Brenda Whiteside's Blog, page 23
April 29, 2022
Real Life Fearless by Colleen L. Donnelly #FearlessFriday #romance
FEARLESS FRIDAY
My guest today, Colleen L. Donnelly, knows how to entertain us. I'm voting her the most fearless this year to date on Discover... And because she is such a good tale spinner, you'll want to check out her fiction books too. So read to the end and then check out her books!
Fearless? Maybe not, but when Kenny Rogers sang “The Gambler,” I heard my escapes from harm crooned to a catchy tune. My dad had already dubbed Kenny a herald of truth when “You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille” coincided with a bout of bad blood sugar that weakened my mom, his best farmhand. But Kenny’s insight didn’t dawn on me until long after endless replays of his Greatest Hits during high school study hall. Much later his words brought my brushes with disaster to light through The Gambler’s eyes.
“Son, I've made a life
Out of readin' people's faces
Knowing what the cards were
By the way they held their eyes”
TargetedThe face I read outside my closed car window told me what cards that man held. Cajoling and sincere, he assured me under meager streetlights that the person I said I was looking for was just around the corner. “Leave your car, and follow me,” he coaxed from outside my locked car. Then his pleas shifted from “Trust me” to “Roll down your window so I can hear you better.” The way he held his eyes told me to start my car. When “No, don’t go” darkened his face, I hit the gas. “Every gambler knows
That the secret to surviving
Is knowing what to throw away
Knowing what to keep”
Which goes for advice. Like that given to me in a Burger King parking lot by a man who pointed to my rear tire before I exited my car, advising, “You should see your tire. It’s flat.” When I hesitated, he persisted, “Don’t drive with it that way.” Since I had just driven there without the flapping limp of a flat, I challenged him. Which brought him closer. “Get out and look at it,” he insisted. “See for yourself.” His persistence piqued the Gambler’s “secret to surviving.” Throw away lunch? A tire? I threw away the fellow’s advice, knowing what to keep. Me. So I left—on four solid tires.
“The night got deathly quiet
And his face lost all expression”
Make that a deathly quiet alley. And two faces. Two that went from cocky assurance to shock when I wheeled my ninety-month pregnant body around and faced them. They’d trailed me as I waddled from a local grocer to my house. I felt them before I heard them, footsteps then voices that donned a casual pretense designed to keep my defenses asleep. They drew closer. Their pace quickened. I couldn’t run, had nothing to defend myself with, so I turned. If innocent, they would smile and step aside. But their pretend joviality and conversation vanished. They stood expressionless as their pregnant victim suddenly barreled straight toward them, through their deathly quiet, and then away.
“If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right”
Wrong place, wrong timeWhich means truthfully. Someone wanted something I had. When threats and coercion failed to get it from me, they took me to court. To the judge, they spun a yarn that painted them a victim and me a scoundrel. I pondered an equally fabricated defense until the judge turned my way. King Solomon shone in his eyes, the same brilliance that had ages ago resolved the squabble as to which of two women an infant belonged to by decreeing the baby be cut in half. The judge raised a question the way Solomon lifted his sword. He was looking for the truth—the real mother who would give up her child in order to save its life. I played it right and told him the truth. His gavel hit the podium. And what was mine remained mine.
“You got to know when to hold ’em”
Rumor had it that the man who backed into our parked car, but accused us of hitting his, was tied to organized crime. Cool, calm, and collected, he swaggered into the courtroom, hands stuffed in the pockets of a long trench coat, and stood beside us in front of a judge. The rumor seemed true when the judge entertained only one side of the story…not ours…then dismissed the case. While my co-witness screamed, “Liar,” I watched the back of the trench coat swagger out the doors he’d entered. She screamed it again in the hallway, utterly fearless while I considered the enormity of what…not who…had dinged the car. Wisdom said, “Hold ’em,” and I did. But she didn’t. Until that enormity turned and delivered her a promise we knew he would keep.
“Know when to fold ’em”
Is it fearless to climb into the basket of a hot air balloon when you’re terrified of heights? Or was I more afraid of the people who clapped my back and said, “You can do it, come on.” My wits that had kept me safe through countless other scrapes, failed me the moment pride took over. More cowardly than wise, I knew I should have folded before I stepped into the basket, or before I even accepted, or by pretending to be sick. But when the gas failed to ignite and lift the balloon into the air, it was time. I folded. And kissed the ground I belonged on.
“Know when to walk away”
Bullies. Two giants decided to tail my daughter and I in the mall. Enormous shadows darkened wherever we walked. Taunts and snickers bristled the air. Chortles and insults tempted me to turn and retaliate, but I took her hand and kept moving forward. The more they picked on a mother and child, the smaller they became. So small, even their sticks and stones fell flat. I understood then what my mother always said—insecure people try to bring you down to their level. Low and small. My daughter and I became the giants then, and we walked away.
“And know when to run”
Approaching a gate after dark to an outdoor testing site that I and other lab techs worked, my car became besieged by Spanish-speaking men, roused from singing around their campfire. They grinned as they surrounded the car of a dazed blonde who quickly locked her doors. To their too happy expressions, I offered smiles, exaggerated gestures, pressed my ID to the glass, and tried a simple English explanation to encourage them to move away. I even claimed I had a husband—a grande husband—in broken Spanish, but nothing budged them. Preferring not to drag them with my car, I pondered employing the 21 Foot Rule and demand they step outside my vulnerable distance. Then the smile pressed against my window vanished. A large hand clapped the man’s shoulder and pulled him from my car. His friends moved also when our heftiest lab tech didn’t let go. His nod said what I already knew—this is when I run.
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Colleen L. Donnelly is an Amazon #1 Bestselling author of historical fiction and romance. She can be found at: http://www.colleenldonnelly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ColleenLDonnelly
http://www.Goodreads.com/colleenldonnelly
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/colleen-l-donnelly
https://twitter.com/ColleenLDonnell/And her books:
Mine to Tell http://amzn.to/1PNJo4S
Asked For http://amzn.to/1TyflEu
Love on a Train http://amzn.to/1m9eYCx
The Lady’s Arrangement http://amzn.to/2qj7DE2
Out of Splinters and Ashes https://amzn.to/2K0WTHt
Letters and Lies https://amzn.to/2yNFGNv
Sonata Contineo https://amzn.to/2I0zzYi
April 27, 2022
Me Being (Nicely) Wicked by J. Arlene Culiner
WICKED WEDNESDAY
I'm so happy to welcome back Jill Culiner to Discover... She has such a wickedly fun post for Wicked Wednesday. Despite knowing spiders are good guys, I still get all creepy crawlie over them. Gosh, not sure I like what that says about me. Ha!
I couldn’t stop myself… I just had to do it. One reviewer who did enjoy my contemporary romance, All About Charming Alice, mentioned that it was somewhat difficult to get used to a heroine who loved and protected snakes. She then added: “At least the heroine didn’t protect or save spiders.”
You see what I mean? That was a call to arms as far as I’m concerned. I immediately knew I had to have a heroine who loved spiders, and that was a pretty easy since I happen to be a great lover of spiders, rescuing them and putting them in safe places. Spiders are our great friends. We need them desperately because they get rid of all the buzzing things we don’t want around us. Why are so many people afraid of them? Lucy Barnes, one heroine in my new book, A Room in Blake’s Folly, gives this explanation:
“The more you know about spiders, the more appealing they become. So why do people hate them? Because some people associate spiders with the things they consider repulsive like lice, dirt, slime, and dust. Arachnophobia can also be linked to sexual problems and sexual repression. What’s definitely true is that half of all women but only ten percent of men are afraid of spiders. Now just try and work that fact into a discussion about sexual equality.” Now let’s see what happens when Lucy first meets the very appealing hero, Lance Potter
Excerpt from A Room in Blake’s Folly
Lance saw the woman doubled over in the dirt road, her legs bent backward and to each side of her in what looked to be an exceedingly painful position. Had she been hit by a car? Probably not: few enough cars passed this way. She might have had an attack of some sort. He loped toward her, thinking only of rescue and alleviating pain, because that’s what a veterinarian’s job is all about, and humans happen to be animals, too.
He was less than ten feet away, when she raised her head and glared at him with fury. The look, as toxic as a poison arrow, halted him in his tracks. She certainly didn’t look as though she needed his help. She didn’t look as though she’d ever need anyone’s help.
“Um…I’m sorry. I saw you down there, in the road, and I thought…”
He saw her fury seep away, transform into visible regret. “You chased it away.”
“Right.”
Swinging her bent legs into a more reasonable position, she stood up without using her hands. For someone who wasn’t young, she looked to be in perfect shape. Or at least she had maintained an admirable flexibility.
He knew who she was, all right. Who else had a long bushy ponytail of silvery hair? Who else had three dogs trailing after her—three dogs now sitting calmly in the shade of the abandoned laundry and watching him, wary-eyed. They knew he was one of the vets who gave them shots every year, and that meant he was no real friend.
The woman in front of him, what was her name? Lucy something…oh yes, Lucy Barnes, and she worked in Rose Badger’s vintage clothing shop whenever Rose roared off to Reno. For the first time, he noticed the camera.
“Look, I thought you had fallen or…”
“Yes, I realize that’s what you thought.” She didn’t look as though she were about to forgive him for it either.
“You were taking a photo?”
“Yup.”
“Of what?”
“A Xysticus.”
“A what?
“Oh, sorry. A ground crab spider.”
“Of a ground crab spider?”
She relented slightly. “They’re called crab spiders because they look and move like crabs.”
“Yes,” he said dryly. “I think I’ve worked that one out.”
“Right.”
“What for? Why were you taking a photo?”
“Because I like them. I like macro photography, I like taking photos of spiders, and this particular spider was very pretty.”
“Pretty. Got it.”
She looked annoyed again. “Veterinarians don’t consider arachnids worthy of notice?”
“Did I just tell you that?” he said a little too defensively because she was right: he never noticed them. Okay, he never killed them either, because he knew how useful they were, but that was as far as things went. “What was particularly pretty about that one? I mean spiders look like spiders to me. I never thought aesthetics came into it.”
“Really?” She even looked surprised.
“Really.” Inwardly, he sighed, regretting his attempt to maintain chatty conversation. It was always the same when you dealt with nuts, cranks, and fanatics: they couldn’t understand how normal people functioned.
“Most crab spiders are brown-beige so they can blend into their surroundings and catch prey easily. They do have splotches though, and this one had a nice leaf marking on its opisthosoma.” She smirked. “Sorry, that’s the posterior part of the body. The front part is the—”
“Prosoma,” he interrupted.
The smirk faded and, wordlessly, she stared at him. It was his turn to be haughty. “Since you know I’m a veterinarian, you’ll probably accept that, in this century, we do go to school. And while we’re there, we manage to study a little science.”
“Sorry,” she said contritely.
“That’s all right.” He tried not to look too self-satisfied.
A Room in Blake’s Folly by J. Arlene Culiner
(published by The Wild Rose Press)
If only the walls could speak…
In one hundred and fifty years, Blake's Folly, a silver boomtown notorious for its brothels, scarlet ladies, silver barons, speakeasies, and divorce ranches, has become a semi-ghost town. Although the old Mizpah Saloon is still in business, its upper floor is sheathed in dust. But in a room at a long corridor's end, an adventurer, a beautiful dance girl, and a rejected wife were once caught in a love triangle, and their secret has touched three generations.
Purchase Links
https://books2read.com/BlakesFollyRomance
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt3VkYUTVNk
Author Website: http://www.j-arleneculiner.com Blog: http://j-arleneculiner.over-blog.com
Storytelling Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/j-arlene-culiner
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-arlene-culiner
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jarlene.culiner/
Amazon Author Page : https://www.amazon.com/author/jarlene...
April 25, 2022
Rockstar, Bad Boy, and #Inspiration by Heather E. Andrews
MUSE MONDAY
Please join me in welcoming Heather E. Andrews to Muse Monday on Discover... Yum a rockstar and a singer. And I love how she was inspired for this story. Enjoy!
Can a bad boy rockstar overcome his rough reputation to gain the respect of his colleagues? Can a hometown sweetheart make her dreams come true in LA?
Will falling in love threaten everything?
The inspiration for Bright Melody came from watching videos of The Voice and American Idol on YouTube. I watched American Idol during its first season and Kelly Clarkson won. I became fascinated with what it would feel like to perform onstage, trying to prove yourself to the world. Then Gwen Stefani fell in love with Blake Shelton. I thought that was super romantic. Then I thought, how controversial would it be if she’d fallen in love with one of the contestants? That's how Bright Melody began to form.
I've watched a lot of clips of The Voice and American Idol while doing research for the book. I find it interesting that though the winner gets a record contract, they’re not more likely to be successful. In fact, very few artists who've won have gone on to sustain popular careers. Kelly Clarkson is an exception, but she also received a lot of criticism because of her weight and has pulled back from the industry.
“ In the middle of the storm, she is my sunshine. ”
Can a bad boy rockstar overcome his rough reputation to gain the respect of his colleagues? Can a hometown sweetheart make her dreams come true in LA?
Will falling in love threaten everything?
Travis’ reputation is in tatters, and he needs to revamp his rep now. Jody is a hometown singing sensation taking what could be her last chance to make her dreams come true. Jody joins the Hidden Voicescompetition where Travis is a judge. As they both fight for their futures, will falling in love threaten everything?
Travis
A leaked sex tape. A bitter ex-girlfriend. An angry record label.
Nobody was happy with me right now.
My band was going on hiatus to weather the fallout. The label slotted me as a judge for Hidden Voices to recoup my reputation.
I didn't expect to find Jody singing behind the veil, her voice warming my soul, her soft body calling to me.
But I can't get involved with a contestant if I'm a judge, or my reputation and my career could bomb.
Jody
Music was the light of my life, the link to my late mother, the energy in my veins, the sun in my sky.
When I took the stage with my little garage band at the local biker bar, people stopped and paid attention. I might not be LA famous, but in Savannah, I was a rockstar. I just had to learn to tame my attitude and my insecurities if I wanted a shot at the big leagues, or the industry was going to eat me alive.
Then Hidden Voices had blind auditions in my area and Momma D told me I had to go. So off I went, ready to follow my dreams, even if I crashed and burned in the arms of a forbidden judge.
Excerpt:
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t mean to offend you. I just wasn’t expecting to get mauled by a crowd. Usually I’m protected in crowds.” He paused and squinted when he looked at us. “Not to sound pretentious, but do you know who I am?”
“Of course. I may be old but I’m not dead. You’re that singer who showed his ding-a-ling on camera for all the world to see.” Momma clucked three times in disapproval. “And now you’re running away from mobs of women. Boy do you keep catnip in your jockeys or something?”
I burst out laughing, unable to control myself. Oh. My. God. My mother just asked Travis White, the most popular lead singer in the world, if he kept catnip in his pants. I wish I had this moment on video.
“Well just because he’s Travis White, don’t mean he shouldn’t behave. You’re a celebrity, Mr. White, you need to be a good example. Kids pay attention.” Momma D began her lecture.
Release Date: May 30, 2022
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VZBJHMR
Universal Amazon: http://mybook.to/BrightMelody_HEA
Find out more about Heather and her books here: AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
April 19, 2022
Character Interview #romance #suspense #mystery
Writing murder mysteries is all in a day's work until an obsessed fan brings Phoebe's stories to life, throwing her into her own murder mystery…and the next target on his list is Mason.
In Southwest of Love and Murder, the heroine, Phoebe, is more than a little attracted to Mason Meadowlark. Mason is the sheriff’s brother from book one, The Art of Love and Murder. He’s a rancher in Chino Valley, Arizona and the polar opposite of his brother.
Q: Hi Mason. Thanks for being here. I understand you have quite the reputation as a playboy.
A: Someone’s been telling tales.
Q: You’re single. Widowed or divorced and any children?
A: I’m divorced. We, uh, no children. My baby daughter died.
Q: I’m sorry. Anything more you’d like to add?
A: No. That was a long time ago.
Q: Anyone special in your life right now?
A: Hey, they’re all special, right? Although, I do have to say, Phoebe blew into my life, and I can’t get her off my mind any more than I can get the prairie out of my soul.
Q: Sounds like she’s rocked your world, to coin a cliché. Tell me more.
A: She’s not like anything we have in this ranching country. Phoebe is a murder/mystery writer with a sense of humor and a sexiness you can’t ignore. I call her my gypsy.
Q: Let’s try some flash questions to get to know you more personally.
A: Sure. Shoot.
Q: Night or Day?
A: Night. Moon over the prairie. Coyotes howling. Sitting on the veranda with an after-dinner bourbon and watching the stars twinkle in Phoebe’s eyes.
Q: Love or lust?
A: Ha. Well, let’s start with lust and see where it goes.
Q: Boxers, briefs, or commando.
A: My brother warned me about you. Boxers.
You can find out even more about Mason Meadowlark here: MEET THE CHARACTERS
Successful mystery writer, Phoebe Anderson, killed her first husband on paper seventeen years earlier. Now, someone has actually done it. Mason Meadowlark is happy with his wild cowboy ways, avoiding love since the death of his baby and his marriage twenty years ago until Phoebe shows up. With an obsessed fan close on her heels, Phoebe is thrown into her own murder mystery…and the next target on his list is Mason.
BOOK BUY LINKS:AMAZON
Also available in audio.
April 18, 2022
Love Wins, You Win, Earth Wins by Mrs. N #Ukraine #Romance
I am honored to have Mrs. N on Discover... today to announce an extremely worthy cause. And you can help! In addition to helping, you'll be rewarded with an entertaining book. I've already reserved my copy.
I’m so thrilled to be a guest on this blog. Thank you so much for hosting me. My name is N. N. Light, otherwise known as Mrs. N. I write uplifting stories with my husband and better half, Mr. N. In late February of this year, Russia invaded Ukraine. My heart plummeted as I saw the brute force of Russia’s army attack a sovereign nation. Can this really be happening? After all we have been through as a people, can we just sit by and watch the elimination of a race of people? I knew I needed to find some way to help. I certainly didn’t have the resources to fly over there but what could I do? The answer came in an Instagram post about two weeks ago. My fellow author, Dania Voss, put out a message on Instagram asking for more romance stories for a charity anthology. I signed up right away and I’m so honored to be a part of the Love Wins anthology. 100% of the proceeds go to a charity with boots on the ground helping Ukrainians in need.
We can’t stop the bombs from falling but we can do our part from this corner of our world. Please consider purchasing the anthology for $1.99. Not only will you be helping innocent people struggling to stay alive, but you’ll get fifteen romance novellas/short stories. These stories vary between sweet and contemporary.
Series Title: Love Wins: A Ukraine Charity Anthology
Series Authors:
Dania Voss, Maribelle McCrea, Marlene Cheng, K.M. Jenkins, Deborah King, Annie McEwen, Pamela Clayfield, Tiffany Carby, Aimee O’Brian, R.A. Clarke, N. N. Light, Judy Fisher, Robert Beech, E.J. Powell, Alex Grehy, Maris Parker
Genre:
Contemporary Romance, Charity Anthology, Romance Short Stories
Book Blurb:
LOVE WINS—a Charity Anthology to support Ukrainian refugees
More than 15 contemporary romance authors have joined forces to create this unique collection of stories, covering an assortment of different sub-genres and tropes.
LOVE WINS is set to publish on April 21, 2022, with . This organization has people on the ground in the Ukraine and Romania, providing food, shelter, medical aid, and all necessary assistance for the needy, with the focus of making sure children are safe and provided for.LOVE WINS is available for a limited time only. Make a difference for the people of Ukraine—buy your copy today!
Stories include:
ALL ROADS LEAD TO SHEPHERD GROVE--DANIA VOSS
PAST, PERFECT, POLO--MARIBELLE MCCREA
THE MADAM’S FRIEND--MARLENE F CHENG
THE SUNFLOWER MEADOW--K.M. JENKINS
DESTINED DREAMER--DEBORAH KING
THE SLEEPLESS CAFÉ--ANNIE MCEWEN
HAVEN OF SECRETS--PAMELA CLAYFIELD
GOLD MINE--TIFFANY CARBY
MISROUTED BY LOVE ~ A TALE OF MAYBE--AIMEE O’BRIAN
CLICKING--R.A. CLARKE
PLANTING THE SEEDS OF LOVE--N. N. LIGHT
THE POWER OF LOVE--JUDY FISHER
LOVE, ETERNAL--ROBERT BEECH
SHIFTER: A WERE-CAT’S TALE--E.J. POWELL
ON THE WINGS OF KITES--ALEX GREHY
MOANA ACCOUNTANT--KERRY CARLISLE
TWO WEEKS IN THE TETONS--MARIS PARKER
Authors include Dania Voss, Maribelle McCrea, Marlene Cheng, K.M. Jenkins, Deborah King, Annie McEwen, Pamela Clayfield, Tiffany Carby, Aimee O’Brian, R.A. Clarke, N. N. Light, Judy Fisher, Robert Beech, E.J. Powell, Alex Grehy, Maris Parker
THANK YOU so much for supporting those in need.
Excerpt from Planting the Seeds of Love:
Jack took a step back letting go of her pinky. He crossed his arms; his eyes glittered angrily.
"You love me?" He snorted. "You don't even know I exist."
Sally's nostrils flared. Taking a step back, she crossed her arms.
"That's a fine thing to say to me after all we've been through." She turned to leave. "Maybe Trevor's right..."
"What?" Jack sat down on the cot, not looking at her. "What did Trevor tell you?"
"Trevor has a buyer for the farm. It's a friend of his father's and he loves the idea of a brewery out here in the country. He wants to add a restaurant and make it some sort of oasis for city folk." She ran her fingers through her blonde hair.
"A buyer?" He put his head in his hands and sighed. "It's too fast."
"What are you talking about?" She looked down at her watch, wishing she hadn't come. Her sister was right; men were nothing but trouble.
"Look, I know I've messed things up." He stood and walked towards her. "But you've got to give the farm and me a second chance." He extended his hand through the bars.
Sally's emotions shook her body. Guilt, love, pain, regret, anger and hope battled for supremacy in her heart. She eyed his outstretched hand warily. Could she trust him? Could he be depended upon?
"Why should I give you another chance, Jack?" She let her arms fall to her sides. A force not her own pulled her body closer to his. She whispered, "You hurt me." Tears welled up but she didn't care.
He reached up and wiped her tears away.
"Oh Sally," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
Her lower lip quivered.
"I'm so sorry. I'm a first-class jerk." He cupped her face with his hands. "Please don't cry."
Sally closed her eyes. She felt like a tiny dingy in the middle of the ocean, battered and torn in pieces. She leaned her head against the bars.
"Your opinion matters most, it always has. When you say things like you just did, it tears me apart." She lifted her head. "I need you, Jack. I can't do this without you."
Jack exhaled slowly.
"That wasn't me; it was my jealousy rearing its ugly head."
"What do you mean? What do you have to be jealous of?" Her brows furrowed, she thought hard.
“I’m jealous of how happy you seem to be with Trevor,” he replied.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Preorder your e-copy for only $1.99. The price goes up to $4.99 after release week! 100% of the proceeds going to World Vision’s Ukrainian Refugee Fund.
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WP6XHRF
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09WP6XHRF
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09WP6XHRF
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60739931-love-wins
Author Biography:
N. N. Light is the award-winning husband-wife writing team, commonly known as Mr. N and Mrs. N. Books are their addiction and lifeblood.
Life is meant to be lived; cherish the exciting moments, and relish in those all too brief moments of relaxation. They are here to live their own lives, read as many books as humanly possible and live it passionately. N. N. Light's Book Heaven serves as a vessel to project their passions, and clue in their loyal readers as to what inspires them in this crazy world. So, sit back, relax, and read on. https://bio.link/nnlightsbookheaven
Social Media Links:
One link to rule them all: https://bio.link/nnlightsbookheaven
Website http://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/NNP_W_Light
Instagram https://instagram.com/nnlightsbookheaven
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7873791.N_N_Light
April 16, 2022
Reading and #Reviews (Maxwell, Diede)
I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. Each month, I'll share with you reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day.
I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. Besides Romantic Suspense, I read crime and law novels, once in a while a true story, WWII historicals, mysteries, and mainstream character driven books.
Here are some of the books I've read recently or in the not-too-distant past. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author.
The Widow’s Watcher by Eliza Maxwell Living in the shadow of a decades-old crime that stole his children from him, reclusive Lars Jorgensen is an unlikely savior. But when a stranger walks onto the ice of a frozen Minnesota lake, her intentions are brutally clear, and the old man isn’t about to let her follow through.
Jenna Shaw didn’t ask for Lars’s help, nor does she want it. After he pulls her from the brink, however, Jenna finds her desire to give up challenged by their unlikely friendship. In Jenna, Lars recognizes his last chance for redemption. And in her quest to solve the mysteries of Lars’s past and bring him closure, Jenna may find the way out of her own darkness.
But the truth that waits threatens to shatter it all. When secrets are surrendered and lies are laid bare, Jenna and Lars may find that accepting the past isn’t their greatest challenge. Can they afford the heartbreaking price of forgiveness?
Review: If you like dark prose and heavy human failings, then you’ll like The Widow’s Watcher. Ms. Maxwell did well with her characterizations. The story was twisty, and that always keeps a reader turning pages. Her blurb above is exact, so I’m not going to elaborate on the storyline. I will add that there is a character who I found intriguing. Jenna’s dead daughter speaks to her, and as a teen, she is irreverent but also insightful. Of course, it’s actually Jenna’s mind…or is it? I won’t spoil the ending for you, but if you read the last paragraph of Ms. Maxwell’s blurb, I think you just might figure it out. Did I enjoy the book? Yes. I won’t say it’s particularly uplifting, but I think good entertainment isn’t always joyful, and if you get tangled up and keep turning the pages, then it must be a good read.
Whispering Pines by Kimberly Diede March Summers at Whispering Pines defined Renee's childhood. Days meant swimming and sun, nights meant ghost stories and campfires. Best of all, Whispering Pines meant time with Celia, her favorite aunt. Through the years, Celia would remain Renee's most steadfast confidant, but trips to Whispering Pines would fade to memories. Raising kids alone and a demanding career consumed Renee's life.
Now Celia is gone and Renee’s career is in shambles. Promising herself she’ll look for a new job in January, Renee is determined to make the most of her unexpected time off. But when mysterious events begin to swirl around her kids, her worries compound.
A spontaneous trip, meant to lessen the growing pressures and soothe Renee's battered pride, could turn out to be so much more when she finds herself alone on a moonlit beach, half-a-world away, with a handsome stranger.
How can Renee keep her family safe as she works to rebuild their lives? Does she dare take another chance at love?
Celia's final gift may provide answers, but there are risks. Renee wishes she could seek comfort and advice from her dear aunt, but Celia's recent death has left a void. Why can't things be simple, the way they were when she spent summers at Whispering Pines?
Review: I found this book felt like three stories trying to masquerade as one. There is the story of a single woman who has lost her job and isn’t sure what to do with herself. There is the story of a woman whose daughter is being stalked. There is the love story of a woman who takes a trip to an exotic island and has a fling that becomes more in a long-distance relationship. They are all about the same woman. The stories are interwoven and at times, I wasn’t sure which story I was in the middle of reading. Threads would come and go and then pop up unexpectedly which threw me off.
Being a writer and an editor, I also had some trouble with point of view issues and other technical problems.
I’m sorry to not be 100% behind this book. She has a decent storyline. Lots going on, but it never quite gelled for me.AMAZON BUY LINK
April 13, 2022
Love and Murder Character Interview #RomanticSuspense #Interview
A Legacy of Love and Murder
2020 Still Moments Magazine Reader’s Choice Award Mystery Suspense
In Austria to meet her great-grandfather, August finds he’s died suspiciously. And the handsome Inspector Wolf is concealing something. As heir to the estate, her life is in danger, turning this fairytale Alpine adventure into a nightmare of veiled threats, unexplained accidents, and murder.
Will she solve the mystery, or get them both killed?
Today's interview is with Inspector Tobias Wolf.
Q: Nice to meet you, Inspector Wolf. I hear you practically ran August and her mother off a twisty, mountain road.
A: August tends toward the dramatic. My Porsche merely came upon them too quickly around a curve. I was hurrying to a possible crime scene with which they later became involved.
Q: You’re single. Widowed or divorced and any children?
A: None of the above. I’ve never married due to my career and outside activities, which I’m not at liberty to describe.
Q: I also hear that August considers you a rather older man and an Austrian James Bond.
A: I suppose I should be flattered and insulted at the same time.
Q: Anyone special in your life right now?
A: Only my career. Apparently, August might change that for me. She’s fiery and quite appealing in spite of her acidic tongue.
Q: Let’s try some flash questions to get to know you more personally.
A: You Americans do like to get up close and personal.
Q: Night or Day?
A: I don’t believe I have a preference. The Alps are spectacular in the daylight hours, but good Austrian wine under the stars with feisty August is pretty damned spectacular too.
Q: Love or lust?
A: Love is not on my agenda, but August is. We’ll see where that leads.
Q: Boxers, briefs, or commando.
A: I think I’ll leave that to the imagination for the readers of A Legacy of Love and Murder. After all, what would James Bond wear?
BOOK LINKS:
LOVE AND MURDER SERIES ON AMAZON
April 11, 2022
Temptation of the Apple by Reggi Allder #romance #suspense #MuseMonday
MUSE MONDAY
Please welcome Reggi Allder to Muse Monday on Discover... If you don't know Reggi, then we're glad to introduce you to a new author whose romance books you'll love.
Hi Brenda, thank you for having me on your blog today.
I write in two different genres, #RomanticSuspense and #ContemporaryRomance as in #SmallTownRomance. My first book was a romantic suspense, Shattered Rules. Then I began the Dangerous Series with Dangerous Web book 1-The most hazardous choice she ever made. But after spending a great deal of time with villains, I needed a change of pace. So, the Sierra Creek Series was born. In my imaginary California town of Sierra Creek, the moto is small town big love. Where strong men and determined women intersect. InHer Country Heart, the first Sierra Creek book, I needed something that acknowledged the friction between a man and a woman. The main character lives on a farm and I decided to make it an organic apple farm. What fruit signifies the conflict between the male and female better than the iconic apple?
There is often the temptation of being drawn to the opposite sex when you know they are only going to cause trouble in your life. How many of us have been attracted to someone and think, I shouldn’t go there, but…
I researched and discovered there are over 7,000 varieties of apples available from as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Japan. BTW, the Crab Apple is from the US and the Macintosh Apple is from Canada. California and Washington state still supply much of the fruit in US and Canadian grocery stores. Amy, the main character in the Sierra Creek books, bakes apple pies and I’d be happy to share an apple
pie recipe with you, just email me. Reggi@ reggiallder(dot)com. Please put “Pie recipe” in the subject line.
Her Country Heart Sierra Creek book 1
5 Stars “Great characters! I'm hooked!! It’s been a long time since I’ve been engaged with a book’s characters. But this story, and the people in it, got to me! I loved it and didn’t want the book to end.” Sammy B.
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Why is Amy Long attracted to the only man who can prevent her from achieving her dream? Amy needs a forever home. Out of work, she lost her apartment in the city and returns to the small town of Sierra Creek to find a fresh start. Her plan is to work the land on her grandmother’s farm and be self-reliant. She is not interested in a relationship with any man. Then she sees her high school crush, Wyatt Cameron.
Cowboy Wyatt Cameron is concentrating on his career and, at this point in his life, wants no female entanglements or other responsibilities. But he has been named the executor of her grandmother’s will. Nonetheless, Amy is in the way of his plans. He’s looking to send her packing back to the city where she belongs. Then he can go on with his ventures.
What can she do to change his mind?
Will sparks fly when opposites attract?
Excerpt:
With Granny gone, there was no family left to welcome her. Amy swallowed a sob. Maybe it was a mistake to come back to Sierra Creek.
The relentless afternoon sun beat down on her shoulders and her arms began to burn. San Francisco, the air-conditioned city, seemed a million miles away.
With a sigh, she pulled out her smart phone and checked the time. Thirty minutes since she’d arrived at the bus stop and not a single car had gone by. Where was the arranged ride into town?
Granny’s handyman was supposed to meet her. He obviously wasn’t a stickler about being on time. She reminded herself she was in the California foothills not in a busy metropolis where time was money.
The sound of a truck rumbled in the distance. With the back of her hand, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes and squinted. Hopeful, she watched the pickup come closer. A shiny black Ford F 150 with extended cab pulled up in front of her.
“Amy,” a man yelled through the open window as his brown hair fell casually over a high forehead and deep-set blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She moved nearer and stared at his wide cheek bones, square jaw and full lips. About thirty? A flutter of recognition stirred in her as palpable charm radiated from his broad smile—Wyatt Cameron.
His muscular arms flexed as his huge hands squeezed the steering wheel. “Don’t just stand there. Get in. The judge is waiting.”
Reggi Allder Bio Reggi grew up in a small town and then moved to a large metropolitan area. This gave her an appreciation of the rural and the urban point of view. She studied creative writing and screen writing at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Afterward, she worked in advertising and as a medical worker. These varying careers allowed her to have differing views of the world. Both are useful in her writing. She has written ten books and a couple of children’s stories, with two novels in progress.
When not working, she searches antique shops for vintage tea cups and looks for interesting dinner and dessert recipes online. She likes watching romantic movies with her hubby and then he chooses thrillers for them to view. They have two dogs, a purebred and a rescue mutt, their own Lady and the Tramp. 😊
Reggi enjoys hearing from readers. Follow her on Bookbub, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, allauthor.com
Buy links: Amazon
Sierra Creek series
Contemporary
Suspense
April 6, 2022
Gambling and Wickedness for Wicked Wednesday by Cara Bertoia
WICKED WEDNESDAY
Please welcome Cara Bertoia to Wicked Wednesday. Let's discover who her most wicked character is to date!
My most wicked character is Derrick from Donegal. When I worked in casinos, I met guys like him from all over the world. Most of them aren’t bad guys; they are just addicted to action, the game, and striking it rich. They work in the gambling business, and they’ve seen enough people win the jackpot at the slot machine, roll a perfect roll at the crap table, and turn $100 into a $1,000, so they think they can do it to. They are on a quest. They are successful in the business for a while, they get promoted, because they are wicked smart, but they always screw it up. They are surrounded by so many temptations, and they’re not really great at self-control or long-term plans. But it’s really not my story to tell, so let me introduce you to Derrick.
Yeh, I’m Derrick from Donegal. I’m the table games director at the Night Hawk. Don’t believe what people say about me especially that tight arsed bitch Caroline. I’d like to see how long she’d last in the East End of London where I was raised. She can’t see I am a damn good boss. They should have made me casino manager instead of her. Whoever heard of a bird running a casino? She’s probably sleeping with the Chairman John Tovar. I see the way they look at each other. It’s like they speak a secret language.
Don’t start me on John. All the guest and employees act like he walks on water. It’s as if they think he’s not just the Indian chief but some kind of shaman. With his braids he looks like Pocahontas, pretty like a bird. I like his cousins, the Tovar twins, a whole lot better, they know the score. Don’t look too closely; don’t upset the good gig we have going on here.
Caroline caused trouble for me since the first day she walked through the door. Towering over me in her heels, trying to intimidate me. She acted all lady boss, calm and efficient, but I could tell this wasn’t going to work out. I don’t know what the problem was, but I have never done well with lady bosses. They don’t really understand how this business works. Blokes know that if you scratch someone’s back, they’ll scratch yours in the future. It’s what I did for my employees. I did favors for them to help them make more money, and they passed part of it my way. We have an understanding. Do you see the problem?
I first walked into a casino in London when I was laying bricks at the Golden Nugget. Working inside seemed a damn site better than freezing my bum out in the cold, wicked streets of the city. I signed up for a grueling training class in roulette. I remember the thrill I felt the first time I spun the ball around the heavy mahogany wheel without it flying into space. I had to memorize so many multiplication tables, it almost did my head in. But I survived. We started with fifty in the class and ended up with five. I’m glad to say, London dealers are the gold standard.
We were wanted all over the world, from South Africa to cruise ships circling the globe. A captive audience. I met the Ex on a Regal Cruise ship. An American who fancied a man in a suit. I fancied a green card. When the marriage ended, I walked away with a green card and a restraining order against me. I tried to get as far away from San Diego as I could which is how I ended up in this godforsaken desert, with a bitch for a boss. But it is a sweet gig and I don’t intend to lose it.
It's not my fault, the only thing there is to do around here is play at the casinos. It’s so hot in the summer you feel it in your bones when you walk outside. The dust from the wind storms so thick it settles in your suits. I can only spend so many nights on the couch drinking Guinness and watching the telly. When I get off work casinos an hour away in every direction entice me to eat, play, win. I get the itch about half-way through my shift. I drive to Indio Springs convinced I will walk away with a small fortune and make up for the losing streak I have been on lately.
At first, it all goes to plan. I keep hitting numbers at the roulette wheel, turning a thousand into ten thousand. It feels so good to win, there is nothing that compares, even sex. In the flow, I feel invincible. But a plonker like me never knows when to quit. I keep telling myself the next roll will be my last as my pile begins to disintegrate. Before I know it, I am back to my one thousand and then down to naught. Pissed off at myself, I slam my fist on the table. A few minutes later security escorts me to the door. Hope the Chairman doesn’t hear about that.
But I can feel it starting again, that itch. But tonight, I will quit when I’m ahead. It will happen, I will climb out of this hole. All it takes is one good night. Only four more hours to go. I walk over to watch the black jack game and notice this idiot making money hand over fist. But I’m not worried I know he’ll walk away with nothing. Because it’s hard to walking away from a winning streak. But I will tonight.
I’ve learned my lesson. Want to come with me to Indio Springs? I could teach you roulette.
I told Derrick’s story in my novel Casino Queen. It is the novel I wrote about my years in the casino industry. Here is the blurb: Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California. Native American casinos have just opened, thousands of people from all over the world came to work there, money flowed like water, and real estate became the new status symbol. And then came The Great Recession, and suddenly the partying stopped.
Alone, desperate and deeply in debt, she lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino. She is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar. Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption. As she moves up through the ranks of management, her bond with John deepens.
In the process of uncovering the underbelly of corruption her list of enemies grows. Sometimes you have to gamble like your life depends on it. With her life on the line can she pull out a win?
BUY LINKS:
Author Bio: Cara Bertoia grew up in a strait-laced Southern family, but she was always fascinated with casinos. In her twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, she drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. She discovered that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. Her mother highly disapproved of her working in a casino, "a place so bad it has 'sin' in the middle."
Eventually, she succumbed to pressure from the family and returned east to take a hi-tech job in Boston. She also began working on her MFA in writing at Emerson. Her goal was to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. She is always amazed that normal and sometimes quite intelligent players become absolutely clueless in the casino. They repeat superstitious nonsense and no amount of logic can change their position, maybe her novel will.
While in Boston she was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, she spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. She was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in St. Petersburg.
Cara returned from ships with a very special souvenir, her Scottish husband Ray. They went to work at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs, and now live in Hollywood, Florida, where she writes about her casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.
I love to connect with my readers. Please send me a picture with Casino Queen. I will post those pictures to my social media.
April 4, 2022
Character Interview: #rocker #political #mysteryromance
I'm sharing another Character Interview with one of my personal favorites. He gets my pulse racing!
Christmas and Politics. Joy and Jeopardy. Love and Murder. That’s how it all comes together in book four of the
Love and Murder Series
, T
he Power of Love and Murder
. Jake Winters is an ex-rock star, not long out of rehab. He’s still got a positive outlook in spite of being down on his luck. He’s come to Flagstaff, Arizona to stay with his sister, Mandy, and meets her best friend, Penny, and a whole lot of trouble and danger he didn't expect.
Q: Good morning, Jake. I’m a little flustered sitting across from a rock and roll hotty.
A: Oh, please, don’t embarrass me. Those days are over...with good and bad memories behind me.
Q: You’re single. Widowed or divorced and any children?
A: I’ve never been married. There was never time to get serious about anyone.
Q: But with Penny there might be a chance?
A: If she can forget our first meeting. I was a rocker, stoned, and full of myself. Now, I’m trying to be her friend…or something.
Q: Sounds like she’s caught your attention. Tell me more.
A: I don’t know how long I’ll be in Flagstaff. It’s cold, but it’s Christmas and my sister wants me to stay. Penny has secrets, dangerous secrets, and I’d suddenly like to break through the wall she’s built. She’s a pixie of a lady with a sharp wit.
Q: Let’s try some flash questions to get to know you more personally.
A: Hey, I was once all about flash.
Q: Night or Day?
A: Penny drove us up to the Snow Bowl on top of the San Francisco Peaks. I have to say, sun sparkling on the snow was pretty breathtaking.
Q: Love or lust?
A: I used to be all about lust. Maybe I should try my hand at love
Q: Boxers, briefs, or commando.
A: Well, bugger, you got me. Commando!
The Power of Love and Murder was a RONE Award Finalist
This Christmas, Penny Spark’s desire to reconnect with family causes her to expose her true identity—a secret she’s hidden for thirteen years from the political powers who murdered her family.
Jake Winters is out of rehab and coming to grips with his demons. When he meets Penny, he believes this holiday season could be the start of life after rock star status…until her secrets blow up his world.
With a government agent turned hit man closing in on her, Penny and Jake race to expose the presidential contender behind the murders of her family. Even if they win the race with death, the murder that stands between them could end their hope for a new life.
N N Light Reviews
If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, this is a must read. If you’re a fan of suspense and/or political thrillers, you’ll love it!
Still Moments Magazine, Between the Pages
A fast-paced romance packed with action and suspense.
“The Power of Love and Murder” is utterly addictive!e
Kam’s Place Reviews
Like the other "Love and Murder" books in the series, Brenda crafted a story full of mystery, corruption, bit of romance, and ended it all with a happily ever after.
You can find out even more about Mason Meadowlark by clicking HERE
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The Love and Murder Series
is available in eBook, print, and audio:
