Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 12

#Excerpt: THE LAKE HOUSE by Bella Amy

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The Lake House
Bella Emy
Publication date: June 9th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From USA Today Bestselling Author Bella Emy comes a new heart-wrenching story of heartbreak, loss, and finding love once again.

Giuliana

Happily ever after.
That’s what I thought I found.
But the clock struck twelve before I even knew it, leaving me in nothing but rags and tears.
Silver Mist has always been the one place to bring me comfort and serenity.
But on an unexpected summer day, Declan Bell walks on in and changes my perspective of love forever.
Am I ready to say goodbye to my past and welcome a new beginning?
Starting over is never easy, and I’m not sure I can do it without getting hurt again.

Declan

Happily ever… what?
I thought true love didn’t exist, thanks to my ex-wife.
She cheated and walked out, leaving me alone to raise our daughter.
My baby girl made my life complete.
I was fine and things were going well.
I couldn’t complain.
That was all until Giuliana Bianchi, the girl I had fallen in love with from way back when, came marching back into town.
I realized I didn’t know real love and how much more complete my life could be until I saw her beautiful smiling face.
But is she ready to jump back into a relationship after everything she’s been through?
Starting over is never easy, but if we can find a way to be together, I feel like it could be.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

 

Author Bio:

Bella Emy is a USA Today Bestselling Author.

***To stay up to date with all things Bella, including all exclusive content, make sure you sign up for her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BellaNL

She loves all books, but her favorite genre to read, as well as write, is romance. Bella loves creating heartbreaking stories that will deeply touch her readers, but in the end, a good HEA is usually the turnout.

Whenever Bella is not typing away on her computer with a nice hot cup of coffee, she loves spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite places to go are the movies, the beach, or just on a good plain old road trip. Some of her must haves are coffee, chocolate, pizza, music, & movies.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Bookbub / TikTok / Pinterest

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#Review: CHASING THE BRIDE by Erica Ridley

 

4 of 5 stars

Lady Tabitha Kerr has never had a Season because she's been promised at birth to her father's friend, Viscount Oldfield, but she doesn't want to marry the lecherous man who's older than her father. She wants to make her own decisions. However, her father's health takes a turn for the worst, and Tabitha being the dutiful daughter, agrees to marry the lord until she can't go through with it and jilts him at the altar.

Mr. Hudson Frampton is Viscount Oldfield's man of business. Over the years, he has made a lot of money for the viscount as well as himself, but he thoroughly dislikes the lord's lecherous and spendthrift ways. He's been secretly in love with Tabitha for years, although he knows she'll never be his. When Hudson is tasked with finding and returning the runaway bride, he never expects the lady even to give him a second glance. 

I really liked Hudson. He was an honorable man who wanted nothing but the best for Tabitha, even if that meant watching her marry another. I felt so bad for Tabitha, especially because her father used her as a pawn and didn't listen to what she wanted. There's a lot packed into this novella, and it was wonderful to watch Tabitha, and Hudson realize they could be happy together if only her father would consent. These stories about the village of Marrywell have been a delight to read.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.

#Excerpt: THE UNSEELIES WALLFLOWER by Elisa Rae

The Unseelie’s Wallflower
Elisa Rae
(Courts of Conflict, #1)
Publication date: June 6th 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Greyson hides many things from the Unseelie Court when they invade his estate each autumn for the Wild Hunt. During his required appearance as host, he is surprised to find a human among the glittering fae. She can see him even when he is using his stealth magic, which means only one thing—they are soul mates. Can he protect her amidst the swirl of fae politics and a plot against her life?

Lyra has grown up among the fae. She has been trained to be the perfect servant. Then her master brings her to the Unseelie Court event of the year and demands she demonstrate her skills to nobles. With the promise of freedom as a motivator, she willingly agrees. Then she realizes her master’s true plan thanks to the intimidating fae lord hosting the event. Though why he would be invested in her fate is a mystery.

The Unseelie’s Wallflower is a light, fantasy romance novella about a relationship between an Unseelie and a human woman. It features faes, fated mates, and a romance between a noble and a servant, all played out against a backdrop of the peril, politics, and maneuverings of the Unseelie Court.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Greyson

Then I noticed her, the singular human. A female, small even for her species, hid among the ferns at the foot of one of the massive pillars supporting the soaring ceiling. Dressed simply, she watched the crowd with wary attention, burrowing deeper into the plants’ accommodating fronds every time a guest wandered near her hiding place.

Curious, I meandered that way. Slipping around the far side of the pillar, I settled in the deepest shadows of the plant next to her fern and set my back against the stone. She had chosen a good spot for spying. Most of the foot traffic flowed around this central point, but few of the passersby glanced in our direction. They ignored the greenery placed around the walls and bracketing the windows of my entryway.

“Bored with eavesdropping?” she asked.

I glanced over at her. Fronds framed her features as her bright eyes scanned the mingling crowd. She hadn’t turned my way, but somehow, I was certain she spoke to me. Assessing our surroundings, I noted no one else stood close enough to overhear or be the object of her query.

“Are you speaking to me?” I asked.

“Who else?” She flicked a glance over her shoulder. Blue eyes focusing on my face and the softening of her mouth hinted at a smile.

“You see me?” Utter surprise brought a great rush of excitement. No one saw me when I wished to be hidden. Not even my own kind could detect my passing. Yet this slender human, magicless and helpless, not only saw me but didn’t hesitate to speak to me. It meant one thing. My breath caught in my chest. She was my soul mate.

“Of course, I see you.” Her mouth deepened into a suppressed smile while hidden laughter brightened her eyes. “You are a bit hard to miss.”

Author Bio:

A reader of fairytales and folklore, Elisa Rae loves a happy ending. Noblebright characters, dastardly villains, and chemistry between characters delight her. When she isn’t writing, she loves to watch superhero movies and literary dramas.

Elisa Rae is the pen name of Rachel Rossano.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!
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N.N. Light Book Heaven Celebrates Weddings: .99 THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING by Debra Elizabeth

I'm so pleased to be involved in this event with my billionaire romance, THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING.


Blurb:Has Keira made the worst mistake of her life?
Unemployed Keira Callahan decides to try her luck at the casino before delving back into job hunting. As she walks through the casino, she bumps into the most handsome man she’s ever seen. When he asks her to dinner, she doesn’t hesitate. As she learns Cade Tyndale’s story—he needs to wed or lose his British estate, her impulsive nature rears up and she agrees to marry him and move to England for one year. What does she have to lose except her heart to the impossibly handsome Earl of Barrett?
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0744PNS1H/ref=twoen-20

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Wedding-Loving-Billionaire-Book/dp/1979722447/ref=twoen-20


Customer Reviews:
"This book made me go Squee! This was a wonderful quick read that gave me warm fuzzy feelings. Keira and Cade are just perfect." - Certifiable Wenches
"This was one of those uplifting sigh-worthy stories that put a smile on my face and reminded me why I enjoy romances so much and I look forward to reading more delightful stories by this author." - Amazon customer
"My, my.  Royals, a marriage of convenience and relatives that are justvile.  Love it.  It's catnip to me.  I love royals and the trope of a marriage of convenience but I've said that already.  What makes this one special are the characters themselves.  Keira and Cade are just the hero and heroine that I like." - Harlie's Books
"I loved this book, it was beautifully written and kept me interested until the end of it." - Amazon customer
"This is truly a Great old fashioned love story that is easy to read and enjoy! Debra Elizabeth is an excellent author." - Amazon customer

Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card: 

Open Internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to win.

Runs June 6 – June 12, 2023.

Winner will be drawn on June 13, 2023.

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#Review: THE CAPTIVE DUKE by Grace Burrows

 

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2 of 5 stars
This book was such a conundrum to me. On one hand, I really wanted to see Christian escape his French prison, but on the other hand, the prose was so drawn out and very confusing at times that I put the book down time after time. There were so many unsaid words that would have helped me to understand Christian and Gilly better. I find too much innuendo just leads to confusion.

This book took me days to finish because I had a hard time connecting with Christian and Gilly and their instant connection. Both of them had suffered unimaginable torture--Christian as a French captive and Gilly as the wife to Lord Greendale. Both used silence as their weapon of choice, but all those silences made it difficult to route for them.

Poor little Lucy. I felt so bad for the child as she suffered as well, losing her mother and brother and not knowing if her father would ever come home. I had guessed the villain right away, and it seemed so naive that Christian did not see it.

I did like the ending, even though it took me days to reach it. While I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Burrows, sadly, this was not one of them.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

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#Review: THE BEAST AND THE BOOKSELLER by Eva Devon

 

5 of 5 stars

I enjoy fairytale retellings, and this one was loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, although Garrett Maximilian, the Duke of Montrose, wasn't much of a beast if you discounted his glares and blunt mannerisms. Garrett suffers from nightmares from his cruel and violent father and the way his loving mother was ripped away from him when he was eight years old. His father constantly admonished him about how tender-hearted he was and the fact that he looked so much like his mother. To counteract his father's vicious nature, when Garrett becomes duke, he retreats inside his ducal home and rarely leaves except to vote in Parliament. One of the few pleasures in his life is the books provided to him weekly by Sharpe and Sons bookshop. When the books stop arriving on time, Garrett is forced to go to the bookshop personally to find out what the problem is.

Miss Elizabeth Sharpe lives and breathes books. She has lovingly taken care of the bookshop, even more so now because of her father's lack of interest and his drunkenness. Her disappointment at her father's behavior is appalling, made even more so when the Duke of Montrose invades her shop to confront her father about the lack of delivery of his standing order. Elizabeth makes a deal with the Duke that she will bring him his weekly allotment of books to keep the duke's ongoing patronage. Without it, the bookshop would perish.

The first time she brings the books to his townhome, she's awed by the opulence of his it. When she's standing in front of him, she's not cowed by his bluntness and offers a suggestion that he might enjoy a different kind of book besides the scientific tomes he reads. Thus begins their blossoming friendship of sorts. The more time they spend together, the more their friendship grows. The writing is compelling, and the author has a way of explaining Garrett's childhood trauma, that I felt every one of the duke's torments as well as Elizabeth's growing disappointment with her father. 

There is a lovely side plot about them reading "Pride and Prejudice" that warmed my insides. The tension between them is palpable, and their attraction grows until it cannot be denied. When her father learns of Elizabeth's friendship with the duke, his greed nearly destroys everything. Can Elizabeth learn to live with Garrett's coldness and his bluntness, or will Garrett realize that he's pushing away the one woman who can soothe his savage soul?

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.

#Review: MATCHING THE MARQUESS by Darcy Burke

 

4 of 5 stars

This was a story of love, loss, pain, unbearable grief, and the coming together of two people who have experienced it all. Benjamin Nash, Marquess of Creslow, knows he needs to marry, but he cannot bear the thought of opening his heart again after what happened in the past, so he hires a matchmaker, Rebecca Sweet, to find him a bride with a "no love" stipulation.  He's handsome, charming, and witty as long as he doesn't feel anything for the women he's flirting with. I felt such empathy for Nash, and the author does a good job of explaining why he felt the way he did.

Rebecca Sweet was left penniless by her philandering husband, and she vows she will never again let another man control her. A brief interlude several months before Nash hires her as a matchmaker sets the stage for a reunion of sorts. Rebecca knew who he was, but Nash was in the dark about her name. He endures another shock when he meets the matchmaker and finds out it's the same woman he's been thinking about for months. The rest of the story takes place in Merrywell at the matchmaking festival and Rebecca's hometown.

Sparks fly between these two, but each of them is stuck in the past over lost love, lost family, and lost independence and cannot let go. I liked Rebecca. She was strong and resilient despite the hardship of her marriage and then the death of her husband. She doesn't mourn him in her heart and sets out to carve out a life for herself where she is no longer dependent on a man for her happiness. Can these two finally connect for a second chance at love?

This was another good edition to the series, although readers should know there are some graphic sex scenes in the story. I voluntarily read the story, and all opinions are my own.

#Review: LONG LOST by Rochelle L Wilcox

 

4 of 5 stars

This story starts with a bang, with Franco being attacked on the streets of LA by his brother Luke. Their fight escalates, and it's soon apparent these two are not humans as they fly up in the air, trying to get the best of each other. Unfortunately, a young human woman, Lia, witnesses their fight--something that should never happen and can not be tolerated. Franco gets the upper hand with Luke, and his brother races off, but now Franco is left with a problem. He must wipe Lia's memory, and she has no intention of letting him near her, so he does the only thing he can and kidnaps her and races to his sister's home in Texas. 

There are lots of cat-and-mouse chases and fight scenes, and along the way, Franco finally reveals to Lia who he actually is. Of course, Lia doesn't believe he's the Norse god, Freyr. Unfortunately, this revelation doesn't happen until about the 30% mark on my Kindle. I could have easily skipped all the in-between fight scenes with Luke, aka Loki and Thor, and just started with Freyr's sister, who happens to be the Norse goddess of love, Freyrj, because Loki and Thor find them anyway. Most of the narrative is driven by Freyr and what he thinks and feels, and I would have liked to see more of Lia's thoughts and not just when Freyr asks her a question. 

Freyrj's husband, Will, is a nice addition to the cast of characters. His love for Freyrj shines through everything he says and does, and I think his presence helps Lia come to grips with the situation she finds herself in. She can't return to LA with her intact memories, and even if Freyr wipes her memories of what she saw that day, there's no guarantee that Loki, Thor, or another member of the family won't kill her anyway to protect their identities. 

The author does a good job of teasing out why the family wants Freyr dead, and the journey to Asgard is fraught with danger from mythical creatures. Who doesn't love dragons and giants? The group finds themselves in peril time after time as they travel through the Earth on their way to Asgard, and I enjoyed Ms. Wilcox's vivid imagination. She has clearly done her research into Norse mythology, especially when the group reaches Asgard and Odinn. Of course, the feud Loki and Thor have against Freyr turns into a battle to the death to win Lia's freedom. Will Freyr prevail one last time against the thunder god, Thor?

While the author does wrap up one of the major plot points in the story, I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, especially ones that carry through to the other books. With three additional books in the series, it doesn't look like there is a final resolution of Freyr and Lia's love until the final book. If you love Norse mythology, this series will certainly entertain you as Ms. Wilcox brings all those myths and legends to life.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy provided by N.N. Light Book Heaven, and all opinions are my own.

#Excerpt: UNTIL I'M SAFE IN YOUR ARMS, by Jenna Jaxon

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Can a wager to find a wife turn into a true love match?

Entered into a wager that he can wed within a week, Captain Alex Bancroft pursues the first pretty woman he meets: Miss Emma Washer. Their courtship proceeds at a furious pace, including a dalliance that might ruin them both. Before it can, Alex proposes and is stunned when Emma agrees to marry him. Alex desperately tries to keep word of the wager from his new wife, not knowing Emma has secrets of her own to keep.

As passion erupts between the newlywed pair, the circumstances of Emma’s past threaten to tear them asunder. Alex’s regiment is directed to sail to a place Emma dares not go.

She refuses to accompany him, leaving Alex with a devastating choice: leave England to fulfill duty to Queen and country or stay and revel in his newfound love for his wife?

Excerpt:

As soon as they reached the flowered arbor, Emma ducked into its shadowy depths. Its coolness came as a welcomed surprise and the perfume of the overhanging blooms made her head spin with the heavy scent. Alex held the swing and she sank onto it gratefully. Between the heat without, the sudden coolness within, the intense sweetness of the flowers, and Alex’s presence, her head had begun to spin. She glanced up at him and patted the seat by her. “Will you sit beside me?”

“In a moment, perhaps.” He strode to the edge of the bower and peered down the path they’d just taken. His head moved back and forth as he scanned the garden, then apparently satisfied with what he saw, Alex turned back to her. “Good. It seems we are very much alone.”

Emma’s eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as he dropped gracefully to one knee and took her hand.

“We have known one another for only a matter of days, Emma, but I believe you to be the loveliest woman of my acquaintance. Sweet, kind, beautiful…” He grinned. “And the tiniest bit naughty, making you the perfect woman for me.”

Gazing into his deep blue eyes staring so intently at her, Emma could scarcely breathe beyond little hitching gasps. Was this real? Was she about to hear the question she’d longed to answer ever since seeing him…was it only three days ago? Her hands trembled in his grip. Dear God, don’t let her faint.

About the Author: Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all these elements into her own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets--including Olive, an almost silent cat, Earl Grey, a very curious bunny, and a Shar-pei mix named Frenchie.

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#Review: THE HEIRESS BRIDE by Madeline Hunter

 

4 of 5 stars
This was an intriguing and exciting story! Miss Iris Barrington came to London to uncover a mystery surrounding her grandfather's good name, which had been tarnished by the accusation that he stole a valuable book. Nicholas Radnor, the Duke of Hollinburgh, allows Iris to examine his estate's libraries looking for the rare book at the heart of her family's scandal as well as his own. But can Iris keep things strictly business when confronted with the devastatingly handsome Duke?

I loved Iris. She was smart and exceedingly clever, trying to rectify a wrong done to her family. Nicholas was so honorable even though what Iris could uncover may shine unfavorably upon his own family. Iris also ignited a longing in him that he'd never experienced before. Through many twists and turns that keep me glued to the story, the mystery behind the scandal is finally revealed. I confess I didn't see it coming. The only criticism is that there were so many cousins mentioned that it was a tad confusing trying to remember who was who and how they were all related. The story moved along at a good pace and was an excellent example of weaving a story around a long-ago scandal.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.