Twinkle (Sugandha) Varshney's Blog, page 203

Everything I’ve Dreamed Of By Norah Bennett

Everything I’ve Dreamed Of by Norah BennettContemporary RomanceLove in Lakes Crossing, 2

Kate Willowbrook dreamed of a life filled with beauty –– a man who loves her, friends, and a home. At eighteen, Kate's dreams were replaced by nightmares when she witnessed a crime. Kate fled, never settling down and never trusting anyone until at the age of the thirty, she discovers the small town of Lakes Crossing and CEO, Noah Reed.
When Noah’s wife was killed in an accident, his world exploded. Noah settled for an empty, loveless life until the day he met Kate. When he learns about Kate’s past and finds she is still in danger, Noah takes over, becoming over-protective—to the point Kate feels stifled and controlled.

As Noah and Kate struggle to put the past behind them and find a balance that fulfills both their needs, they learn that there are no guarantees in life, but in Lakes Crossing they have been given a second chance at love.

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Excerpt
Kate pierced him with her green eyes. “I’m certain there’s no shortage of women who would be happy to go out with you. Why me?”Noah’s cocky grin faded into a soft smile that stole her breath. His eyes darkened as he focused on her. She could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks again, and she couldn’t believe she’d asked him that question. She didn’t even know why she had, except that she wanted to hear his answer. If she let herself fall for this beautiful man with the killer smile and the softest brown eyes in the world, she’d fall hard and fast. If she were just a toy to him, one that he got bored of and discarded after a while, she’d be devastated. She had lost so much already and survived, but Kate wasn’t sure she could survive his games. If she allowed herself to hope and dream of a life with Noah but then lost it all, she’d crumble, and no amount of superglue would put her back together. Kate waited for his answer, her eyes locked with his, and he didn’t let her down.“Yes, I won’t deny that I’ve dated other women and there are those who wouldn’t turn me down for a date, but they’re not you.”Noah reached for her hand, and she let him feel the tremble that ran through her as he engulfed her small hand in his. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers, never taking his gaze off her.“You say you’re not special to anyone, but that’s not true. I see something special, someone special. I know we don’t know each other very well, but if you give us a chance to change that, together, we may be something special. We won’t know unless we try.”Kate’s breath hitched, and her heart squeezed. Jesus, the man had a way with words. How did he know what she needed to hear? Now she understood what Roberta Flack meant when she sang “Killing Me Softly.” He was clawing at the door to her heart, and she didn’t think she was strong enough to resist him, even knowing that she may get shredded if she let him in.Kate dropped her gaze again as her eyes began to fill. Her breathing was ragged, and her heart broke its confines and was on the run. Whether it wanted to be caught by Noah or not, Kate wasn’t certain.Special.Kate had waited thirty-one years to hear someone call her special. She struggled to rein in her emotions and push back the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. She wanted to go out with Noah so badly it hurt. She wanted to get to know him and to be a part of his world, but she was terrified. Good visited her very few times in her life. The instant it arrived, she began preparing for its departure. Good was a temporary visitor, and a fickle one at that.“Come on, Kate. I can sense you’re afraid. I swear I’m a nice guy. I’ll do my damnedest not to disappoint or hurt you. Take a chance. Take a chance on me.” Kate heard the vulnerability in Noah’s voice. She explored his handsome face, a face she was sure she would never tire of admiring. All traces of his earlier cockiness vanished. Instead, it was replaced by a rawness, an earnestness, a tenderness she’d never seen before. That was the look Kate would remember for a lifetime. Years from now, she would say that was the exact moment she knew, if Noah Reed asked her, she would be his for a lifetime.Kate let out a slow breath and with a soft smile, she whispered, “Okay, Noah Reed. I’ll take a chance…a chance on you. I’ll go out with you.”

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Nowhere is Home By M. Zeldin

Death, Grief, BereavementDate Published: 1-6-2017Publisher: Cygnet Publications, Cygnet Media Group Inc.

When her beloved soul friend husband, Gerald, passed away a few years ago, and her friends and sons moved to distant cities, she found herself alone for the first time in her life.
Gerald, a professional artist, had his studio in their home. Their home was always filled with family life, art, music, joy and playfulness in the garden.After his passing, the silence was loud. The joy was gone — her paradise — a lost paradise.
She had two choices, either to fall apart or to get on with life.  She chose the latter and traveled to find a home, a community — however - nowhere was home - since he left.In writing Nowhere Is Home … Since You Left, Madeleine Zeldin shares her insights, emotions, and true life experiences as she journeys solo throughout the years following the sorrowful death of her soul mate, internationally renowned artist, Gerald Zeldin. She presents years of storytelling based on travel journals she wrote while traveling to countries such as Mexico, Philippines, Ecuador, France, Spain, and California, U.S.A.  Zeldin also reveals the intensity of the pain and sorrow experienced in her grief, along with the fulfillment, satisfaction and logistics of international travel. In her travels she volunteered in the medical field and gave help where help was needed. She brings inspiration to those of her generation, the 60’s, who find themselves alone.
Through her evocative tales of adventure, Zeldin reveals this life-changing knowledge to the world!
But ultimately where is Home?

EXCERPT


Finding Your Path
“Do not go where the path may lead.
   Go instead where there is no path
And leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
When i travel to faraway places, i like to experience the local flavour … and often write a ‘sketch’ of my experiences …
My purpose in writing these travel journals … these ‘sketches’ …is to share with you my adventures and cultural experiences of these places … the road less travelled …

saw two lovers on the beach this evening …
they were gentle and sweet …
one walked up to a bag of garbage that someone thoughtlessly left on the beach …
he tore the bag apart and started licking some juice from the juice box …
the female slowly walked over to her friend … and coyly looked at him … as if to say …
may i share … they both started licking, then stopped …
they looked at each other and rubbed noses …
as their lips gently touched …
their slender grey proud bodies strolled away graciously
when the dogs came to chase
these donkeys away …

as we were looking down at the clear ocean from the high cliffs … we saw the outline of a shark …
swimming around the shoreline far below … just where we were going to go snorkelling …
so the tour guides … all young ecuadorians with a sense of humor…
said they would keep us safe and took us to another spot … but not far off …
around the other side of this small island …
not sure whether to quite trust these young men …
as we were swimming in the deep waters way out in the pacific … i asked one to watch out for sharks …
he said not to worry … the only shark i would have to watch out for… was him …

last night i tripped and broke my toenail and did not want to cut it off …
so bought some crazy glue … for fifty cents … and glued my nail together …
the only problem … i glued the tip of my finger to my toenail …
was almost impossible to pull it away …
so now my finger tip is part of my toenail … 

About the Author

Professionally, Ms. Zeldin has been engaged in nursing and teaching. She has successfully advocated for changes in the medical field, along with homebirth and Midwifery. In her travels to out of the way places, she has been a keen observer of people and distant cultures, often writing a 'sketch' of her experience.
Madeleine is an advocate of advocacy.
Madeleine believes we can all make a difference.
Throughout her adult life she has successfully advocated for change. When she felt change was needed, she rallied. She lobbied. She started a group or joined a group.
In the late '70's, when her town council was considering tearing down old heritage properties in the name of 'Progress', she helped start a group of interested citizens in order to save these heritage properties. 'Progress' was stopped and many heritage buildings were saved due to the group's diligence.
Again in the early '80's, Madeleine herself changed local hospital policy to allow midwives to accompany couples in the birthing room, after the hospital refused to allow her midwife to enter.
She belonged to a group of informed parents who advocated for changes in the policies for vaccinations.
Madeleine volunteered at the local Health Center and advocated for improved health care for refugees. Improvements were made.
She successfully advocated for her soul-friend, late husband Gerald's medical care throughout their six year battle with cancer. Many important changes were implemented in our medical system due to her persistence.
Madeleine has been ahead of her time in her generation. She had many professions throughout her life including social worker, teacher, registered nurse. She also joined a group of midwives and again successfully advocated for choices in childbirth.
However, she considers her most important achievement as being a mother and grandmother. She has instilled in her family a sense of love and empathy and has taught them to love the earth and its people.
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Blue by S.M. West

Title: BlueAuthor: S.M. WestGenre: Contemporary RomanceCover Design: Cover Couture Design
Release Date: July 12, 2017


Blurb
Blue. The color of devotion.
CARYS WOLFE is my heart.Mine, always. Leaving her nearly killed me.I thought it was the only way to keep her safe.She’s moved on, and I want her back.
***
EVAN HART is my heart.Loving him is my destiny. I waited my entire life for our time,for us to finally be together, only to have him leave.Now he’s back.Though my mind can’t forgive him, my heart can’t forget.

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Excerpt
“Evan, I want to know what happened, but I have a life now and you need to know…” She trails off, her eyes darting away from mine.                “What?”                Gazing up at me, she continues, “Whatever you have to say, it’s not going to change a thing. We’re over.”                My heart twists and breathing becomes difficult. Mother fuck, her words cut deep, hurting even though they aren’t true. Sure, she believes them on some level—she had to, in order to get through what I did. Yet, along with the hurt and disappointment swimming in her eyes, there’s also tenderness and love.             “Tell me you’re happy and I’ll walk away.”We always pushed each other, challenged the other to face our fears, to be honest with ourselves, with each other. I need to hear her say it. I don’t believe it, but if she is over me, I need to hear it in her voice and see it in her face—not because I want to, but because it’s the only way I can even begin to accept that we’re over. Even then, it’s not possible.“I’m happy.” Her tone is laden with bravado, but no true emotion. Even her gaze, which never wavers from mine, is flat.Shaking my head, I briefly cast my eyes downward to suppress my smile. “No, you’re not.”“Van.” I flinch at that fucking name. As a child, I thought it was so fucking cool to have a nickname that only my best friends would call me. Now, hearing “Van” from her pretty lips, I want to obliterate the word from her vocabulary, fucking kiss the word out of her. “You can call me asshole for all I care, you’re not happy,” I retort in frustration. Catching my tone, I breathe deeply and loosen my fists to relax. “Don’t lie to me, and most of all, don’t lie to yourself.”“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You want to see what you want. I’m with Greg, and we’re happy.” She grimaces infinitesimally, then averts her eyes from me. Unable to read her, I’m not sure if it’s because she means it and doesn’t want to hurt my feelings or if the lie tastes nasty in her mouth. “Sweetness, I know everything there is to know about you, without apology. You can’t lie to me.”




Author Bio

S.M. West is an indie author who writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotica and whatever her heart desires. 
She spends her time juggling ay day job, being a mom and wife, and writing. On top of that, she's a self-professed junkie of many things including a voracious fan of music, a born wanderer, a wine aficionado and chocolate connoisseur.  

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The Trainee Undercover By Brenda Shaw

YA Suspense/ThrillerDate Published:  April 2017

The Trainee Undercover is a mystery, action, and thriller novel written by Brenda Shaw. 
Paul Collier, a high level executive, in a pharma company gets threatened into silence by an unknown force. In despair, he decides to send his family away to protect them. 
Alex, a happy-go-lucky teenager, is all set to enjoy his summer vacation with his friends.
But fate has other plans in store! They get entangled with a murder case.
Alex and his friends are now committed to pursue criminals.
They desperately want to help Paul! But, will they fall prey into the hands of the criminals?
It’s a gripping adventure where they have to race against time and winning is everything!
The teenagers’ amateurish skills will have to compete with professional criminals.
Will they be a victim or victorious? Read the novel to find out...

About the Author
Brenda Shaw is a author based in UK and writes under a pen name. Since childhood, she has been a very keen and voracious reader of adventure, suspense, mystery, detective, legal and science fiction books.

After completing her post-graduation in biological sciences, she worked for the pharmaceutical industry for nearly two decades. She decided to leave her career and pursue her childhood passion of writing fiction books.

Brenda Shaw is the author of the suspense action-packed thriller, ‘The Trainee Undercover’.

Being a travel lover, she has been travelling to various cities in Europe, America and Asia. She is very keen to explore and understand the varied customs and colorful cultures that exists around the world.
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Seducing the Heartbreaker

Contemporary RomanceDate Published: June 15, 2017

Reforming this bad boy makes her want to be very naughty…
PR expert extraordinaire Fiona Maguire must deal with her most challenging task yet: clean up NASCAR champion Jax Hannigan’s act by posing as his girlfriend. She’s determined to help him because she feels responsible for his best friend’s death after setting the wrong man free for all the right reasons. Truthfully, she’s always harbored a secret crush on Jax—one she should ignore now, but can’t when passion flares between them.
To secure a coveted sponsorship and prove he’s got what it takes to win to his slimy former team owner/stepfather, Jax needs to reform his bad boy image. He’s got the best in public relations backing him. The attraction sizzling between them is tempting, but she’s only available because he encouraged her fiancé to drive in a race that killed him.
Soon days of working together turn to passionate, steamy nights. But their feelings for each other could jeopardize his comeback, especially after another scandal erupts. Now Jax must choose the ultimate prize: a championship trophy… or the woman he loves.

About the Author


Christine Glover is the author of tantalizing, sensual, emotional contemporary romances. She resides in Alabama with her husband, two insane cats and FaceTimes her wonderful daughter every chance she gets. She enjoys finding the silly in the serious, making wine out of sour grapes, and giving people giggle fits along with heartfelt hugs. When she’s not writing, you can find her traveling the world, cooking gourmet food, and desperately seeking a corkscrew.
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Chatur the Laundry Man By Subhash and Sujata Kommuru

Children’s BookDate Published: October 2016

What can a business man, a lazy donkey, and an elephant teach kids about success and friendship? Read along to find out in this playful romp by the award-winning author of The Magic of Friendship!Chatur the Laundry Man is a funny, lighthearted story with a subtle lesson. Chatur thinks of nothing but growing his business, but his friend Gadhu the donkey keeps telling him to take it easy. When Chatur has a bright idea to get more business, things seem to be going his way but take an unexpected turn. Will Chatur learn that sometimes success takes a little time and patience?
Praise for Chatur the Laundry Man:"5 Star ... a humorous tale.. illustrations are comical.. highly recommended.." - Readers Favorite Review
".. kids will receive 3 fine messages the value of hard work, what happens when a push for profit supersedes quality of life, and how different approaches to work and play yield very singular results." - Midwest Book Review

About the Authors


Subhash and Sujata Kommuru are a husband and wife team, known for their award-winning range of children’s books. They aim to introduce the vibrant culture of India to the children of the United States, the country which has been their home for several years.

Subhash began writing when he became a father. He created stories for his young son about his own childhood in India, to help his son understand the culture and values of his heritage.

Subhash’s wife, Sujata, is an illustrator, who soon began creating pictures to accompany her husband’s words. Her illustrations bring to life the colorful images of her own Indian childhood, giving children a vivid insight into a diverse culture.

Together, Subhash and Sujata offer children the chance to experience the life of an Indian child, and understand a culture vastly different from their own, while enjoying the simple similarities shared by children all over the world.

Their books are entertaining at the same time as being educational, and they have been honored for excellence by the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards.

With universal themes including friendship and the importance of self-expression, Subhash and Sujata’s books provide children with an all-important introduction to the diversity of the world they live in. Read them together and they’ll become firm favorites that your child will enjoy again and again.

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Your crossroads. Your choice.

Non Fiction / Self-HelpDate Published: June 2017 Publisher: Page Publishing

Welcome to my diary, my journey, as I tripped and crawled through the darkest time in my life- when I witnessed  people that I held incredibly close to me shatter my very existence with their words and actions. The things within this book spine are extremely raw and exceptionally real. You and I are going to get very close, the details in this book, although oddly general, are incredibly specific. Yes, I realize what I just said and as you read my words you will see what I mean. As you silently gasp and mentally bitch slap me, please be kind because my story is just that - my story. It is not any more or less special than yours. In fact the only difference between our stories are the choices we made at each of the crossroads in our lives. For most of my life the choices I made were not based on my happiness but on everyone else’s. This book describes what I have experienced in my journey to finding my happiness and hopefully never letting it go. Sadly, it took me thirty six years to find the strength I need to detoxify my life and self-view and find someone who is worthy of my awesomeness. Thirty six years to shatter the negative foundation I had built shatter the ultimate representative I created to hide behind and begin the process of building a new foundation. Only this foundation will be built on strength, confidence and above all, happiness. So take a minute or thirty and sit with my story for a while. You never know what you might find out.

About the Author


Welcome to my real, crazy, emotional, probably too honest journey. I am an everyday girl in this everyday world trying to keep my head above water and within the pages of this book you will learn about the things that have broken me down and the steps I am taking to build back up. You will see, my new friends, this story is written in a unique, general, conversational voice, which was my choice. I want you to be able to picture yourself in my shoes, relate my trials and tribulations to yours and see that you too can find your happiness. Even if you don’t realize this yet, every single one of us possesses things inside of ourselves that we didn't know were there. It took my life taking a crazy right turn and dumping me at the lowest possible point before I could see the strength within myself. We are not defined by what we do, we are defined by the choices we make. I decided when I put pen to paper that I want my choices to start defining me as strong, confident, secure and above all else, happy. So, who am I? How about I tell you who I was. A self-loathing shell of myself who put everyone else’s happiness before my own. Herein lies my story to find that happiness and all of the ups and downs along the way. See who I was and who I am trying to become and maybe, somewhere in there, you will find out a little about yourself too.
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JUST THE THING by Marie Harte

JUST THE THINGThe Donnigans series, book 2
by Marie HarteGenre: Spicy Contemporary Romance



"The sultry sex and seduction scenes are just the icing on this incredibly rich and satisfying cake. Readers will sit down, read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, and then pick it up to read it all over again."―RT Book Reviews, 5 Gold Stars

A FLING MIGHT BE JUST THE THING...

Gavin Donnigan left the Marine Corps a shell of a man, hounded by guilt for deaths he couldn't prevent. But teaching a self-defense class at the local gym brings some stability to his life―along with a gorgeous woman who won't give him the time of day.

Zoe York lost her twin sister to a freak car accident a few months ago. She's been struggling to bury her grief, but it isn't until she signs up for a self-defense class with its distractingly hot instructor that she begins to come out of her shell again. With the memory of her sister telling her to live a little, Zoe decides a fling with buns-of-steel Gavin Donnigan might be just the thing.

Soon they're sparring both in and out of the gym. And for the first time in a long time, each is looking forward to tomorrow.




It had been one helluva day already, and it hadn’t even reached six yet. He’d secretly called dibs on the last remaining treadmill, needing to run out some kinks.

Problem was, so had she—Pink Yoga Pants.

Gavin Donnigan locked gazes with her before eyeing the distance to the machine, then saw her doing the same. A gentleman would let her go first… While an enthralled man would stand back and watch her work those mag nificent glutes, those toned hamstrings and calves.

But Gavin was no gentleman, at least, not in the gym. His domain. His jungle. His—

“Dude, you’re blocking the Nautilus.”

“Oh, sorry.” He moved out of the no-neck’s path, now no longer able to see the treadmill. When he stepped around another idiot standing in the way, he saw her smirk at him as she stepped on the machine. She kept his gaze as she slowly warmed up, making a huge production out of stretching her arms up over her head, then grinning from ear to ear.

He frowned.

She gave him a mock salute—the sexy witch—then proceeded to ignore the holy hell out of him as she tuned out the rest of the world and ran. Not jogged, ran. That made half a dozen times she’d blown him off with that same smug expression. Then she’d pretend he didn’t exist. 

He’d like to throw her over his knee and spank the ever-loving—

“Gavin. Today, Bro. We have work to do before class.” 

He groaned, needing the stress relief from a good run. “But Landon, I need to work out first.” 

“Fine.” The dick wrapped a thick arm around Gavin’s neck and hauled him away in a headlock. “You want a workout? Let’s see if you can get out of this. Then I’ll throw you on the mat a few times and watch you flail as I beat your ass.” 

Gavin sputtered, trying to breathe as his behemoth brother dragged him down the hallway toward the self-defense classroom. 

Not cool to headlock a gym trainer in front of his many clients. Gavin tried not to wheeze as he fought Landon’s steel-hard muscles for breath. He glanced over and saw his nemesis laughing at him. Crap. The damage had been done. He heard snickers, mockery, and encouragement for Landon. 

Major Donnigan. What an asshole.

The former Marine choking him growled, “Now suck it up, princess, and let’s see your moves. If you can’t do it, you sure as shit can’t teach it.”






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A SURE THING

Meet the Donnigans

With the eldest Donnigan brothers adjusting to civilian life, their younger sister constantly in trouble, and their little brother clueless about life in general, falling in love is the last thing on anyone's mind...

Can this Bossy Badass Marine...

The Marine Corps was everything Landon Donnigan ever wanted in life...until a bullet sent him home with a medical discharge. Teaching a self-defense class at the gym is old-hat for a marine, but when he meets sexy Ava Rosenthal, his combat skills are useless for protecting his heart.

Be her Mr. Right?

Ava can take care of herself and likes quiet, bookish men-not muscular warriors who think women need to be coddled. But Landon is more than he seems, and when they come together, the results are explosive.




Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit Marie's website and fall in love.

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Sanctuary By Laurie Larsen

Inspirational romanceDate Published: June 20, 2017Publisher: Random Moon Books (indie)

Hardworking, successful lawyer Nora Ramsey, was at the height of her career. Now, she's questioning everything in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina.
When she accepts her aunt's dilapidated estate as her inheritance, Nora is plagued with misgivings and doubt. When one of her newly inherited horses takes ill, she prays for guidance and receives it in the form of veterinarian Shaw Flynn. 
Dedicated and rugged, he assists Nora through the trying time. In Shaw, she sees someone gentle, caring and deeply devoted to God. The more she’s with him, the more he inspires her to embrace her own faith. And as their relationship blossoms into a something real and beautiful—like the coastal sunsets of Murrell’s Inlet—Nora stumbles upon Shaw’s deepest secret. Her trust is destroyed and the wisdom of her life-changing decision shaken as the future she envisioned is threatened.
As the truth becomes clear, can she find forgiveness within the sanctuary of her heart or will his betrayal destroy her faith in him once and for all? 

Excerpt
Nora processed the stack of mail.  One thick legal-sized envelope grabbed her attention.  The return address was a law firm in South Carolina.  A closer look revealed that the law firm was in Myrtle Beach.  She shrugged and slid her finger under the envelope flap, pulled out the contents.  She scanned the professionally prepared letter, frowned and read it again.  She gasped and reached for her phone.A few rings later, her sister Patty answered.  “Hey sis, long time no …”“Aunt Edie died?” she demanded.“Uhhh, hello to you too,” she said pointedly.Nora huffed, taking care of social niceties so she could get to the real information she wanted.  “Yes, hello Patty, hope you’re well, did you have a nice day?  And oh, by the way, did Aunt Edie die?”“Yes,” her sister said, wisely getting to the point.  “Like a month ago.”“Holy smokes!  Why am I just finding out about it now?”“I don’t know.  When was the last time you spoke to Aunt Edie?”“Well … never.  But just because we didn’t have a personal relationship doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to be filled in on family news, such as my favorite aunt from childhood dying.”“Okay, sorry. Aunt Edie died from prolonged effects of the stroke she had about six months ago.  You knew about that?”“Yes.”“She was hospitalized after her stroke, eventually moving to a long-term care facility, and never really recovered.  It was really more of a blessing than a sorrow that she passed on to be with the Lord.”This news induced a wave of sadness over her.  Aunt Edie, all alone, self-sufficient for the long years of her adulthood, suddenly unable to take care of herself.  “Who took care of her?”“You mean, who got her the care she needed?”Nora shook her head, overwhelmed at all the details that had needed to be taken care of, the decisions that were made.  Who helped her after her stroke?  Who selected the place where they nursed her?  Who visited her in her final months?  Days?  “Yeah.”“She had good friends there in Murrells Inlet.  She was a huge part of the community.  She had church friends, neighbors.  She was taken care of.”“Wow,” she breathed.  The reality and permanence of Aunt Edie’s situation permeated her mind.  She would be Aunt Edie in a few decades.  Alone, nobody checking on her.  Except instead of being in a quaint beach town where neighbors watched out for each other, Nora would be in a pricey Philadelphia high-rise with a doorman and security doors where nobody knew their neighbors.  When it came her time, would anyone even realize she was gone?“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, sis.  I figured Mom would.”Nora shrugged and said, “Yeah.”  Mom probably would, if she’d done a better job of calling her regularly.  Nora cringed when she thought of how many voicemails she’d received from Mom in the last month that she never returned.  Or returned, but gave her a five minute time limit.  Maybe Mom was meaning to tell her about Aunt Edie and Nora just hadn’t made enough of an effort.  But with her long days and exhausting schedule, the last thing she wanted to do was sit with a phone plugged to her ear for an hour listening, or pretending to listen, to all the details of her mother’s retired life. She squeezed her eyes shut and said a quick prayer of apology to God for that awful thought.  She was lucky to still have a mother.  She’d make an effort to stay in closer touch.“So did you get your inheritance?” Patty asked.“Huh?”“I assumed that’s why you’re calling.  You got the inheritance letter from Aunt Edie’s lawyer?”“Oh.”  Nora shuffled through the small stack of papers.  She hadn’t even gotten past the cover page where she’d learned of Aunt Edie’s death.  Yes, the next few were the will.  The lawyer had included the general wording, then had gone straight to the punch with what Aunt Edie had left her.“Oh, my gosh.”“What?  What did she leave you?”Nora stared, her mouth dropped open.  The generosity of the inheritance astounded her.  “What … what did she leave you?”“She left us money to put into a college savings account for the girls.”“Oh, how nice,” Nora said slightly, still staring at the page.“Yes, it sure was.  I mean, Joe and I had of course started saving for the girls’ college.  But Aunt Edie’s gift will go a long way towards their expenses.  And if there’s any money left over, we can give them each a gift of funds to start their adult lives with.”“Yeah,” Nora said.A quiet moment passed while she fully absorbed what her aunt was leaving her. “So what did you get?”Nora took a breath.  “You’re not going to believe this, Patty.”“What?”“Aunt Edie left me all her property.  Ten acres, a barn and the house in Murrells Inlet.  Everything – furniture, farm equipment.”“Wow.”“That’s … extremely generous.”“Yeah.”A guilty wave came over her.  Why would Aunt Edie leave her such a generous inheritance when she hadn’t even stayed in touch with the woman over the last few decades?  When was the last time she’d seen Edie?  Spoken to her?  “I’m having trouble understanding why she’d leave this to me.”“Aunt Edie loved you.  And me.  Both of us.  She never had kids so we were like her children.”“Yes, I remember going to this place every summer as kids.”“Lots of sentimental value for the both of us.”“But … why me?”“I guess Aunt Edie wanted to help take care of my girls.  And since you don’t have kids, and she knew you loved visiting there, that gift was more appropriate for you.”Nora hesitated, not exactly sure how to put her concerns into words.  Until she just came out with it.  “Are you mad that she left the property to me?”“Not at all,” Patty insisted.  “No. Her gifts were well thought out.  I live in the Midwest.  I have kids to raise.  What would I do with a beach front farm property?”Nora nodded.  So, no hard feelings there.  That was a relief.  “Wait.  I’m a partner in a law firm in Philadelphia.  What am I going to do with a beach front farm property?”
About the Author

Award-winning author Laurie Larsen leads a double life.  During the day she's a respected Project Manager in the fast-paced world of Information Technology.  After dinner and a glass of wine, she becomes a multi-published author of Christian fiction grounded in today's modern world.Laurie's been published for 17 years, but feels she finally found her writing "niche" in 2009 when her first inspirational romance, Preacher Man was published.  It won fans, accolades, and the prestigious EPIC Award for the Best Spiritual Romance of 2010.  From then on, her path was clear.  She was put on this earth (in part) to tell love stories combined with a strong message of faith.  Her Pawleys Island Paradise series is a much beloved, at times best-selling series of six books following Leslie and Hank, and the Harrison clan, as they face the daily challenges of life while trying to include prayer and praise.  Reviewers say the books are heartwarming, life-changing and an example to follow for including God in your life.
Laurie loves the beach (obvious to anyone who's read the Pawleys Island Paradise series) and she's fondly looking forward to a day (not too far away) where she can retire from the demanding day job, and spend her days living at the beach and writing novels.  Until then, she travels back and forth between Illinois and South Carolina just as often as possible. 
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Underground Magic by Margo Bond Collins & N.R. Larry

She’ll give in to the darkest power to gain their freedom.Five years ago, Lawrence Kincade walked away from the underground resistance, having lost all she loved in the fight against the Party—her friends, her family, her freedom to use her magical ability. Everything.Since then, she’s been in hiding, trying to come to terms with living outside a society that now reviles everything she values. But when she learns the Party has reinstated the extermination policy in the Purity Camps, she realizes she can no longer remain apart from the fight.As Lawrence attempts to rejoin and revitalize the resistance she abandoned, she must once again seek out allies, often in unexpected places. With the help of a surprisingly sexy shifter who prowls the streets of post-apocalyptic Birmingham, Alabama, she’ll have to deal with the last place she ever wanted to end up, and the first on the Party’s list to be eradicated: Purity Camp D.With a little luck and a lot of work, maybe she can save the prisoners using her own brand of Underground Magic.About the BookUnderground Magic
by Margo Bond Collins & N.R. Larry
Series
Underground Magic #1
Genre
Adult
Dystopian Fantasy
Paranormal Romance
Publisher
Bathory Gate Press
Publication Date
May 31, 2017

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About the Series  
Underground Resistance , book two in the Underground Magic series is coming July 17, 2017!   Preorder your copy today!

About Margo Bond CollinsMargo Bond Collins is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal mystery.
She lives in Texas with her daughter and several spoiled pets. Although she has a Ph.D. in eighteenth-century British literature and teaches college-level English courses online, writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and the women who love (and sometimes fight) them.Margo’s Links

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