After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.

But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.

So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.

But when a snowstorm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.

Can Belle realize her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?

As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Aunty Angie’s view of clothing, hair and make -up was that you needed to be seen from outer space. Preferably without the need of a telescope.

 

Angie’s cooking was legendary and, unfortunately, not in a good way. Her food was almost always revolting and was normally soggy, dry or inedible. Sometimes all three at once.

 

My Review:

 

The small village of Cranbridge sounds pleasant and gentle, despite the frigid weather and dodgy electrical service. I’m enjoying getting to know the quirky residents and uniquely appealing characters. Each tale in this series has involved rebuilding and strengthening not only the buildings but of the people residing in them as well as the village at large.   I appreciate the pleasant sense of satisfaction of a community finding camaraderie and pulling together to help those in need as well as the sweet love story blooming amongst the toil and sweat. The engaging storylines were easy to follow and populated with struggling yet likable and oddly endearing characters I can’t help but root for.

 

 

 

 

Reckless Hart
(A Cross Creek Small Town Novel Book 4)
by Kelly Collins

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It’s not up to you to make him into the man he should already be.

  

My Review:

 

This was a quick and entertaining story that took the final Lockhart brother off the market. Quinn had been a somewhat bitter holdout after a bad relationship and had been watching his brothers succumb to love from the sidelines while being envious yet leery. The storylines were easy to fall into and unfolded with a smooth and steady progression as the realistically flawed yet likable characters fell for each other while Lauren was also dealing with and enabling her manipulative waste of skin ex-husband, a loathsome villain worthy of a triple hex. Sweet moments and amusing humor were provided by an adorable preschooler and her faithful snaggletoothed dog.

 

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

 

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“April White writes the kind of books I love to read: romantic but suspenseful, smart yet so consuming. And you’ll love this cast.” – Amy Harmon, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author

Code of Ethics, an all-new enemy to lovers romantic suspense standalone in the Cipher Security series from April White, is available now!

There are three things you need to know about Oliver Curran:

1) He’s a privileged playboy who happens to be a code-writing genius

2) For once in his life he’s trying to do the right thing

3) Someone wants him dead.

Dallas is a close protection specialist at Cipher Security whose bodyguard skills have already saved Oliver’s life once. But when the assassin gets too close to her uncooperative client, Dallas takes the party boy away from the city where he’s the social king, to the Yukon wilderness where she’s a master of survival.

If Dallas has to put her life on the line for a self-absorbed guy she doesn’t respect, then Oliver has to take orders from the too-serious woman he can’t charm. But living wild brings out their true natures, and suddenly funny is hot, capable is dangerous, and trust is the strongest survival skill of all.

‘Code of Ethics’ is a full-length enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Cipher Security series, Seduction in the City world, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Read Code of Ethics TODAY!

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Excerpt

“Is there something else I can help you with, Mr. Curran?”

“Oliver,” I said automatically, my eyes still looking in the direction Quinn had gone.

“Excuse me?”

“My name is Oliver,” I said, my eyes finally meeting hers, and I dug for my nicest-guy-in-the-room default. “Yours is Dallas, right?”

“Correct.”

She started walking toward the elevators again, and I couldn’t think of a reason not to follow. I assumed it wouldn’t get me anywhere to go after Quinn, and Dallas seemed to be the only one who cared that I was still in the building.

“Proprietary tech is the only game in the marketplace right now. If my code leaks, my program turns into the equivalent of generic drugs—worth pennies instead of millions.”

We’d reached the elevators, and she turned to face me. I was surprised that she wasn’t taller, because her vibe was all ferocity and overbearing disapproval. “You didn’t ask for my opinion, but I’m going to give it to you anyway,” she said.

Of course she would. Women like her couldn’t help themselves. They had to be right—all the time—out loud. I sighed, too exhausted to bother to dig up more charm for her.

“Millions are just zeroes and ones in an account,” she continued. “This is your life, and I think the Russian will do a lot worse than try to knife you if he manages to catch you alone.”

I’d just hit the button, but I whipped around to face her. “The Russian? What are you, partners?”

The woman almost rolled her eyes at me, and I was glad to get a rise out of her. It was way more fun than panicking, which was my other option.

“I heard him swear in Russian,” she said in a voice that was back to ice queen inflection.

“You speak Russian,” I scoffed.

“Enough,” she said. The elevator doors opened behind me, and Dallas reached a hand past me to hold them.

“What did he say, then?” I asked. She took a step forward, crowding me back into the elevator.

“Ty moy, suchka.”

“Which means?” I asked, taking a step forward when I realized that she’d managed to make me move with just her body language.

She let go of the elevator doors. “You’re my bitch,” she said, and I had to jump back as the doors closed between us.  

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He also had the kind of manners that Europeans and old-money people had— like they automatically knew which fork to use without getting a raised eyebrow from whichever parent might have been home.

 

It makes him laugh every time I wear it, so I make sure he catches me in it when I’m naked.” Shane burst out laughing. “Naked Baby Yodanna!” Anna flapped her Yoda ears. “When I can make Darius laugh, he looks at me like I’m chocolate and movie night and browned butter all rolled up in one.”

 

His voice is like a thick, creamy salve you put on sunburns when you don’t want to be touched, and when I get sunburny like that, his voice feels like fingers running through my hair—which he does too, by the way.”

 

She wanted me, and being wanted by this woman suddenly felt more than physical. It felt like something that mattered.

 

My Review:

 

Written from a dual POV, this tale had a multiple-layered, slowly paced, and complex plot with uniquely complicated characters, heaping helpings of angst, peril, and a lot of inner dialog and conflict while building to a slow-burn romance. The storylines were intricately woven around the nucleus of a thorny and dangerous threat to a new client with tentacles that spread into family drama, predatory tracking, facial recognition hacking and fraud, and survivalist training and living off the grid in the frozen Canadian Yukon territory.    

It was an interesting twist to use the female main character as the protector and trained survivalist, although I initially found her difficult to fully appreciate, as she was rather rigid, emotionally distant and a cold fish. However, once her background was revealed I was greatly impressed by the author’s thoughtful and perceptive character building. I adored her family yet I was outraged to learn of the past and present discriminatory practices and arrogant attitudes toward Canada’s indigenous tribes, which is as shameful as what occurred and continues to proliferate in the USA towards our own. Then I thought about the similar horrors that occurred in India, Australia, Africa, etc. The arrogance of the British Empire has a lot to answer for.

 

About April White

** Vivian Award Nominee, 2021 **

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

Her first novel, Marking Time is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and all five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy. Code of Conduct was an RWA Vivian Award finalist for romantic suspense, a Next Generation Award finalist for romance, and RONE Award finalist for suspense. And Death’s Door is a Grand Prize winner of the Next Generation Award, and a Foreword Reviews Award finalist. More information and her blog can be found at www.aprilwhitebooks.com.

Find April White online

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Suddenly I was aware of being scrutinised by two American guys to the right. One was bald, with skinny legs and a stomach that flopped like exhausted knicker elastic. The other was pot-bellied and covered in the sort of tattoos that looked like a child had gone berserk with a biro. Neither were attractive, but I was nonetheless secretly thrilled to have them check me out… until they started to loudly discuss me. ‘She ain’t bad,’ drawled Skinny Legs. ‘Take it or leave it,’ said Tattoo Man dismissively.

 

I felt empowered. Like an Olympic swimmer. Look at me go! … I felt like bursting into song. Morphing into Helen Reddy. Belting out the first few lines of I Am Woman. I continued to pause poolside, milking the moment. ‘Annie,’ Caz urgently hissed. ‘For God’s sake cover up. You’ve fallen out of your swimsuit.’

 

Where are you, Annie? We’re worried you’ve been kidnapped by a sheikh looking to expand his grandad’s harem!

 

My Review:

 

This was wicked funny and cleverly amusing while also hitting some feels and tapping several social and aging issues. I adored it and knew that I would as after I read Willow’s Wedding Vows I immediately added this wily author to my list of favorites and swept her entire listing onto my TBR. Her characters are uniquely knowable and realistically flawed in the most humorous of ways.

Annie was prone to vivid daydreaming and given her active and colorful imagination, I hooted in mirth, frequently giggle-snorted, and maintained a near-constant gleeful smirk as I made my way through this delightful tale.   Being of an… ahem… mature age, I easily identified with Annie and her gal pals and envied their tight bond and highly eventful trip to the land of blingy Dubai. The storylines were engaging and cunningly paced with frequent comedic mishaps that often tugged a bit at the heartstrings while simultaneously tickling my funny bone.

Debbie Viggiano has mad skills!

 

About the Author

 

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy… apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate.
Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!

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