Aubrey Wynne's Blog, page 17
January 22, 2024
Slightly Delayed and Somewhat Haphazard by Amber Laura excerpt and giveaway
Slightly Delayed and Somewhat Haphazard
Amber Laura
Publication date: November 16th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Miranda Monroe’s world just imploded. Not only did she just get dumped by her long-time boyfriend, but she got dumped in the most humiliatingly painful way imaginable. Very suddenly single, homeless, and heartbroken, she runs to the only person she knows will always be there for her.
Sam Church. Her best friend (and the man she’d once secretly been madly in love with).
Which is how she finds herself, emotionally spent and financially crippled, somehow agreeing to his outrageous offer: that she move into his guest bedroom. Temporarily, of course. Just until she gets back on her feet.
There’s only one problem. In the midst of mending her shattered heart, in the process of trying to find herself again (just who is Miranda Monroe?), her thoughts keep getting distracted, wandering in the most confusing and forbidden of ways…just down the hall from her.
Which is ludicrous. The most commitment-phobic person she’s ever met, Sam is off-limits to Miranda for all kinds of reasons. But mostly, because he’s her best friend—and she loves him too much to lose him. So why, suddenly, can’t she seem to stop fantasizing about him? Why can’t she stop hoping for something more?
Slightly Delayed and Somewhat Haphazard is a best-friends-to-lovers romantic comedy underscored with notes of healing fiction and the echoing sentiments of an adult coming-of-age novel.
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EXCERPT:
The story was outlandish.
At turns, both unbelievable and absurdly awful.
All the same, the story was true.
Leaning forward in her chair, her body braced as if for impact, Miranda Monroe watched as her words sank in. She canvassed the face before her. The high cheekbones tautening, those green eyes narrowing, clouding with confusion, with disbelief as they stared so questioningly back at her.
Waiting, Miranda carefully studied the face of Sam Church.
Her best friend and emotional benefactor. Her anchor.
He looked… gobsmacked, she decided. That was only to be expected. She turned her attention to the cocktail glass in front of her next; it was bleeding with condensation. Absently, Miranda stirred the quickly melting ice—but it was a lost cause. Especially since she had no intention of actually drinking her drink.
Probably should have been an odd choice, then, for her to end up at The Oasis Bar and Grill.
“That doesn’t—what are you talking about?”
Miranda smirked fatalistically as she peeked back up at Sam. “You know, I think those may have been my first words as well.”
“Noel got married.” His voice was incredulous.
“Mm. Yes. To Kourtney.”
“In New Hampshire?” He repeated.
“While on a business trip,” Miranda reminded him through numbed lips. All the same, the ache in her stomach intensified, restricted her breathing as she forced herself to relive the horror of those words again.
“Apparently,” she added, for good measure, “it seems that for the first time in his life, Noel decided to make an exceptionally grand gesture.”
Marry one woman while still dating (while still living with) another woman.
“Are you—are you okay?” A stupid question, to be sure, but Miranda couldn’t blame Sam for asking it. It was a hard situation for knowing what to say.
….
It was supposed to be her.
Miranda was supposed to be the one marrying Noel. (Granted, he hadn’t technically asked but it had been an unspoken though long-expected part of their future.) Four years; that’s how long they’d been together. Pictures of them dotted the walls and shelves of their apartment—a perfectly happy couple smiling back at the camera. Furniture they’d agonized over and purchased together filled every nook and cranny of the place—marking it theirs and theirs alone.
And then, in one instant, an instant in which she’d had no say, they simply, they simply weren’t dating anymore. She was left alone. He was left with someone else’s ring on his finger.
Tears misted Miranda’s eyes. A few slipped past her lids, inking down her face. She brushed them away impatiently, sniffed the rest back in place.
He’d never let on. Never let on that he’d fallen in love with his co-worker. Miranda’s teeth ground together as a picture of Kourtney floated before her eyes. Long, willowy frame; stylishly arranged dark hair always draped just so over her shoulder; large oval eyes with an open, honest face. The snake.
Miranda had liked Kourtney. She’d welcomed her into their home. Into their social circle. Stupid fool that she was, she’d thought nothing of her and Noel’s inside jokes or shared smiles. She’d chalked it up to professional camaraderie. Frankly, she’d enjoyed not having to listen to his lengthy stories about this client or that one—she’d enjoyed the reprieve from acronyms and talk of policies and procedures she knew nothing about. She’d been happy to let them carry on without her.
She just hadn’t realized then what that meant.
(This excerpt is an abridged version of what appears in the book.)
Author Bio:
7 Fun Facts about Amber Laura:
1.If there’s creamer, I’m drinking coffee. And when I edit, there’s always creamer.
2.I do my best daydreaming on long car rides.
3.Some of my favorite stories came as follow-up answers to the question: “What if…?”
4.I’m the mother of a darling (if slightly overweight), 16-year-old cat. She’s kind of my mascot.
5.One of my favorite parts of writing is inventing new places—or traveling to spaces where I’ve not actually been. It’s magical and never disappointing.
6.Writing may be a solitary process, but then the characters always keep me company.
7.I’ve never quite figured out if I like to write by plot or the seat of my pants.
8.(Because I write, I don’t math.) When a scene isn’t coming together on a piece of writing, or a string of dialogue is falling flat, I like to close my eyes and picture the whole thing as though it were being acted out on a movie screen—and forty minutes later, I usually wake up!
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram
GIVEAWAY!
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—
January 18, 2024
The Talented Fairy Tales by S. C. Grayson
Bridgerton Meets Peaky Blinders
We are thrilled announce that both Beauty and the Blade and Little Red Shadow by S.C. Grayson are now available!
Beauty and the Blade (The Talented Fairy Tales Book 1)
Publication Date: January 5, 2024
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy/ Fairy Tale Fantasy
Most London socialites dream of marrying for love or status, but Contessa’s wedding is about justice—and revenge.
Nathanial Woodrow is known on the streets of London as the Beast, leader of the fearsome Lion gang who mark their victims with three slashes on their face. Since her mother was found dead with the signature slashes years ago, Contessa has wanted nothing more than to see her murderer brought to justice. However, the Beast has been impeccable at maintaining his façade as the high society Mr. Nathanial Woodrow, and nobody has been able to gather enough evidence to convict him. When the Beast unexpectedly asks Contessa’s father, the Chief of the Royal Police, for her hand in marriage, Contessa and her father hatch a plan to bring him down from the inside.
As Contessa enters the lion’s den in search of evidence to convict the Beast, she finds that not everything is as she once thought. Her father’s work, hunting down Talented that use their magic to rule the criminal underworld, is thrown into question with each glimpse of the kind-hearted man beneath the mask of a hardened gang leader. As Contessa navigates her search for justice, she finds herself questioning what side she’s really on, and why she finds herself drawn to a man she’s supposed to hate.
Little Red Shadow (The Talented Fairy Tales Book 2)
Publication Date: January 5, 2024
Genre: Fairy Tale Fantasy Romance/ Gaslamp
The Wolves are out for blood, but Scarlett doesn’t intend to let them catch their prey.
When Scarlett’s friend Georgette starts receiving death threats from the Wolves, a powerful street gang, she sets out uncover why they want a prominent socialite dead. As a Talented gangster herself, Scarlett goes undercover. Instead of a hardened murderer, she discovers the charming younger son of a Duke, Benedict Pearce, is the would-be assassin. Clearly not a killer at heart, Scarlett decides to trust the handsome rogue, and they join forces to put a stop to the Wolves mysterious machinations and save her friend.
As the pair begin their investigations, as well as a fictitious courtship to throw the Wolves off their trail, Scarlett must reckon with a past she prefers to keep hidden. Benedict, constantly jovial and flirtatious, slowly chips away at the shadows Scarlett has built around her heart.
Still, as the search uncovers deeper levels of deception, their ruse becomes increasingly dangerous. When facing down the Wolves, Scarlett is forced to confront how far into the shadows she is willing to go to protect the ones who have her heart.
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January 10, 2024
The Buffalo Butcher by Robert Brighton with a giveaway
The Buffalo Butcher: Jack the Ripper in the Electric City
Robert Brighton
Publication date: October 8th 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical
Has Jack the Ripper returned?
Summer 1901, and the great Pan-American Exposition welcomes the world to Buffalo, New York—Queen of the Lakes . . . the Electric City. Eight million visitors throng the bustling boomtown—all of them looking for a good time.
While the Pan-American blazes bright, in its shadow lies a zone of darker pleasures: the Tenderloin District, a rabbit’s warren of saloons, brothels, and ask-no-questions hotels. In this sprawling vice quarter, fully as large as the Exposition itself, fairgoers can indulge their less innocent appetites.
As heat and swarming crowds choke the city, the bodies of prostitutes begin turning up, slashed and mutilated by a pitiless hand—their flesh carved with strange symbols. Their gruesome murders are a final indignity worked on once-hopeful young women.
Some say the killings are the work of the Devil himself. Others hint that the Whitechapel Murderer, Jack the Ripper, has crossed the Atlantic to resume his bloody career. Yet the city’s power brokers—afraid of any publicity that would harm the Exposition—turn a blind eye to the victims.
As the bloody summer wears on, only one thing is clear: it’ll be up to the working girls themselves to stop the carnage. And in The Buffalo Butcher, five of them will stand together to confront the killer . . . and to reclaim their humanity.
An important new novel by Robert Brighton, acclaimed author of the Avenging Angel Detective Agency™ Mysteries.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
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A NOTE TO THE READER:
From The Author…
Those of you who have read some, or all, of my Avenging Angel Detective Agency Mysteries will find this book both a departure and a return.
As a departure, the Avenging Angel Detective Agency doesn’t figure in this book. But as a return, we travel back to 1901, and again (as we did all too briefly in The Unsealing) make a visit to Buffalo’s historical high point—the Pan-American Exposition.
Since The Buffalo Butcher is an off-series book—distinct from the Avenging Angel Detective Agency™ Mysteries—so you’ll find in it all new characters and the horrifying notion that in 1901, thirteen years after concluding his bloody career in London—Jack the Ripper comes to the Pan-American Exposition and begins killing prostitutes. But there’s a lot more to the story.
Eight million people—about one in nine Americans—came to Buffalo, New York, to see the “Pan.” The cynics thought it was nothing more than yet another bloated world’s fair. But most found the Electric City to be an expression of all that was good and hopeful: the unity of North and South American nations, the triumph of Man over Nature, and the advent of the modern scientific and engineering marvels that would herald a new century of peace and prosperity.
We can debate which camp won out, but one thing is certain. The assassination of President William McKinley in the Pan-American’s Temple of Music drew a curtain forever over the promise of the Pan— and left Buffalo with a bitter legacy that is remembered even today.
The Buffalo Butcher also takes us into a darker side of bright, up-and-coming Buffalo, then the nation’s fastest-growing city. We visit the back alleys of the Tenderloin District, a large red-light zone in the heart of downtown, where most anything was tolerated by city officials and police, so long as it stayed put. Hundreds of brothels and low-end dives huddled together in the Tenderloin and existed—for the most part—on the exploitation of young women who often had no other good option.
It’s an unflinching and sometimes hard-to-bear story of the real evil that walks among us, the warped and wicked who prey on the vulnerable, and how they work their black magic. I could not turn away from that part: If you’re looking for a ‘cozy mystery’, this ain’t it—I had to tell the story in a way that would do honor to the victims, and without any sympathy for the devil.
Yet, I think, Butcher it is also a story of friendship and love, decency and honor, and perhaps most of all courage, among a group of outcast women confronting loneliness, condemnation, shame, and loss. The masks come off in The Buffalo Butcher, and while as always I hope you’ll find it a good read, I hope too that you’ll find the story as touching as I did—even if a little spooky.
Author Bio:
Award-winning author Robert Brighton is an authority on the Gilded Age, and a great believer that the Victorian era was anything but stuffy. In his Avenging Angel Detective Agency Mysteries, Brighton exposes the turbulence of the era – its passions, dreams, and disasters – against a backdrop of careful research on the places, sights, sounds, and smells of the time.
When he is not walking the streets in the footsteps of the Avenging Angels, sniffing out unsolved mysteries, Brighton is an adventurer. He has traveled in more than 50 countries around the world, personally throwing himself into every situation his characters will face – from underground ruins to opium dens – and (so far) living to tell about it.
A graduate of the Sorbonne, Paris, Brighton is an avid student of early 20th Century history and literature, an ardent and relentless investigator, and an admirer of Emily Dickinson and Jim Morrison. He lives in Virginia with his wife and their two cats.
Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest
GIVEAWAY!
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—
December 14, 2023
THE JIG IS UP by MK Scott plus giftcard giveaway
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M K Scott will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
I looked forward to sipping tea and exploring Mark’s ancestral roots in Ireland, but oh, what a twist of fate!
My life as owner of The Painted Lady Inn hardly prepared me for this. With my detective husband by my side, we embark on a journey filled with mayhem, murder, and mischief.
As I savor every bite of Irish stew and soak in the breathtaking scenery, little do I know that our vacation will turn into a whirlwind of sleuthing.
Who could have imagined the secrets hidden behind Mark’s family tree? And what dark secrets lurk in this picturesque village, threatening to shatter the tranquility?
The jig is up, and it’s up to us to untangle the web of intrigue.
Read an Excerpt
A large delivery truck emblazoned with the word Tato and a smiling potato wearing a bowler hat careened around the curve. “Mark, watch out! He’s coming right at us.”
“What’s his problem?” Mark exclaimed, pushing in the clutch and shifting down while guiding the tiny car to the suggestion of a shoulder. The truck honked as it whizzed by them causing the small car to sway.
“Um…” Donna cleared her throat. “I think you were in his lane.”
Mark muttered something indecipherable, then closed his eyes. “You’re right. If I wasn’t so flummoxed by this joke of a car, I might have remembered they drive on the left side of the road. Add in the manual transmission, which I haven’t driven since high school. Having to use my left hand for shifting doesn’t help.”
“I know, honey.” She reached over to pat her husband’s arm, which only required moving her hand the slightest bit. “At least we’re still in the airport parking lot as opposed to an actual road.”
“Good thing.” His eyes flickered open and he inhaled audibly. “It is what it is. Let’s start by getting on the right side of the road.”
“Left side.” Donna couldn’t stop herself from commenting.
After glancing both ways, Mark steered the vehicle over to the left lane. “They could have at least put some reminder to drive on the left side.”
“They did.” She pointed to white transparent letters slightly above eye view that read: Stay Left.
“Not the easiest to read.”
“Of course not,” she readily agreed with her husband, well aware a portion of his attitude came from being tricked by the counter clerk. The rest came from being out of control. So far, this wasn’t the trip they’d planned. “How about you find a car going our way and just stay behind it? That’s what I do on long trips.”
About the Author
M. K. Scott is the Morgan and Scott cozy mystery writing team of The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries, The Talking Dog Detective Agency, The Way Over the Hill Gang, Cupid’s Catering Company, and The Tenacious Librarian series. Morgan pens the tales, while Scott serves as first editor and webmaster. Daughter Sarah handles the social media and Jane the Lab supervises digging in the garden.Amazon Author Page: https://smile.amazon.com/M-K-Scott/e/B01M4JGK1A
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-k-scott
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMorganKWyatt/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2863959.M_K_Scott
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgankwyatt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMKScott
Website: http://www.morgankwyatt.com/
The book is on sale for only $0.99.
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December 13, 2023
THE SANTA GAMES by Leanne Treese with giveaway
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Reeling from a broken engagement, Andi Carter swears off men. She quits her job in New York and returns home to figure out next steps. Luckily, she quickly finds a job–one that will take her mind off her ex–as a caretaker for an elderly widower, Liam Quinn. Liam is the owner of Christmastown, a holiday-themed amusement park that shut down years ago. But he’s anxious to reopen it, and Andi, loving the concept, throws herself into helping him. It’s the perfect distraction. Bonus: there are no eligible men for miles.
Until Matt Taylor shows up to audit the park.
Matt is handsome, charming, and full of surprises. Even Liam’s notoriously cranky cat, Claus, likes him. Andi works with Matt on a Christmastown project and platonic feelings turn into a full-fledged crush…maybe a little more. She likes this guy. Unbelievably, Matt seems to like her back.
Only she soon discovers that Matt isn’t who he says he is. So now, Andi has another decision to make—run away and start over—again? Or stay, and hear Matt out? After all, Christmas is the season of miracles…
Read an Excerpt
She doesn’t finish her sentence. She doesn’t have to. I know how it ends. Andi needs Christmastown to become a reality.
And I’ve been charged with making sure that doesn’t happen.
About the Author:
Leanne Treese is an award-winning author of women’s fiction and romance. Her books have each independently been described as having “all the feels.” When she’s not writing, Leanne loves running, forcing her family to play board games (Settlers of Catan anyone?), and spoiling her beloved dogs. Leanne’s favorite locations include her backyard, the Jersey shore, and anywhere that sells books or coffee, preferably both. A lifelong learner, Leanne’s dream life would include going back to college and majoring in everything.Website: http://www.leannetreese.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorleanne50
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leannetreese
Read the book for free on https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Games-Leanne-Treese-ebook/dp/B0BB3GR3S7/ref=sr_1_1
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Trust No One by Glenn Dyer with excerpt and giveaway
Trust No One
Glenn Dyer
(Conor Thorn Series, #4)
Publication date: December 11th 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical, Thriller
Loyalists meant to rid their country of a double-dealing collaborator. Instead, they created a threat that could destroy Allied unity.
Algiers. Winter 1942. Conor Thorn is devastated. He’s been fired from the OSS. His wife, Emily, has been fired from MI6. They allowed their morals to bend certain truths concerning the outcome of their last mission. Forever dedicated to defeating Axis powers, these skilled operatives jump at the chance to secretly help General Eisenhower deal with a political time bomb threatening Allied harmony and to redeem their honorable standing. To recover a rumored archive holding the truth about an assassination plot, they must travel deep into perilous Axis territory.
In the crosshairs of those determined to keep the information out of Allied hands, Conor and Emily fall victim to a violent assault. Though the resulting injuries leave him severely concussed and confused, Conor refuses to stand down while his beloved ventures deeper into danger.
Can Conor and Emily piece together a political puzzle in time to keep Allied unity from fracturing?
Trust No One is the high intensity, gritty fourth book in the Conor Thorn WWII espionage series inspired by true events. If you like heart-pounding action and white-knuckled tension, then you’ll love Glenn Dyer’s thrill ride through history.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
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EXCERPT:
Conor stirred. His head was pounding like the bass drum in the US Naval Academy marching band. When he opened his eyes, one person stared back at him. The facial features were out of focus, as if he were looking through cheesecloth. He blinked. The onlooker’s mouth began to flap. He sat up, but his head almost exploded. A hand pushed him back. The cheesecloth dissolved, and he could see someone smiling at him. Given the slow shake of his head, Captain Jack Waddon was not pleased to see him.
“You are one lucky bastard, Conor,” Waddon said.
Conor looked around and recognized that he was back aboard Waddon’s Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina, the ship that had taken him, Emily, and Father Sean Sullivan to Italy on their mission to snatch Ettore Majorana. “What did you say?” He could barely hear his own words. “What the hell happened?” He reached for his throbbing forehead and felt a knot the size of a billiard ball. The surface of his forehead radiated a low heat.
“You were introduced to a blackjack swung by one angry MP, that’s what happened,” Waddon said. “As far as being lucky, well, that’s because Commander Butcher saved your butt. Told the MP that he’d take it up with Colonel Eddy himself and see that you, being nonmilitary, would exit the theater as soon as he could arrange transport.”
Conor rolled over onto his right side. The two men were in the plane’s compartment forward of the waist gunner’s area and aft of the flight engineer’s compartment. He reached for the back of his head and discovered a lump where the blackjack had ambushed him. “Stevens?”
“Hauled out of there to the field hospital. Out cold. Like you were.”
Conor groaned.
“Here,” Waddon said as he handed him a damp handkerchief.
Conor spied white gauze peeking out from under Waddon’s left sleeve. Waddon had been wounded three weeks prior when his PBY approached the beach near Anzio to exfiltrate Conor, Emily, Sean Sullivan, and Ettore Majorana.
“How’s the arm?”
Waddon waved off the question. “On the mend. Already back in the left seat.”
Conor nodded, then held up the handkerchief. “What’s this for?”
“Your ear. There’s some dried blood. Stevens must have landed at least one blow.”
Conor took the handkerchief and dabbed at his right ear, loosening some dried flakes but also coming away with some fresh blood. The bass drummer in his head pounded away. His head had seen better days.
“So you dragged my ass here after Butcher saved it?”
“Yep. Me and DiLazzaro. We thought you had some lead bars in your pockets. You were a load getting you in here.” Seaman Eugene DiLazzaro was one of Waddon’s crew and had wound up part of Conor’s team that went ashore at Anzio. The New Jersey–born Italian American had handled himself like a pro, particularly when the shooting started.
Conor’s stomach roiled. Bile crept upward. A mixture of oil, perspiration, fuel, and grease hung in the air, fanning the flames of his nausea. “Jack, do you have a bucket? I don’t feel too good.”
“Conor, don’t you lose it in my ship,” Waddon said, scurrying forward in search of something to keep his Catalina puke-free. Conor wondered what did the most damage: the blow to the back of his head from the blackjack or the oak bar that gave no quarter when his head collided with it. Waddon returned with a collapsible canvas bucket and shoved it into Conor’s hands. “Here, and don’t miss.”
Conor leaned over the side of the bunk and let loose a stream of vomit that filled the bottom two inches of the bucket. When he finally felt he had no more to give, he handed it to Waddon and lay back. “So you just happened to be in the area when the action started?”
“Hey, I was thirsty.” Waddon went aft and tossed the bucket’s contents out through the open starboard-side blister. He returned and sat across from Conor on the port-side bunk. “When I approached the bar’s entrance, I saw Butcher coming from the other direction. We were about ten feet from the bar when we heard a massive crash. That must have been Stevens doing a back flop on the backbar. Two MPs were already there. We saw one lower the boom from just inside the doorway. We both cringed when your head hit the bar.”
“Well, thanks for the sympathetic cringes. Then what?”
“I already told you. Don’t you remember?”
Conor shook his head and felt the pain surge as if his brain were bouncing around inside his skull.
“Like I said, Butcher jumped in, threw Ike’s name around a bit, and eventually, the MPs backed down. He told them to get Stevens to the field hospital and told me to take care of you, but not to go far. That he needed to see you when you got put back together. He wanted me to get this to you.” Waddon handed over a note.
Conor unfolded the paper. It was short and sweet. He folded the note and put it in his pants pocket, then settled back to let the whitecaps in his stomach calm down.
“Well, you going to let me in on it or not?”
“He wants to know why Donovan shitcanned me.”
Author Bio:
GLENN DYER is a former commercial television executive whose career spanned over thirty-five years. That career took him to cities such as Salt Lake City, Dallas, Washington, DC, and Denver. He returned to Park City, Utah in retirement in 2013 to write full-time. He is an associate member of the International Thriller Writers, the Author’s Guild and The OSS Society. Glenn attended Villanova University and graduated from Boston University. He and his wife, Chris, have three children, all of whom live too far away. Visit his website at www.glenndyer.net and follow him on Twitter @duffy_dyer and Instagram @glennduffydyer.
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
GIVEAWAY!
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—
December 9, 2023
Rome’s Last Noble Palace by Kimberly Sullivan with an excerpt and giftcard giveaway
Rome’s Last Noble Palace
Kimberly Sullivan
Publication date: December 6th 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical, Paranormal, Women’s Fiction
Two women. Two different centuries. One attic room
American Isabelle Field has been shipped off to Rome to live with her aunt, Princess Elizabeth Brancaccio. Isabelle’s aunt and mother share a common goal – replicating Elizabeth’s success by marrying Isabelle off to a European nobleman.
But Rome in 1896 is on the cusp of a new century and Isabelle longs for more than a titled husband. She secretly designs costumes for Rome’s burgeoning theatre environment and dreams of opening a fashion atelier. Can she gather the courage to forge a life for herself, even if it means going against expectations?
Over a century later, doctoral candidate Sophie Nouri can’t believe her good fortune when she is selected to intern in Rome’s Near Eastern Art Museum. Even better, the position includes an attic apartment in the spectacular museum property, the Palazzo Brancaccio.
Overseeing a major exhibition is stressful, but tension alone can’t explain the disturbing nighttime presence in the deserted hallways of the grand palace – especially one no one else can sense. Almost as if a spectral being is trying to communicate with Sophie directly. Or warn her.
—
EXCERPT:
Rome, 2018
SUNLIGHT STREAMED THROUGH the high windows, coaxing Sophie from her dreams. She cracked one eye open, groaning at the early hour on the travel alarm clock. How had she forgotten to close the shutters last night? Blame it on the jet lag of someone no longer used to international travel.
She turned her head to observe Matt’s sleeping form. His chest rose and fell in a calm, steady rhythm. A little sunlight seeping through the windows would never wake him this early. He was made of stronger stuff.
She turned back to the window, struck again by golden Roman light she’d forgotten after so many years away. Not at all like the diffused light back home. Sparrows swooped in graceful arcs across the cloudless, cerulean sky. As the sleepiness seeped from her eyes and her gaze sharpened, the bright, white blocks began to take shape. Her heart beat faster. The familiar but long-dormant sense of fear coursed through her body. She hadn’t been expecting to feel it so deeply after all these years away.
Closing her eyes, she took a calming breath and formed images of waking in her bedroom at home. The branch of the oak tree scraping the bedroom window, the twittering of the birds, the bold squirrel that peeked in her window most mornings, the creaks and groans of the old, converted farmhouse. Gradually, her heartbeat slowed, the fear seeped away. She inhaled deeply, counted to ten and exhaled.
She could do this.
She fixed a determined gaze on the grand palazzo, glittering white in the strong Mediterranean sunlight. Some of its brown shutters were open, others closed like sleepy eyes reluctant to yield to the morning light. She remembered all those useless afternoon battles against the Roman sunlight filtering heat and blinding rays into those great rooms.
At the palazzo’s upper edge, lithe young angels kneeled in rows, their flowing curls cascading down to their shoulders. Their pointed wings punctuated the cornice above, curving vines sprouted from their bodies in a riot of intricate swirls. The young angels were separated from one another by lush greenery, unrolling in a seemingly endless, elegant row. She’d always known the carving was there, but she’d never observed the details from this angle. Everything had been different from within. Despite the warmth of the early morning sun, she shivered.
Ignoring a mounting sense of dread, Sophie pushed herself up gently, careful not to rouse Matt. Sliding bare feet into beckoning slippers, she padded softly to the door, her back decisively turned to the noble home.
Author Bio:
Kimberly grew up in the suburbs of Boston and in Saratoga Springs, New York, although she now calls the Harlem neighborhood of New York City home when she’s back in the US. She studied political science and history at Cornell University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, from Bocconi University in Milan.
Afflicted with a severe case of Wanderlust, she worked in journalism and government in the US, Czech Republic and Austria, before settling down in Rome, where she works in international development, and writes fiction any chance she gets.
She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and The Historical Novel Society and has published several short stories and three novels: Three Coins, Dark Blue Waves and In The Shadow of The Apennines.
After years spent living in Italy with her Italian husband and sons, she’s fluent in speaking with her hands, and she loves setting her stories in her beautiful, adoptive country.
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Bookbub / Instagram
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Historical Romance Holiday Cookie Hop – enter to win!
I’m a huge fan of Friendship bread. Over the years, I’ve experimented with a dozen different flavors and find something new every year. Most of us think of the “starter” bread, where you must add ingredients for ten days, follow the recipe, and pass on more “starters” to your friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Hence, the name Friendship bread.
This recipe is great because it doesn’t need the starter. The buttermilk replaces the tang of the 10-day starter. The loaves are a tiny bit smaller, but they are still a nice size.
Ingredients:
2 cups All-purpose flour1 large box of vanilla instant pudding mix: 1 ½ teaspons baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt 3 eggs1 cup vegetable/olive oil (can substitute with other neutral-flavored oil such as canola or avocado oil, if desired)1 cup sugar1 cup buttermilk2 teaspoons cinnamon½ teaspoon vanilla extractLoaf pan coating 1/2 cup sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamonPreheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease two loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans). Coat the insides with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
In a large bowl combine the flour, dry pudding mix, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined (don’t overmix).
Divide the batter evenly between the loaf pans.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pans for ten minutes, then remove onto wire racks. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Variations: I’ve used a variety of flavors of instant pudding mix: butterscotch, banana, pistachio, chocolate, and pumpkin. I usually add nuts: walnuts, pecans, pistachios. I’ve also added butterscotch, white chocolate, or peanut butter chips to the batter. If you’re a fruit lover, add chopped apples, dried cherries, raisins, or blueberries.
In addition to the spectacular Christmas Hop giveaway, I’m also giving away these adorable light-up gnomes. They can sit on a table or shelf or hang on the tree. For a chance to win these adorable guys, comment on this post!
Historical Romance Authors Cookie Hop Link List 2023 – Check the list below to make sure you visit all of the participating authors. You can also find the list in our Facebook Event at https://www.facebook.com/events/664928115750365/
Heather McCollum https://www.heathermccollum.com/kitchen/ [1]
Alanna Lucas https://alannalucas.com/ [2]
Allison B. Hanson https://allisonbhanson.wordpress.com/ [3]
Anna St.Claire https://www.annastclaire.com/contests [4]
Tara Kingston https://www.facebook.com/TaraKingstonAuthor [5]
Celeste Barclay Www.celestebarclay.com [6]
Michelle McLean https://michellemcleanbooks.com [7]
Katherine Bone https://www.katherinebone.com/ [8]
Kathryn Le Veque https://www.facebook.com/kathrynlevequenovels [9]
Terri Brisbin https://terribrisbin.com/news/2023/12/09/its-the-holiday-historical-cookie-sweets-hop-2023-grab-your-biscotti/
[10]
Melanie Rose Clarke https://www.facebook.com/groups/1159564541120841 [11]
Brenna Ash https://www.brennaash.com/parlor [12]
Gina Conkle https://ginaconkle.com/ [13]
Deb Marlowe https://www.debmarlowe.com/historical-holiday-cookie-hop.html [14]
E. Elizabeth Watson https://eelizabethwatson.com/holiday-hops/ [15]
Jane Charles https://www.janecharlesauthor.com/christmas-fun [16]
Amy Jarecki https://amyjarecki.com/historical-romance-holiday-cookie-hop-2023/ [17]
Collette Cameron https://facebook.com/collettecameronauthor [18]
Lauren & Devon Royal https://www.laurenroyal.com/3.0/contest/ [19]
Maeve Greyson https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaeveGreyson [20]
Aurrora St. James https://www.aurrorastjames.com/contests [21]
C.H. Admirand https://www.facebook.com/CHAdmirandAuthor [22]
Emily Royal https://www.facebook.com/eroyalauthor [23]
Margaux Thorne https://www.facebook.com/groups/6874808775895296/ [24]
Jennifer Seasons https://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Seasons-Romance/100089138023579/ [25]
Aubrey Wynne https://www.aubreywynne.com[26]
Elizabeth Ellen Carter https://elizabethellencarter.com/dreaming-of-white-christmas-traditional-australian-treat/ [27]
Sara Adrien https://www.saraadrien.com/ [28]
Eliza Knight https://elizaknight.com/news/ [29]
Ruth A. Casie https://ruthacasie.blogspot.com/2023/12/historical-romance-cookie-hop.html [30]
How to enter to win the $150 Gift card!
After you collect the names of all 30 recipes, e-mail the list of authors with their treats to Heather@HeatherMcCollum.com with the subject line: Historical Romance Authors are Sweet. One winner will be chosen on Wednesday, 13 December and announced on the FB event page and on my website: https://www.heathermccollum.com/ .
December 8, 2023
Good Elf Gone Wrong by Alina Jacobs with excerpt and paperback giveaway
Good Elf Gone Wrong
Alina Jacobs
Publication date: November 14th 2023
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
When you catch your fiancé cheating on you with your sister on Christmas Eve, the elf hat comes off.
I’ve always been the good girl—the anti Scrooge—the one who sacrifices for her guests, bakes cookies for her neighbors, and stays late after a party to clean up.
I don’t mind. I like being on the nice list.
I kept smiling when I caught my fiancé coming down my sister’s chimney on Christmas Eve.
I gave polite congratulations when they got engaged on Christmas morning.
And I even offered to help decorate for their holiday wedding despite the fact that was supposed to be my dream wedding.
But when my sister cuts up our great-grandmother’s one-hundred-year-old wedding dress and turns it into a skank show, even though that was the dress I was going to wear on my wedding day?
Well, this elf is torching down the North Pole.
And what better way to get revenge than giving those cheaters a taste of their own medicine?
This good elf is bringing the bad boy home for Christmas.
Hudson is a six-foot-five, coldhearted, tattooed bad elf with a perpetual sneer and washboard abs.
He’s exactly my sister’s type.
And he’s going to help me nuke her wedding from orbit on the night before Christmas.
What he is not supposed to do is grab my ass in the kitchen while I bake gingerbread.
Or crawl in my bed half naked.
And he’s definitely not supposed to smirk and tell me to commit to our fake relationship right before he goes down on me.
Guess there’s a reason the good elves stay far away from the bad.
Good elves of Christmas unite! We’re ogling the tattooed chests of shirtless bad boys, baking massive amounts of cookies, drinking all the wine, and trying to survive recently divorced grandmothers who have a pathological obsession with our love lives. This standalone holiday romantic comedy has all the Christmas cheer you can fit in your stocking and a happily ever after, guaranteed!
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EXCERPT:
Knitting clutched in my hands, I turned to the bad boy sitting next to me.
“Do … um …” I cleared my throat. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
His finger paused on the page he was turning. He fixed those pale-silver eyes on me, a dusty gray like the winter sky.
“No. Why? Are you offering?”
“Sort of. See, I kind of need to break up my sister and her boyfriend. She’s dating my ex. He’s a jerk. It’s complicated. But I need you to be my boyfriend so I can ruin her wedding. I don’t know if you do that type of work?”
I smiled hopefully.
The book closed with a loud thud.
He looked angry.
“Er, never mind,” I squeaked and held up my knitting. “I’ll get started on those baby socks. Forget I said anything.”
But he didn’t go back to his book.
“So you want a fake boyfriend.”
“Um, yeah. I mean that was the plan. But plans change …”
Those ghostly eyes still locked on mine, he leaned over, his huge body crowding my space.
I scrunched against the window.
“You sure you can handle it?” he asked in a deep, gravelly voice. He smelled like leather and the winter wind.
No. No, I don’t think I can.
I swallowed. The empty Advent calendar was digging into my side.
“Yes,” I squawked.
“Prove it,” he said, his breath cool on my cheek.
He twisted out of his jacket, the ridges of muscle under the tight gray T-shirt flexing and rippling as he shrugged off the garment.
“Give me a hand job.” The baritone voice deepened. “I have my jacket on my lap. No one will know. Just go for it.”
My eyes were about as big and round as Pugnog’s and ready to pop out of my head.
“Unzip my fly,” he breathed against my mouth, “and stroke my cock.”
My stomach was flip-flopping. The air between us was supercharged, and my skin felt tight and prickly.
“I-I can’t,” I stammered.
He huffed out a laugh, smirked, and pulled his jacket back on, the leather creaking.
“Thought so.” He sat back in his seat and opened up his book. “You’re weak. You have an elaborate revenge plan all mapped out, yet you clearly can’t handle having a fake boyfriend.”
Author Bio:
If you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I’m your girl!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
Sign up for my mailing list to get the free novella, AFTER HIS PEONIES, along with special bonus content, giveaways, and more!
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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December 7, 2023
The Truth About Elves by Etka R. Garg
The perfect read for the holiday season! Check out The Truth About Elves by Etka R. Garg!
The Truth About Elves
Publication Date: October 2021
Genre: Holiday Romance
2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner
As a bartender in Las Vegas, Curtis seems to have the dream life. He’s single, lives close to the Strip, and only has to worry about when to pick up the next extra shift. No one knows the truth about what happened ten years ago, and no one knows how he spends three months every year: as a part-time elf for Santa Claus.
When Curtis went to the Arctic Circle the first time, he thought he could escape the unthinkable. Now, the anniversary of the worst day of his life is coming up, and he’s been asked to do the unbelievable. If Curtis wasn’t a man of his word, he would turn his back on the whole thing. But Mr. C. took Curtis in when he had nowhere else to go, and now the boss is calling in a favor—the kind that will make Curtis face the memory of the unimaginable.
If you’ve ever wondered whether holiday magic is real, come find out. Embrace the season and the power of forgiveness along with Curtis as he discovers The Truth About Elves.
Available on Amazon
About the Author Since starting in niche publishing in 2005, Ekta has written and edited about everything from healthcare to home improvement to Hindi films. She became a freelance editor in 2011 to cement her essential belief that words can change people and the world. A writing contest judge, podcaster, and reviewer, Ekta blogs original fiction, book reviews, and parenting adventures from The Write Edge. Ekta G. Garg
Book Tour ScheduleDecember 4thhttp://rrbooktours.com Landing Page
https://www.instagram.com/booksy.tx.ana/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/cecereads23/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/mels_booksandhooks/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/Seetaylorwriteandreview Review
December 5thhttps://www.instagram.com/whatdevonisreading?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D – Review
https://www.instagram.com/_marinainwonderland/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/tkeyahreads?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review
https://instagram.com/laras.litreads?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw== – Review
https://www.instagram.com/nikreadsnovels – Review
December 6thhttps://www.instagram.com/bettisbooksandbabblings/ – Review https://www.instagram.com/paperbacksandsketchbooks/ – Review
https://bookscoffeehappiness.com/ – Feature
https://darkfantasyreviews.wordpress.com – Feature
December 7thhttps://www.instagram.com/mommyandherbooks/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/louturnspages/ – Review
https://aubreywynne.com/ – Feature
https://breakevenbooks.com – Feature
December 8thhttps://www.instagram.com/youngpink_bibilophile/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/mythicmelancholy/ – Review
https://www.instagram.com/niveditha_preeth – Review
https://www.instagram.com/rissreviews_xx/ – Review
Book Tour Organized By:
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