Babs Hightower's Blog, page 7
June 20, 2019
Cover Reveal, Faded by M.A. Lee
Faded
M.A. Lee
(Crimes of Passion Saga, #1)
Publication date: June 20th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance
The new Lizzie is motivated and determined. She has a dream and nothing is going to get in the way of her success. Especially, when she has a dark secret to hide.
Spencer Chase is sexy, mysterious, and exactly what Lizzie wants, but doesn’t need. He spends his days working and his nights brooding alone. After spending his childhood being a punching bag for his father, Spencer found an outlet with MMA fighting- which worked until he was injured and forced to quit as he hit his prime in the fighting world. Now, working security at one of Las Vega’s premier casinos, he prefers to spend his time alone.
However, with only one glance, Spencer’s world came crashing down on him as he found himself feeling anxious, intrigued, and deeply drawn to the new girl Lizzie working at his casino.
The strong sexual tension and powerful chemistry pull these two characters together for one emotionally charged and controlling relationship. After sharing one passionate night together, Spencer learns he can’t live without Lizzie and she realizes his overbearing need to protect and control her excites her more than it scares her. While they both believe they are safe together, neither are prepared for the fire they create and the trouble that comes from their new and intense relationship in the heart of the Vegas crime scene. In Faded, fall in love with dark stories and intense lust.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
Author Bio:
M.A. Lee is the persona of a wife and mother. Her obsession with coffee and book boyfriends drives her to create steamy romance novels.
The post Cover Reveal, Faded by M.A. Lee appeared first on Babs Book Bistro.
June 18, 2019
Sweet Poisons by Natalie Bennett blitz with Xpresso Book Tours
Sweet Poisons
Natalie Bennett
(Pretty Lies, Ugly Truths Duets, #1)
Publication date: June 18th 2019
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Rhett Sullivan.
Mysterious boy painted in shades of red.
Nova Markov
Eccentric girl dripping in sunshine.
He was the type mother’s warned their little girls about—a cocky, rich asshole with a pretty smile, unapologetically insane and wild.
I was the type guys like him usually ignored—a free spirit who hid my crazy beneath an odd good girl facade, and the art hanging on my studio walls.
We were opposites in every way but one, and we collided like two runaway trains that never had a chance of stopping.
What blossomed between us, our ‘relationship’, was maniacal.
We got stuck in a cycle of madness.
Rhett Sullivan became a bittersweet poison I couldn’t get enough of.
In the end, that’s what destroyed me.
Because in the end?
Our love was nothing but a lie.
I said I was done slapping warning labels on my book babies this year, but since I have never written full on NA yet, I’m going to give a tiny one now. This will be the only label this duet will have. If you are not a fan of twisted stories that deal with dark themes, rich assholes, and lots of filthy sex, this will not appeal to you. This couple is not unicorns and rainbows and neither is their story.
—
Author Bio:
Shameless author of twisted unconventional love stories.
Natalie has a penchant for (writing) villainous immoral men and tends to deviate away from traditional happily-ever-afters.
When she isn’t slaying words on multiple projects, she’s either sipping on a margarita or hanging out in the sunshine state with her husband, their three boys, and her pit-bull named Lulu.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Facebook Fan Group / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The post Sweet Poisons by Natalie Bennett blitz with Xpresso Book Tours appeared first on Babs Book Bistro.
June 17, 2019
Death by Dissertation (Cassandra Sato) by Kelly Brakenhoff
Death by Dissertation
(Cassandra Sato)
by Kelly Brakenhoff
About the Book
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
Death by Dissertation (Cassandra Sato)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Nebraska
Emerald Prairie Press (April 17, 2019)
Paperback: 355 pages
ISBN-10: 1733742409
ISBN-13: 978-1733742405
Digital ASIN: B07PKRD658
Amazon Countdown Deal that will run June 22 – 30 th for $.99.
Ambitious Cassandra Sato traded her life in Hawai’i for a dream position as Student Affairs VP at Morton College in tiny Carson, Nebraska. She expected the Midwestern church casseroles, land-locked cornfields, and face-freezing winters would be her biggest challenges, but it’s her job that’s rapidly becoming a nightmare.
A deaf student is dead and the investigation reveals a complicated trail of connections between campus food service, a local farmer’s beef, and the science lab’s cancer research. Together with her few allies, Cassandra must protect the students caught up in the entanglement.
Dealing with homesickness, vandalism, and a stalker, Cassandra is trapped in a public relations disaster that could cost her job, or more. No one said college was easy.
Pineapple Upside Down Spam Cake
If you don’t live in Hawai’i where 6 million cans of Spam are eaten every year (that’s around 5 cans per person!), you might balk at trying this deliciously sweet and savory version of Pineapple Upside Down Cake. You’d be missing out on a treat once featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods.
Cassandra Sato, the main character in Death by Dissertation grew up in Hawai’i thinking everyone loved Spam as much as her family did. While we Midwesterners will put bacon in nearly anything, Spam is a culinary adventure foreign to most of us.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course: Dessert
Keyword: Hawaii, Spam
Servings: 8 slices
Author: Kelly Brakenhoff
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter• 1 cup brown sugar Stevia or use regular brown sugar• 9 slices canned pineapple save the extra juice in the can• 9 maraschino cherries from a jar• 1 can Spam cut into 1/2″ slices• 1 cup whole wheat flour or white flour• 1 tsp baking powder• 1/8 tsp salt• 3 egg yolks• 1 cup Sweetener like Stevia or use white sugar• 1/2 tsp vanilla• 7 tbsp pineapple juice• 3 egg whites keep separate from yolks
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a 9″ round or square layer cake pan. Spread brown sugar evenly in pan and arrange pineapple slices on sugar, filling in spaces in pineapple centers with cherries.2. Optional, you can fry the Spam slices (like bacon) until lightly brown in a skillet before building your cake. It tastes great either way, but if texture is a consideration, try frying it first.
Arrange sliced Spam over pineapple slices.
3. Beat egg yolks until light and fluffy, adding sugar gradually; add vanilla, pineapple juice, flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir until combined.
Pour egg whites into a separate metal bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the cake mixture and stir carefully, trying to smooth out any lumps.
4. Pour batter over the prepared Spam and pineapples, spreading evenly to edges of pan.5. Bake in a preheated oven 375°F for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Turn baking pan upside down onto a serving plate. Serve warm. Store leftover cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
My family agreed to be guinea pigs for this recipe, and although one child refused to taste it, those who did said it was sweeter and tastier than they expected.
If your budget doesn’t afford you the luxury of visiting Hawai’i, you can get a taste of the islands by trying this recipe instead!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author
[image error]
Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. As an American Sign Language Interpreter with more than twenty years of experience, Kelly’s worked in college classrooms for fifteen different majors. From traipsing across muddy farm fields to stomach-churning medical procedures, and stage interpreting for famous figures, Kelly’s community interpreting interactions number in the thousands. Unfortunately, once she’s stepped away from the job, she usually forgets 90% of what happened. Which helps her keep confidential information safe, but also makes it really hard to grocery shop for more than 5 items without a written list.
Kelly wants to live in a world filled with peace, love, and joy, where people who can hear learn enough sign language to include deaf people in everyday conversations and work. Where every deaf child has early access to language and books with characters like them, and dark chocolate is cheap and plentiful.
When she’s not interpreting or writing, you can find Kelly cheering for her favorite Husker teams or training for half-marathons because she really likes dessert.
Her first mystery, Death by Dissertation, released April 22, 2019.
Author Links
Website – http://kellybrakenhoff.com/
Amazon – Https://amazon.com/author/kellybrakenhoff
Twitter- https://twitter.com/inBrakenVille
Instagram – @kellybrak
Purchase Link – Amazon
June 16, 2019
Died in the Wool: A Whisky Business Mystery by Melinda Mullet
Died in the Wool:
A Whisky Business Mystery
by Melinda Mullet
About the Book
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
Died in the Wool: A Whisky Business Mystery
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Alibi (June 18, 2019)
Print Length ~300 pages
Digital ASIN: B07GN17SQJ
No good deed goes unpunished in the Whisky Business cozy mystery series as distillery owner Abigail Logan uncovers dark secrets—and murder—at a local charity.
Photojournalist Abi Logan is finally ready to put her hectic career on hold and set down roots in the heart of the Scottish countryside. Studying the business and art of distilling whisky at Abbey Glen and volunteering at the Shepherd’s Rest women’s shelter in her spare time seem a surefire way to find the peace and stability she craves. It’s also the logical way to take her mind off her personal life. Abi’s business partner, Grant MacEwan, is facing a career-threatening disability, and as much as Abi longs to be there for him, he seems to prefer the company of a rival.
But as Abi becomes more involved with Shepherd’s Rest, she discovers that their refuge is elusive. When the shelter is rocked by a murder/suicide, Abi is outraged by the police’s lack of attention to these already marginalized women. Increasingly confident in her own skills as an investigator, Abi steps in to find out what the police will not: who left one young woman dead and another missing. But when more deadly deeds come to light, Abi must race to unravel the connections between the shelter’s benefactors and the women they have pledged to protect—and expose the killer before he strikes again.
Melinda Mullet’s delightful Whisky Business mysteries can be read together or separately. Enjoy responsibly:
SINGLE MALT MURDER | DEATH DISTILLED | DEADLY DRAM | DIED IN THE WOOL
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Melinda Mullet – Died in the Wool Blog Tour
Most of my life I thought of knitting as something my mother and my grandmother did. Itchy socks and even itchier sweaters. I still have memories as a child of being stuffed into what my mother would call ‘a nice wooly jumper’ that practically made the flesh crawl off my body. As far as I was concerned the move to cotton and synthetic fabrics was life changing.
If you’d told me then that knitting would see a resurgence, and among young people of all things, I’d never have believed it. But the Craft Yarn Council released figures recently showing that a third of women aged 25-35 now knit or crochet. Some knit for the pure joy of creating, some to relax. Research suggests that knitting can lower blood pressure, reduce depression and anxiety, help with attention deficit disorders, slow the onset of dementia, provide relief from chronic pain and even reduce loneliness and isolation. All without side effects — other than creating hand made gems.
My daughter is seventeen and in a very stressful high school environment at the moment, full of chronic over achievers and their aggressive parents. She found solace in the meditative calmness of knitting and regularly produces the most incredible, delicate handwork in the softest yarns. Moreover, she’s become a staunch advocate for knitting as a stress relieving technique and has a flock of kids in the local high school knitting as part of the county’s mental health awareness initiative. As an added bonus, the hats and scarves the kids produce are donated to our local homeless shelter.
Her efforts served as an inspiration for Died in the Wool, the fourth book in the Whisky Business Mystery Series. One of the main characters, Amanda Forrester, owns a high-end wool shop in Edinburgh where she retails exclusive and pricey, hand-crafted knitwear that helps to fund the operations of the local woman’s shelter. When the women’s haven is rocked by suicide, murder and kidnapping, my protagonist, Abi Logan, agrees to investigate.
Abi quickly comes to appreciate that Amanda’s knitting is far more than an business interest or a hobby, it is a balm for the stresses and anxiety she faces when dealing with women who have come to the shelter to escape the abusers in their lives. Abi learns to gauge Amanda’s anxiety based on the speed and complexity of the knitting emerging from her needles. As more deadly deeds come to light, Amanda’s fingers are flying, and Abi has to race to unravel the connections between the shelter’s benefactors and the women they have pledged to protect before a killer can strike again.
If you aren’t a knitter or haven’t tried for years I strongly encourage you to give it another go. How baaad can it be ! There are several web sites that can have you clicking away in no time. Thesprucecrafts.com has a full range of instructions (even for left handed knitters). For endless inspiration and mind blowing patterns from easy to complex, join Ravelry.com. And don’t forget to check out your local specialty yarn store. They are always a great source of inspiration and support.
About the Author
[image error]
Melinda Mullet was born in Dallas and attended school in Texas, Washington D.C., England, and Austria. She spent many years as a practicing attorney before pursuing a career as a writer. Author of the Whisky Business Mystery series, Mullet is a passionate supporter of childhood literacy. She works with numerous domestic and international charities striving to promote functional literacy for all children. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.
Author Links
Website – http://melindamullet.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mulletmysteries/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mulletmysteries
Purchase Links
June 15, 2019
Cliff Hanger (A Maggie McDonald Mystery) by Mary Feliz & Guest Post
Cliff Hanger
(A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
by Mary Feliz
About the Book
Cliff Hanger (A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Lyrical Underground (July 16, 2019)
Paperback: 215 pages
ISBN-10: 1516105303
ISBN-13: 978-1516105304
Digital ASIN: B07JLLRRT2
When a hang-gliding stranger is found fatally injured in the cliffs above Monterey Bay, the investigation into his death becomes a cluttered mess. Professional organizer Maggie McDonald must sort the clues to catch a coastal killer before her family becomes a target . . .
Maggie has her work cut out for her helping Renée Alvarez organize her property management office. Though the condominium complex boasts a prime location on the shores of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, aging buildings and the high-maintenance tenants have Renée run ragged. But Maggie’s efforts are complicated when her sons attempt to rescue a badly injured man who crashed his ultra-light on the coastal cliffs.
Despite their efforts to save him, the man dies. Maggie’s family members become the prime suspects in a murder investigation and the target of a lawsuit. Her instincts say something’s out of place, but solving a murder won’t be easy. Maggie still needs to manage her business, the pushy press, and unwanted interest from criminal elements. Controlling chaos is her specialty, but with this killer’s crime wave, Maggie may be left hanging . .
Guest Post
Moves like a wind-up toy.
Looks like an origami sculpture.
Makes my mom belly-laugh.
Phalarope.
What’s not to like? They are funny little aquatic birds that look as though they’re made of origami. Better still, they feed by spinning in circles and then snapping their pointy little beaks to slurp what they’ve stirred up. The result is behavior most often seen in a wind-up toy. It’s been researched by experts in hydrodynamics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Males sit on the nests and incubate the eggs.
And my 91-year-old mom can’t look at them without laughing. I love them. Several species, most often the red-necked phalarope, visit our coastal pond in the fall as they return from the Arctic tundra to their winter feeding grounds far off the coast of South America.
Spotting them any other time is unusual. Their primary habitat is at sea, feeding off the critters that hang out in kelp beds. But every once in a while, during particularly stormy weather, one or two will seek sheltered waters ashore.
And while they’re quietly spinning their circles, the local birding community goes mad. This spring, my novice birder husband spotted four phalaropes early in the morning. Three were already dressed in full-mating plumage for the Arctic party. The trio were easily identifiable as the red-necked phalaropes, male and female.
But another bird lurked in their midst. The mostly white and grey mottled bird with dramatic eye markings sported its subtle winter feathers. We told a local avian aficionado, asking him to let us know when he’d identified the fourth bird. He told a few friends. Within the hour there were five birders with binoculars, cameras, and funny hats recording every head bob. A gentle drizzle pockmarked the water surface. Pondering head slope, beak length and width, markings, and body size, no one was sure. Was it a red-necked, or the far rarer and slightly larger red phalarope? The birds swam close enough together for a size comparison and cameras clicked as though snapping royal offspring. By mid-afternoon, in driving rain and high winds, more fans ogled from the shoreline. That evening, after enlarging and comparing photos online, Alex Rinkert, an editor for the E-bird phone app, made the call. Size, head, and beak made it a red.
My novice birder husband had been the first to alert the locals. Mostly, we were happy to share our avian neighbors with the bird-crazy community. But there was a certain amount of sublime pleasure in having scooped the experts.
What does birding have to do with writing? I’m not sure, but a significant percentage of authors are nature geeks, including bird watchers. Maybe it’s the patience required for both pursuits. Maybe it’s the need soothe our brains with the peace that can only be found in the outdoors. Or the creativity that’s sparked when quiet minds are immersed in a world in which we’re not in control. It’s a mystery!
What about you? Are you a nature lover, a city slicker, or both? Have you ever spotted a natural phenomenon that the experts missed? How do you spur your creativity?
Mary Feliz writes the Maggie McDonald Series of cozy mysteries featuring a professional organizer turned amateur detective and her sidekick golden retriever in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Cliff Hanger, the fifth book in the series, releases July 16 from Kensington Publishing. Address to Die For, the first title in the six-book series, was named a Best Book of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews. A resident of Northern California for decades, she now lives on Monterey Bay, enjoying the area’s myriad natural treasures. She attends organizing conferences in her character’s stead, but Maggie’s skills leave her in the dust. For more about Mary and her books, visit her website at http://www.maryfeliz.com.
Photo Captions:
Red phalarope in non-breeding plumage
An aerial view of the pond, slough, and Monterey Bay near Sunset Beach in Santa Cruz County, California.
Red-necked phalarope (foreground) with juvenile mallards behind, ducking their heads to eat.
About the Author
Mary Feliz writes the Maggie McDonald Mysteries featuring a Silicon Valley professional organizer and her sidekick golden retriever. She’s worked for Fortune 500 firms and mom and pop enterprises competed in whale boat races and done synchronized swimming. She attends organizing conferences in her character’s stead, but Maggie’s skills leave her in the dust. Her first book, ADDRESS TO DIE FOR, received a Kirkus Star and was named a Best Book of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews.
Author Links: Website – Blog – Facebook – Twitter
Purchase Links:
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 16 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST
July 16 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
July 17 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT
July 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
July 17 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 18 – Handcrafted Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 18 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
July 19 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 19 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
July 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
July 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST
July 21 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 22 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 22 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Granny Bricks A Bandit (Fuchsia, Minnesota Series) by Julie Seedorf
Granny Bricks A Bandit
(Fuchsia, Minnesota Series)
by Julie Seedorf
About the Book
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
Granny Bricks A Bandit (Fuchsia, Minnesota Series)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Cozy Cat Press (February 18, 2019)
Paperback: 239 pages
ISBN-10: 194606372X
ISBN-13: 978-1946063724
Digital ASIN: B07P1J663L
Granny and her cohorts are at it again! When Granny and her neighbor Mavis, go water-skiing and discover a dead body, Granny’s sleuthing instincts take over! She is determined to identify the corpse and find the killer. But wait! No sooner are Granny and her cohorts on the murderer’s trail, then Mavis’ husband George suddenly disappears! Could he be the killer’s next victim? Or could he be the killer? When the gals take a side trip to the Mall of America, they find a man fell to his death on a climbing wall––and Mavis is certain she spots George nearby! What does it all mean? Will Granny get to the bottom of it, with the help of her entourage of buddies and pets?
About the Author
[image error]
A Bit About Me As An Impassioned Writer
As human beings, we are always a work in progress. From birth to death we live, hurt, laugh, cry, feel, and with all of those emotions we grow as people, as family members, and as friends. I am a dreamer and feel blessed to have the opportunity in my writing to pass those dreams on to others. I believe you are never too old to dream and to turn those dreams into a creative endeavor. I live in rural Minnesota and I am a wife, mother, and grandmother.
I have worn many hats throughout my life such as working as a waitress, nursing home activities person, office manager and finally a computer repair person eventually owning my own computer sales and repair business. I never forgot my love of writing and quit my computer business in 2012 after signing a contract with Cozy Cat Press for Granny Hooks A Crook, the first book in my Fuchsia, Minnesota Series.
Adding four more books to the Fuchsia Series, adding a new Brilliant, Minnesota Series and writing a column for local newspapers feeds my writing creativity.
I also dabble a bit in watercolor painting and hope to eventually add pictures to my children’s book series, Granny’s In Trouble.
Oh, and did I tell you I like to be a little bit silly.
Author Links
Website: http://julieseedorf.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/julieseedorf
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/julie_seedorf
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/julieseedorf
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Seedorf/e/B009WAAANQ
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/JulieSeedorf
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JulieSeedorf
Purchase Links
Other Formats – Nook, BarnesandNoble.com, Ibooks, Overdrive
June 14, 2019
Remaking Christmas by Derra Snow blitz with Xpresso Book Tours
Remaking Christmas
Derra Snow
Publication date: June 11th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Ada’s love life is a wreck. She knows true love and happily-ever-afters only exist in the books she reads.
It’s Christmas again. For the first time, she’s going to Green Mountain Inn to get away from her woes. But there’s not the only reason. It’s her favorite romance author Patricia Millett’s rumored hangout spot.
There, Ada runs into Warren, a charming guy, who’s also has his share of woes. But there’s more to Warren than just his good looks, something Ada could never imagine. And Ada soon finds herself lured by the hope of romance that has failed her terribly before. Will Warren restore trust her trust in love or become yet another mistake?
—
EXCERPT:
Turning, Ada saw the last person she expected to.
“It’s you,” she said.
“It’s you,” he said.
Still, Ada didn’t know what to say. Last time, he’d basically run away from her like she had a catching case of pneumonia, and now he was genuinely happy to see her?
Was this guy bipolar something? Either that or suffering from some dark secret.
Well, Ada reflected a bit sadly, we all have our secrets.
“Sorry about before,” he said now. “This place has a lot of memories for me. Good and bad. I’m still trying to get over the bad.”
“It’s okay,” Ada admitted. “I came here to get over some things, too.”
He nodded, not prying more. That worked for Ada just fine. She wouldn’t ask him to show her his if he didn’t ask her to show him hers.
Warren’s gaze had moved to the cookies in her hand. “Good choice.”
Ada’s brow rose – really?
Warren gave an adorable, crooked smile that Ada was starting to realize was his signature. “Ok, got me. Main thing is, are you a cookie and book type of person or not?”
“Definitely,” Ada said. “Although we probably don’t like the same type of books.”
” Try me.”
“Okay.” Ada could feel her cheeks heating up already. Harlequins were her guilty pleasure, emphasis on the guilty. She never had any problem confiding in other women of her little hobby, but for some reason, maybe because of Robbie’s outright mockery of them, she always had trouble telling men. “Okay. I read romances.”
Warren’s face, sometimes such an open book, was hard to read.
“There,” Ada said. “Laugh if you want. But I even came here because I heard one of my favorite romance novelists Patricia Millett does.”
“I’m not going to laugh,” he said simply.
“But you think it’s stupid,” Ada persisted.
“No,” he said. “Not at all. There’s something about romances that other books don’t have. Maybe it’s the happy endings or the belief of the best in human relationships, I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s nothing worth taking lightly or laughing about.”
Ada’s jaw dropped. “What are you, some kind of literature prof?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what my job is?” she teased.
“Only if you want me to.”
“No,” she decided. Her office job bored her to tears. “Ask me about my cat.”
“All right. Tell me about your cat.”
Ada was about to say, I could do you one better and have you meet him, but she clamped her lips shut. What was going on with her?
Being around Warren like this made her forget herself. She felt so open and free, like she could say anything, and he would still smile at her with those kind eyes. She felt like she’d lost ten years in ten minutes.
Ada bit her lip. She had to be careful. Despite how she left, she hardly knew Warren, and hardly even knew what he did for a living. Literature professor? Was he serious?
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 13, 2019
O’Connor Brothers by A.S. Kelly blitz with Xpresso Book Tours
Ian
A.S. Kelly
(O’Connor Brothers, #1)
Publication date: February 15th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
A year ago, she begged me to stay.
A year later, it’s my turn to beg her not to go.
My obsession. My downfall.
I tried to resist, to keep her at a distance.
I tried to save myself.
But no one will be saved here, not even a selfish bastard like me.
My life has always been about sport and family, including my stupid brothers. Until that night, the night I made the worst decision of my life. And I’m still paying the price for it.
We both are.
But the time has come to take back control of the situation, to risk it all, to convince her to let me in, because she can’t be anything other than mine.
I am Ian O’Connor, and I’m about to accept this challenge: to try and hold on to the only woman I’ll ever be able to love.
And even if I already know how this badly written romance is going to end, I won’t back away. This time, I’m going all the way. Because I only want her.
And I have no intention of losing her.
I’m an O’Connor, and the O’Connors never lose.
—
Ryan
A.S. Kelly
(O’Connor Brothers, #2)
Publication date: May 20th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
I’ve gone back: back to the place where it all started, where somebody else had the final say.
I did it out of love for my family.
I’m trying to rebuild my life, to stay standing, even though my legs hurt like hell. I’m concentrating on myself, on my career.
I’m ready to tear everything apart to try and keep it all together. To hate without feeling guilty for it, because hating others is the only way I know how to keep myself – the person I am – going; and I was doing it.
I was strong. I was untouchable. I was invincible.
Actually, I was deluded.
I didn’t consider everything. I didn’t consider her: the only woman I really want to hate, but who gives me hope. A woman who turns your world upside-down, who entwines herself into your life even if she can only stay until tomorrow.
I’m not looking for tomorrow: I want a future. But I don’t believe in that anymore.
And I can’t turn back, not even for her.
My name is Ryan O’Connor, and I’m about to make a huge mistake. I’m about to let her believe in me, to take a chance. But she’d be betting on the wrong man. I’ve never been the right one. And she’ll be left accepting her bitter defeat.
—
IAN EXCERPT:
“Tell me that everything’s okay,” he says seriously. “Tell me that this time no one’s going to run away or regret this or lose their mind over it.”
I look at him and smile. “None of those things are going to happen.”
He exhales and caresses my face with his hand.
“Riley Murray, you’re breathtaking, you know that?”
My heart swells in my chest.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
He laughs, rolling onto his back and bringing me with him. I lie down and stretch out alongside him, resting my head on his chest. I caress his pecs, his shoulders and his arms. I hear him sigh every time I change the movement.
“Do you want to know what I really like?”
He turns his head to look at me better. I raise my gaze and let myself be taken in by the warmth in his eyes.
“This. You and me.”
He exhales deeply as if he had been holding his breath this whole time.
“I’m begging you, please don’t leave me in the middle of the night.”
And in this moment, with his eyes as sweet and melancholy as I’ve ever seen, Ian O’Connor takes my heart and I know he’ll never give it back.
Author Bio:
A.S. Kelly was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, their two children and a cat named Oscar.
Bookworm, English Literature lover, music passionate, coffee drinker, she lives in a small village in the North of Dublin, where she looks for inspiration for her new stories.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Facebook Group / Instagram / Twitter / Newsletter
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Get Up and Ghost: A Chantilly Adair Psychic Medium Cozy Mystery by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Divorced mother Chantilly Adair didn’t take the job as the head of the Castleberry Georgia Historical Society because she thought it would be easy, in fact, she felt the exact opposite, and that suited her just fine. Desperate to get away from Birmingham and her ex-husband, she took her pre-teen son and high-tailed it straight to her childhood home in Castleberry, Georgia, and the echoes of her recently deceased parents.
A tumble down a flight of stairs and causing a bump on the head hasn’t hindered Chantilly from rehabbing the historical presence in town, but finding the dead body of the town’s BBQ king just days before the annual BBQ competition puts her right in the local detective’s hot seat.
When the spirit rumored to be haunting the dead man’s restaurant appears, Chantilly’s not sure which is worse, being accused of murder, or claiming a spirit might have had something to do with it.
Now Chantilly must save herself from a life behind bars or a stay in the psychiatric ward, and still get the competition going on time.
If you like Southern or paranormal cozy mysteries, you’ll love this first book in the Chantilly Adair Psychic Medium Cozy Mystery Series.
My thoughts:
Chantilly is the head of the Gerogia Historical Society in the northern town of Castleberry. She loves her job and does it well. She moved back after her divorce and brought her 12 year old son with her.
After falling down the stairs at work she is starting to see and hear things that are not normal for her. When one of the BBQ contestants die she is on a mission to set the record staright for her and a ghost?
This was a fun story to read and a great start to a series. I loved Chantilly, Del, Thelma and Chantilly’s assistant Olivia. We also have a sexy detective that thinks dating is a big hassel for him.
The writing was superb you wanted to know what was going to happen. Was there really a ghost who killed Billy? We can’t forget her new friend Angela Panther who knows what she is doing and guiding Chantilly. You will be kept guessing up until the end at least I was. There are so many twists and turns.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Buy links
Free on KU right now….Amazon
I write mysteries and contemporary romances featuring imperfect women with a flair for telling it like it is. My stories focus on relationships whether they’re between friends, family members, couples, townspeople or strangers because ultimately, it’s relationships that make a story.
I’m now an empty-nester, and I live in the Atlanta suburbs with my husband, two Pit Bull-Boxer mix dogs and two cantankerous cats, but you’ll often find me at a local coffee shop people watching (and listening), or as I like to call it, plotting my next novel.
I’m also the founding author of a private reader/author collective on Facebook, Sleuthing Women—Read. Sleuth. Solve. Repeat., a group focused on an exclusive community of female authors writing female sleuth mysteries. My fellow author and friend Tonya Kappes and I have also started a fun little cozy mystery group there as well, so make sure to check out that group, too. It’s called Cozy Town Sleuths. We’d love to have you be a part of each group!
If you’d like to keep up to date on what I’ve got going on, sign up for my mailing list. It’s filled with info and freebies from me and other authors.
For a complete media kit, review copies, to schedule appearances, speaking engagements or make book club arrangements, please send an email to carolyn -(@)- carolynridderaspenson -(dot)- com, and someone will get back to you ASAP! Thanks so much for stopping by!
I’m excited you’ve stopped by and look forward to us getting to know each other!
June 12, 2019
Love At The Shore by Teri Wilson blitz with Xpresso Book Tours
Love At The Shore
Teri Wilson
Published by: Hallmark Publishing
Publication date: June 11th 2019
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance
She came to the beach to write…
But she’s getting distracted by the surfer next door.
Jenna, a single mom and successful author, has five weeks to deliver her next young adult novel to the publisher. This year’s summer getaway with her kids will be a working vacation.
The only problem? Lucas, the devil-may-care surfer in the beach rental next to hers. He cranks up his music at night, hosts loud volleyball matches, and allows his dog to run around at will.
Jenna often blames him for her writer’s block. But before long, she begins to see a new side of her neighbor at the shore. Maybe opposites do attract…but will that attraction fade like a sunset once summer is gone?
This funny, emotional romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Shrimp Scampi.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo
—
EXCERPT:
Lucas McKinnon unzipped his wet suit, peeled it down to his waist, and let the spray of the outdoor shower beat the salt and sand off his torso. If there was one thing he liked almost as much as a morning surf, it was a nice, hot shower afterward. The fact that the shower on the lower deck of the beach house offered him a clear, unobstructed view of the shore made it even sweeter.
The sea was unusually still today, as smooth and glassy as a mirror. Not so great for surfing, but undeniably pretty to look at it. Without the usual spray coming off the breakers, he could see the lighthouse looming in the distance. Just off the shore, a pair of dolphins crested the flat surface of the water, their silver forms glistening in the morning sunlight.
The calm before the storm.
Or so it seemed. In reality, the forecast was mild. Lucas checked the surf report every day like clockwork, and according to the TybeeWaves web site, there wouldn’t be a raindrop in sight. Still, he couldn’t remember the last time his little slice of the beach had been so serene. It was nearly as unsettling as it was beautiful.
Then, just as he was about to flick the shower faucet to the off position, the stillness of the moment came to a colorful, bewildering close as a woman came bounding down the stairs.
“What the heck?” She gaped at him, wide-eyed and frozen in place.
For a minute, Lucas thought she might turn around and bolt back up the stairs.
“Whoa. Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect a shower.” Cheeks ablaze, she swallowed and averted her gaze. “Right in the middle of our place.”
“Sorry about that.” He gave the faucet a crank to the left and the shower’s stream came to a dripping halt. “You must be the new neighbor.”
The trickle of water slowed to a stop.
Plop.
Plop.
Plop.
Three slow drops, and she still couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
“Um, yeah. We just checked in,” she said to a nearby hibiscus bush, then nodded at the bin in her hands. “I just wanted to find somewhere to put this.”
Wow, this was one jumpy woman. Lucas wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a person who vibrated with such nervous energy. It rolled off of her in waves.
The forecast had been wrong. A storm had most definitely come to town. From the looks of things, a Category Four. Maybe even a Five.
Author Bio:
Teri Wilson is the author/creator of the Hallmark Channel Original Movies UNLEASHING MR. DARCY, MARRYING MR. DARCY, THE ART OF US and NORTHERN LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS, based on her book SLEIGH BELL SWEETHEARTS. She is a three-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction. Teri has a major weakness for cute animals, pretty dresses and Audrey Hepburn films, and she loves following the British royal family.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
