tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51580765057700911742024-03-13T22:43:34.952-05:00Blogging by LizaTelling others about favorite books and authorsmslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.comBlogger2496125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-41780436390719439922024-02-20T07:12:00.001-06:002024-02-20T07:12:47.317-06:00NOT YOUR CRUSH'S CAULDRON (SUPERNATURAL SINGLES #3)<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimF1mbQQ_DmzyI2-ADpJALy0AiT_Rnb21EUeqSbPUKXPmS_IFumodVcwRN_YO0iEzDFvgWiVXhSefgKRE99gsPO8Jn7wOofukQh04ccxAqVbKDKfnViC-zmoBwcLbsqMmzYaqIniqlh_aITYdTN8shtsgSA8SUc73BJ2MpMIQOIEZ6IVGRCFL4-BIsrYc/s400/not%20your%20crushs%20cauldron.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimF1mbQQ_DmzyI2-ADpJALy0AiT_Rnb21EUeqSbPUKXPmS_IFumodVcwRN_YO0iEzDFvgWiVXhSefgKRE99gsPO8Jn7wOofukQh04ccxAqVbKDKfnViC-zmoBwcLbsqMmzYaqIniqlh_aITYdTN8shtsgSA8SUc73BJ2MpMIQOIEZ6IVGRCFL4-BIsrYc/w261-h400/not%20your%20crushs%20cauldron.jpeg" width="261" /></a></div><br />In April Asher's new Supernatural Singles novel, a witch takes a stroll on the wild-ish side, sparking an alert that saddles her with her very own Guardian Angel…who happens to be her secret crush―and new roommate.<p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Olive Maxwell much prefers teaching about the supernatural world to taking part in it and leaves the magical shenanigans to her two sisters―the Prima-Apparent and Bounty Hunter-In-Training. But after assigning her college students a project designed to nudge them outside their comfort zones, Olive realizes that she’s never once stepped a toe over her own…and it’s about time that changed. Her first</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">trip into the unknown? Moving in with her long-time crush―and friend…tattooed, motorcycle-riding, and pleasantly pierced, Baxter Donovan.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Bax Donovan, Guardian Angel not-so-extraordinaire, has acquired so many black marks on his record it looked like a scantron sheet. He’s given one last chance to keep his Guardian wings intact, a high-profile Assignment he knows all too well. Olive is usually as low-risk as it got. Hell, she wrote the safety manual. But something landed her on the Guardian Affairs radar and his guess was it had something to do with the heart-pounding stunts she’s determined to check off her Dare I Docket list.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Keeping Olive out of trouble is about to be his toughest assignment yet, and not because he’s forced to shake the dust off his feathers and embrace his inner aerialist. He’s at real risk of shattering the only Guardian Angel Code of Conduct Rule he’s yet to Don’t fall in love with your Assignment. And he isn’t so sure that’s a bad thing.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">If love didn’t play by the rules, why should they?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Release Date: February 13, 2024</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">St. Martin's Griffin</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Supernatural Singles #3</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paranormal Romance/RomCom</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Liza's Review:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not Your Crush's Cauldron is the 3<sup>rd</sup> book in the Supernatural Singles series by April Asher, and it's Olive Maxwell's turn to get her happily ever after.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I loved the first two books in the series, and was so ready to finally get Olive's book, and the fact that her crush is Guardian Angel Bax Donovan, only made me more excited for this book. I enjoyed this story so much. I loved that Olive decided she needed to step outside her comfort zone along with her students and try a list of new things. As Bax has just been assigned as her Guardian Angel, he steps up and offers to help her check off all the items on her list.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I really enjoyed Not Your Crush's Cauldron. Olive has always been the sister to stand back and weight the pros and cons of every situation before jumping in. I felt like the more time she spent with Bax pushing her comfort zone, the more Olive became the woman she was meant to be. She was always such a strong woman, but seemed to be a bit in the shadow of her other two sisters. I also liked that to watch over and protect Olive, Bax also had to step outside his comfort zone. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I loved Olive and Bax together as a couple. I've always sensed their attraction to one another from the very first book. I loved their chemistry, and just found them to be the sweetest couple. I really did feel like they each became the best version of themselves the more time they were together.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've adored each of the books in the Supernatural Singles series, and really hope we will get one more story to get Harper's book. The Maxwell triplets are characters I've come to love along with all their friends, and I know I'll be re-reading these books again and again. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rating: 5 Stars (A)</span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-66648887947846938432024-01-23T02:00:00.001-06:002024-01-23T02:00:00.142-06:00Just a Little Promise (A Dare Crossover series #3)<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1zpWb4N5Lrw_qcwrO2ZbjggTpt4ujdyxOROSjLMYEhfP3OL4CvPoCpooTgxaY9AHwGC48GkgJ4v9n2RNnE6Ug5Uyg3_taZmAcqIlO7hi4mgIF_1lKa1amRL5FhWeToO4cHHjI0SzsnVTr3qdZKIKradW0Uuwb8mZeaYOw3CjruWmlwJgf324VCtQKck/s2475/just%20a%20little%20promise%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1501" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1zpWb4N5Lrw_qcwrO2ZbjggTpt4ujdyxOROSjLMYEhfP3OL4CvPoCpooTgxaY9AHwGC48GkgJ4v9n2RNnE6Ug5Uyg3_taZmAcqIlO7hi4mgIF_1lKa1amRL5FhWeToO4cHHjI0SzsnVTr3qdZKIKradW0Uuwb8mZeaYOw3CjruWmlwJgf324VCtQKck/w242-h400/just%20a%20little%20promise%20cover.jpeg" width="242" /></a></div><br />He’s the one she’s never forgotten.<p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700;">She’s the one he regrets letting go.<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700;">Now they have a second chance to get it right.</span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />When Skye Abbott runsi nto her sexy former flame, Tripp Daniels, she’s reminded of the baby pact they’d made years ago… If she was single and childless by the age of thirty, he’d step in and be her baby daddy and fulfill her dream of having a child.<br /><br />Now, after a bitter divorce that has left her guarding her heart, and wanting only one thing, Skye is ready to take Tripp up on his promise. When he’s one of the bachelors up for bid at a charity auction, it’s the perfect opportunity to have him all to herself for a weekend of baby making fun, as long as he agrees to her terms.<br /><br />Tripp is on board to fulfill the promise he made to Skye. If he’s going to have a baby with anyone, it’s going to be the one woman he’d foolishly let slip through his fingers. But not this time because he’s all in. Skye is even more beautiful than he remembers, and the chemistry between them is hotter than ever, but while she gives him free rein with her body, she’s made it clear her heart is off limits.<br /><br />Now, with a second chance within his grasp, Tripp is prepared to do whatever it takes to win the woman he loves and give them both the family they’ve always craved.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Release Date: January 23, 2024</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">CP Publishing</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Dare Crossover series #3</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Contemporary Romance</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Liza's Review:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just a Little Promise is the 3<sup>rd</sup> book in the Dare Crossover series by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde. I loved Just a Little Promise from page one. Skye Abbott and Tripp Daniels dated briefly when he was in medical school but broke up because he wasn't ready to make a commitment. When they run into one another after Skye's bitter divorce, Tripp lets her know he is willing to be her baby daddy like he promised years ago.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I loved that Skye and Tripp connected again from the moment they met each other again. They had the most amazing chemistry, and I totally fell in love with them as a couple. Tripp was super protective of Skye from the beginning, yet also let her set boundaries she needed along the way. Skye had the worst experience with her ex-husband, and it could have stopped her from ever having another relationship in the future. I loved the romance of this story with the hint of suspense with who might be sending pictures to Skye and following Tripp. Skye was such a strong woman, who had taken her life back following the breakup with her ex. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've loved each of the books in the series so far, but have to say Skye's and Tripp's story was pretty much perfection for me. The second chance romance is one of my favorite troupes, and it was done so well. Just a Little Promise gave me all the happy feels. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rating: 5 Stars (A+)</span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-32226827180114622672023-07-26T01:00:00.001-05:002023-07-26T01:00:00.144-05:00RESONANCE SURGE (PSY-CHANGELING TRINITY #7)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdvnyBO7osGRSVDeOV_-q8l8gUQRiSn0oLwZrB0B04_Y0WZFxZ9t8NebgTTqXDGdP7RBBLyn_gMLYDpbk_6F8H9xVcssj-JJdkqdnDOUUVSq_pOsyXiQNxQP7VU8MkeH-EiiGllUB0HeCgSOq_jzupYsMbzeQgkVkDg072f0RkqzSf4dcfOIPXF-tjVI/s2035/resonance%20surge%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2035" data-original-width="1348" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdvnyBO7osGRSVDeOV_-q8l8gUQRiSn0oLwZrB0B04_Y0WZFxZ9t8NebgTTqXDGdP7RBBLyn_gMLYDpbk_6F8H9xVcssj-JJdkqdnDOUUVSq_pOsyXiQNxQP7VU8MkeH-EiiGllUB0HeCgSOq_jzupYsMbzeQgkVkDg072f0RkqzSf4dcfOIPXF-tjVI/w265-h400/resonance%20surge%20cover.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /> <b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c55a11;">About <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">RESONANCE SURGE:</span></span></u></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><b><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c55a11;"><span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></span></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">Twins Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev of the StoneWater bear changeling clan have been an inseparable unit since birth, but now their lives are moving in different directions.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">Pavel is in the mating dance with Arwen Mercant, the only man to ever bring him to his knees. A Psy empath, Arwen is free to feel emotion now that Silence has fallen. While he is free to love in the open now, it doesn’t come easy. Pavel walks a fine line in loving Arwen, careful not to push him too far, too fast.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">Another pair of twins, Pax and Theodora Marshall, have a bond with a far darker history. A low-Gradient Psy, Theo is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful and loyal brother, Pax. She is the only person he trusts to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation Center established by their grandfather.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">The Centers, places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, are an ugly remnant of the Psy race’s Silent past. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth of this secret Center alongside Yakov, who certainly doesn’t trust her. Especially considering that Theo has been haunting his dreams since he was sixteen…</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer and he’s already seen Theo’s death. The question is how can he stop it?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">Release Date: July 18, 2023</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Berkley Publishing</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Psy-Changeling Trinity #7, Psy-Changeling #22</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Paranormal Romance</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Liza's Review:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Resonance Surge is the latest release in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series by Nalini Singh. This series remains one of my favorites ever, and I loved we got more than one romance in Resonance Surge. As the parings in this story are between Psys and shifters, it was total catnip for me, since those are my favorite pairings in the series. Add in we are back with the bears, and I was totally in my happy place.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;">Pavel and Arwen have been in a mating dance for some time, and I've loved watching them find their way in their own time as a couple. Pavel's twin Yakov has been seeing the same woman in his dream since he was sixteen. Enter Theo Marshall, twin to Pax Marshall who is sent to discover what went on at The Centers, places that were established by their grandfather. Yakov is the one to help Theo learn more about The Centers, and about her past while working together. I liked the slow burn of their relationship. Theo had really only ever had the connection with her twin Pax for most of her life, and even that was somewhat a secret between them, so I loved seeing her come into her own the longer she was with Yakov (Yasha),</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;">I had all the happy feels watching the 2 couples find their happily ever afters. My heart broke the more we learned about Theo's past with her grandfather, and while I liked we weren't beaten over the head with the Scarab issues, I do see Pax Marshall and his neurological issues being at the forefront of what happens next with the Scarab Queen. Resonance Surge was a really great addition to the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, and I can't wait for the next installment next year.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Rating: 4 Stars (B+)</span></p><div><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-12674048209368037692023-07-25T02:00:00.001-05:002023-07-25T02:00:00.134-05:00JUST A LITTLE SECRET (DARE CROSSOVER #2)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwq2Qhbmz_8XGsnqqjnN7mzE0b6B_er4rHUY5eifSmP6vGhIDD4pH3xFZ3YbmAZXny49yRQczUSxHSxNPh0iAN5t2P2MQEBL8FhflZsR_DRdiSHXSfrrFTCHCH6Ya3huBZ3IbpciLwOkEzDJ_0YDcKOrNXUETCknmZ1G56x-1zGvtLLDyFvhi4iS2FTI/s2475/just%20a%20little%20secret%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1501" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwq2Qhbmz_8XGsnqqjnN7mzE0b6B_er4rHUY5eifSmP6vGhIDD4pH3xFZ3YbmAZXny49yRQczUSxHSxNPh0iAN5t2P2MQEBL8FhflZsR_DRdiSHXSfrrFTCHCH6Ya3huBZ3IbpciLwOkEzDJ_0YDcKOrNXUETCknmZ1G56x-1zGvtLLDyFvhi4iS2FTI/w242-h400/just%20a%20little%20secret%20cover.jpeg" width="242" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 600;">He’s not just a bachelor up for auction …</span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 600;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />He’s her sexy birthday gift for the weekend.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />But will she be able to forgive him when she finds out he’s hiding more than a little secret?</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Georgia Brooks had no intention of bidding on a bachelor at the charity auction, but her sister has other ideas and gifts her with a </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">man</i><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"> for her birthday weekend. But not just any man . . . Drew Daniels. A hot, gorgeous lawyer who makes her want to shed her good-girl image and learn all sorts of new and risqué things.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Attorney Drew Daniels is more than willing to introduce the beautiful Georgia to her naughtier side. Their weekend together is steamy and romantic . . . and it doesn’t hurt that a rival of Drew’s has his eye on Georgia, too. Stirring the other man’s jealousy is a fun side benefit.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Their tryst should have been just about pleasure, but Drew finds he’s attracted to more than Georgia’s outer beauty and he wants to keep her as his own. When Drew suggests they continue their affair, Georgia is too smitten to say no. Even if her parents expect her to marry her lawyer father’s right-hand man.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Georgia finds herself falling for Drew harder and faster than she could have imagined. Until she discovers he's keeping a secret that has the potential to break her heart.</span><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Release Date: July 25, 2023</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Dare Crossover Series #2</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Contemporary Romance</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Liza's Review:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Just a Little Secret is the second book in the Dare Crossover series from Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde. This author team has once again given their readers a fantastic and super sexy romance.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Georgia Brooks is the good daughter who doesn't really rock the boat when it comes to her parent's wishes, whereas her sister is the wild child of the family. Georgia's one rebellion was going to work for a non-profit rather than joining her father's law firm. When her sister Courtney buys her a date for her birthday at the bachelor auction fund raiser, Georgia is happy to see Drew Daniels will be her birthday date.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Drew Daniels is attracted to Georgia from the moment he first sees her, but has been burned before in relationships, but is all in for a sexy weekend get away with Georgia for her birthday. They had the absolute best chemistry, and the sexy times were smoking hot! I loved Georgia and Drew shared so much of themselves with one another, and really loved them as a couple.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Just a Little Secret is such an amazing story. I loved the romance between Georgia and Drew, and really loved seeing each of the main characters grow so much over the course of the story. Fans of contemporary romance will adore the newest installment in the Dare Crossover series, and be counting down the days for the next release.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Rating: 5 Stars (A+)</span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-19580654420898726002023-06-30T18:33:00.003-05:002023-06-30T18:33:32.727-05:00KARMA (SERENDIPITY #3)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK44fF37XYm-MxVbUBIwfJJpNTcXwxeiozb21G7yOE6JPL-0BDf0s2IRD8VI-q5URKtri9u5bD7hwpvt7h3mp2GCmr_K3biWL6mna-7h7U8onejgM_QZghNrdtzmt0-fZpr_MzR6YtlEM0e7QeQu1_JzMVNmJL9t9gFPa0_aaXiZ_xTUg5-zm5IU0vqY/s346/karma%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="210" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK44fF37XYm-MxVbUBIwfJJpNTcXwxeiozb21G7yOE6JPL-0BDf0s2IRD8VI-q5URKtri9u5bD7hwpvt7h3mp2GCmr_K3biWL6mna-7h7U8onejgM_QZghNrdtzmt0-fZpr_MzR6YtlEM0e7QeQu1_JzMVNmJL9t9gFPa0_aaXiZ_xTUg5-zm5IU0vqY/w242-h400/karma%20cover.jpeg" width="242" /></a></div><br /> <i style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.8px;">Karma</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.8px;"> is the 3</span><span class="s1" style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 8.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>rd</sup></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.8px;"> book in the fabulous Serendipity series from NYT bestselling author Carly Phillips. From the back cover.~</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Officer Dare Barron has had a crush on Liza McKnight ever since he was a teenager. But despite his lifelong attraction, the closest he's ever come to interacting with her is watching Liza regularly bail out her brother at the station.</i></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i> </i></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Dare's dark past with Liza's brother, Brian, has always kept him from pursuing her. But suddenly Liza finds herself in need of protection and Dare appoints himself as the man for the job. And while the sizzling attraction between Dare and Liza draws them together, the past that Dare and Brian share threatens to keep the two apart forever.</i></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><i></i><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Re-Release Date: June 30, 2023</p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CP Publishing, LLC</p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Serendipity Series #3</p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Contemporary Romance</p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by publisher</p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Liza’s Review:</p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’ve been waiting for Dare’s story since I first met him in <i>Serendipity</i>. Not to take anything away from Ethan or Nash, but there was just something I loved about Dare from the start. When he shared a secret with his brothers in <i>Destiny</i>, I knew it would end up being a major part of his story. I’m going to try to avoid spoilers as much as possible with this post, and I apologize for any I inadvertently reveal.</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I loved Dare and Liza’s story. It wasn’t really easy for either of them. Liza has trust issues because of the way her family has always treated her. She has never been able to depend on anyone other than herself. Her brother Brian has always been there, but he has been a source of trouble every since the party he threw in high school. Dare has been attracted to Liza since they were in high school, but has tried to stay away from her since he was at Brian’s party in high school. He knows facts from the party that would hurt Liza to no end if she were to find out.</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Since Brian continues to get into trouble, Dare and Liza run into one another on a regular basis. Dare and Liza are attracted to one another and even Dare’s past with Brian isn’t enough to stop him from acting on his attraction. The chemistry between Dare and Liza is sizzling. Because of Liza’s past, she isn’t looking for a relationship, but both promise to only be with one another while they are together (sounds like a relationship to me). Things are going pretty well in their relationship until Dare’s half-sister Tess is hurt at a party and he acts like a jerk to Liza and takes out his anger on her. Liza is already dealing with the fact her brother has messed up and drug her into his mess to clean up. She thought Dare was finally someone she could depend on and then he acts like a jerk. Dare must prove to Liza that he is willing to stand by her no matter what to make things right.</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I loved how Dare proves himself to Liza. They are both such strong people, and really only become stronger together. I also love getting to spend time with the entire Barron family in this book. I loved watch the brothers together. I also loved how quickly Kelly and Faith accepted Liza as one of them. Liza really didn’t have any close girlfriends until Kelly and Faith, and I loved how they stood by her.</p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’ve said all along Dare is my favorite Barron brother and his story was more than worth the wait. Carly gives her readers another winner with <i>Karma</i>, and I loved every moment reading this series. I loved this book when I read it on its original release, and re-reading only made me fall in love all over again with Karma and the entire Serendipity series.</p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 14.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rating: 5 Stars (A+)</p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-55588995911909690542023-05-24T02:00:00.001-05:002023-05-24T02:00:00.136-05:00INDECENT SECRETS (INDECENT SERIES #2)<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EbHgWS07R8Amyp6NqjR35HviT--l1rL1k2ABd1uWxO4MP0NwyNfqA-SR-VNg2YxlTGXYJZsjuX0X30e7HCVhlnzKgL-5ooxj0LJ6n0chwKNxfmvMF1E_k1IykXTQeFX-b1Q9FCtK36MXrlDDK3Ij3_vIjbORnVtuPPLUT_nJgojxTml2YWBW82Lb/s500/indecent%20secrets.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="303" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EbHgWS07R8Amyp6NqjR35HviT--l1rL1k2ABd1uWxO4MP0NwyNfqA-SR-VNg2YxlTGXYJZsjuX0X30e7HCVhlnzKgL-5ooxj0LJ6n0chwKNxfmvMF1E_k1IykXTQeFX-b1Q9FCtK36MXrlDDK3Ij3_vIjbORnVtuPPLUT_nJgojxTml2YWBW82Lb/w242-h400/indecent%20secrets.jpeg" width="242" /></a></div><br />Bryce Rivers is gorgeous, arrogant, and nothing like I anticipated. That’s okay, because I’m not going to be what he expected, either.<p></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Seducing him should have been a piece of cake, until I discover he’s hiding a few indecent secrets of his own.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Secretly infiltrating myself into this land development company wasn’t about the money, it was about making a difference. When I heard that the head of the organization had died and his nephew had inherited the entire corporation, I thought I finally stood a chance to persuade him to my way of thinking.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">The new guy wasn’t at all what I’d expected. For a reported “recluse”, he was surprisingly charming, intelligent, and had a rapier wit that matched my own. Our attraction was mutual and scorching hot, which made it incredibly easy to seduce my way into his life and hopefully use that influence to steer him to make changes.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">The man knew how to set my sheets on fire, but he wasn’t easily swayed. This might have started out as something impersonal between us, but the more I got to know him, the harder I fell for him, which wasn’t the plan.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">I could only hope that once I made my true motives known that I wouldn’t end up destroying something more valuable—us.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">And then I discovered that I wasn’t the only one hiding secrets . . .</span><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Release Date: May 23, 2023</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Indecent series #2</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Contemporary Romantic Suspense (Spicy)</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Liza's Review:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Indecent Secrets is the newest release in the Indecent series by Erika Wilde. This book hit the ground running from page one and kept me pulled in until the very last page. Both Bryce and Leigh are such strong individuals, and their chemistry was palpable.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Both Bryce and Leigh are both playing roles when they initially meet, and while I’m not big fan of lying, it totally worked for me in this situation. Bryce is posing at Jack Lawton, who has inherited his uncle’s company so Bryce can figure out if Jack’s uncle was murdered and who did it. Leigh is an environmental activist trying to find a way to dismantle Jack’s company from the inside. When Bryce hires Leigh as a consultant, she has her way in.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">First I liked both the main characters. They are both very strong willed individuals and both seem to have the greater good as their motivations. Now the chemistry between Bryce and Leigh was so freaking hot my kindle screen might have fogged up a few times. Seriously, so many smexy times in this book!!! There are many light BDSM elements in this book, and it totally worked for me.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">I felt the elements of mystery were very well done, and didn’t overshadow the building of the relationship between Bryce and Leigh. I love a good who done it, and Ms. Wilde definitely kept me guessing with this story. I enjoy romantic suspense stories, and Indecent Secrets was the perfect combination of romance and mystery.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Indecent Secrets was a great addition to this series, and now I’m ready to read Seth’s story and see him get his HEA//HFN!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Rating: 5 Stars (A)</span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-14234495871812533672023-04-25T19:13:00.003-05:002023-05-12T07:39:36.111-05:00JUST ONE FLING (THE KINGSTON FAMILY #9)<div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><span dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozgWHeWmMDwYn_fNevCKn2AAgCt7CQPrrW7ZQzG6HJzkvf72oqdwY4KJ1PPKMQxmuz8j8UhxvcloIFidiHpUNK797MV4sbU7OKPfJQJmVslNEsk-vvZWDzdfla56o0q5C4woq9MouDzoMJB7KFapjGvenY3UlN2CdpSwJw2aURpw79HhwB3xC1yD1/s2475/just%20one%20fling.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1501" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozgWHeWmMDwYn_fNevCKn2AAgCt7CQPrrW7ZQzG6HJzkvf72oqdwY4KJ1PPKMQxmuz8j8UhxvcloIFidiHpUNK797MV4sbU7OKPfJQJmVslNEsk-vvZWDzdfla56o0q5C4woq9MouDzoMJB7KFapjGvenY3UlN2CdpSwJw2aURpw79HhwB3xC1yD1/s320/just%20one%20fling.jpeg" width="194" /></a></div><br /><i>It was just supposed to be a fling.</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto"><i>Now she’s having his baby.</i></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto"><i>Winter Capwell knows all about billionaire Harrison Dare’s bad-boy reputation. His all-pleasure, no-commitment rule worked well for her, too. Until fate changed everything.</i></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto"><i>Harrison Dare never wanted a wife or kids. His incredibly large family provides all the siblings and children he needs. Besides, no woman has ever tempted him to give up his bachelor lifestyle.</i></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto"><i>Until the mysterious and sexy Winter entered his life.</i></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto"><i>But when someone comes after the woman he loves, he will stop at nothing to protect her and make her his. For good.</i></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Release Date: April 18, 2023</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">CP Publishing</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">The Kingston Family #9</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Contemporary romance</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Liza's Review:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Just One Fling is the latest book in the Kingston Family/Dirty Dare series of books by Carly Phillips, and we finally get to learn what makes Harrison Dare tick. I have to say I knew he needed a special heroine, and Winter Capwell fits the bill perfectly. I absolutely loved this book with my whole heart!!!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Harrison Dare has always seemed a bit mysterious to me for some reason. Maybe because he is an actor, so I was really excited to get his book. We met Winter Capwell in Just One Taste, and I liked her from the very beginning. I liked that even though she was a journalist, she put those she considered her friends above the job. There were sparks around when Harrison and Winter were near each other, and it was pretty obvious that their mutual attraction had been acted upon in the past. When Winter finds out she is pregnant, she has real concern about how Harrison will take the news as he has always said in interviews, he never wants children and isn't looking for a long-term relationship.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;">I loved that Harrison pretty much had a WTF moment when he first finds out that Winter is pregnant, but quickly realizes he needs to pull his head out of his butt and make it right with Winter. While it appears that he is doing many things because Winter is pregnant with his child, I felt the genuine feelings from both characters pretty much from the very beginning. Harrison like any of the other Dare men is super protective of Winter and their baby early on. The fact that she has a stalker who is threatening both Winter's life and the life of their baby gave them the chance to spend more time together. I loved that they had incredible chemistry from the very beginning, and the more time they spent together the stronger their connection became. I also loved the fact the Dare family accepted Winter from the moment they all met her. The Dare family is super special, and I love spending time with this crazy huge family. The reveal of the stalker should have been something I saw coming, but it kept me guessing right up to the reveal. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;">Just One Fling was absolutely perfection in my opinion! It was an emotional roller coaster ride, and I loved every moment. Up next is Zach's book, and I'm counting down the days for his story, even as I know it will be the last book in the current Kingston/Dare series. Ms. Phillips gave her readers what I believe is one of her best books ever in Just One Fling. I highly recommend this book to romance fans everywhere!</span> </p><p>Rating: 5 Stars (A+)</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto">READ NOW;</div><div dir="auto">Kindle: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFKindle?fbclid%3DIwAR1DIIuW5PLZq2Qu54be7MinUGBAxigBeuWIuEI5SYeY8jEAtzV6ZlGQktc&source=gmail&ust=1682553877206000&usg=AOvVaw2JcsNzEBp_LI0yolesFNKs" href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFKindle?fbclid=IwAR1DIIuW5PLZq2Qu54be7MinUGBAxigBeuWIuEI5SYeY8jEAtzV6ZlGQktc" style="border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.carlyphillips.com/<wbr></wbr>JOFKindle</a></div><div dir="auto">Apple: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFApple?fbclid%3DIwAR0J4EjZoAxXhWN9CNB5pya83g9Umn400MLQxu1CS8p7eLa7gGnN8mSR9oI&source=gmail&ust=1682553877206000&usg=AOvVaw0lmAddr5DzCMYMIDxigraC" href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFApple?fbclid=IwAR0J4EjZoAxXhWN9CNB5pya83g9Umn400MLQxu1CS8p7eLa7gGnN8mSR9oI" style="border-width: 0px; 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box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.carlyphillips.com/<wbr></wbr>JOFAmzprint</a></div><div dir="auto">BN Print: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOWBNPrint?fbclid%3DIwAR1twVjZ6pABGtQHgmsjhlg6WZko0ME-KSTFo9Dh5ZOBLebkdw2Uv6JACWU&source=gmail&ust=1682553877207000&usg=AOvVaw0QJTtpHSYo2GftVWb2ttjz" href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOWBNPrint?fbclid=IwAR1twVjZ6pABGtQHgmsjhlg6WZko0ME-KSTFo9Dh5ZOBLebkdw2Uv6JACWU" style="border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.carlyphillips.com/<wbr></wbr>JOWBNPrint</a></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div dir="auto">Audio Coming June 15th</div><div dir="auto">Narrated by Jason Clarke and Samantha Cook</div><div dir="auto">Audible: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFAudible?fbclid%3DIwAR3gfo0d9QVzB4jYoWPWBUR5i1eDp2efbz74bE5DkVM-jB0Poi_m2xYFbbU&source=gmail&ust=1682553877207000&usg=AOvVaw08Z64JR4VGlf7GHFcZybU6" href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFAudible?fbclid=IwAR3gfo0d9QVzB4jYoWPWBUR5i1eDp2efbz74bE5DkVM-jB0Poi_m2xYFbbU" style="border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.carlyphillips.com/<wbr></wbr>JOFAudible</a></div><span dir="auto">Amz Audio: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFAmzAudio?fbclid%3DIwAR3wc-wNM8phpRTvSvwnayDreZemMOD-PWG4DKdeRYEEVBFvzUl1djZxN-8&source=gmail&ust=1682553877207000&usg=AOvVaw3UJv6SffcG27-rF5P7ET6z" href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOFAmzAudio?fbclid=IwAR3wc-wNM8phpRTvSvwnayDreZemMOD-PWG4DKdeRYEEVBFvzUl1djZxN-8" style="border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.carlyphillips.com/<wbr></wbr>JOFAmzAudio</a></span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-85240617869044871172023-03-08T07:04:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:41.649-05:00HOLD ON TO ME (CAROLINA CLASSICS #2)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDXSOf5tLgiCQ6Pf1MXBkBcYHvR4JScn8Lq4DJapBpJFMQZagDJPjKcLSYWI0wSBSnBY13uPtZPX_lEEVtgPwUyVENDT3fn7qD4XCEUf3zw8P2ET5cheYA1wKVYoFmrE2TOBgsaRqj8QwkcgDXoG3Pkzx4Onb9gpGl-KEhz181fdY2jYWu79ktgfh/s509/Hold%20on%20to%20me.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDXSOf5tLgiCQ6Pf1MXBkBcYHvR4JScn8Lq4DJapBpJFMQZagDJPjKcLSYWI0wSBSnBY13uPtZPX_lEEVtgPwUyVENDT3fn7qD4XCEUf3zw8P2ET5cheYA1wKVYoFmrE2TOBgsaRqj8QwkcgDXoG3Pkzx4Onb9gpGl-KEhz181fdY2jYWu79ktgfh/w249-h400/Hold%20on%20to%20me.png" width="249" /></a></div><br /><span style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Hold On To Me (Carolina Classics #2)</span><p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Fans of 1990's shows like Dawson's Creek and Mad About You will love this throwback romantic comedy.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">After a devastating accident at sea, the only job Sullivan Calloway can get is one that few have survived.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">If time and tide wait for no man, neither does Helen O'Neill. She's spent years forging her own path in the movie business. The young hunk she's hired to replace her latest assistant to leave in tears may be a sight for sore eyes, but expectations will not be lowered. If he can’t do the work, he’ll be out on his very fine behind.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">If only her heart would get the memo.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Don't miss this slow-burn, boss-assistant, entertainment biz romance from USA Today bestselling author Karen Grey.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Audiobook Release Date: March 9, 2023</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Audiobook review copy provided by publisher</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Home Cooked Books</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Carolina Classics #2</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Retro/Nostalgia Romance</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Narrators: JF Harding & MacKenzie Cartwright</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Listening Speed: 1.4x</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Liza's Review:</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Hold On To Me is the second book in the Carolina Classics series by Karen Grey. I am a huge fan of the nostalgia romances Ms. Grey writes, and Hold On To Me was another winner in my book.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">I’ve wanted to know more about Sully from the moment he first appeared on the page. We met Sully and his friends in You Get What You Give. Sully is in a boating accident, and must find a job until he recovers enough to work on set again. The only job available it assistant to Helen O’Neill, who has already run off multiple assistants, with production starting very soon. Sully feels instant attraction to his boss from day one, and I loved the chemistry between them from the moment they meet.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Let me just say, I absolutely loved how strong Helen is over the entire story. Yes, she has had some rough times in the past, and she fights her attraction to Sully because of something in her past. I loved when they both finally gave into their attraction. OMG they had the best chemistry!!! I liked they really seemed to get one another, even with the age gap between them. Loved Helen is 10 years older than Sully, and yet, they just seemed to work as a couple for me. I think part of it was because Sully truly has an old soul, but most was because Helen never treated him like he was less of a person for being so much younger than her. They worked well both at work and in their relationship.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">I thought the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job with this story. Both narrators were spot on with all the different character voices, and I felt like there was a seamless transition between narrators. There were many emotional parts to Hold On To Me, and I felt like the narrators delivered on every single emotion.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Hold On To Me is a fun story that takes the reader back to the late 90’s. I loved all the nods to things from the past, and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I love the group of friends that is at the center of each story, and can’t wait to read more.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br aria-hidden="true" /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(36, 36, 36); color: #242424; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Rating: 4 Stars (B+)</span></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-26184928965805938072023-02-07T07:16:00.005-06:002023-05-12T07:39:46.287-05:00TURN UP THE HEAT (PINE MOUNTAIN #1)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu2d2so1eiShMAby70rEx5gkfZzqkDmTdBAVtBH4dNlQqRG72t2nqP-i4Fbsved5qpRAu4-FKKcLpLWAa0GoMEog88nxgKa0vg2GT9jBmBEwRMwnq9X_Lo6SZgGY5Xelu9-DVKcu2i60Kepo88eYFngiYY87B9ntW-EkxcDRuSJAM6a7_gENDvt2v/s2500/turn%20up%20the%20heat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpu2d2so1eiShMAby70rEx5gkfZzqkDmTdBAVtBH4dNlQqRG72t2nqP-i4Fbsved5qpRAu4-FKKcLpLWAa0GoMEog88nxgKa0vg2GT9jBmBEwRMwnq9X_Lo6SZgGY5Xelu9-DVKcu2i60Kepo88eYFngiYY87B9ntW-EkxcDRuSJAM6a7_gENDvt2v/s320/turn%20up%20the%20heat.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ingredients:</span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">One big-city real estate analyst who gets dumped on national TV</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">One small-town mechanic with a past he wants to keep in his rearview mirror</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">One weekend getaway thwarted by a broken down car, a boss that makes Atilla the Hun look like a lapdog, and the snowstorm of the century</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Mix well and add a whole lot of sparks under the hood.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Serve with a side of adversaries to lovers, opposites attract, sexy banter, and sizzling heat in both the kitchen and the bedroom.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*****</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Turn Up The Heat is an updated, spicier version of the first full-length Pine Mountain novel that was originally published in 2014.</span><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Re-release Date: February 7, 2023</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Pine Mountain #1</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Contemporary Romance</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Review copy provided by publisher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Liza's Review:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Turn Up the Heat is the first full length story in Kimberly Kincaid's Pine Mountain series. I missed this series when it was originally released, and am really enjoying the updated re-issued books so far. Turn Up the Heat is Bellamy Blake and Shane Griffin's book, and was a fun and sexy read.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Bellamy's day starts off with finding out her boyfriend is moving across the country for a job without discussing anything with her, and ends with her car broken down on the side of the road. Luckily, super sexy mechanic Shane is there to help her out. Shane and Bellamy's initial meeting was kinda funny, and I loved I could tell they were attracted to one another from the very first. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Bellamy has the boss from hell, and being stranded at a resort in Pine Mountain with limited cell reception was really just what the doctor ordered, even if Bellamy didn't see it clearly at first. She gets to unplug a bit and spend time cooking for her friends and Shane. Buying and preparing food really is Bellamy's love language, and I loved she was so happy when she was in Pine Mountain.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Shane has a secret he hasn't really shared with anyone, and that includes Bellamy, even when their relationship goes from new friends to lovers. They have off the charts chemistry, and the two of them together could absolutely melt the snow covering Pine Mountain...seriously smoking hot times between these two for sure! As Bellamy had just come from a relationship with a man who kept her in the dark about his plans, I totally got Bellamy feeling betrayed by Shane for keeping her in the dark, even though they had only been together for a short time.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Turn Up the Heat is another winner from Kimberly Kincaid. I'm really loving the Pine Mountain series, and think it's absolutely perfect for fans of funny and sexy contemporary romances. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Rating: 4 Stars ( B+)</span></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-12238737945819807712023-01-20T01:00:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:50.265-05:00JUST ANOTHER SPARK (KINGSTON FAMILY #7.5)<p><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA-fftrF0py6XZsBdLzMLKvGgo035Q-v8wCSU09PgViLfbopRzDL_nKxAUeiydw1QkNRbA_kkIT1VoHgwToVx-a1MNKRUduLEiigXC0xcvHmV9xwmdqRuirePp0Juh20FG5ykxnGd37uaBMwZJeKZAp7CDtEM34MV8G7x-lys8pwsiL-_FwZ55j6X/s475/Just%20Another%20Spark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA-fftrF0py6XZsBdLzMLKvGgo035Q-v8wCSU09PgViLfbopRzDL_nKxAUeiydw1QkNRbA_kkIT1VoHgwToVx-a1MNKRUduLEiigXC0xcvHmV9xwmdqRuirePp0Juh20FG5ykxnGd37uaBMwZJeKZAp7CDtEM34MV8G7x-lys8pwsiL-_FwZ55j6X/s320/Just%20Another%20Spark.jpg" width="194" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br />He’s a rock star wanted by millions.</b><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>She’s a wife willing to fight for their love. </b></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rock star Dash Kingston is finishing the last leg of his band’s U.S. tour. Exhausted and ready to be home, he can’t wait to see his girl. Time zones, show times, and the demands of his career have made married life harder than expected. Even knowing the rock star life wouldn’t make their relationship easy.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Cassidy Kingston thought she was ready to handle being married to a man idolized by women everywhere. She believes in their love even though the separations when the band is on tour can be torture. But the paparazzi and media don’t make their time apart easier and the gossip headlines hit her harder than they should. She trusts her husband even if she misses him like crazy.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When rumors surface that Dash is seeing someone, what’s a girl to do? Surprise her husband and remind him of what he’s been missing. Except you know what they say about the best laid plans.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Stands alone but if you want to read Dash and Cassidy’s full story:</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Just One Spark</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Release Date: January 17, 2023</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CP Publishing</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kingston Family #7.5</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Contemporary Romance</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by publisher</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Liza’s Review:</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Just Another Spark was freaking amazing! I loved Cassidy’s and Dash’s story, and was super excited to get to spend more time with them. Life has kept Dash and Cassidy apart lately. Dash is on tour with his band, and Cassidy is working with the production company almost around the clock. They are missing each other at every turn, yet their love is as strong as ever. Just Another Spark had me laughing out loud more than once, and had all the super sexy times I’ve come to love from Carly Phillips. While this story was novella length, the story was filled with all the emotions, and I loved every moment of this fully developed story.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I adore getting to revisit couples to see where they are in the lives now, and Just Another Spark was the perfect update for Dash and Cassidy. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rating: 5 stars (A+)</p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-64602133924786136752023-01-19T01:00:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:58.818-05:00INDECENT PROPOSAL (INDECENT SERIES #1)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl83RQCsLTBJhMVKpZQRPIE5Jwh8XVQEMmz5P500i59Ggc8WG_WjNRADU_y3Gbo36m0_txfG9yaYQu58dCrrEthCuIDQxrw7NaOdcckaKfc4i3Qk01_tcS5htcka-vBDomM34jzhrAAkUqUNpkgFOIrJqy5p1LYoJaAAveeTx1chhjzUgxm53Pr2f/s475/indecent%20proposal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl83RQCsLTBJhMVKpZQRPIE5Jwh8XVQEMmz5P500i59Ggc8WG_WjNRADU_y3Gbo36m0_txfG9yaYQu58dCrrEthCuIDQxrw7NaOdcckaKfc4i3Qk01_tcS5htcka-vBDomM34jzhrAAkUqUNpkgFOIrJqy5p1LYoJaAAveeTx1chhjzUgxm53Pr2f/w242-h400/indecent%20proposal.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br />It wasn’t every day that I was shot at by a sniper. But this was now my life, being hunted by someone my (dead) ex-fiancé had crossed. They thought I had something he’d taken, and they weren’t going to stop until they had what they wanted.<p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I went to the best security company around, but what I ended up with was a bodyguard who was as hot and tempting as he was grumpy and annoyingly bossy. Vaughn reluctantly took me on as a client, despite my inability to pay, and put me in his own personal safehouse with a set of rules to follow.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But a few of those rules? Yeah, I broke them just because I knew it would provoke him. What I didn’t anticipate was the kind of punishment he decided to dole out . . . and it wasn’t long before we went from enemies, to lovers, and an indecent proposal was struck between us.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We both swore it was all temporary, but the closer Vaughn gets to finding out who is after me and why, I realize walking away from this man might be much harder than I’d ever imagined.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Release Date: January 19, 2023</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Indecent Series #1</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Romantic Suspense</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by publisher</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Liza’s Review:</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Indecent Proposal is a fantastic start to the Indecent series by Erika Wilde! Claire Turner and Vaughn Hughes meet when Claire needs to hire Vaughn’s company Elite Protection and Consulting when she has someone after her following her ex’s death. Vaughan is willing to let Claire leave without hearing her sob story, until a snippet attack while in is secure office. Since Claire can’t pay for Vaughn’s services, he decides to keep it off the books and takes her to his personal safe house.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The suspense elements in Indecent Proposal were done so very well. I was kept guessing who the sniper was that had taken a shot at Claire until the actual reveal. I love when an author can keep me guessing about the who done it so much. Ms. Wilde did an amazing job keeping me guessing, and was honestly a bit shocked at the answer.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The chemistry between Vaughn and Claire was apparent from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Let me just say their banter and digs just made for an even hotter story than I was expecting. Seriously majorly smoking hot times between Claire and Vaughn. Vaughn is a dominant, and Claire is super feisty and not a meek woman at all. She tests Vaughn at every single turn, and it was so sexy to see them find the right balance in their relationship. I loved that Vaughn really got Claire in a way no other man had understood before; not even her former fiancée.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Indecent Proposal was a fantastic story! I loved getting to know Vaughn and Claire and following their journey from strangers to lovers. I can’t wait to read the stories for Vaughn’s other two partners! </p>
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<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Rating: 5 Stars (B+)</span> </p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-27817634808253039252023-01-17T19:07:00.002-06:002023-05-12T07:39:57.991-05:00GOOD GIRL FAIL<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqOPbXt2-xzdjo6h-vpRiOVh38jocN9VkjPqt-IIiNDDo1c7YzQtQyIfIOFX3h9JWVMb61wpB-WuMDfIM-AqieQyAZMg8JfgS2ivsRQPPZILKmg8V2rr_6uwhv3Ungkcujk-htLN-vLZOj8uwpXZcpsyNhpy3KHSBlDrxs6Ot6G6YuPL5Cz5JwRPO/s475/Good%20Girl%20Fail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="299" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqOPbXt2-xzdjo6h-vpRiOVh38jocN9VkjPqt-IIiNDDo1c7YzQtQyIfIOFX3h9JWVMb61wpB-WuMDfIM-AqieQyAZMg8JfgS2ivsRQPPZILKmg8V2rr_6uwhv3Ungkcujk-htLN-vLZOj8uwpXZcpsyNhpy3KHSBlDrxs6Ot6G6YuPL5Cz5JwRPO/w251-h400/Good%20Girl%20Fail.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /> <i style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica;">From the</i><b style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica;"> New York Times </b><i style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica;">bestselling author of the Loving on the Edge and the Say Anything series comes a new steamy standalone MMF romance that proves good girls can have fun too...especially when she's</i><b style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica;"> their </b><i style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica;">good girl.</i><p></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">O’Neal Lory has been taught that one mistake can undo an entire life of right decisions. That it doesn’t matter if a person has been good ninety-nine percent of the time. One misstep, one snap judgment, can derail everything. So, she’s taken a lot of right steps on the straight and narrow path. Eighteen years of them, in fact. Perfect grades. No rules broken. And definitely no boys.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Until she kisses <i>him.</i></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Auden Blake knows he shouldn’t touch his little sister’s best friend, knows that innocent girls like her should stay far, far away from him and his roommate Lennox—especially when she could reveal their behind-closed-doors activities to his family. But when sheltered O’Neal goes rogue, ditching her scholarship to a conservative all-girls college and showing up at Bennette State—<i>his</i> school—instead, it’s going to take everything Auden has to keep his <i>and</i> Lennox’s hands off the curious good girl whose <i>teach me</i> vibes could unravel them both.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Good Girl Fail <i>is a full-length standalone MMF romance with lots of steam, two heroes who like to share and get a little bossy, and a good girl heroine who’s about to break every rule that’s ever been placed upon her.</i></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Release Date: January 17, 2023</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Roni Loren, LLC</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Erotic Romance MMF</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by author</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Nikki’s Review:</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">SHE’S BACK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Listen, I love everything that Roni Loren writes, but getting back to her erotic romance roots is something to be celebrated, because this author is a goddamn unicorn.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Auden, Lennox, and O’Neal are bloody combustible on the page. The chemistry was off the charts. </p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This story is all about finding your true self and what makes you feel safe and happy…on your own terms. It’s about building a life that brings you joy. </p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’m a sucker for a poly romance, but I need a great plot to keep me invested. I need to be able to connect with the characters and want them to succeed in finding their happily ever after. This book delivers on all of that. I read it in one sitting. And the bonus scene at the end was a nice treat!</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t want to go into too much detail of the plot. I think you need to go on that journey with Auden, Lennox, and O’Neal. Just know that you’re getting a very character driven story that will keep you turning the pages. Also…it’s SPICY! All the ingredients that make up an amazing romance! </p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rating: 4 Stars (A)</p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-52606759988388697652022-12-28T19:39:00.000-06:002023-05-12T07:39:58.332-05:00THE LIPSTICK BUREAU BLOG TOUR<p><b style="font-family: Arial;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKPIqEVUY8Dz_VvvOV8PKJBd4S7j3WcYCBiWrppjuPpvGmUp9b8QJpw-zbanSLmICo-OUwJtcyJ9W5T2Pr7EgNOipSLiWV5nBHp9dTuW9noj8_4yFG6ZdJRcK6IOVFxXCia2VloFWFCREPfFtO9S4XH3D_wIeTxb81ZoJSGI96zjX9tXVUdwH92Fo/s3200/the%20lipstick%20bureau_TS_PRD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKPIqEVUY8Dz_VvvOV8PKJBd4S7j3WcYCBiWrppjuPpvGmUp9b8QJpw-zbanSLmICo-OUwJtcyJ9W5T2Pr7EgNOipSLiWV5nBHp9dTuW9noj8_4yFG6ZdJRcK6IOVFxXCia2VloFWFCREPfFtO9S4XH3D_wIeTxb81ZoJSGI96zjX9tXVUdwH92Fo/w266-h400/the%20lipstick%20bureau_TS_PRD.jpg" width="266" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: Arial;"><br />The Lipstick Bureau : A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy </b><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Michelle Gable</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On Sale Date: December 27, 2022</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">9781525811470</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Trade Paperback</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">$16.99 USD</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">464 pages</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>ABOUT THE BOOK:</b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Inspired by one of the OSS’s few female operatives, Barbara Lauwers, a WWII novel set at OSS’s Morale Office in Rome, which was responsible for creating black propaganda and distributing it behind enemy lines. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookseller's Secret.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Inspired by a real-life female spy, a WWII-set novel about a woman challenging convention and boundaries to help win a war, no matter the cost.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“A gripping, fascinating read.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy's capital. One of the OSS's few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she's tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she's been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>BUY LINKS:</b></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Bookshop.org: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lipstick-bureau-a-novel-inspired-by-true-wwii-events-original-michelle-gable/17917455"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lipstick-bureau-a-novel-inspired-by-true-wwii-events-original-michelle-gable/17917455</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Indiebound: <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781525811470"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781525811470</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Barnes & Noble: <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lipstick-bureau-michelle-gable/1142529516"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lipstick-bureau-michelle-gable/1142529516</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Indigo: <a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-lipstick-bureau-a-novel/9781525804977-item.html"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-lipstick-bureau-a-novel/9781525804977-item.html</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Bureau-Novel-Inspired-Events/dp/1525811479/"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Bureau-Novel-Inspired-Events/dp/1525811479/</span></a></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa76M63TubE5iO7dFDARq-RmKkynF6HpLBe8YU3r4Fep0eUvFx_XZ4jaOZ5Brivm3FeYAvxJtpoG8q8BE1ZHMxM85of1C0HbZzZLMOAEeXIBKZ47Ph1H1FJwqJfn1x8hUC9b5N1ErOANNN0DqkSv6PE0tX1z2oKNRYUfeOEOmWWlV-95ip6wni_O4/s3960/Michelle%20Gable%20by%20Joanna%20DeGeneres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3960" data-original-width="2640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa76M63TubE5iO7dFDARq-RmKkynF6HpLBe8YU3r4Fep0eUvFx_XZ4jaOZ5Brivm3FeYAvxJtpoG8q8BE1ZHMxM85of1C0HbZzZLMOAEeXIBKZ47Ph1H1FJwqJfn1x8hUC9b5N1ErOANNN0DqkSv6PE0tX1z2oKNRYUfeOEOmWWlV-95ip6wni_O4/s320/Michelle%20Gable%20by%20Joanna%20DeGeneres.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b><br />ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</b><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I'll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @mgablewriter.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>SOCIAL LINKS:</b></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Author website: <a href="https://michellegable.com/"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://michellegable.com/</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/MGableWriter"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://twitter.com/MGableWriter</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mgablewriter/"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.instagram.com/mgablewriter/</span></a></span></p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDCCj6eW3LVpOnpQcLtFD_NoolGgGwDbchf1sThgSjf4fW4jJtE0tdP3LXKOL8_geH6dX-66ZmtHX20duB2gw2rvwtrwhFBXvB3V5g908RWkY6pH9e5M0bq5Fiz1C0JLIV_LCDL1m8DWDXgdMSM5vmImamXmnSUTG1XK7V2mrt86E19ISLXL0xN51/s1500/670-THE-LIPSTICK-BUREAU-Blog-Tour-Banner-1500-x-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDCCj6eW3LVpOnpQcLtFD_NoolGgGwDbchf1sThgSjf4fW4jJtE0tdP3LXKOL8_geH6dX-66ZmtHX20duB2gw2rvwtrwhFBXvB3V5g908RWkY6pH9e5M0bq5Fiz1C0JLIV_LCDL1m8DWDXgdMSM5vmImamXmnSUTG1XK7V2mrt86E19ISLXL0xN51/w400-h134/670-THE-LIPSTICK-BUREAU-Blog-Tour-Banner-1500-x-500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">Excerpt:</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b>NIKI</b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b>May 1989</b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b><i>Washington, DC</i></b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Niki’s stomach flip-flops, and there’s a wild fluttering in her chest. You’re fine, she tells herself. In this buzzing, glittering room of some three hundred, she’s unlikely to encounter anyone she knows. Not that she’d recognize them if she did. It’s been almost forty-five years. </p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Jeez, what a turnout,” her daughter, Andrea, says as Niki takes several short inhales, trying to wrangle her breath. “Did you know this many people would show up?” </p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I had no idea what to expect,” Niki answers, and this much is true. When the invitation arrived three months ago, she’d almost pitched it straight into the trash.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b><i>You are invited</i></b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b><i>to a Black-Tie Dinner</i></b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b><i>Honoring</i></b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;"><b><i>The Ladies of the O.S.S.</i></b></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The ladies of the OSS. A deceptively quaint title, like a neighborhood bridge club, or a collection of wives whose given names are not important.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You should go,” Niki’s husband had said when she showed him the thick, ecru cardstock with its ornate engraving. “Relive your war days.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Manfred,” Niki had replied sternly. “Nobody wants to relive those.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Though he’d convinced Niki to accept the invitation, it hadn’t been the hardest sell. Manfred was ill—dying, in fact, of latestage lung cancer—and Niki figured the tick mark beside “yes” was merely a way to delay a no.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The week before the event, Manfred was weaker than ever, and Niki saw her chance to back out. “I’ll just skip it,” she’d said. “This is for the best. You’d be bored out of your skull, and no one I worked with will even be there!”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“<i>Zuska</i>,” Manfred said, using her old pet name. As always, he’d known what his wife was up to. “I want you to go. Take Andrea. She could use a night out. It’d be like a holiday for her.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I don’t know…” Niki demurred. Their daughter did hate to cook, and no doubt longed for a break from her two extremely pert teenagers.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You can’t refuse,” Manfred said. “What if this ends up qualifying as my dying wish?” It was a joke, but what could Niki possibly say to that?</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Now she regrets having shown Manfred the invitation and is discomfited by the scene. Niki feels naked, exposed, as though she’s wearing a transparent blouse instead of a black sparkly top with double shoulder pads.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Do you think you’ll spot anyone you know?” Andrea asks as they wend their way through the tables, scanning for number eighteen. Every Czech native considers eighteen an auspicious number, so maybe this is a positive sign.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“It’s unlikely,” Niki says. “The dinner is honoring women, and I mostly worked with men.” Most of whom are now dead, she does not add.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Soon enough, mother and daughter find their table, and exchange greetings with the two women already seated. Niki squints at their badges and notes they worked in different theaters of operation. Onstage is a podium, behind it a screen emblazoned with O.S.S. Beneath the letters is a gold spade encircled in black.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“What a beautiful outfit!” says one of their tablemates in a tight Texas twang.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Thank you.” Niki blushes lightly, smoothing her billowy, bright green chiffon skirt.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You’re the prettiest one in the place,” Andrea whispers as they sit.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“What a load of shit,” Niki spits back. In this room, it’s sequins and diamonds and fur for miles. She pats Andrea’s hand. “But thank you for the compliment.” And thank God for Manfred, who’d raised their girl to treat her mother so well.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><i>Manfred</i>. Niki feels a quake somewhere deep. She is losing him. She’s been losing him for a long time, and maybe <i>this</i> is the reason she came tonight. Those three letters on-screen call up—rather, <i>exhume</i>—a swarm of emotions, not all of them good. But they also offer a strange kind of hope, a reminder that Niki’s survived loss before, and this old body of hers has lived more than one life.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #141414; font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><b>Excerpted from <i>The Lipstick Bureau </i>by Michelle Gable Bilski. Copyright </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>©</b></span><b> 2022 by Michelle Gable Bilski. Published by Graydon House Books.</b></p><div><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-81041480129477126832022-12-20T02:00:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:59.059-05:00SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT BLOG TOUR<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9znwe960oe5eWBb5bnhjjy068vM3AS632j7Z3ZNt5RGlJO-HeFemADcrb3_eXTgQGEjMtkepOVMOSWs1binSOEMHac1yuQUV2UHDu03H5hHYXrsPl4aN22Jb6iI_9we2XFIHpnPjRBQX_y8QjNmpcwvb1715espQHscity932fdlB8ptxbXA0RELO/s3200/Someone%20Had%20to%20Do%20It%20-%20final%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9znwe960oe5eWBb5bnhjjy068vM3AS632j7Z3ZNt5RGlJO-HeFemADcrb3_eXTgQGEjMtkepOVMOSWs1binSOEMHac1yuQUV2UHDu03H5hHYXrsPl4aN22Jb6iI_9we2XFIHpnPjRBQX_y8QjNmpcwvb1715espQHscity932fdlB8ptxbXA0RELO/w266-h400/Someone%20Had%20to%20Do%20It%20-%20final%20cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></b></div><b><br />Someone Had to Do It </b><p></p>
<p style="color: #232a40; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Authors: </b></span><span style="background-color: white;">Amber and Danielle Brown</span></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>ISBN: 9781525899966</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Paperback Original </b></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Publication Date: December 27, 2022</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Book Summary:</b> </span></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Brandi Maxwell is living the dream as an intern at prestigious New York fashion house Simon Van Doren. Except “living the dream” looks more like scrubbing puke from couture dresses worn by hard-partying models and putting up with microaggressions from her white colleagues. Still, she can’t help but fangirl over Simon’s it-girl daughter, Taylor. Until one night, at a glamorous Van Doren party, when Brandi overhears something she shouldn’t have, and her fate becomes dangerously intertwined Taylor’s.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Model and influencer Taylor Van Doren has everything…and is this close to losing it all. Her fashion mogul father will donate her inheritance to charity if she fails her next drug test, and he’s about to marry someone nearly as young as Taylor, further threatening her stake in the family fortune. But Taylor deserves the money that’s rightfully hers. And she’ll go to any lengths to get it, even if that means sacrificing her famous father in the process.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">All she needs is the perfect person to take the fall…</p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Buy Links:</b></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/someone-had-to-do-it-amber-and-danielle-brown?variant=40515068854306">HarperCollins.com</a></span><span style="color: black;"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/someone-had-to-do-it-amber-and-danielle-brown/17917474?ean=9781525899966">BookShop.org<span style="color: #0b4cb4;"></span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/someone-had-to-do-it-amber-brown/1141003984?ean=9781525899966&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%2520Publishers%2520LLC_7310909_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%2520Publishers%2520LLC">Barnes & Noble<span style="color: #0b4cb4;"></span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1525899961/keywords=thrillers?tag=harpercollinsus-20">Amazon<span style="color: #0b4cb4;"></span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781525899966?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=80c8eab070e711ed827809bf0a82b838&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww">Books-A-Million<span style="color: #0b4cb4;"></span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781525899966">IndieBound<span style="color: #0b4cb4;"></span></a></span></p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytwgd5QjSc-SI87NTXV4GArzSmsSGbgaUCDAnP6hShTAtM6xc0lH6oxKZsp2vzq8CuLCt7w-Thi7uVkKIITOFlmCVLXWMMmszNuvP7JElEos97i5knyq-Ize8-mwFgsug1EGrasN3PAhjDc1_rl_Vh895WcpjCfKDY42liQ3Sb3kYK1h30QXj1znQ/s1872/Amber%20and%20Danielle%20Brown%20author%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjytwgd5QjSc-SI87NTXV4GArzSmsSGbgaUCDAnP6hShTAtM6xc0lH6oxKZsp2vzq8CuLCt7w-Thi7uVkKIITOFlmCVLXWMMmszNuvP7JElEos97i5knyq-Ize8-mwFgsug1EGrasN3PAhjDc1_rl_Vh895WcpjCfKDY42liQ3Sb3kYK1h30QXj1znQ/s320/Amber%20and%20Danielle%20Brown%20author%20photo.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Authors’ Bio:</b></span><span style="background-color: white; text-decoration: underline;"> </span></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #0d0e0e; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Amber and Danielle Brown </b>both graduated from Rider University where they studied Communications/Journalism and sat on the editorial staff for the On Fire!! literary journal. They then pursued a career in fashion and spent five years in NYC working their way up, eventually managing their own popular fashion and lifestyle blog. Amber is also a screenwriter, so they live in LA, which works out perfectly so Danielle can spoil her plant babies with copious amount of sunshine.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Social Links:</b></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Author Website: <a href="https://www.amberanddanielle.com/"><span style="color: #0b4cb4;">https://www.amberanddanielle.com/</span></a> </span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ambersharelle"><span style="color: #0b4cb4;">https://twitter.com/ambersharelle</span></a> </span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/dani_nicbrown"><span style="color: #0b4cb4;">https://twitter.com/dani_nicbrown</span></a> </span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amberanddanielle/"><span style="color: #0b4cb4;">https://www.instagram.com/amberanddanielle/</span></a> </span></p><p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58203022-someone-had-to-do-it">Goodreads</a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A December LibraryReads Pick</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Readers Digest Online, 27 Best Mystery Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">"will have you turning pages as fast as you can....With biting social commentary and critiques of capitalism and privilege, this juicy, intelligent novel is utterly compelling." -<b>Readers Digest Online</b>, <b>27 Best Mystery Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">"Inspired by their time in the New York fashion scene, influencers Amber and Danielle Brown have crafted a taut and sexy debut thriller about a young Black woman struggling to make it in that cutthroat industry....Fresh dialogue, extravagant parties, and an inside view of the glamorous lives of the filthy rich grab the reader’s attention from start to finish.” -<b><i>BOOKLIST</i></b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">“Sister team Amber and Danielle Brown bring their own experiences of the fashion industry into this fast-paced and intriguing thriller.… Brandi is a well-developed protagonist who will be admired for her resolve and ambition….Fans of Alyssa Cole and Zakiya Dalila Harris, whose characters navigate the issues women of color face in the workplace, and of psychological thrillers like Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train will enjoy this one.” –<b>LIBRARY JOURNAL</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">"A disturbing peek into the world of privilege. <b>Someone Had to Do It</b> is a tense page-turner that had me yelling out loud at the characters."</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>-Lucinda Berry, bestselling author of The Best of Friends and The Perfect Child</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">"<b>Someone Had to Do It</b> has everything. A dark and riveting page turner that has the allure of pulling off the perfect crime with an intelligent twist."</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">--<b>Nadine Matheson, author of THE JIGSAW MAN and THE BINDING ROOM</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">"Amber and Danielle Brown’s debut is a juicy, brilliant treat of a thriller that combines sexy fashion-world glamour with salient points about privilege, racism, and the corrosive effects of extreme wealth. Somehow, <b>Someone Had to Do It</b> manages to be both a scathing critique of our late-stage capitalist hellscape, and the perfect mental escape from it. I couldn’t put it down!"</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">-<b>Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDtBoA08x21CqUbj-zfGUfVaacE0Y7hMgynET5m6mV5WbTar6rtD_s2MZkiYteobl6_IZnu7lFZzfkezLd7mZSE_t4qSZob2atkj2FgnKNoon5QIAWRVhUy0kESQXrNmWTinOfnrJyQBvi5cycI7xGvBcsVMkyfckuKDe2mZqP1i-hB1DsyQX64jn/s1600/661-HTP-Banner---MYSTERY-THRILLER-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDtBoA08x21CqUbj-zfGUfVaacE0Y7hMgynET5m6mV5WbTar6rtD_s2MZkiYteobl6_IZnu7lFZzfkezLd7mZSE_t4qSZob2atkj2FgnKNoon5QIAWRVhUy0kESQXrNmWTinOfnrJyQBvi5cycI7xGvBcsVMkyfckuKDe2mZqP1i-hB1DsyQX64jn/w400-h100/661-HTP-Banner---MYSTERY-THRILLER-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> EXCERPT</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 43px; text-align: center;"><b>BRANDI</b></p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">I had a ton of illusions, vivid fantasies of what it would be like to score a coveted internship at Van Doren. Deluded old me thought I would be strutting around the stunning tri-story headquarters in single-soled heels, flitting from design concept meetings to on-location photo shoots, living my best fashion-girl life. Instead, I’m in the back corner of the two-thousand-square-foot ready-to-wear samples closet scrubbing fresh vomit from a slinky gown worth double my rent during my lunch hour.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>Italian Vogue</i>’s current cover girl borrowed the hand-sewn dress for a red-carpet event last night, and apparently getting it back on a rack without ruining it was too much for one of the other interns to handle. She was so hungover when she came to the office this morning that she vomited all over the dress before making it out of the elevator. But of course this dress needs to be ready for another model to wear to some big extravaganza tonight, and since I’m the designated fuckover intern, I have to clean it by hand because the satin-blend fabric is too delicate to be dry-cleaned.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>This is what it takes.</i></p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I chant this to remind myself why I’m here as the lactic acid builds up in my biceps. Working for Van Doren has been on my proverbial vision board ever since I reluctantly gave up the idea, in middle school, that I could be Beyoncé. It’s a storm of hauling hundreds of pounds of runway samples around the city and sitting in on meetings with the sketch artists. A glorious, next-to-holy experience when I’m on duty at photo shoots and one of the stylists sends me to fetch <i>another </i>blazer, not a specific blazer, which means I get to use my own vestiary inclinations to make the selection. Which has only happened once, but still.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Just as I get the stain faded by at least seventy percent, I hear the sharp staccato of someone in stilettos approaching. I turn around and see Lexi. Lexi with her bimonthly touched-up white-blond hair and generous lip filler that she’ll never admit to having injected. When she steps closer in her head-to-toe Reformation, I am grateful that I remembered to put on a few sprays of my Gypsy Water perfume. The one that smells like rich people. But the way she’s staring at me right now, it’s clear that no matter how much I try, I am still not on her level. I do not fit in here. She does not see me as her equal, despite the fact that we are both unpaid, unknown, disposable interns. It’s become glaringly obvious that at Van Doren, it’s not actually about what you contribute, but more about how blue your blood is. Lexi doesn’t even know my name, though I’ve been here a solid nine weeks and I’m pretty sure I’ve told her at least a dozen times.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">I’m already on edge because of my assignment, so I jump in before she can ask in her monotone voice. “Brandi.”</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Right,” she says, like she does every time yet still forgets. “Chloé wants the Instagram analytics report for last week. She said she asked you to put it together an hour ago.”</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Which is true, but completely unfair since Jenna from marketing also asked me to run to Starbucks to buy thirty-one-ounce cups of liquid crack for her and her entire department for a 9:00 a.m. meeting, an effort that took three trips total, and technically I’m still working on the data sheets I promised Eric from product development. Not to mention the obvious: getting rid of the puke from the dress.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“I’m still working on it,” I tell her.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Lexi stares at me, her overly filled brows lifted, as if she’s waiting for the rest of my excuse. I understand her, but also I’m wondering how she still hasn’t realized this is not a case of Resting Bitch Face I have going on, that I am actually intolerant of her nagging.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Normally, I am not this terse. But nothing about today has been normal. Since this week is my period week, I’m retaining water in the most unflattering of places and the pencil dress I’m wearing has been cutting off the circulation in my thighs for the past couple of hours, and being that I’ve spent most of my break destroying the evidence of someone else’s bad decisions, it is not my fault that I’m not handling this particularly well.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“I’ll send it over as soon as I’m done,” I say to Lexi so she can leave. But she doesn’t.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“HR wants to see you,” she says with what looks like a smirk.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">My mouth opens. I have no idea what HR could want, and although I’m still new to this employee thing, I know this can’t be good.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Like, now,” Lexi barks and pivots away in her strappy, open-toe stilts.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I hang the sample next to the door, and before I leave the room I pause to briefly take in the rest of the dresses stuffed on the racks, each one in that chic, elevated aesthetic that is the cornerstone of Van Doren. This is my favorite part of the day, the chaotic nature of this room a little overwhelming but also inspiring, and I can’t wait for the day that this is <i>my </i>world, not just one I’m peeking my head into. A world in which I command respect.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">I cross through the merchandising department, where everyone has their own private office with aerial views of Hell’s Kitchen, Soho and the Garment District, and then move through the maze of the sprawling suite in a mild sort of panic until I remind myself that I have done nothing wrong. Ever since spring semester ended, I’ve been putting in more hours than the sun. I slip in at six-thirty when the building is dark and vaguely ominous, my eyes still puffy with sleep, and when I finally drag myself into the elevator at the end of the day, it’s just as black and quiet outside. I religiously show up in current-season heels despite the blisters, albeit mass-produced renditions of the Fendi, Balenciaga and Bottega Venetas the other summer interns casually strut around in, and mostly stick to myself. I am careful about raising my voice, even if I vehemently disagree with my neurotic supervisor. I keep my tongue as puritanical as a nun’s, even when <i>fucking incel </i>or <i>coddled narcissistic bitch </i>are on the tip of it. I’m not rude or combative. I stay away from gossip. I complete all my tasks with time to spare, which is usually when I check Twitter and help out some of the other interns, even though I’d rather FaceTime Nate in the upstairs bathroom with the magical lighting. I even entertain the gang of sartorially inclined Amy Coopers in the making who insist on obnoxiously complaining to me about all of their first-world, one-percenter problems. I’ve done nothing but consistently given them reasons to think I am a capable, qualified, talented intern who would make an exceptional employee.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">I have nothing to worry about.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When I knock on the door to Lauren’s office, she looks up from her desk and waves me in through the glass. I have a feeling this will not go my way when I see that my supervisor, Chloé, one of the more amiable assistants, is also here, fiddling with her six-carat engagement ring in the corner and avoiding eye contact.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Have a seat, Brandi,” Lauren says, and I tell myself to ignore that her bright pink lipstick extends above her lip on one side.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">There is no small talk. No <i>hello </i>or <i>how’s it going? </i>Under alternate circumstances, I would feel slighted, but because I’m growing more anxious by the second, I’m grateful for her smugness.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">As I sit down, Chloé shifts in her chair, and I speak before she can. “I’m sorry. The Instagram report is at the top of my task list. I’ll definitely have it to you before I leave today. I just—”</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“That’s not why you’re here, Brandi,” Lauren interjects.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Oh.” I pause, and as she glances down at her notes, I try to make meaningful eye contact with my supervisor, but she is still actively dodging my eyes.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Lauren begins by throwing out a few compliments. My work ethic is admirable and I have great attention to detail, she says, and the whole time my heart is pounding so loud, I can barely make out most of her words. Chloé jumps in to effusively agree, then Lauren finally stops beating around the bush and looks me directly in the eyes.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“We just don’t feel like you’re fitting into the culture here at Van Doren.”</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Every word feels like a backhanded slap across the face, the kind that twists your neck and makes the world go still and white for a few disconcerting moments, like an orgasm but not like an orgasm. It’s obvious what they mean, yet can’t quite bring themselves to say.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">They just don’t like that I’m black.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">They don’t like the way I wear my braids—long and unapologetic, grazing my hips like a Nubian mermaid.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">They don’t like that I’m not the smile-and-nod type, willing to assimilate to their idea of what I should be, how I should act.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>Culture</i>.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">That’s their code for we-can’t-handle-your-individuality-but-since-we-don’t-want-to-seem-racist-we’ll-invent-this-little-loophole.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Black plus exceptional equals threat.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“If we don’t see any improvement in the coming weeks, we’re going to have to let you go,” Lauren says with no irony, her mouth easing into a synthetic smile.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">I blink. I cannot believe this is happening right now. It wasn’t supposed to go like this, my internship at Van Doren, the <i>one </i>fashion company whose ethics align with mine. I wasn’t just blowing smoke up Lauren’s ass when I interviewed for this job, though I was looking at her sideways, wondering why she had not a stitch of Van Doren on. I’d splurged on a single-shouldered jumpsuit from this year’s spring collection that I couldn’t really afford just to impress her, while she hadn’t even felt the need to represent the brand at all as she shot out all those futile questions interviewers love propelling at candidates, I’m convinced, just to see them squirm. Even minuscule amounts of power can be dangerous.</p><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">This is bullshit, being put on probation, and I’d give anything to have the <span style="font-size: 11.5px;">balls to call them on it. As I sit here paralyzed, Lauren’s words reverberate in my head and I rebuke them, want to suffocate and bury them.</span></p><p><br /></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-60561304160629218152022-12-07T02:00:00.002-06:002023-05-12T07:39:58.392-05:00PETS OF PARK AVENUE BLOG TOUR<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1L7aQXsvXz8VxUEkeDqZWHod410UUNie9jlG462-KXK-E7hF7WOOpnvH6p8pMSQ4JW5z2jteTQH-pdkkDifJ217OPHAOY3whDf2ym5Oqg7SPPPf3dlmTPW2vxiNc6Mi47lbD8auwJBSHGYu4DZcixdQHXldIFCGlbKpvToH7pl7BVkptHYLeAu0L/s3200/Pets%20of%20Park%20Ave_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1L7aQXsvXz8VxUEkeDqZWHod410UUNie9jlG462-KXK-E7hF7WOOpnvH6p8pMSQ4JW5z2jteTQH-pdkkDifJ217OPHAOY3whDf2ym5Oqg7SPPPf3dlmTPW2vxiNc6Mi47lbD8auwJBSHGYu4DZcixdQHXldIFCGlbKpvToH7pl7BVkptHYLeAu0L/w266-h400/Pets%20of%20Park%20Ave_cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></b></div><b><br />Pets of Park Avenue</b><p></p>
<p style="color: #232a40; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Author: </b></span><span style="background-color: white;">Stefanie London</span></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>ISBN: 9781335498199</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Paperback Original </b></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Publication Date: December 6, 2022</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Publisher: HQN</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Book Summary:</b> </p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p>
<p style="color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The perfect romcom for dog lovers! <b><i>Pets of Park Avenue</i></b> is the story of a self-confessed hot mess who learns that life is more fun when things <b><i>don't</i></b> go according to plan.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>What do you do when The One is also the one who broke your heart?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Self-proclaimed hot mess Scout Myers is determined to prove she’s finally got her act together. Raised by grandparents who saw her as her wayward mother’s wayward daughter, Scout’s used to being written off. So when the opportunity for a promotion arises at Paws in the City, the talent agency where she works, Scout is desperate to rise to the occasion. With shared custody of her little sister also on the line, Scout can’t afford a single mistake…like suddenly needing a canine stand-in for an important photoshoot. Luckily (or not) she knows the owner of the perfect pup replacement: the estranged husband she walked out on years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">On the surface, it appears Lane Halliday’s life has been blissfully drama free without Scout, but she suspects her handsome-as-ever not-<i>quite</i>-ex-husband doth protest too much. Working together even feels like old times—except for all that lingering, unresolved tension. But Scout’s not sure she’s ready to confront the reasons she left Lane, and when their plans to finalize the divorce become very real, Scout starts to wonder whether second chances might be worth a little hot mess.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Paws in the City – standalone </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Book 1 - <i>The Dachshund Wears Prada</i></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Buy Links:</b></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/pets-of-park-avenue-stefanie-london?variant=40256028508194">HarperCollins.com</a></span><span style="color: black;"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/pets-of-park-avenue-stefanie-london/17922540?ean=9781335498199">BookShop.org</a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pets-of-park-avenue-stefanie-london/1140810561?ean=9781335498199&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%2520Publishers%2520LLC_7310909_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%2520Publishers%2520LLC">Barnes & Noble</a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335498192?tag=harpercollinsus-20">Amazon</a></span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781335498199?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=1211eeb95fb311ed828e00060a82b82a&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww">Books-A-Million</a></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErzOyIZkwtG64PQzKB2ftdujbqrsEp508MODmKswFFzIiNB-dpbNN96ESr6nTxJrTbRuDCIAjZrabwTSTmKuc6fnOzkDt9hfaBB_f0nchGzQjhXDfI9I_wCsdH7q_j5-pUHKOYFq6_oHFT5STmPXHy3G8d_M8EN8tT3i0scXJYqvd7POzNxW1yZoB/s5537/Stefanie%20London.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5537" data-original-width="3643" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErzOyIZkwtG64PQzKB2ftdujbqrsEp508MODmKswFFzIiNB-dpbNN96ESr6nTxJrTbRuDCIAjZrabwTSTmKuc6fnOzkDt9hfaBB_f0nchGzQjhXDfI9I_wCsdH7q_j5-pUHKOYFq6_oHFT5STmPXHy3G8d_M8EN8tT3i0scXJYqvd7POzNxW1yZoB/s320/Stefanie%20London.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />
<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Social Links:</b></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://stefanie-london.com/">Author Website</a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1643456955872922"><span style="color: #0b4cb4;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1643456955872922</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #0b4cb4; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/stefanielondon">Goodreads</a></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b>Author Bio:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></p>
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<p style="color: #191c1f; font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Stefanie London is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called "genuinely entertaining and memorable" by Booklist, and her writing praised as "elegant, descriptive and delectable" by RT Magazine.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges her passions for lipstick, good coffee, books and anything zombie related.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><b></b><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewJcmI2F3nOE_wmpQSxtFkivPCGU38R01S1zac2kpbpRZy4gwGE_X4BttZilFJxagiG1s_HGNraHve_1yTlvh4hpPBcIP0JJM-BX5Afslddkjhuwd2ekFQtaU68wYuieq01rqxOrYJwQ5LdOdXj0_r_4qK8SYypTVmj6ZHeW5-T6BNYDoDwf-So4l/s1600/662-HTP-Banner---WOMEN'S-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewJcmI2F3nOE_wmpQSxtFkivPCGU38R01S1zac2kpbpRZy4gwGE_X4BttZilFJxagiG1s_HGNraHve_1yTlvh4hpPBcIP0JJM-BX5Afslddkjhuwd2ekFQtaU68wYuieq01rqxOrYJwQ5LdOdXj0_r_4qK8SYypTVmj6ZHeW5-T6BNYDoDwf-So4l/w400-h100/662-HTP-Banner---WOMEN'S-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>EXCERPT</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Scout Myers could think of several good reasons to be on all fours with her ass in the air, but pandering to the world’s most disagreeable cat was not one of them. Isaac Mewton—and yes, that was his real name—was a Scottish fold with the sweetest face you’d ever see. Unfortunately, despite the adorable camera-ready mug, the cat had the same disposition as those grumpy old Muppets who liked to sit on a balcony and heckle people for sport.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">And Scout <i>loved </i>animals. One of the best things about her job at Paws in the City, New York’s premiere pet social media and talent agency, was getting to be around furry critters all day long.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Isaac Mewton, however, was officially on her shit list.</p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“I can see something shiny back there.” His owner pointed. “We can’t carry on without his favorite toy. He won’t sit still.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Scout gritted her teeth and wedged her hand between the wall and a white IKEA bookcase. Cringing, she prayed none of New York’s finest creepy crawlies were hiding back there and wriggled her fingers.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Come on,” she muttered. “Where are you?”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Eventually her fingertips brushed something hard and plastic. That had to be it. How the cat had managed to bat his toy so hard it lodged itself into such a small space was incomprehensible. Almost as incomprehensible as this client’s expectations. Seriously, how were they supposed to turn her precious kitty into a star if it wouldn’t even sit still for a headshot?</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Got it!” Her hand—and the toy—popped mercifully free.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Great, now can we get on with it?” The client looked at Scout like this was all her fault. “I have an appointment to get to.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Paws in the City wasn’t only Scout’s workplace; it was the brainchild of her best friend <i>and </i>the lifeline Scout had needed when her life couldn’t sink any lower. She came into work every day striving to do the best job possible, both for herself and her boss.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">That meant pasting on a can-do smile, even when she wanted to launch a cat toy at someone’s head.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Why don’t you get him to play with it?” Scout said, handing over the hard plastic ring, which was clear and suspended with glitter. “He might be more receptive if it comes from you.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">The woman crouched in front of the cat and attempted to engage him with the toy. But he immediately batted it across the room, where it slammed into the wall and bounced onto the floor.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The photographer, who had shown a level of patience that should make her a shoo-in for sainthood, raised an eyebrow. This was going nowhere. Isaac Mewton sat on a velvet pouf with an artfully arranged bookshelf behind him that Scout and the photographer had prepared for his portrait, staring down everyone in the room like an angry king.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">It was time to try something new. Scout retrieved a feather toy from their stash in the office. She needed to get these photos done <i>now</i>. Isla was due back in less than five minutes and they hadn’t gotten a single decent shot of the cat.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>Let’s be real, what client would want to work with such a demanding, fussy model anyway?</i></p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Still, Scout didn’t want it to look like she didn’t have things under control.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“He doesn’t like those.” The cat’s owner shook her head and pointed at the feather toy. “It won’t work.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Well, we’ve tried all the toys you brought with you, so maybe a Hail Mary is exactly what we need,” Scout replied tightly, her smile turning brittle. Lord give her strength to deal with this woman! The cat was a pain, sure, but animals were animals. They couldn’t be blamed for their behavior. Their human counterparts on the other hand…</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>Click!</i></p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Isaac Mewton had gone still, his eyes on the new toy, and the photographer seized the moment to start snapping. Scout moved the feather in gentle sweeping motions, and the cat’s eyes followed with intense focus. He raised one paw and batted at it, ignoring the steady <i>click, click, click </i>of the camera.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>So much for him not liking it.</i></p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Scout shoved the snarky inner comment to one side and focused on getting the cat to engage so they could wrap up the meeting as quickly as possible. Next to her, the owner huffed in annoyance as though she couldn’t believe her darling Isaac had proven her wrong.</p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">When they were done and the woman and her cat had left the Paws in the City office, Scout’s shoulders sagged in relief. She was a people—and an animal—person at heart, but she had a pet peeve, no pun intended, about entitlement. Call it a leftover from her childhood. Her mother’s legacy was little more than a collection of emotional scars and personal quirks, but she <i>had </i>taught Scout one very important lesson.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Nobody owed her anything. Whatever she wanted in life, she would have to earn it.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Are all your clients like that?” the photographer asked as she packed up her equipment. “The woman seemed to think her cat was royalty.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Scout shook her head. “Most clients are lovely and happy to have our assistance. But there’s always the rare few who think they’re superstar material, without being willing to put in the work.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“How long have you been open now? Only a few months, right?”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Six months.” Scout couldn’t help her beaming smile. It might not be <i>her </i>business, but she was damn proud to be part of it. “And we’ve already signed over twenty clients.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Including Miss Pain in the Rear and her angry feline overlord?”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“We’ve had several requests for cats lately, and he was by <i>far </i>the cutest we’ve seen.” Scout sighed. “Let’s hope he’s in a better mood when it comes time to front up for a paying job.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Paws in the City represented clients with four (and six) legs. They provided social media coaching to the humans running the accounts, worked on brand strategy and generally acted as a go-between in brokering sponsorship deals and other types of opportunities. They also booked animal talent for commercial shoots, both of the print and television variety. Every day was different. Scout managed the operational parts of the </p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">job, like booking appointments, supervising headshots, fielding media enquiries and consulting with the freelancers, such as photographers and grooming specialists. Plus any other random bits and bobs, like making sure they hadn’t run out of dog treats or pods for their coffee machine.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Isla always said their mission was to make the internet a happier, furrier place, and Scout loved that sentiment.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">A few minutes after Scout bid the photographer farewell, the front door swung open. Though cute, their office wasn’t much bigger than a postage stamp, so Scout’s desk was situated in the waiting area and therefore doubled as their reception desk.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Isla breezed in, a wool coat slung over one arm and her long dark hair bouncing around her shoulders in soft curls. She was dressed in a pale blue blouse, fitted black pants and a killer pair of silver stilettos—a much fancier outfit than what she usually wore in the office. Black, though it was one of Scout’s favorite colors, was <i>not </i>the best when working with their furry clients.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">But Isla had been at an important networking event today, so there was no need to worry about dog fur.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Those shoes,” Scout gasped. “Wow!”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“They’re gorgeous, but they’ve been killing me all day.” She dropped onto one of the pink velvet seats lining the far wall and kicked off the shoes, groaning in relief.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“That’s a rookie move,” Scout replied. “Now your feet are going to puff up and you won’t be able to get them back on.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“I don’t care if I have to meet Theo barefoot tonight, there’s no way I was keeping them on a second longer than necessary.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">“Hmm, barefoot to a white-tablecloth restaurant. Classy.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Isla grinned. “Theo loves me as I am, blisters and all.”</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">It was true. Scout wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a man so in love.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;"><i>Not even on your own wedding day?</i></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Scout shoved the unpleasant reminder to one side. The last thing she needed right now was for her mood to take a dive, thinking about inconvenient things like the fact that she was <i>still </i>married.</p><p style="color: #191617; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12px;">Or that she hadn’t seen her husband in five years.</p><p> </p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-66685348434017986112022-12-06T19:28:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:58.919-05:00THE SUNSHINE GIRLS BLOG TOUR<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMPpphY89XTnLkAWD96rNR46harLYnOvYGubrw1KcUg_38ZhNgiJ9waR-i-bfutc-hGrd92wdS5Sc-4BctZiGLU4P9RTrgNNMCTVecKEDLICMt0GWcVs0NHqWQyE9QTD6iRdGSl46GnQ2Sl1lo5fyxZmQrdNZ3H36meg3j4hmojz8yLPSMWU8iTV8/s2400/The%20Sunshine%20Girls%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1594" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMPpphY89XTnLkAWD96rNR46harLYnOvYGubrw1KcUg_38ZhNgiJ9waR-i-bfutc-hGrd92wdS5Sc-4BctZiGLU4P9RTrgNNMCTVecKEDLICMt0GWcVs0NHqWQyE9QTD6iRdGSl46GnQ2Sl1lo5fyxZmQrdNZ3H36meg3j4hmojz8yLPSMWU8iTV8/w266-h400/The%20Sunshine%20Girls%20Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></b></div><b><br />THE SUNSHINE GIRLS</b><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Author: Molly Fader</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>ISBN: </b><span style="background-color: white;"><b>9781335453488</b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Publication Date: December 6, 2022</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Publisher: Graydon House</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b> Book Summary:</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><b>A cross between <i>Firefly Lane</i> and <i>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,</i> a dual-narrative about two sisters who realize their mother isn’t who they’d always thought when a legendary movie star shows up at her funeral, unraveling the sweeping story of a friendship that begins at a nursing school in Iowa in 1967 and onward as it survives decades of change, war, fame—and the secrets they kept from each other and for each other.</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><b>A moment of great change sparks the friendship of a lifetime...</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;">1967, Iowa: Nursing school roommates BettyKay and Kitty don’t have much in common. A farmer’s daughter, BettyKay has risked her family’s disapproval to make her dreams come true away from her rural small town. Cosmopolitan Kitty has always relied on her beauty and smarts to get by, and to hide a devastating secret from the past that she can’t seem to outrun. Yet the two share a determination to prove themselves in a changing world, forging an unlikely bond on a campus unkind to women.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;">Before their first year is up, tragedy strikes, and the women’s paths are forced apart. But against all odds, a decades-long friendship forms, persevering through love, marriage, failure, and death, from the jungles of Vietnam to the glamorous circles of Hollywood. Until one snowy night leads their relationship to the ultimate crossroads.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Fifty years later, two estranged sisters are shocked when a famous movie star shows up at their mother's funeral. Over one rollercoaster weekend, the women must reckon with a dazzling truth about their family that will alter their lives forever…</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><b></b><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Buy Links:</b></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>BookShop:</b> <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sunshine-girls-original-molly-fader/18408170?ean=9781335453488"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sunshine-girls-original-molly-fader/18408170?ean=9781335453488</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Harlequin: </b><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453488_the-sunshine-girls.html"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453488_the-sunshine-girls.html</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Barnes & Noble: </b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sunshine-girls-molly-fader/1140810565?ean=9781335453488"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sunshine-girls-molly-fader/1140810565?ean=9781335453488</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Amazon: </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Girls-Novel-Molly-Fader/dp/1335453482/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sunshine+girls+molly+fader&qid=1668111685&sprefix=sunshine+girls+molly,aps,109&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Girls-Novel-Molly-Fader/dp/1335453482/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sunshine+girls+molly+fader&qid=1668111685&sprefix=sunshine+girls+molly%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Books-A-Million: </b><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sunshine-Girls/Molly-Fader/9781335453488?id=8292090795540"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sunshine-Girls/Molly-Fader/9781335453488?id=8292090795540</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"> </p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sPyitH6OAimXiMZvVyYpbD37N6ft1CS7Q_Ql9hLyLUh16NF5fjIN__63WiYSY295tx418VDw01hi9Cp1SelEEb5Zo_4CZoCKBZG6Mxwkcva6aCwk9kL4mH3iVq_t1Walb7JYC_W1YrSEGeQl5XKw1mhkc_2a-vzQ1g4kNkSd_LfjLzuPcNmoZC_Y/s3570/Molly%20Fader%20Author%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3570" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sPyitH6OAimXiMZvVyYpbD37N6ft1CS7Q_Ql9hLyLUh16NF5fjIN__63WiYSY295tx418VDw01hi9Cp1SelEEb5Zo_4CZoCKBZG6Mxwkcva6aCwk9kL4mH3iVq_t1Walb7JYC_W1YrSEGeQl5XKw1mhkc_2a-vzQ1g4kNkSd_LfjLzuPcNmoZC_Y/s320/Molly%20Fader%20Author%20Photo.jpg" width="232" /></a></b></div><b><br />Author Website:</b> <a href="https://mollyfader.com/"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://mollyfader.com/</span></a> <p></p>
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<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Goodreads: </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18435981.Molly_Fader?from_search=true&from_srp=true"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18435981.Molly_Fader?from_search=true&from_srp=true</span></a> </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Author Bio:</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>MOLLY FADER</b> is the <i>USA Today </i>bestselling and award-winning author of <i>The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets, The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season</i>, and more than 40 romance novels under the pennames Molly O'Keefe and M. O'Keefe. She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwK2n5YPj9-rH1_PUO9seFWVzEqPaei_fhva8RSDiOp_5tdHJByCdfXVFzy2mCyWlOdTkOrJJ16s57nHCrutaQ02DSaLxso0gImfmaoDpwToHtWVchKy9Lcno4XFTuIjZntO1uoVgo7qcvBbHI8WDaJrjNnSc60ac0ZIisUVeCy6jqSTFVxSSBhQH/s1600/662-HTP-Banner---WOMEN'S-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwK2n5YPj9-rH1_PUO9seFWVzEqPaei_fhva8RSDiOp_5tdHJByCdfXVFzy2mCyWlOdTkOrJJ16s57nHCrutaQ02DSaLxso0gImfmaoDpwToHtWVchKy9Lcno4XFTuIjZntO1uoVgo7qcvBbHI8WDaJrjNnSc60ac0ZIisUVeCy6jqSTFVxSSBhQH/w400-h100/662-HTP-Banner---WOMEN'S-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>EXCERPT</p><p><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: center;"><i>Clara</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: center;"><i>Greensboro, Iowa</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: center;"><i>2019</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">There were too many lilies. Clara wasn’t an authority on flowers or funerals. But, it was like a flower shop—that only sold lilies—had exploded in the blue room of Horner’s Funeral Home.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">This was what happened when everyone adored you. They buried you under a mountain of your favorite flower—in this case, stargazers with their erotic pink hearts and sinus-piercing pollen—before they actually buried you.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">And it was just a cosmic kick in the pants that Clara Beecher was allergic to her mother’s favorite flowers.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Clara!” Mrs. Place, her eighth-grade language arts teacher, clasped Clara’s hands in her bony grip. Mrs. Place had not changed at all. She was the kind of woman who seemed middle-aged at seventeen and just waited for time to catch up. “Your mother was so proud of you. You and your sister, you were her pride and joy.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“That’s nice of you to say,” Clara said, keenly aware of her sister, Abbie, across the room doing the sorts of things that would make a mother proud.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“At book club, she’d go on and on about you and the important work you were doing in the city and, well, most of it went right over my head,” Mrs. Place said. There was nothing complicated about Clara’s work; Mom just lied about it so, as a former hippie, she didn’t have to say the words <i>my daughter is a corporate shill. </i>“But you could tell she was just so proud.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara pulled her hand free in time to grab a tissue from one of the many boxes scattered around the room and held it to her allergy-induced, dripping nose. “Thank you,” she said through the tissue.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Everyone is going to miss Betts,” Mrs. Place said. “So much. There’s not a part of this town that she wasn’t involved in. Church, the library. Park board. Community gardens.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Like an invasive species. Invite her to something and she’d soon be running the show.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>Grief is making you sharp</i>. That was something her mother would say. If she wasn’t dead.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">The Blue Room of Horner Funeral Home was hot and wall-to-lily packed with people coming to pay their respects to one of Greensboro’s favorite citizens.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">BettyKay Beecher had lived her whole adult life in this tiny town, and the town had shown up bearing casseroles and no-bake cheesecakes for the reception after the burial, wearing their Sunday best, armed with their favorite BettyKay stories.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>She sat with my dad when he was dying.</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>She helped us figure out the insurance paperwork when our son was in his accident.</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">They were all mourning. The whole room and the hallway outside and the people still sitting in their cars in the parking lot. People were crying real tears, huddling, sobbing—actually sobbing—in corners. And all Clara could think was:</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>Did they know?</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Had Mom, in true fashion, told the entire town the secret she’d kept from her own daughters for nearly forty years? The bombshell, life-rearranging, ugly secret she’d blurted, exasperated and furious with Clara in their last phone call?</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Would they be mourning so hard if they knew?</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara sneezed.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Oh, bless you, honey,” Mrs. Place said.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“It’s just allergies.” Clara folded up the tissues before putting them in the pocket of her new black Marco Zanini suit with the sash tie and the sky blue silk lining. She’d thought the lining might be a bit much for a funeral, but that was before she knew about the lilies.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">And don’t get her started on all the men wearing camouflage. To a funeral. Were they <i>all </i>going hunting after this?</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“She’s with your father now. I hope you find comfort in that.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“I do, thank you.” It was, as it always had been in Greensboro, Iowa, easier to lie.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Another person came up with another story about BettyKay Beecher. “Is that your sister?” She pointed across the room after sharing an anecdote about their time together in the Army Nurse Corps. “Abbie?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Abbie was surrounded by her friends from childhood—who used to be Clara’s friends from childhood, not that it mattered—who kept bringing her mugs that were not filled with coffee. Abbie’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright and she was half-drunk, crying and hugging and not at all bothered by the lilies.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Yep. That’s my sister,” Clara said, ushering the woman toward Abbie and not even feeling bad about it. “She’d love to hear your story.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Three years ago, they’d stood in this exact same room, mourning their father, Willis Beecher. It was hard to be home and not see him in the corners of rooms. She couldn’t drink rum or Constant Comment tea and not miss him. The smell of patchouli could bring her to tears. A sob rose up in her throat like a fist, and her knees were suddenly loose. She put a hand against the table so she didn’t crumple onto the floor.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>I’m an orphan. Me and Abbie—orphans.</i></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">She was a full-grown adult. A corporate lawyer (about to make junior partner, fingers crossed) who billed at $700 an hour. She had a condo on Lakeshore and a good woman who loved her. Abbie had two kids of her own, a husband of twenty-five years and kept slices of homemade lemon loaf in the freezer that she could pop in a toaster in case someone stopped by for coffee. They were far from <i>orphans</i>.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">But she couldn’t shake the thought.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara found the side door and stepped out.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">The wind was icy, blowing across the farmland to the west, picking up the smell of fries and burgers from The Starlite Room, only to press her flat against the yellow brick. She felt the cotton-silk blend of her suit snag on the brick.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">The first few days of March were cold, too cold to be out here without a jacket, but the freshness woke her up. Spring hadn’t committed to Iowa yet and the cornfields were still brown, lying in wait, like everything else in Greensboro, for the last blizzard to come hammering down from the Dakotas.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Her phone buzzed. She left it in her pocket.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Horner’s Funeral Home was on the other side of town from the Greensboro University, and St. Luke’s School of Nursing’s white clock tower was just visible over the trees. The university had all the flags lowered to half-mast for the week. It was a nice touch. Mom had been a student there and then a teacher and for the last twenty years, an administrator.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">She closed her eyes, letting the wind do its work.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Hey.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara felt her sister lean back against the wall next to her, smelling of vanilla and Pinot Grigio.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Hey,” she said, eyes still closed.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“The lilies—”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Yeah.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“You okay?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara hummed in her throat, a sound that wasn’t yes or no. That was, in fact, the exact sound of the exhausted limbo the last few days had put her in.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Me neither,” Abbie said. “It just… I feel like I’m missing something, you know? Like I’m walking around all wrong.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara felt the same. Being BettyKay Beecher’s daughter was a part of her identity she didn’t always carry comfortably, but it was there.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Where’s Vickie?” Abbie asked, and Clara caught herself from flinching at the sound of her girlfriend’s name.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“She wishes she could be here but she has a case in front of the Illinois Supreme Court.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">She felt Abbie’s doubt, the way she wanted to probe and pick.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Did you have to blow up that picture so damn big?” Clara asked, before Abbie could get to her follow-up questions.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">All around the funeral home were pictures of the Beecher family. And—God knows why—Abbie had decided to blow up to an obscene size, the picture of their mother that was on the back of her book: <i>Pray for Me: The Diary of an Army Nurse in Vietnam</i>. In it BettyKay was a fresh-faced twenty-two-year- old, with a helmet-shaped brunette bob wearing an olive green United States Army Nurse Corps uniform.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Darn.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“What?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Fiona’s turning into a little parrot, so we don’t swear anymore. We say ‘effing’ and ‘darn’ and ‘poop.’”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“That’s effing nonsense.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Probably.” Clara could hear the smile in her sister’s voice. “And yes, I did. I love that picture of Mom. She looks so brave.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara thought she looked terrified.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Max and Fiona don’t understand what’s happening,” Abbie said. “They keep asking why Gran is lying down.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara’s laugh was wet with the lingering allergic reaction to the flowers. “That’s awful.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Denise from the hospital keeps trying to get the kids to touch Mom’s hand. So they can feel how cold she is and then they’ll understand.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“What will it make them understand?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“That she’s dead.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“That’s morbid even for Denise.” They were both laughing, which felt alien but sweet.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“She says it will give them closure.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Abbie reached out and grabbed her hand. Clara started to pull away, but Abbie didn’t let go.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>I should tell her. </i>Part of her even wanted to. To share the burden of information like they were kids again. And Abbie, who liked the view from the perch her reputation as a Beecher in this town gave her, would tell Clara it wasn’t true. Couldn’t possibly be. That Mom had been wrong. Angry. Something.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Some excuse to keep everything the way it was.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">That was why Clara couldn’t tell her. Because Abbie had to live in this town side by side with the memory of Mom. Bringing Abbie into it would make her sister’s life harder.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Abbie, don’t get upset but I am going to leave after the reception at the church.” There. Done. Band-Aid-style.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“And go where?” Abbie asked.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Back home.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><i>And here comes the look</i>. “Chicago? You’re kidding.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“We have a new client—”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“You’re <i>leaving</i>?” Accidentally Clara caught Abbie’s furious gaze and wished she hadn’t. She could see her sister’s rage and her grief and it felt worse than her own.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“I’ll be back,” Clara lied.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Bullshit.” So much for not swearing.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Abbie—”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“You know. I should have expected this. You show up last-minute in your car and your ugly suit—”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Hey!”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“With your nose in the air—”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“I’ll pay to have the house boxed up.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Abbie sucked in so much air Clara went light-headed from the lack of oxygen around her.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Can we <i>please </i>not make this a big deal?” she asked.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“What did I ever do to you, Clara? To make it so easy for you to leave me behind?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">The wind caught the side door as it opened, banging against the brick with a sound that made Clara and Abbie jump like they’d been caught smoking.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Ben, Abbie’s husband, stuck his head out and Abbie stepped forward. Ben was a good-looking guy in a gentle giant kind of way. Constantly rumpled, but usually smiling. He reminded Clara of a very good Labrador retriever.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">She wanted to pat his head and give him a treat. And then yell at him for tracking mud across the rug.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“There you are,” he said.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“I was just getting some air,” Abbie said, with surprising defensiveness. “Is everything okay?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“There’s…” Ben glanced over his shoulder and made a face, bewildered and somehow joyful in a way that made Clara and Abbie push off the wall. It was his mother-in-law’s funeral after all. Joy was a strange sentiment.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“What?” Clara asked.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Well, I think you should come in and see for yourself.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Ben held the door while Abbie and Clara walked back into the packed room. Everyone was silent now, pressed to the walls and corners in little clumps, whispering in that painfully familiar way out of the corners of their mouths and behind their hands. There was a path down the center of the room right to Mom’s casket, where she lay with her arms crossed, wearing her favorite green dress and way too much blush.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Standing at the casket, was a woman. A stranger.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Everything about her screamed <i>not from around here</i>. She wore an elegant long black skirt and a pair of boots with low heels of rich black leather. A gray sweater (Ralph Lauren Collection cashmere or Clara would eat her own boots) with a black belt around her trim waist. Her hair was long and silvery blond, the kind that appeared natural but Clara would put money on the fact that it cost a lot and took a lot of time to keep that way.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">She kind of…glittered.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Who is that?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“You don’t recognize her?” Ben whispered between Abbie and Clara’s shoulders, his breath smelling of coffee and cough drops.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Something about the woman did seem familiar, polished.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Is she from the publishing company?” she asked Abbie.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“I don’t think so. They sent a cheesecake.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“That morning show Mom did sometimes, in Des Moines? Ramona?”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Ramona Rodriguez died, like, ten years ago.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Clara should know this woman. But her mother’s funeral was throwing her off.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">“Are you kidding me? You really don’t recognize her?” Ben asked. “It’s Kitty Devereaux.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"> </p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: center;">Excerpted from The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader. Copyright © 2022 by Molly Fader. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.</p><p> </p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-6821337070643259632022-12-01T07:17:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:57.737-05:00ANGELS OF THE RESITANCE BLOG TOUR<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-b9-45C5onKt3dLB6x-hx1Fwj2p3v1l5I1DxMqBWWKkCwBORkQ5PJ2tOKp8zIrz806FIWa12RXM9gxb4V_ZlHE0IvZUc3eJKGqMQg45MnMRLfgaB4HLnIPzNoFz5FnV4gWmG8x8Y5W9zpecP_vy4EvLmPEk6MZ-dJYb-1N32hsNZK9V1YRcGxiDT/s3200/Angels%20of%20the%20Resistance%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-b9-45C5onKt3dLB6x-hx1Fwj2p3v1l5I1DxMqBWWKkCwBORkQ5PJ2tOKp8zIrz806FIWa12RXM9gxb4V_ZlHE0IvZUc3eJKGqMQg45MnMRLfgaB4HLnIPzNoFz5FnV4gWmG8x8Y5W9zpecP_vy4EvLmPEk6MZ-dJYb-1N32hsNZK9V1YRcGxiDT/s320/Angels%20of%20the%20Resistance%20Cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 115%;">ANGELS OF THE RESISTANCE: A WWII NOVEL</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Author: Noelle Salazar</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">ISBN:
<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">9780778386797</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Publication
Date: November 29, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Publisher:
MIRA<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Book
Summary:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The second WWII novel by
Noelle Salazar, bestselling author of the THE FLIGHT GIRLS, follows two teenage
sisters in the Netherlands who are recruited as part of the Dutch Resistance
effort against the Nazis. Inspired by true events, this moving story about
ordinary young women who become extraordinary heroes will appeal to fans of Pam
Jenoff and Kate Quinn.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Netherlands, 1940. In the small town of Haarlem,
fourteen-year-old Lien lives a simple life with her mother and sister in a
farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. Elsewhere in Europe bombs are falling,
but the pall on their house is more from the recent loss of their baby sister
as a result of an accident Lien believes she could have prevented than from the
oncoming war. Until the Nazis invade the Netherlands and their lives are
overturned once more.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Recruited by their late father’s friend, Lien’s older
sister Elif reluctantly joins the Dutch resistance movement. Spurred by the
injustice of the Nazis’ treatment of Dutch citizens as well as a terrifying bombing
of their small town, and forever seeking atonement for her baby sister’s death,
Lien begs to join as well. The sisters’ youthful, innocent looks and ability to
disappear into a crowd make them the perfect resistance soldiers. Together with
a handful of like-minded youth, including the gallant Charlie with whom Lien
forms an instant connection, the sisters are trained and begin to carry out
missions, from distributing and collecting information to moving Jewish
families from hiding places to luring and killing influential Nazis. The toll
of the war and their work is evident in their collective psyches, and Lien
starts to make mistakes that could cost her and her newfound friends their
lives. Until one very personal mission shows her that the atonement she
desperately seeks for her sister’s death cannot be found at the end of the
barrel of a pistol, but must be found from within her heart.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Buy
Links:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">BookShop:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/angels-of-the-resistance-a-wwii-novel-noelle-salazar/17845985?ean=9780778386797"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bookshop.org/p/books/angels-of-the-resistance-a-wwii-novel-noelle-salazar/17845985?ean=9780778386797</span></a>
<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Harlequin:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780778386797_angels-of-the-resistance.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780778386797_angels-of-the-resistance.html</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Barnes
& Noble: </span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angels-of-the-resistance-noelle-salazar/1141412268?ean=9780778386797"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angels-of-the-resistance-noelle-salazar/1141412268?ean=9780778386797</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Amazon:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Resistance-Novel-Noelle-Salazar/dp/0778386791/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=angels+of+the+resistance+noelle+salazar&qid=1668110740&sprefix=angels+of+the+%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Resistance-Novel-Noelle-Salazar/dp/0778386791/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=angels+of+the+resistance+noelle+salazar&qid=1668110740&sprefix=angels+of+the+%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Books-A-Million:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Angels-Resistance/Noelle-Salazar/9780778386797?id=8292090795540"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Angels-Resistance/Noelle-Salazar/9780778386797?id=8292090795540</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author
Website:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://www.noellesalazar.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.noellesalazar.com/</span></a> <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Facebook:</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/noellesalazar"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/noellesalazar</span></a><u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Instagram:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/noelle__salazar/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.instagram.com/noelle__salazar/</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Twitter:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://twitter.com/noelle_salazar"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://twitter.com/noelle_salazar</span></a>
<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Goodreads:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18424925.Noelle_Salazar"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18424925.Noelle_Salazar</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYWRniX5nT9CpqYwFnSc2ylN5FqVoxyBTu9ftDQ1-MrqZwibi5VGTuRP2bX5Gmw9TBQEYafeq083LgRKL_j6PJAuSmMuKoXSmAJkedN9xpfVOJ8npIRo-DZVYeeBn_q4YHv9q9X2GDInQiQ30vSg9o40C0pOpfX2nSDRxmgteUR5YGjq4jVe8lrhg/s3872/Noelle%20Salazar%20Photo%20-%20crdt%20Sharice%20Salazar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3872" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYWRniX5nT9CpqYwFnSc2ylN5FqVoxyBTu9ftDQ1-MrqZwibi5VGTuRP2bX5Gmw9TBQEYafeq083LgRKL_j6PJAuSmMuKoXSmAJkedN9xpfVOJ8npIRo-DZVYeeBn_q4YHv9q9X2GDInQiQ30vSg9o40C0pOpfX2nSDRxmgteUR5YGjq4jVe8lrhg/s320/Noelle%20Salazar%20Photo%20-%20crdt%20Sharice%20Salazar.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author
Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: cell-none; mso-border-insidev: cell-none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1536; width: 597px;">
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<td style="border: none; height: 11.25pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: .05pt;" valign="top" width="0">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 11.25pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 448.0pt;" valign="top" width="597">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Noelle Salazar was born and raised in
the Pacific Northwest, where she’s been a Navy recruit, a medical assistant,
an NFL cheerleader, and always a storyteller. When she’s not writing, she can
be found dodging raindrops and daydreaming of her next book. Her first novel,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Flight Girls, </i>was an instant
bestseller, a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forbes, Woman's World </i>&
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hypable </i>book of the month and a
BookBub Top Recommended book from readers. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angels of Haarlem </i>is her second novel. Noelle lives in Bothell,
Washington, with her husband and two children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBcq2x34bxjjwTNNM9i2UXnm7FvNWUQ2FR5HnyIzvjD4AAF17vb4flXkq6P3W7UJY7Uubv8EHHPLyAIyS8u15wEVmr1TYdxhaUROgCLtCvWuy3FZHkb1eIwBN5lBQOcC7KlXyPNMP6AiMz302bVXBLlDU9j4gf0PQkq4PwR6ieeoXbP8RruJbl4Il/s1600/663-HTP-Banner---HISTORICAL-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBcq2x34bxjjwTNNM9i2UXnm7FvNWUQ2FR5HnyIzvjD4AAF17vb4flXkq6P3W7UJY7Uubv8EHHPLyAIyS8u15wEVmr1TYdxhaUROgCLtCvWuy3FZHkb1eIwBN5lBQOcC7KlXyPNMP6AiMz302bVXBLlDU9j4gf0PQkq4PwR6ieeoXbP8RruJbl4Il/w400-h100/663-HTP-Banner---HISTORICAL-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p>EXCERPT</o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN">Haarlem, Netherlands<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN">April 1940<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Sunlight dappled through the green
leaves, scattering golden light across the blanket where I sat, my back against
the trunk of a tall birch tree, while I kept watch over the Aberman children.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">The rain that had kept me up the night
before, pummeling the roof above the third floor bedroom I shared with my older
sister, scented the air with the smell of damp grass, stone, and bark. I
breathed in, soothed by its familiarity, and yawned, my eyes blurring with
exhaustion as I tried to stay present. Too many late nights and early mornings
were beginning to take their toll, and the clatter of dice being shaken and
rolled by tiny hands before me, accompanied by laughter, shouts of outrage, and
harrumphs of frustration, were almost soothing, lulling me into a false sense
of security.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I glanced down at the book in my hand and
the paragraph I’d read at least a dozen times without retaining one word.
Unfortunately, sometimes running from my own thoughts by feeding my brain new
information didn’t work. Guilt and fear, it turned out, loved a quiet moment,
whispering in my ears at night as I tried to sleep, and nudging at me while I
sat at my desk in class, trying to focus on what the teacher said. Which was
why I’d decided two months ago that I needed noise. Noise would distract me and
help me escape the thoughts running through my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Going, doing, and helping was what led me
to taking the Saturday afternoon childcare job. It was why I’d suddenly began
offering to run errands or clean for my mother, rather than complaining when
she asked. It was why I’d begun staying after school, poring over books I knew
I’d be assigned to read the following year in an attempt to get a head start.
I’d been determined to become a barrister like my father had been since I was a
little girl, and the extra studying filled my head with new and complicated
words, lofty ideas, and imaginings of grandeur—which were a much-needed
diversion from my otherwise too quiet world. And Haarlem, our sweet little city
by the sea, was more than just quiet. It was practically silent, as if all
sound emitted was whisked from our homes and carried by the near-constant wind
out across the water where it dissipated into the gray clouds above.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“You cheated!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“I did not!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I blinked, startled out of my thoughts,
and turned my attention to Isaak and Lara, whose earlier mirth had become
something less friendly. At six and eight years old, I knew their moments of
getting along would become less and less frequent as their interests changed
and their peers’ desires began pressuring them in other directions. But for
now, they still got along for the most part. Until someone inevitably cheated
at a game.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Lien,” Lara, the younger of the two
whined, her wide brown eyes staring up at me, “Isaak cheated.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“I didn’t!” the older boy protested, his
mop of brown curls vibrating with his insistence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I crossed my arms over my chest, becoming
a miniature version of my father when he’d been alive as he’d solved similar
skirmishes between me and my elder sister, Elif.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Well,” I said. “I wasn’t watching to say
either way so what shall we do? Quit? It would be a shame. You were both having
such a good time. Perhaps have the roll in question rolled again? What would be
fair to the two of you?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Like my father had always done, I gave
both participants a choice, rather than accusing or taking sides. If they were
having fun, the one at fault would usually feel bad and acquiesce, so as not to
ruin the day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Isaak huffed. “I’ll roll again,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I hid my smile. Isaak nearly always
cheated; Lara was just finally catching on. Keeping my expression thoughtful, I
nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Sounds like a sensible plan,” I said,
and then shot to my feet as a sudden shriek split the air in two.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I leaped over their game and stood at the
edge of the blanket, a human barrier between whatever trouble was brewing and
the children I was responsible for.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“What was that?” Lara asked beside me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Without looking, I corralled her behind
me, my eyes scanning the park around us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Haarlemmerhout Park covered sixty
hectares of land in the southern part of the city. Beech, horse chestnut,
linden, and silver maple trees towered above lush green blankets of grass and
mossy winding paths where lovers were often caught stealing a kiss by young
families out for leisurely bicycle rides. In a park so big, on any given day,
one could find a spot to spend several hours in and not be bothered by others.
It was strange enough to hear sounds besides ours, but sounds of distress were
especially surprising.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Movement on the other side of some nearby
shrubbery caught my eye, and I glanced over my shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Isaak,” I said. “Watch your sister for a
moment. I’ll be right back.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Heart thudding in my chest, I marched
across the soft, damp grass, intent to stop whatever danger was in motion. But
as I rounded the tangle of budding green plants, all I saw were two boys in the
middle of the walking path bent and staring at a small lump on the ground
between them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">One of the boys prodded the lump with a
stick and the lump shifted and lifted its small head, hollering again at his
aggressor. I sucked in a breath, pinpricks of anger and sorrow mixing behind my
eyes, making them burn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Stop that!” I yelled, trying to make all
162 centimeters of me look taller than they did. “Get away from that bird!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Two pairs of wide eyes met mine, and then
the stick was dropped as the two boys ran off and out of sight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I hurried to the bird, tears clouding my
eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Hello, little love,” I whispered,
looking for an obvious injury. “Did those mean boys hurt you?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">He eyed me from where he lay, and I
chewed my lip as I looked him over best I could without touching him. The wing
I could see seemed intact, his spindly legs curled into little enraged fists.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Is he okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I wiped my eyes and glanced up at Lara,
who was standing with her brother beside me, their small faces pinched with
worry, dark eyes full of concern.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“I’m not sure,” I said, and pointed.
“This wing looks okay, but I can’t see the other one without moving him.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Should we take it somewhere?” Isaak
asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I sniffled and leaned back, getting hold
of myself before my emotions erupted from the place I kept them shoved inside.
It was only a bird after all. Not worth the tremors of despair threatening to
burst.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“No,” I said. “But maybe we could move
him out of the way.” I pointed to the shrubbery beside us. “Why don’t the two
of you build him a little nest over there?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">As they ran off to gather leaves and
small branches, I stared down at the creature.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“I’m sorry you’re hurt,” I whispered, my
eyes once more filling with tears.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">There was something so awful about seeing
a creature, fragile and vulnerable, unable to help itself, left to the
devices—or torture—of others. To feel and be so powerless…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“We’re done,” Isaak said, kneeling beside
me, his cheeks pink from the effort. “Are you crying?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I shrugged.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“It’s just a bird, Lien.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I pursed my lips. “It’s a living
creature, Isaak,” I said, my voice soft. “We should always do everything we can
to help others. Even if they’re just birds.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I pulled the scarf from my neck and
stared down at the gull. “You ready?” I asked him, and then swooped the fabric
over it and wrapped my hands gently around its body.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Do you think it will live?” Isaak asked
as I set the bird in the nest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">A glimmer of sadness pressed at my heart.
I knew that sometimes even when the best efforts were made and all the prayers
were whispered, they were still not enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“I hope so,” I said, setting the
grumbling fowl on the nest the kids had made. “The two of you did a great job.
It’s a handsome nest. He should be very grateful.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“He doesn’t sound it,” Lara said, and I
managed a laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">We watched the gull for a while longer as
he warily eyed us back and shifted his small body on the pile of foliage and
sticks, and then I shepherded the children back to the blanket and their games.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Play with us,” Isaak said, holding up a
well-loved deck of cards.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I nodded and took a seat, happy for the
distraction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">As the afternoon passed, the children,
easily bored, moved on from card games to running through the grass, twirling
until they were dizzy, and a game of tag until, tired out, they lay side by side,
Isaak reading and Lara drawing, while I opened my math book and studied for an
exam the following Monday.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">A breeze kicked up and I shivered,
noticing the light around us had changed from golden hued to dismal. I glanced
at the sky to find the sun, tired from her brief exertion, had pulled up her
blanket of clouds and disappeared beneath a dark gray cover, giving the cold
wind permission to sweep in and scatter the papers Lara was busy drawing on.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Hurry,” I said, and the three of us took
off in different directions, chasing down pictures of dogs, horses, and trees,
all the while laughing as papers somersaulted and cartwheeled across the vast
lawn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">As I pulled a gangly giraffe drawing from
the branches of a budding shrub, and a rotund elephant from a springy bed of
moss, I heard the telltale buzz of a plane in the distance. I searched around
me for more drawings and then lifted my eyes to the clouds again, listening as
the sound amplified, the airplane coming into view, heading in our direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Kids,” I said, my voice a warning. I
gestured for them to come closer and then took hold of their arms and pulled
them beneath the cover of a tall birch tree.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“It’s just a plane,” Lara said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">But no plane was just a plane when a war
was going on.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Lara pulled on my arm and I gave her what
I hoped was a smile as a light rain began to fall, tapping on the leaves above
us before sliding off and peppering us with drops.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">The planes had come more and more often
in the past several weeks, but I’d never given them much thought before today.
Had never felt even a glimmer of fear, assuming they were headed to France or
England where the war was actively happening. But for some reason today, the
sight and sound of this one put me on edge and the closer it got, the harder my
heart beat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">The drops of rain grew in size with every
second I stood with my eyes glued to the plane, watching and waiting, but for
what I didn’t know. And then I saw a door open.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Isaak,” I said. “Lara.” I pushed them
behind me, causing Isaak to trip over a large root. He recovered and grasped my
hand, his eyes wide with fear as I placed my body in front of theirs, the
rumble of the engine above like thunder, shaking the air around us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">But no guns discharged as it flew by. No
bombs were dropped. No damage was done at all, save for the fraying of my
nerves and a cascade of fluttering white.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“What is it?” Lara asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">We watched as the wind caught and
scattered the overturning debris, sending it floating through the air across
what looked like the whole of the city.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“I don’t know,” I said, letting go of
their hands and taking a step forward, watching as one of the items landed
softly on top of a shrub near where our blanket was laid out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Isaak reached it first, snatching it from
where it lay and turning it over, a frown on his handsome face.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“What’s it mean?” he asked, handing the
paper over to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I took it and frowned. Vibrant blues,
reds, and whites glared back at me as I tried to make sense of what I was
seeing. A white bird on a flag. A drawing of a young, blond man in uniform with
a large drum strapped over his shoulder, and words. Dutch words with a German
message that sent a shiver down my spine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I swallowed, my fingers trembling as I held
the paper. Because they weren’t just a German message. They were a Nazi
message.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">A Nazi invitation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“For the good of your conscience,” it
read. “The Waffen SS is calling you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">My fingers tightened, crumpling the
paper. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen one of these garish signs. I’d spotted
them a couple of times over the past several months, adhered to light posts and
once, shockingly, in the window of a small shop. Was this where they had come
from? Or was this a new tactic? Were we to be inundated regularly with this
raining down of terrible requests for our men to join the German forces?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Of course, I knew all about the war
Germany had started. It was all anyone talked about since the news the year
before that Hitler had invaded Poland had come not so much as a shock as it had
with a sigh of acceptance. And when England and France quickly declared war on
Germany in retaliation, no one was surprised. Scores of Jews had been entering
the Netherlands for the past two years in hopes that our neutrality during the
Great War would extend to whatever this war turned out to be. But the poster in
my hands made me worry that perhaps they were wrong. Perhaps this time we
wouldn’t be so lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Because if we were to stay neutral, what
was that plane doing here?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“What’s it say?” Lara repeated her
brother’s question, reaching for the poster.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Nothing.” I folded it and shoved it in
my coat pocket. “It’s trash.” I checked my watch, noticing a thread had come
loose on the worn, too-big brown band, making it sag on my wrist. I tucked it
inside the cuff of my sweater. “We should get you two home. Your parents will
worry if we’re late.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">The three of us packed away the items
we’d brought in a cloth bag, and then I stood by trying to quell my impatience
as I watched the two of them take the corners of the blanket and try to fold it
into a neat square.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Here,” Isaak said, handing me the lumpy
heap with a proud smile.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I grinned as I tucked it under my arm and
took a last look around for stray toys, papers, and drawing implements.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Ready?” I asked, and the two nodded.
“Shall we check on our bird friend before we go?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“Yes,” they said in delighted unison.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">The gull was just as we’d left it, and in
fact looked to have made himself more at home, burrowing deeper into his new
nest of leaves and twigs, his narrow beak nestled down into his puffed white
chest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“See?” I whispered, glancing at the
children crouched beside me. “I told you you made him a handsome home. Look how
happy he is.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Convinced the bird would live, we walked
across the grass to the sidewalk. I glanced at the sky and then moved in
closer, making sure I was at most an arm’s length away from both kids should I
need to protect either of them from an oncoming bicyclist or any other dangers
that might befall them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I knew how fast the unthinkable could
transpire. I’d seen it happen before.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“That was a bad one,” Lara said as we
walked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“What was a bad one?” I asked, looking
around to see what she was talking about.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">“The plane,” she said. “It was a bad one.
I saw the spiders.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Spiders. It was what she called the Nazi
insignia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">I nodded. They were the bad ones indeed.
I’d never felt that more than I did now, a seed of doom planting itself in the
pit of my stomach as I wondered if that plane, its engine noise still
reverberating through my body, was just the beginning of something more. The
warning crack of thunder before a storm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN">Excerpted
from Angels of the Resistance by Noelle Salazar. Copyright © 2022 by Noelle
Salazar. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></b></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-28204498258763940422022-11-30T02:00:00.001-06:002023-05-12T07:39:58.018-05:00JUST ONE TASTE REVIEW<p><b style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1c9AhGryb4jF8YeepbiDMMlky-fnWNMS5HUdLQFemE5MwQbCJ5EouzvCnnBtfxg0zyoM3ObPaVhXy6vVo6IboL2kcrUqqzxiIxzUuKNu3YlzmNbk5GwDd4DhXiwtLZMoUFLlsLdXu4GuKDmYzPVw4n36f5dE0_bLxzN7NWl1acjTtA15qlOdaSxs/s475/Just%20One%20Taste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1c9AhGryb4jF8YeepbiDMMlky-fnWNMS5HUdLQFemE5MwQbCJ5EouzvCnnBtfxg0zyoM3ObPaVhXy6vVo6IboL2kcrUqqzxiIxzUuKNu3YlzmNbk5GwDd4DhXiwtLZMoUFLlsLdXu4GuKDmYzPVw4n36f5dE0_bLxzN7NWl1acjTtA15qlOdaSxs/w242-h400/Just%20One%20Taste.jpg" width="242" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica;"><br />One grumpy billionaire.</b><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><b></b><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>One sassy-sweet supermodel.</b></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Add in a tropical private island paradise.</b></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>What could go wrong?</b></p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As owner and CEO of Dirty Dare Spirits, thirty-three year old, Asher Dare has it all. Money. Power. Women whenever he wants. A private island retreat when he doesn’t. People he trusts? He can count those on one hand. When one of his best friends asks a favor—hide his twenty-one year old, supermodel sister, on the island until a scandal blows over—Asher can’t say no. But he doesn’t have to like it.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The daughter of a Senator and a Presidential candidate, Nicolette Bettencourt always acts with decorum. Yet through no fault of her own, scandal seems to follow her every move. When nude photos surface, the uproar puts her father’s campaign at risk. And forces her into hiding with Asher, the hottest—and grumpiest—billionaire she’s ever met.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Under soothing tropical breezes, Asher discovers that Nicolette is nothing like the spoiled brat portrayed in the tabloids. She’s warm, sexy, and a temptation Asher must resist at all costs—or he risks betraying his closest friend, bringing a powerful political dynasty to its knees… and losing the woman he loves.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Release Date: November 29, 2022</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CP Publishing</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kingston Family #7, Dirty Dares #3</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Contemporary Romance</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by publisher</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Liza’s Review:</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Just One Taste is one of the best books I've ever read by Carly Phillips. I love the older brother’s best friend troupe, and Asher’s and Nikki’s story was done perfectly.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Nikki Bettencourt wakes to discover someone has posted nude photos of her all over the internet. Even scarier than the photos alone, is the fact they were somehow taken in her bedroom. Her older brother Derek is ready to do everything possible to find out who and how the photos were taken. He enlists his friend Asher Dare to take Nikki to his private island to stay out of view until the press dies down a bit.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Asher Dare has no desire whatsoever to take Nikki to the island, but owes Derek one, so he agrees. I absolutely loved that Asher was attracted to Nikki from the moment she arrived at the airport. He was such a perfectly grumpy hero trying to fight the attraction to one of his best friend’s little sister. No going to lie, I laughed out loud at his display of jealousy even as he tried to keep Nikki at arms length.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Nikki is such a sweet woman. She sadly has only ever been able to count on her brother for family support, and has needed to be careful when trusting friends. Her parents are absolutely both horrible people as well as horrible parents. Nikki has never really had their support in anything, and they only ever thought of themselves. Once Asher let himself stop fighting his attraction I felt like they truly became not only lovers, but best friends. I loved they each opened up about their pasts, and were very protective of one another. They also couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and their chemistry was off the charts HOT!!!! Loved them as a couple so very much!!!!</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Nikki showed how strong she really was as she learned who was behind the photos, and how they had been taken. I loved that Asher believed in her, and her ability to handle the situation in the manner that she wanted. Asher had a few of his own issues to work through with his past. All the Dare children have some issues because of their biological mother abandoning them. As Asher was the oldest, he has always kept things bottled up, and it was so good to see him finally voice some of his feeling from the past with his dad.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Just One Taste was a fantastic romance that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. I found myself sighing, laughing out loud, and crying both angry and happy tears. I loved every minute of this story and can’t wait to spend more time with these characters in future books.</p>
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<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rating: 5 Stars (A+)</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by publisher</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">READ NOW:</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Kindle: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTKindle?fbclid=IwAR0e_HT1nx3jFkkAllLbRwutjseUCV1f4paPomVcmIyoovhurbQL9wfwpZE"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTKindle</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Amz Print: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTAmzPrint?fbclid=IwAR0QvadGnCJNM-888PrUYTeB0AKNJd57AiJZdoVr33ZAtUHJkbGu6gf8JAU"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTAmzPrint</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Apple: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTApple?fbclid=IwAR0ZlyBCIWEfS372aZenULD-RkrqwrpshsKriwx8Xsrt1Q6deCtFuOLOZVA"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTApple</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Nook: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTNook?fbclid=IwAR2gORBvx4t7rrRaISrm3dreqlwE_fjXs70J5hXh_zLynd_3WaVXmb468os"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTNook</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">BN Print: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTBNPrint?fbclid=IwAR0e_HT1nx3jFkkAllLbRwutjseUCV1f4paPomVcmIyoovhurbQL9wfwpZE"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTBNPrint</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Googleplay: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTGoogle?fbclid=IwAR0e_HT1nx3jFkkAllLbRwutjseUCV1f4paPomVcmIyoovhurbQL9wfwpZE"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTGoogle</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Kobo: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTKobo?fbclid=IwAR2gORBvx4t7rrRaISrm3dreqlwE_fjXs70J5hXh_zLynd_3WaVXmb468os"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTKobo</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #060606; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">AUDIO: Jason Clarke and Samantha Cooke - coming in Feb. w/apologies for delay</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Audible: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTAudible?fbclid=IwAR27DtTMc1hb9gOpqKke8zlUWeVZ2fXOpvOjtdcEBYC6RC_dPKnuKVf4dsQ"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTAudible</span></a></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1b57d2; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #060606;">Amz Audio: <a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTAmzAudio?fbclid=IwAR0IvSwXv-SchbusfdB9v5C9Z5Qs7G_8pmSRcgt5eKCl7Yb-oyjDYaRD9G8"><span style="color: #1b57d2;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/JOTAmzAudio</span></a></span></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-41859324644210615582022-11-15T02:00:00.003-06:002023-05-12T07:39:58.279-05:00SUGAR AND SPICE (PINE MOUNTAIN SERIES #1)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgtBW_YFgRyBBsTGm5WhdBM-fHsN9OWOrTTT2HFHnR2mglt-J2Ky1Fl_tzG2M8BWV33f31nT1Yi32LXp5TrM5IfevNlEckkY9bdQrw5KUjOsKSOxRcJB02Iqmj77UVUs6hhvpcEh9iJA1LmFzM_5McIrjnzLrGaqgT1KRQckbAWaB6fCIA2J8yb_h/s475/sugar%20and%20spice.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgtBW_YFgRyBBsTGm5WhdBM-fHsN9OWOrTTT2HFHnR2mglt-J2Ky1Fl_tzG2M8BWV33f31nT1Yi32LXp5TrM5IfevNlEckkY9bdQrw5KUjOsKSOxRcJB02Iqmj77UVUs6hhvpcEh9iJA1LmFzM_5McIrjnzLrGaqgT1KRQckbAWaB6fCIA2J8yb_h/s320/sugar%20and%20spice.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Ingredients:</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One by-the-book cake caterer </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One rule-breaking hotshot pastry chef </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One prize in a Christmas cookie competition that will skyrocket both of their careers</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mix well and add a whole lot of heat that doesn't stay in the kitchen.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Serve with a side of opposites attract, holiday cheer, and a hard-fought happily ever after.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">*****</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Sugar and Spice is a sexy and sweet opposites attract/adversaries to lovers holiday romance. It kicks off the Pine Mountain series, and is an updated, spicy-sweet version of a novella that was originally published as part of The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap anthology in 2013.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Release Date: November 15, 2022</b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Pine Mountain Series #1</b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Contemporary Romance</b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kimberly Kincaid Romance</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Review copy provided by publisher</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Liza’s Review:</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I somehow missed the Pine Mountain series of books when they were originally published by Kimberly Kincaid, but am her for the updated version of the books. Sugar and Spice is a wonderful start to the series, and this novella was a fun and fast read that contemporary romance fans will absolutely adore.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lily Callahan and Pete Mancuso both enter and want to win the Pine Mountain Resort’s Christmas Cookie Competition for different reasons. Lily wants to win so she will have the $10,000 prize money to help secure a storefront location for her bakery The Sweet Life, that she is currently running out of her apartment. Pete wants to win so he can secure a position as the head pasty chef in a better restaurant. Lily and Pete have to team up for the first challenge, and they are total opposites, as Lily is a total recipe follower, and Pete likes to fly by the seat of his pants when it comes to baking. I absolutely adored their banter through out the entire book, and felt like they had a connection from the moment they first bumped into one another before the competition even started.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lily and Pete had pretty amazing chemistry, and I fell every bit in love with them along the way as they fell in love with one another. I loved they kept being put together because their on screen chemistry was so strong, that they became the best advertisement for the competition. I felt like all the extra time together in such a short amount of time moved their relationship forward faster. I felt like they each learned from one another along the way, and with each new stage of the competition, I felt like Lily and Pete became better versions of themselves thanks to the other.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Sugar and Spice was such a fun, fast, sweet, and sexy read. I read it on a flight in one sitting. I really loved Pete and Lily as a couple. I will say the only thing about the book that threw me was the last chapter/epilogue being about another character who appeared earlier in the book, rather than where Pete and Lily were at that time. I’m excited to get time with them in this series in the future, and can’t wait to see what happens with Shane Griffin in the next book. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rating: 4 Stars (B+)</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You can grab your copy here and curl up with this holiday cheer right on release day <a href="https://kimberlykincaid.com/books/sugar-and-spice/?fbclid=IwAR2O5trNvZmC41qRhS-Z9SIqigfeL49ukuzX2Vtd4OtBghcElJWwz4Wa53M"><span style="color: #dca10d;">https://kimberlykincaid.com/books/sugar-and-spice/</span></a> <b>This book will only be available wide for a short time before it goes into KU for the holiday season, so please (REALLY, PLEASE) order it ASAP if you read with iBooks, Kobo, or Nook.</b></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-30091972747029427622022-11-04T08:42:00.002-05:002023-05-12T07:39:58.047-05:00SILVER IN THE MIST<p><b style="font-family: Arial;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrk8g4fSLNZfFxO0gX1yPtB32-DGNhYrKYuaNjiis1urdlhxpWl7XgYjIyPz4OE_zU9w-CQFxW4eiOiRpP6dDnP6xgzBcq-3W5neS6CCd2IXCixl2Krfc4FZEsSA3eMPFVIcJnI7QDip1oxgtScrJsAIp1GyP6OODAQiVOpavdUM2vKZnr_4wzTQy/s3400/silver%20in%20the%20mist_SHC_prd.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3400" data-original-width="2234" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrk8g4fSLNZfFxO0gX1yPtB32-DGNhYrKYuaNjiis1urdlhxpWl7XgYjIyPz4OE_zU9w-CQFxW4eiOiRpP6dDnP6xgzBcq-3W5neS6CCd2IXCixl2Krfc4FZEsSA3eMPFVIcJnI7QDip1oxgtScrJsAIp1GyP6OODAQiVOpavdUM2vKZnr_4wzTQy/w263-h400/silver%20in%20the%20mist_SHC_prd.jpg" width="263" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Silver in the Mist </b><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Emily Victoria</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On Sale Date: November 1, 2022</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">9781335406705</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Hardcover</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">$18.99 USD</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Ages 13 And Up</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">368 pages</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>ABOUT THE BOOK:</b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Silver in the Mist</i> by Emily Victoria is a YA fantasy featuring asexual representation that follows a palace spy sent to infiltrate a neighboring kingdom in hopes of returning magic to her dying land.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Eight years ago, everything changed for Devlin: Her country was attacked. Her father was killed. And her mother became the Whisperer of Aris, the head of the spies, retreating into her position away from everyone… even her daughter.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Joining the spy ranks herself, Dev sees her mother only when receiving assignments. She wants more, but she understands the peril their country, Aris, is in. The malevolent magic force of The Mists is swallowing Aris’s edges, their country is vulnerable to another attack from their wealthier neighbor, and the magic casters who protect them from both are burning out.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Dev has known strength and survival her whole life, but with a dangerous new assignment of infiltrating the royal court of their neighbor country Cerena to steal the magic they need, she learns that not all that glitters is weak. And not all stories are true.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>BUY LINKS: </b></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Bookshop.org: <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/silver-in-the-mist/9781335406705"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://bookshop.org/books/silver-in-the-mist/9781335406705</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">IndieBound: <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335406705"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335406705</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">B&N: <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-in-the-mist-emily-victoria/1140845012?ean=9781335406705"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-in-the-mist-emily-victoria/1140845012?ean=9781335406705</span></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Mist-Emily-Victoria-ebook/dp/B09PVHZ3T8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=silver+in+the+mist&qid=1644596472&sprefix=silver+inthe+mist,aps,122&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Mist-Emily-Victoria-ebook/dp/B09PVHZ3T8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=silver+in+the+mist&qid=1644596472&sprefix=silver+inthe+mist%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1</span></a></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxaTx6OmULuEi9scTGxmSOHdQBIB-aNLErasG0ikTsopkK1n9SKHEuJQ6cXfUz54zV-q6FZO84dCN4pHKM9dXOkuS_A4ToIrPV2hVJRM-gqjt7XmsjGqGk4Gc-MzXwtmekAW1pFctu8QAPiEukPJcgVR7mqdlBFJ7XVUdea6v-Zh1XKn_T0KXtFadr/s3600/Emily%20Victoria_Photo%20Credit%20Rebecca%20Orr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxaTx6OmULuEi9scTGxmSOHdQBIB-aNLErasG0ikTsopkK1n9SKHEuJQ6cXfUz54zV-q6FZO84dCN4pHKM9dXOkuS_A4ToIrPV2hVJRM-gqjt7XmsjGqGk4Gc-MzXwtmekAW1pFctu8QAPiEukPJcgVR7mqdlBFJ7XVUdea6v-Zh1XKn_T0KXtFadr/s320/Emily%20Victoria_Photo%20Credit%20Rebecca%20Orr.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b><br />ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</b><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Emily Victoria</b> is a Canadian prairie girl who writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. When not wordsmithing, she likes walking her overexcitable dog, drinking far too much tea, and crocheting things she no longer has the space to store. Her librarian degree has allowed her to work at a library and take home far too many books.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>SOCIAL LINKS: </b></span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Author Website: <a href="https://www.avictoriantale.com/"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.avictoriantale.com/</span></a></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Twitter: @avictoriantale</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Instagram: @avictoriantale</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONIC2EZA6XN9oOgxCbhLmJ9vuqewfwykZ88lTjhuNG1JS2UoNEQ0qZuir9vQ9ypvT7fgRnZTliHd5Tz6NSts1b7sG4FNA7LqfxiW97Z5XUa-rpnzq1wqNtrMqXoFJw_xmwZiIk80yEHbP4lzfPukUmKUgjeHoDj_wMKVAtiYnSSHu6Jv6gXNbex45/s1600/664-HTP-Banner---INKYARD-PRESS-YA-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONIC2EZA6XN9oOgxCbhLmJ9vuqewfwykZ88lTjhuNG1JS2UoNEQ0qZuir9vQ9ypvT7fgRnZTliHd5Tz6NSts1b7sG4FNA7LqfxiW97Z5XUa-rpnzq1wqNtrMqXoFJw_xmwZiIk80yEHbP4lzfPukUmKUgjeHoDj_wMKVAtiYnSSHu6Jv6gXNbex45/w400-h100/664-HTP-Banner---INKYARD-PRESS-YA-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">Excerpt</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Chapter One</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The camp around me is shadowy and asleep—vulnerable—just the way I like it. At my back, metal poles hold lanterns that let out an erratic flicker of a glow. But it doesn’t reach as far in as I am, and even the patrolling soldiers barely stray from their circles of firelight. It’s sloppy, this whole camp.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I feel, rather than see, someone slip into the shadow of the tent behind me.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Devlin.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Lochlan’s jesting voice is that low tone that barely carries as far as my ears. I shift closer to the canvas of the tent so they can crouch beside me. “Fancy seeing you here,” they say.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Even though this is serious, my own lips twitch in response. Like me, Lochlan is dressed in tight-fitting clothes with their hood up, dark and practical and perfect for getting up to no good. They tug the strip of cloth covering their face down as they let out a huff. “This thing gets so itchy.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I raise a brow. “That’s not regulation.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">They give me a look, but it’s edged with that sharp excitement neither of us can hide in the field. It tingles in my own fingertips. I want to get on with it, but as always, the Whisperer’s voice echoes in my head, tempering the impulse.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><i>Take the time to observe. Know the lay of the land.</i></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">No matter how many missions I do, how much experience I think I’ve gained, it’s always my mother’s voice that sounds in my head out here in the field.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I scan the tents in front of us. There are three of them in the inner circle, five in the outer. If this camp has the usual layout, then the barracks, the mess, and the supplies will be in the outer tents. The scribes and those in command—in other words, everyone important—will be in this inner ring.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The tent on the far left is larger than the two beside it. All are in that deep navy color that is dyed even darker by the night, which only serves to offset the fabric’s silver lining. The canvas is thick enough that even if there was light inside the tents, we wouldn’t be able to see any silhouettes. It doesn’t give us much to go on, but at least it means once we’re inside, no one will be able to see us either.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“What did you find out?” I ask.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Captain’s quarters are in the middle. The large one on the left is for the scribes. The last one houses the captain’s two pages.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“So are the captain’s office and his sleeping quarters the same?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Guess.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I stifle my sigh. That will be a pain to deal with, but it’s not like we haven’t done it before. Multiple times. “The scribes?” </p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“They sleep with the soldiers as far as I can tell.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">That’s promising. I scan the area. The captain’s tent is the only one with a guard. The man is bored, idly fiddling with his sword’s sheath. He wears a tunic of soft blue lined with white, so neat it looks as if it’d get dirty if the guard glanced at the ground wrong.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“We can take him,” Lochlan says.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I elbow them. “No evidence outside of the theft, remember?” The scribes’ tent isn’t guarded, and there’s barely a foot of space between it and the captain’s tent beside it. That’s our best chance. “This way.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">We track down the row we’re sheltered by, moving from shadow to shadow, aware of the guards and the torchlight hovering just around the corners. At the end of the lane, I wait for the guard’s attention to shift and then we’re just two shadows slipping over the grassy gap. The canvas of the scribes’ tent is secured with thick ties, and I undo the row to let us in.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The space is shadowy in the dark and I take a moment to let my eyes adjust. Rows of portable desks fill the tent so tightly I have to step carefully as I ghost between them, Lochlan behind me.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The desks are littered with papers and worn writing implements, and among them lie pieces of filigree. The delicate swirls of the silvery patterns shine in the darkness, like fallen pieces of moonglow. My fingers hover over them. We aren’t supposed to leave any evidence, but I can’t resist swiping a couple of the shards into my pocket. This is a Cerenian camp. They won’t notice one or two missing pieces of filigree, while we need all the stolen magic we can get.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Behind me, Lochlan pauses as they look at the filigree.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Even though I can’t make out the expression on their face from this angle, I know what will be there. Loss.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I nudge them. “Bet you a week’s worth of chores I can find what we need first.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Lochlan’s eyes glint in the dark as they grin. “You’re going to regret that.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You wish.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">A couple more ties get us out the far wall, and I give a quick glance to make sure the guard can’t see us before slipping into the captain’s tent.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">He’s a snorer. That much is obvious as we step in and a grinding noise like rocks being smashed together echoes over to us. Lochlan’s face contorts in laughter and I grab their face cloth and yank it back over their mouth.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">There’s not much in here. Besides the bed, the only things are a camp desk and a chest. Well, that and the clothes scattered all over the place. There’s even a discarded sword not a foot away from where I stand. He’s not a strict captain then. I’m betting he’s the type to leave his papers lying out rather than filing them away at the end of the day.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I take the desk and sure enough, it’s cluttered with writing instruments and parchment. The Whisperer ordered us to bring back the original orders from the Cerenian monarch that sent these soldiers here. I don’t know exactly what they will say, but I can guess. There are a number of patrolling camps that work their way up and down the Cerenian border, making sure it’s secure. Normally they follow the exact same route. This camp, though, is well into the neutral territory of the Peaks.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The last true attack from Cerena was decades ago, long before I was born, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t planning another. I can’t see why else they would have strayed so far into the Peaks, when it’s such difficult territory to cover. We can’t face the Mists and an army.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">My fingers shift through the papers, careful to disturb them as little as possible. Then in the dark, I catch the image of a songbird sitting on a branch: Cerena’s royal seal. The orders themselves are written in code but that seal means this is what we’ve come for.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I lift the paper high, so Lochlan can see it.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I win.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The snoring cuts off. I drop to a crouch behind the desk. As I peer around its edge I see the captain blinking sleepy eyes open.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I look at where Lochlan is hiding behind the chest. They’re closer to where we entered than I am. They should be able to get out if they move right now, before the captain is fully awake.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I wave my hand at them. They hesitate, but I give them a glare. Moving as silent as a shadow, they’re gone.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">There’s a creak from the bed as the captain gets up, muttering beneath his breath. His footsteps come closer, padding over the canvas floor. My hand finds the knife at my hip. As soon as he’s close enough, I’ll jab the knife in his leg. Then I’ll run.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Fast.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">His feet come into view and I’m tensing to move when there’s a panicked shout from outside. It’s taken up, the sound multiplying.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">What did Lochlan do?</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The captain grabs his boots and races outside. As soon as he’s gone, I slip out the side of the tent. I smell the smoke the moment I’m free, the ring of light at the eastern outskirts of the camp now shining decidedly angrier.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“A lantern has fallen!” someone shouts. “Bring water!”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The camp is a flurry of activity. All of the soldiers, most only half-dressed and with mussed hair, are heading one way. I catch a clear moment and dash in the opposite direction.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I dart between the tents, breaking out of the last line and plunging into the forest at the base of the mountain. It’s darker beneath the trees, the branches scratching at my clothes, and even though I’m risking a broken ankle, I don’t slow. Better a broken ankle than an arrow in my back.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The ground beneath my feet turns from moss to dirt to stone, and the forest fades as I track up the path.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I turn the corner, and there it is.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">A wall of white clings to the mountain like a shroud. It’s so thick I can’t even make out the rocks in it. All I can see are the flashes of lightning deep in its depths, bright and fierce.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The Mists.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Lochlan sits on a rock just outside the border of white, idly swinging one of their legs. Their hood is already down, showing their auburn hair with the single streak of gray, currently tied back into a ponytail. The filigree lantern we’d hidden on our way down shines at their feet, sparking off their bright green eyes.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">I tug the cloth away from my face. “What did you set on fire?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">They grin at me. “You’re welcome.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">There’s a shout behind us from the direction of the camp and we plunge into the Mists.</p><p style="color: #141414; font-family: Verdana; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><b>Excerpted from <i>Silver in the Mist</i>. Copyright </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>©</b></span><b> 2022 by Emily Victoria. Published by Inkyard Press.</b></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-89025177563734788012022-10-12T07:38:00.001-05:002023-05-12T07:39:59.170-05:00THE EMPRESS OF TIME BLOG TOUR<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7rHumUsHqXI5x2EnG0evVYetqKn-XN-bYIH1ryGnewr-E5KUzx--U4kAxciwUaYGrh_ihZPTE0JjC95YKY0qzZ9NlHiqKUgt7HKvO_oapOnr7UFY0NZGohTuPsHjy5mC9ZChWg0DsTW-44pjN7Iw1grgZGdWitCIdtgW0wckidlzFDqYbnaaWZ6m/s3400/9781335915856_SHC_prd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3400" data-original-width="2234" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7rHumUsHqXI5x2EnG0evVYetqKn-XN-bYIH1ryGnewr-E5KUzx--U4kAxciwUaYGrh_ihZPTE0JjC95YKY0qzZ9NlHiqKUgt7HKvO_oapOnr7UFY0NZGohTuPsHjy5mC9ZChWg0DsTW-44pjN7Iw1grgZGdWitCIdtgW0wckidlzFDqYbnaaWZ6m/w263-h400/9781335915856_SHC_prd.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">The
Empress of Time<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Kylie
Lee Baker<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">On Sale Date: October 4, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">9781335915856<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Hardcover<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Inkyard Press<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">$18.99 USD<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Ages 13 And Up<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">416 pages <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Series: The Keeper of Night duology (#2)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN">ABOUT
THE BOOK:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">In this riveting sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Keeper of Night</i>, a half Reaper, half
Shinigami soul collector must defend her title as Japan’s Death Goddess from
those who would see her—and all of Japan—destroyed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Death is her dynasty.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Ren Scarborough is no longer the girl who was
chased out of England—she is the Goddess of Death ruling Japan’s underworld.
But Reapers have recently been spotted in Japan, and it’s only a matter of time
before Ivy, now Britain’s Death Goddess, comes to claim her revenge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Ren’s last hope is to appeal to the god of
storms and seas, who can turn the tides to send Ivy’s ship away from Japan’s
shores. But he’ll only help Ren if she finds a sword lost thousands of years
ago—an impossible demand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Together with the moon god Tsukuyomi, Ren
ventures across the country in a race against time. As her journey thrusts her
in the middle of scheming gods and dangerous Yokai demons, Ren will have to
learn who she can truly trust—and the fate of Japan hangs in the balance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsBuB8Ec6ZZVUVgR1SZCE6-gT3DpUYGjE6o9enhHu9UK5wUoLo2I9aEaag6dwRvXdDg6b43dNCnk5kfneR_wAKJg-oYlX6PKLp6StLxIVP8eLPe3zDnGGLLG6-qoeIvlOyL1tF-4qQa51FODr2kJU_0rJv1QVeLgWdyRvq-PaK7eBp8dcfNqLjv6W/s2120/KylieLeeBaker_credit_GregSamborski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2120" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsBuB8Ec6ZZVUVgR1SZCE6-gT3DpUYGjE6o9enhHu9UK5wUoLo2I9aEaag6dwRvXdDg6b43dNCnk5kfneR_wAKJg-oYlX6PKLp6StLxIVP8eLPe3zDnGGLLG6-qoeIvlOyL1tF-4qQa51FODr2kJU_0rJv1QVeLgWdyRvq-PaK7eBp8dcfNqLjv6W/s320/KylieLeeBaker_credit_GregSamborski.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN">ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Kylie
Lee Baker </span></b><span lang="EN">is the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Keeper of Night.</i> She grew up in Boston and has since lived in
Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her writing is informed by her heritage
(Japanese, Chinese, and Irish), as well as her experiences living abroad as
both a student and teacher. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing and Spanish from
Emory University and is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information
Science degree at Simmons University. In her free time, she watches horror
movies, plays the cello, and bakes too many cookies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN">SOCIAL
LINKS:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Author website: <a href="https://www.kylieleebaker.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.kylieleebaker.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Twitter: @KylieYamashiro<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Instagram: @kylieleebaker<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmk-Jx5cKPBXZedmyhe09KsZv_TTVhG40bGRjiScz50SqFZb-zu_OdPyB_AYXR169azzFiiSd-LE0fMLobYDKKUPsUADdC_JsUp9uM9Gk6013ZpKsxLjWuviDT2EQR6rbuqeMfh6LsjDNLha-drtENu7vIrankkJ9nkX_dwffAIzBe-5Yn5lOdh2e/s1600/664-HTP-Banner---INKYARD-PRESS-YA-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmk-Jx5cKPBXZedmyhe09KsZv_TTVhG40bGRjiScz50SqFZb-zu_OdPyB_AYXR169azzFiiSd-LE0fMLobYDKKUPsUADdC_JsUp9uM9Gk6013ZpKsxLjWuviDT2EQR6rbuqeMfh6LsjDNLha-drtENu7vIrankkJ9nkX_dwffAIzBe-5Yn5lOdh2e/w400-h100/664-HTP-Banner---INKYARD-PRESS-YA-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN">BUY
LINKS:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Bookshop.org: <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-empress-of-time/9781335915856"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bookshop.org/books/the-empress-of-time/9781335915856</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">IndieBound: <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335915856"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335915856</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Barnes & Noble: <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-empress-of-time-kylie-lee-baker/1140845005?ean=9781335915856"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-empress-of-time-kylie-lee-baker/1140845005?ean=9781335915856</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Empress-Time-Keeper-Night-duology/dp/1335915850/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WAARQESV0K7P&keywords=the+empress+of+time&qid=1644287068&sprefix=the+empress+of+,aps,251&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.amazon.com/Empress-Time-Keeper-Night-duology/dp/1335915850/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WAARQESV0K7P&keywords=the+empress+of+time&qid=1644287068&sprefix=the+empress+of+,aps,251&sr=8-1</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-5393831387796926472022-10-08T20:15:00.000-05:002023-05-12T07:39:57.681-05:00HOME SWEET CHRISTMAS BLOG TOUR<p><b style="font-family: Arial;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk1jtgIi-O7GVfoNsAvs-YqzH1LN4fhFxGj7DIDY7OGPGTLx7WidytdjH-t8m3wH7hlGxr-W6SMKskso6UHvG0Ye9M3l24ciuQB1CipXR0gClK-p5tlOjZTeFDsKmzumMsZ7r1t9QRR7OVUFQzC7sJWOrdRrNEQ0Fd1I1dN6NV-MT3WQN-1h1C9eU/s3200/Home%20Sweet%20Christmas%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk1jtgIi-O7GVfoNsAvs-YqzH1LN4fhFxGj7DIDY7OGPGTLx7WidytdjH-t8m3wH7hlGxr-W6SMKskso6UHvG0Ye9M3l24ciuQB1CipXR0gClK-p5tlOjZTeFDsKmzumMsZ7r1t9QRR7OVUFQzC7sJWOrdRrNEQ0Fd1I1dN6NV-MT3WQN-1h1C9eU/w266-h400/Home%20Sweet%20Christmas%20Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: Arial;"><br />HOME SWEET CHRISTMAS</b><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Author: </b><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Susan Mallery</b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>ISBN: </b><span style="background-color: white;"><b>9781335934000</b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Publication Date: October 4, 2022</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Publisher: HQN</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b> Book Summary:</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><b>#1 <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author Susan Mallery's second book set in the small town of Wishing Tree, Washington is the witty and heartfelt story of two friends who expectedly find the person--and the place in which--they belong this Christmas, for fans of Elin Hildebrand, Robyn Carr, and Susan Wiggs.</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;">This small-town life wasn’t supposed to be for Camryn Neff. But after her mother died, Camryn moved home to Wishing Tree, Washington to care for her teenaged twin sisters and run the family wrapping paper business, Wrap Around the Clock. She loves her sisters and would do anything for them but, when they head off to college, she’s excited to move back to Chicago and restart her real life, completely attachment-free. So when a prospective client schedules a meeting and announces Project: Jake’s Bride, a plot to find a wife for her son, Camryn is completely disinterested. And when this client announces that Camryn is a candidate, she’s horrified. Being tied down is the <i>last</i> thing Camryn needs right now. She has no choice but to tell Jake what his mom is planning. But Camryn never expected to genuinely like him so much…</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">River Best knows all about the danger of keeping secrets. After all, she’s had her heart broken and her world rocked by secrets a few times now and she won’t ever let it happen again. New to Wishing Tree and a little shy, River is looking to get involved in the community so she lets her friends talk her into running for Snow Queen, one of the town's honorary hosts of all Christmas events. She never expected to be drawn to Dylan Tucker, her Snow King. As the season progresses, River starts to trust him more and more and wonders if he's the one. But little does River know that Dylan is keeping a secret from her, one that threatens everything between them.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><b></b><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Buy Links:</b></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>BookShop:</b> <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/home-sweet-christmas-9781335449986/9781335449986"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://bookshop.org/books/home-sweet-christmas-9781335449986/9781335449986</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Harlequin: </b><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335934000_home-sweet-christmas.html"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335934000_home-sweet-christmas.html</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Barnes & Noble: </b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-sweet-christmas-susan-mallery/1140803095?ean=9781335934000"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-sweet-christmas-susan-mallery/1140803095?ean=9781335934000</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Amazon: </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Home-Sweet-Christmas-Susan-Mallery/dp/1335934006/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2OROAW8YH5DNX&keywords=home+sweet+christmas&qid=1664471578&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjM5IiwicXNhIjoiMS4yMSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMTUifQ==&sprefix=home+sweet+christmas,aps,79&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.amazon.com/Home-Sweet-Christmas-Susan-Mallery/dp/1335934006/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2OROAW8YH5DNX&keywords=home+sweet+christmas&qid=1664471578&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjM5IiwicXNhIjoiMS4yMSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMTUifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=home+sweet+christmas%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-1</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Books-A-Million: </b><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Home-Sweet-Christmas/Susan-Mallery/9781335934000?id=8292090795540"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Home-Sweet-Christmas/Susan-Mallery/9781335934000?id=8292090795540</span></a> </span></p>
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<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGib3vyMnLs1ygBYVadibRrIepucwYkTVMMHmRpLlBeZt8zfSDMCXHY3q1l34wUpXk0k0Wxc-p0Inwv5JLElR37XGnev1rBbtBXYZT2S-ybBsYHHbUpGjGLpcVTLoaBzhoihps3fU-FUHcYMD7-PxR4TdJFC8uIwX6VQLbWL5Frj4VlQYCp3IJw0ir/s2714/Susan%20Mallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2714" data-original-width="2113" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGib3vyMnLs1ygBYVadibRrIepucwYkTVMMHmRpLlBeZt8zfSDMCXHY3q1l34wUpXk0k0Wxc-p0Inwv5JLElR37XGnev1rBbtBXYZT2S-ybBsYHHbUpGjGLpcVTLoaBzhoihps3fU-FUHcYMD7-PxR4TdJFC8uIwX6VQLbWL5Frj4VlQYCp3IJw0ir/s320/Susan%20Mallery.jpg" width="249" /></a></b></div><b><br />Author Website:</b> <a href="https://www.susanmallery.com/"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.susanmallery.com/</span></a> <p></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Facebook:</b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author/"> </a></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">https://www.facebook.com/SusanMallery</span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Twitter:</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/susanmallery"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://twitter.com/susanmallery</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Instagram:</b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maiseyyates/"> </a><a href="https://instagram.com/susanmallery"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://instagram.com/susanmallery</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Goodreads: </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/susanmallery"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.goodreads.com/susanmallery</span></a> </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Author Bio:</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 14px;"><b>SUSAN MALLERY</b> is the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. <i>Library Journal</i> says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations," and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 14px;">Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She's passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the ragdoll cat and adorable poodle who think of her as mom. Visit Susan online at www.susanmallery.com.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oPLF8pCZi28xNTgISVQe16RB7bWmcuPAAXydW0WD0TjeBw5pXQIePl-3CzAb4NbDr1WOZxNDtAm7xnyLL-JO_ZcGsFU5KljblHIAyS8h15UGYAJhENo_aegzMdT2SHifSSwaGN3XY18Y8MHrusK50UiIntE_qOCfGjzxvHsKz0vOOA55CaJgclRm/s1600/667-HTP-Banner---2022-Holiday-Romance-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oPLF8pCZi28xNTgISVQe16RB7bWmcuPAAXydW0WD0TjeBw5pXQIePl-3CzAb4NbDr1WOZxNDtAm7xnyLL-JO_ZcGsFU5KljblHIAyS8h15UGYAJhENo_aegzMdT2SHifSSwaGN3XY18Y8MHrusK50UiIntE_qOCfGjzxvHsKz0vOOA55CaJgclRm/w400-h100/667-HTP-Banner---2022-Holiday-Romance-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;">EXERPT</p><p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;">One</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Your teeth are lovely, Camryn. Did you wear braces as a child?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn Neff reminded herself that not only was the woman sitting across from her a very wealthy potential client, but also that her mother had raised her to be polite to her elders. Still, it took serious effort to keep from falling out of her chair at the weirdness of the question.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“No. This is how they grew.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Hmm, that didn’t sound right, although to be honest, she didn’t have a lot of experience when a conversation turned dental.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">She refocused her mind to the meeting at hand. Not that she knew for sure why Helen Crane, leader of Wishing Tree society, such as it was, and sole owner of the very impressive Crane hotel empire, wanted to meet with her. The summons had come in the form of a handwritten note, inviting her to the large, sprawling estate on Grey Wolf Lake. Today at two.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">So here Camryn was, wearing a business suit that had been hanging in her closet for over a year. The dress code for Wishing Tree retail and the dress code for the job in finance she’d left back in Chicago were very different. While it had been fun to dust off her gorgeous boots and a silk blouse, and discover her skirts still fit, she was ready to get to the point of the invitation.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“How can I help you, Mrs. Crane?” she asked.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Helen, please.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn smiled. “Helen. I’m happy to host a wrapping party, either here or at the store. Or if you’d prefer, I can simply collect all your holiday gifts and wrap them for you.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">She casually glanced around at the high ceilings of the sitting room. There was a massive fireplace, intricate molding and a view of the lake that, even with two feet of snow on the ground, was spectacular. And while there were lovely fall floral displays on several surfaces, there wasn’t a hint of Christmas to be found. Not in Wishing Tree, eight days before Thanksgiving. Those decorations didn’t appear until the Friday after.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I have some samples for custom wrapping paper,” she said, pulling out several sheets of paper from her leather briefcase. “The designs can be adjusted and the colors coordinated with what you have planned for this holiday season. Wrapped presents under a tree are such an elegant touch.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You’re very thorough,” Helen murmured. “Impressive.” She made a note on a pad. “Are you married, dear?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“What?” Camryn clutched the wrapping paper samples. “No.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen nodded. “Your mother passed away last year, didn’t she?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">A fist wrapped around Camryn’s heart. “Yes. In late October.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I remember her. She was a lovely woman. You and your sisters must have been devastated.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">That was one word for it, Camryn thought grimly, remembering how her life had been shattered by the loss. In the space of a few weeks, she’d gone from being a relatively carefree, engaged, happy junior executive in Chicago to the sole guardian for her twin sisters, all the while dealing with trying to keep Wrap Around the Clock, the family business, afloat. The first few months after her mother’s death were still a blur. She barely remembered anything about the holidays last year, save an unrelenting sadness.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“This year the season will be so much happier,” Helen said firmly. “Victoria and Lily are thriving at school. Of course they still miss their mother, but they’re happy, healthy young adults.” The older woman smiled. “I know the teen years can be trying but I confess I quite enjoyed them with Jake.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn frowned slightly. “How do you know about the twins?” she asked.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen’s smile never faded. “It’s Wishing Tree, my dear. Everyone knows more than everyone else thinks. Now, you’re probably wondering why I invited you over today.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“To discuss wrapping paper?” Although even as Camryn voiced the question, she knew instinctively that was not the real reason.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen Crane was close to sixty, with perfect posture and short, dark hair. Her gaze was direct, her clothes stylish. She looked as if she’d never wanted for anything and was very used to getting her way.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Of course you’ll take care of all my wrapping needs,” Helen said easily. “And I do like your idea of custom paper for faux presents under the tree. I’ll have my holiday decorator get in touch with you so you two can coordinate the design. But the real reason I asked you here is to talk about Jake.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn was having a little trouble keeping up. The order for wrapping and the custom paper was great news, but why would Helen want to discuss her son?</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">She knew who Jake was—everyone in town did. He was the handsome, successful heir to the Crane hotel fortune. He’d been the football captain in high school, had gone to Stanford. After learning the hotel business at the smaller Crane hotels, he was back in Wishing Tree, promoted to general manager of the largest, most luxurious of the properties.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">They’d never run in the same circles back when they’d been kids, in part because she was a few years younger. She’d been a lowly freshman while he’d been a popular senior. Her only real connection with Jake was the fact that he’d once been engaged to her friend Reggie.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen sighed. “I’ve come to the conclusion that left to his own devices, Jake is never going to give me grandchildren. I lost my husband eighteen months ago, which has been very hard for me. It’s time for my son to get on with finding someone, getting married and having the grandchildren I deserve.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Well, that put the whole “did you wear braces” conversational gambit in perspective, Camryn thought, not sure if she should laugh or just plain feel sorry for Jake. His mother was a powerful woman. Camryn sure wouldn’t want to cross her.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I’m not sure what that has to do with me,” she admitted.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen tapped her pad of paper. “I’ve come up with a plan. I’m calling it Project: Jake’s Bride. I’m going to find my son a wife and you’re a potential candidate.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn heard all the words. Taken individually, she knew what Helen was saying. But when put together, in that exact way, the meaning completely escaped her.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I’m sorry, what?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You’re pretty, you’re smart. You’ve done well at Wrap Around the Clock. You’re nurturing—look how you’ve cared for your baby sisters.” Helen smiled again. “I confess I do like the idea of instant grandchildren, so that’s a plus for you. There are other candidates, of course, but you’re definitely near the top of the list. All I need is confirmation from your gynecologist that you’re likely to be fertile and then we can get on with the business of you and Jake falling in love.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You want to know if I’m fertile?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn shoved the samples back in her briefcase and stood. “Mrs. Crane, I don’t know what century you think we’re living in, but this isn’t a conversation I’m going to have with you. My fertility is none of your business. Nor is my love life. If your plan is genuine, you need to rethink it. And while you’re doing that, you might want to make an appointment with your own doctor, because there’s absolutely something wrong with you.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen looked surprisingly unconcerned. “You’re right, Camryn. I apologize. Mentioning fertility was going a bit too far. You’re the first candidate I’ve spoken to, so I’m still finding my way through all this.” She wrote on her pad. “I won’t bring that up again. But as to the rest of it, seriously, what are your thoughts?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn sank back on her chair. “Don’t do it. Meddling is one thing, but you’re talking about an actual campaign to find your son a bride. No. Just no. It’s likely to annoy him, and any woman who would participate in something like this isn’t anyone you want in your family.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen nodded slowly. “An interesting point. It’s just they make it look so easy on those reality shows.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Nothing is real on those shows. The relationships don’t last. Jake’s going to find someone. Give him time.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“I’ve given him two years. I’m not getting younger, you know.” Her expression turned wistful. “And I do want grandchildren.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Ask me on the right day and you can have the twins.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen laughed. “I wish that were true.” Her humor faded. “Do you know my son?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Not really.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“We could start with a coffee date.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn sighed. “Helen, seriously. This isn’t going to work. Let him get his own girl.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“He’s not. That’s the problem. All right, I can see I’m not going to convince you to be a willing participant. I appreciate your time.” She rose. “I meant what I said about the wrapping. I’ll arrange to have all my gifts taken to your store. And my holiday decorator will be in touch about the custom paper.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Is the holiday decorator different from the regular decorator?” Camryn asked before she could stop herself.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Helen chuckled. “Yes, she is. My regular decorator is temperamental and shudders at the thought of all that cheer and tradition. He came over close to Christmas a few years ago and nearly fainted when he saw the tree in the family room.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">She leaned close and her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s devoted to all the ornaments Jake made for me when he was little. There are plaster handprints and little stars made out of Popsicle sticks. My favorite is a tuna can with a tiny baby Jesus in the manger tucked inside. There’s bits of straw and a star.” She pressed both hands to her heart. “I tear up thinking about it.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Baby Jesus in a tuna can? Helen was one strange woman.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn collected her briefcase and followed Helen to the front door. Helen opened it, then looked at her.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“You’re sure about not being a part of Project: Jake’s Bride?”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“Yes. Very.” Camryn kept her tone firm, so there would be no misunderstanding.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">“A pity, but I respect your honesty.”</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Camryn walked to her SUV and put her briefcase in the backseat. Once she was behind the wheel, she glanced at the three-story house rising tall and proud against the snow and gray sky.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The rich really were different, she told herself as she circled the driveway and headed for the main road. Different in a cray-cray kind of way.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">She turned left on North Ribbon Road. When she reached Cypress Highway, she started to turn right—the shortest way back to town. At the last minute, she went straight. Even as she drove north, she told herself it wasn’t her business. Maybe Jake knew about his mother’s plans. Maybe he supported them.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Okay, not that, she thought, passing the outlet mall, then turning on Red Cedar Highway and heading up the mountain. She might not know Jake very well, but Reggie had dated him for months. Reggie was a sweetie who would never go out with a jerk. So Jake had to be a regular kind of guy, and regular guys didn’t approve of their mothers finding them wives.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Besides, she doubted Jake needed any help in that department. He was tall, good-looking and really fit. She’d caught sight of him jogging past her store more than once and was willing to admit she’d stopped what she was doing to admire the view. He was also wealthy. Men like that didn’t need help getting dates.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">The sign for the resort came into view. She slowed for a second, then groaned as she drove up to the valet. Maybe she was making a mistake, but there was no way she couldn’t tell Jake what had just happened. It felt too much like not mentioning toilet paper stuck to someone’s shoe.</p><p style="font-family: Calibri; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">If he already knew, then it would be a short conversation. If he didn’t care, then she would quietly think less of him and leave. If he was as horrified as she thought he might be, then she’d done her good deed for the week and yay her. Whatever the outcome, she would have done the right thing, which meant she would be able to sleep that night. Some days that was as good as it was going to get.</p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: center;">Excerpted from Home Sweet Christmas by Susan Mallery. Copyright © 2022 by Susan Mallery. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.</p><div><br /></div>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-30988771176255588202022-10-08T20:02:00.001-05:002023-05-12T07:39:58.076-05:00MISS DEL RIO BLOG TOUR<p><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbGi946YHFlPDqT6i_HOXu_IpQi4FvU4tdCgoq9nZBFLCJb5cTq7ghb0BFU40NlF-67eENnbnNzP29hpN2oItpAwBCQvUHtjWCKwlRMeR1OcxzbGAMtqPkqJH7RVAe4Tx9dZf-iYv1au4aSQ0KdwJTQUs7qeozdEIVHCFfdExX5irBK3U3diOdxyv/s3200/MISS%20DEL%20RIO%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbGi946YHFlPDqT6i_HOXu_IpQi4FvU4tdCgoq9nZBFLCJb5cTq7ghb0BFU40NlF-67eENnbnNzP29hpN2oItpAwBCQvUHtjWCKwlRMeR1OcxzbGAMtqPkqJH7RVAe4Tx9dZf-iYv1au4aSQ0KdwJTQUs7qeozdEIVHCFfdExX5irBK3U3diOdxyv/w266-h400/MISS%20DEL%20RIO%20Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><br />MISS DEL RIO: A NOVEL OF DELORES DEL RIO, THE FIRST MAJOR LATINA STAR IN HOLLYWOOD</b><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Author: Bárbara Mujica</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>ISBN: </b><span style="background-color: white;"><b>9781525899935</b></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Publication Date: October 4, 2022</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Publisher: Graydon House</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b> Book Summary:</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><b>In the tradition of Marie Benedict's <i>The Only Woman in the Room </i>and Adriana Trigiani's <i>All The Stars in the Heavens</i>, a stunning biographical historical novel set over five decades about Mexican actress Dolores del Río—the first major Latina star in Hollywood, member of Tinseltown's glamorous inner circle with notables such as Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich, and proud Mexican woman who helped pioneer Mexican cinema's Golden Age.</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">She was known as the most beautiful woman in the world, but Dolores del Río was more than a pretty face.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">1910, Mexico: As the country’s revolution spreads, Dolores, the daughter of a wealthy banker, must flee her comfortable life in Durango or risk death. Her family settles in Mexico City, where, at 16, she marries the worldly Jaime del Río. But in a twist of fate, at a party she meets an influential American director who recognizes in her a natural performer. He invites her to Hollywood, and practically overnight, the famous Miss del Río is born.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11px;">In California, Dolores’s star quickly rises, and her days become a whirlwind of movie-making and glamorous events. Swept up in Tinseltown’s glitzy inner circle, she takes her place among film royalty such as Marlene Dietrich and Orson Welles. But as her career soars to new heights, her personal life becomes increasingly complicated, with family tragedy, painful divorce, and real heartache. And when she’s labeled box office poison amid growing prejudice before WWII, Dolores must decide what price she’s willing to pay to achieve her dreams, and if her heart and future instead lie where it all began... in Mexico.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;">Spanning half a century and narrated by Dolores’s fictional hairdresser and longtime friend, <i>Miss del Río </i>traces the life of a trailblazing woman whose legacy in Hollywood and in Mexico still shines bright today.</p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"><b></b><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmmGJ-nfqjtuiDotEK1pJcM1C3shP3j3bc-39Zo6vEcbbEEzetiVTeZlk48fFgOKSxomsP08qzNQR9U2eppmNjE-HYF_d3XYpCkXHVzOhtCCytd9Pi8I3N-DbvfyWMx3ehUeENQeUa4PZowTT0J3vwYcsww0CVoOUccT7-Itih_atFu2Z93THY5w3/s1600/663-HTP-Banner---HISTORICAL-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmmGJ-nfqjtuiDotEK1pJcM1C3shP3j3bc-39Zo6vEcbbEEzetiVTeZlk48fFgOKSxomsP08qzNQR9U2eppmNjE-HYF_d3XYpCkXHVzOhtCCytd9Pi8I3N-DbvfyWMx3ehUeENQeUa4PZowTT0J3vwYcsww0CVoOUccT7-Itih_atFu2Z93THY5w3/w400-h100/663-HTP-Banner---HISTORICAL-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Buy Links:</b></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>BookShop:</b> <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/miss-del-rio-a-novel-of-dolores-del-rio-the-first-major-latina-star-in-hollywood/9781525804991"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://bookshop.org/books/miss-del-rio-a-novel-of-dolores-del-rio-the-first-major-latina-star-in-hollywood/9781525804991</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Harlequin: </b><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781525899935_miss-del-ro.html"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781525899935_miss-del-ro.html</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Barnes & Noble: </b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/miss%2520del%2520rio"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/miss%20del%20rio</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Amazon: </b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miss-del-R%25C3%25ADo-Dolores-Hollywood-ebook/dp/B09P1NH1WQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BZO8TK7X65UR&keywords=miss+del+rio&qid=1662666853&sprefix=miss+del+rio,aps,60&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.amazon.com/Miss-del-R%C3%ADo-Dolores-Hollywood-ebook/dp/B09P1NH1WQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BZO8TK7X65UR&keywords=miss+del+rio&qid=1662666853&sprefix=miss+del+rio%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-1</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Books-A-Million: </b><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Miss-Ro/Brbara-Mujica/9781525899935?id=8292090795540"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Miss-Ro/Brbara-Mujica/9781525899935?id=8292090795540</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Powell’s:</b> <a href="https://www.powells.com/book/miss-del-ro-9781525899935"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.powells.com/book/miss-del-ro-9781525899935</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 12px;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTLgv_m-osYL7S8PFa_ThaajhG91plwd5chG8fksSC1iK84SAeMXy_8WPjnJKVtqOYFUMmMIyT5piTVsf5UKvIO0R7J4f8qRcZTS_9JgWFItIntbv4MtABdmoS3LG2oJVq4JNqO-_y7A18ebf9AkTcjH_dsOQ0qYWe0rIRzLFieBvF77F_Y4T0m3U/s432/Barbara%20Mujica%20Author%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTLgv_m-osYL7S8PFa_ThaajhG91plwd5chG8fksSC1iK84SAeMXy_8WPjnJKVtqOYFUMmMIyT5piTVsf5UKvIO0R7J4f8qRcZTS_9JgWFItIntbv4MtABdmoS3LG2oJVq4JNqO-_y7A18ebf9AkTcjH_dsOQ0qYWe0rIRzLFieBvF77F_Y4T0m3U/s320/Barbara%20Mujica%20Author%20Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Author Website:</b> <a href="http://www.barbaramujica.com/contact-1.html"><span style="color: #103cc0;">http://www.barbaramujica.com/contact-1.html</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Facebook:</b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author/"> </a></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">https://www.facebook.com/Barbara-Mujica-Author-340343149394891/</span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Twitter:</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/blmujica?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw%257Ctwcamp%255Eembeddedtimeline%257Ctwterm%255Escreen-name:blmujica%257Ctwcon%255Es2"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://twitter.com/blmujica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3Ablmujica%7Ctwcon%5Es2</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="color: #103cc0; font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Goodreads: </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/284429.B_rbara_Mujica"><span style="color: #103cc0;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/284429.B_rbara_Mujica</span></a> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 15px;"> </p>
<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><b>Author Bio:</b></p>
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<p style="font-family: Arial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><b>Bárbara Mujica</b> is the bestselling author of four novels, including <i>Frida</i>, which was translated into 17 languages. She is also an award-winning short story writer and essayist whose work has been published in <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>The Washington Post</i>, and <i>The Miami Herald</i>, among others. A professor emerita of Spanish at Georgetown University, she grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Bethesda, Maryland.</p>
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</table><br />mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-35379163026985961132022-10-03T07:25:00.003-05:002023-05-12T07:39:58.104-05:00A MATCH MADE AT CHRISTMAS BLOG TOUR<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweybYf5ViwfYnEaZi1o1tom_--MJo2hNYuDnQ-UUU7Hx02RGW4bvtuxcuHkr3opLZjOBf8RrvV9vmVN0ZKxbcOkb6u-qLNMPFJ-pzOQoviC2zdBALmEBlTPk2CbiblUfuVPIV19YtsGkTvDWEHNXtT4LAYDg7VkI2LuGEmVgr_s4SJEEmHycoT1Gt/s3200/A%20Match%20Made%20at%20Christmas%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweybYf5ViwfYnEaZi1o1tom_--MJo2hNYuDnQ-UUU7Hx02RGW4bvtuxcuHkr3opLZjOBf8RrvV9vmVN0ZKxbcOkb6u-qLNMPFJ-pzOQoviC2zdBALmEBlTPk2CbiblUfuVPIV19YtsGkTvDWEHNXtT4LAYDg7VkI2LuGEmVgr_s4SJEEmHycoT1Gt/w266-h400/A%20Match%20Made%20at%20Christmas%20Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">A
MATCH MADE AT CHRISTMAS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author:
<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Patricia Davids</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">ISBN:
<span style="background: white; color: #181818; mso-highlight: white;">9781335453471</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #181818; font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Publication
Date: October 4, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Publisher:
HQN<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Book Summary:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #545454;">USA
Today</span></i><span lang="EN" style="color: #545454;"> bestselling author
Patricia Davids continues her Amish romance series set in Harts, Haven, Kansas,
with this emotional story about a cancer survivor and a grieving widower who
are brought together at Christmas by the matchmakers of Harts Haven who have a little
help from the hero's daughters.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #545454;">With
Christmas just around the corner, an Amish cancer survivor moves to Harts Haven
for a fresh start as the new schoolteacher. She wants to escape the pity that
she felt from the people back home and throw herself into her new job. She's
worried her illness might return at any moment and isn't looking for love.
Neither is a local widower with two daughters. The loss of his wife devastated
him, and he never wants to feel that kind of pain again. The matchmakers of Harts
Haven set their sights on the pair, by having them work together on a living
Nativity for the school Christmas program. With three elderly matchmakers, a
school full of rambunctious children, a handsome widower, rowdy sheep and one
cantankerous donkey, Harts Haven is about to witness an unforgettable Christmas
Eve where two unlikely people discover healing love is the true Christmas gift.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Buy
Links:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">BookShop:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/a-match-made-at-christmas-9781335453471/9781335453471"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bookshop.org/books/a-match-made-at-christmas-9781335453471/9781335453471</span></a>
<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Harlequin:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453471_a-match-made-at-christmas.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453471_a-match-made-at-christmas.html</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Barnes
& Noble: </span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-match-made-at-christmas-patricia-davids/1140810564?ean=9781335453471"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-match-made-at-christmas-patricia-davids/1140810564?ean=9781335453471</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Amazon:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Match-Christmas-Matchmakers-Harts-Haven/dp/1335453474/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PGRQPHJ6URA9&keywords=a+match+made+at+christmas+by+patricia+davids&qid=1664483448&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=a+match+made+at+%2Caps%2C67&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.amazon.com/Match-Christmas-Matchmakers-Harts-Haven/dp/1335453474/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PGRQPHJ6URA9&keywords=a+match+made+at+christmas+by+patricia+davids&qid=1664483448&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=a+match+made+at+%2Caps%2C67&sr=8-1</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Books-A-Million:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Match-Made-Christmas/Patricia-Davids/9781335453471?id=8292090795540"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Match-Made-Christmas/Patricia-Davids/9781335453471?id=8292090795540</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-WPtEk7HHpyHe-JSgHJJRyed36RtNZX4neeKTJARmQR3pwrZrT9yEEl3-Flmyat_5kUiYzk1LreApHlkG2tOvQ8zTqkkG8AeF73wrBGQeeSxNEInLhQ4uNvWKXrnW5CWgFA4475jjxBbyqgu6-76NLMY_zrWhEKEN71wNp3INRY02ikX_-dAiKdu/s4608/Patricia%20Davids.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3528" data-original-width="4608" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-WPtEk7HHpyHe-JSgHJJRyed36RtNZX4neeKTJARmQR3pwrZrT9yEEl3-Flmyat_5kUiYzk1LreApHlkG2tOvQ8zTqkkG8AeF73wrBGQeeSxNEInLhQ4uNvWKXrnW5CWgFA4475jjxBbyqgu6-76NLMY_zrWhEKEN71wNp3INRY02ikX_-dAiKdu/s320/Patricia%20Davids.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Author Bio:<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: cell-none; mso-border-insidev: cell-none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1536; width: 597px;">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #181818;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 22.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 448.0pt;" valign="top" width="597">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #181818;">USA Today
best-selling author <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Patricia Davids</b>
was born in Kansas. After forty years as an NICU nurse, Pat switched careers
to become an inspirational writer. She now enjoys laid back life on a Kansas
farm, spending time with her family and playing with her dog Sugar, who
thinks fetch should be a twenty-four hour a day game. When not throwing a
ball, Pat is happily dreaming up new stories where love and faith conquer
all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author
Website:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://patriciadavids.com/index.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://patriciadavids.com/index.html</span></a>
<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Facebook:</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></a><u><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaDavidsAuthor<o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Twitter:</span></b><span lang="EN"> n/a<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Instagram:</span></b><span lang="EN"> n/a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/maiseyyates/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"> </span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Goodreads:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/175873.Patricia_Davids?from_search=true&from_srp=true"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/175873.Patricia_Davids?from_search=true&from_srp=true</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIte9bFI0il1CgVDw-q-aY5X1FeuofV4-NNCVSbfaVWSZVx2I7dnw0fhhSxgL5sxMah3wG8wU7yLb5lWh99iUj33JpkuWE3PTUiWyy8TG6N-Duih_MDI1F-rBeb2ey6wc45l5lu_s3RwNZW_FAfpTkGJ7xXE9lQD0jtJUJ6tj3nVOhvpj_xZ4eFlp/s1600/667-HTP-Banner---2022-Holiday-Romance-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIte9bFI0il1CgVDw-q-aY5X1FeuofV4-NNCVSbfaVWSZVx2I7dnw0fhhSxgL5sxMah3wG8wU7yLb5lWh99iUj33JpkuWE3PTUiWyy8TG6N-Duih_MDI1F-rBeb2ey6wc45l5lu_s3RwNZW_FAfpTkGJ7xXE9lQD0jtJUJ6tj3nVOhvpj_xZ4eFlp/w400-h100/667-HTP-Banner---2022-Holiday-Romance-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p>EXCERPT</o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">One<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh, Karl. Yoo-hoo!”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Karl Graber cringed at the sound of Rose Yoder calling his
name. He was in no mood to deal with her this morning.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After burning the oatmeal at breakfast, he discovered his
renter had moved out in the night without giving notice or paying his back
rent. Now Karl was going to be late getting to the store because his buggy
horse was limping.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He pretended he hadn’t heard Rose. Maybe the elderly Amish
woman who claimed to be the most successful matchmaker in Harts Haven would go
pester some other poor fellow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bent over Checker’s front foot, Karl noticed that a stone
lodged between the horse’s steel shoe and his hoof was the gelding’s problem.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Hallo, Karl! I must speak with you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The tenacity of the eighty-four-year-old romance peddler was
another difficulty Karl had to face this morning.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m not interested in meeting your latest hopeful,” he
muttered under his breath.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If the stubborn stone would come out, he could be on his way
before the elderly woman reached the end of the block and crossed the wide
street.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Daed, Granny Rose is calling you.” His six-year-old
daughter, Rachel, stood up and waved. Rose wasn’t related to Karl, but due to
her advanced age most of the children in Harts Haven called her Granny.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“She’s coming this way,” Clara informed him from the front
seat of the open buggy. His ten-year-old daughter wasn’t any more excited to
see Rose than Karl was. She suspected the same thing he did. Rose was on a
matchmaking mission.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Hallo, Granny Rose,” Rachel shouted happily. “We’re taking
our puppies to the store so someone can buy them. Would you like to see them?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The offending stone popped loose. Karl dropped Checker’s
hoof. “Got to get the store open, Rose. Can’t take time to visit.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When he spun around, it was already too late. She had
reached the buggy ahead of him. How did someone her age move so fast? She
didn’t even look winded.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Guder mariye, Karl. I’m so glad I caught you. There is a
chill in the air this morning, isn’t there?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was the second week of November. Of course the air was
cool. Rose hadn’t intercepted him for idle chitchat. He moved to step around
her since she was blocking the buggy door. “Customers will be waiting for me.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose didn’t budge. Other than picking her up and setting her
aside, he had no hope of leaving until she finished having her say. He resigned
himself to hearing who she thought would be perfect for him this time. As if
any woman could take the place of his Nora.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Did you find us a new mother?” Rachel’s hopeful tone
stabbed his heart. Rachel was too young to remember much about the mother who
died when she was three. She only knew other children had both mothers and
fathers, and she wanted the same thing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clara scowled at her sister. “We don’t need a new mother.
Ours is in Heaven. No one can replace her.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clara understood. She was old enough to remember what Nora
had been like. A sweet, gentle, bright and loving woman. The world was a darker
place without her.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose’s cheerful expression softened with sympathy. “I’m
still looking for someone special to join your family. Clara is right. She
won’t be your mother. Instead, she will be your stepmother, but she will love
you and take care of you as if you were her own.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rachel sighed. “I hope you find her soon.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“That’s enough, Rachel,” Karl said. “What do you want,
Rose?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m here to tell you about the new teacher. She arrived
yesterday. She and her sister are staying at the inn for the time being. They
are Grace Sutter’s nieces from the Amish side of her family.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Grace was another elderly widow, Old Order Mennonite, and
co-owner of the Harts Haven Inn along with Rose and Rose’s widowed daughter,
Susanna King. The trio were all fond of meddling. A single man stood little
chance of remaining unattached in this Amish community unless he avoided the
widows. Rose’s knowing smile put Karl on his guard.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rachel clapped her hands. “Yay, the new teacher is here. Now
I can go back to school and be in the Christmas program. I hope I get to be an
angel like Thea and Miriam Bachman last year. Their mother made the most
beautiful wings for them.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose grinned. “Your teacher’s name is Sophie Eicher. Her
sister is Joanna. They are lovely young women.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Also single and hoping to find husbands in Harts Haven. I
know what you’re doing, Rose. Not interested!” If his cutting tone didn’t drive
his point home, maybe his scowl would.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose puffed up like an angry little hen. “Don’t take that
tone with me, Karl Graber. For shame.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He was thirty-two years old, but she made him feel like an
errant toddler. “I’m sorry.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She inclined her head. “You are forgiven. I stopped to tell
you we are hosting a welcome party at the inn on Saturday so folks can meet
Sophie and her sister. Would you kindly spread the word?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He eyed her suspiciously. Where was the catch? “Sure. What
time?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“We’ll start at noon, but folks can come and go as they
please.” She turned to his daughters. “I know you girls must be excited to go
back to school.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Teacher Becky had to leave to take care of her mother
because she got sick,” Rachel said. “I only went to school for one week. I
don’t think I learned much.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I taught you letters and numbers,” Karl said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rachel’s lower lip jutted out. “Only so I could help at the
store. Not to read a book.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There weren’t enough hours in the day to run the hardware
store, manage the farm work, cook, keep house and still find time to instruct
his daughters. Most days, he struggled just to get out of bed. He was doing the
best he could.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“How soon will school resume?” he asked Rose.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The bishop and the school board haven’t decided.” She
leveled her gaze at him. “I know you’ll be at the welcome party.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That was the catch. Grimacing, he shook his head. “Social
gatherings aren’t something I enjoy.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her eyes narrowed. “It is common courtesy to introduce
yourself and your kinder to the new teacher. You remember what courtesy is,
don’t you, Karl?” Rose turned on her heels and strode away.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His conscience smote him. It wasn’t right to be rude to
anyone, yet alone an elder. He caught up with her in a few steps. “Rose, wait.
I’m sorry.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the girls couldn’t
overhear; he lowered his voice. “It hasn’t been easy for me. Nora was the one
who loved company. It doesn’t feel right to do things without her. It just
makes me miss her more.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Instantly, he was sorry he had shared that much.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose’s expression softened. “You have your daughters to
consider. Nora wouldn’t want them shut up in the store all day. Nor would she
approve of you taking them home straight after church services instead of
letting them play with their friends so you can avoid talking to people. I
understand grief, Karl. I buried my husband and a son-in-law who was dear to
me. We all cope with loss differently, but don’t let your grief rob your kinder
of their childhood.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He focused on his feet. Maybe Rose was right. In his
struggle to get through each day, he hadn’t always put his children’s welfare
first. “I reckon I could close early for once. I’ll bring the girls to meet
their new teacher.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He looked up with a hard stare. “But don’t get the idea that
I’ll go along with any of your matchmaking schemes.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She shook her head. “Sophie needs someone special. You are
completely wrong for her. I’m afraid the two of you would be at each other’s
throats within a week.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He drew back. “If she’s hard to get along with, should she
be teaching?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose poked her finger into his chest. “You are the problem,
not Sophie.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Me? What’s wrong with me?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Plenty. You figure it out. Relax. You aren’t on my list of
potential suitors.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That made him smile. “You have a list already? I thought she
only arrived yesterday.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rose grinned and winked. “There aren’t that many single
Amish fellows in this area.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Karl watched her walk away with a sense of relief that was
quickly followed by an unsettling question. What did Rose think was wrong with
him?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He kept to himself, but who could blame him? Losing his
wife, his childhood sweetheart, had nearly broken him. Standing by helplessly
as cancer sucked the life from her despite everything the doctors tried had
devastated him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His beautiful Nora had endured terrible pain. In her last
days, he had stopped praying for her to be healed and only asked that God end
her suffering and take her home. The guilt from those anguished thoughts never
left him. He couldn’t love another woman. He was better off alone. He had his
daughters. That was enough.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Daed, we’re going to be late,” Clara called out.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clara was trying hard to be his helper at home and in the
business the way her mother had been. She worked hard. Perhaps too hard for a
child her age. He returned to the buggy and got in. At least he didn’t have to
worry about Rose trying to set him up with the new teacher. He wasn’t on her list.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Excerpted
from A Match Made at Christmas by Patricia Davids. Copyright © 2022 by Patricia
Davids. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5158076505770091174.post-66429644625106064262022-09-30T07:04:00.001-05:002023-05-12T07:39:58.889-05:00HOLIDAYS IN VIRGIN RIVER BLOG TOUR<p><b><span lang="EN"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGsniIsN4Y8gMQCD9NPnBIp5uWMmeEh9r8sl3sYn8tdiwENEIUkAijPrdZYxQjzgIgLlAzlMuoUbp-6a0vX-O8iZ3bz88o5f-vlnrFTQ23kr1J2uK3-20Xr-svFRqqPmme_zdF6dF8XGrpdlC3VSc5e2qnMyUg9Qs32QCTqCVx8r2gBAFCbx-GlhR/s2975/Holidays%20in%20Virgin%20River%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2975" data-original-width="2150" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGsniIsN4Y8gMQCD9NPnBIp5uWMmeEh9r8sl3sYn8tdiwENEIUkAijPrdZYxQjzgIgLlAzlMuoUbp-6a0vX-O8iZ3bz88o5f-vlnrFTQ23kr1J2uK3-20Xr-svFRqqPmme_zdF6dF8XGrpdlC3VSc5e2qnMyUg9Qs32QCTqCVx8r2gBAFCbx-GlhR/s320/Holidays%20in%20Virgin%20River%20Cover.jpg" width="231" /></a></b></div><b><br />HOLIDAYS
IN VIRGIN RIVER</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author:
<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Robyn Carr</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">ISBN:
<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">9780778387176</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Publication
Date: October 4, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Publisher:
MIRA<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Book Summary:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">A special gift Christmas
hardcover anthology of 2 Virgin River novellas by #1 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times </i>bestselling author Robyn Carr plus an introduction
from the author and select recipes and explanations of the holiday traditions
celebrated in Virgin River.</span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN">Contains two Virgin River novellas: Under
the Christmas Tree and Midnight Confessions along with at least 10 recipes and
anecdotes written by Robyn Carr about why the recipes are special to specific
characters from VR. We'll also have an introduction written by Robyn explaining
why she wrote Virgin River in the first place and why it resonates so strongly
with audiences today. Examples of recipes are: The VR cookie exchange
(Gingerbread cookies, Traditional Scottish Shortbread, Lemon Bars, Chocolate
Chip Cookies) Hot drinks to enjoy as they decorate the town Christmas tree
(mulled wine, homemade hot chocolate) Preacher's famous meatloaf and garlic
mash, to name a few.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Buy
Links:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">BookShop:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/holidays-in-virgin-river-romance-stories-for-the-holidays/9780778387176"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bookshop.org/books/holidays-in-virgin-river-romance-stories-for-the-holidays/9780778387176</span></a>
<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Harlequin:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780778387176_holidays-in-virgin-river.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780778387176_holidays-in-virgin-river.html</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Barnes
& Noble: </span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/holidays-in-virgin-river-robyn-carr/1141697248?ean=9780778387176"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/holidays-in-virgin-river-robyn-carr/1141697248?ean=9780778387176</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Amazon:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Holidays-Virgin-River-Romance-Stories-ebook/dp/B09SVB8K6Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=holidays+in+virgin+river+robyn+carr&qid=1663355498&sprefix=holidays+in+vir%2Caps%2C384&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.amazon.com/Holidays-Virgin-River-Romance-Stories-ebook/dp/B09SVB8K6Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=holidays+in+virgin+river+robyn+carr&qid=1663355498&sprefix=holidays+in+vir%2Caps%2C384&sr=8-1</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Books-A-Million:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Holidays-Virgin-River/Robyn-Carr/9780778387176?id=8292090795540"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Holidays-Virgin-River/Robyn-Carr/9780778387176?id=8292090795540</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Powell’s:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://www.powells.com/book/holidays-in-virgin-river-9780778387176"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.powells.com/book/holidays-in-virgin-river-9780778387176</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author
Bio:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkO6kjqnOjYVTeNqCxA7ObVwBrqHG545Ov6jrhgmosI4vkpbj8wbnZhuc0MPH9vGSk4MzksRZ-hrluqsO8oANd0UZDWpDOTWrG9UBqVtAVeO3Z4CxYcnnUuN1JRnF-U5WEciD21bgWKW6I4UgG--qFxl7rC0TPhj7B9yWAeOUo3zpjJfqHraO7Swax/s2820/Carr_Robyn_credit%20Michael%20Alberstat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2820" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkO6kjqnOjYVTeNqCxA7ObVwBrqHG545Ov6jrhgmosI4vkpbj8wbnZhuc0MPH9vGSk4MzksRZ-hrluqsO8oANd0UZDWpDOTWrG9UBqVtAVeO3Z4CxYcnnUuN1JRnF-U5WEciD21bgWKW6I4UgG--qFxl7rC0TPhj7B9yWAeOUo3zpjJfqHraO7Swax/s320/Carr_Robyn_credit%20Michael%20Alberstat.jpg" width="204" /></a></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: cell-none; mso-border-insidev: cell-none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1536; width: 597px;">
<tbody><tr style="height: 22.5pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 22.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 448.0pt;" valign="top" width="597">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Robyn
Carr </span></b><span lang="EN">is an award-winning, #1 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times bestselling</i> author of more than sixty novels,
including highly praised women's fiction such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Four Friends</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The View
From Alameda Island</i> and the critically acclaimed Virgin River, Thunder
Point and Sullivan's Crossing series. Virgin River is now a Netflix Original
series. Robyn lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit her website at
www.RobynCarr.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Author
Website:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://www.robyncarr.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.robyncarr.com/</span></a> <u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Facebook:</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></a><u><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/Robyn-Carr-134368309920956/<o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Twitter:</span></b><span lang="EN"> <a href="https://twitter.com/RCarrWriter"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://twitter.com/RCarrWriter</span></a>
<u><span style="color: #1155cc;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Instagram:</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maiseyyates/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/robyncarrwriter/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.instagram.com/robyncarrwriter/</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Goodreads:
</span></b><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/107767.Robyn_Carr?from_search=true"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/107767.Robyn_Carr?from_search=true</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_hONFCsVLjtU9xLVQkq2SXNtV25J0s31VFC2JoAOd_INt0BTyp38lBd-gZPx-emLG1sDyXphrrjM74tBEkI2AUw3vRjBwNlEGh-zz4bEnxGxYvOS98NwOEgfa9utiIKGICUGDdPhenCYyXYMkcGvofhDtS9YZaCZ8PYHin-1eAlDUUkDEk3qrFZd/s1600/667-HTP-Banner---2022-Holiday-Romance-Google-Form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_hONFCsVLjtU9xLVQkq2SXNtV25J0s31VFC2JoAOd_INt0BTyp38lBd-gZPx-emLG1sDyXphrrjM74tBEkI2AUw3vRjBwNlEGh-zz4bEnxGxYvOS98NwOEgfa9utiIKGICUGDdPhenCYyXYMkcGvofhDtS9YZaCZ8PYHin-1eAlDUUkDEk3qrFZd/w400-h100/667-HTP-Banner---2022-Holiday-Romance-Google-Form.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />EXCERPT<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span>Because of a box full of cold, hungry, barely moving
puppies, Annie had all but forgotten the reason she’d ended up in Virgin River.
It was three weeks till Christmas and her three older brothers, their wives and
their kids would descend on her parents’ farm for the holiday. Today was one of
her two days off a week from the beauty shop. Yesterday, Sunday, she’d baked
with her mom all day and today she’d gotten up early to make a couple of big
casseroles her mom could freeze for the holiday company. Today, she’d planned
to cook with her mom, maybe take one of her two horses out for a ride and say
hello to Erasmus, her blue-ribbon bull. Erasmus was very old now and every
hello could be the last. Then she’d planned to stay for dinner with her folks,
something she did at least once a week. Being the youngest and only unmarried
one of the McKenzie kids and also the only one who lived nearby, the task of
looking in on Mom and Dad fell to her.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But here she was, hearthside, managing a box of newborn
puppies. Jack rustled up the formula and cereal and a couple of warm towels
from the dryer. Preacher provided the shallow bowls and mixed up the formula.
She and Chris fed a couple of puppies at a time, coaxing them to lap up the
food. She requisitioned an eyedropper from the medical clinic across the street
for the pups who didn’t catch on to lapping up dinner.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jack put in a call to a fellow he knew who was a
veterinarian, and it turned out Annie knew him, too. Old Doc Jensen had put in
regular appearances out at the farm since before she was born. Back in her
dad’s younger days, he’d kept a thriving but small dairy farm. Lots of cows, a
few horses, dogs and cats, goats and one ornery old bull. Jensen was a
large-animal vet, but he’d be able to at least check out these puppies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Annie asked Jack to also give her mom a call and explain
what was holding her up. Her mom would laugh, knowing her daughter so well.
Nothing would pry Annie away from a box of needy newborn puppies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As the dinner hour approached, she couldn’t help but notice
that the puppies were drawing a crowd. People stopped by where she sat at the
hearth, asked for the story, reached into the box to ruffle the soft fur or
even pick up a puppy. Annie wasn’t sure so much handling was a good idea, but
as long as she could keep the little kids, particularly David, from mishandling
them, she felt she’d at least won the battle if not the war.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“This bar has needed mascots for a long time,” someone said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Eight of ’em. Donner, Prancer, Comet, Vixen, and…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">whoever.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Which one is Comet?” Chris asked. “Dad? Can I have Comet?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“No. We operate an eating-and-drinking establishment,”
Preacher said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Awww, Dad! Dad, come on. Please, Dad. I’ll do everything.
I’ll sleep with him. I’ll make sure he’s nice. Please.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Christopher…”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Please. Please? I never asked for anything before.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You ask for everything, as a matter of fact,” Preacher
corrected him. “And get most of it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Boy shouldn’t grow up without a dog,” someone said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Teaches responsibility and discipline,” was another
comment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s not like he’d be in the kitchen all the time.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I run a ranch. Little hair in the potatoes never put me
off.” Laughter sounded all around.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Four of the eight pups were doing real well; they were
wriggling around with renewed strength and had lapped up some of the formula
thickened with cereal. Two were trying to recover from what was certainly
hunger and hypothermia; Annie managed to get a little food into them with an
eyedropper. Two others were breathing, their hearts beating, but not only were
they small, they were weak and listless. She dripped a little food into their
tiny mouths and then tucked them under her shirt to keep them warm, hoping they
might mistake her for their mother for now, all the time wondering if old Doc
Jensen would ever show.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When yet another gust of wind blew in the opened front door,
Annie momentarily forgot all about the puppies. Some of the best male eye candy
she’d chanced upon in a long while had just walked into Jack’s Bar. He looked
vaguely familiar, too. She wondered if maybe she’d seen him in a movie or on TV
or something. He walked right up to the bar, and Jack greeted him
enthusiastically.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey, Nate! How’s it going? You get those plane tickets
yet?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I took care of that a long time ago.” He laughed. “I’ve
been looking forward to this forever. Before too long I’m going to be lying on
a Nassau beach in the middle of a hundred string bikinis. I dream about it.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“One of those Club Med things?” Jack asked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Nah.” He laughed again. “A few people from school. I
haven’t seen most of them in years. We hardly keep in touch, but one of them
put this holiday together and, since I was available, it sounded like an
excellent idea. The guy who made the arrangements got one of those
all-inclusive hotel deals—food, drinks, everything included except activities
like deep-sea fishing or scuba diving—for when I’m not just lying on the sand,
looking around at beautiful women in tiny bathing suits.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Good for you,” Jack said. “Beer?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Don’t mind if I do,” Nate replied. And then, like the answer
to a prayer she didn’t even know she’d uttered, he carried his beer right over
to where she sat with the box of puppies. “Hello,” he said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She swallowed, looking up. It was hard to tell how tall he
was from her sitting position, but certainly over six feet. Annie noticed
things like that because she was tall. His hair was dark brown; his eyes were
an even darker brown and surrounded with loads of thick black lashes. Her
mother called eyes like that “bedroom eyes.” He lifted his brows as he looked
down at her. Then he smiled and revealed a dimple in one cheek.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I said hello,” he repeated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She coughed herself out of her stupor. “Hi.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He frowned slightly. “Hey, I think you cut my hair once.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Possible. That’s what I do for a living.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, you did,” he said. “I remember now.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“What was the problem with the haircut?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He shook his head. “Don’t know that there was a problem,” he
replied.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Then why didn’t you come back?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He chuckled. “Okay, we argued about the stuff you wanted to
put in it. I didn’t want it, you told me I did. You won and I went out of there
looking all spiky. When I touched my head, it was like I had meringue in my
hair.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Product,” she explained. “We call it product. It’s in
style.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah? I’m not, I guess,” he said, sitting down on the
raised hearth on the other side of the box. He reached in and picked up a
puppy. “I don’t like product in my hair.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Your hands clean?” she asked him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He gave her a startled look. Then his eyes slowly wandered
from her face to her chest and he smiled slightly. “Um, I think you’re moving,”
he said. “Or maybe you’re just very excited to meet me.” And then he grinned
playfully.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Oh, you’re funny,” Annie replied, reaching under her
sweater to pull out a tiny squirming animal. “You make up that line all by your
little self?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He tilted his head and took the puppy out of her hands. “I’d
say at least part border collie. Looks like mostly border collie, but they can
take on other characteristics as they get older. Cute,” he observed. “Plenty of
pastoral breeds around here.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Those two are the weakest of the bunch, so please be
careful. I’m waiting for the vet.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He balanced two little puppies in one big hand and pulled a
pair of glasses out of the pocket of his suede jacket. “I’m the vet.” He
slipped on his glasses and, holding both pups upside down, looked at their
eyes, mouth, ears and pushed on their bellies with a finger.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She was speechless for a minute. “You’re not old Doc
Jensen.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Nathaniel Junior,” he said. “Nate. You know my father?” he
asked, still concentrating on the puppies. He put them in the box and picked up
two more, repeating the process.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“He…ah… My folks have a farm down by Alder Point. Hey! I
grew up there! Not all that far from Doc’s clinic and stable. Shouldn’t I know
you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He looked over the tops of his glasses. “I don’t know. How
old are you?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Twenty-eight.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, there you go. I’m thirty-two. Got a few years on you.
Where’d you go to school?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Fortuna. You?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Valley.” He laughed. “I guess you can call me old Doc
Jensen now.” And there was that grin again. No way he could have grown up
within fifty miles of her farm without her knowing him. He was too
delicious-looking.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I have older brothers,” she said. “Beau, Brad and Jim
McKenzie. All older than you.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At first he was startled at this news, then he broke into a
wide smile. Then he laughed. “Are you that skinny, fuzzy-haired, freckle-faced,
tin-mouthed pain in the neck who always followed Beau and Brad around?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“No,” he said, laughing. “That must have been someone else.
Your hair isn’t pumpkin orange. And you’re not all that…” He paused for a
second, then said, “Got your braces off, I see.” By her frown, he realized he
hadn’t scored with that comment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Where is your father? I want a second opinion!”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay, you’re not so skinny anymore, either.” He smiled,
proud of himself.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Very, very old joke, sparky,” she said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, you’re out of luck, cupcake. My mom and dad finally
realized a dream come true and moved to Arizona where they could have horses
and be warm and pay lower taxes. One of my older sisters lives there with her
family. I’ve got another sister in Southern California and another one in
Nevada. I’m the new old Doc Jensen.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now it was coming back to her—Doc Jensen had kids, all older
than she was. Too much older for her to have known them in school. But she did
vaguely remember the son who came with him to the farm on rare occasions. One
corner of her mouth quirked up in a half grin. “Are you that little, pimply,
tin-mouthed runt with the squeaky voice who came out to the farm with your dad
sometimes?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He frowned and made a sound. “I was a late bloomer,” he
said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’ll say.” She laughed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Excerpted
from Holidays in Virgin River by Robyn Carr. Copyright © 2022 by Robyn Carr. Published
by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>mslizalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.com0