Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Karen White Books Under the Tree

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. Part of the family was here today, and we will get together with the rest of the family this weekend. I like this little break in between.

Santa brought along two book gifts for me this year. These are books 4 and 5 in Karen White's Tradd Street series. Now that I have all the books--I bought this year's Christmas release when it came out--I can schedule time to catch up on this series.




Did you receive any book gifts or reading related gifts this year? Anything exciting you would like to share? 

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Merry Christmas!

As Santa's little helper, I'm a bit busy this week. Still, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your loyal readership and to wish everyone a blessed Christmas. Here are a few of my holiday favorites. Hope you'll share yours, too.














Thursday, December 19, 2019

Book Review: Christmas in Newfoundland by Mike Martin

Filled with sweet and heartfelt stories of the season, Christmas in Newfoundland by Mike Martin is a nostalgic trip through memories and mysteries set in Grand Bank. From an elderly set of sweethearts remembering their younger days  to Sgt. Windflower's dreams and a Christmas miracle, you'll enjoy getting to know the people of Grand Bank.

Though I often think of these kinds of stories taking place in  small town America, Grand Bank is just as charming. Not knowing much about the area, Christmas in Newfoundland gives readers a snapshot of what to expect in this quiet town by the Atlantic.

I first met Sgt. Windflower in The Walker on the Cape and was happy to be reintroduced to him with this seasonal collection of stories.

If you like small town stories with a cozy feel, Christmas in Newfoundland is a good title to indulge in.


Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing (August 20, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1988437253
ISBN-13: 978-1988437255

I received a copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.


Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Book Blast & Giveaway: Salvaging Love by Sara Ohlin


Animals aren’t the only thing that need rescuing when a sexy veterinarian encounters a hot-headed attorney…

Perfectly content saving animals at her clinic in a charming but run-down neighborhood, veterinarian Ellie Blevins slams into new landlord, Jackson Kincaid, who plans to turn her beloved block of buildings into condos.

Intrigued by Ellie, hot-shot defense attorney Jackson gives her one month to convince him not to put his gentrification plans into progress. Attraction soon sizzles between them, but when Jackson makes his desires known, Ellie’s vulnerable heart doesn’t know what to think.

She wants to trust the sinfully handsome Jackson, just as he wants to gain her trust, but finding their way to love isn’t easy when her traumatic past and his criminal clients could sabotage their relationship for good.

Can the enchanting veterinarian and the brooding attorney fight the demons from the past…and build a new future?

EXCERPT

“Jackson?”

“I want to be the only one who gets that soft, intimate ‘Hey’ from you.”

What? “I’m confused,” she said quietly.

“I’m not,” he said. “I like the way you look, your gorgeous skin, that cute break in your nose, although I doubt I’d like the way you broke it.”

No, he absolutely would not, she thought, sucking in a breath.

“I like the way you talk to your dogs, the way when you say ‘Hi’ to people you make every single one of them feel special. I fucking love the way your hazel eyes get darker when you’re fighting with me, the confusion in your face when I catch you off guard. You’ve got a fucking fantastic body, and that’s only from seeing you in your scrubs and your sexy yoga pants and I bet I’d like what’s hidden underneath. I like the way your soft voice hits me, the way you smile at everything, except when you’re pissed, which I might like even more. I don’t want the month to learn why a bunch of buildings are worth saving, I want to spend the month getting to know you. Still confused?”

Stunned was more like it. He liked her in her yoga pants? Her nose that was so far from model perfect she could not even go there?

“Ellie? Are you still confused?”

“No?” she squeaked out, but it was definitely a question, because, hell yes, she was still confused. Was he high? Or blind? Maybe both?

He laughed. “We’ll get there. How was the rest of your day?”

PURCHASE FROM

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Puget Sound based writer, Sara Ohlin is a mom, wannabe photographer, obsessive reader, ridiculous foodie, and the author of the contemporary romance novels, Handling the Rancher, Salvaging Love and the upcoming contemporary romance Seducing the Dragonfly.

She has over fifteen years of creative non-fiction and memoir writing experience, and you can find her essays at Anderbo.com, Feminine Collective, Mothers Always Write, Her View from Home, and in anthologies such as Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak about Healthcare in America, Take Care: Tales, Tips, & Love from Women Caregivers, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Although she’s the author of many essays about life, grief, motherhood and the connections we make through delicious food and shared meals, Sara loves creating imaginary worlds with tight-knit communities in her romance novels. She credits her mother, Mary, Nora Roberts and Rosamunde Pilcher for her love of romance.

If she’s not reading or writing, you will most likely find her in the kitchen creating scrumptious meals with her two kids and amazing husband, or perhaps cooking up her next love story.
She once met a person who both “didn’t read books” and wasn’t “that into food” and it nearly broke her heart. You can learn more on her website https://saraohlin.com.

Also find Sarah online at:

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GIVEAWAY!!!



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Monday, December 16, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Dec 16



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

So, how prepared are you feeling for the holidays? I just finished shopping yesterday. I've organized all the gifts and hope to wrap them before we go way this weekend. I haven't thought about grocery shopping yet and my cards aren't done. We will see how it goes. Better to spend time with family than worry about duties.

On the reading front, I finished these two.







I am almost done with this one, so look for my review this week.



I started this one.




Then I need to dig into these ones. 











What are you reading this week? Any more seasonal titles in your mix?

Book Blast & Giveaway: The Tears We Never Cried by Ryshia Kennie


A mother’s tragic diagnosis.
A daughter’s life on hold.
An ending and a new beginning ...

Cassandra McDowall’s mother has been forgetful for a while, but she never anticipated rapid-onset Alzheimer’s to come out of nowhere and shake their world to its very core.

As Cassie puts her already-lackluster life on hold, her mom’s indomitable will and spirit of adventure prove to be a handful.

And as her mother fades, the two embark on one last adventure—a journey that reveals secrets on the brink of being lost, the joy of foreign sunsets, and love where she hadn’t thought it possible.

EXCERPT

I remember the moment it happened. I had barely pulled away from the curb, done a quick shoulder check, and that’s when life broadsided me.

I was thirty-nine, coincidentally exactly forty weeks from my fortieth birthday. I’ve lived forever since that moment, or so it seemed. Even though it was really only a year and change out of my life, that day that began it all.

It was a day like any other except ... I swear the ring on my phone was louder than normal. And Mother’s voice was strident and demanding.

“Cassie, you best get over here now. I’ve lost my best pen and they’ve taken my Christmas cards away.”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but the panic in her voice was real and like nothing I had heard before.

“Cassandra McDowall?” The disembodied voice was no longer my mother’s, but instead one that was male and full of authority.

“Yes.” Somehow my fingers were already knotting in trepidation of what he might want.

“This is Tod Rushinski, staff sergeant with the Regina City Police.”

My palms began to sweat.

“Your mother is Jessica Jane McDowell?”

“Yes.” Fortunately it was the only word required for it was the only word I could choke out. The police never phoned for a good reason.



The winner of her city’s writing award, Ryshia Kennie’s novels have taken her characters from the depression era prairies in her first book “From the Dust” to a across the globe and back again. There’s never a lack of places to set a story as the too long prairie winters occasionally find her with travel journal in hand seeking adventure on foreign shores. While facing off a Monitor Lizard before breakfast or running through the Kasbah chased by an enraged Water Carrier aren’t normal travel experiences and might never find a place in one of her stories, they do make great travel stories. When not collecting odd memories from around the world, she’s writing mainly romantic suspense and women’s fiction.

Website: http://www.ryshiakennie.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryshiakennie?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.RyshiaKennie/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryshiakennie/?hl=en

Find The Tears We Never Cried on: Amazon

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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Seasonal Romance: Her Best Friend Fake Fiance by Kimberly Krey


When a popular magazine claims Betzy Benton is destined to become a lonely old spinster, she fights back by asking longtime crush Sawyer Kingsley to propose before the article hits the stands.

Sawyer Kingsley has dreamt of marrying Betzy, but he’s worried that—despite his success—he won’t measure up to the Benton standards. That changes when Betzy asks him to become her fake fiancé. Now he’s got the Christmas season to show her what a life with him might look like.
At her family’s cabin, they share late-night kisses, longing glances, and meaningful conversation. But is it all just part of the act?

This engagement could be the start to their long-awaited romance, or it could tear them apart.

File Size: 4643 KB
Publication Date: December 11, 2019
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07ZHLMD8C


Purchase here!

Monday, December 9, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Dec 9



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Here we are at Monday again. It has been nice to have a slower pace at work to get things done. Of course, slower pace means I spent a couple hours prospecting on Sunday.

This week's weather is going to be a fun mix of rain and warmer temperatures followed by some colder temperatures and a bit of snow. Welcome to New England in December. One day it's 55 and the other it is 28.

I finished both of these books this week. This first is a cute collection of Christmas stories. My review will appear here on December 19. The second is a wordless children's picture book, which allows you to imagine/script your own story. Neat concept. That review will appear at my children's book blog on December 19.






In cleaning my office, I found a book I had mislaid and need to review. It's by a local author who I have known for years. I was a practicing Catholic for more than 30 years, so this is of interest to me.

Then I need to dig into these ones. 











What are you reading this week? What was one of your favorite books from the last month?

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Seasonal Romance: Coming Home for Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne


Hearts are lighter and wishes burn a little brighter at Christmas…
Elizabeth Hamilton has been lost. Trapped in a tangle of postpartum depression and grief after the death of her beloved parents, she couldn’t quite see the way back to her husband and their two beautiful kids…until a car accident stole away her memories and changed her life. And when she finally remembered the sound of little Cassie’s laugh, the baby powder smell of Bridger and the feel of her husband’s hand in hers, Elizabeth worried that they’d moved on without her. That she’d missed too much. That perhaps she wasn’t the right mother for her kids or wife for Luke, no matter how much she loved them.
But now, seven years later, Luke finds her in a nearby town and brings Elizabeth back home to the family she loves, just in time for Christmas. And being reunited with Luke and her children is better than anything Elizabeth could have imagined. As they all trim the tree and bake cookies, making new holiday memories, Elizabeth and Luke are drawn ever closer. Can the hurt of the past seven years be healed over the course of one Christmas season and bring the Hamiltons the gift of a new beginning.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/33OudrF

 Harlequin → www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/christmas.html

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

New Release: Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra


The timeless classic Little Women inspired this heartwarming modern tale of four sisters from New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.

Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.

One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Berkley (December 3, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0593100344
ISBN-13: 978-0593100349

Purchase here!

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Dec 3




First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.



They are now in their seventies, slowing physically but sharp of mind and wit. Despite the twinkle in their eyes when asked what it was like growing up in Grand Bank, they seem reticent at first to open up about those days so long ago.

"Cold," he says when asked what winter was like, hoping this one-word answer will slow the questioning. But his partner decides more can be offered.

"Banks of snow," she says, "up to the rooftops."

"No, up to the tops of the fences," he counters.

Now the game is on, and she will not be slowed down. "Don't you remember we used to be over at old Mrs. Pike's after a snowfall, and we could climb up on top of the snow and look in through her bedroom window?"

And so it begins, this long slow stroll through winter and Christmas past in the small Town of Grand Bank, Newfoundland, home of adventure and the famous Grand Bank schooner, and for a ten-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl, a world of magical white and wonder.

Find out more about this book at Goodreads.

Monday, December 2, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Dec 2



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. We hosted this year, so the week was filled with a bit of cleaning, a bit of cooking, and a bit of family. Right now, we are in the middle of a three-day snow storm--our first storm of the season. I love the way it looks. Not so thrilled with the idea of driving in it.

The holiday weekend also meant some reading got done, too. I finished this book and wrote a review, which you can find here.




I need to review these two books this month.







After that, I need to catch up with these. If I can knock half of these off before the end of the year, I'll be in good shape for 2020.









I am still hopeful to break into seasonal titles, too. 




What are you reading this week? Any seasonal titles on your list?