EXCERPT: The Perfect Housemate by Lorna Dounaeva

Review: The Sunshine Club by Dee MacDonald

Publisher: Bookouture
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 25th, 2023
Buying Links: Amazon USA* 
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through this link.

Blurb from goodreads:

You’re never too old for an adventure…

Eve , Nessa and Molly are all in their seventies. Over the years, they’ve laughed and cried and they’ve been by each others’ sides as colleagues, flatmates and mothers. And they’ve grown old disgracefully together in their golden years…

But all good things must come to an end. As one of their trio takes her final journey, a very large glass is raised to fun, frolics and – most importantly – friendships.

Throwing their walking sticks into the wind, the glamorous grannies take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the highlights of their shared decades – their lovely old London flat, that fateful trip to Italy and the many holidays they had together, brimming with sun, sand and sangria!

And as an old secret unravels, they learn that love, forgiveness and second chances are possible whatever age you are. And that laughter really is the best medicine…

A laugh-out-loud, inspiring and joyously uplifting novel about love, friendship and making the most of second chances! The perfect feel-good novel for fans of Cathy Hopkins, Dawn French and Judy Leigh.

Spotlight on One Kind Hand by Christine DePetrillo

ONE KIND HAND by Christine DePetrillo is out now! Check out the celebrity small town romance and be sure to get your copy today!

Excerpt & Giveaway: Return to Hummingbird Way by Reese Ryan

Publication date: April 25th, 2023

Purchase links: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play *affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb:

In this heartwarming small‑town romance, can three months, two planning projects, and a meddling grandmother finally make two high school hate crushes see just how right they are for each other?

Ambitious real estate agent Sinclair Buchanan is ecstatic to be her best friend’s maid-of-honor—until she discovers the best man is Garrett Davenport. Sin and Rett’s mutual hate crush ignited when they were teens and hasn’t let up since . . . except for that one extremely hot (and extremely regrettable) night they shared five years ago.

Nothing gets Rett fired up like going toe-to-toe with Sinclair. She’s as infuriatingly stubborn, and as absolutely gorgeous, as when he fell for her back in high school. Working together to plan their best friends’ last-minute wedding is one thing, but when his matchmaking grandmother gets involved Rett knows he’s in deep. Attraction has always simmered between them, but this time, they’re both in danger of losing their hearts.

Review & Giveaway: A is for Ambitious by Meena Harris, Illustrated by Marissa Valdez

Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 20, 2023
Buying Links: Amazon*  | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The awesome, bold, charming, and decidedly ambitious new picture book by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ambitious Girl, Meena Harris, is also a must-have ABC book.

The #1 bestselling team behind Ambitious Girl is back to take AG on a new adventure. A is for ambitious—and so much more in this fun and empowering picture book that reclaims words often used to undermine girls and women from A to Z. When they're ready to take on the world, ambitious readers will have the vocabulary to do so.

This book offers ambitious children everywhere inspiration as they pursue their goals and dreams. With a powerful message for us all, this is a perfect read aloud for showing children the power of words.

Review & Excerpt: A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas

Series: Lady Sherlock #7
Read As A Stand Alone: Not recommended
Publisher: Berkley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Charlotte Holmes’s brilliant mind and deductive skills are pulled into a dangerous investigation at sea in the new mystery in the bestselling Lady Sherlock series.

After feigning her own death in Cornwall to escape from Moriarty’s perilous attention, Charlotte Holmes goes into hiding. But then she receives a tempting offer: Find a dossier the crown is desperately seeking to recover, and she might be able to go back to a normal life.

Her search leads her aboard the RMS Provence, sailing from Southampton for the eastern hemisphere. But on the night Charlotte makes her move to retrieve the dossier, in the midst of a terrifying storm in the Bay of Biscay, a brutal murder also takes place on the ship.

Instead of solving the crime, as she is accustomed to doing, Charlotte must take care not to be embroiled in this investigation, lest it become known to those who harbor ill intentions that Sherlock Holmes is abroad and still very much alive.

Review & Excerpt: Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

Series: Lost Night Files #1
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Berkley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 3rd, 2023
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women's mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

Review & Giveaway of The Last Minute First Lady by Tinia Montford

Publisher: Emerald Press LLC
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 22, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

WHAT’S ONE ITSY, BITSY, LITTLE LIE? Cassian Anders will be the youngest governor in Illinois history... If he wins.

That’s all everyone seems to talk about these days. Jolie Coldwell isn’t one of them. As a journalist, her priorities comprise digging up dirt on crooked politicians and local cover-ups. When her latest exposé on a congressman lands her in hot water, her days are reduced to covering the senior center’s casino night.

Unexpectedly, news breaks: the on-air investigative segment needs a replacement. This promotion advance could her career.

She needs a breaking story. She needs it now.

The road to office is ruthless compared to the courtroom. Without warning, Cassian Anders’ popularity rating falls, threatening his position on the ballot. He will do whatever it means to secure votes. Now, not only is he engaged, but he’s getting married to his non-existent fiancée...

He’s never relied on luck, but when a convenient but unorthodox wife falls into his lap? He makes her a deal.

He needs a wife. He needs it now.

Will Jolie and Cassian be able to fool the public long enough? Can she handle the public poking around in her past, one she would rather keep under wraps... Above all, can she be a model first lady or are they destined to be a scandal?

The Last-Minute First Lady is a steamy marriage of convenience romance. Perfect for readers who love outrageous in-laws, honeymoons to Napa Valley, and crooked politicians. This novel contains cursing and sex scenes, and intended for audiences 18 years and older.

Review & Giveaway: Keyana Loves Her Family by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley and Illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 13th, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BookShop.org
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Natasha Anastasia Tarpley returns with a breakout new picture book series all about Keyana, the protagonist of her bestselling title I Love My Hair!, and the people and places she adores.

Keyana’s always full of big ideas. Her latest and greatest plan is to host a perfect family movie night. From aunts to uncles to her five favorite cousins, everyone is invited! She knows the best way to impress her guests is with a fabulous soiree, and there’s a lot on her to-do list. But when the night doesn’t go as planned, she’ll have to rely on a little help from the people she loves most.

With warm illustrations by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, this character-centric new picture book series from Natasha Anastasia Tarpley will give Keyana a fresh, commercial update that's perfect for today's young readers.

Review & Excerpt: Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin

Publisher: Berkley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 25th, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When a cold case in Texas leads to a sinister string of disappearances, a newcomer to the small town helps the deputy sheriff to piece together the clues in this new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

Corporate lawyer Ava Burch has had enough of the big city and daily grind. She grew up with her father, who raised search-and-rescue dogs, in rural Texas, and has moved to the small town of Cuervo to spend time in the dry, rugged wilderness near Big Bend National Park. When she and her dog Huck discover an abandoned campsite on a volunteer search-and-rescue mission, she’s perplexed but she carefully photographs it all the same.

All Deputy Sheriff Grant Wycoff can see when he looks at Ava is a city slicker—with her designer jeans and expensive car— who has no business on a serious team made of seasoned outdoorsmen and retired cops. But when she tells him of her discovery on the trail, he sees there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Ava’s discovery reminds Grant of the unsolved case of a young woman who went missing two years ago. As they look into the campsite further, another woman disappears under odd circumstances. With time running out, Ava and Grant must work against the brutal heat from both the Texas sun and their own electric chemistry to solve the case.

Review & Giveaway: How to Speak Animal by Aubre Andrus & Gabby Wild

Series: National Geographic Kids How to Speak
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: National Geographic Partners, LLC
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 16th, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.org | Google Books | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Learn about the secret language of wild animals in this exciting and informative guide from the experts who brought you How to Speak Cat and How to Speak Dog.

We know animals can’t speak and express themselves in the same way as humans … but even the smallest and quietest animals have incredible ways of communicating with each other. With wildlife veterinarian expert Dr. Gabby Wild as a guide, How to Speak Animal helps kids understand how animals communicate through sound, body language, and behavior. It’s full of expert insights and real-life stories of humans exploring ways to “talk” to animals, from teaching great apes sign language to speaking “dolphin.” Packed with super-engaging animal photography that helps illustrate key concepts, this fascinating bookprofiles more than 60 different creatures—from birds to mammals to reptiles and more—and their amazing ways of communicating with each other.

If you’ve ever wondered why gorillas beat their chests and make hooting noises, what it means when chameleons change color, or why some elephants twist their trunks together, this is the book for you!

Complete your collection with:
How to Speak Dog
How to Speak Cat
Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide
Pounce! A How to Speak Cat Training Guide

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: One Kind Hero by Christine DePetrillo

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for One Kind Hero, a new romance by Christine DePetrillo. I've read one of her books and have two more, including this one, waiting on my Kindle. I also belong to her Small Town Hearts group on Facebook. After you read the excerpt, leave a comment with your thoughts, and remember to enter the giveaway!

EXCERPT: Remember Love by Mary Balogh

Historical romance writer Mary Balogh has a new book out and today you can enjoy an excerpt. I've read a few of her books and enjoyed them. I hope you'll enjoy this. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Review & Giveaway: ROTO AND ROY: HELICOPTER HEROES by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Illustrated by Don Tate

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 1, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BookShop .org |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Meet Roto and Roy, helicopter heroes!

When a dangerous forest fire burns out of control, helicopter Roto and pilot Roy are ready to fly to the rescue! They're braver than brave, tougher than tough, and nothing will stop this firefighting crew from completing their mission.

From Sherri Duskey Rinker, bestselling author of the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series, and award-winning illustrator Don Tate, this action-packed series starter will have kids cheering for two awesome new heroes—and imagining how they might save the day themselves!

Review: Cold in the Shadows by Toni Anderson

Series: Cold Justice #5
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Toni Anderson Inc.
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Nov. 24th, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon US* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

CIA Officer Patrick Killion needs to figure out if feisty frog biologist, Audrey Lockhart, is a deadly assassin or an innocent scapegoat. And the only way to do that is to gain her trust, and then betray it.

Attacked and left for dead, Audrey is forced to put her trust in an enigmatic stranger who saves her from certain death. Then Audrey discovers her rescue was actually an abduction, and the man she thought was her savior is her captor.

Killion is falling hard and fast for his target and suddenly he has his hands full, dealing with a smart, beautiful woman who is furious at his deception. Betrayal is everywhere and Killion doesn't know who to trust. The organization he works for? Or the woman he's falling in love with?

Review & Giveaway: The Hair Book by LaTonya Yvette, Illustrated by Amanda Jane Jones

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 3rd, 2022

Formats Available: Hardcover, Board book, Ebook
Buying Links: Amazon*  | BookShop.org | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from PR Firm:

With bold, colorful graphics and poetic rhyme, this is a stunning tribute to every kind of hair, perfect for fans of Hair Love.

Covered hair, Bun Hair, Party Hair… No matter your hair—YOU are welcome anywhere!

Author and lifestyle blogger, LaTonya Yvette makes her children’s book debut with a must-have gift purchase for any occasion alongside art from award-winning illustrator Amanda Jane Jones.

Review:
“Striking spreads include bold and eye-catching colors that celebrate the diversity of beauty.” — School Library Journal, Starred review

Review & Excerpt: Lightning In A Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz

Series: Fogg Lake #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: Berkley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 18th, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from publicist:

New York Times bestselling romantic thriller writer Jayne Ann Krentz returns this fall with the explosive final installment of her chilling Fogg Lake trilogy. Whispers of the elusive Vortex lab have erupted the paranormal underground into chaos, and it is up to psychics Olivia LeClair and Harlan Rancourt to find it before its immense power falls into the wrong hands in LIGHTNING IN A MIRROR.

Private Investigator Olivia LeClair wasn’t sure what to expect when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed speed dating package, but a run-in with a serial killer certainly wasn’t on the list. Thinking it couldn’t get much stranger than that, Olivia decides to give it another shot. Of course, when you’re a powerful aura reader from a mysterious town buried under government conspiracies, strange doesn’t even begin to cover it.

So, when Harlan Rancourt, a man long thought to be dead, shows up at the next round of speed dating, she takes it in stride. After years on the run from the Foundation, a shadowy organization that both protects and polices psychics, Harlan is sure he’s finally found a lead on the mysterious Vortex, which played a role in permanently altering the DNA of every resident in Fogg Lake. He’s convinced that Olivia, a direct descendent of powerful oracles in Fogg Lake, is the only one who can help him locate the lab.

Olivia isn’t convinced. She’s not an oracle, and though she has powerful psychic energy, so do plenty of others. She doesn’t even know if she can trust Harlan. Though he looks perfectly “average” on the surface, Olivia immediately sensed he was far more powerful than the Foundation knew—and there was a very real possibility that he only resurfaced to claim leadership of the Foundation for himself. But when Harlan tells Olivia that Vortex may be the key to uncovering her mother’s killer, she has no choice but to follow him into the depths of danger and secrecy before those hunting the lab—and the oracle at its center—catch up to them.

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Her Second Death by Melinda Leigh

Series: Bree Taggert #.5

Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: Publicist in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Dec. 7th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | * affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through this link.

Blurb from goodreads:

In this short-story prequel to the Bree Taggert series by #1 Amazon Charts and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh, a murder investigation yields parallels to the Philly detective’s own frightening past.

When a man is shot in the head, Bree Taggert and her new partner, veteran detective Dana Romano, respond to the call. They break the news to the victim’s ex-wife and learn the estranged couple’s five-year-old daughter was supposed to have been with him. What starts as a murder investigation quickly morphs into a desperate search for a missing child. The case stirs memories of Bree’s own traumatizing childhood. To find the little girl, Bree will have to relive her own terrifying past. 

Review and Excerpt: Guild Boss by Jayne Castle

Series: Ghost Hunters #14
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Nov. 16th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Welcome to Illusion Town on the colony world of Harmony—like Las Vegas on Earth, but way more weird.

Living in this new, alien world doesn’t stop the settlers from trying to re-create what they’ve left behind. Case in point—weddings are still the highlight of any social calendar. But it’s the after-party that turns disastrous for Lucy Bell. Kidnapped and drugged as she leaves the party, she manages to escape—only to find herself lost in the mysterious, alien underground maze of glowing green tunnels beneath Illusion Town. She’s been surviving on determination and cold pizza, scavenged for her by a special dust bunny, when help finally shows up.

Gabriel Jones is the Guild Hunter sent to rescue her, but escaping the underground ruins isn’t the end of her troubles—it’s only the beginning. With no rational reason for her abduction, and her sole witness gone on another assignment for the Guild, whispers start circulating that Lucy made it all up. Soon her life unravels until she has nothing left but her pride. The last thing she expects is for Gabriel Jones to come back to town for her.

The Lucy that Gabriel finds is not the same woman he rescued, the one who looked at him as if he were her hero. This Lucy is sharp, angry, and more than a little cynical—instead of awe, she treats him with extreme caution. But a killer is still hunting her, and there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to heroes. Despite her wariness, Gabriel is also the one person who believes Lucy—after all, he was there. He’s determined to help clear her reputation, no matter what it takes. And as the new Guild Boss, his word is law, even in the lawlessness of Illusion Town.

A Sneak Peak & Giveaway: Lala's Words by Gracey Zhang

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the LALA’S WORDS by Gracey Zhang Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!