

“No music.”

“Why!?”

He shrugged one shoulder. That’s it. Just a little shrug. Like that were an acceptable answer.

“Okay, fine. You don’t want to listen to music? Let’s talk, then. Your mom a fan of The Little Mermaid?”

He rolled his eyes. “Good one.”

“So Clara told me CJ only hires vets. What branch did you serve?”

“Marines.”

“Hoo-raha.”

“It’s Oorah.”

I knew that. I’d been trying to get a reaction out of him. It did not work. The less he responded to my poking, the more irritated I became. “You ever kill someone?”

That question earned me a quick side glance. “You always start off by asking extremely personal, inappropriate questions?”

“Oh, my apologies. What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“Movie?”

“Die Hard.”

“Book?” He paused and I snickered. “Guns and Ammo doesn’t count.”

“Oh, then I don’t have one.”

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I rather enjoyed his dry sense of humor. Like hell would I ever admit it to him, though. “So. Killed someone? Yay or Nay?”

He sighed but I caught him trying to hide a smirk.”

★★★Other Books In the Jaded Series★★★

Book 1: Simply Crazy

Available Now:

Forget apps, websites and singles events – clearly the best way to meet a guy is to move in next door, accidentally assault him and then demand a job at his company.

If that kind of charm doesn’t totally knock him off his feet, the next step is to build an army. If possible, try to recruit those closest to the target, such as his mom, sisters and closest friends. Sure, it sounds extreme and maybe a little bit crazy, but I’ve always subscribed to the old adage “No one worth having comes willingly.” Okay, I switched out some words there, but you get the point.

Caution: Even the most foolproof plans can have hiccups along the way. I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of things you should watch out for: Crazy ex-boyfriends who pop up out of nowhere like an evil jack-in-the-box; Women who think a strategic nip slip is effective at landing a boyfriend; Co-workers who think it’s hilarious to prank you at work and then upload the videos to social media.

Still have doubts? No worries. I’ll show you how it’s done.

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2NA6BTo
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2QVcqsy
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2OPG8xN
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2Dvo9eS
ibooks: https://apple.co/2xRjwWe
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2N1P9lN

Book 3: Stupid Smart

Coming November 20th

Ever since I was a little girl, all I ever wanted was to get married. To meet the perfect man who’d love me more than life itself and be a wonderful father to all our beautiful children.

I loaded up on chapstick and prepared myself for all the frogs I’d have to kiss to find my prince. But I hadn’t been prepared for just how slimy and gross those metaphorical amphibians could be. And as I got older, the toads got hornier and hornier. (No pun intended, but we’re talking men here, so… yeah.)

Still, I refuse to give up, no matter how many obstacles are thrown my way.

Liam, however, has other plans for my future.

Every inch the bad boy with his leather jacket, dark eyes and tattoos, you’d never expect his personality to be more along the lines of class clown. The combination is oddly sexy. Just ask any woman of legal age in the city of New York, since he’s likely slept with all of them by now.

A simple misunderstanding made us enemies. Now I can’t get rid of him. He’s like a bad case of herpes that just keeps flaring up at the worst of times. And if he sabotages one more of my dates, I’m going to kill him. Or kiss him.

Most days I can’t decide which I’d rather do more.

Add to your Goodreads TBR List: http://bit.ly/2zQqwoz

★★★Author Bio★★★

What’s up world – I’m Jenn Hype.

Author, mother, wife, singer/songwriter, aspiring comedian – I wear many hats. Some of them fit, some of them look ridiculous, and all of them are fun. Life’s too short to take anything too seriously, so I don’t.

Sarcasm is my go-to, especially when it’s most inappropriate. Need someone to make an uncomfortable situation even more awkward? I’m the girl for the job.

I’m ridiculously A.D.D. and I own it. I have a serious addiction to ecards and the majority of my Pinterest account is dedicated to them. The key to my heart is glitter and caffeine – my needs are basic.

I’m a bookaholic and I crush hard on my book boyfriends and their authors. Some might call me obsessive, but I disagree. That word really doesn’t do justice to how crazy I get when it comes to something I’m passionate about. I’m not afraid to go fangirl on you, so don’t test me.

★★★Social Media Links★★★

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jennhype/

Goodreads –  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14254207.Jenn_Hype

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Hype/e/B01D8UQIIQ

Jenn’s Hypsters (STREET TEAM)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/236465496731730/

Asylum for Hypermaniacs ( Reader Group)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EmbraceTheCrazy/

Nameless (Reader Group with Jenn and Mary Frame)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/213252492446817/

Newsletter http://eepurl.com/bPeZa9

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jenn-hype

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/authorjennhype/

#JennHype #AllAboardTheCrazyTrain #PrettyDaring

#JadedSeries #RomanticComedy #BlogTour

#BookwormPromotions

 

Christmas at The Little Duck Pond Cafe

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / CA/ AU  

 

Fen has always hated being the center of attention.

She loves her new job, working behind the scenes at the Little Duck Pond Cafe and baking the scrumptious cakes that have helped its reputation soar. But frankly, she’d rather scrub the public toilet floor with a toothbrush than have to come out and talk to the customers.

She’s always been happy to stay in the background as long as she has a good supply of books to escape into. That’s her kind of romance – the fictional sort where she can read about other people taking a chance on love, but she doesn’t have to risk her own heart.

But that was before Ethan Fox arrived in the village and turned her world upside down. Ethan is a leading light in the local amateur dramatics theatre company and Fen knows he’s way out of her league.

But when the popular village Christmas pantomime hits a crisis, Fen and Ethan find themselves thrown together. Can Fen overcome her shyness and find the courage to step on stage and save the day?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’ve always hated my blushes. You can’t have any secrets if you turn as red as a ripe tomato at anything that’s even mildly unsettling. When I was younger, I used to wear a weird green-coloured cream on my face that was supposed to hide the blushes. Then my latest crush commented loudly, in front of the whole class, that I always looked like Casper the friendly ghost. So the tube of cream went in the bin.

 

He of the hard muscles yet adorably soft centre.

 

I prefer muted colours. (Mum describes these colours ‘jokingly’ as ‘shades of sludge’ and is always trying to encourage me to dress more colourfully.)

 

I wish I had more confidence. So when I’m pitching for an important business contract and I know I’ll be nervous, I do my ‘Superman pose’ before I go to the meeting… It’s a little-known fact that you can con your brain into believing you’re confident, which then makes you feel more confident. And one way to do that is to adopt what they call a “power pose” to make you feel more powerful. In private, of course. They might carry you off if you were to do it on public transport.

 

My Review:

 

This was book three in the series and my favorite to date. I continue to adore these quirky characters and have been curious about the excruciatingly timid yet talented Fen since her first introduction. Fen was painfully shy and suffered from feelings of inadequacy and paralyzing anxiety, which was superbly captured and cleverly portrayed by this wily author.   The multiple and equally intriguing storylines were well-crafted and shrewdly paced with equal measures of levity, family drama, and attempts at romance as Fen and company were attempting to push past her restrictive comfort zone as well as deal with the community, work, and family concerns. I enjoyed Fen’s inner musings, confused insights, skewed observations, gradual ripening, and finally her personal shackle shattering awareness and epiphanies.   I was highly amused by the manner Fen drew plot similarities and concepts from her favorite romance novels and beloved heroines to draw confidence, check her deportment, or assimilate her feelings while attempting to interact with men she found attractive. Now that Ms. Green has dealt with the three women working in the café, I am eager to see whom her keen writer’s eye hones in on next.

I’m trying something new – I’m taking part in the lovely Jo Linsdell’s Booktastic link up Thursday – she is such a precious little thing.

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Lone Star Christmas:

Cowboy Christmas Eve

(A Coldwater Texas Novel)

by Delores Fossen

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: HQN; Original edition (October 1, 2018)

Amazon | Books-A-Million | B & N

A family crisis brings him home…

Just in time for Christmas

Cattleman Callen Laramie has no intention of returning to his hometown of Coldwater, Texas until a Christmas wedding and a family secret convince him he has no choice. And when he’s reunited with his childhood crush, the girl who’d always been off-limits, Callen knows leaving might not be so easy this time.

Shelby McCall is as pretty as a Christmas snowfall, and Callen wants to kiss her under the mistletoe…and the Christmas tree…and the stars. But once Shelby knows the whole truth behind this homecoming, will their holiday fling come to an abrupt end? Or will she accept the gift of his heart?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It was Gopher Tate, and he threw open his heavily lined raincoat to flash her. He had a blue bow tied around his wrinkly junk that was covered by a pair of whities that weren’t so tight. They were at least three sizes too big, and the elastic in the waist was shot… Shelby gave him a glare that was colder than the sleet pelting his thinly covered privates. “Close your coat, Gopher, before you have to explain to the ER folks why you got frostbite on your wanger.”

 

She was reasonably sure that had she been wearing toenail polish, it would have melted, too.

 

Seems a shame to let the pizza go cold after you slaved over the phone to order it…

 

The cat was there, sitting by a nearly empty food and water dish and glaring at Callen as if he were responsible for multiple crimes against felines and humanity.

 

My Review:

 

Delores Fossen has gifted us with the early Christmas present of a new series, and she has started it off with her own special blend of damaged yet sexy and lovable heroes, clever wry humor, heart squeezing storylines, colorful and quirky small-town characters, and a sweet romance with delectably steamy bits. I always look forward to meeting her amusing and uniquely peculiar characters and she didn’t disappoint with the introduction of Rosy – the armadillo obsessed geriatric bride-to-be with a taxidermy shop called Much Ado About Stuffing; and Gopher – the pervy elderly flasher who was well known yet never actually naked under his raincoat. As always, her storylines were engaging, entertaining, and well-paced.   I’m already primed for the next installment.

 

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

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

The Secrets We Carried

by Mary McNear

HarperCollins | Amazon | B & N

 

 368 pages
William Morrow Paperbacks (September 25, 2018)

Readers who love Susan Wiggs and Susan Mallery will adore New York Times bestselling author Mary McNear newest novel. A young woman travels home to Butternut Lake, confronting her past and the tragedy she and her friends have silently carried with them for over a decade while also facing an unknown future.

Butternut Lake is an idyllic place—but for one woman, her return to the lake town she once called home is bittersweet…

Sometimes life changes in an instant.

Quinn LaPointe grew up on beautiful Butternut Lake, safe, secure, sure of her future. But after a high school tragedy, she left for college and never looked back. Becoming a successful writer in Chicago, she worked to keep out the dark memories of an accident that upended her life. But now, after ten years, she’s finally returned home.

Butternut is the same, and yet everything is changed. Gabriel Shipp, once her very best friend, doesn’t want anything to do with her. The charming guy she remembers is now brooding and withdrawn. Tanner Lightman, the seductive brother of her late boyfriend, wants her to stick around. Annika Bergstrom, an old classmate who once hated Quinn, is now friendly. Everyone, it seems, has a secret.

Determined to come to terms with the tragedy and rebuild old relationships, Quinn settles into Loon Bay Cabins, a rustic but cozy lakeside resort, where she begins writing down her memories of the year before the accident. Her journey through the past leads her to some surprising discoveries about the present. As secrets are revealed and a new love emerges, Quinn finds that understanding the past is the key to the future.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Northern Superior High School had been built in 1930, when Americans still had a reverence for public education, and the two-story brick building, with a white stone arch over the entranceway and two white stone columns flanking it, spoke to the seriousness of the work to be done inside.

 

Her closest girlfriend, Katrina, referred to these relationships as Quinn’s “eleventh-month specials.” This wasn’t intentional on Quinn’s part. It wasn’t as if she kept an eye on the calendar as the anniversary of their first date approached. It was more like an inner mechanism of hers sensed a shifting of the light, a changing of the seasons. Either way, she was apt to end things before the earth had made a full rotation around the sun.

My Review:

 

This is one of those books that is hard to put down as I sense something important to the plot is coming that I really need to know and it is right around the corner, and it was true, but there are several more somethings, and then a few more I wasn’t expecting. I went at this book like an alcoholic on a binge as I couldn’t find a stopping place, nor would I have been willing to stop had I found one. Ms. McNear’s compelling characters and insightful and emotive writing held me in place and while it wasn’t a thriller or a suspenseful read, my curiosity was tripped while my heart was being mercilessly squeezed.   This was the second well-textured and maddeningly paced book of Ms. McNear’s that I have devoured – and in much the same manner. I am greedy for all her words as this talented scribe has strong word voodoo.   I was provided with a review copy of this excellent book by HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

About Mary McNear

Mary McNear, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Butternut Lake series, writes in a local doughnut shop, where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made doughnuts. Mary bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest.

Find out more about Mary at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

Christmas on Lily Pond Lane

By Emily Harvale

Amazon US / UK 

 

Snow is falling in Little Pondale, lights are twinkling and the smell of pine trees and roasting chestnuts fills the air …

But Mia Ward is in a bit of a jam. She’d planned to rent out Corner Cottage for Christmas but thanks to best friend, Ella Swann, it’s double-booked. Now Mia’s got to let one ‘party’ down, or find another cottage – fast.

Best friends and single mums, Cathy Cole and Christy Franks want their kids to have an old-fashioned Christmas. Ice-skating, carol singing, making decorations, and tobogganing are on their list of festive fun and Little Pondale is the perfect place. Especially as it has no mobile phone reception. That will make it harder for Cathy to be found.

City banker, Leo Hardman is wondering if renting a cottage for Christmas as an anniversary surprise for his parents, was such a good idea. Little Pondale may be where his parents met, but his mum doesn’t seem pleased to be back, and his brother, Hal isn’t happy that the village is so tiny and only has one pub.

Meanwhile, Jenny Lake is settling in at her cousin’s bakery, having left her (broken) heart in Florence, but Christmas was never her favorite time of year. And Reverend Glen Fox has taken over at St Michael and All Angels. He’s glad it’s a temporary post because village life is not for him.

But luckily, for locals and visitors alike, there’s a sleigh-load of Christmas magic heading for Lily Pond Lane; enough to put a sparkle in everyone’s festive season. Although Christmas may not go quite as each of them has planned.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

I’ve got the kind of voice that makes a dog sound like a prima donna. Believe me, no one wants to hear me sing. Although I could make you a fortune if people had to pay to get me to stop.

My Review:

Reading this book gave me a contented and relaxed feeling, similar to that satisfying sense of pleasure felt after a good stretch or peaceful sigh. It was quick and enjoyable read and if you haven’t read the previous books in the series, this may pluck at your curiosity and lead you to do so. It will also put you in a festive frame of mind, even though it was months ahead of the holiday season when I read it. Love and good cheer were in the air of Little Pondale and visitors and residents alike are pairing off and getting all loved up during the week leading up to Christmas. Surprises always seem to be on the menu for this group and one visitor gave the gossipy old dear Heddie an eye-popping secret to expose. I adore these characters and this sweet series.

 

Author Bio –

Having lived and worked in London for several years, Emily returned to her hometown of Hastings where she now spends her days writing… and chatting on social media. Emily is a Member of the SoA, a PAN member of the RWA and a Pro Member of ALLi. She’s an Amazon bestseller and a Kindle All-Star. Emily loves writing and her stories are sure to bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart.

Emily says, “I write about friendship, family and falling in love. I believe in happing endings.” When she isn’t writing, she can be found enjoying the stunning East Sussex coast and countryside, or in a wine bar with friends, discussing life, love and the latest TV shows. Chocolate cake is often eaten. She dislikes housework almost as much as she dislikes anchovies – and will do anything to avoid both.

Social Media Links –  https://www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter

https://www.twitter.com/emilyharvale

https://www.instagram.com/emilyharvale