Sydney Winward's Blog, page 20
May 22, 2020
Book Review of Captain of My Heart
My Review
When Robert Jamieson’s nemesis is released from prison, he sends his daughter to London to keep her safe from his clutches. Captain Jack escorts Vivian on his ship, but when feelings start to blossom between the two of them, it’s a boulder they can’t stop from rolling down a hill. She is sucked into Jack’s mission, into the very heart of danger. Full of secrets, danger, and love, Captain of My Heart is a book you won’t be able to put down once you pick it up.
This was one of those books that you feel sad at the end because it ended. I was pulled into the story and never wanted to come back out. The book was filled with intense scenes that had me holding my breath. I loved the interactions between Jack and Vivian. There was great chemistry between them. The slow burn romance was perfectly paced, with adorable scenes that had me laughing and smiling like an idiot.
I loved Vivian’s character. She’s feisty and can handle her own. She has the mouth of a sailor and an unyielding spirit always up for adventure. Only she would be brazen enough to punch a titled lord. Which, by the way, she did a few times. And not the same lord either.
What a great story! This is definitely one of my favorite books that I have read this year.
My rating: 5 Stars
Favorite Quote
The boy ran off, and Jack again glanced up. Climbing up was one thing, but coming down much different. Perhaps she was stuck, cowering up there, afraid to come down backward. He grabbed hold and began to scale the rigging along the mast. He climbed most of the way to the top when he spied two bare feet dangling . Then a pert, smiling face peered down at him. “Ahoy, Captain . What are you doing up here?”
Blurb
The Gentleman Spy…As a favor for the pirate who once saved his life, jaded sea captain Jack Aston agrees to ferry the man’s outspoken daughter from Nassau to England. While her spirit and daring captivate him, he must keep the petite spitfire at arm’s length or risk her becoming embroiled in his latest mission for the crown.
The Pirate’s Daughter…Vivian Jamieson is not happy being shipped off to England to visit her aunts, even if it is to protect her from her father’s enemies. She may be a fish out of water in the London ballrooms, but she’s a natural at espionage. Together she and Jack track down a traitor and battle a murderous pirate. As Vivian unravels Jack’s secrets one by one, she is determined to convince this reluctant hero to let go of his past and realize he is already the captain of her heart.
May 21, 2020
Book Review of Vanilla with a Twist
My Review
Bad luck (or would you say good luck?) hits the ice cream store, Vanilla with a Twist, when Tandy’s ice cream machine keeps breaking. With little money to spare, she can’t afford to hire someone to fix it. But when a handsome stranger walks in and offers to help for free… She can’t turn an offer like that down. However, her dedication to remaining single for the rest of her life becomes harder and harder when he lights her up like a firework.
This was a very well-rounded story, with a character so scarred from her past that letting someone new in is nearly an impossible task. You can’t help but to love Deacon Withers. He’s handsome, charming, respectful, and he fixes Tandy’s broken appliances for free. Is there a catch to his favors? The only thing he wants to catch is her heart.
My rating: 4.5 stars
FAvorite Quote
“I bet,” she said after a long, drawn-out sigh, “you were the kind of kid who took apart clocks and fans and vacuum cleaners to see how they worked.”
“It was more washing machines and lawn mowers and anything with a motor, but yeah, I was.”
She shook her head, her own lips forming a lopsided grin. “Your poor mother.”
“She survived.”
Blurb
Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenage son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop’s machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn’t had a day off in a decade and wonders if she’ll ever be able to live a worry-free life.
Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher’s Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy’s shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.
Can the budding friendship that follows lead to something everlasting?
May 20, 2020
Author Interview with Donna Brown
Donna, thanks so much for being a guest on my blog! I recently finished reading your latest release, Elizabeth Barrett & Cupid’s Brooch, and I’m excited to learn more about it! Where did your inspiration come from when you wrote the book?
The idea was inspired by a group of business women. We were given this table topic: If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would you change?
At first I could only think of deleting my ex-husband. But how could I change him and still have my sons? My reply was some vague answer only…
The question grabbed my attention.
Wow, that’s definitely a heavy question! You can only choose one thing? I’m cringing at all the dumb things I’ve said and done in my past haha! Wish I could delete them all.
What research did you do for the story? What was your favorite thing you learned?
I always like to add an interesting fact when writing something historical. I decided to include the Elgin Marbles which were hotly debated during that time period.
I just love the tense relationships between Elizabeth and Lady Coldwell, and Liz and her father, and the fact that when they switch bodies, they try to repair those relationships. Is there anything you wanted your readers to know about this? Any underlying themes?
We all have the power to repair relationship issues yet, most of us can’t look at the situation from a different perspective. Liz reacted to her father while Elizabeth tried to understand him. The changed point of view of these two different personalities created a space of allowance so that Elizabeth and her father could heal.
I wanted both women to grow into a better version of themselves. Liz became less impetuous when she decides to help Lady Coldwell and Elizabeth learns how to speak her truth.
Which character do you identify the most with?
I’m like Liz – impetuous, hot tempered, and head-strong. I’ve mellowed over the years but I’ll never be soft and gentle like Elizabeth.
Liz was so much fun to read! Her interactions with Lord Whittington were entertaining. I would have to say I’m more like Elizabeth.
Did you edit anything out of the book?
I generally start writing the back story – who, what, when, where, and how the person is. Next I have to figure out how to weave who they are into the story.
What was your favorite scene to write?
I loved playing with Purgatory. Laughed my ass off when Elizabeth thought the ambulance was a conveyance with banshees wailing overhead. The hospital became an in-take room and I took my time imagining how someone from 100 years ago would feel if they were propelled through time. The changes would be confusing, especially since time travel was not a concept in the early 1800s.
I loved that part in the story. When Liz went back in time to 1812, her mind automatically tried to make sense of everything by thinking she was on set. Elizabeth’s mind had no idea how to make sense of her surroundings in 2012. Therefore, she must be dead and in purgatory. Love it!
What are your top five favorite books?
I read fiction for pleasure and have long time favorites like Elizabeth Peters, Jim Butcher, Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts, James Patterson… yet I love, love, love self-help books and never, ever give them away. Top favorites are:
You Can Heal Your Body by Louise L. Hayes
The Aromatherapy Book by Jeanne Rose
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Hiring the Heavens by Jean Slatter
Talk to The Animals by Gary M. Douglas & Dr. Dain Heer
The latest fiction author who I’m enamored with is Liane Moriarty. She wrote The Hypnotist’s Love Story, which was given to me by one of my clients. I can’t believe I just found her.
Some great choices! I’m always looking for new books to read, so I will have to check them out. Are you working on any projects right now?
Currently finishing a contemporary romance. Elements include an unexpected divorce, steady female friendships, espionage, and an inept killer. Workplace rules state Charlene can’t date her boss, much less fall in love, especially when someone is trying to kill him.
Oooh, sounds intriguing! Can’t wait to see the finished product! Thanks again for being a guest on my blog. This was fun!
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Blurb for Elizabeth BarretT & Cupid’s Brooch
Legend has it Cupid’s Brooch sends you to your one true love…
Actress Liz Barrett, adored by millions, wields Cupid’s Brooch and trades places with Miss Elizabeth Barrett of 1812, a young lady without connections who fears having no choice in whom she must marry.
Either Liz’s rabid fans have made up this crazy story, while Elizabeth suffers what is surely purgatory, or they’ve traded places in time and perhaps even fallen into the arms of their one true love.
But what will Lord Whittington and Dr. Demfry do if fate is determined to switch them back?
About the Author
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Donna Ann Brown plans to write until she drops. Currently she works during the day and writes romance in between clients. She has been known to laugh at silly jokes and tells bad puns. An avid reader of self-help books, romance, fantasy, mysteries, and thrillers makes her Goodreads account diverse. She happens to be that Texan who doesn’t wear boots yet has big hair. You are invited to come play in her imaginary world.
How I’d Fare in a Zombie Apocalypse
Fight or flight? Doesn’t exist for me. In fact, I am very familiar with the third “F” that someone conveniently left out of the saying: Freeze.
I startle easy. Waaaay easy. All you have to do is walk into the same room as me and I, kid you not, jump a foot off the ground and then freeze. Would I be thinking about a weapon during an apocalypse? Probably not. I’d just stare at the hoard of zombies coming toward me and my body wouldn’t obey me to run away.
How would I fare, you ask? I would quickly become a zombie and I would be the one trying to eat YOUR brains.
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May 19, 2020
Book Review of He Is Watching
My Review
When a stalker decides to make Julie their target, she flees the city she lives in, driving aimlessly until she reaches Vermont. Unfortunately, despite her attempt to shake off her stalker, they find out where she has gone anyway.
Talk about a suspenseful book! I couldn’t stop reading and I really wanted to know what happened next. Oh my. Joe is adorable. There are no words to describe how much I love him! I seriously love a good gentleman sweetheart, and Joe fits the bill perfectly. And his German shepherd companion! Honestly, this book was great, and even made me squeal at the end. A perfect blend of suspense and romance, all wrapped up in a short novella.
My rating: 5 stars
Favorite Quote
“Brady’s Food and Pharmacy is across the street. If you’re in mind for snacks or in need of any toiletries , that’s the place to go. The credit union here on our left is convenient if you need an ATM. Not sure if you’ll get charged fees or not though if you’re not a member. Barnett’s Books & Antiques and Trinkets & Souvenirs are across the way if you’re looking for anything along those lines. You have anyone at home you want to buy a souvenir for? Family? Boyfriend?”
Julie glanced up to see him smiling at her. “That’s not terribly subtle.”
Joe chuckled. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”
Blurb
Stalked and on the run, Julie Roy’s life is in shambles. An unexpected detour in a quiet Vermont town ignites a surprising and romantic spark with the local furniture maker.
Joe Bascomb’s skill of knowing when to be patient is put to the test when he meets Julie. Her kindness is a gift, yet he senses she is hiding from something or someone.
When Julie’s determined stalker comes to town, she is ready to pull up stakes—despite her desire to stay. Joe realizes he will have to break down her fear as well as the walls around her tender heart. Can he keep her from running again in order to give their love a chance?
Book Review of Bay of Darkness
My Review
From the very start, this book grabbed my attention and held it as I kept turning the pages. Bay of darkness has a great build-up to the final boss fight, with an ending that is incredibly satisfying. And who doesn’t need a good Neal in their life? I absolutely love his character. He was the kind of guy who is not only sweet and gentle, but he is also the kind of person you want by your side during a fight.
Secrets of the past were revealed one by one, each more exciting and complicated than the last. Then the secrets all came together nicely at the end in a very satisfying way. This was such a great read, and I’m definitely looking for more from this author!
My rating: 5 stars
Favorite Quote
Every problem has two sides, the negative and the positive. Search for the positive. There you’ll find the answer.
Blurb
After witnessing her fiancé’s murder and almost dying herself, Vivien Kelly’s mission is to destroy Dagda-a Celtic God turned demon. As a supernatural dark cloud looms over the Sahara, she finds herself drawn to the Northern California town of Half Moon Bay and a new life as a paranormal cleanser. There Vivien finds Dagda’s creatures tormenting the locals. Her own paranormal cleansing team-The Kelly Society- is born, and the race is on when people around her begin to die. While banishing a banshee, Vivien meets Neal Harrington-a soul partner who can promise true happiness. But when Dagda’s black vapor creates a New World of darkness, her time is up. Can Vivien abandon everyone she loves and succumb to her past life’s barbaric force to defeat the demon? Her actions not only determine her future-but the future of the modern world.
May 18, 2020
Release Day for Root Brew Float!
Wow, I am so excited! Today is finally the day that Root Brew Float releases into the world. When I first heard of the call for submissions for the One Scoop or Two series, I was convinced I wasn’t going to give it a go at all. But then I thought, what the heck? Let’s see if I can do this thing!
So I sat down with the hubs and brainstormed some ideas. We came up with a contemporary witch story, and Root Brew Float was born! (After many failed scene ideas, a bit of rewriting, and more editing.)
Get to Know Some of the Witchy Flavors in the Novella!
Scoop of Sunshine: ~Peanut butter banana ice cream~ Clarence refers to it in the book as “happiness on a spoon”.
Huckleberry Love Potion: ~Sweet, fruity huckleberry ice cream~ It is what it sounds like! Eat a little bit of this, and you’ll fall head over heels in love.
Summer Nights: ~Chocolate ice cream with a caramel swirl~ Need a bit of help relaxing? Try a Summer Nights ice cream cone and let all your stresses melt away.
Root Brew Float: ~Root beer with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream~ Now, I can’t give this one away! You’ll have to read the book to find out more 
May 13, 2020
One Scoop or Two: Vanilla with a Twist
Thanks for being on my blog today, Peggy! Why don’t you tell us more about your upcoming release, Vanilla with a Twist.
My newest book release, VANILLA WITH A TWIST, is part of the Wild Rose Press new summer series, One Scoop or Two. When the call went out to write a summer story about anything related to ice cream, I knew I had to submit something.
Most of my books are contemporary romances, RomComs, and small town stories about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.
VANILLA WITH A TWIST is no exception.
Tandy Blakemore, the owner of Vanilla With A Twist, was an unwed teenage mom who grew up on a dairy farm in Beacher’s Cove, New Hampshire. BC is a fictional seacoast town. If you know anything about New Hampshire, you know it only boasts about 17 miles of ocean front and I didn’t want to write a story set in one of the coast towns because I wanted to be able to manipulate the setting and make it my own.
That’s the control freak in me for sure.
Setting the story in a fictional resort town gave me a great deal of leeway in how I wanted the town depicted and how it related to my heroine and the decisions she’s made in her life.
Small towns, as anyone who lives in one will assure you, are hotbeds of gossip and have more per capita intrigue and scandal than the National Enquirer could ever print. As an unwed teenage mother in such a small town, where everything is insulated and isolated, Tandy had to grow a backbone of steel and a will to survive and thrive among her neighbors and the town’s wagging tongues.
And she did survive and thrive. In fact, her ice cream parlor is not only a town favorite, but a regional one as well. By living her truth, accepting her fate as a single mother in a town known for its old world thinking, Tandy prospered and showed everyone first hand what a formidable person she was. She never lost her small town girl innocence though, which was delightful to write.
Strong women who face obstacles and chaos who also are able to stand true to themselves are women I want in my books, and in my life.
Blurb
Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenage son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop’s machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn’t had a day off in a decade and wonders if she’ll ever be able to live a worry-free life.
Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher’s Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy’s shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.
Can the budding friendship that follows lead to something everlasting?
Excerpt
For a few moments, she regarded him with a look his mother would have called insightful. The corners of her eyes narrowed, she dipped her chin a hair, and she pulled her mouth into another appealing pout he was tempted to kiss.
“I bet,” she said after a long, drawn-out sigh, “you were the kind of kid who took apart clocks and fans and vacuum cleaners to see how they worked.”
“It was more washing machines and lawn mowers and anything with a motor, but yeah. I was.”
She shook her head, her own lips forming a lopsided grin. “Your poor mother.”
“She survived.”
Tandy rolled her eyes and shot her hands to her hips. “So it’s working again?” She thrust her chin at the ice cream machine.
“For now.”
“Okay, well, I can live with for now. And you think you know the real reason it’s been acting up?”
“I definitely do. But like I said, the water to the machine needs to be shut off to fix it.”
“Okay. Well, we close at nine.”
“I’ll come back a little before then. Get things ready. Is that okay with you?”
“I guess it’ll have to be.” She bit down on the inside of her cheek as her brows pulled together. “And you’re sure you want to do this?”
“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t offer, Tandy.”
Why her reluctance to have him help was such a turn-on was something he considered while he waited for his ice cream.
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Buy Links
Amazon ~ Nook ~ Applebooks
Social Media Links
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ YouTube ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ LinkedIn ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Authors database ~ Triberr
About the Author
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Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!
Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.
A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, Peggy is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”‘
May 12, 2020
Book Review of Elizabeth Barrett and Cupid’s Brooch
My Review
I love the idea of being guided to your true love through a magic brooch. Although the brooch is ugly, it is so much more. I think its outward appearance would deter the haughty and the non-believers, but for those who truly believe in love, they might see the brooch for the magical item it really is.
I really enjoyed watching two people of different time periods try to learn about and fit into the new time period they had traveled to. The interactions between characters was amusing and had me laughing throughout the book. The author did an incredible job at transporting the reader into the story and allowed us to consider small details of everyday life we might not have paid attention to otherwise, especially when being transported back to 1812.
This book was fun and enjoyable to read, and I know others will enjoy it as well!
My rating: 5 Stars
Favorite Quote
She climbed over the bar used to keep her in bed and did not care if Doctor Demfry gaped at her unladylike gesture. She knelt beside her friend and patted her on the back. “You and I are in this situation together.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t have a place to sleep tonight.”
“You can stay with me.”
The words were out of her mouth before she knew her own intentions. “I do not know where I maintain my accommodations, but I believe I have some form of…” Her voice trailed off.
Tina said in an incredulous voice, “You live in a frigging mansion.”
“Then you are invited to my frigging mansion to stay with me. Who else resides in the frigging mansion?”
Doctor Demfry chuckled.
“I am sorry this is so comical to you, Doctor Demfry, but I cannot remember who lives in the frigging mansion.”
Blurb
Legend has it Cupid’s Brooch sends you to your one true love…
Actress Liz Barrett, adored by millions, wields Cupid’s Brooch and trades places with Miss Elizabeth Barrett of 1812, a young lady without connections who fears having no choice in whom she must marry.
Either Liz’s rabid fans have made up this crazy story, while Elizabeth suffers what is surely purgatory, or they’ve traded places in time and perhaps even fallen into the arms of their one true love.
But what will Lord Whittington and Dr. Demfry do if fate is determined to switch them back?
May 11, 2020
Book Review of Monster Hunter International
My Review
This. Book. Was. Hilarious. Monster Hunter International just won 2020. Hands down.
When Owen Pitt gets attacked by his boss, who happens to be a werewolf, he is thrown into a world he had never known existed, a world where monsters exist. After killing the werewolf with his bare hands, he is recruited into MHI, or Monster Hunter International. Between his hilarious quips, getting his butt handed to him on more than one occasion, and the best action scenes I have ever read, I am blown away by this book.
Getting into the mind of Owen was highly amusing and had me cracking up every other page. The writing flows so incredibly well. The book has the most incredible fight scenes. The monsters were terrifying. As in it takes at least a hundred bullets to put one monster down. Perhaps a few grenades. And don’t get me started on master vampires…
Thank you, Larry Correia, for writing such an amazing book. You are now one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read more!
Rating: 5+ stars
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Favorite Quote
Grant was no Newbie. He was a full-fledged member of MHI, and also one of our instructors, though he was the junior man on Harbinger’s team. He had only come out to shoot in the hopes of showing us poor folks how it was done. Grant was totally my opposite. Lean and handsome, witty, charming, a product of the finest schools, and descended from the oldest established (as in super wealthy) New England families. He even had nice hair. He was the type of person everybody liked, and everybody wanted to be liked by. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. I thought he was a pompous ass from the moment I had met him, and I felt the primal and instinctual need to beat him up and take his lunch money.
Blurb
Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a 14th story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer.
It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit.
It’s actually a pretty sweet gig, except for one little problem. An ancient entity known as the Cursed One has returned to settle a centuries-old vendetta. Should the Cursed One succeed, it means the end of the world, and MHI is the only thing standing in his way.
With the clock ticking towards Armageddon, Owen finds himself trapped between legions of undead minions, belligerent federal agents, a cryptic ghost who has taken up residence inside his head, and the cursed family of the woman he loves. Business is good…. Welcome to Monster Hunter International.
