CHILD OF MINE AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Single mom Isabella York was a celebrity before she had her first kiss, her first date, or her first sip of alcohol. Playing the bad girl—both on and off the set—made up for lost time, but the consequences were life-changing. Back home in Boston, with her “checkered past” behind her, all she wants is to raise her little girl far from the spotlight. After all, revealing her secrets could mean losing everything.

For her, and her daughter.

It’s not that Henry Smith hates kids—they don’t like him. Meanwhile, he’s stuck producing children’s TV, so he’s doing the best he can to be less of a grouch. Not everyone gets a second chance to chase his dream, and if he plays his cards right at this new gig, he can move on to making television that will change the world, not just entertain a bunch of brats.

Even better, he just might be able to talk the woman he never thought he’d see again into greenlighting a do-over.

In this sexy, heartwarming, Secret Baby, 80’s throwback romcom, a Sunshine-Grumpy pair has to face the past before they can find their future… together. 

Audiobook Release Date: March 11, 2022

Home Cooked Books

Boston Classics #4

Nostalgia Romance

Narrated by: Erin Mallon and Tom Taylorson

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Listening Speed: 1.3x

Child of Mine is one of the books I've been waiting for since the very first book in the Boston Classics series. Single mom Bella is such a strong character, and I love how much she loves her daughter and keeps her needs front and center at all times. I always wondered about Lilah's father, and we finally get all the answers in Child of Mine. I really feel like each of the books in the series build upon each other, so readers will understand the character dynamics a bit better if they have read all the books in the series. However, you can read Child of Mine as a stand-alone story as well.

I've enjoyed each of the books in the Boston Classics series, and Child of Mine was another winner. I felt like much like in You Spin Me, there were parts of their history that were darker than in other books in the series, but I think that is one of the reasons I've adored the last 2 books in the series so much. I There is so much growth in the characters in the 7 years they have been apart. They also had to really work to figure out the new dynamics of their relationship. I loved that Henry and Bella's chemistry was every bit is strong 7 years later. 

I loved once again revisiting the 80's, as I grew up in the 70's, and 80's the "historical" mentions of passing notes, cell phones not being the norm, and tv shows you had to watch when originally aired, or you never got to see them again were all part of my childhood and high school years. Honestly each mention brought back lots of happy memories.

Karen Grey did an amazing job with the secret baby/second chance romance in Child of Mine. Both troupes can be hit of miss, but Ms. Grey took the ball and ran with it and gave her readers a funny, sexy, and endearing story. I’ve actually listened the audiobooks for each of the other books in this series, and can’t wait to re-read Child of Mine once the audiobook is released. 

Updated to add audiobook review. 

I felt that both Erin Mallon and Tom Taylorson did a really great job with Child of Mine. I felt like they did great job distinguishing the voices of all the different characters. I was never pulled out of the story with the narrator’s transitions, and I really felt like Erin and Tom helped totally bring this story to life. 

Rating: 5 Stars (A)

Performance Rating: 5 Stars (A)

Review copy provided by publisher 

CHILD OF MINE is now in audio: https://adbl.co/3tu80Nt

CHILD OF MINE (BOSTON CLASSICS #4)

The bigger the secret, the harder it is to hide.

Single mom Isabella York was a celebrity before she had her first kiss, her first date, or her first sip of alcohol. Playing the bad girl—both on and off the set—made up for lost time, but the consequences were life-changing. Back home in Boston, with her “checkered past” behind her, all she wants is to raise her little girl far from the spotlight. After all, revealing her secrets could mean losing everything.

For her, and her daughter.

It’s not that Henry Smith hates kids—they don’t like him. Meanwhile, he’s stuck producing children’s TV, so he’s doing the best he can to be less of a grouch. Not everyone gets a second chance to chase his dream, and if he plays his cards right at this new gig, he can move on to making television that will change the world, not just entertain a bunch of brats.

Even better, he just might be able to talk the woman he never thought he’d see again into greenlighting a do-over.

In this sexy, heartwarming, Secret Baby, 80’s throwback romcom, a Sunshine-Grumpy pair has to face the past before they can find their future… together.

Release Date: December 1, 2021

Home Cooked Books

Boston Classics #4

Nostalgia Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Child of Mine is one of the books I've been waiting for since the very first book in the Boston Classics series. Single mom Bella is such a strong character, and I love how much she loves her daughter and keeps her needs front and center at all times. I always wondered about Lilah's father, and we finally get all the answers in Child of Mine. I really feel like each of the books in the series build upon each other, so readers will understand the character dynamics a bit better if they have read all the books in the series. However, you can read Child of Mine as a stand-alone story as well.

I've enjoyed each of the books in the Boston Classics series, and Child of Mine was another winner. I felt like much like in You Spin Me, there were parts of their history that were darker than in other books in the series, but I think that is one of the reasons I've adored the last 2 books in the series so much. I There is so much growth in the characters in the 7 years they have been apart. They also had to really work to figure out the new dynamics of their relationship. I loved that Henry and Bella's chemistry was every bit is strong 7 years later. 

I loved once again revisiting the 80's, as I grew up in the 70's, and 80's the "historical" mentions of passing notes, cell phones not being the norm, and tv shows you had to watch when originally aired, or you never got to see them again were all part of my childhood and high school years. Honestly each mention brought back lots of happy memories.

Karen Grey did an amazing job with the secret baby/second chance romance in Child of Mine. Both troupes can be hit of miss, but Ms. Grey took the ball and ran with it and gave her readers a funny, sexy, and endearing story. I’ve actually listened the audiobooks for each of the other books in this series, and can’t wait to re-read Child of Mine once the audiobook is released. 

Rating: 5 Stars (A)

Buy Links:

https://books2read.com/COMKGrey 

Meet Karen Grey:

The first three books in Karen Grey’s 1980’s era Boston Classics romance series released in 2020: What I’m Looking For, Forget About Me and Like It’s 1999. You Spin Me released in 2021, to be followed by novel #4 in the series later this year. The audiobook of What I’m Looking For won an AudioFile Magazine Earphones award and was a finalist in the Independent Audiobook Awards, 2020. She’s also had essays published in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persistedcollections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category.

Connect with Karen Grey:

https://karenwhiteaudiobooks.com/writing/ 

YOU SPIN ME (BOSTON CLASSICS #3)

 

YOU SPIN ME

a nostalgic romantic comedy

BOSTON CLASSICS #3

Narrated by Vanessa Edwin and Eric Michael Summerer

 

Some scars go further than skin deep…

 

1988 doesn’t end well for Jessica Abraham. In just one week she turns thirty, loses her day job, and loses the role of Ophelia to a younger actress. Rallying, she goes after a part at a theater outside of the city, but the director’s plan to hide her beauty behind hair, makeup and wardrobe from Cosmo’s “Don't” column shakes her confidence to the core.

 

For the first time in her acting career, she won’t be able to rely on her carefully managed physical charms. Only her craft will count.

 

On a snowy night early in January 1989, a woman calls into DJ Callihan Alonso’s alt-rock radio show at the end of her commute. He asks her to call back the next night, and the next, just so he'll know she’s home safe. There's something about her voice that has him wanting more, but the longer they talk, the closer she gets. Compromising each and every wall he's built around his heart.

 

If two lonely people fall in love over late-night phone calls, will meeting face-to-face make them, or break them?

 

In this heart-rending but happy-ending retro romcom, it may be the end of a decade, but it’s the beginning of a love story.

 

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/YSMKGrey

https://bit.ly/YSMaudible

https://www.audible.com/pd/You-Spin-Me-Audiobook/B0987XBS9R

Author: Karen Grey
Narrators: Vanessa Edwin & Eric Michael Summerer
Series: Boston Classics #3
Genre: Nostalgic Romance
Audiobook Release Date: July 30, 2021
Publisher: Home Cooked Books
Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
Source: Author
Audio Speed: 1.3x

 

Liza's Review:

You Spin Me is my favorite to date in the Boston Classics series by Karen Grey. The emotional roller coaster of a story gave me all the feels from the very first chapter. The path Jessica and Cal take to happily ever after is full of bumps along the way, but such a beautiful and satisfying romance.

You Spin Me was pretty emotional for me as Cal's scars came from injuries he sustained in a house fire. I had a house fire when I was 12 years old, so any story involving one will always hit me pretty hard emotionally. Jessica carries scars that are not visible to the outside world, but are just as emotionally traumatic as those Cal carries physically. 

I loved Cal and Jessica developed a friendship while talking on the phone each night long before they ever met. I really felt like they had most of the getting to know you part of dating out of the way through so many phone conversations. Not that it made the road less bumpy once they finally met in person. Both Jessica and Cal had to deal with their demons from their pasts, and finding the peace each needed to make a relationship work just about broke my heart. Ms. Grey gives her readers an amazing heartwarming story that will stay with them long after they finish reading or listening to this story.

Narration:

I found both Vanessa Edwin and Eric Michael Summerer to be wonderful in the alternating POVs. Each one brought the characters to life in a way that kept me totally engaged with not only the main characters, but the supporting cast of characters as well. The transition between narrators was flawless done. I also really loved the retro radio ads at the beginning of each chapter. 

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

 

Narrators:

Vanessa Edwin is a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award and SOVAS Award winning audiobook narrator. She is also a classically trained actress and world traveler. There’s nothing she loves more than long rainy days which are optimal for nurturing her love of reading, drinking hot cups of tea, and dreaming of her next getaway.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VanessaEdwinRomanceNarrator/

 Twitter @VanessaEVoice

Eric Michael Summerer is a voice actor and producer who has narrated numerous audiobooks as well as countless instructional recordings and video games. He earned an Audie Award nomination for Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and won AudioFile Earphones Awards for Burning Chrome by William Gibson and Master Assassins by Robert V.S. Redick. Eric also co-hosts the popular board-game podcast The Dice Tower.

 

YOU SPIN ME BLOG TOUR

 

   

You Spin Me is the third book in Karen Grey's Rom-Com series, Boston Classics and can be read as a standalone!

You Spin Me, will release on April 29th, make sure to pre-order your copy today!

 

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Books2Read ~ BookBub ~ Signed Paperbacks/Audio

  SYNOPSIS:

Some scars go further than skin deep…

1988 doesn’t end well for Jessica Abraham. In just one week she turns thirty, loses her day job, and loses the role of Ophelia to a younger actress. Rallying, she goes after a part at a theater outside of the city, but the director’s plan to hide her beauty behind hair, makeup, and wardrobe from Cosmo’s “Don't” column shakes her confidence to the core. For the first time in her acting career, she won’t be able to rely on her carefully managed physical charms. Only her craft will count. On a snowy night early in January 1989, a woman calls into DJ Callihan Alonso’s alt-rock radio show at the end of her commute. He asks her to call back the next night, and the next, just so he'll know she’s home safe. There's something about her voice that has him wanting more, but the longer they talk, the closer she gets. Compromising each and every wall he's built around his heart. If two lonely people fall in love over late-night phone calls, will meeting face-to-face make them, or break them?

In this heart-rending but happy-ending retro rom-com, it may be the end of a decade,

but it’s the beginning of a love story.

     

As you wait to dive into the story on April 29th,

check out Karen's Spotify You Spin Me playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3rMzBR9yuCuMTQT8xy30RC  

and

Make sure to enter Karen's giveaway for 1 of 10 signed paperback copies of You Spin Me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

And don't forget to meet the other couples of Boston Classics:

Book 1

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Books2Read

Book 1.5: Signed, Sealed, & Delivered

Book 2

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Books2Read

Book 2.5: Like It's 1999

 

Meet Karen Grey:

  KAREN GREY is the pen name for award-winning narrator Karen White. A stage, screen and radio drama actor in Boston, New York and Los Angeles in the late 20th century, she started recording books in 1999. Now back in her home state of North Carolina, she shares a home with her family and (probably) too many pets, where she continues to narrate audiobooks as well as make up stories. The first three books in her Boston Classics series of retro romcoms released in 2020, with more to come in 2021. What I'm Looking For, #1 in the series is the winner of AudioFile Magazine's Earphones Award, the NJ Romance Writers' Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category.  

Connect with the Author:

Website ~ Amazon ~ FaceBook ~ Instgram ~ Twitter ~

BookBub ~ GoodReads ~ Facebook Group

 

And don't forget to join Karen Grey's Newsletter for all the most up-to-date info!

EXCERPT

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

This week on Hawaii Five-O, Jack Ward gets his hair shellacked. On Dallas, Miss Ellie gets waxed. Or is that whacked? Whatever, all you have to do right now is stick with rock scientist Cal Alonso and his mute sock-puppet sidekick. They’ll be back right after this station identification.

JESS

I’ve decided that Cal and I need to get to know each other. Part of me wishes I knew what he looks like, but at the same time it’s nice that he can’t see me. Like, right now, my makeup’s gone, my hair’s in a messy bun and I’m in my rattiest sweats—the ones I can’t wear in public because of the mysterious stains on the backside. On the phone with Cal, I can stretch on the floor in comfort while we chat instead of pretending to look interested while a guy talks endlessly about himself. I can be myself.

I play so many roles these days, both on and offstage, that I’m actually not sure I know how to be that girl, but on the phone with Cal feels like a safe place to try.

Cal seemed wary when I suggested we play twenty questions, but I’m going to do my best to make it fun. “Okay, I’ll start. Nothing huge. Just the basics, like what’s your favorite TV show? Do you watch TV? Maybe you don’t since you work nights.”

“I watch sports on weekend afternoons.”

“Ugh, sports. Such a guy.” I make sure I put a tease in my voice because I know how guys are about their teams. “What about Sunday night? I’m guessing MacGyver.”

“Actually, I’m kind of a Moonlighting fan.”

“Really? That is interesting.”

“What’s so interesting about that?

“It’s, you know, romantic.” I’d never admit it, but I love a guy with a romantic side.

“Romantic? It’s a mystery show.”

“Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that.”

“I most certainly will. What about you?” I’ve always loved how you can hear emotion in a person’s voice, but with Cal, I depend on it even more since I can’t picture him. Right now, I’m getting a flirty color from him that makes me want more.

Not only is it distracting, I’m stumped for an answer. “I don’t know why I asked this question. I barely watch TV because of my schedule. I get home too late.”

“Can’t you tape shows you want to watch?”

“I could if my VCR wasn’t broken. Now I have to wait for my brother to decide he needs the latest model so he’ll give me his old one. Meanwhile, I’m stuck watching whatever’s on if I want to watch anything.”

“What would you be watching if you weren’t talking to me?”

“Um, tonight, probably Thirtysomething, but I would’ve missed the first fifteen minutes, so maybe not. I’ll have to catch up on the reruns this summer. Otherwise, I’ll never know if Hope has another baby or if Nancy and Elliot go through with their divorce, or—”

After his snort of laughter, I go for playful defensiveness. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Of course not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m not. I have no idea who those people are.”

“They’re my TV friends. Don’t you have TV friends?”

“Yes, but…” Trailing off, he clears his throat.

“Oh, ho. Cal has TV friends he’s ashamed of.”

When he doesn’t say anything, it’s my turn to laugh.

Joining me he asks, “Who’s laughing at who now?”

“Come on, you have to tell. Is it Big Bird? Oscar the Grouch? I could totally see that.”

I have to wait for the answer while he puts me on hold to do his actual job, but when he returns, he jumps right back in. “When I was little, I definitely identified with both of those guys, but I have managed to move on from Sesame Street since then.”

There’s still a smile in his tone, so I press on. “Then are your TV friends game show people or soap opera people?”

“Can I plead the fifth on that?”

“Mm-hmm. Soap opera people, then. Which show could it be? Hang on. I’m grabbing my TV Guide.”

“It was All My Children, okay? I used to watch the soaps with my mom.”

“Aww.” Very cute. As long as he’s not still living with his mom. That would be problematic.

“She called them her stories.”

“Weren’t you in school when that was on?”

“I was home sick a lot.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” He doesn’t elaborate, and I think I’ve pushed far enough. “One more: Lassie or Mr. Rogers?”

“Definitely Mr. Rogers. Lassie was too scary.”

“It was for me too, but I love dogs, so I’d make my sister watch with me. You were a sensitive little guy, huh?”

“I guess I was.”

“I love that. I’d like to see a picture of you as a little kid.” Even though talking like this is cozy, my brain still craves an image to go with the voice.

“Yeah, there aren’t many of those.” Something beeps in the background. “Listen, I should go. But thanks for talking to me instead of watching Thirtysomething.”

“You’re welcome. You’re better than TV friends.”

“Good night, Jess.”

“Good night, Cal.”

I totally forgot to stretch after class I was in such a hurry to call Cal, so I’m a bit stiff as I get to my feet to hang up the phone. Carefully lifting my leg to the barre, I try to picture him. A guy with a voice that masculine and sexy has to be good-looking, right?

But what if he isn’t? Am I that shallow? Ticking through an imaginary slideshow of all the guys I’ve ever gone out with, I have to conclude that I am.

Not to mention that my vanity has me doing everything within my power to enhance my good bits and hide the bad. So much about attraction has to do with appearance. Right?

Could I fall for a guy who isn’t handsome? I’m attracted to Cal when we talk, but what if we met and one, or both, of us were disappointed in what we see?

What would we do then?

COPYRIGHT 2021, Karen Grey. All rights reserved.

 

YOU SPIN ME RELEASE BLITZ

 

 

We are so excited to announce the release of Karen Grey's YOU SPIN ME!

You Spin Me is book three in Karen's Rom-Com series, Boston Classics!

YOU SPIN ME IS OUT NOW!

Make sure to get your copy today!

     

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Books2Read ~ BookBub ~ Signed Paperbacks/Audio

  SYNOPSIS:

Some scars go further than skin deep…

1988 doesn’t end well for Jessica Abraham. In just one week she turns thirty, loses her day job, and loses the role of Ophelia to a younger actress. Rallying, she goes after a part at a theater outside of the city, but the director’s plan to hide her beauty behind hair, makeup, and wardrobe from Cosmo’s “Don't” column shakes her confidence to the core. For the first time in her acting career, she won’t be able to rely on her carefully managed physical charms. Only her craft will count. On a snowy night early in January 1989, a woman calls into DJ Callihan Alonso’s alt-rock radio show at the end of her commute. He asks her to call back the next night, and the next, just so he'll know she’s home safe. There's something about her voice that has him wanting more, but the longer they talk, the closer she gets. Compromising each and every wall he's built around his heart. If two lonely people fall in love over late-night phone calls, will meeting face-to-face make them, or break them?

In this heart-rending but happy-ending retro rom-com, it may be the end of a decade,

but it’s the beginning of a love story.

 

 

And don't forget to meet the other couples of Boston Classics:

Book 1

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Books2Read

Book 1.5: Signed, Sealed, & Delivered

Book 2

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Books2Read

Book 2.5: Like It's 1999

 

Meet Karen Grey:

  KAREN GREY is the pen name for award-winning narrator Karen White. A stage, screen and radio drama actor in Boston, New York and Los Angeles in the late 20th century, she started recording books in 1999. Now back in her home state of North Carolina, she shares a home with her family and (probably) too many pets, where she continues to narrate audiobooks as well as make up stories. The first three books in her Boston Classics series of retro romcoms released in 2020, with more to come in 2021. What I'm Looking For, #1 in the series is the winner of AudioFile Magazine's Earphones Award, the NJ Romance Writers' Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category.  

Connect with the Author:

Website ~ Amazon ~ FaceBook ~ Instgram ~ Twitter ~

BookBub ~ GoodReads ~ Facebook Group

 

And don't forget to join Karen Grey's Newsletter for all the most up-to-date info!

 

BLOG TOUR: FORGET ABOUT ME

 

Forget About Me, an all-new retro romantic comedy guaranteed to bring all the feels from Karen Grey is available now!

Ben Porter may be living the dream, but it’s not his.

His dad’s health scare might not be the ideal reason to come home for the summer, but it’s a welcome break from the stellar glitz of Ben’s life in Los Angeles. Even if modeling has him rivaling Marky Mark’s fame, posing isn’t his passion. Landing a role with a Boston Shakespeare theater brings him closer to fulfilling his dreams of being a real actor.

Facing the reason he went west in the first place? That’s another story.

Lucy Minola’s dreams were shattered seven years ago when a drunk driver smashed into her brother’s car. She knows it was her fault. So as penance, she works hard to care for her family, goes to confession faithfully, and buries all the feelings she had for the person who left when she needed him most: her brother’s best friend.

When an injured dog brings them back together, Lucy’s good-girl facade begins to crack. Women everywhere are obsessed with the rad body they see in magazines, but she’s the only one Ben seems to notice.

She can’t trust herself with the man who walked away… but can she let him go a second time?

This bittersweet romance, book two in Karen Grey’s 1980’s Boston Classics series, proves that everyone deserves a second chance in love and in life.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon:https://amzn.to/3c3Lsu4
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/forgetaboutme

Add FORGET ABOUT ME to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3bNL5ni

Start the series today with WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR.
Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mvD1w7
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whatimlookingfor

Excerpt

“Good Girls Don’t” - The Knack
Lucy’s Copacetic Shagadelic Mixtape, Song #6

LUCY

Saturday morning, it’s hot and sticky for August. By the time I get to church, every crease of my dress is damp and my stocking-encased legs feel like sausages, so the cool and dark of the confessional is welcome. I kneel and make the sign of the cross just as the screen slides open and Father Signorelli says the usual greeting—in Latin, even though he’s supposed to have switched to the post-Vatican II form. I’m glad our church still does things the traditional way. When I went to the Newman Center the few months I was at UMass, getting general absolution didn’t feel like enough, but the alternative they offered—sitting face to face to confess to a priest—was too embarrassing.
I dab my brow with a tissue before beginning. “Bless me father, for I have sinned. It’s been two weeks since my last confession. These are my sins. I snapped at a coworker because she asked me some irritating questions, and I yelled at my brothers for leaving their dishes in the sink. I have been uncharitable toward an old, um… friend because I’m still angry at him for things he did a long time ago. I talked him into buying things he didn’t need to because… because I wanted him to suffer.”
“Hmm. Those are unbecoming behaviors in a young woman.”
“Yes, Father. For these and any other sins that I cannot remember, I humbly ask pardon of God and penance and absolution of thee, Father."
“Do your rosary and say five Our Fathers for your penance.”
I bow my head, say the Act of Contrition and do my best to focus as Father prays for my forgiveness.
When I step out of the box and into the incense-laden air, the weight of my sins doesn’t lift from my shoulders like it usually does, probably because I neglected to confess the many, many lustful thoughts that’ve set up camp in my nether regions.
I guess you could argue that I’m preventing harm by omitting those sins because if Father Signorelli heard what I’ve been up to alone in my bed at night, he’d surely have a stroke.

When I return from my lunch break on Monday, I’m greeted by Cindy in full-on puppy mode.
“Oh my god, that Ben Porter left you a message, Lucy!”
Stowing my purse in my locker, I spend more time than necessary changing back into my scrub top. I spent the break running errands—picking up a prescription for my dad and stocking up on toiletries for the family while I was at the pharmacy. I might’ve also picked up a few magazines which might just happen to contain a few revealing photos of Ben. It isn’t a sin to just look, right?
When I close my locker door, Cindy’s right there on the other side. “Isn’t that exciting?”
“Yes?” A balloon of hope floats up. I haul it back down to earth. No need to get all excited. He probably just has another question about the dog. I scan the corkboard where notes are usually pinned up. “Where’s the message?”
She finally stops bouncing up and down. “He didn’t call. He came in while you were out and I got to talk to him.” She whispers this like it’s the most exciting thing to have happened in weeks. Maybe it is. Although watching a dog yak up an entire package of tube socks last week was pretty entertaining.
“Oh. Okay.” I keep my tone cool, with some effort. “What was the message?”
“He asked me to ask you if you’d train his dog so it can be in a play! I wish I knew about animal training! How did you learn?” She grabs my forearm. “Do you need an assistant?”
Not sure where to start, I just nod. And then shake my head no. By the time my head’s circling, I realize something. “Did he leave a number?”
Cindy narrows her eyes. “Don’t you have his number?”
I don’t want to think about all this right now, so I exit the breakroom. “I guess I can get it from his chart if it’s not the same.”
She’s at my heels, nipping away with her questions. “Same what?”
“Um. Same everything. Number, house. Because he’s like… famous now?”
“Are you sure you really grew up with him?”
“Yep. I’m sure I did.”
Her smooth brow crinkles. “No offense, but you seem a lot older than him.”
“He’s three years older than me, Cindy.”
“So, he’s like mid-thirties?”
I stifle a sigh. Cindy’s only eighteen, so everyone is old to her. “Just FYI, Cindy, I’m twenty-five.”
“Not even! I thought you were way older than that.”
My brows go up as I stare her down.
“I mean, like, in a good way. Like you majorly have your shit together.”
“Uh-huh.”
Three bells sound, indicating that an owner is in for a pickup. I’ll take any excuse to escape from the interrogation, so I press the button indicating that I’ll grab the post-surgical cat. “I’m not sure I’ll have time, anyway.”
She follows me. “But you were saying you were trying to save money for that certification course. If he’s a rich model, charge him extra.”
She’s driving me crazy, but she has a point. How much money would it be worth to risk further stirring up the grief I thought I’d buried years ago?
Opening the cage to ease out a still groggy but now stitched-up and gonad-free cat, I whisper, “Hey, buddy, time to go home.”
Cindy, still at my elbow, closes the cage. “When was the last time you saw him anyway? I mean, before now.”
“Seven years ago.” Until last week, the last time I saw him was at my brother’s wake. But she doesn’t need to know that. “Things… ended badly.”
Talk about understatement of the year.
“Seven years! Lucy, jeez. Seven years ago, I was in elementary school! That’s forever ago. Forgive and forget already.” A single bell sounds, letting us know that a new client needs to be moved to an exam room. “Do you still want the cat discharge, or whatever’s behind door number one?”
I hand over the cat. “I’ll take the new patient.” I don’t have any ex-boyfriends left to surprise me, so I walk briskly to the waiting room, eager for a distraction. Whether it’s an engorged tick to be removed or a puppy needing its shots or a busted-up tomcat, taking care of an animal is always preferable to listening to my inner monologue.
Deciding what to do about Ben will have to wait.

Meet Karen

Karen Grey (also known as Karen White and K.E. White) has had several essays published, in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persisted collections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category and won second place in the GA Romance Writers’ Maggie Award. The first book in her 1980’s era romance series Boston Classics, What I’m Looking For releases June 23, 2020.

Connect with Karen

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3c3KBJS
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3kmpkOc
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3kf84KK
Stay up-to-date with Karen Grey, join her mailing list:
https://bit.ly/3mpQt4H
Website: https://bit.ly/ 3iApGQP

RELEASE BLITZ: FORGET ABOUT ME

She can’t trust herself with the man who walked away… but can she let him go a second time?

Forget About Me, an all-new feel good, retro romantic comedy from Karen Grey is available now!

Ben Porter may be living the dream, but it’s not his.

His dad’s health scare might not be the ideal reason to come home for the summer, but it’s a welcome break from the stellar glitz of Ben’s life in Los Angeles. Even if modeling has him rivaling Marky Mark’s fame, posing isn’t his passion. Landing a role with a Boston Shakespeare theater brings him closer to fulfilling his dreams of being a real actor.

Facing the reason he went west in the first place? That’s another story.

Lucy Minola’s dreams were shattered seven years ago when a drunk driver smashed into her brother’s car. She knows it was her fault. So as penance, she works hard to care for her family, goes to confession faithfully, and buries all the feelings she had for the person who left when she needed him most: her brother’s best friend.

When an injured dog brings them back together, Lucy’s good-girl facade begins to crack. Women everywhere are obsessed with the rad body they see in magazines, but she’s the only one Ben seems to notice.

She can’t trust herself with the man who walked away… but can she let him go a second time?

This bittersweet romance, book two in Karen Grey’s 1980’s Boston Classics series, proves that everyone deserves a second chance in love and in life.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon:https://amzn.to/3c3Lsu4
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/forgetaboutme

Add FORGET ABOUT ME to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3bNL5ni

Start the series today with WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR.
Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mvD1w7
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whatimlookingfor

Meet Karen

Karen Grey (also known as Karen White and K.E. White) has had several essays published, in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persisted collections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category and won second place in the GA Romance Writers’ Maggie Award. The first book in her 1980’s era romance series Boston Classics, What I’m Looking For releases June 23, 2020.

Connect with Karen

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3c3KBJS
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3kmpkOc
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3kf84KK
Stay up-to-date with Karen Grey, join her mailing list:
https://bit.ly/3mpQt4H
Website: https://bit.ly/ 3iApGQP

FORGET ABOUT ME SNEAK PEEK

Forget About Me, an all-new feel good, retro romantic comedy from Karen Grey is coming October 22nd, and we have the first sneak peek!

CHAPTER ONE
“You May Be Right” – Billy Joel
Lucy’s Keep on Truckin’ Mixtape, Song #3

BEN

Falling in love, killing a guy by accident and mortally wounding myself when it appears that my bride has taken her life is a lot. Doing it six times in four days is just too much. The addition of two weekend matinees to Shakespeare Boston’s Romeo and Juliet schedule must be taking its toll. Still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This year—just like the past seven—began in Los Angeles, where modeling work has dominated my life, keeping me far from home and too busy to do theater. Six months into 1988, due to circumstances I never expected to face, I’m back in Boston performing for a live audience. It feeds my soul, so I don’t care if I’m exhausted.

I’m tired at the end of every weekend, but on this particular late-August Monday morning, I might be hallucinating. Adrenaline spiking, heart in my throat, it takes a few beats for me to figure out what just happened. My hands grip the railing that kept me from falling off my second-floor porch as I take in the lump I just tripped over on my way out the door.
It’s a mottled gray color, and I think that’s fur. Not moving, though. Wondering if it’s alive, I step closer. It makes a snuffling noise, unfolding itself, and I release the breath I’ve been holding. It’s not some weird package from a mega-fan; it’s a dog. With tufted brows and a whiskery muzzle, he looks like the dog in that movie when we were kids—Benji.
“Where the heck did you come from, little guy?”

Want more? Continue reading → https://bit.ly/3mUNBNl

Pre-order your copy today exclusively on Amazon!
Amazon:https://amzn.to/3c3Lsu4
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/forgetaboutme

Add FORGET ABOUT ME to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3bNL5ni

Start the series today for ONLY 99¢ with WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR.
Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mvD1w7
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whatimlookingfor

Synopsis

Ben Porter may be living the dream, but it’s not his.

His dad’s health scare might not be the ideal reason to come home for the summer, but it’s a welcome break from the stellar glitz of Ben’s life in Los Angeles. Even if modeling has him rivaling Marky Mark’s fame, posing isn’t his passion. Landing a role with a Boston Shakespeare theater brings him closer to fulfilling his dreams of being a real actor.

Facing the reason he went west in the first place? That’s another story.

Lucy Minola’s dreams were shattered seven years ago when a drunk driver smashed into her brother’s car. She knows it was her fault. So as penance, she works hard to care for her family, goes to confession faithfully, and buries all the feelings she had for the person who left when she needed him most: her brother’s best friend.

When an injured dog brings them back together, Lucy’s good-girl facade begins to crack. Women everywhere are obsessed with the rad body they see in magazines, but she’s the only one Ben seems to notice.

She can’t trust herself with the man who walked away… but can she let him go a second time?

This bittersweet romance, book two in Karen Grey’s 1980’s Boston Classics series, proves that everyone deserves a second chance in love and in life.

Meet Karen

Karen Grey (also known as Karen White and K.E. White) has had several essays published, in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persisted collections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category and won second place in the GA Romance Writers’ Maggie Award. The first book in her 1980’s era romance series Boston Classics, What I’m Looking For releases June 23, 2020.

Connect with Karen

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3c3KBJS
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3kmpkOc
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3kf84KK
Stay up-to-date with Karen Grey, join her mailing list:
https://bit.ly/3mpQt4H
Website: https://bit.ly/ 3iApGQP